In the first of a special series of CIB in Conversation to focus on the World Building Congress 2022, we spoke to James Baker, chief executive of Graphene@Manchester at the University of Manchester. In providing a summary of his keynote content and his motivation for attending the World Building Congress, this is what James had to say:
“I am looking forward to speaking at the Congress in June around graphene, first isolated in Manchester. Take some sticky tape and some graphite to isolate a single atomic layer of carbon, it’s got length, it’s got breadth, and at one atomic layer thick it’s the thinnest possible material. So what? It has lots of possibilities, from longer lasting batteries to lightweight structures to sensors and inks that you can wear or build into your structures.
In my keynote I am really looking forward to talking about how advanced materials and graphene can play a role in supporting the sustainability of our built environment, and the work we are doing at Manchester around the innovation model, working with industry to accelerate the adoption of advanced materials into different markets. I am going to touch on concrete, to give you an example: by adding as little as 0.01% of graphene into concrete we can get equivalent performance using up to 30% less material and often without the use of any metal rebar. To date we have poured over 800 tonnes of graphene-enhanced concrete in the UK, and by next year we will have achieved significantly more.
I’m looking forward to the Congress, to build some networks and collaborations of the future, and to consider how we bring together academia with industry and with end users to accelerate the adoption of advanced materials, in particular in support of sustainability and the drive towards net zero. I hope to speak to a number of you, and hopefully we will really accelerate graphene into the marketplace to make a real difference in support of sustainability and the objective around the world of reduction in CO2. I look forward to seeing you there.”
To see the full conversation with James, click on the video link below.
For more information on WBC2022 and to register to attend to hear James and meet him in person, make sure to visit the website https://www.cibwbc2022.org/.
