B'luru hosts global conference on graphene

Bengaluru: A four-day international conference on 'Recent Developments in Graphene Research' (RDGR) began in the city on Monday. 

This is the first major conference dedicated to 2D materials and graphene (an allotrope of carbon) in India. Previous editions of this annual conference were held in different parts of Asia and Australia.

Veteran scientist Bharat Ratna Prof CNR Rao was a special invitee at the conference’s inauguration on Monday. 

Speaking on the occasion, Prof Ajay Sood, Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India, reminisced about his long association with Rao. "When Fullerene was discovered, Prof Rao set up the arc discharge within two weeks approximately. I collaborated with him on the research work on these new materials, particularly C16, C17, carbon nanotubes and graphene," he said. 

He added that Rao's distinct contributions had withstood the test of time and motivated the scientific community in the country.

Speaking to DH on the sidelines of the event, Prof Arindam Ghosh, one of the principal organisers of the conference, said that the event was the product of persistent efforts for the last six years. "Despite our efforts since 2017, we only succeeded in 2021 by winning the bid to host the current event," he said.

Prof Ghosh added that while fundamental research was growing on the topic, graphene had also found a place in industries since it could add strength to lightweight, high-strength materials like plastic, concrete and so on.

"This conference will involve deliberations on both research and development and industrial interests," he said.