Graphene: Patent Surge Reveals Global Race

A race is on to develop energy, IT and other applications for graphene – a single layer of carbon atoms described as the thinnest material. Two Russian researchers working at a British university won the Nobel Prize for initially identifying the material in 2004. Since 2007, China leads in a patent race with 2,204 patents and applications, compared with 1,754 for the US, 1,160 for South Korea and 54 for Great Britain. Samsung of South Korea leads companies with graphene patents, and universities in South Korea and China are outpacing those in the United States. “The material - described as being far stronger than diamond, much more conductive than copper and as flexible as rubber - is now at the heart of a worldwide contest to exploit its properties and develop techniques to commercialise it,” reports David Shukman for the BBC News. One graphene developer describes Western companies as reactionary rather than visionary, with a priority of keeping up in a competitive race rather than backing innovation. – YaleGlobal