Advanced materials specialist strengthens research partnership

Advanced Materials Specialist Haydale and The University of Manchester’s Graphene Engineering Innovation Centre (GEIC) are delighted to have signed a further extension to their partnership that will see them collaborate on a range of events, projects and novel research into nanomaterials over a three year period.

This year sees the 20th anniversary of the discovery of Graphene that led to a Nobel Prize. As part of this milestone, Haydale and the GEIC will showcase some of the groundbreaking developments being made in areas such as conductive ink heating applications in the Automotive and Future Homes sectors over the coming months. The Advanced Materials Show at the NEC Birmingham from 15-16 May will see the prototype car seat heating technology being demonstrated for the first time.

Now, as the partnership progresses to its latest phase, both organisations are pleased to witness the significant advancements achieved through collaborative efforts, notably in the adoption of plasma functionalisation technology and the commercialisation of graphene and other 2D materials within the industry.

One key advantage of the Haydale process is that it contributes to the requirement for advanced materials users to hit their ‘Net Zero’ targets and reduce overall carbon emissions. Haydale’s clean chemistry process offers a way of activating inert materials so they perform in application brought about in an environmentally friendly way, rather than by wet chemical methods that pollute the ecosystem.

Haydale’s pioneering work to functionalise graphene has created a supply of material that is industry-ready and is tuned to optimise performance in the specific application requested by the end user. Because of this development work over the past six years, global partnerships are well underway with giants such as Petronas and Saint Gobain.

Commenting on the continued cooperation, Keith Broadbent CEO of Haydale said: “We are delighted to extend our partnership for a further three years and it is testament to the relationship built between our teams. Real world applications and referrals of new business are now more of a regular occurrence and we look forward to the showcase events coming up during the 20th year anniversary”.

This is a sentiment shared by James Baker, CEO of Graphene at Manchester who added: “As we embark on the next phase of our partnership with Haydale, we are thrilled to continue pushing the boundaries of advanced materials research. Our collaboration not only underscores our commitment to innovation but also reinforces our collective efforts towards sustainable solutions and working towards Net Zero targets. I look forward to the exciting developments and impactful outcomes that lie ahead from the ongoing collaborative efforts at the GEIC.”