Following the hype, research activity and money following graphene in past years, many researchers are turning their attention towards alternative materials similar to graphene. In the past few weeks, two related interesting research papers were published.

The first paper comes from the University of Alberta, and reports that hemp fibers (first discussed in 2013) may be as efficient as graphene as supercapacitor electrodes. Those electrodes are made from bio waste in a simple process, and are much cheaper than graphene based electrodes.

The Second paper, from Seoul National University, discusses a one-step method to prepare a carbon material, called NCF, from used cigarette filters. They used the NCF to create supercapacitor electrodes - which exhibit a better rate capability and higher specific capacitance than even CNT or graphene based electrodes.

Researchers from Trinity College in Ireland developed wearable sensors by coating simple rubber bands with graphene. The idea is that the rubber band changes its electric conductivity when it stretches - so even tiny movements (such as breathing or pulse) can be sensed. Such sensors can also be used in the automotive industry, robotics, medical devices and more.

The researchers say that their method is simple and compatible with normal manufacturing techniques. The basic material (rubber) is very cheap of course.

Tesla's current Model S car has batteries with a capacitance of 85 kWh, which enables the car to drive up to 480 km between charges. The company's CEO, Ilon Mask, recently said that the company is developing "new battery technology" that will almost double the capacity, and a report from China suggests that Tesla's new battery technology is based on graphene.

This report makes sense as graphene-based battery electrodes can dramatically increase battery charge time and capacity, and it seems that the technology is indeed on the verge of commercialization. There are many companies developing this technology and it's likely that Tesla is collaborating with one (or more of these companies).

In 2013, XG Sciences launched a new graphene-based anode materials for Li-Ion batteries that has four times the capacity of conventional anodes. XGS says that the new material is available today at commercial scale with an "attractive pricing". In 2014, SiNode Systems signed a joint-development agreement with Merck's AZ Electronic Materials with an aim to commercialize graphene-based materials for lithium-ion batteries.

Angstron Materials recently launched a line of graphene-enhanced anode materials for lithium-ion batteries, called "NANO GCA", which combine high capacity silicon materials with mechanically reinforcing, and electrically conductive graphene. 

Other companies developing graphene-enhanced batteries include Perpetuus, CalBattery, Graphene Batteries and others.

Tesla is collaborating with Panasonic to build the world's largest Li-Ion battery plant (the Gigafactory) - that by 2020 will produce more Li-Ion batteries annually than were produced worldwide in 2013. This should price battery prices down by more than 30%, according to Tesla.

Graphene 3D Lab is the latest pure-play graphene company to go public, as it now trades in the Canadian TSX stock exchange under the ticker GGG, following the company's reverse-merger with Matnic Resources (whose previous ticker was MIK.V).

Graphene 3D Lab is a joint-venture between Graphene Labs and Lomiko Metals. The company focuses on the development of high-performance graphene-enhanced materials for 3D Printing. Lomiko Metals holds 15% of Graphene 3D Lab (4.4 million shares). Graphene 3D Labs is not alone in graphene-based 3D printing research - in past month we've seen many companies involved in this field, including Graphene Technologies, Grafoid, AGT, Kibaran, Qingdao Unique Products and others.