A team of Chinese researchers, led by the Central China Normal University in Wuhan, has come up with a graphene-based extraction method for aldehydes from breath, which could aid in diagnosing lung cancer. This method can effectively extract hydrophobic small molecules such as aldehydes from breath while ignoring large biomolecules such as proteins, and it can also direct the extracted aldehydes straight to an HPLC system to determine its concentration.

The extraction method is based on in-tube solid-phase microextraction (IT-SPME), in which the inside of a thin tube is coated with an adsorbent material, usually some form of polymer. When a liquid sample is injected into this tube, the analytes of interest are adsorbed by the coating as the sample flows through, after which the analytes are released by a desorber for subsequent analysis. Critical to the whole process is finding a material that will effectively adsorb the analyte of interest while ignoring everything else.

Graphenano, the Spain-based manufacturer of graphene, announced the installation of a manufacturing plant for batteries with Graphene Polymer in Yecla, (Murcia) Spain.

This plant will reportedly host twenty assembly and manufacturing lines of high added value batteries which should produce, at full capacity, more than a million cells. The production of the first cells in this plant is foreseen for the months of January and February, and will be at full capacity in the second half of the next year.

Poland has announced the launch of a new Center of Graphene and Innovative Nanotechnology in Warsaw. The facility will operate under the Institute of Electric Materials Technology (ITME) and research photonic crystals and nanocomposites alongside international partners.

The first stage of the project included purchasing professional equipment worth around €9 million, and a new laboratory, meant to be the headquarters of the center, will be constructed. The total value of the investment is to reach €30 million and is to be co-funded by the EU budget.

Researchers from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have developed a new MoS2-based filter for water desalination that they claim might be cheaper and more effective than the filters used today. This filter reportedly performs better than graphene-based ones tested in the past.

This filter is made of single-layer sheet of molybdenum disulphide (MoS2) with nanopores in them. Graphene membranes are thinner than MoS2 filters, but MoS2 still seems to be more efficient - the slightly thicker filter gives MoS2 more physical strength to withstand pressure, and, unlike graphene filters, they are more easily manufactured. 

Researchers at Tsinghua University, China, have created an artificial synapse out of aluminum oxide and twisted bilayer graphene. By applying different electric voltages to the system, they found they could control the reaction intensity of the receiving neuron. The team says their novel dynamic system could aid in the development of biology-inspired electronics capable of learning and self-healing.

In recent years, researchers have been building artificial neurons and synapses with some success but without the flexibility needed for learning. However, this first-of-its-kind synthetic synapse mimics the plasticity of the brain, bringing science one step closer to human-like artificial intelligence. 

Researchers at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) have found a way to make lithium ion batteries last longer and charge faster, by using graphene nanofoam electrodes and treating them with hydrogen. The calculations and experiments carried out as part of the research revealed that when defect-rich graphene was intentionally treated with hydrogen at a low-temperature, it enhanced the rate capacity of the graphene, so that the interaction of the two opened small gaps in the coating that resulted in better binding between the electrode and lithium ions. 

Using these new electrodes, charging rates went up to 40% faster, with less energy waste during charging and higher power output. The scientists say, however, that here is still a lot to achieve before the work finds its way into commercial batteries. The study also reveals that controlled hydrogen treatment could help optimize the transport of lithium and reversible storage in other materials that are based on graphene.

Researchers from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) have developed a new nanopore sequencing method based on graphene nanoribbons that detects double and single stranded DNA in different configurations. This graphene-based detector shows great sensitivity and holds promise for developing a portable, high-throughput sequencer that can also detect DNA morphological transformations.

In a nanopore sequencing reaction, DNA passes through a nanopore drilled in a membrane to which an electrical voltage is applied. When DNA goes through the pore, it causes dips in the electrical current. Reading the magnitude and duration of the electrical changes allows to identify the bases that go through.

Researchers from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Harvard, University of California Riveriside and US Army Research Laboratory have integrated graphene with silicon microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) to make a flexible, transparent, and low-cost device for the mid-infrared range. 

Tests showed it could be used to detect a person’s heat signature at room temperature (300 K or 27 degrees C/80 degrees F) without cryogenic cooling, which is normally required  to filter out background radiation, or noise, to create a reliable image (which complicates the design and adds to the cost and the unit’s bulkiness and rigidity).

Talga Resources announced signing a collaboration agreement under which it, along with Tata Steel UK, will explore opportunities in graphene supply, processing and applications. The agreement links Talga’s emerging industrial scale graphene production to Tata’s growing large volume graphene coating innovations.

Initial work will have Talga supply graphene and graphitic carbon materials for use across applications in various Tata research programs including, but not limited to, anti-corrosion pigments and conductive, formable, barrier and thermal coatings.

Researchers at Purdue University suggest wrapping silver nanowires with an ultrathin layer of graphene can protect the structures from damage and could represent a key to realizing their commercial potential. Silver nanowires are known to hold promise for applications such as flexible displays and solar cells, but their susceptibility to damage from UV radiation and harsh environmental conditions has limited their commercialization.

The scientists state that Devices made from silver nanowires and graphene could find uses in solar cells, flexible displays for computers and consumer electronics, future "optoelectronic" circuits and more, since that graphene "extracts and spreads" most of the thermal energy away from the nanowires. Raman spectroscopy was performed by the Purdue Department of Physics and Astronomy and findings showed the graphene sheathing protected the nanowires even while being subjected to 2.5 megawatts of energy intensity per square centimeter from a high-energy laser, which vaporizes the unwrapped wires. The unwrapped wires were damaged with an energy intensity as little as .8 megawatts per square centimeter. The graphene also helps to prevent moisture damage.