July 2016

Researchers at Exeter have devised a graphene composite (GraphExeter) that is highly conducting, and now they demonstrate the first prototype of the material in an electroluminescent device, showing its feasibility for luminescent textiles and flexible displays.

The high conductivity of GraphExeter can introduce many improvements to flexible displays. Large screens using existing materials fade to a darker region in the middle due to the sheet resistance. This places a practical limitation in the range of square centimetres on how large the screen can be. The extremely low sheet resistance of GraphExeter - less than 8Ω/□ compared with 1000Ω/□ for pristine single layer graphene and 850Ω/□ for the more commonly used PEDOT/PSS means that screens several square metres in size are feasible.

Scientists from Swinburne University in Australia have reportedly developed a new supercapacitor made from 3D printed graphene which can hold a larger charge of energy, is recharged in a matter of seconds and will last a very long time.

The supercapacitor is said to be extremely efficient, as it charges in a matter of seconds and holds a larger charge because it consists of multiple sheets of graphene creating a very large surface area to store energy on. What’s more, charging and discharging won’t degrade the battery’s quality, so they can last a very long time. These remarkable supercapacitors were first presented at Fresh Science Victoria 2016 earlier this year.

Saint Jean Carbon announced that it has been invited by the National Research Council (NRC) of Canada to take part in a special interest group that will develop and propose standards for graphene made by exfoliation methods from natural graphite. The project will be broken into a number of phases; the first phase will take approximately one year to complete.

The NRC sees an excellent opportunity for graphene producers to work together in collaboration with the NRC to determine the optimal techniques to properly characterize graphene and develop standardized methods for use in confidently comparing graphene materials, thereby strengthening the graphite industry as a whole.

Graphene 3D Lab announced that it will be selling a new single-layer graphene oxide material under the trade name of ORG-GO.

The new material can reportedly be easily dissolved in a variety of organic solvents to achieve ultrahigh concentrations. ORG-GO also boasts outstanding thermal stability. G3L expects that the ORG-GO product line will find numerous applications such as being a reinforcement for polymers and nanocomposites as well as for the preparation of high-performance graphene inks and coatings.

Researchers at A*STAR have designed a low-cost, stable and ultrafast graphene oxide-based responsive humidity sensor that is said to be easy to manufacture, overcoming the challenge of producing a simple, fast and highly sensitive version. The ability to monitor and control humidity levels using accurate and reliable sensors is essential for efficient manufacturing and storage practices as well as everyday life.

Unlike most humidity sensors, which are electronic and require a power supply, GO-based colorimetric sensors respond to humidity levels by changing color that can be easily observed. For greater accuracy, the change in color can be quantitatively measured by analyzing the reflection spectra of the sensor. Because the GO sensor operates at the atomic level, it can rapidly respond to moisture changes.

The Sixth Element Materials Technology is a Chengzhou, China based company that develops and produces graphene and graphene oxide materials. The company recently opened a sales office in Europe, and appointed Bernhard Münzing as sales director.

Bernhard was kind enough to participate in an interview with graphene-info. Bernhard is an industrial engineer with a focus on chemistry, who has held different positions in sales, materials management, marketing and business development in big as well as medium sized chemical companies.

Q: We understand that The Sixth Element (T6E) currently produces graphene flakes and graphene oxide, in a 100 ton/year plant in Chengzhou. Is that correct? Can you tell us anything regarding the current production plant?

Thomas Swan announced a unique partnership with the National Graphene Institute (NGI) to provide development materials to boost graphene research and commercialization while also increasing early stage research on other 2D materials.

Through the new partnership Thomas Swan will contribute 2D products to support early stage research projects within the NGI and will also support scale-up for prototyping of new technologies. The NGI will provide feedback on the performance of Thomas Swan products and identify opportunities for future improvement.

Researchers at Washington University have managed to use graphene oxide sheets to create a biofoam that can transform dirty water into drinking water. Their hope is that in countries where there is a lot of sunlight, it'll be possible to take dirty water, evaporate it using this material, and collect fresh water.

This new method combines bacteria-produced cellulose and graphene oxide to form a bi-layered biofoam. The production process is said to be extremely simple, and the nanoscale cellulose fiber network produced by bacteria has excellent ability to move the water from the bulk to the evaporative surface while minimizing the heat coming down. The material is a bi-layered structure with light-absorbing graphene oxide filled nanocellulose at the top and pristine nanocellulose at the bottom. When suspended this on water, the water is actually able to reach the top surface where evaporation happens.

Aixtron, a leading provider of deposition equipment, is working together with five partners in the “HEA2D” project to investigate the production, qualities, and applications of 2D nanomaterials.

The joint project is now researching an end-to-end processing chain consisting of various deposition processes for 2D materials, processes for transfer onto plastic foils, and mass integration into plastics components. AIXTRON’s partners for implementing systems technology and integrating materials into plastic molded parts are the Fraunhofer Institute for Production Technology (IPT), Coatema Coating Machinery, and Kunststoff-Institut Lüdenscheid (K.I.M.W.). This work is being supported in terms of nano-analytics and the development of prototype components by the Institutes of “Electronic Materials and Nanostructures” (University of Duisburg-Essen) and “Graphene-based Nanotechnology” (University of Siegen).

Versarien has raised £1.1 million from existing investors. The funds will be used to finance an acquisition that was set in motion a few months ago, of two companies where graphene inclusion would provide significant product and market benefits.

In May 2016, Versarien announced that it has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with Bromley Technologies to collaborate on the development of graphene-enhanced carbon fibre products using Versarien’s graphene nano platelets. In March 2016, Versarien announced that it has teamed up with E3D Online Ltd, a 3D printing specialist, to carry out initial trials using graphene.