Graphene production

The Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development (ADDED) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Inovartic Investment, a technology innovation company, to establish a facility in Abu Dhabi that will produce graphene and graphene-enhanced products.

The strategic collaboration marks a step towards enhancing advanced material manufacturing in the region and beyond and is aligned with Abu Dhabi’s vision to become a global hub for cutting-edge industries and technological innovation.

Malaysian energy company PETRONAS has launched its third graphene-based solution, ProTough+,  under its Advanced Materials portfolio to capture new growth opportunities in line with its Energy Transition Strategy.

ProTough+ is an additive that enhances the strength of composite materials by improving their mechanical properties to achieve component light weighting, which is key in manufacturing and delivery of lower carbon solutions such as hydrogen mobility. Tests conducted on carbon fiber reinforced polymers enhanced with ProTough+ reportedly demonstrated an increase of more than 35% in tensile strength. This allows stronger composite parts to be manufactured with less materials, thus supporting fabrication of products that are lighter and more economical. 

Researchers at Fraunhofer FEP have developed a PECVD process that enables deposition of graphene at high process speeds and on a wider range of substrates at lower temperatures.

As part of the funded EU project NewSkin, the Fraunhofer Institute for Electron Beam and Plasma Technology FEP has developed the innovative PECVD process that enables the deposition of graphene at high process speeds and offers higher production throughputs and a wider range of substrates at lower process temperatures. The researchers will present the process at Manufacturing World Tokyo from June 19 - 21, 2024 at booth No. E 53-11 in Tokyo, Japan.

British climate tech firm Levidian and clean hydrogen developer Hexla have joined forces to bring Levidian’s LOOP technology to Worthy Farm in Somerset in a "world first example of carbon negative hydrogen production from biomethane", as the Companies described it.  

Home to the Glastonbury Festival, Worthy Farm currently produces power using an anaerobic digestion plant that turns tens of thousands of tonnes of cow slurry and waste silage into energy. The LOOP technology will allow the farm to capture the carbon from some of the biomethane produced as part of this process and turn it into graphene and clean hydrogen, which will be used to generate electricity through the existing combined heat and power plant.

Researchers at Columbia University and colleagues at the University of Montreal and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) show how trace oxygen affects the growth rate of graphene and identify the link between oxygen and graphene quality for the first time.

he team explains that eliminating virtually all oxygen from the growth process is the key to achieving reproducible, high-quality CVD graphene synthesis, a finding that could be a milestone towards large-scale production of graphene.

It was reported that a team of researchers at India's Nagaland University (NU) has developed a novel and environmentally-friendly method for producing bromographene, a modified form of graphene. This new approach is said to not only be faster and safer than traditional methods, but also showcase the potential for eco-friendly chemical processes in industrial applications.

While graphene has exceptional strength and outstanding electrical and thermal conductivity, its practical use is often hindered by its poor solubility in common solvents. This limitation is overcome by bromographene, a modified form of graphene that enhances its chemical reactivity and versatility.

Levidian has unveiled its first prototype truck tire, combining graphene with carbon black in a new tread formulation. Launched this week at the Tire Technology Expo in Hannover, the graphene-enhanced natural rubber and butadiene rubber tire tread compound, typically used in commercial vehicle tires, has been shown to deliver significant improvements in the mechanical and dynamic properties of the tire.

Independent testing by the Tun Abdul Razak Research Centre (TARRC) has reportedly shown that the addition of Levidian’s 'net zero graphene' can deliver a reduction in rolling resistance of around 23%. Initial results have also indicated potential for reduced compound density that could allow for lighter tires overall. It was said that overall, this could deliver substantial improvements in fuel efficiency of 3-4%.  

First Graphene has reported the successful production of multi-kilogram quantities of graphene oxide at the Company’s Henderson facility in Western Australia.

Building on existing manufacturing expertise, First Graphene identified a new route to manufacturing graphene oxide materials using the Company’s existing capabilities, opening an expanded range of commercial opportunities. The graphene oxide product was manufactured in a cost-effective, scalable, and repeatable process that produces a consistent product with minimal waste streams.

Graphjet Technology has announced it will begin trading on Nasdaq under the ticker symbol “GTI". Graphjet Technology, developer of patented technologies to produce graphite and graphene directly from agricultural waste, and Energem Corp. (Nasdaq: ENCP, ENCPW), have closed a business combination that "creates the only pure-play publicly traded direct biomass-to-graphite company.

Graphjet has raised $5.8 million through the transaction and anticipates that additional fundraising will be necessary to accelerate its growth strategy and expand its manufacturing capacity. These funds will enhance the Company’s financial flexibility as well as its ability to capitalize on organic and inorganic growth opportunities.

Researchers at Sweden's Umeå University, Lund University and Denmark's Aarhus University have reported a new way to synthesize graphene oxide, which has significantly fewer defects compared to materials produced by the most common method. To date, graphene oxide of similarly good quality could only be synthesized by using a rather dangerous method involving extremely toxic fuming nitric acid.

Graphene oxide is often used to produce graphene by removing oxygen. However, if there are holes in graphene oxide, there will also be holes after it is converted to graphene. Therefore, the quality of the graphene oxide is very important. Umeå University's Alexandr Talyzin and his research group have now addressed the issue of how to safely make good graphene oxide.