The Graphene Engineering Innovation Centre (GEIC) provides a broad suite of measurement and characterisation capabilities to assess the materials, formulations and devices developed by our partners and project teams. Our facilities support industry-relevant analysis across microstructure, chemistry, physical performance and electrical properties, helping organisations generate repeatable data and make informed development decisions.
Equipment can be booked for partner use directly, or our technicians can run samples on your behalf. Access is available on a per-use basis or through quarterly and annual access packages, giving organisations flexibility depending on project needs and levels of engagement.
Alongside offline analysis, selected systems can also be used online with pilot production equipment, including Raman spectroscopy, FTIR and mass spectrometry. This enables real-time or near-real-time insight into process performance and supports more effective quality control during scale-up and production development.
Microstructural analysis
Understanding the relationship between processing, microstructure and performance is critical across many application areas.
We provide microscopy and related techniques to assess the physical relationship between 2D materials and their matrices, including scanning electron microscopy with EDX, optical microscopy with DIC, optical profilometry, Raman, FTIR microscopy, X-ray diffractometry, particle sizing and surface area and pore analysis.
Spectroscopy and chemical analysis
We support chemical and physical analysis using a broad range of spectroscopic techniques.
Capabilities include UV-Vis, FTIR from near UV to far IR, Raman, mass spectrometry, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and spectrographic ellipsometry, helping organisations understand structure, chemistry and performance across materials and devices.
Physical properties testing
Our facilities support measurement of key physical properties relevant to coatings, composites, membranes, energy materials and devices.
Testing includes mechanical tensile and bending up to 200 kN, dynamic mechanical analysis, thermoelectric effect measurement, thermal conductivity, differential scanning calorimetry, thermogravimetric analysis, viscometry, zeta potential, drop shape analysis, permeability and membrane rejection testing.
Electrical characterisation
Electrical testing is essential across applications such as sensors, energy storage and printed electronics.
We provide access to basic electronics equipment, electrical conductivity measurements from 10-8 to 10^13 Ohm.m, RF measurements up to 60 GHz using a vector network analyser, and multichannel battery cycling, potentiostat and galvanostat systems. We can also help design bespoke test rigs for partner-specific needs.
Access, quality control and scalable testing
The GEIC measurement and characterisation lab is designed to support industry projects with flexible access and reliable, repeatable analysis.
Whether organisations need technician-run testing, direct equipment access or online measurements linked to pilot production lines, we help generate the data needed to support development, validation, quality control and scale-up.
Assess morphology, dispersion, roughness and structure using microscopy, Raman and FTIR microscopy
Probe chemical and physical behaviour using UV-Vis, FTIR, Raman, mass spectrometry and EIS.
Measure mechanical, thermal, permeability and electrical properties relevant to real applications.
Support repeatable quality control and pilot-line analysis with flexible access and scalable testing routes.
"The ethos of the provision of this equipment is more towards quality control rather than academic nuance. Most of our equipment has automated multiple sample changers, improving both the quantity and repeatability of the data collected. The equipment has been selected to measure those properties of interest to all application areas but is not exhaustive; the University as a whole has an extensive collection of techniques which can be accessed through the GEIC for partners."
Philip HirstTechnical Services Manager
