Graphene Technology in Engineering

The Bright Future of Graphene in 3DCP In the world of 3D concrete printing (3DCP), every layer matters. Strength, speed, and sustainability all depend on what goes into the mix. One material quietly reshaping that equation is graphene. Graphene is just one atom thick, yet it’s more than 200x stronger than steel and conducts heat and electricity better than copper. When introduced in small doses into concrete, it transforms the material from the inside out. It refines pore structure, bridges microcracks, and enhances tensile and flexural strength. In 3DCP, this means walls that bond tighter between layers, resist cracking under stress, and stand stronger against extreme environments. For coastal and storm-resistant housing, graphene is a game changer. It lowers permeability, reducing chloride and water ingress that destroy traditional steel-reinforced structures. It can also help cut cement usage—shrinking the carbon footprint of construction, which today accounts for nearly 8% of global CO₂ emissions. And that’s just the start. Graphene’s conductivity opens the door to smart printed walls that can self-monitor stress, temperature, or even act as part of energy-storage systems. Imagine 3D-printed homes that are not only disaster-resilient but also intelligent. Of course, challenges remain. Cost, quality control, and large-scale dispersion must be solved before graphene becomes mainstream. But early pilots already show double-digit gains in strength and significant improvements in durability. The trajectory is clear: the combination of graphene-enhanced concrete and the precision of 3DCP could redefine what’s possible in construction. The bright future of graphene isn’t hype—it’s the next layer in building smarter, stronger, and more sustainable communities. #Graphene #3DCP #ConstructionInnovation #SmartMaterials #Sustainability #FutureOfBuilding #ConcretePrinting #Nanotech #ResilientHousing #SmartLiving

🚧 Can "Smart Nanotech Concrete" Tackle Both Frost Damage and Climate Change? ❄️🌍 Two recent studies from the University of Miami and Washington State University showcase a significant advance toward low-carbon, high-durability infrastructure, thanks to a patented clinker-free geopolymer concrete. 🧪 What’s New? Graphene Oxide + Geopolymer Paste ➤ Adding just 0.02% graphene oxide (GO by mass of ash) to fly ash-based geopolymer paste makes a notable difference. No cement is needed for this type of concrete! ➤ The result? Much better strength retention after 84 rapid freeze-thaw cycles and stronger resistance to post-damage carbonation. ➤ GO improves hydration chemistry and reduces moisture uptake—key for durability in cold, wet regions. CFRP-Confined Geopolymer Columns ➤ Researchers encased GO-modified geopolymer concrete in carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) tubes, creating high-strength, ductile structural members. ➤ Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) over a 100-year lifespan shows: ✅ Up to 34% lower CO₂ emissions than traditional cement concrete columns ✅ Excellent resilience, even under extreme loading and environmental conditions 💡 Why It Matters These innovations pave the way for next-generation infrastructure—stronger, greener, and more resilient. 👷♀️ Civil engineers: Ready to rethink your materials? 🎓 This is where chemistry, mechanics, and sustainability converge. 📚 Learn more: • Li & Shi, Cement and Concrete Composites, 2025 – https://lnkd.in/g-5hRfHi • Li et al., Transportation Research Record, 2025 – https://lnkd.in/gpbWKkS3 #CivilEngineering #FlyAsh #Geopolymer #GrapheneOxide #FrostResistance #CFRP #SustainableConstruction #ConcreteInnovation #LifeCycleAssessment #InfrastructureResilience #STEM #FutureEngineers

