Academic research should give more impetus to accelerate the booming graphene industry in China, according to industrial experts attending the 2016 International Graphene Innovation Conference, held in Qingdao from Sept 22 to 24.

Academic research should give more impetus to accelerate the booming graphene industry in China, according to industrial experts attending the 2016 International Graphene Innovation Conference, held in Qingdao from Sept 22 to 24. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

"Chinese universities should look into the whole industry to further basic research while helping enterprises find specific direction in applied research," said Feng Guanping, president of Shenzhen Graphene Association, a pioneer in China's graphene industry.

Graphene industrialization in China is taking the lead in the world, and is the global leader in patents and publications related to graphene research and manufacturing, according to a report from the China Economic Information Service, affiliated to Xinhua News Agency.

"Universities contribute 35 percent of all graphene patent applications in China, converting technology into shares in graphene industrialization," Feng said.

"But due to current policies, it is still not easy to transfer technology," he added. Feng emphasized the importance of governmental supervision, saying that rules in the market should be made to prevent malicious acts via graphene conception.

Graphene is the thinnest and strongest substance known to mankind and is a derivative of carbon. With many excellent properties, graphene has become a superstar in materials and has broad prospects for application across numerous fields.

China Innovation Alliance of the Graphene Industry Research Center has predicted in a report that the Chinese graphene application market will grow to the size of 100 billion yuan ($14.99 billion) by 2020.

In that year the Chinese graphene market will account for 70 percent of the international market share, becoming the most powerful driving force in the development of the global graphene industry, and take a dominant position in the world market, according to the report.