University of Illinois researchers have used graphene to develop a rapid, ultrasensitive test using a paper-based electrochemical sensor that can detect the presence of the virus in less than five minutes.

Currently, we are experiencing a once-in-a-century life-changing event, said bioengineering graduate student and co-leader of the study, Maha Alafeef. We are responding to this global need from a holistic approach by developing multidisciplinary tools for early detection and diagnosis and treatment for SARS-CoV-2.

An international team of researchers, led by Huanyu "Larry" Cheng, a Professor at Penn State, has used graphene to design a stretchable system that can harvest energy from human breathing and motion for use in wearable health-monitoring devices.

According to Cheng, current versions of batteries and supercapacitors powering wearable and stretchable health-monitoring and diagnostic devices have many shortcomings, including low energy density and limited stretchability. "This is something quite different than what we have worked on before, but it is a vital part of the equation," Cheng said, noting that his research group and collaborators tend to focus on developing the sensors in wearable devices. "While working on gas sensors and other wearable devices, we always need to combine these devices with a battery for powering. Using micro-supercapacitors gives us the ability to self-power the sensor without the need for a battery."

ZEN Graphene Solutions, in partnership with Professor Mohammad Arjmand, has announced the award of a CAD$780,000 (around USD$609,600) Alliance Grant - part from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) and the rest from a combination of cash and in kind contributions from ZEN).

Alliance Grants are awarded through a competitive peer review process, and this proposal, titled Synthesis of Graphene Nanomaterials and Development of Their Multifunctional Polymer Nanocomposites, is ZEN’s highest single monetary grant award from NSERC to date and supports NSERC’s growing interest in nanomaterials.

Columbia researchers recently announced that they were the first to use the static charge between 2D atomic layers to provide a new route for generating graphene plasmon polaritons without an external power source or chemical dopants.

Among graphene's many unique properties is the ability to support highly confined electromagnetic waves coupled to oscillations of electronic charge—plasmon polaritons—that have potentially broad applications in nanotechnology, including biosensing, quantum information, and solar energy. However, in order to support plasmon polaritons, graphene must be charged by applying a voltage to a nearby metal gate, which greatly increases the size and complexity of nanoscale devices.

Billabong's Furnace range of wet-suites, enhanced with graphene materials, are now shipping. Billabong is offering a full range of Furnace suits which are all made from recycled nylon fibers infused with graphene to increase warmth and performance.

The suits are now shipping globally, starting at around $175 for the Men's 3/2 Absolute Back Zip Wetsuit.

Italy-based graphene developer Directa Plus says that it has made "continued good progress" during H2 2020, with new orders and agreements across all of the company's verticals. Directa+ expects its 2020 revenues to reach around €6 million, exceeding current consensus market expectations.

Directa+ says that the improvement has been primarily driven by the sales of G+ enhanced face masks, including Co-masks, which have proven very popular with both individual and corporate customers and have generated strong demand. The strengthening performance of Setcar, the Environmental division, has also contributed to the improved revenue expectations for the current year.

Researchers at Sweden-based Chalmers University of Technology, in collaboration with researchers in China and Italy, have found that graphene-based heat pipes can help solve the problems of cooling electronics and power systems used in avionics, data centers, and other power electronics.

A) Image of a real GHP; B) schematic designing of the GHP; C) working principle of the GHP

Electronics and data centers need to be efficiently cooled and rid of excess heat in order to function properly. Currently, heat pipes are usually made of copper, aluminum or their alloys. Due to the relatively high density and limited heat transmission capacity of these materials, heat pipes are facing severe challenges in future power devices and data centers.

Paragraf, UK-based graphene electronic sensors and devices company, announced that it is helping to realize an industry first by implementing a supply chain for graphene Hall-Effect sensors used in high-temperature Power Electronics, Electric Machines and Drives (PEMD) within the aerospace sector.

Named High-T Hall, the project stems from the UK Research and Innovation’s (UKRI) ‘Driving the Electric Revolution’ challenge and brings together Paragraf, Rolls-Royce, TT Electronics (Aero Stanrew) and the Compound Semiconductor Applications Catapult (CSA Catapult). It is set to demonstrate how graphene-based Hall Effect sensors can operate reliably at high temperatures, paving the way for more efficient electric engines in aerospace and beyond.

A study recently conducted by Graphene Flagship partners the University of Strasbourg and CNRS, France, in collaboration with Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, has shown that graphene quantum dots are biodegradable by two enzymes found in the human body.

Graphene quantum dots (GQDs) are tiny flakes usually smaller than five nanometres that have potential for many applications. GQDs are fluorescent, so they can absorb light and then emit it, often at a different wavelength. They are also so small that they can penetrate cells. Together, these properties pave the way to a wide array of applications in bioimaging, biosensing and new therapies - among other potential uses.