[{"command":"openDialog","selector":"#drupal-modal","settings":null,"data":"\u003Cdiv id=\u0022republish_modal_form\u0022\u003E\u003Cform class=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form ecl-form\u0022 data-drupal-selector=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 action=\u0022\/en\/article\/modal\/5803\u0022 method=\u0022post\u0022 id=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 accept-charset=\u0022UTF-8\u0022\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHorizon articles can be republished for free under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence.\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003EYou must give appropriate credit. We ask you to do this by:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 1) Using the original journalist\u0027s byline\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 2) Linking back to our original story\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 3) Using the following text in the footer: This article was originally published in \u003Ca href=\u0027#\u0027\u003EHorizon, the EU Research and Innovation magazine\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003ESee our full republication guidelines \u003Ca href=\u0027\/horizon-magazine\/republish-our-stories\u0027\u003Ehere\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003EHTML for this article, including the attribution and page view counter, is below:\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\u0022js-form-item form-item js-form-type-textarea form-item-body-content js-form-item-body-content ecl-form-group ecl-form-group--text-area form-no-label ecl-u-mv-m\u0022\u003E\n \n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n \u003Ctextarea data-drupal-selector=\u0022edit-body-content\u0022 aria-describedby=\u0022edit-body-content--description\u0022 id=\u0022edit-body-content\u0022 name=\u0022body_content\u0022 rows=\u00225\u0022 cols=\u002260\u0022 class=\u0022form-textarea ecl-text-area\u0022\u003E\u003Ch2\u003EElectrified planes and quadruple-glazed windows\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMaking graphene can be as simple as peeling sellotape off a block of charcoal, however the one-atom thick carbon is giving engineers a radical new tool that is incredibly strong, highly conductive, and bendable.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThat\u2019s why the\u0026nbsp;EU has set up the Graphene Flagship, one of the biggest ever research initiatives worth hundreds of millions of euros over the next ten years, when contributions from partners are also taken into account.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe Graphene Flagship will build on work already being done in Europe, such as the EU-funded CARHAY2011 project, which is using graphene to make ultra-strong materials, with huge potential in the automotive and aerospace industries.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EModern aircraft such as the Airbus A380 are increasingly made of carbon-fibre composites, which are lighter and stronger than aluminium. However, the problem is that carbon fibres are held together by a relatively weak epoxy resin.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cblockquote class=\u0022tw-text-center tw-text-blue tw-font-bold tw-text-2xl lg:tw-w-1\/2 tw-border-2 tw-border-blue tw-p-12 tw-my-8 lg:tw-m-12 lg:tw--ml-16 tw-float-left\u0022\u003E\n \u003Cspan class=\u0022tw-text-5xl tw-rotate-180\u0022\u003E\u201c\u003C\/span\u003E\n \u003Cp class=\u0022tw-font-serif tw-italic\u0022\u003E\u2018Graphene looks set to become as important as steel or plastics in the long-term.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cfooter\u003E\n \u003Ccite class=\u0022tw-not-italic tw-font-normal tw-text-sm tw-text-black\u0022\u003EProfessor Jari Kinaret, Chalmers University, Sweden, head of the Graphene Flagship\u003C\/cite\u003E\n \u003C\/footer\u003E\n\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\n\u2018The aim of our project is to make the resin stronger by adding carbon nanotubes or graphene, which are extremely strong,\u2019 said Professor Sam Evans from the School of Engineering at Cardiff University, one of the partners in CARHAY2011.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EResearchers plan to build several wing panels containing graphene, and then test them with realistic loads simulating extreme flying conditions. It could mean less material is required, saving valuable weight and fuel.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIf the new materials are successful, the project could result in big reductions in fuel consumption and CO\u003Csub\u003E2\u003C\/sub\u003E emissions. For example, Evans says that reducing the weight of a typical passenger plane by 50\u0026nbsp;kg could save some EUR 4 million per year in fuel costs and reduce CO\u003Csub\u003E2\u003C\/sub\u003E emissions by approximately 25 000 tonnes per year for a fleet of 1 000 aircraft.