Context: Recently Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MeitY) Secretary has launched the ‘Graphene-Aurora program’ at a function in Maker Village Kochi, Kerala. 

• The program shall be implemented by Digital University Kerala with joint funding from MeitY and Government of Kerala and Industry partners.

India Graphene Engineering and Innovation Centre (I-GEIC)

• To be established in: Kerala

• Purpose: The centre shall fill the gap between R&D and commercialization by providing a complete facility to startup and industry.

• It shall also nurture the deep/emerging Graphene technology & innovation ecosystem that can guide, develop, implement and support SMEs and startups to commercialize developed graphene technologies for scale adoption.

What is a Maker Village?

• Maker Village is a pioneering startup initiative of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, Government of India with Indian Institute of Information Technology, Trivandrum as the implementation agency and Kerala Startup Mission as the supporting partner. 

• It is India’s largest electronic hardware incubator and ESDM (Electronics System Design & Manufacturing) facility.

What is Graphene?

• Graphene is a single layer of carbon atoms arranged in a hexagonal lattice, forming a two-dimensional structure. It is known for its remarkable properties, including exceptional strength, electrical conductivity, and thermal conductivity.

• Graphene is often referred to as a wonder material for its extraordinary electrical and electronic properties.

• Graphene was discovered in 2004 by Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov, who received the Nobel Prize in Physics for this in 2010.

• Features: It is stronger than steel, very stretchable and can be used as a flexible conductor.Its thermal conductivity is much higher than that of silver. 

Uses of Graphene

• Graphene’s unique characteristics make it a versatile material with various potential applications across different industries. 

• It is used in electronics for creating faster and more efficient devices, in materials science for reinforcing composites, in energy storage for enhancing battery performance, and in medical fields for drug delivery and biosensors, among other uses.

• Usage: The example can be used in the S&T question to show the government programme in the field of Nano Tech/ Graphene development.

Applications: It can be used in touch screens, light panels and solar cells.

• It has a lot of additional applications such as: anti-corrosion coatings and paints, efficient and precise sensors, faster and efficient electronics, flexible displays, efficient solar panels, faster DNA sequencing, drug delivery and more.