August 2020

Archer Materials has progressed its graphene-based biosensor technology development by successfully prototyping key device hardware using additive manufacturing (3D printing).

Graphene-based biosensor devices 2D printed on a circuit board that has been incorporated into the custom-designed and 3D printed cartridge made from ABS. The cartridge is opened and the interior is shown.

The cartridges were reportedly printed using acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), a robust engineering plastic, in less than 2 hours and with low costs, with the cartridges weighing about 13 grams (similar to a AAA battery) and measuring a few centimetres in size (palm size).

Payper Technologies, UK-based start-up that developed a graphene-based solution a new pay-at-table technology, has announced that it has secured the first trial site in Manchester, at the five-star Lowry Hotel River restaurant.

Using graphene-enhanced receipt paper, the user simply places their phone on the restaurant bill and a payment screen appears on screen in seconds.

Monash University scientists have created an innovative method to help industry identify high quality graphene cheaper, faster and more accurately than current methods. The researchers used the data set of an optical microscope to develop a machine-learning algorithm that can characterize graphene properties and quality, without bias, within 14 minutes.

Framework for quantitative analysis. Image from Advanced Science

This technology could be a game changer for hundreds of graphene or graphene oxide manufacturers globally. It will help them boost the quality and reliability of their graphene supply without need for time-consuming procedures.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DoE) recently announced the selection of 13 projects through a Battery Manufacturing Lab Call with combined funding of almost $15 million over three years. The call sought proposals from National Laboratories to establish public-private partnerships that address engineering challenges for advanced battery materials and devices, with a focus on de-risking, scaling, and accelerating adoption of new technologies.

One of the selected projects (Under the lead of Argonne National Laboratory) involves Wisconsin-based startup SafeLi (now renamed: Conovate), which will aim to scale-up the production of graphene monoxide for next-generation LIB anodes. In October 2019, SafeLi received a Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) grant to develop lithium-ion battery parts made from a unique, patented material called graphene monoxide. This material is said to dramatically boost the energy storage capacity of li-ion batteries.

Cornell researchers, led by Katja Nowack, assistant professor of physics, used an ultrathin graphene and hexagonal boron nitride 'sandwich' to create a tiny magnetic field sensor that can operate over a greater temperature range than previous sensors, while also detecting miniscule changes in magnetic fields that might otherwise get lost within a larger magnetic background.

Nowack's lab specializes in using scanning probes to conduct magnetic imaging. One of their go-to probes is the superconducting quantum interference device, or SQUID, which works well at low temperatures and in small magnetic fields.

India-based clean-tech startup Log 9 has supplied graphene-enhanced oil absorbent pads 'Sorbene' to clean up a major oil spill off the coast of Mauritius.

A general view shows the bulk carrier ship (REUTERS)

A Japanese-firm owned bulk carrier vessel 'MV Wakashio' ran aground on a reef at Pointe d'Esny along Mauritius' south-eastern coastal region on July 25, spilling more than 1,000 tonnes of oil into the Indian Ocean. The spill sparked off fears of an ecological catastrophe.

Talga Resources has announced receiving firm commitments from investors to raise gross proceeds of A$10.0 Million (around USD$7.2 Million).

Talga shared that it sees the strongly supported placement as reflecting significant investor interest as the Company progresses development of its facility in Sweden to produce ultra-low emission coated anode for greener lithium-ion batteries.

Vanderbilt engineers recently designed a simple defect-sealing technique to correct variations in pore size in graphene membranes. The researchers reported a breakthrough in scalable fabrication of graphene membranes with a sealing technology that corrects variations in the pore size so they remain small enough to trap salt ions and small molecules but allow water to pass.

One of the most complex engineering challenges when making membranes so thin is to maintain integrity in the uniformity of the pores, which requires drilling atomically precise holes in a one-atom thick sheet of carbon atoms. A single large hole can cause high leakage and compromise membrane performance, said Piran Kidambi, assistant professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering.

G6 Materials, formerly known as Graphene 3d Lab, has announced finalizing the research and development project to develop graphene-based composite materials for marine vessel applications with a private Singaporean company.

G6's Singaporean partner has accepted its final research report and the Company expects to receive a final payment from the Partner of approximately $117,500 US Dollars. During the Project, G6 successfully developed two formulations for graphene-enhanced resins for fiberglass and carbon fiber marine composites.

Researchers from Imperial College London, Durham University, University of Cambridge, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Zhejiang University, Beihang University, Nanjing Tech University, Macquarie University, University of British Columbia and Aalto University have collaborated to examine the "coffee ring effect" which has been hindering the industrial deployment of functional inks with graphene, 2D materials, and nanoparticles because it makes printed electronic devices behave irregularly.

The team of researchers has now created a new family of inks that overcomes this problem, enabling the fabrication of new electronics such as sensors, light detectors, batteries and solar cells.