The Beijing Graphene Research Institute was recently established. The founding ceremony was witnessed by over ten academicians of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and over thirty well-known domestic and foreign graphene experts. Establishment of the institute indicates that graphene research in China has opened a new chapter.

The Beijing Graphene Research Institute was officially set up in Zhongguancun [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Hao Ping, the new president of Peking University, unveiled the institute. He remarked that Peking University, as an internationally renowned institution of higher learning, shoulders a responsibility for national science and technological innovation as well as talent cultivation.

"The establishment of the institute is not only the achievements of research in basic science of Peking University, but also a mechanism innovation for us to explore transformation of research findings. We will continue to support the construction of the Beijing Graphene Research Institute and work together to turn it into a world-class research and development institution," he said.

Liu Zhongfan, academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and director of the Beijing Graphene Research Institute, mentioned that the establishment of the institute marks a new starting point for BGI development.

The institute will lay equal stress on technological research and industrialization. It will not only formulate future plans for the development of China's graphene industry, but will also fulfill the needs of technological research and development of related enterprises. The Beijing Graphene Research Institute will serve as a paving stone and pioneer of the graphene industry to build core competitiveness in China.

At the inauguration ceremony, the first session of the Beijing Graphene Forum was officially launched. The forum was attended by Rodney Ruoff from Ulsan National University of Science and Technology, Helge Weman, academician of the Norwegian Academy of Sciences, and Frank Copan, who created the technology roadmap of the European Graphene Flagship Program as well as other well-known experts and scholars in the field of graphene.

Nearly four hundred representatives from domestic and foreign universities, research institutions, enterprises and other related units as well as government leaders and industry figures across China also participated in the forum.

According to the organizers, "Beijing Graphene Forum 2018" is committed to strengthening international exchanges and cooperation in the field of graphene, promoting deep integration of graphene frontier technologies and industries, and expanding Beijing's international influence in this field.

Graphene is one of the fundamental components for wearable electronics due to its super high charge carrier mobility and mechanical flexibility. The versatile manufacturing methods of graphene allow it to be integrated with wearable smart sensors in different ways.

Based on the abundant natural graphite resources in China and in cooperation with related companies, the Beijing Graphene Research Institute focuses on the sustainable mining and deep processing of graphene resources.

Its aim is to develop green and mass production techniques to make low-cost graphene powders of different qualities, and to investigate properties of such graphene powders in electrical/thermal conductivity, anti-corrosion coating and mechanical reinforcement in strength and flexibility. These will lead to various practical applications to promote upgrading of the graphite industry.