The Graphene-Info newsletter (April 12, 2022)

An international research team, led by The University of Manchester’s National Graphene Institute (NGI), has developed a tunable graphene-based platform that allows for fine control over the interaction between light and matter in the terahertz (THz) spectrum, revealing rare phenomena known as exceptional points. The team also included researchers from Pennsylvania State University and Turkey's Bilkent University and Izmir Institute of Technology.

The researchers estimate that this work could advance optoelectronic technologies to better generate, control and sense light and potentially communications. They demonstrated a way to control THz waves, which exist at frequencies between those of microwaves and infrared waves. The findings could contribute to the development of beyond-5G wireless technology for high-speed communication networks.

Researchers from Columbia University, Harvard University, Japan's National Institute for Materials Science and Austria's University of Innsbruck have studied the structural and electronic properties of twisted trilayer graphene using low-temperature scanning tunneling microscopy at twist angles for which superconductivity has been observed.

The discovery of superconductivity in two layers of graphene arranges in the "magic angle" of 1.1 degrees has become quite famous. With just two atom-thin sheets of carbon, researchers discovered a simple device to study the resistance-free flow of electricity, among other phenomena related to the movement of electrons through a material. Adding a third layer of graphene improves the odds of finding superconductivity, but the reason was unclear. Now, the researchers of the new study reveal new details about the physical structure of trilayer graphene that help explain why three layers are better than two for studying superconductivity.

Zero Emissions Developments (ZED) is an Australia-based company that has announced the development of a technology to build longer lasting, greener, more efficient and more affordable graphene-based solar and EV batteries. It is now seeking AUD$30 million (around USD$22,300,000) in private investment to build a manufacturing plant that will produce these batteries.

The planned manufacturing plant will produce the PowerCap batteries in southeast Queensland through the entity, PowerCap Un Ltd.

Haydale has announced that it has been awarded funding of £186,403 by Innovate UK, the UK's innovation agency, to develop smart composite tooling for the aerospace industry using functionalized nanomaterials.

The ESENSE project (Out-of-autoclave self-heated tooling enabling temperature homogeneity and embedded graphene sensors) aims to enhance out-of-autoclave (OOA) manufacturing processes with monitoring and through-life sensing capabilities using Haydale's patented HDPlas functionalization process to develop high temperature inks and pressure sensors. The project is due to start in April 2022 and is expected to run for 24 months.

Earlier this month, SpaceX launched its Fourth Transporter mission. As a result, in about two months, experiments designed by university students from the Netherlands and Chile, and using graphene test devices manufactured by Applied Nanolayers, will probe the impact of real-space travel and direct space exposure on conductive graphene devices for the first time.

Applied Nanolayers and Technical University of Delft module specialists worked together on the specification of graphene materials and the physical devices required for space flight qualification. The resulting devices will test how graphene components withstand the vibration, radiation and temperature conditions of space, and the data generated will be used to give device developers verified graphene performance data to aid device design. Graphene’s ability to improve the sensitivity and accuracy of sensors used for navigation and astronomical observation is crucially important for future space travel.

Advanced Material Development recently announced its selection as one of eleven SME’s for the 2022 Faraday Investment Program. The program will invest up to £330 million in research and innovation projects and facilities to promote the battery business in the UK.

Through its expertise in 2D nanomaterials, AMD has been able to produce a variety of robust printed structures for electrodes, strain sensing and thermal interfaces that show improved conductivity and mechanical flexibility whilst dramatically improving sustainability.