2D materials

Graphene Manufacturing Group (GMG) has provides a business update on the commercialization progress of THERMAL-XR® ENHANCE.

The Company has announced it has received and accepted the United States Environmental Protection Agency ("EPA") consent notice approval conditions of the Pre-Manufacture Notice ("PMN") for its THERMAL-XR® ENHANCE graphene coating product. The consent notice conditions from the EPA signify a milestone in bringing this product to market in the USA, according to GMG. 

Researchers from CSIC-UPV/EHU, the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), the Technical University of Munich, the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, Al-Azhar University, and the Donostia International Physics Center (DIPC) have reported the creation of a previously unrealized two-dimensional (2D) carbon allotrope that integrates graphene’s structure with precisely engineered nanopores and biphenylene segments.

This new material bridges the gap between ideal graphene sheets and more complex, functional carbon architectures, opening promising avenues for next-generation applications in nanoelectronics and chemical sensing.

Researchers from Finland's University of Jyväskylä have combined quantum-mechanical modeling and universal machine learning to reveal how geometry determines the stability of graphene - metallene interfaces - an important step toward bringing these promising 2D materials into real-world technologies.

Integrating density-functional theory and machine-learning to assess the stability of lateral graphene–metallene interfaces. Image credit: University of Jyväskylä

Metallenes are atomically thin, nonlayered metallic sheets with great potential for applications ranging from next-generation electronics to energy storage and catalysis. Yet their strong metallic bonding makes them unstable in isolation, often requiring confinement within the pores of 2D templates such as graphene. To tackle this challenge, Professor Pekka Koskinen’s team conducted a large-scale computational study of 1,080 graphene–metallene interfaces, covering 45 different metals and four interface geometries. Using density-functional theory (DFT) alongside the MatterSim machine-learning interatomic potential, the researchers optimized interface structures, analyzed their electronic properties, and tested their stabilities under strain, defects, and thermal motion.

Researchers at King’s College London have developed a new approach to characterize graphene-based materials (GBMs), including graphene oxide and graphene, based on surface interactions with a series of probe molecules.

The team at King’s College London designed the new ‘interactional fingerprinting’ method that creates a unique identity of individual samples. By mimicking humans’ sense of taste and smell, the method can create a qualitative snapshot of the material without relying on inaccessible gold-standard measurement machinery manned by teams of specialists. It is said to be more simple and low-cost to perform. 

Researchers from Brazil's Federal University of Paraíba – UFPB and Portugals' University of Aveiro and LASI (Intelligent Systems Associate Laboratory) have presented a simple and cost-effective approach for the one-step synthesis of MnCo₂O₄-reduced graphene oxide (MCO-rGO) for use as an anode material in the oxygen evolution reaction (OER). 

Both MCO and rGO were formed on a porous Ni foam through a wet chemical process, via oxidation of the spinel phase and the simultaneous thermal reduction of graphene oxide (GO) in an air atmosphere at 300 °C. The (electro)catalytic properties of the MCO-based electrodes were studied in an alkaline medium (1 M KOH) to evaluate the impact of rGO on various OER activity parameters, in controlled amounts of 10 wt% and 20 wt% GO. 

Researchers from Rice University, University of Sussex, Pennsylvania State University and Federal University of Minas Gerais have created a 2D hybrid by chemically integrating two fundamentally different 2D materials - graphene and silica glass - into a single, stable compound called glaphene.

Synthesis and structure of glaphene. Credit: Advanced Materials
 

The team proposed a metastable hybrid structure based on first-principles calculations, synthesized it via scalable liquid precursor-based vapor-phase growth, and chemically validated the interlayer structure and hybridization using extensive optical and electron spectroscopy, mass spectrometry, and atomic-resolution electron microscopy.

Scientists from three UK universities have been granted £6 million to develop single-atomic layer semiconductors under a program called NEED2D (“Enabling Net Zero and the AI Revolution with Ultra-Low Energy 2D Materials and Devices”). 

The materials to be developed include graphene and related compounds. The goal is achieving energy efficient, atomically-thin semiconductors to dramatically reduce the electricity demand from AI data centers and high-performance computing.

Researchers from Peking University, Beijing Graphene Institute, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences and the University of Manchester have developed a new method to integrate 2D semiconductors with dielectric materials. Their approach involves the epitaxial growth of an ultra-thin dielectric film on a graphene-covered copper surface, which subsequently enables its transfer onto various substrates with minimal defects. 

The new method addresses the challenges in integrating 2D materials(like graphene) into microelectronic devices. As conventional transfer methods that use polymer supports often introduce chemical contamination, various mechanical issues and interfacial defects, the team set out to develop a wafer-scale process that overcomes these issues, by preserving graphene's intrinsic properties and ensuring a clean, well-controlled interface during transfer and encapsulation.

Researchers from the University of Cambridge, CNRS and Imperial College London have used machine learning-driven molecular dynamics simulations to explore how defects in the surface of two-dimensional sheets alter ripple effects. 

They found that above a critical concentration of defects, free-standing graphene sheets undergo a dynamic transition from freely propagating to static ripples. The team's computational approach captures the dynamics with atomic resolution, and reveals that the transition is driven by elastic interactions between defects. The strength of these interactions is found to vary across defect types and a unifying set of principles was identified, driving the dynamic-to-static transition in 2D materials.

The SAFARI project is a 42-months research and innovation project funded by the European Commission’s Horizon Europe research and innovation program. The project brings together a consortium of 11 partners from 8 European countries. SAFARI is also part of the Graphene Flagship’s initiative, which aims to develop sustainable and safe processes for the production of graphene and other 2D materials.

The SAFARI project is developing conductive inks based on MXenes and graphene hybrids that can be used for printed electronics applications, such as RFID tags and flexible displays. Also, novel sensors and EMI shielding materials are developed, based on MXenes and graphene hybrids.