Graphene has been hailed as the wonder-material of the 21^st century.

Comprised of a single layer of carbon atoms, graphene is stronger than diamond, yet a million times thinner than a human hair. 

It can be used in a wide variety of applications, such as strengthening composite materials and as a complement to metal alloys used in aerospace, automotive and industrial manufacturing.

It is stretchable, transparent, super-conductive and can filter gases and liquids at the molecular level.

In fact, the more we learn about graphene, the more applications we find for it.

So here’s a question to all the engineers out there:

The Graphene Challenge

Increasing resource scarcity demands innovative, out-of-the-box thinking to find solutions. Developing new materials will play a crucial role in addressing this problem.

The Sandvik Coromant Graphene Challenge is a global innovation challenge to find the best graphene solutions to revolutionize the modern home.

Individuals from around the world are invited to submit their entries answering the following questions:

1. What sustainable innovation would you create for your home, if you had access to graphene?
2. What functionality, application area and design would it have?
3. In what way would it revolutionize your home?

Entries should describe your innovative idea for an application or object that could have a great impact on sustainability, such as a low environmental impact, great energy efficiency, creative re-use of materials, a way to lower CO2 emissions or other similar goals.

The challenge is open to submissions starting April 7^th, and will run until May 26, 2016.  Entries will then be judged by a panel of judges including experts from Sandvik Coromant, as well as external experts. 

Entries will be judged on the following criteria:

• Innovation (70%): An idea with a high level of creativity and uniqueness, and which is environmentally-friendly.
• Feasibility (20%): Given unlimited access to graphene, could the submitted idea be turned into an actual object or application that could be manufactured?
• Design (10%): The practical, technical and aesthetic use of the material in the object or application.

The grand prize winner will receive an expenses-paid visit to Sandvik Coromant’s corporate headquarters in Sandviken, Sweden as well as a guided tour and a meeting with top researchers in the field.

How Can I Enter the Graphene Challenge?

All submitted ideas must adhere to the contest criteria to be considered eligible for the competition:

• Entries will only be accepted in English
• Entries must be submitted via email to Sandvik Coromant.
• Entries must describe the solution in 500 words maximum. Images are optional.
• Entries can be submitted as attached Microsoft Word or PDF files.
• Entry files must be titled with the following criteria: firstname_surname_YearMonthDay.pdf (or .doc)

The complete competition and prize details and submission guidelines can be found here.

Visit Sandvik Coromant for more information on graphene and the future of materials research, and to enter the Graphene Challenge.