The objective to achieve in the next decade is to launch these new materials that may revolution the future of applications in many sectors, among which the energy, environment and telecommunication sectors.
The European project “Graphene Flagship” is based on a scientific-technological action plan, which leads the research on graphene and the related two-dimensional materials. More than 60 representatives of the universities and of the industrial world prepared a scientific-technological action plan for graphene, the related two-dimensional crystals and other 2d materials and hybrid systems based on a combination of 2d crystals and other nanomaterials. The open-access document was published today on Nanoscale, the journal of the Royal Society of Chemistry.
The action plans outlines the activities foreseen for the next ten years, aiming at providing the scientific community and the industrial world with the development of products based on graphene and related materials.
One of the authors of the document is Professor Nicola Pugno, coordinator of the team working on the “Nanocomposites” for the FBK Foundation and Professor of Solid and Structural Mechanics at the Department of Civil, Environmental and Mechanical Engineering of the University of Trento and coordinator of the Laboratory of bio-inspired nanomechanics and graphene.
Pugno is in charge of the "composite's modelling" of the Graphene Flagship and works on the engineering of new graphene-based composites, using advanced nanomechanical tools and he often draws inspiration from nature.
Within the European project, the FBK Foundation is involved also in the activities on Energy - thanks to the researcher Luigi Crema. The activities mainly deal with the hydrogen storing in innovative materials connected with graphene. Crema is the coordinator of the Applied Research Unit on Energy Systems (FBK, Materials and Microsystems Centre). His research team studies the hydrogen storing systems carrying out promising tests on new materials based on graphene-base nanostructures and advanced performances, which may be applicable to hydrogen-powered cars, the energy storing in buildings, community and to support the future electricity grids.
The European team was created in 2013 upon the joint initiative of the industrial and university sectors, thanks to an EU Call aimed at facing the great current scientific and technological challenges, thanks to long-term, multidisciplinary R&D strategies. The team involves 142 partners (23 in Italy), located in 23 countries, and an increasing number of associate members.
Francesco Profumo, President of the FBK Foundation is very proud of the leadership of Nicola Pugno and Luigi Crema in the two groups on “Nanocomposites” and "Energy” within the Graphene Flagship Action Plan. “FBK is one of the main Italian research institutes and it is deeply engaged in playing an active role for the success of the European scientific and technological schedule for graphene, set out for the next years. FBK, with its excellent structures and many researchers involved in the project, may contribute to progress in this sector and identify new applications to transfer to the European industrial sector. The new carbon-based materials, like graphene, will play an important role in the future of the European production and FBK, thanks to its researchers, is ready to invest in activities to promote the knowledge sharing with companies interested in new applications for graphene, in the sectors of nanocomposites and Energy”.
The Action Plan
More details:
The article on Nanoscale
- Ferrari et al., Science and technology roadmap for graphene, related two-dimensional crystals, and hybrid systems, Nanoscale (2014).
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