Integrated Graphene is doubling its footprint to meet increased demand for its products and to scale up research, development and production.
The company’s investment in growth supports 19 new roles created in the last 12 months - representing a 63% growth in headcount.
The expansion includes a new strategic base at the Stirling University Innovation Park, allowing it to run a fast and flexible prototype manufacturing line, increasing its annual manufacturing capacity by 1,000%.
Integrated Graphene is pioneering the use of a 3D graphene known as GiiTM, with the aim of transforming the human diagnostics and Internet of Things sectors.
Current customers include global blue chip life science companies and academic institutions.
New lab space will double the amount of R&D work that can be carried out in-house for Gii’s bio-sensing and power storage capabilities.
Following graphene’s discovery in 2004, it has been hailed as a wonder material for its potential across a number of industries and applications, from quantum computing to healthcare. In the biosensor market, most companies use single-layer CVD graphene, which is not reproducible enough and is costly to introduce into cost-effective tests that can be placed in the home.
Integrated Graphene has developed a unique process to produce a pure sponge-like carbon 3D scaffold (Gii) that has all the desired properties of graphene, yet does not suffer any of its scale-up issues. Gii has potential applications for multiple industries including biosensors, IoT, energy storage, pressure and gas sensors.
Integrated Graphene’s flagship product, Gii-Sens, is a bio-sensing electrode for human diagnostics which outperforms traditional sensing materials, allowing for more cost-effective and repeatable tests to be developed with a much higher sensitivity. The company is also in the advanced development stages of a new supercapacitor Gii-Cap, which can significantly extend product life and dramatically reduce battery demands of IoT products.
Co-founder and chief executive Claus Marquordt said: “Opening our facility at Stirling University Innovation Park will help us to build upon our already strong academic links.
“Having the capacity to scale our production into millions per year and state-of-the-art R&D operations will only increase the attractiveness of our product within key markets.
“As a diagnostic sensor component, for example, it is not only demonstrably more sensitive, but also more sustainable and lower cost, which means it can produce much quicker and more accurate results for diagnosing all sorts of health conditions.
“It’s a very exciting time for the business and we’re looking forward to continuing to scale and commercialise fast.”
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