October 2018

Researchers at Linköping University (LiU) in Sweden are working to develop a method to convert water and carbon dioxide to the renewable energy of the future, using the energy from the sun and graphene applied to the surface of cubic silicon carbide.

The LiU research group recently reported an important step towards achieving this goal, and developed a method that makes it possible to produce graphene with several layers in a tightly controlled process. They have also shown that graphene acts as a superconductor in certain conditions.

Australian advanced materials technology company, Talga Resources, recently announced positive initial test results from the development of its graphene silicon lithium-ion anode in the UK.

The results are the first under Talga’s UK Government-funded Safevolt project - a Talga-led program run in conjunction with consortia partners, Johnson Matthey, the University of Cambridge and manufacturing research group, TWI.

Recently, several reports have popped up regarding an unknown number of China’s Z-10 air-to-ground attack helicopters that have been upgraded with graphene to serve as an extra layer of protection. For example, Asia Times reported that "the People’s Liberation Army’s Z-10 attack helicopter is now equipped with extra armor made with the lightweight, structurally rigid graphene semimetal, the latest addition to protect the chopper’s airframe without eating into its effective payload".

A model of the Z-10 assault helicopter inside Tiananmen Square in Beijing

Several websites mentioned a video that appeared on China Central Television showing one of the helicopters with "an extra armor module near its tandem cockpit" touch down after a flight. The video has not been independently verified for authenticity, and Beijing is known to keep its military secrets well under wraps.

First Graphene Limited has announced that it has entered into an agreement to test PureGRAPH in a range of recreational equipment produced by Chemiplas.

The Companies will asses the effects of adding PureGRAPH graphene to the polyurethane used by Chemiplas in its range of recreational equipment.

Sweden-based Applied Nano Surfaces (ANS) launched a new product, Tricolit GO, one of the first graphene-enhanced low-friction coatings on the market today. Tricolit is available now from ANS, in easy-to-apply spray cans or in bulk. The product can be used to reduce friction and wear. ANS claims that the use of graphene allows a tenfold increase in the coating’s mechanical strength and abrasion-resistance.


We have talked to ANS CTO, Boris Zhmud, and he revealed that ANS uses graphene dispersions from UK-based Applied Graphene Materials. Tricolit GO is still considered an "experimental" product. The development was financed by Sweden's SIO-Grafen.

MIT engineers recently managed to create cell-sized robots that could collect data about their environment, but were quite tricky to manufacture. Now, the team has found a way to mass produce these synthetic cells (syncells) through controlled fracturing of graphene.

The previously developed MIT robots were so small, that there was no point trying to steer them, but they could still sense and observe, scanning their surroundings and storing data for long periods of time. Later, they could be filtered out and analyzed to get a reading of water quality, for example, or biomarkers for disease in a patient's bloodstream.

In June 2018, First Graphene signed a Memorandum of Understanding with newGen Group (WA-based mining industry supplier, providing liners for the leading iron ore producers) for the development of graphene-enhanced products (primarily polyurethane liners) for the mining services industry. Now, the two have reported that PureGRAPH graphene has been successfully incorporated into a high volume application in the mining sector.

The reclaimer bucket liner strengthened by PureGRAPH graphene

A full scale mining reclaimer bucket was cast for an on-site trial. Test work has confirmed PureGRAPH readily disperses into the polymer resin used, and now further bucket linings will be cast and sold for use in northern Australia.

Graphene-Info has teamed up with world renowned laboratories to offer a unique graphene metrology service that provides characterization and analysis on graphene materials.

Dozens of companies are producing various types of graphene materials, which causes much diversification and confusion. Our metrology service offers graphene producers the chance to obtain valuable test results and post-testing analysis and interpretation, that assist in proving viability and quality of production. In addition, displaying critical data to customers like the material characteristics and potential applications is key to successful marketing and sales activities.

MIT recently received $1,500,000 in funding from the U.S. Department of Energy for its project titled "Low-Cost, High-Efficiency III-V Photovoltaics Enabled By Remote Epitaxy through Graphene"

This funding was a part of the Solar Energy Technologies Office Fiscal Year 2018 (SETO FY2018) funding program, which addresses the affordability, flexibility, and performance of solar technologies. The total funding was $53 million for 53 projects.

Directa Plus, producer and supplier of graphene-based products for use in consumer and industrial markets, has announced the receipt of two orders from an Italian work-wear customer with an aggregate value for Directa Plus of approximately €500,000 over the next two financial years.

Directa Plus’s Planar Thermal Circuit graphene technology will be incorporated in around 10,000 work-wear garments. The first order for approximately 2,000 garments with a value for Directa Plus of €150,000 is expected to be delivered in the 2018 financial year, with the second order for approximately 8,000 garments with a value of €350,000 expected to be delivered by mid 2019.