The European Commission (EC) has decided to fund the Graphene Flagship research initiative for the iGCAuto proposal of a consortium of six research partners led by The University of Sunderland in the United Kingdom, reports Green Car Congress. For the initiative, the EC will grant EUR1 billion (USD1.4 billion) to the consortium, which comprises five other research partners: Fraunhofer ICT from Germany, Centro Ricerche Fiat, Delta-Tech S.p.A. and Nanesa S.r.l. from Italy, and Interquimica from Spain.
As part of the research project, the consortium will explore the to determine how the material behaves when used to enhance advanced composite materials used in the production of lightweight cars. Novel graphene-based polymer composite materials will be investigated, modeled and designed to enhance both vehicle and occupant safety and provide improved strength, dimensional stability and superior durability. Graphene is a material made from a single layer of carbon atoms and it is lightweight and flexible.
Significance: Advanced composite materials are increasingly being used in the automotive industry to produce lightweight vehicles. However, due to the trade-off between the weight of such vehicles and the safety standards adhered by them, adopting new initiatives to overcome safety issues has become an absolute must. Impact resistance and crashworthiness optimisation offered by advanced composites components in lightweight vehicles are still at a nascent stage.
Therefore, the iGCAuto project aims to develop a practical, reliable and capable tool to analyse and design new graphene-based polymer composite materials and study their safety behavior and long-term performance under severe conditions such as impact and fatigue. The new project intends to address the gap between the weight of light vehicles and safety features offered by them.
In January 2013, the EC selected Graphene as Europe’s first 10-year, Future Emerging Technology flagships. The initiative’s mission is to take graphene and related layered materials from academic laboratories in Europe to the society, revolutionise multiple industries, and create economic growth and new jobs in the region.
