Graphene has a great potential in the construction industry, to increase the performance of materials and structures, to reduce costs and to reduce the environmental footprint of one of the world's most polluting industries.
After years of R&D, it seems as if graphene is finally get ready for commercial adoption on the market. Here's a short interview we did with James Baker, the CEO at Graphene@Manchester who's behind much of the progress we've seen recently.
A few years ago, several graphene producers released 3D printing materials enhanced with graphene. These materials enabled conductive non-metal materials, and enhanced the mechanical and thermal properties of these 3D printing filaments.
The market reaction, though, to these materials was cool. The materials did not provide a significant improvement, the price was high, and there were better alternatives available.
A research team led by the University of Basel has found that the electronic properties of graphene can be specifically modified by stretching the material evenly.
The researchers, led by Professor Christian Schönenberger at the Swiss Nanoscience Institute and the Department of Physics at the University of Basel, have studied how the material’s electronic properties can be manipulated by mechanical stretching. In order to do this, they developed a kind of rack by which they stretch the atomically thin graphene layer in a controlled manner, while measuring its electronic properties.
India-based Nanomatrix Materials (NM Materials) produces graphene-oxide materials and derivatives (such as r-GO) at its 20Kg/month GO plant, and the company recently launched its own brand of graphene-enhanced face mask, the G1 Wonder mask.
A few weeks ago, NM Materials sent us a couple of masks for a review here at Graphene-Info, and this short review will summarize our findings.
Israel-based laser-induced graphene developer LIGC Application announced that its ViralWall air-purifier is now available for pre-order. The ViralWall costs $279, and will ship in April. Graphene-Info users can enjoy a 10% discount, just use this link to order and make sure to enter the discount code (graphene-info) when you checkout.
Using a graphene-based filter, the ViralWall "cleans the air from airborne bacteria and viruses and creates an invisible 1.2x1.6 meter air screen between people to prevent the spread of harmful airborne particles".