Symposium Spotlight: "Graphene & 2D-Materials"

October 31, 2016 05:20 PM EST By: Regina Ramazzini

TechConnect interviews the "Graphene & 2D-Materials" Symposium Chair, Elena Polyakova, co-founder of Graphene 3D Lab and Graphene Laboratories. The symposium will take place at the TechConnect World Innovation Conference in May 2017.

  Elena Polyakova

Please introduce yourself and tell us about your role within your organization.

I am the co-founder of graphene based companies; Graphene 3D Lab and Graphene Laboratories. I have been part of management teams that provide advanced graphene materials since 2009. I currently serve as the Co-Chief Executive Officer of Graphene 3D Lab where I was largely responsible for bringing the first graphene filament to market. I also play a critical role in overseeing the development and implementation of new products into both e-commerce sites; BlackMagic3D and Graphene Supermarket. 

Please tell us about the “Graphene & 2D-Materials” Symposium - what are the areas of greatest interest/excitement in this field, and what type of applications are possible.

I’ve had the pleasure of attending the Graphene & 2D-Materials Symposium for the past eight consecutive years. Around five years ago, the topics were more synthesis and production based, whereas currently the discussions are shifting towards the applications of graphene. This movement is very assuring to the overall progress of Graphene. The most promising applications for graphene include composites, thermal management, coatings, as well as electronic and energy devices.

What can we expect to see from innovation and applications in the next 5-10 years?

At Graphene 3D we firmly believe that the innovation will be greatest for graphene in the next generation of high performance composites and energy devices. We expect to see graphene used in supercapacitors as well as lithium ion batteries within the next decade.

Please tell us about the “Graphene & 2D-Materials” symposium you chair at the TechConnect World Innovation Conference. What topics are you focusing on, who are the invited speakers.

We have a diverse range of topics this year with selections coming from nearly every corner of the Graphene & 2D-Materials sector. The topics include Synthesis of Novel 2D Materials, Electrical & Optical Properties, Composite Materials, Devices, Energy Storage Applications, Biological Applications, and Novel Applications. We are excited to have Dr. Mark Hersam, director of Northwestern University Materials Research Center, and Dr. Joshua Robinson, Associate Professor of Materials Science and Engineering at Penn State, as key speakers.  Dr. Hersam brings extensive experience from chemistry and materials science engineering and is responsible for some of the remarkable achievements in the nanotechnology field. Dr. Robinson co-founded the Center for Two-Dimensional and Layered Materials, and currently serves as Associate Director of the Center. In July 2015, he became Co-Director of the NSF I/UCRC Center for Atomically Thin Multifunctional Coatings (ATOMIC). In addition, we will include perspectives from industry and a national lab.

Is there anything else you would like to say about your program at the upcoming TechConnect World Innovation Conference?

TechConnect is presenting us with the perfect opportunity to showcase the recent advancements made in Graphene & 2D-Materials that will help further the progression into commercialization goods. We intend to elaborate on the possibilities as well as the challenges that Graphene & 2D-Materials will face in the upcoming years.

 

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