First Graphene has announced it is collaborating with Hexcyl to develop PureGRAPH enhanced HDPE materials for use in Hexcyl’s range of oyster baskets and long-line farming systems.

High-density polyethylene (HDPE) is a thermoplastic polymer produced from the monomer ethylene. With a high strength-to-density ratio, HDPE is used in the production of plastic bottles, corrosion-resistant piping, geomembranes and plastic timbers. The incorporation of high-performing PureGRAPH additives will seek to improve the mechanical properties of the HDPE, while at the same time provide greater longevity of the systems in high energy farming environments.

Researchers at Penn State and two universities in China have found that a new kind of supercapacitor, based on manganese oxide with cobalt manganese oxide as a positive electrode and a form of graphene oxide as a negative electrode, could combine the storage capacity of batteries with the high power and fast charging of other supercapacitors.

The group started with simulations to see how manganese oxide’s properties change when coupled with other materials. When they coupled it to a semiconductor, they found it made a conductive interface with a low resistance to electron and ion transport. This will be important because otherwise the material would be slow to charge.

The European GRAMOFON Project, coordinated by AIMPLAS Plastics Technology Center, has developed an innovative CO₂ capture process based on novel nanomaterials and microwave energy. The project results therefore contribute to Sustainable Development Goal 13 on Climate Action of the UN Global Compact through decarbonization with the major advantage of doing so at a lower cost than the technologies currently in use.

During the 42-month project, innovative materials and efficient systems for capturing CO₂ from post-combustion industrial emissions were developed. In particular, materials such as modified-graphene aerogels and metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have shown very good CO₂ capture capacities and greater selectivity than traditional adsorbents.

Researchers at Queen Mary, University of London and Montanuniversität Leoben in Austria have shown that bilayer graphene was noticeably softer than both two-dimensional (2D) graphene and three-dimensional (3D) graphite along the stacking direction.

This surprising result differs from previous research which showed that 2D graphene, a flat single layer of carbon atoms, had many of the same mechanical properties as 3D graphite, which is a naturally occurring form of carbon made up from a very weak stack of many layers of graphene.

Scientists in the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST) have worked with graphene and carbon nanotubes to develop a working lithium-ion battery that can be stretched by up to 50% without damage to any of the components. According to the scientists, the battery represents a significant step in the development of wearable or body-implantable electronic devices.

Rather than trying to add inherently stretchable materials such as rubber to the battery components, the group focused on creating an accordion-like structure, adding stretchability to materials that are not inherently stretchable. Using graphene and carbon nanotubes, the scientists were able to construct a honeycomb-shaped composite framework, which was then compressed inwardly like an accordion to impart the stretchable properties.