Graphene buckles when cooled while attached to a flat surface, resulting in patterns that could benefit the search for novel quantum materials and superconductors, according to a recent Rutgers-led research.

Quantum materials host strongly interacting electrons with special properties, such as entangled trajectories, that could provide building blocks for super-fast quantum computers. They also can become superconductors that could slash energy consumption by making power transmission and electronic devices more efficient.

Physicists at the University of Basel have created a novel structure with the ability to absorb almost all light of a selected wavelength, by layering different 2D materials: graphene and molybdenum disulfide.

Schematic illustration of the electron-hole pairs (electron: pink, hole: blue), which are formed by absorption of light in the two-layer molybdenum disulfide layer. Credit: Nadine Leisgang and Lorenzo Ceccarelli, Department of Physics, University of Basel

The new structure's particular properties reportedly make it a candidate for applications in optical components or as a source of individual photons, which play a key role in quantum research.

Versarien has announced its unaudited results for the year ended 31 March 2020. Group revenues were £8.3 million (A downfall from 2019's £9.1 million), loss before tax was £4.7 million (a larger loss compared to 2019: £2.8 million) and cash at 31 March 2020 of £1.7 million (less than 2019's £4.3 million).

Versarien also mentioned in its report various highlights like the Commercial Partnership Agreement with the Company’s textile sector collaboration partner, MAS Innovation (Private) Limited, to develop new garments utilising Versarien’s graphene ink materials, Versarien's participation in the Graphene Flagship project, led by Airbus, to develop graphene based thermo-electric ice protection systems to prevent icing on aircraft surfaces, receiving a £5 million Innovate UK loan for scale up and product development related to the GSCALE collaborations and Versarien's Graphene Enhanced Protective Face Masks launched with first orders received for 120,000 masks.

Chinese researchers have developed a new preparation method for hybrid graphene composites by introducing new electrochemical techniques, according to the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS).

A research team led by Li Xinheng of the Lanzhou Institute of Chemical Physics has prepared high-performance graphene composites through the new preparation method.

As part of the global fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, researchers continue innovating and investigating improvements in personal protective technology, such as nanotechnology for safer masks. One of the companies involved in this quest is a firm called Flextrapower (formerly Bonbouton), created to leverage research originally created in Stevens labs for biomedical applications.

Flextrapower has been developing several graphene-based applications, including the most recent COVID-focused effort, a graphene mask.

Directa Plus has signed a letter of intent with high-end furniture manufacturer Poltrona Frau for leather development.

The collaboration will be for an initial two years with the aim of developing a new leather product which will use Directa Plus' graphene technology.

Researchers from the Centre for Nano and Soft Matter Sciences (CeNS), under the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India, have developed a novel palladium-based electrocatalyst for hydrogen production that exhibits high catalytic efficiency with a low overpotential and high durability. The catalyst realized is basically a partially reduced composite of coordination polymer and reduced graphene oxide (COP-rGO composite).

The future of hydrogen as a fuel lies in the design of efficient electrocatalysts for electrochemical splitting of water to produce hydrogen. The commercially used Platinum (Pt)/Carbon (C) catalysts are efficient but expensive and suffer from metal ion leaching or electrocatalyst corrosion when used for long duration.

Directa Plus recently signed a technical and commercial agreement with automotive design and engineering firm Italdesign.

The partnership has been signed for an initial nine years to explore, test, and build automotive components that are enhanced by properties of the company's proprietary graphene technology. Applications could include car interiors, paints, and mechanical components.

Huawei continues the use of graphene heat dissipation technology, which started with the use of graphene film in Huawei Mate 20X and continues with later versions, with its Huawei MatePad Pro 5G launched earlier in 2020. The MatePad is a 5G tablet, equipped with ultra-thick 3D graphene heat dissipation technology.

For this technology, graphene is used as raw material, in the form of oriented thermal conductive films embedded in several layers of graphene with good mechanical properties, high thermal conductivity, lightweight, thin material, and high flexibility.

Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Reliability and Microintegration IZM have joined forces with partners in industry and healthcare to develop a graphene oxide based sensor platform to detect acute infections such as sepsis or the antibodies against the coronavirus within minutes.

The Graph-POC graphene oxide-based biosensor. (Image: Volker Mai, Fraunhofer IZM)

The current situation with the COVID 19 pandemic underscores the importance of detecting infections quickly and accurately to prevent further spread. Today, symptoms provide the clues that help diagnose viral or bacterial infections. However, many infections have similar symptoms, so these signs can easily be misread and the disease misdiagnosed. Blood tests provide certainty, but laboratories only carry these out when prescribed by the family physician. By the time the results arrive from the lab, doctors have often prescribed an antibiotic that may well be unnecessary.