Graphene research receives $5.3 million boost
Australian innovation has been given a boost, with the University of Adelaide awarded $2.6 million in federal funding to establish the Australian Research Centre (ARC) Research Hub for Graphene Enabled Industry Transformation.
The hub is expected to deliver major economic and scientific benefits to both the state and the nation.
An additional $2.6 million was awarded to the university for eight industry- and government-linked projects, bringing the total funding to almost $5.3 million.
Graphene’s strength, conductive and thermal properties and high surface area (one gram of graphene can cover the size of a football field) make it particularly attractive for use in electronics and energy storage. It is also stretchable, flexible and appears to be non-toxic for medical use.
“Never has a material exhibited more potential to change the industrial world than graphene,” said the University of Adelaide’s Professor Dusan Losic, director of the new ARC Research Hub for Graphene Enabled Industry Transformation and ARC Future Fellow in the School of Chemical Engineering.
“Our new national research hub will develop advanced materials [and] provide fit-for-purpose products and innovative solutions to a range of industries, such as advanced manufacturing, mining and minerals technology and services, medical technologies and pharmaceuticals, and defence.
“The aim is that our research will transform industry and support Australian businesses to embrace cutting-edge innovation and technologies that deliver high-value returns.”
The University of Adelaide will lead the new ARC Research Hub for Graphene Enabled Industry Transformation, with the University of Melbourne, Monash University and the University of South Australia all participating as collaborative partners in the program.
Other national and international collaborators include industry and research leaders from Australia, China, the US, UK, France and Spain, spanning mining and minerals, steel manufacturing, defence and nanotechnology.
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