When you look back at scientific history, you can often pin defining moments that have shaped an area of science. 2018, could be thought of as the “year of graphene” if its commercialisation efforts continue on its current path. Whilst many may regard the defining moment as its isolation, that is an academic defining moment. Here, I’m talking about graphene in the commercial world, and not just the production of graphene, but the actual implementation of graphene in a number of end-user products across many end-user markets.
So, what’s so special about 2018? 2018 saw a major turning point for graphene, and the difference from 2017 is staggering in itself. 2018 went from “we’ve got graphene, now how can we commercialise it” (in 2017) to graphene being used in so many different products across multiple continents, alongside big collaboration deals being struck with major companies. I’m not saying that there weren’t some products on the market that used graphene pre-2018, because there were, but it’s the sheer exponential growth over 12 months which could be the defining moment for graphene.
Applied Graphene Materials plc (LON:AGM) produces and sells graphene products primarily in the United Kingdom. It offers graphene nanoplatelets; and graphene powder in a range of polymer matrices, including thermoset and thermoplastic, as well as adhesives, elastomers, oils, and aqueous and non-aqueous solutions.