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EAll surface\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe special properties of graphene come about because the surface of a material behaves differently from the rest of it. Because graphene sheets are effectively all surface, they have very different properties from solid graphite.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOn a small scale, they are very strong and stiff and conduct heat and electricity very well, but it\u2019s hard to make graphene in large pieces. It could be used instead to reinforce plastics, and even make them conductive. \u2018It could be possible to get a useful increase in strength by mixing graphene into another material,\u2019 Evans said.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe EU-funded SANAD project is combining graphene with carbon nanotubes to make a coating for planes that can be connected to the electrical system and heated up to stop the build-up of ice. The coating is also highly water-repellent, cutting down on fuel-wasting drag caused by water droplets.\u003Cspan class=\u0022img_legend\u0022 style=\u0022float: left;\u0022\u003E\u003Cfigure role=\u0022group\u0022\u003E\n\u003Cimg alt=\u0022Altough it is just one atom thick, graphene is incredibly strong, highly conductive and bendable. \u00a9 Conrad Gesner\u0022 height=\u0022150\u0022 src=\u0022\/research-and-innovation\/sites\/default\/files\/hm\/HO-Graph-Graphene%20Structure_blue%20titanium_waves_by%20Conrad%20Gesner.jpg\u0022 title=\u0022Altough it is just one atom thick, graphene is incredibly strong, highly conductive and bendable. \u00a9 Conrad Gesner\u0022 width=\u0022200\u0022\u003E\n\u003Cfigcaption class=\u0022tw-italic tw-mb-4\u0022\u003EAltough it is just one atom thick, graphene is incredibly strong, highly conductive and bendable. \u00a9 Conrad Gesner\u003C\/figcaption\u003E\n\u003C\/figure\u003E\n\u003Cem\u003EAlthough it is just one atom thick, graphene is incredibly strong, highly conductive and bendable. \u00a9 Conrad Gesner\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIt is also perfect for use in windows as its thinness makes it effectively transparent.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe EU-funded MEM4WIN project is exploiting this to make a frameless, quadruple-glazed window with ultra-thin glass membranes. If it\u2019s affordable to make, such a window could reduce greenhouse gas emissions.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EDr Michael Muehlberger, of Austria-based Profactor, one of 14 partners in the EUR 6.8\u0026nbsp;million project, said expensive raw materials used in window manufacturing could be replaced by graphene.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018Tangible results are not available at the moment, but I expect a weight reduction of up to 50 % and reduced costs of 20 % can be achieved,\u2019 he said.\u0026nbsp; \u003Cdiv class=\u0022moreinfoblock\u0022\u003E\n \u003Ch3\u003EThe Graphene Flagship\u003C\/h3\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003EThe European Commission has chosen graphene as one of Europe\u00b4s first 10-year Future and Emerging Technologies (FET) flagships, worth hundreds of millions of euros when contributions from partners are taken into account.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe Graphene Flagship, headed by Professor Jari Kinaret, from Sweden\u00b4s Chalmers University, will bring together research projects on graphene.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe Flagship involves over 100 research groups from at least 15 EU Member States, with 136 principal investigators, including four Nobel laureates.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018Graphene looks set to become as important as steel or plastics in the long-term,\u2019 said Prof. Kinaret.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EGraphene has been subject to a scientific explosion since the groundbreaking experiments on the novel material less than 10 years ago\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EFor details, visit the \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.graphene-flagship.eu\/GF\/index.php\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EGraphene Flagship website\u003C\/a\u003E.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/textarea\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\n \u003Cdiv id=\u0022edit-body-content--description\u0022 class=\u0022ecl-help-block description\u0022\u003E\n Please copy the above code and embed it onto your website to republish.\n \u003C\/div\u003E\n \u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cinput autocomplete=\u0022off\u0022 data-drupal-selector=\u0022form-zpj6m-c9b2ebh5rwljwu-vimgc8bzqekl44mqh-tpc8\u0022 type=\u0022hidden\u0022 name=\u0022form_build_id\u0022 value=\u0022form-zpJ6M-C9B2EbH5RWLjWU-VImGc8BzqEkl44mqh-TpC8\u0022 \/\u003E\n\u003Cinput data-drupal-selector=\u0022edit-modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 type=\u0022hidden\u0022 name=\u0022form_id\u0022 value=\u0022modal_form_example_modal_form\u0022 \/\u003E\n\u003C\/form\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E","dialogOptions":{"width":"800","modal":true,"title":"Republish this content"}}]