November 8, 2011 — Chalmers University of Technology received the majority of a new Swedish research grant of SEK40 million to study graphene. The financing comes from the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation.
A group of some 30 Swedish graphene researchers will be formed, in a close collaboration between Chalmers and the universities at Uppsala and Linköping.
This will provide “valuable cross-fertilization between several research areas,” said Mikael Fogelström, the project coordinator. The grant will fund graphene production as well as its integration into various devices, and basic research into experimental and theoretical physics, Fogelström explained.
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The researchers will develop reliable synthesis methods designed to produce high-quality graphene surfaces. Following that, the material will be investigated and processed at the nano level, developing graphene-based electronic devices.
Chalmers researchers have developed a new standard for the quantum of resistance — a “tuning fork” for calibrating the correct resistance in electrical instruments and devices. The graphene-based resistance standards are as accurate as those based on silicon (Si) or gallium arsenide (GaAs), but easier to make and use.
Chalmers has also developed a graphene transistor that operates at more than 10 gigahertz, and are currently working on hitting the terahertz range, funded by a SEK 28.5 million grant from the Foundation for Strategic Research over a five-year period.
Chalmers researchers are considering creating a graphene research center there, based on these continuous funding announcements. Fogelström says. “That would be a good step to take for pursuing EU flagship funds.”
For further details, please contact Mikael Fogelström, Department of Microtechnology and Nanoscience, Chalmers University of Technology, +46 31 772 31 96, [email protected]
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