India’s first Graphene Innovation Centre

In News

• The Kerala government announced the country’s first Graphene Innovation Centre, a joint venture of Digital University of Kerala, Centre for Materials for Electronics Technology (C-MET) and Tata Steel Limited.

About

• India Innovation Centre for Graphene would come up in Thrissur at a cost of Rs 86.41 crore.
• Graphene:
  • It is a one-atom-thick layer of carbon atoms arranged in a hexagonal lattice.
  • It is the building-block of Graphite, but graphene is a remarkable substance on its own with a multitude of astonishing properties.
  • It is the thinnest, most electrically and thermally conductive material in the world, while also being flexible, and incredibly strong.
  • It is almost perfectly transparent since it only absorbs 2 percent of light.
  • Graphene is also known as a wonder material due to its vast potential in the energy and medical world.
• Significance:
  • The project would give a major fillip for scientific research as well as the state’s industrial sector.
  • The state government would provide the basic infrastructure for the project.
  • The Centre would help attract investors to develop graphene products.
  • Kerala’s human resources capital could be effectively exploited by the proposed Centre, which would help Kerala to emerge as a knowledge-based economy.

Source: IE