Turning methane into graphene – from gas to ‘black gold’

Turning methane into graphene may seem like modern-day alchemy but that is what Cambridge Nanosystems is successfully doing – and at a scale that will soon increase 100-fold.

 

The company, based at ideaSpace West, is a Cambridge University spin-out and its chief scientist and co-founder, Catharina Paukner, was dubbed “the first lady of graphene” in an article in The Sunday Telegraph.

Cambridge Nanosystems has developed a ground-breaking new method of producing ultra-high-quality, impurity-free graphene in high volumes. It is due to open a factory in 2015 that can make up to five tonnes of graphene.

Catharina told the newspaper: “It’s mind-blowing to think that not long ago, it was only possible to make a ladleful in a year. Now we can make enough to fill a whole building. And we have the capacity to increase that 100-fold.”

Cambridge Nanosystems uses a patented plasma system to turn biogas into graphene. The company is collaborating with world-leading companies and academic experts to develop materials into advanced designs to transform global manufacturing processes and potentially revolutionise a wide range of consumer and industrial products.

Catharina said: “The possibilities are endless.”

The new Cambridge facility could make graphene available to scientists in large quantities. Catharina said: “I want other people to fulfil their dreams, just as we are fulfilling ours.”

To read the full article in The Sunday Telegraph see here

For more information on Cambridge Nanosystems see http://cambridgenanosystems.com

*Photograph courtesy of Cambridge Nanosystems and The Sunday Telegraph

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