Graphene Enters the Golden Age of Applications
——Building a Diverse Support System for Industrial Development
From November 14 to 16, at the 2025 (12th) China International Graphene Innovation Conference, a heated discussion about the future of materials took place. From university scholars to frontline entrepreneurs, from laboratory researchers to industry investors, everyone was asking the same question: Can this “magical material” graphene truly transition from the laboratory to the vast realm of industrialization?
The answer is becoming increasingly clear. “In the next decade, graphene will enter the golden age of applications,” said Li Yichun, a member of the National New Materials Industry Development Expert Advisory Committee, chairman of the China Graphene Alliance, and conference chairman. This judgment is based not only on China’s global leading position in graphene patents, production capacity, and market scale but also on a series of breakthrough results that are moving from the laboratory to production lines, transforming from samples into products.
Frequent Achievements Mark the Beginning of Industrial Innovation
As a key material leading industrial transformation, graphene has been widely applied in fields such as electricity, energy, medical, and electronics. At the opening ceremony of this conference, eight global graphene achievements were showcased, covering multiple dimensions from basic materials to end applications, demonstrating that graphene technology is making a substantial leap from “scientific exploration” to “industrial empowerment.”
“These achievements are not isolated laboratory data but tangible technologies with industrialization prospects,” emphasized Li Yichun at the release site.
For example, the leap in material performance of graphene-based carbon fibers and monolayer fibers brings new possibilities for lightweight and high-strength applications; instant heat pipe technology has become a new tool to achieve the “dual carbon” goals; high-end chip cooling technology has entered the commercial stage, filling a domestic technological gap in this field. Notably, the brain-machine interface has completed the world’s first human clinical trial, and the mass production technology for 8-inch graphene wafers has also achieved a key breakthrough, indicating that the era of carbon-based chips is no longer far away.
In the release of achievements, Zhejiang Chint Electric Co., Ltd. successfully broke through the production line layout of room-temperature high-conductivity graphene-copper composite materials in the new energy and power grid fields, attracting widespread attention in the industry. Currently, Chint has been deeply engaged in the graphene field for over a decade, achieving multiple key core technology breakthroughs in the research, preparation, and processes of graphene composite new materials, and has achieved large-scale applications in new energy and power grid equipment.
“In the past, we often said that graphene is ‘useful but difficult to use.’ Now, in specific scenarios such as heat dissipation, corrosion resistance, and batteries, it is becoming an ‘easy-to-use and usable’ engineering material,” a representative from a participating company told reporters. Today, the leap from “sample” to “product” for graphene is becoming a reality.
Technological Breakthroughs Achieve Key Leap for Industrial Landing
Despite the fruitful results, the graphene industry still faces skepticism of “good feedback but no market response.” How to bridge the “last mile” from technology to product? The special session titled “Nobel Prize Dialogue: Exploring the Path to Breakthroughs in the Graphene Industry” at this conference became a high ground for intellectual exchange.
One of the discoverers of graphene and Nobel Prize winner Konstantin Novoselov pointed out that the potential of graphene has not yet been fully released, stating, “We need more interdisciplinary and cross-industry cooperation to transform the ‘surprises’ of the laboratory into the ‘benefits’ of the production line.”
Feng Guanping, a pioneer in the Chinese graphene industry, proposed from an industrialization perspective that the biggest challenge facing graphene companies is not the technology itself, but “how to find customers who are truly willing to try it.” He believes that in the early stages of application promotion, both policy guidance and market incentives are needed to promote the ‘trial first’ approach for graphene materials in key areas.
From research paradigms to transformation paths, this “summit dialogue” directly addresses the core pain points of the industry. Francesco Bonaccorso, a roadmap developer for the EU Graphene Flagship Program, pointed out that Europe also faces challenges in technology transformation, stating, “China has advantages in industrial integration and market response speed. If it can strengthen the connection between basic research and industrial demand, it will achieve global leadership faster.”
Building an Ecosystem to Explore Sustainable Development Models
If technological breakthroughs are the “ignition,” then ecosystem building is the “sustaining power.” At this conference, the signing of six major projects—including the establishment of a permanent venue, the formation of an industrial alliance, the construction of application bases, and the establishment of industrial funds—demonstrates that all parties are attempting to build a sustainable support system for the graphene industry through a “technology + industry + fund” integrated model.
At the graphene investment forum, representatives from Jiangfeng Investment, CICC, and other institutions engaged with ten graphene companies, gradually building a bridge between capital and technology. An investor candidly stated, “What we are more concerned about now is which projects have already moved out of the laboratory and have a clear commercialization path.”
Meanwhile, the coordination of policies and standards has also been put on the agenda. At the symposium on the development of the graphene industry, several experts called for accelerating the establishment of industry standards and quality certification systems to avoid low-level repetition and market chaos. Li Yichun pointed out that although China has taken the lead in the embryonic form of the industrial chain, it still needs to strengthen high-end applications and original equipment.
“Good materials determine the future of the industry,” experts at the conference stated. Currently, the graphene industry is at a critical crossroads from technological breakthroughs to large-scale applications. The industry must not only excel in “original innovation from 0 to 1” but also achieve “industrial breakthroughs from 1 to 10,” allowing graphene materials to truly empower the high-quality development of the national economy.
Is the golden age of graphene applications already here? The answer may lie in those composite materials that have already entered production lines, in those brain-machine interface devices that have completed human trials, and in those industrial funds that are being established—they collectively form a real picture of industrial rise.
From the announcement of eight major achievements to the in-depth discussions between academia and industry, and to the diverse co-construction of the industrial ecosystem, the 2025 China International Graphene Innovation Conference showcases a clear evolution path: graphene is no longer just “the material of the future” but is becoming “the opportunity of the present.” On this path, China is transforming from a “follower” to a “co-runner” and even a “leader.”
Reporter: Qiu Yanchao
Editor: Han YiProofreader: Kong Xinwei