Graphene+ conference set to debut in Melbourne

The Australian Graphene Industry Association, newly formed to assist and promote the graphene industry in Australia, is launching an annual conference to be known as Graphene+.

Consisting of a single layer of carbon atoms arranged in a hexagonal lattice, graphene is the strongest and most electrically and thermally conductive material ever tested. It is also flexible, impervious to all gases and extraordinarily hydrophobic — and because it is only one atom thick it is nearly transparent.

Not only is graphene a super material, its qualities can be transferred into other materials with which it is compounded. Graphene thus has the capacity to change the face of almost every manufacturing industry in the world — from electronics and renewable energy to water treatment, construction and aerospace engineering.

Graphene+2018 will take place on 8 October in the Hawthorn Arts Centre, forming a focal point for all participants in the advanced materials ecosystem in Australia, as well as those interested in the role graphene will play in Australia’s future. The event organisers have secured a range of international speakers to complement an impressive roster of local leaders in the graphene and advanced manufacturing space, with highlights including:

• Omer Gozen, Global Head, New Materials & Packaging at Plug and Play (USA)
• Volkmar Döricht, Siemens AG, Corporate Technology Research and Technology Center (Germany)
• Professor Peter Middendorf, Institute Director at the Institute of Aircraft Design at the Faculty of Aerospace Engineering and Geodetics, University of Stuttgart (Germany)
• Dr Amanda Barnard, Chief Research Scientist in Data61, CSIRO
• Bronwyn Fox, Director, Swinburne University Manufacturing Futures Research Institute
• Elina Ollila, CEO at UX-Fit (USA)
   

The conference will also include a student pitch competition, which will see students invited from a range of Australian universities to present their graphene projects to the panel in an attempt to win a cash prize, in addition to other rewards such as mentoring and marketing guidance.

For more information, including all speakers, the full schedule and ticket registration, visit https://grapheneindustry.org.au/conference/.

Image credit: ©iStockphoto.com/Oleksiy Mark