Skeleton Technologies recently announced plans to develop new production technology and fully automate manufacturing in its Großröhrsdorf factory. The manufacturer of graphene-enhanced supercapacitors has unveiled plans to develop a first-of-its-kind production technology for the manufacturing of its products, following the official support announced by German authorities. These plans include a fully-automated ultracapacitor production line in its Großröhrsdorf factory. The economies of scale provided by this new technology, combined with the use of Skeleton’s patented curved graphene material, is expected to dramatically drive the production costs down.

We are continuously investing in R&D whether it is improving the performance of our products or the process in which we make those products. The next stage of our production will see an implementation of fully automated Industry 4.0 manufacturing techniques a first-of-its-kind in the ultracapacitor industry. Coupled with our curved graphene material, we are able to dramatically decrease the cost of ultracapacitors. The ultracapacitor industry is in the same situation as lithium-ion batteries were in 1999, but our advancements in core technology and production capabilities will be able to show a cost reduction faster than for any other energy storage technology. We have a clear road map to lower it by almost 90% after completion of our 5 years project, says Taavi Madiberk, CEO and co-founder of Skeleton Technologies, in a press release.

The National Physical Laboratory (NPL), in collaboration with international partners, have developed an ISO/IEC standard, ISO/TS 21356-1:2021, for measuring the structural properties of graphene, typically sold as powders or in a liquid dispersion. The ISO/IEC standard helps the supply chain to better define graphene materials (and distinguish them from other materials) and is based on methods developed with The University of Manchester in the NPL Good Practice Guide 145.

Over the last few years, graphene has started to move from the laboratory into real-world products such as cars and smartphones. However, there is still a barrier affecting the rate of its commercialization, namely, understanding the true properties of the material. There is not just one type of material, but many, each with different properties that need matching to the many different applications where graphene can provide an improvement.

Researchers from Imperial College London and the University of Birmingham have designed a novel technique for large-scale production of graphene with real-time monitoring. The study provides a viable route for controllable and customizable mass-production which could be adopted for other 2D materials.

Graphene is currently produced through a variety of methods, roughly divided into bottom-up and top-down approaches. Bottom-up graphene production builds layers atom-by-atom, making a high-quality product but with a drastically time-consuming process. Top-down graphene production is typically much faster and has the potential for large-scale production, but the quality is usually lower. Top-down processes begin with graphite which is split into different layers using a technique known as exfoliation. In this study, the team set out to produce a scalable method for top-down production which would result in a consistently high-quality graphene product.

UK-based Paragraf has announced a new graphene Hall Effect sensor, said to be ideally suited to battery applications, such as the electric vehicle (EV) sector.

The graphene GHS01AT Hall Effect sensor is optimized for use in relatively low field environments and normal ambient temperatures. Bringing the magnetic field measurement resolution towards that of more complex magnetic sensors, yet with the small size and ease of use of a Hall sensor, it can address monitoring tasks that conventional technologies simply cannot provide an effective solution for.

A new research has shown that graphene is able to act on excitatory synapses and interfere with the development of anxiety-related behaviors. Carried out by SISSA International School for Advanced Studies of Trieste, Catalan Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (ICN2) of Barcelona, and the National Graphene Institute of the University of Manchester, in the framework of the European Graphene Flagship project, the research has shown that graphene has the ability to interact with the functions of the nervous system in vertebrates in a very specific manner. The researchers say that the material interrupts the build-up of a pathological process that leads to anxiety-related behavior.

Study leader, Laura Ballerini of SISSA, explained that previous research has shown that when graphene flakes are delivered to neurons, they interfere spontaneously with excitatory synapses by transiently preventing glutamate release from presynaptic terminals. Ballerini said: We investigated whether such a reduction in synaptic activity was sufficient to modify related behaviors, in particular the pathological ones that develop due to a transient and localized hyper-function of excitatory synapses.

Directa Plus has announced it has received positive test results confirming that its graphene nanoplatelets are not absorbed through human skin. The Company said this was the eighth in vitro test to show that there is no absorption potential for the Pure G+ powder.

The study was carried out by an independent third party and followed international standards, using human skin reconstructed in the lab. Directa Plus said successful results from in vitro tests of its hypoallergenic, non-toxic products are vital for their use in textile markets, where customers have to be certain of the safety of the apparel they produce and market.

A research team, led by Dr. Luigi Angelo Castriotta at the at University of Rome Tor Vergata's CHOSE Center for Hybrid and Organic Solar Energy, has reported impressive results on methylammonium free perovskites processed in air, using a scalable technique based on infrared annealing and potassium doped graphene oxide as an interlayer.

The team reached excellent efficiencies of 18.3% and 16.10% on 0.1cm² cell and on 16cm2 module respectively, with enhanced stability compared to the standard multi cation reference.

First Graphene has reported results from field testing of the PureGRAPH-enhanced bucket wear liner, which have reportedly shown an almost six times reduction in average abrasion loss compared with a standard polyurethane liner. The bucket wear liners were installed at a major iron ore producer’s load-out facility in the Pilbara of Western Australia, beginning in mid-2019. A standard wear liner and a graphene-enhanced ArmourGRAPH wear liner ran simultaneously in the same location for the 62-week period.

In addition, First Graphene has entered into a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Brazil’s largest steel producer, Gerdau. The MOU is currently non-binding, and allows for the two companies to negotiate terms towards a binding agreement, which would establish an initial commercial agreement for distribution and collaboration.

Talga Resources has reported a milestone moment in a sea trial of its Talcoat graphene coating.

The company initially developed the graphene coating as an alternative to traditional coating methods that incorporate harmful chemicals and materials and first applied Talcoat to the hull of a ship back in late 2019 as part of a sea trial to test the coating’s robustness out in the tough ocean environment. A second application on a separate vessel followed soon after, and both trials remain ongoing.

Skeleton Technologies, Estonia-based manufacturer of graphene-enhanced supercapacitors, and Marubeni Corporation, one of Japan’s largest conglomerates, have signed a strategic cooperation agreement to support commercial scale-up and customer acquisition for Skeleton’s supercapacitors in the Asian automotive sector, with a strong focus on electrified vehicles and hydrogen transportation.

As part of this agreement, Marubeni Corporation also made an equity investment on top of the €41.3 million Series D financing round announced by Skeleton in November 2020. The sum of Marubeni’s investment was not disclosed.