Graphene applications: what is graphene used for? - Page 3

HydroGraph Clean Power has announced a technical collaboration with a leading global synthetic fiber manufacturer to explore the application of its graphene technology in high-performance fiber applications within the $191 billion global textile and technical fiber market. 

This initiative aims to enhance fiber performance attributes such as mechanical durability and energy absorption, aligning with HydroGraph’s strategic focus on advanced material solutions. 

Following good results from a vessel treated with GIT Coatings’ graphene-based propeller coating XGIT-PROP in 2023, Tampa, Fla.-headquartered Overseas Shipholding Group Inc. (OSG) is to adopt the solution on seven further crude oil tankers.

The first application saw performance gains and fuel savings proven beyond expectations which was further validated by a third party with the vessel being tracked along its trade route covering the Pacific Ocean. “At OSG, we believe sustainable technology such as XGIT-PROP provides an opportunity for us to enhance our performance while also being stewards of the ocean,” said Eric Schreiber, director of operational excellence at OSG. “From the initial application study, XGIT-PROP is a proven product which both benefits vessel efficiency while also providing environmentally friendly impacts, which we will also consider for our new LCO2 vessel designs by Aptamus Carbon Solutions, a new subsidiary of OSG.”

Frontier IP, a specialist in commercializing intellectual property, has announced that its portfolio company GraphEnergyTech (Frontier IP holds a 23.97% equity stake in GraphEnergyTech) has entered into a collaboration with the Taiwan Perovskite Solar Corporation, Taiwan's prestigious Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI), and the University of Cambridge to drive development of perovskite solar technology. 

This new project that the four organizations have formed will be called Graphene Electrode Technology for Perovskite Solar Cells (or "GETPSC") and it has secured a £884,129 (over US$1,115,000) grant from Innovate UK.

Graphene Manufacturing Group (GMG) has announced the results of the multi-year performance testing of G® Lubricant, a graphene liquid concentrate additive designed to enhance the performance of diesel and gasoline (petrol) engines. This product, according to GMG, has the potential to reshape the future of the global liquid fuels industry and offers an innovative solution that optimizes efficiency and power for stationary or mobile engines.

Lubricant 500 ml pack (which can be used to dose 50 liters of engine oil). Image credit: GMG

GMG is in the process of preparing packaging and marketing materials for G® Lubricant, and expects to begin a direct marketing campaign, targeting fleet owners and initially commencing in Australia and then expanding into other markets from April 2025 onwards.

Canada-based Nova Graphene has signed a memorandum of understanding to co-develop graphene-enhanced polymer sheeting and greases in Australia. 

The value of the deal was not announced, but it was finalized during a Team Canada trade mission to Australia. Nova Graphene's CEO, Paul Beasant, is part of the mission, and a news release describes the MOU as “a significant step toward advancing the development and commercialization of cutting-edge graphene applications in the Indo-Pacific region.” 

Researchers from the University of Calgary, University of British Columbia, University of Waterloo and Aalto University recently developed an all-graphene water-based ink for 3D printing via direct ink writing, which the team considers first of its kind. The ink could unlock new possibilities for addressing environmental challenges, such as eliminating invisible electromagnetic pollution from our surroundings.

The eco-friendly graphene ink enables applications in various fields, including electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding, electronics, and environmental protection while providing a scalable solution for next-generation 3D-printed technologies.

SCALE Nanotech, an advanced R&D company based in Estonia, has announced the launch of its spinout Dragon Elements in Spain, aiming to enter into the XR and wearable electronics sector. Dragon Elements is set to commercialize LATIDO® capsules, a graphene-based technology designed to "redefine human interaction with hardware by eliminating the need for traditional audio and video components", as per the Company.

LATIDO® aims to mark a "radical shift in audiovisual hardware". Unlike conventional technology that requires separate components for sound and vision, LATIDO® harnesses millions of graphene membranes to seamlessly control both light and sound within a single monolithic device, removing the need for separate screens or speakers.

Sparc Technologies has announced the execution of an agreement (Trial Agreement) with BHP Mitsubishi Alliance (BMA). The Trial Agreement details the terms and conditions under which Sparc and BMA will conduct a collaborative field trial involving testing of an ecosparc® enhanced coating in coal handling and processing plant (CHPP) infrastructure at the Goonyella Riverside Mine (GRM) in Queensland.

The Trial Agreement with BMA represents a continuation of Sparc’s strategy of working with asset owners across government, defense, mining and oil & gas to demonstrate the performance of ecosparc® enhanced coatings in relevant real-world environments. The temperature, moisture and conditions within the CHPP at GRM, located in Moranbah, Queensland are well suited for an effective field trial. The field trial will provide valuable performance data for potential customers, building on over 6 years of research and development and >10,000 data points from accelerated cyclic corrosion testing in the laboratory.

Researchers at Penn State and Hebei University of Technology recently developed stretchable thermoelectric porous graphene foam-based materials via facile laser scribing for self-powered decoupled strain and temperature sensing. The new sensor material enables precise and separate measurement of temperature and physical strain, a vital development for biosensors, for accurately tracking various health signals.

The team’s innovation is based on laser-induced graphene (LIG), created by using a laser to convert carbon-rich materials, such as plastic or wood, into graphene by heating their surfaces. This simple and scalable process is already used in a variety of applications, including gas sensors and electrochemical detectors. However, the scientists believe they have uncovered a new, critical property of LIG that makes it ideal for multi-signal sensing.

A new graphene-based method could make for faster, cheaper and more accurate DNA sequencing, according to a group of Leiden scientists. The research team has received EUR 1.2 million through the Dutch Research Council (NWO) Open Technology program to develop their new method.

The new DNA sequencing method builds on a previous Leiden discovery in which the research groups of chemist Grégory Schneider and physicist Jan van Ruitenbeek got an electrical current to jump across two layers of graphene, each an atom thick. By bringing the two layers close together at a certain angle, they caused tunnelling to occur. This is a quantum mechanical phenomenon where electrons jump from one material to another despite there being no direct contact between the two.