Graphene Breakthrough Brings Spintronics Closer to Quantum-Efficient Computing New Study Demonstrates Quantum Spin Injection Using Edge-Contacted Graphene at the Atomic Scale Researchers at the University of Manchester’s National Graphene Institute have achieved a major step forward in spintronics—an emerging field promising faster, more energy-efficient alternatives to traditional electronics. Published in Communications Materials, the study showcases a novel technique for injecting spin currents into graphene, the wonder material of modern physics. This innovation could accelerate the development of next-generation classical and quantum computing devices that use electron spin instead of charge. Harnessing Spin for Smarter Electronics • What Is Spintronics? Unlike traditional electronics, which move charge through circuits, spintronics manipulates the intrinsic angular momentum—or “spin”—of electrons. This allows for low-power, high-speed information processing, with the added potential of integrating classical and quantum computing architectures. • Graphene as a Spin Transport Medium: Graphene, a one-atom-thick sheet of carbon, is ideal for spin transport due to its high electron mobility and long spin lifetime. However, injecting and detecting spin currents efficiently has remained a major technical hurdle—until now. A Novel Quantum Interface • Edge-Contact Engineering: Led by Dr. Ivan Vera-Marun, the Manchester team encapsulated monolayer graphene in hexagonal boron nitride (hBN), a highly stable and insulating 2D material. By exposing only the edges of the graphene and overlaying them with magnetic nanowire electrodes, the team created clean, atomically sharp 1D contacts for spin injection. • Quantum Point Contact Behavior: At cryogenic temperatures (20 K), the researchers observed ballistic transport of electrons—meaning electrons travel without scattering—across the 1D interface. The contacts acted as quantum point contacts, where electron flow is quantized, a hallmark of quantum behavior. • Implication for Quantum Devices: This discovery confirms that not only can spin be injected cleanly into graphene, but that the process preserves quantum coherence, a critical requirement for quantum information processing. Why It Matters: Toward Ultra-Low Power, High-Speed Quantum Circuits This development is more than a laboratory curiosity—it lays a foundational step for scalable spin-based logic devices. Efficient spin injection and detection in graphene means it could serve as the backbone for a new class of computers that are faster, cooler, and more compact than anything silicon can offer. Moreover, the compatibility of graphene and hBN with existing semiconductor processes makes integration with current chip technologies feasible. As spintronics merges with quantum computing, innovations like this could unlock energy-efficient data centers, smarter wearable tech, and neuromorphic systems that mimic the human brain.

University of Massachusetts Amherst Engineers Create Bioelectronic Mesh Capable of Growing with Cardiac Tissues for Heart Monitoring. New tool is the first to measure mechanical movement and electrical signal in vitro with a single sensor. Graphene supplied by MIT. March 21, 2024. Excerpt: Cardiac disease is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. The heart is very sensitive to therapeutic drugs. Pharmaceutical industry spends millions of dollars annually in testing to ensure product safety. Effective monitoring of living cardiac tissue remains limited. It is risky to implant sensors in a living heart as the heart is a complex muscle in monitoring. “Cardiac tissue is very special,” said Jun Yao, associate professor of electrical and computer engineering, UMass Amherst’s College of Engineering and senior author. Note: Today’s sensors typically measure one characteristic at a time, a two-sensor device that could measure charge and movement would be bulky impeding cardiac tissue function. The new device is built of two critical components, explains lead author Hongyan Gao, Ph.D. candidate in electrical engineering, UMass Amherst. The first is three-dimensional cardiac microtissue (CMT), lab grown from human stem cells under guidance of co-author Yubing Sun, associate professor of mechanical and industrial engineering, UMass Amherst. CMT has become preferred model for in vitro testing as it is closest to a full-size, living human heart. CMT is grown in a test tube, a process that takes time and can be disrupted by a clumsy sensor. The second critical component is graphene—a carbon substance one atom thick. Graphene is electrically conductive, and can sense electrical charges in cardiac tissue. It is also piezoresistive- as stretched— by the beating heart—its electrical resistance increases. Graphene is very thin, can register the tiniest flutter of muscle contraction or relaxation without impeding heart function, all through maturation process. Co-author Jing Kong, professor of electrical engineering MIT, and her group supplied graphene material. Gao, Yao and colleagues embedded graphene sensors in a soft, stretchable porous mesh scaffold that has close structural and mechanical properties to human tissue which can be applied non-invasively to cardiac tissue. “Graphene can survive in a biological environment without degrading for a very long time and not lose conductivity. We can monitor CMT across the entire maturation process,” said Gao. “Our sensor can give real-time feedback to scientists and drug researchers, in a cost-effective way." In the future, Gao said, he hopes to adapt his sensor to in vivo monitoring, which would provide the best-possible data to help solve cardiac disease. Direct link to published research in Nature Communications enclosed. https://lnkd.in/eFEyrUz4