Standardisation of structural and chemical properties of graphene

Graphene, a two-dimensional material made up carbon atoms offers unique properties in strength, and high electrical and heat conductivity is predicted to drive technological innovation in many areas including the energy, automotive and aerospace industries. Producers, suppliers and standards bodies have highlighted a lack of standardised characterisation measurements as the single biggest issue limiting its uptake into commercial products. New documentary standards are required, with measurements validated by inter-laboratory testing.

The project has led and contributed to the development of two international standards characterising the structure and composition of graphene samples. The first will address methods to verify measurements made on commercial graphene flake products and the second on developing measurement methods to characterise thickness, size and composition of flakes using atomic force and scanning-electron microscopy. Outputs from both will be validated using international inter-laboratory studies. Four new studies will also focus on structural and chemical property measurements using a range of spectroscopy techniques. At the end of the project in 2023 results will allow a better comparison of commercially available graphene products worldwide and allow end-users to confidently match graphene materials to performance requirements.