The state-run Digital University Kerala (DUK), along with CMET-Trichur, is gearing up to set up India Innovation Centre for Graphene, the country's first graphene R&D incubation centre in Kerala. The Ministry of Electronics and IT, Government of India, has given its approval for the Rs 86.41 crore project.
The centre, which will be implemented with the support of the Government of Kerala, has the potential to accelerate the State's growth in the knowledge industry sector and Tata Steel will be the industrial partner of the centre, an official statement said.
Graphene is the thinnest and strongest material in the world and has good chemical stability, high electrical conductivity and a large surface area while being transparent and lightweight. Often referred to as the wonder material for its extraordinary electrical and electronic properties, graphene, as per the latest research, could replace indium and thereby bring down the cost of OLED (organic light-emitting diode) screens in smartphones.
The chief investigator of the project, Dr AP James (DUK), and Dr A Seema (CMET-T) are leading the initiative with an aim to bridge the gap between graphene academic research and industrial applications, it said. The centre aims to be an anchor point to promote startups and commercial research.
The main collaborators to the centre include scientists from the National Graphene Institute, University of Manchester, and a growing list of expressions of interest from industry partners from around the world.
"We expect the centre to offer students, researchers, established industries and budding start-ups to test and experiment with new innovative products, and make it a thriving environment for innovative graphene-based product development," said Saji Gopinath, Vice-Chancellor, Digital University Kerala.
The emerging 2D materials will have a wide range of commercial and industrial applications in biomedical, defense, electronics, energy and sensors, in the next decade. The centre will also develop skilled manpower by anchoring PhD and Master's students through the Digital University, with an applied research focus in the areas of electronics product design, sensors and energy applications, the statement added.
