TechNavio released a new report titled Global Graphene Market-Analyst View. It covers the global market for graphene for 2015-2010, that expected to replace the use of silicon in the Semiconductor industry. According to this report, the market will grow at a CAGR of 58.7% in that period.

Researchers from the McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science developed a new anode for lithium-ion batteries - which makes them hold a charge up to 10 times greater than current design - and also charge 10 times faster. They say that this new technology could be commercialized within 3-5 years.

The new electrode is made from sandwiched layers of silicon and graphene sheets. This allows for a greater number of lithium atoms in the electrode while utilizing the flexibility of the graphene sheets to accommodate the volume changes of silicon during use. The new design also uses a chemical oxidation process to create small holes (10 to 20 nanometers) in the graphene sheets -- termed "in-plane defects" -- so the lithium ions would have a "shortcut" into the anode and be stored there by reaction with silicon. This reduced the time it takes the battery to recharge by up to 10 times.

Researchers from Korea and the USA developed a Ultraviolet nitride (UV) LED that uses a few layers of graphene as a transparent conducting layer. They say that Graphene may prove better than the currently-used ITO as it performs better in terms of cost, transparency, and, heat and current spreading. Graphene also sports improved transmission in the ultraviolet.

Graphene however suffers from reliability and degradation issues that must be further investigated.

UK researchers say that introducing goldtitanium plasmonic nanostructures next to the electrical contacts of a graphene photodetector can significantly enhance its maximum voltage. The nanostructures convert incident light and into plasmonic oscillations and guide electromagnetic energy to the detector's pn junction.

The team performed several experiments to find the best geometries of the nanostructures. The best performance was given a comb structure (see photo above) - which caused the photovoltage to increase by up to a factor of 20.

Sweden announced a SEK 40 million ($6 million) graphene research grant, which will mostly go to the Chalmers University of Technology. This money will be used for research and producing graphene and developing graphene related products.

The Swedish researchers will develop reliable synthesis methods designed to produce high-quality graphene surfaces.

Researchers from Singapore and the UK demonstrated a dramatic optical limiting effect in graphene using dispersed sub-oxidized graphene. While transparency in graphene is useful, having non-transparent (or light limiting) graphene also has its applications.

The optical-limiting effect achieved using suspensions of carbon nanotubes or carbon black occurs through a 'damage' mechanism involving the development of microbubbles or microplasmas at high light fluence, which increases light scattering and breaks the optical transparency.

Vorbeck Materials says that MWV Packaging is set to launch the first graphene-ink based product in Q1 2012. The product is the Siren Technology security smart packaging which is currently in the last stages of field tests. The new security tags are more aesthetic and have an appealing design. The Siren labels will work inside retail stores like conventional electronic article surveillance systems (EAS tags, used to identify items as they pass through a gate) and also outside the store. All this while costing a few cents per label.

MWV is using Vor-ink to build fully integrated conductive circuit consists of graphene - which shows excellent conductivity at competitive price, and can also be flexed and wrinkled without damage to the circuit. MWV Packaging uses flexographic roll-to-roll printing to process Vorbeck's graphene-based Flexo-Vor-Ink at 60m/min. To complete the circuit the retailers simply attach a thin, reusable electronic module that gives the alarm sound via an integrated speaker if removed from the package or other damage to the circuit.

The National Science Foundation (NSF) and the National Research Initiative (NRI) awarded $1.4 million to Cornell University for a four years electronic device-scaling project utilizing graphene nanoribbons. Part of the grant will be used toward developing a website for Women in Nanoelectronics, a national organization designed to attract young women to nanoscience disciplines.