by
The Graphene Flagship initiative has studied the impacts of graphene (blue) and related materials on health and the environment. Color scanning electron microscope. Credit: Impa
The largest research initiative ever launched by the European Union has come to a successful conclusion: the Graphene Flagship project was officially concluded at the end of last year. Emba researchers were also involved, such as molecular biologist Peter Wick, who has been part of the Health and Environment Working Group from the beginning – and has just summarized findings in this area with international colleagues in a comprehensive review article in the specialist journal ACS Nano.
Think larger. Despite the subject of the research, this may be the motto of the Graphene Flagship project, launched in 2013: With a total budget of €1 billion, it was the largest research initiative in Europe to date, along with the Human Brain Flagship project, launched in 2013. .same time. The same applies to the review article about effects Graphene and materials relevant to health and the environment, which have just been published by Emba researchers Peter Wieck and Tina Borki together with 30 international colleagues in the scientific journal ACS Nano; In 57 pages, they summarize findings on the health and environmental risks of graphene materials, and the checklist includes nearly 500 original publications.
A wealth of knowledge – which also gives everything clear. “We studied the potential acute effects of various graphene and graphene-like materials on the lungs, in the gastrointestinal tract and in the placenta – and no serious acute cell-damaging effects were observed in any of the studies,” says Weick, summarizing. Results. Although stress reactions can certainly occur in lung cells, the tissue recovers very quickly. However, some of the newer 2D materials such as boron nitrides, transition metal dichalcogenides, phosphines, and xinenes (see infobox) have not yet been investigated much, Wick points out; Further investigations were needed here.
In their analyses, Wick and co. On newly produced graphene-like materials, they also looked at the full life cycle of various applications of graphene-containing materials. In other words, they studied questions like: What happens when these materials are eroded or burned? Are graphene particles released, and can this fine dust harm cells, tissues or the environment?
One example: Adding a small percentage of graphene to polymers, such as epoxy resins or polyamides, significantly improves material properties such as mechanical stability or conductivity, but wear particles do not cause any graphene-specific nanotoxic effect on the cells and tissues tested. Wick's team will be able to continue this research even after the main project ends, also thanks to funding provided by the European Union as part of the so-called Spearhead projects, of which Wick is vice-president.
In addition to the Wick team, Emba researchers led by Bernd Nowak used material flow analyzes as part of the Graphene Flagship to calculate the potential future environmental impact of graphene-containing materials and modeled which ecosystems are likely to be affected and to what extent. Roland Hescher's team, like Nowak's team at Empa's Technology and Society Lab, has used life cycle assessments to study the environmental sustainability of different production methods and application examples for various graphene-containing materials. Romain Vasil's team from Empa's Surface Nanotechnology Laboratory has developed electronic components based on narrow graphene ribbons.
The “Graphene Flagship” initiative in numbers. Credit: Impa
A European success story for research and innovation
Launched in 2013, the Graphene Flagship represents a completely new form of shared and coordinated research on an unprecedented scale. The goal of the large-scale project was to bring together researchers from research institutions and industry to bring practical graphene-based applications from the laboratory to the market within ten years, thus creating economic growth, new jobs and new opportunities, mainly for Europe. Technologies. Over ten years, the consortium has consisted of more than 150 academic and industrial research teams in 23 countries, as well as many associated members.
Last September, the ten-year funding period ended at Graphene Week in Gothenburg, Sweden. The final report impressively shows the success of the ambitious, large-scale project: the pioneer has “produced” nearly 5,000 scientific publications and more than 80 patents. It has established 17 subsidiaries in the graphene sector, which have raised a total of more than €130 million in venture capital. According to a study by the German economic research institute WifOR, the Graphene Flagship project has led to a gross added value of approximately 5.9 billion euros in the participating countries and the creation of more than 80 thousand new jobs in Europe. This means that the impact of the pioneering graphene project is ten times greater than shorter EU projects.
EMBA researcher Peter Wick has been involved in the Health and Environment Action Package from the beginning. Credit: Impa
In the course of the project, Emba received a total of around three million Swiss francs in funding – which had a “catalytic” effect, as Peter Wick emphasizes: “We have almost tripled this amount through follow-up projects totaling around 5.5 million Swiss francs.” francs, including more EU projects, projects funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) and direct collaboration projects with our industrial partners – all in the last five years.
But the advantage of such projects goes beyond generous funding, Weick emphasizes: “It is truly unique to be involved in such a large project and such a wide network over such a long period of time. On the one hand, it has led to many collaborations.” And new ideas for projects. On the other hand, working with international partners over such a long period of time has a completely different quality, we trust each other almost blindly; such a well-coordinated team is more efficient and produces better scientific results. And last but not least Many personal friendships developed.
A new dimension: graphene and other 2D materials
Graphene is a very promising material. It consists of a single layer of carbon atoms arranged in a honeycomb shape, and has extraordinary properties: exceptional mechanical strength, flexibility, transparency, and outstanding thermal and electrical conductivity. If 2D matter were indeed more spatially restricted, for example in a narrow band, controllable quantum effects could be created. This could enable a wide range of applications, from vehicle construction to energy storage Quantitative statistics.
For a long time, this “miracle substance” existed only in theory. It wasn't until 2004 when physicists Konstantin Novoselov and Andre Geim at the University of Manchester were able to produce and characterize graphene specifically. To do this, the researchers removed layers of graphite with a piece of tape until they had just a single flake corn thick. They received the Nobel Prize in Physics for this work in 2010.
Since then, graphene has been the subject of intense research. Meanwhile, researchers have discovered more 2D materials, such as graphene derived from graphene sourand graphene oxide and cyanography, which could have applications in medicine. Researchers want to use 2D inorganic materials, such as boron nitride or MXenes, to build more powerful batteries, develop electronic components, or improve other materials.
Reference: “Environmental and health impacts of graphene and other 2D materials: a graphene master perspective” by Hazel Lin, Tina Berke-Thornheyer, Jasreen Kaur, Peter Wieck, Marco Belin, Aurelia Tobaro, Fabio Canduto Carnelle, Mauro Tretiach, Emmanuel Flahaut, Daniel Iglesias, Esther Vazquez, Giada Cellot, Laura Ballerini, Valentina Castagnola, Fabio Benvenati, Andrea Armerotti, Antoine Salustrau, Frederic Taran, Mathilde Keck, Cyril Bossi, Sandra Vranich, Costas Costarelos, Mona Connolly, José Maria Navas, Florence Mochet. , Laurie Gauthier, James Baker, Blanca Suarez Merino, Tommy Canerva, Maurizio Prato, Bengt Fadil and Alberto Bianco, February 13, 2024, ACS Nano.
DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.3c09699
