Chen Xudong, Ph.D in Materials from BIAM graphene research teams recently shared his views on the applications and industrialization of graphene in China.

It is alleged that that if the 20th century is the century of monocrystalline silicon (electricity), then the 21st century is the century of graphene.

From the stone age to the bronze age, from the steel age to the single crystal silicon era, every breakthrough in human technological progress has been closely related to the development of material technologies, and graphene is recognized by scientists as the next generation of revolutionary and strategic materials.

With a thickness of only 0.334 nm, graphene possesses a series of excellent properties. “The most solid”: graphene is proved to be the sturdiest material; its strength is over 100 times that of steel. “The fastest conduction”: electron transfer rate of graphene is also the fastest among the currently known materials.

In addition, the light transmitting rate of graphene reaches 97.7 percent. It also has the best thermal conductivity of 5000 W / (m·K).

In 2004, Andrei Heim and Konstantin Novoselov discovered the graphene by mechanical stripping and won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2010. Ever since, graphene has begun to enter the public eye.

A graphene research team that wins from the starting line

When graphene was first discovered, there were not many people who knew about this material. Founded in 1956, AECC Beijing Institute of Aeronautical Materials (hereinafter referred to as BIAM) established an equipment Innovation center for advanced materials like 3D printing, material genome and graphene in 2006.

After two years of efforts, in 2008, BIAM researchers mastered the preparation technologies of graphene powder. Four years later, a research center of graphene and its applications in the field of aviation was set up.

Over the years, BIAM graphene research team has trained more than 100 core innovation teams with over 40 young doctors as backbones. With joint efforts, the team has made breakthroughs in preparation technologies of large-size graphene films, graphene-reinforced aluminum alloy, graphene-reinforced titanium alloy and graphene-reinforced rubber materials.

Currently, the research center has formed more than 40 research directions, and developed over 200 new materials in eight years.

To promote the industrialization of graphene application technologies, in 2016, BIAM, with the support of the Beijing municipal government, launched the Beijing Graphene Research Institute project.

In 2017, China’s first graphene test base for engineering applications was set up. The pilot base has a total of 18 laboratories, covering an area of 8,800 square meters. The UK is preparing to build a national graphene engineering innovation center, which will be based on the construction of the Beijing Graphene Research Institute test base.

Up to now, Beijing Graphene Research Institute has completed the transformation of 12 scientific and technological achievements, and signed transformation contracts of scientific and technological achievements worth 750 million yuan.

Unique ways to develop graphene

Graphene is a typical dual-use material. Under the policy of military-civilian integration, some of the researchers at Beijing Graphene Research Institute specialize in the development of military technologies.

As a key national defense laboratory, the technical field of the institute involves special materials such as aircraft and engines. The scope is also extended to ships, aerospace, nuclear and other fields.

Another group of researchers have entered the main battlefield of the national economy and developed civilian materials such as new energy batteries and aluminum alloy cables.

In 2014, researchers of Beijing Graphene Research Institute made breakthroughs in the technology of graphene-reinforced aluminum alloy cable and added graphene materials to the aluminum alloy.

For the first time ever in the world, graphene and metal are fused perfectly to manufacture metal-matrix composites reinforced or modified by graphene.

Currently, an enterprise in Xinjiang has introduced this technology and realized industrialization. The company is expected to produce 1,000 tons graphene-reinforced metal-matrix composites in 2018.

Relying on its advanced level in the industrial production of graphene, Beijing Graphene Technology Research Institute also attracted three high-level research teams from abroad, including two academicians of the Royal Academy of Engineering and Nobel Prize winner Konstantin Novoshaw.

Beijing takes lead in innovation

With Beijing taking lead in innovation, Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region serving as the platform, a national network can be connected.

Haidian district has formed a concentration of Beijing graphene innovation technologies within the radius of 15 kilometers centered on Beijing Graphene Research Institute, including Peking University, Tsinghua University, Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, China Aerospace Institute, Huawei Research Institute and Aerospace City, etc.

Graphene technology research resources provided by the above units meet the demands of graphene innovation technology for talents, equipment and testing.

In addition to these available resources, Beijing's leading role in innovation is also reflected in the incubation of small and medium-sized technology companies. At present, we are building an incubation base of seed enterprises in Zhongguancun Fangshan New Materials Industry Base.

Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region serves as the platform, signifying that relevant technologies will be cultivated and developed in Beijing, and then transferred to Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei to promote the innovative development in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region.

Currently, a large industrial cluster with a plant area of 77,400 square meters has been built in Dongli district of Tianjin, with an investment of 4 billion yuan.

Meanwhile, in line with the development demands of industrial technology, Beijing Graphene Research Institute has formed a national network from Jixi in the north to Jixi, to Shenzhen in the south, and Xinjiang in the west.

In view of the dense energy resources in the west, the graphene aluminum alloy cable project was launched in Urumqi, Xinjiang, the graphene cathode material project was initiated in Yinchuan City, and the graphene electronic materials project was implemented out in the Yangtze River Delta region and the Pearl River Delta region.