Graphenea

Researchers from Graphenea, Ikerbasque, BCMaterials, Center for Cooperative Research in Biomaterials (CIC biomaGUNE) of the Basque Research and Technology Alliance (BRTA), University of the Basque Country UPV-EHU, University of Trieste and Universidade da Coruña recently reported a graphene field effect transistors (GFET) array biosensor for the detection of SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, using the human membrane protein involved in the virus internalisation: angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2).

By finely controlling the graphene functionalization, by tuning the Debye length, and by deeply characterizing the ACE2-spike protein interactions, the team managed to detect the target protein with an extremely low limit of detection (2.94 aM).

Graphenea recently upgraded its mGFET line of products with a built-in reservoir for liquids. This enhancement increases ease of use for biosensing and implementation in clinical testing and rapid screening.

The mGFET product line is designed to minimize barriers to adoption of graphene as a biosensor. The product was launched at the same time as the Graphenea Card, a socket for housing the mGFET and interfacing with measurement electronics. The addition of the built-in reservoir lets the user focus on the biochemistry, without worrying about producing the graphene or the sensor, or about interfacing.

Graphenea recently released its financial results for 2022, highlighting an impressive growth rate and the successful launch of a new business.

Consolidated revenue for 2022 amounted to €4.18 million , reflecting a 34% year-over-year growth rate. Additionally, the Company achieved a positive EBITDA of €0.78 million , demonstrating a strong financial performance.

Graphenea has launched a specialty chemicals spin off, called Kivoro. The new company will be focused on creating solutions for industrial challenges. 

Graphenea will continue to operate as a graphene producer, with Kivoro taking lead on applications development in various industries like composites, construction, and more.

In June 2022, Graphenea launched its latest product out of its Graphene Foundry, the mGFET, fully-packaged mini graphene-based field effect transistors.

Graphenea now updates that the market demand for these products has been excellent, and it has run out of stock. The company is now working to produce more mGFET devices and restock.

The mGFETs are Graphenea's highest value-chain products, which are manufactured and packaged in chip carriers, and can be used together with the Graphenea Card for seamless sensor development (which was released earlier in 2022, and has also seen very good reception in the industry).

Graphmatech, Graphenea, and Northvolt have announced their success in up-cycling end-of-life EV batteries into graphene oxide at industrial pilot scale. This breakthrough uses the material left after Northvolt has extracted valuable metals and minerals. Until now, that remaining material was left as waste.

Emma Nehrenheim, Chief Environmental Officer of Northvolt, comments: The upcycling of graphene oxide from recycled batteries represents a great development in our pursuit of a sustainable battery industry in Europe. Batteries contain an abundance of valuable materials which we can recover to reduce our dependence on mining and producing fresh materials. We are proud to have contributed to this development.

Graphenea, Lantania (an international group that builds large transport, water and energy infrastructures) and the Polytechnic University of Madrid (UPM) recently developed a graphene-enhanced additive that enhances the expected useful life of concrete by 50%, as well as its resistance to adverse environmental conditions and its mechanical behavior. After verifying its effectiveness in the laboratory, the new additive was tested on a non-structural element of the Almudévar Reservoir construction project.

The test was conducted by adding an improved graphene admixture to concrete with a 30 MPa compressive strength. Its overall efficacy was evaluated during mixing in the concrete plant, when still fresh and through noting the effects on the concrete during transport and placement. Mechanical behavior and durability tests in aggressive environments were then carried out.

Graphenea launched two new products out of its Graphene Foundry, which they call mGFET or miniGFET. These are Graphenea's highest value-chain products, which are manufactured and packaged in chip carriers, and can be used together with the freshly released Graphenea Card for seamless sensor development.

The mGFET is available from $99, and as it is a fully-package device, it is ready to be integrated into standard electronics. Order volume can range from a few devices for early prototyping, to JEDEC trays with hundreds of devices which are compatible with automated pick & place routines.

The results of an international comparison of the measurement of graphene, led by NPL, have been released. The work was conducted through the Versailles Project on Advanced Materials and Standards (VAMAS) and in collaboration with institutes from around the world.

The international interlaboratory comparison (ILC) outlined improvements that reduce measurement uncertainty, in some cases by a factor of 15, and which will be the basis for a new international standard which is currently under development within ISO/IEC for Raman spectroscopy. This will aim to become a verified source of data and ultimately provide more accurate and precise measurement standards for the global graphene industry.

This is a sponsored post by Graphenea

Graphenea has announced that, following the release of its GFET S30, it has developed a High-K Metal Gate (HKMG) manufacturing process to create Field-Effect Transistor (FET) structures on graphene, or GFETs. This process is now available under the dedicated GFAB service, starting February 2022.

HKMG structures triggered a revolution in Si electronics when they were introduced during the early 2000’s, creating an alternative to SiO2 gate dielectrics that paved the way for further scaling. HKMG technology indeed enabled Moore’s law to continue, providing increased capacitance and lower current leakage than the previously state-of-the-art SiO2 tech. The most common FET architecture to modulate the conductance in graphene uses a SiO2 gate dielectric grown on top of a heavily doped Si substrate. Whereas this structure is easy to implement, it suffers from excessive current leakage when the SiO2 layer is thinned down, often rendering devices unusable. Moreover, the substrate acts as a global backgate, forbidding manipulation of individual GFET devices, which is essential for many applications.