The 2016 International Graphene Innovation Conference (GRAPChina 2016) is set to open on Sept 22 in Qingdao, East China's Shandong province, to discuss research areas, along with the application and promotion of the industrialization of graphene.

Jointly organized by Qingdao National High-tech Industrial Development Zone and the China Graphene Industry Technology Innovation Strategic Alliance, the three-day event is being held at the Qingdao International Convention Center, consisting of some 40 different sessions, with 2,000 experts and insiders from 600 enterprises attending, from more than 30 countries and regions.

The 2016 International Advanced Carbon Materials Exposition (IACM-EXPO 2016) will also be taking place from Sept 22 to 24. Covering an area of 10,000 square meters, it is expected to attract suppliers of graphene raw materials, equipment manufacturers, as well as downstream enterprises.

Graphene, first isolated by scientists in 2004, is a carbon isomer that can conduct heat and electricity with great efficiency. Its potential market is worth hundreds of billions of US dollars as the material is being used in producing semiconductors and electronics.

Carbon nanotubes are tubular cylinders of carbon atoms that have extraordinary mechanical, electrical, thermal, optical and chemical properties. Graphene is the thinnest and strongest substance known to mankind and is a carbon derivative.

China is now the global leader in patents and publications related to carbon nanotubes, graphene research and manufacturing, accounting for about 47 percent of the total patents, according to a report released by the National Physical Laboratory in the United Kingdom in October 2015.