National Graphene Association Launches with International Conference in Nashville

Graphene Innovation Summit to Bring Experts, Entrepreneurs for Oct.
29-31 Event at Music City Center

NASHVILLE, Tenn.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–The 2010 Nobel Prize-winning, carbon-based material known as graphene
will likely play a large role in our future, yet very few people outside
the scientific community have heard of it.

Graphene is a two-dimensional layer of carbon that conducts electricity
better than copper; it is the thinnest material on the planet but 200
times stronger than steel, while also highly flexible and completely
transparent to the human eye. Innovators will gather in Nashville to
share ideas and challenges related to the emerging technology for the
first-ever Graphene
Innovation Summit & Expo Oct. 29-31, hosted by the National
Graphene Association (NGA).

“The National Graphene Association is focused on creating a forum for
stakeholders to drive innovation and facilitate adoption of graphene in
the United States and around the world,” said Dr. Zina Jarrahi Cinker,
Vanderbilt University physicist and NGA executive director. “One of our
biggest challenges today is a lack of graphene industry standards, and
we will collaborate with the International Organization for
Standardization (ISO) in developing those standards. Our objective is to
help streamline the advancement of graphene applications in everyday
products.”

Several organizations will be highlighting their innovations at the
Summit, which will feature two days of plenary talks, panel discussions,
graphene product and idea showcases, investor pitches and interaction
with exhibitors. NGA’s CEO, Kevin J. Seddon, expects the event to
attract a host of stakeholders, including leaders in research and
development as well as finance, government and education, among others.

In a review of the material published in 2002, the peer-reviewed
publication Nature said “the one-atom thick fabric uniquely
combines extreme mechanical strength, exceptionally high electronic and
thermal conductivities, impermeability to gases as well as many other
supreme properties, all of which make it highly attractive for numerous
applications.”

“Graphene will eventually find its way into almost every field and will
affect many facets of human life, including energy storage, electronics,
smart textiles, sensors, medical devices, bio interfaces, water
purification, composites and many more,” Seddon said. “Graphene could
bring advanced coatings that don’t corrode, mobile device screens that
become flexible and shatterproof, or lithium ion batteries with greater
longevity.”

Tens of thousands of graphene patents have already been awarded to
companies including Samsung and IBM. Companies today are using graphene
in products ranging from car bodies and safety equipment in auto racing
to bio sensors and thermo-regulating garments in the health and fitness
sector.

For more information on the National Graphene Association or to register
for the event, please visit www.nationalgrapheneassociation.com.

Contacts

For National Graphene Association
Jay Sheridan, 615-364-5143
[email protected]