Graphene-Info newsletter

Smartphone with bendable graphene-based touch screen unveiled at Chinese tech fair

A Chinese company presented a fully bendable smartphone with a graphene-based screen during a trade show at Nanping International Conventional Center in Chongqing. The bendable touch display weighs 200g, and the smartphone can be worn around the wrist. The display is rumoured to be an OLED display with a diagonal of 5.2 inches.

There are no substantial details about the company behind the graphene smartphone and what the plans are to bring the graphene phone to market. It's not clear what the meaning of a "graphene-based" display is, in this case. While graphene can theoretically be used to make light emitting devices, it's highly unlikely that this is the case here. Read our article to find out what we really think about this demonstration.

Graphene oxide to enable microbots that strip lead from water

Researchers at the Max-Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems and Nanyang Technological University reported graphene oxide-based microbots (GOx-microbots) that can clean up toxic heavy metals in contaminated water. Tests showed around 95% of lead recovery within in an hour, and these findings may result in reducing the introduction of additional contaminants during water cleaning attempts, and salvaging lead for recycling.

The microbots are built on nanosized multilayers of graphene oxide, nickel, and platinum. Researchers say the bots' graphene oxide outer coat captures suspended lead, the inner platinum layer decomposes hydrogen peroxide for self-propulsion, and the middle nickle band allows the machines to be magnetically retrieved from the water. In addition, the autonomous machines can be reused as soon as lead is chemically separated.

Graphene-enhanced solar cells use rain to produce electricity

Researchers at the Ocean University of China in Qingdao and Yunnan Normal University in Kunming developed a highly efficient dye-sensitized solar cell coated with a film of graphene, that makes for an all-weather solar cell that is triggered by both sunlight and raindrops. The results of this study may help eliminate a major disadvantage of solar cells - the fact that they produce little or no power when it's raining.

The researchers used graphene electrodes to obtain power from the impact of raindrops. Raindrops are not pure water, as they contain salts that dissociate into positive and negative ions. The positively charged ions, including sodium, calcium, and ammonium ions, can bind to the graphene surface. At the point of contact between the raindrop and the graphene, the water becomes enriched with positive ions and the graphene becomes enriched in delocalized electrons. This results in a double-layer made of electrons and positively charged ions, a feature known as a pseudocapacitor. The difference in potential associated with this phenomenon is sufficient to produce a voltage and current.

Graphene-based heat dissipation film said to be close to pilot-scale production

Researchers at Chalmers University of Technology have developed an efficient way of cooling electronics by using functionalized graphene nanoflakes. This could come in handy as heat dissipation in electronics and optoelectronics is a major obstacle for the further development of systems in these fields.

According to the researchers, the method is a "golden key" with which to achieve efficient heat transport in electronics and other power devices by using graphene nanoflake-based film. This can open up potential uses of this kind of film in broad areas, and the team states that it is getting closer to pilot-scale production based on this discovery.

Skeleton Technologies secures €3.5 million agreement for its graphene-based supercapacitor technology to be used in road freights

Skeleton Technologies has signed a €3.5 million distribution agreement with French transport tech developer Adgero, that ensures modules from Skeleton Technologies be part of the world’s first Kinetic Energy Recovery Systems (KERS) for road freight. Under the agreement, Adgero will source SkelMod 160V modules exclusively for the Adgero hybrid system pioneered to increase efficiency for the truck transport industry.

The Adgero KERS system is scheduled to be road tested next month by leading UK transport company, Eddie Stobart, ahead of Adgero’s expected series production this year. The truck company will test the KERS system in a curtainsider trailer – built by one of the largest manufacturers in Europe, SDC Trailers – and unveiled at the Commercial Vehicle Show in Birmingham later this month.

