Graphene-Info newsletter

Nanomedical Diagnostics starts shipping graphene-based sensors

San Diego-based Nanomedical Diagnostics, established in late 2013 to develop cutting-edge diagnostics equipment, recently started shipping its graphene-based sensors and the AGILE R100 system, which allows for real-time detection of small molecules - with no lower size limit. Nanomedical's graphene-based sensors enable faster sample processing, greater accuracy, portability and cost savings.

The company's CEO, Ross Bundy, was kind enough to explain the company's technology and business to us - read the full article here.

Graphene "silly putty" enables next-gen sensors

Researchers in AMBER, the materials science research center located in Trinity College Dublin and funded by Science Foundation Ireland, have used graphene-enhanced "silly putty" (polysilicone) to create extremely sensitive sensors. This fascinating research offers exciting possibilities for applications in new, inexpensive devices and diagnostics in medicine and other sectors.

The researchers discovered that the electrical resistance of putty infused with graphene (“G-putty”) was extremely sensitive to the slightest deformation or impact. They mounted the G-putty onto the chest and neck of human subjects and used it to measure breathing, pulse and even blood pressure. It showed unprecedented sensitivity as a sensor for strain and pressure, being hundreds of times more sensitive than normal sensors. The G-putty also works as a very sensitive impact sensor, able to detect the footsteps of small spiders. The scientists believe that this material will find applications in a range of medical devices.

The best of 2016 - top stories on Graphene-Info

2016 will soon be over - and it was an eventful year for the graphene industry. While we see more graphene-based products continue to enter the market, including some graphene-enhanced sensors and energy related applications, it seems that on the whole the market is now waiting for graphene to prove its potential.

Here are the top 10 stories posted on Graphene-Info in 2016, ranked by popularity (i.e. how many people read the story):

• Graphenano and Grabat launch graphene-based batteries (Feb 8)
• Dongxu unveils an impressive graphene-enhanced battery (Jul 10)
• IDtechEx predicts that the graphene market will reach nearly $220 million by 2026 (Mar 14)
• Graphene-enhanced film shuts down li-ion batteries before overheating and restarts upon cooling (Jan 12)
• Xefro's graphene-based heating system image under trials, ECL to supply the electronics (Feb 10)
• Graphene Security unveils graphene-based RFID tags at MWC 2016 (Mar 2)
• Graphene-enhanced solar cells use rain to produce electricity (Apr 7)
• Deloitte & Touche sees a bright future for graphene, but it might take a while... (Jan 19)
• Graphene impressions from the Mobile World Summit (Feb 29)
• Graphene composite may help keep aircraft wings ice-free (Jan 26)

Similarly to 2015, energy storage applications dominate the list in 2016. Interestingly, all of these stories are from the first quarter of 2016. This may be a sign that the graphene industry is experiencing a slow-down, perhaps a disillusionment from the early hype. On the other hand it might just be that companies are now more focused on real R&D rather then PR...

Graphene enables a system that can detect cancer cells

Researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago have shown an interfacing system that can differentiate a single cancerous cell from a normal cell using graphene, hopefully opening the door to developing a simple, noninvasive tool for early cancer diagnosis.

CalBattery announces scaling-up production of its high capacity anode material

CalBattery, the U.S-based developer of a Silicon-Graphene (SiGr) composite anode material for li-ion batteries, recently announced that it has successfully scaled-up its new fluidized bed chemical vapor deposition process and is producing commercial quality and quantities of its breakthrough high capacity silicon composite anode material for use in li-ion batteries.

Over the past 5 years CalBattery’s team has worked with over thirty engineering groups to develop, build, and optimize a new type of fluidized bed chemical vapor deposition reactor capable of producing novel industry leading silicon composite lithium battery anode materials that can be specially engineered to incorporate between 10% -50% silicon with limited swelling and good cycle life compared to other LIB silicon anode materials used today.

GRAMOFON project aims to capture CO2 with the help of graphene aerogels

Project GRAMOFON, a 3.5 year project that started in October 2016, aims to establish a process for efficient CO2 capture by innovative adsorbents based on modified graphene aerogels and MOF materials. The EU will contribute nearly €4.2 million to the project.

The key objectives of GRAMOFON projects are:

• to develop and prototype a new energy and cost-competitive dry separation process for post-combustion CO2 capture based on innovative hybrid porous solids Metal organic frameworks (MOFs) and Graphene Oxide nanostructures.
• to optimize the CO2 desorption process by means of Microwave Swing Desorption (MSD) and Joule effect, that will surpass the efficiency of the conventional heating procedures.

This innovative concept will be set up by world key players expert in synthesis, adsorption, characterization and modelling, as well as process design and economic projections. Participants include Universities and companies from France, Belgium, Germany, Spain, UK, the Netherlands and South Korea, among these are Graphenea and the Fraunhoffer institue.

Graphene Nanochem received a contract order for its Platdrill fluid in the shale gas market in China worth about $360,000.

Versarien, the advanced materials group, has signed an agreement with polymer chemical producer Scafell Organics to develop graphene-enhanced polyaryletherketone materials (PAEKs).

Versarien announced an agreement with Fern Plastic Products to manufacture injection moulded products using graphene-enhanced polyaryletherketone (PAEK) materials.

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has reportedly awarded a $1.3 million grant to a team from the University of Central Florida (UCF) to fund the development of a graphene-enhanced next-generation infrared detector that could be used in fields like night vision, meteorology, and space exploration.

Researchers at the Berkeley Lab and Stanford University have used graphene as the film of an ultra-sensitive camera system designed for visually mapping tiny electric fields in a liquid.

Wuxi JCNO Materials, a company located in the Wuxi Graphene Industry Zone in China, has created a graphene-based electrostatic speaker constructed using graphene resin composite materials.

Researchers from the University of Exeter have developed a new method for creating entire device arrays directly on the copper substrates used for commercial manufacture of graphene.

Reports out of China state that graphene-based road lighting fixtures are being installed in 28 streets in Beijing, which are said to be up to 30% more energy efficient than current fixtures.