Graphene-Info: the graphene experts

Project "HEA2D", which started in 2016 and set out to investigate the production, qualities, and applications of 2D nanomaterials, recently demonstrated end-to-end processing chain of two-dimensional nanomaterials. The project is a collaboration between AIXTRON, AMO, Coatema, Fraunhofer and Kunststoff-Institut für die mittelständische Wirtschaft (K.I.M.W.).

It was stated that the "HEA2D" consortium successfully demonstrated an end-to-end processing chain of two-dimensional nanomaterials as part of its results. 2D materials integrated into mass production processes have the potential to create integrated and systemic product and production solutions that are socially, economically and ecologically sustainable. Application areas for the technologies developed and materials investigated in this project are mainly composite materials and coatings, highly sensitive sensors, power generation and storage, electronics, information and communication technologies as well as photonics and quantum technologies.

Sweden-based startup Graphmatech announced the launch of a new graphene-enhanced composite material. The new product, called Aros Create, is made of Nylon Aros Graphene pellets with a volume resistivity of less than 1 Ωcm while maintaining polymer lightweight, flexibility, processability, and recyclability.

The new composite may be used for extrusion, compression molding and injection molding and reportedly has unique electrical and tribological properties (low and stable coefficient of friction and high wear resistance). The potential applications are diverse, but the company's main focus is on electrical circuit components, LED, conductive coatings, additive manufacturing, EMI / RFI shielding, and charge dissipative coatings.

Researchers from the University of Geneva (UNIGE) in Switzerland and the University of Manchester in the UK have found an efficient way to control infrared and terahertz waves using graphene. "There exist a class of the so-called Dirac materials, where the electrons behave as if they do not have a mass, similar to light particles, the photons," explains Alexey Kuzmenko, a researcher at the Department of Quantum Matter Physics in UNIGE's Science Faculty, who co-conducted this research together with Ievgeniia Nedoliuk.

The interaction between graphene and light suggests that this material could be used to control infrared and terahertz waves. "That would be a huge step forward for optoelectronics, security, telecommunications and medical diagnostics," points out the Switzerland-based researcher.

Analysts from IDTechEx estimate that the global supercapacitor market is around $1.5 billion in annual sales, following several years of decline. IDTechEx, however, believes the market bottomed out in 2018-2019 and is set now for a sustained period of strong growth.

Allied Market Research, supercapacitor market 2016-2022

IDTechEx explains that the market is expected to grow quickly in the coming years, as companies are expected to increase the use of supercapacitors over batteries in electric and hybrid cars as the customers are seeking faster charging and safer transport. Allied Market Research estimates that the Supercapacitor market will grow at a CAGR of 28.7% from 2016 to 2022 and will reach $6.3 billion in 2022, while India-based also sees a fast growth rate of 22% from 2016 to 2022, and estimates a $4 billion market in 2022. Both market research companies did not see the down year in 2016-2019, but it is still interesting to note these market forecasts.

GrapheneCA, graphene producer and developer of graphene-based technology for industries and consumers, has announced that it has signed a memorandum of understanding with Apis Cor to develop a 3D printing system capable of printing graphene materials.

GrapheneCA and its partner Apis Cor, a developer of specialized concrete 3D printing equipment, are discussing a future co-operation in which GrapheneCA will design an extruder and mixing system that can be embedded into Apis Cor’s 3D printer. Together, the two companies are expecting to develop a 3D printing system capable of printing graphene material.

Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) have designed a graphene device that switches from a superconducting material to an insulator and back again to a superconductor — all with a flip of a switch. The team shared that the device exhibits this unique versatility while being thinner than a human hair.

Views of the trilayer graphene/boron nitride heterostructure device as seen through an optical microscope. The gold, nanofabricated electric contacts are shown in yellow; the silicon dioxide/silicon substrate is shown in brown and the boron nitride flakes

"Usually, when someone wants to study how electrons interact with each other in a superconducting quantum phase versus an insulating phase, they would need to look at different materials. With our system, you can study both the superconductivity phase and the insulating phase in one place," said Guorui Chen, the study's lead author and a postdoctoral researcher in the lab of Feng Wang, who led the study. Wang, a faculty scientist in Berkeley Lab's Materials Sciences Division, is also a UC Berkeley physics professor.

First Graphene (FGR) recently announced that is now shipping its PureGRAPH product, having received formal approvals from both NICNAS and REACH earlier in 2019. Product sales have been shipped from the Henderson facility to clients in Ireland, the UK and Germany for product development programmes.

In addition, FGR stated that research work undertaken by a number of institutions has identified that the addition of graphene to polyurethane elastomers provides very useful fire retardancy qualities. This is in addition to other well-known benefits that come with the addition of graphene. Most of this work is understood to be at bench scale in laboratories.