Unlocking Graphene the Wonder Material: Prof. Robert J. YOUNG Explores Mechanics and Toughening Mechanisms in Nanocomposites

On 3 June 2026, Prof. Robert J. Young, Fellow of The Royal Society and Royal Academy of Engineering, UK, and Emeritus Professor of Polymer Science and Technology at the National Graphene Institute and Department of Materials at The University of Manchester, UK, delivered a PAIR Distinguished Lecture titled “The Mechanics of Graphene and Graphene-Based Nanocomposites” at the PolyU campus. The lecture attracted an audience of over 40 onsite attendees, and nearly 15,700 online viewers across various social media platforms.

Prof. Young opened the lecture by reviewing the groundbreaking developments in graphene research over the past two decades since its first successful isolation at The University of Manchester. This pioneering achievement not only earned the 2010 Nobel Prize in Physics, but also led to the establishment of the £60 million National Graphene Institute at the University, jointly funded by the UK Government and the European Regional Development Fund. He also introduced his team’s pioneering micro-Raman spectroscopy technique, which enables researchers to directly observe the deformation behaviour of materials under stress at the molecular level, further deepening the scientific community’s understanding of the relationship between material structures and mechanical properties.

Addressing common misconceptions surrounding graphene, Prof. Young provided a scientific analysis of its mechanical properties. He explained that although monolayer graphene possesses an exceptionally high modulus of around 1,000 GPa, its practical strength is often reduced to approximately 5–10 GPa due to material defects, while its fracture toughness is only about one-tenth that of steel. In addition, as the number of graphene layers increases, slippage between adjacent sheets can occur more easily, leading to a reduction in stiffness as the original “Bernal stacking” atomic arrangement is lost. Turning to graphene-based nanocomposites, Prof. Young noted that softer matrix materials tend to limit stress transfer, a process that can be modelled using shear-lag theory. More importantly, through high-resolution synchrotron X-ray nanotomography, the research team discovered that the toughening mechanism of these composites primarily arises from void growth and cavitation around debonded flakes under compression, rather than solely from the intrinsic strength of graphene.

These findings in material mechanics have also been successfully translated into real-world applications. The UK National Graphene Institute collaborated with luxury watchmaker Richard Mille and the McLaren Formula 1 Team to develop the RM 50-03, the world’s lightest split-seconds tourbillon chronograph watch. Both the case and strap of the timepiece incorporate graphene-reinforced composite materials, fully demonstrating the industrial potential of advanced materials technology.

The lecture concluded with an interactive Q&A session moderated by Prof. YAN Feng, Associate Director of the Research Institute for Intelligent Wearable Systems (RI-IWEAR) and Chair Professor of Organic Electronics at PolyU. During the session, Prof. Young shared insights into graphene’s fatigue resistance and explored the potential of using pulsed lasers for dynamic high-speed impact testing. He noted that while chemical bonding helps improve stress-transfer efficiency between materials, structures with lower interfacial adhesion are, in fact, more conducive to triggering cavitation, thereby absorbing large amounts of energy and enhancing material toughness. In addition, he suggested that carbon nanotubes could deliver greater reinforcement than graphene in polymer nanofibres, while reducing the likelihood of introducing structural defects.