July 2023

Researchers from POLYMAT at the University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU, Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research and the University of Aveiro have reported an accelerated iterative approach enabling the synthesis of a series of length-controlled, ultralong atomically precise graphene nanoribbons (GNRs). The longest GNR displays a 920-atoms core with a 35.8-nm long (147 linearly fused rings) backbone that has been obtained in just three synthetic steps from building blocks of ∼2 nm in length. 

A Lego-like synthesis previously produced record-breaking nanoribbons of 30, then 53 fused rings. Now, a similar ‘accelerated’ modular methodology made a molecular nanoribbon that is triple the longest ever made – in just three simple steps. The resulting graphene nanoribbon is almost 36nm long, with its 147 linearly linked rings and a conjugated core of 920 atoms. The first experiments, although preliminary, envision applications in electronics and optoelectronics, thanks to fluorescence features that reportedly outperform state-of-the-art quantum dots.

A team of researchers from Japan's Chiba University, led by Associate Professor Tomonori Ohba and including master’s students, Mr. Kai Haraguchi and Mr. Sogo Iwakami, has fabricated fullerene-pillared porous graphene (FPPG)—a carbon composite comprising nanocarbons—using a bottom-up approach with highly designable and controllable pore structures. 

Separation processes are essential in the purification and concentration of a target molecule during water purification, removal of pollutants, and heat pumping. To make the separation processes more energy efficient, improvement in the design of porous materials is necessary. Porous carbon materials offer a distinct advantage as they are composed of only one type of atom and have been well-used for separation processes. They have large pore volumes and surface areas, providing high performance in gas separation, water purification, and storage. However, pore structures generally have high heterogeneity with low designability, which poses various challenges, limiting the applicability of carbon materials in separation and storage.

Researchers from the University of Washington and Japan's National Institute for Materials Science have performed transport measurements of dual-gated devices constructed by slightly rotating a monolayer graphene sheet atop a thin bulk graphite crystal. They surprisingly found that it is possible to imbue graphite with physical properties similar to graphene. 

Not only was this result unexpected, the team also believes its approach could be used to test whether similar types of bulk materials can also take on 2D-like properties.  

Researchers from Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences,  BOKU-University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, University of Oslo and Oslo University Hospital, MIT, 2bind and Avalon GloboCare have designed a novel sensor that could detect the same molecules that naturally occurring cell receptors can identify.

The researchers created a prototype sensor that can detect an immune molecule called CXCL12, down to tens or hundreds of parts per billion. This is an important first step towards developing a system that could be used to perform routine screens for hard-to-diagnose cancers or metastatic tumors, or as a highly biomimetic electronic “nose,” the researchers say.

Directa Plus recently announced winning a project tender by the Lombardy Region in Italy, as part of its research and innovation program, to further develop its Graphene Plus air filtration applications. 

The project will last for 18 months, and has a total value of around EUR400,000, which includes a non-repayable grant of EUR142,500, and a zero interest loan of EUR264,642, to be repaid over seven years.

Researchers from  the Vinča Institute of Nuclear Sciences, University of Belgrade, Serbia, recently examined the rainbow scattering of photons passing through graphene and how it reveals the structure and imperfections of the material.

While other methods to examine the defects of graphene exist, these have drawbacks. For instance, Raman spectroscopy can not distinguish some defect types, while high-resolution transmission electron microscopy can characterize crystal structure defects with outstanding resolution, but the energetic electrons it uses can degrade the crystal lattice.

Innovative System Technology (ISTE), based in South-Korea, has signed an agreement with Levidian Nanosystems to develop plants for turquoise hydrogen, a byproduct of natural gas pyrolysis, and graphene.

ISTE will commercialize this technology by boosting its production capacity for turquoise hydrogen from several tens of kg per cycle to T-units. Entering the hydrogen sector in 2019, ISTE designs and builds hydrogen charging stations in various locations. ISTE is reportedly an innovative small and medium enterprise in semiconductor front-end processes and supplies equipment to Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix.

Frontier IP Group has reportedly agreed to a new loan facility worth up to £1.5 million with portfolio company CamGraPhIC, that specializes in graphene photonics.

Aimed to advance CamGraPhIC’s growth in the high-speed optical communications space, the latest facility brings the total amount advanced by Frontier IP to the company to £2.2 million.

Haydale has announced its next collaboration with Cadent, to develop graphene ink-based low-power radiator heaters. The £350,000 three-stage project will run for 12-months and is aiming to develop a tested and validated market-ready product as a cost-effective alternative for Cadent's customers when their gas supply is interrupted.

Following continued success on the low-power, battery operated water heating development, the aim for the latest project is to incorporate the same graphene-ink based technology into different designs to deliver bespoke solutions for a wide range of customer requirements.

Levidian and United Utilities will be working together to turn sewage biogas produced in Manchester into a sustainable feed source for graphene and hydrogen production.

The Government-funded collaboration is a first for the UK water industry and will see Levidian’s LOOP technology used to decarbonize biogas created within the wastewater treatment process. As well as producing hydrogen, the technology will also produce graphene.