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Research Projects Highlight Diverse Application of Graphene, from Military Grade Sensors to Desalination Technology and Energy Storage
Abu Dhabi-UAE: 20 January, 2016
The Masdar Institute of Science and Technology, an independent, research-driven graduate-level university focused on advanced energy and sustainable technologies, and nobel-The University of Manchester, which won the 2010 Nobel Prize in Physics for preparing graphene and discovering its remarkable properties, and the largest single-site university in the UK, today launched a research collaborative research program covering three innovative projects in graphene/2D materials.
The three projects covering composites, sensors and membranes, will be led by faculty members from both research institutions. The projects will respectively explore the development of novel low-density graphene-based foams for various engineering applications, inkjet-printed graphene micro-sensors for energy and defense applications, and graphene-enabled ion exchange membranes for desalination.
Graphene is a single layer of carbon atoms. Its unique structure - a repeating pattern of hexagons - lends it some unique characteristics. Among other attributes, it is said to be 200 times stronger than steel while being 1000 times lighter than a sheet of paper per unit area and possessing much better thermal and electrical conductivity than copper wire. These characteristics result in a material that has the power to transform energy, medicine, electronics, aerospace and many other sectors.
The announcement was made by James Baker, Graphene Business Director, The University of Manchester, and Dr. Steve Griffiths, Vice President of Research, Masdar Institute, on the sidelines of the World Future Energy Summit, which is being organized as part of the Abu Dhabi Sustainable Week 2016 at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Center (ADNEC).
Officials and faculty from The University of Manchester and Masdar Institute attended the ceremony that was hosted at the Masdar Institute pavilion.
James Baker said, "Graphene has huge potential for applications in a large range of sectors, and we are delighted to be collaborating with The Masdar Institute of Science and Technology on these important areas of research.
"The University of Manchester has more than 235 researchers working on graphene and 2D materials and many will now have the opportunity to further their research by working with Masdar.
"Our partnership with Masdar Institute is crucial to the commercialization of graphene and we look forward to seeing ground-breaking research and into developing exciting applications with potential industrial partners as a result of this activity."
Dr Steve Griffiths said: "The collaboration with The University of Manchester reflects Masdar Institute's commitment to supporting the UAE's innovation agenda for establishing knowledge-based industries that leverage materials advances. The projects cover a wide spectrum of applications, in which both universities have expertise. We believe the research program being launched will yield benefits for the UAE's economic and strategic goals and ultimately achieve global impact."
Faculty members from both institutions will lead the research projects. From Masdar Institute, Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering Dr. Rashid Abu Al Rub and Assistant Professor of Materials Science & Engineering Dr. Ahmed Al Jaberi will be working with The University of Manchester's Professor of Material Science Dr. Brian Derby and Lecturer in Structural Materials Dr. Suelen Barg. Their project seeks to develop novel low-density graphene-based nanocomposite foams for engineering applications that include energy..
Masdar Institute Assistant Professor of Microsystems Engineering Dr. Ibraheem Almansouri , Assistant Professor of Materials Science & Engineering, Dr. Amal Ghaferi, and Professor of Microsystems Engineering and Dr. Irfan Saadat are collaborating with University of Manchester Lecturer in Nanomaterials Dr. Aravind Vijayaraghavan, and Professor of Materials Chemistry Professor Michael Turner on a second project that seeks to develop inexpensive fabrication methods for sensor devices that can operate in challenging environments often associated with high temperature energy and military applications.
The Principal Investigators for the membranes research project includes Professor of Chemical and Environmental Engineering and Dr. Linda Zou and Assistant Professor of Chemical Engineering Dr. Ahmed Al Hajaj from the Masdar Institute side, Dr. Gyorgy Szekely, Lecturer in Chemical Engineering, and Chemistry Professor Peter Budd, from The University of Manchester. This work aims to conduct a systematic study of the potential benefits of graphene-enabled ion exchange membranes for water desalination purposes.
Meanwhile, work is progressing on schedule for the AED345 million (£60 million) Graphene Engineering Innovation Centre (GEIC) building being constructed as part of a collaboration between The University of Manchester and Masdar, and is set be completed by the end of 2017. The GEIC is partially funded by £15 million from the Higher Education Funding Council for England's UK Research Partnership Investment Fund (UKRPIF), £5 million from the Innovate UK and by £30 million from Masdar.
The GEIC is expected to accelerate the arrival of graphene products in the marketplace. Commercialization of graphene research has already begun from projects associated with the University of Manchester's National Graphene Institute, including graphene light-bulb and graphene RFID tags. Therefore, current research projects may ultimately be targets for commercialization in the GEIC when it is completed in 2017.
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About Masdar Institute
The Masdar Institute of Science and Technology (Masdar Institute) was established by the government of Abu Dhabi as a not-for-profit, private graduate university to develop indigenous R&D capacity in Abu Dhabi addressing issues of importance to the region.
In collaboration with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Masdar Institute has developed an academic and research platform that articulates its mission and vision according to critical energy and sustainability challenges.
An important characteristic of Masdar Institute is its focus on complex real-world problems that require a multidisciplinary approach for the development of solutions from an integrated technology, systems and policy perspective. This multi-interdisciplinary and integrated approach is supported by the structure of its academic programs and by the emphasis placed on engaging external partners from industry, government, and other academic institutions in collaborative activities.
Serving as a key pillar of innovation and human capital, Masdar Institute remains fundamental to Masdar's core objectives of developing Abu Dhabi's knowledge economy and finding solutions to humanity's toughest challenges such as climate change.
Masdar Institute integrates theory and practice to incubate a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship, working to develop the critical thinkers and leaders of tomorrow. With its world-class faculty and top-tier students, the Institute is committed to finding solutions to the challenges of clean energy and climate change through education and research.
Masdar Institute offers degrees in:
● MSc Engineering Systems and Management
● MSc Computing and Information Science
● MSc Materials Science and Engineering
● MSc Mechanical Engineering
● MSc Water and Environmental Engineering
● MSc Microsystems Engineering
● MSc Electrical Power Engineering
● MSc Chemical Engineering
● MSc Sustainable Critical Infrastructure
● PhD in Interdisciplinary Engineering
Please visit our website www.masdar.ac.ae/
For more information contact:
Name: Shaima Al Jarman
Director - Marketing & Communications
Public Affairs Department
Email: saljarman@masdar.ac.ae
Phone: +971 02 810 9365
Daniel Cochlin
Graphene Communications and Marketing Manager
National Graphene Institute (NGI)
The University of Manchester
0161 275 8382
07917 506158
www.graphene.manchester.ac.uk
www.manchester.ac.uk
Twitter: @UoMGraphene
About The University of Manchester
The University of Manchester, a member of the prestigious Russell Group of British universities, is the largest and most popular university in the UK. It has 20 academic schools and hundreds of specialist research groups undertaking pioneering multi-disciplinary teaching and research of worldwide significance.
The University of Manchester is one of the country's major research institutions, rated fifth in the UK in terms of 'research power' (REF 2014), and has had no fewer than 25 Nobel laureates either work or study there. The University had an annual income of £886 million in 2013/14.
© Press Release 2016
