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‘I’m not advertising underwear’: UK Nobel laureate in ‘fake claims’ row with Chinese firm

Physicist Andre Geim says company used his name without his permission to make inflated claims about clothing allegedly made with new wonder material graphene

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Researchers at the University of Manchester researching graphene. Photo: Handout
Stephen Chenin Beijing

A Nobel Prize-winning scientist who developed what the media dubbed a wonder material has accused a Chinese underwear manufacturer of using his name to promote its products without his permission and to make massively exaggerated claims about their benefits.

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Andre Geim jointly won the Nobel Prize for physics in 2010 for his work on graphene.

The ultra-light material is formed of a single layer of carbon atoms, but is 200 times stronger than steel and is an excellent conductor of electricity and heat. Research institutes around the world have pumped billions of dollars into studying the material, with the potential applications ranging from cancer treatment to water filtration.

The Chinese company Jinan Shengquan Group, which is based in eastern Shandong province, says it uses graphene to produce underwear.

Its advertising says the graphene in its garments helps retain heat, can eliminate odours, kills bacteria and wearing the products can even enlarge women’s breasts and improve men’s sexual performance.

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The firm has used pictures of Geim in its advertising in state-run newspapers, business websites and marketing brochures to promote “graphene underwear” since 2015.

Geim is quoted in various adverts promoting the products, with statements such as “this is a breakthrough, a miracle”.

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