Researchers at MIT and the University of Michigan developed a new roll-to-roll manufacturing method, that promises to enable continuous production using a thin metal foil as a substrate, in an industrial process in which the material is deposited onto the foil as it moves from one spool to another. The resulting size of the sheets would be limited only by the width of the rolls of foil and the size of the chamber where the deposition would take place.

The researchers built a lab-scale version of the system and found that when the ribbon is moved through at a rate of 25 millimeters (1 inch) per minute, a very uniform, high-quality single layer of graphene is created. When rolled 20 times faster, it still produces a coating, but the graphene is of lower quality, containing more defects. The team is currently studying tradeoffs regarding the selection of process conditions for specific applications, such as between higher production rate and graphene quality.

Sunvault Energy, along with Edison Power, announced the creation of the world's largest 10,000 Farad Graphene Supercapacitor. The companies declared that this development is the most significant breakthrough in the development of Graphene Supercapacitors to date. Sunvault's CEO says that the technology can be defined as a hybrid, bringing the power density associated with a battery together with the high impact fast charging known to capacitors. He claims that at 10,000 Farads, a Graphene Supercapacitor is powerful enough to power up a Semi Truck while being the size of a paperback novel.

The companies are focused on developing their technology and shrinking the size of the unit in the near future. These graphene storage units can be connected together like storage building blocks to form a larger form of electrical storage for many markets. The higher the Farad combined with the smallest sized unit allows an optimal building block design. Sunvault expects to have solved its building block configuration design base unit within the next month, and will move into the phase of product approval and manufacturing immediately following.

International wheel producer Vittoria released a new range of bicycle wheels that are built from graphene-enhanced composite materials. The wheels, called Quarno (Graphene Plus inside) are now available in three different editions (46, 60 and 84 mm) and contain graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs) provided by Directa Plus.

The company explains that the graphene grants the wheels advantages like heat dissipation (15-30°C lower) – a crucial factor in the slopes, an increase in lateral stiffness (more than 50%) and puncture reduction, especially around the valve area. A couple of wheels weigh 1,250 grams together and the price ranges from €1,450 to €1,850.

Nokia recently issued a patent for a graphene oxide-based sensor for protection of mobile devices against water damage. The sensor will use a graphene oxide sensing film senses moisture content or change in relative humidity and triggers an ultra-fast disconnection of the mobile device from its power source (battery).

The sensor will include a sensor capable of sensing water in liquid or vapor form based on the measurement of large time derivative values. The sensor will comprise of a graphene oxide thin film and two or more electrodes in contact with the thin film. An electronic switch will be connected to the sensor and to a power source that powers the circuitry in the electronic device. The GO can be easily integrated into the sensor as a thin film by printing it on the power source's surface.The film should be less than 100 nanometers thick and could also be spray-coated or spin-coated onto the surface.

Researchers at Michigan Technological University are gaining progress in their work to 3D print replacement nerves using 3D bioprinting techniques. The team has developed polymer materials that can act as a scaffold for growing tissues and is working on integrating graphene as the electrical conductor.

If successful, the combination of the suitable bio-inks, printing technology and conductive graphene may enable the creation of electricity-based medical applications, like functional nerve tissues that can be transplanted into patients.

A European collaboration of scientists from Romania, Greece, Italy, and Ireland demonstrated a graphene antenna that operates in the microwave part of the spectrum and can be tuned by applying a voltage. Graphenea supplied the graphene for this research. The antenna is less than 1mm thick and has a planar diameter of 100mm, which according to the team makes it one of the smallest microwave antennas in the existence. It was produced using a simple fabrication procedure and a standard CVD graphene layer on an SoI substrate.

This research also shows the antenna, thanks to its relatively small size, can radiate in two directions. Directionality can be controlled using a thin reflector layer on the rear of the antenna. The main application for this antenna will be in RF communications, where the antenna tunability will allow switching of communication channels. The antenna could also serve as an RF sensor and beneficial for fields like navigation, radar and more.