US-based Carbon Research and Development Company (CRDC), a producer of graphene materials derived from bio-mass, announced that the Virginia Coalfield Economic Development Authority has loaned $1.5 million to the company towards its carbon research and development project in Wise, Virginia, USA.

CRDC says that according to its plan, the new center will research graphene production technologies, in addition to new graphene applications. CRDC's process converts coal and wood chips into graphene.

Researchers in the University of Minnesota College of Science and Engineering have developed a unique new device using graphene that provides the first step toward ultrasensitive biosensors to detect diseases at the molecular level with excellent efficiency.

Ultrasensitive biosensors for probing protein structures could greatly improve diagnosis of a wide variety of diseases extending to both humans and animals. These include Alzheimer’s disease, Chronic Wasting Disease, and mad cow disease—disorders related to protein misfolding. Such biosensors could also lead to improved technologies for developing new pharmaceutical compounds.

Researchers from IMDEA Nanociencia and other European centers have discovered that the combination of graphene with cobalt offers relevant properties in the field of magnetism. This breakthrough sets the stage for the development of new logic devices that can store large data amounts quickly and with reduced energy consumption.

One of the latest technologies for digitally encoding information is spin orbitronics, which not only exploits the charge of the electron (electronics) and its spin (spintronics), but also the interaction of the spin with its orbital motion, offering a multitude of properties.

Versarien has announced that it has signed an agreement with Tunghsu Optoelectronic Technology to further progress their relationship. The agreement supports the memorandum of understanding signed in November last year. The parties intend to establish a joint implementation committee, composed of three members from each firm, with a view to ultimately entering into a manufacturing joint venture. However, Versarien said there can be no guarantee this outcome will ultimately be achieved.

The materials engineering company plans to work with Tunghsu to develop and manufacture in China new generation graphene heaters. These heaters are expected to be based on the micro-flow graphene ink technology from Versarien's subsidiary Cambridge Graphene.

Researchers in India have made graphene field-effect transistors based on discrete inorganic structures that reportedly work for over 10 months. The approach has led them to produce a graphene logic inverter that is stable in ambient conditions.

Conventional electronics are silicon based, due to the ease of doping silicon with either electrons or holes. These two forms of silicon, n- and p-type, are the building blocks of electronic devices. However, it isn’t possible to make silicon electronics on the nanoscale, so many researchers are turning to materials like graphene.

Researchers at Tsinghua University designed graphene-based e-tattoos that act as biosensors. The sensors can collect data related to the user's health, such as skin reactions to medication or to assess the degree of exposure to ultraviolet light.

The use of graphene aids the collection of electric signals and also imparts material properties to the sensors, allowing them to be bent, pressed, and twisted without any loss to sensors functionality. The new sensors have reportedly shown via as series of tests good sensitivity to external stimuli like strain, humidity, and temperature. The basis of the sensor is a material matrix composed of a graphene and silk fibroin combination.

University of Cambridge spin-out company, Paragraf, recently announced that it started producing graphene at up to eight inches (20cm) in diameter, large enough for commercial electronic devices.

Paragraf is producing graphene ‘wafers’ and graphene-based electronic devices, which could be used in transistors, where graphene-based chips could deliver speeds more than ten times faster than silicon chips; and in chemical and electrical sensors, where graphene could increase sensitivity by a factor of more than 30. The company’s first device will reportedly be available in the next few months.

This is a sponsored post by IDTechEx

Like many advanced materials, there is a significant learning curve to progress promising lab results to real commercial products. This includes a learning experience from the manufacturer, for cost-effective high-volume production, and a learning experience for the end-user, to establish the value and utilisation of this market entry.

IDTechEx have been following this market throughout this learning experience, and the 13th edition of their commercially focussed B2B graphene conference, Graphene & 2D Materials, will be held from 10 11 April 2019 in Berlin, Germany.

Researchers from Jagiellonian University in Poland, Oak Ridge National Laboratory in the U.S, Espeem S.A.R.L in Luxembourg and Friedrich Alexander University(FAU) in Germany have designed a method of forming nanographenes on metal oxide surfaces.

(A) First on-surface synthesis of NG HBC; (B) rational synthesis of GNRs on Au(111); (C) attempts to perform cyclodehydrogenation on a metal oxide surface; (D) first rational on-surface synthesis of NGs on a nonmetallic surface (this work)

The team explains that in order to create an electronic circuit, the molecules of graphene must be synthesized and assembled directly on an insulating or semi-conductive surface. Although metal oxides are the best materials for this purpose, in contrast to metal surfaces, direct synthesis of nanographenes on metal oxide surfaces is not possible as they are considerably less chemically reactive. The researchers would have to carry out the process at high temperatures, which would lead to several uncontrollable secondary reactions. The team has now developed a method for synthesizing nanographenes on non-metallic surfaces, that is insulating surfaces or semi-conductors.

Amsterdam-based RFID-product and IoT-solutions provider Smartrac recently unveiled plans to add environmentally friendly tag options to its offerings, based on graphene inks. Smartrac stated that each of its products that receives a Green Tag will include a published Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), according to ISO 14040/44.

The Green Tag Program announcement outlined criteria that must be met for a Smartrac product to receive a Green Tag label. In addition to being free of plastic—meaning substrates used must be recyclable or compostable paper—the products must use antennas that do not contain heavy metals. Chemical etching of aluminum antennas is not permitted to allow for complete recycling of aluminum residues. Printable antennas must only be printed directly on recyclable or compostable cardboard using Graphene ink.