Cronton students raise money for North West Ambulance with a ‘Graphene Challenge’

On Tuesday 25th February, four groups of Cronton Sixth Form College students, encouraged by members of the Science and Medical Club took part in the first ‘Graphene Challenge’. The aim was to create a huge chain of graphene atoms and to be sponsored in the process to raise funds for the North West Ambulance Service.
Jill Greenhalgh, Biology Tutor at Cronton said “We agreed to award a prize for the longest chain that could be made within 1 hour. The students really got stuck into the task and each group managed a chain of at least 14 metres.”
“Graphene consists of hexagonal rings of carbon atoms, but it is only 1 layer thick. In this sense it is the first 2-dimensional material in existence. It is virtually transparent and conducts electricity. In fact adding just 1% of graphene to a plastic will enable it to conduct electricity. It was discovered by Andre Geim and Konstantin Noveslov at Manchester University using scotch tape to pull a layer of carbon atoms off a pencil! It is expected to be used in touch screens, solar cells, and many other modern devices.”
Phil Taylor, Head of Centre, said “This was a brilliant idea which raised money for a very deserving charity and also raised awareness about new discoveries in science and the impact they can have. It was a great afternoon for all involved. Over £200 was raised by the event which will be added to the amounts raised on other charitable activities by the College’s Science and Medical Club students and presented to the North West Ambulance representative at a special evening on 12th March.”