This article was written by Daphne Tomlinson, Independent Senior Research Associate at Memoori. As part of the Building Internet of Things (IoT) trend, sensors are being mounted everywhere – on ceilings, walls, desks or incorporated into lighting fixtures at a rapid rate. In view of their proliferation, a new graphene-based solution in which sensors are embedded in building panels and structural elements could have a positive impact on the building fabric. Graphene is made of a single layer of carbon atoms that are bonded together in a repeating pattern of hexagons. It is a 2 dimensional material with amazing characteristics, which have led to it being labelled as a “wonder material”. It is extremely strong and almost entirely transparent and also astonishingly conductive and flexible. A recent alliance demonstrates that graphene is close to reaching commercial scaleability in smart building applications. Versarien plc, the UK advanced materials engineering group, is collaborating with AXIA Materials Co., […]