A graphene-based paper-like battery electrode may improve space exploration and unmanned aerial vehicles

Researchers at Kansas State University have created a paper-like battery with an electrode made from silicon oxycarbide-glass and graphene, that could develop better tools for space exploration or unmanned aerial vehicles. The electrode is said to be over 10% lighter than other battery electrodes and feature close to 100% cycling efficiency for more than 1,000 charge discharge cycles. It’s also made from inexpensive materials that are byproducts of the silicone industry, and it functions at temperatures as low as -15 C which can accommodate several aerial and space applications.

The research team addressed the challenges that arise when trying to incorporate graphene and silicon into practical batteries, like low capacity per volume, poor cycling efficiency and chemical-mechanical instability, by manufacturing a self-supporting and ready-to-go electrode that consists of a glassy ceramic called silicon oxycarbide sandwiched between large platelets of chemically modified graphene, or CMG. The electrode has a high capacity of approximately 600 miliampere-hours per gram — 400 miliampere-hours per cubic centimeter — that is derived from silicon oxycarbide. The paperlike design is made of 20% chemically modified graphene platelets.

A new Graphene-Info market report, Graphene for the Display and Lighting industries

Graphene-Info is happy to announce a new market report, Graphene for the Display and Lighting industries. This report, brought to you by the world's leading Graphene and OLED experts, is a comprehensive guide to the applications of graphene in these two important markets.

The report provides valuable information on important topics like: graphene companies involved with display and lighting, a comprehensive introduction to lighting and displays, details about graphene for QDs, lasers and thermal foils, graphene's adoption as a display backplane, transparent graphene electrodes, graphene-based encapsulation development and more.

Researchers at MIT and Harvard University fabricated nanoscrolls made from graphene oxide flakes for water purification applications, at a much lower cost than that of graphene membranes.

Australia-based Imagine IM has entered into a licensing agreement with Australian geotextiles manufacturer, Geofabrics Australasia, to provide the marketplace with graphene-coated geotextile products starting August 2016.

Researchers at the University of Southampton and the Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology have designed a graphene-based sensor that can detect harmful air pollution in the home with very low power consumption.

Directa Plus has announced that all of its graphene-based products have received international certification from Farcoderm, the renowned toxicity testing organization, confirming them to be safe for human contact.

Fuji Pigment recently announced the development of a large-scale manufacturing process for carbon and graphene quantum dots (QDs). Fuji’s toxic-metal-free QDs are said to exhibit a high light-emitting quantum efficiency and stability comparable to the toxic metal-based quantum dots.

Researchers at the Autonomous University of Madrid, in collaboration with CIC nanoGUNE and the Institut Néel of Grenoble, have demonstrated that the simple absorption of a hydrogen atom on a layer of graphene magnetizes a large region of it.

Researchers from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have developed a one-step method to pattern graphene by using stencil mask and oxygen plasma reactive-ion etching, and subsequent polymer-free direct transfer to flexible substrates.

Graphenea recently ordered a BM Pro system from AIXTRON, a worldwide leading provider of deposition equipment to the semiconductor industry. AIXTRON’s BM Pro system, now in its 3rd generation, has been specifically optimized for high quality graphene deposition with Graphenea’s tool having the highest throughput to date.

Versarien has announced that it has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with WMG (“Warwick Manufacturing Group”) to collaborate on the production of power storage devices such as batteries and supercapacitors using Versarien’s graphene nano platelets.

Graphene 3D Lab has announced the commencement of a new production reactor that results in a 5-fold increase of production capabilities of Graphene Oxide and Reduced Graphene Oxide.

Garmor, a graphene technology provider and developer of advanced customer-driven applications, has developed graphene-based composites ideal for high-volume electronic and energy storage applications.

A U.S-based startup called GraphWear is developing a graphene-based patch that can analyze sweat and communicate its findings via mobile app. It points out important physical information, like when there is a need to drink water in order to prevent a muscle cramp, glucose levels and more.

XG Sciences aims to raise $24 million through an initial public offering to fund operations, as it continues to commercialize composite materials for lithium-ion batteries and other applications.