Graphene Flagship: Europe's $1 billion graphene initiative - Page 2

2D-BioPAD is the name of a new Horizon Europe project that was recently launched. With a nearly €6 million budget, 2D-BioPAD will develop a diagnostic system for early Alzheimer's disease detection. This Horizon Europe Research and Innovation Action funded by the European Union, officially commenced on October 2023 and will go on for 48 months.

2D-BioPAD is developing a fast, reliable, cost-effective and digitally enabled point-of-care in vitro diagnostic system for early Alzheimer's disease detection. The 2D-BioPAD system will make use of cutting-edge 2D materials (i.e., graphene), nanomaterials and aptamers, to enhance biocompatibility, sensitivity and specificity for the simultaneous detection of up to five Alzheimer’s biomarkers in blood. The device will be accompanied by a user-friendly mobile app that will give healthcare professionals real-time access to quantified results in primary healthcare settings. Along the way, artificial intelligence will be used to optimize the design and implementation of the 2D-BioPAD system.

Graphmatech and Khalifa University of Science and Technology’s Research and Innovation Center for Graphene and 2D Materials (RIC2D) have announced a memorandum of understanding (MoU), establishing a strategic framework for cooperation in advanced graphene-engineered materials and manufacturing processes.

A spin-off from Sweden’s Uppsala University, Graphmatech develops novel graphene-based nanocomposite materials and products, and focuses on three main business areas: metal-graphene composites and coated powders, polymer-graphene composites and additives for energy storage.

The Graphene Flagship, Europe's $1 billion graphene research initiative, has summed up its progress in advancing graphene-based innovations for automotive in the last ten years. The project examines, among other topics, how graphene can address key challenges in the automotive sector, such as fuel efficiency, recycling, and environmental impact.

Graphene has the potential to drive significant advancements in the automotive industry — from strengthening structural components to improving electrochemical energy storage (i.e., Batteries) efficiency and safety in electric cars as well as enhancing the performance of the self-driving car. The Graphene Flagship has orchestrated a number of projects researching the benefits of graphene in automotive applications and how vehicles can be improved. The Graphene Flagship reports it is now seeing this research and development come to fruition. Listed below are the automotive-related advancements that were achieved.

Researchers from the University of the Bundeswehr Munich & SENS Research Center and KTH Royal Institute of Technology recently demonstrated the noncontact and resist-free patterning of platinum diselenide (PtSe₂), molybdenum disulfide (MoS₂), and graphene layers with nanoscale precision at high processing speed while preserving the integrity of the surrounding material. 

The team used a commercial, off-the-shelf two-photon 3D printer to directly write patterns in the 2D materials with features down to 100 nm at a maximum writing speed of 50 mm/s. 

Researchers find a way to make the detection of antibiotic residues in water more quick and simple. The research team included scientists from the Czech Advanced Technology and Research Institute (CATRIN) at Palacký University and the Technical University of Ostrava. The new biosensor looks like a small box connected to a mobile phone. This device can immediately detect even very small antibiotic residues, namely ampicillin, in water or dairy products.

It is based on a tailor-made nanomaterial derived from fluorographene, developed by scientists from the Graphene Flagship Associated Member Czech Advanced Technology and Research Institute (CATRIN) of Palacký University and its Faculty of Science (Czech Republic). They used the so-called click chemistry method, which was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry last year.

The Graphene Flagship’s 2D Experimental Pilot Line (2D-EPL) is offering the opportunity to take part in a multi project wafer run integrating graphene into silicon wafers. This run is mainly intended for electronics but can also include sensor devices (e.g. Hall sensor, but via opening on graphene is not in the scope of this run) and will be provided by AMO GmbH. The design of the device can be adjusted within the specifications. Apply today to receive more information or to discuss your design ideas with our team.

• Why apply?
• Affordable prototypes
• Benchmarking
• Customisable chips
• Short turn around
• Flexible process flows
• Direct communication channels
• Experienced partners
• Feasibility consulting

Learn more and apply today!

This is a sponsored post by The Graphene Flagship

Keen to share your research, learn from experts, and collaborate with industry leaders? Join us at Graphene Week 2023 for your chance to help shape the future of graphene and related materials in Europe!

Register for the event, send us your abstracts, and apply for student grants (there are plenty available!). More information is available at Graphene Week 2023 | Graphene Flagship (graphene-flagship.eu).

Graphene-Info is happy to give the stage to talented young graphene researchers, especially with such commitment and passion as Roberto Pezone from TU Delft, who has agreed to chat with us and answer a few questions about his background, work and collaboration with the Graphene Flagship.

Roberto Pezone checking a wafer at its initial fabrication stages

Q: Thank you for this interview Roberto! Very nice to e-meet you. We know you have been involved with graphene research for some time, can you give us a quick overview of your graphene research interests and projects?

Thank you for the opportunity to discuss my research. Within the Graphene Flagship's Work Package 6 (core 3), my primary focus lies in integrating graphene into sensors, particularly microphones. My main objective is to develop methods that enable the seamless integration of graphene on a wafer-scale while thoroughly exploring the advantages and disadvantages associated with such approaches.

In addition to developing fabrication techniques, I am also highly interested in characterizing the potential of graphene for acoustic devices. This type of research plays a crucial role in bridging the gap between graphene's exceptional properties and its practical utilization in the industry, unlocking higher performance and new sensor concepts.

Graphene-Info is happy to give the stage to talented young graphene researchers, especially those with such commitment and passion as Dr. Maria Giovanna Pastore Carbone, who has agreed to chat with us and answer a few questions about her background, work and collaboration with the Graphene Flagship.

Maria-Giovanna (right) in the lab at FORTH, with collaborator Christos Pavlou

Dr. Maria Giovanna Pastore Carbone is an Italian Materials Engineer, Post-Doctoral Fellow at the Institute of Chemical Engineering Sciences of the Foundation for Research and Technology Hellas (FORTH/ICEHT). She has been working on graphene since 2015 and has joined the Graphene Flagship in 2017. Her current research in the framework of the Graphene Flagship project is focused on the integration of graphene and related materials for the development of multi-functional systems (such as lightweight composites for EMI shielding applications and coatings for protection against UV-vis radiation and permeation of gasses/vapors), with emphasis on their structure/property relationship.

A team of researchers from the University of Cambridge, RWTH Aachen University and the National Institute for Materials Science in Japan has developed a methodology for simultaneously optimizing the growth and the transfer process of graphene, showing that it is possible to dry-transfer graphene with high-yield, if the crystallographic orientation of the growth surface is chosen appropriately.

Graphene often needs to be transferred from the growth substrate (typically copper) to a final substrate where components can be built. However, current transfer approaches either lead to a substantial degradation of the crystal quality or are not compatible with high-volume manufacturing. Moreover, while graphene has great potential for next generation electronics, the gap between the performance of “hero devices” realized in research labs and what can be reproducibly fabricated with scalable approaches remains large. This is why high-end electronic devices enabled by graphene are still not on the market – and why scalability is such a challenge in terms of making the most of this nanomaterial.