University of Manchester

UK-based Duo Packaging has developed a graphene-enhanced polyethylene film for flexible packaging, created with the University of Manchester's Graphene Engineering Innovation Center (GEIC) and backed by the Innovation Navigator Programme. The material, branded 2DPE, uses graphene to boost the mechanical performance of polyethylene film, allowing manufacturers to use thinner, more heavily recycled plastic without losing strength or sealing performance.

Zoe Brimelow, Dale Brimelow & Mark Dickie (Image credit: Darren Robinson Photography)

In industrial trials with GEIC and live-shopping retailer QVC, the film increased material strength by up to 35% and let QVC raise the recycled content in its packaging from 45% to 60%. QVC also found the film could be heat-sealed at temperatures 15°C lower than standard film, and cut bag thickness from 30 to 28 microns, a 5% weight reduction. QVC has now switched its UK fulfilment center in Liverpool from standard autobagging film to 2DPE, a move expected to save around 50 tonnes of virgin plastic a year and cut QVC's packaging Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) fees by about £21,150 (about US$27,900) annually.

Researchers at the University of Manchester's National Graphene Institute, led by lead author Julien Barrier and corresponding authors Professor Sir Andre Geim and Professor Alexey Berdyugin of the National University of Singapore, together with contributing researchers from the Henry Royce Institute, Washington University in St. Louis, the University of Pennsylvania, the University of Antwerp, and Japan's National Institute for Materials Science, have shown that superconductivity in magic-angle twisted bilayer graphene can be completely suppressed by screening the electrical interactions between its electrons. 

The result provides strong experimental evidence that electron-electron interactions, rather than atomic vibrations, drive the pairing behind the material's superconductivity, addressing a question that has remained open since magic-angle graphene's superconductivity was first discovered.

Researchers at Rice University, together with collaborators from the University of Manchester, the University of Brighton, the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, the University of Sussex, and Pennsylvania State University, have shown that sub-nanometer-scale wrinkles in graphene can generate a strong electrical polarization simply by bending, without any added chemistry or dopants. The effect, known as flexoelectricity, was predicted theoretically in graphene in 2008 but had not previously been directly measured at this scale.

Flexoelectricity describes polarization induced by a strain gradient, and it can occur even in materials that would otherwise show no polarization at all. In three-dimensional materials, competing electromechanical effects tend to mask it, but atomically thin two-dimensional materials offer a cleaner setting to isolate strain-driven polarization. In principle, bending a two-dimensional sheet tightly enough can perturb the out-of-plane orbitals that carry its electrons, generating a "quantum" flexoelectric response distinct from classical charge separation across a deformed membrane. Confirming this quantum contribution experimentally has been difficult, since most prior work accessed curvatures several orders of magnitude gentler than the atomic-scale bending needed to perturb individual orbitals.

University of Manchester researchers have shown that electrons in ultra-clean graphene can be steered with high precision while keeping their spin information intact, a key requirement for future low power electronics and quantum devices.

The team demonstrates how electrons can travel ballistically, i.e. without experiencing any scattering or resistance, over micrometer distances in graphene at low temperature and maintain spin coherence all the way up to room temperature. By using a technique known as transverse magnetic focusing (TMF), they were able to bend electron trajectories like light rays traversing a lens and show that these curved paths carry a clear spin signature.

INBRAIN Neuroelectronics has announced that it has completed patient recruitment in its first-in-human study evaluating its graphene cortical interface. A total of ten patients were recruited into its first-in-human study, and eight patients were treated surgically, with no perioperative device failure observed during use. Complete datasets were obtained from eight patients.

The study (NCT06368310), sponsored by the University of Manchester and conducted with Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust, evaluated INBRAIN’s graphene-based cortical interface during neurosurgical procedures for brain tumor resection. The primary objective was to assess safety, with secondary objectives focused on signal quality, stability, stimulation capability, and suitability for intraoperative use with standard surgical tooling and recording equipment.

Researchers at The University of Manchester, working with the UK’s National Physical Laboratory (NPL) and 15 international partners, have developed a new protocol, using transmission electron microscopy (TEM), which is meant to underpin a new ISO technical specification for graphene.

The results of the large interlaboratory selected area electron diffraction (SAED) comparison study, where the collaborating laboratories measured and analyzed nominally identical samples of chemical vapor deposited (CVD) graphene, were recently presented. Large variations were observed in the measured ratios of diffraction spot intensities, with the largest variance associated with poor quality SAED data resulting from poor specimen handling and storage. To inform the reliable determination of monolayer thickness from SAED patterns, the team provided a description of best practice for specimen handling, TEM operation, data collection and analysis. The results of this work have been directly incorporated into ISO/TS 21356-2 for the characterization of graphene sheets. 

Saint-Gobain UK & Ireland has announced a new strategic partnership with Vector Labs (the technology division of Vector Group, based at the Graphene Engineering Innovation Centre in Manchester). The partnership will explore how advanced materials, including graphene, can be integrated into construction products to improve performance and reduce environmental impact.

This partnership, led by Saint-Gobain UK & Ireland, brings together expertise from across Saint-Gobain, including its External Ventures team and the Saint-Gobain brands British Gypsum & Isover, and scientists at Vector Labs. The new strategic partnership will aim to leverage the power of nano-materials, such as graphene, to deliver significant improvements in the functionality and performance of Saint-Gobain’s construction products.

A research team, led by Daniil Gorbachev and Na Xin at the University of Manchester and working with colleagues including Kenji Watanabe and Takashi Taniguchi, demonstrated a major improvement in graphene’s electronic properties by strategically positioning graphite gates in extremely close proximity to the material. 

This innovative approach, which involves placing the gates just one nanometer away, dramatically reduces charge variations and potential fluctuations, ultimately boosting graphene’s mobility to exceed even the highest-quality semiconductor heterostructures. The resulting material exhibits exceptional performance, enabling the observation of subtle quantum phenomena previously hidden by disorder and paving the way for a new era in two-dimensional materials research.

According to reports, a novel concrete formulation, CoMLaG, developed through collaboration between the Graphene Engineering Innovation Centre (GEIC), Cemex UK, Galliford Try, Sika, and Northumbrian Water, was recently laid on site, delivering a major milestone in efforts to decarbonize construction materials.

The project culminated in the successful pour of 15m³ of graphene and micronized lime-enhanced concrete at a Northumbrian Water wastewater treatment facility. This mix achieved up to 49% reduction in CO₂ emissions per cubic meter compared to traditional CEM I concrete, while maintaining comparable compressive strength performance.

INBRAIN Neuroelectronics has announced the interim analysis of findings from the world’s first-in-human clinical study of its graphene-based brain-computer interface (BCI) technology. The study, sponsored by the University of Manchester and conducted at the Manchester Centre for Clinical Neurosciences (Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust), is evaluating the safety and functional performance of graphene-based electrodes when used during surgery for resection of brain tumors.

The primary objective of the study (NCT06368310) is to assess the safety of INBRAIN’s brain-computer interface (BCI) during brain tumor surgery. Secondary objectives include evaluating the quality of neural signals captured by the device, its ability to deliver targeted brain stimulation, the consistency of its performance throughout the procedure, and its overall suitability for use in the neurosurgical operating room. A total of 8 to 10 patients are expected to be enrolled to validate the safety and functional performance of the graphene-based BCI. The study design included an interim analysis after the first four patients had been recruited to ensure patient safety and data quality.