Researchers attempt to learn more about diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s by focusing on protein filaments that form fibrous clusters called amyloids in the brain. Until now, the best tools for studying them have generated limited views, largely because the strands are complex and tiny, just a few nanometers thick.

Now, an international research team has come up with a new method to potentially reveal the structure of individual amyloid fibrils with powerful beams of X-ray laser light. In experiments conducted at the Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS) at the Department of Energy’s SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, the scientists placed up to 50 fibrils at a time on a layer of graphene and hit them with bursts of X-ray laser light. The graphene, it turned out, was almost transparent to the X-rays, and this allowed them to probe the structures of the delicate fibrils without picking up significant extraneous signals from the graphene layer in individual snapshots.

A joint venture between Graphenest and Sipre (a Portuguese kayak manufacturer known for its flatwater, ocean and open water kayaks) produced what is hailed as the lightest surfski kayak in the world. It is 5.75 meters long and weighs around 9.3 kg.

This engineering accomplishment was enabled by substituting the ordinarily used epoxy resin by Graphenest’s HexaBond epoxy resin system for fiber reinforced composites. HexaBond can be applied in any fiber reinforced composites to improve mechanical strength, durability and chemical resistance. Hexabond is able to increase the strength of carbon fiber composites up to 24%, while simultaneously reducing weight by 10%.

First Graphene Limited has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with Engage Marine for the development of graphene-enhanced coatings and ropes for the marine industry. The Company and Engage Marine will work to commercialize the project outcomes with other global marine organizations.

Following FGR's commissioning of its Henderson Commercial Graphene Facility, it has been involved with a number of industries that could benefit from the addition of graphene to existing product ranges. Research work has shown graphene can provide significant benefits to the maritime industry in a number of applications. The most obvious application is in anti-fouling paints and coatings, which promise benefits from improved performance and longer life between reapplications; every five years instead of the three-year standard now prevalent.

Researchers at Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras have developed reduced graphene oxide loaded nanocomposite scaffolds for treating normal and diabetic wounds.

Wounds in diabetic patients do not heal as rapidly as it would in a normal and healthy individual, which leads to chronic non-healing wounds that can result in serious complications. Treatment of such chronic non-healing wounds in diabetes is still a major clinical challenge. Although there are some wound dressings that are commercially available, they are very expensive.

China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology (CALT), the rocket development arm of the Chinese space program, recently announced the design of a graphene composite film suitable for use in light-propelled spacecraft.

The composite was developed as part of CALT’s research on graphene-based spacecraft propulsion, a new technology that converts light into electrical energy. The method utilizes a technology similar to the solar sail, which was already tested by Japan’s space agency JAXA during its IKAROS mission to Venus. Unlike the solar sail, however, the graphene sail will not use thin-film solar cells, but will instead be covered with graphene film.

The Center for Process Innovation (CPI) will be collaborating with the National Composites Center (NCC) to develop advanced lightweight materials. The project, known as ‘Enhanced structural composites’ (ECOi), is evaluating the functionality and applicability of new graphene-enhanced materials in a variety of industries.

The University of Manchester will be consulting on the ECOi project at their National Graphene Institute, to generate and test a variety of new graphene composites that have improved functional properties compared to current materials.

Paragraf, a Cambridge University graphene spin-out that focuses on the production of graphene and other 2D materials and the development of devices based on these materials, has announced the closure of a second tranche ‎within its seed funding round.

In September 2017, Paragraf closed a £2.64 million seed round to support the development of its first major products. The round was led by Cambridge Enterprise, the commercialization arm of the University of Cambridge, with the participation of Parkwalk Advisors, Amadeus Capital Partners, IQ Capital Partners, Martlet, the investment arm of Marshall of Cambridge Group, and a small group of angel investors. Now, a second tranche was closed, raising an additional sum of £260,000.

Dotz Nano has secured a firm purchase order for 10 kilograms of its graphene quantum dots product called Validotz. According to Dotz Nano CEO Dr Moti Gross, the purchase order represents the company’s transition from R&D to a commercially orientated company as it moves our Validotz into the realm of industrial sectors.

Validotz are graphene quantum dots made from plain and simple coal for use in optical, medical imaging, bio-med, sensing, electronic, photovoltaic and monitoring applications. According to Dotz Nano, in contrast to classic silicon quantum dots, the alternative graphene-based dots are biocompatible, photostable and inherit superior thermal, electrical, and mechanical properties.