Graphene-Info newsletter

FiiO launches in-ear monitor earphones with a graphene-enhanced driver

China-based FiiO Electronics launched new in-ear monitor earphones, the FiiO F3, that make use of a graphene-enhanced diaphragm driver. FiiO says that graphene enabled the development of a thin and flexible driver, which enables the F3 to faithfully reproduce music with a clean, rich, yet transparent high-fidelity sound.

The FiiO F3 is now shipping in China and in the US, you can buy one at Amazon.com now for $24.99. We talked to FiiO and they confirm the graphene membrane and explained that it was not developed by FiiO in-house. You can see a close-up of the graphene driver below.

Graphene enables ultrahigh sensitivity infrared detectors

Researchers from the Graphene Flagship, working at the University of Cambridge (UK), Emberion (UK), the Institute of Photonic Sciences (ICFO; Spain), Nokia UK, and the University of Ioannina (Greece) have developed a novel graphene-based pyroelectric bolometer - an infrared (IR) detector with record high sensitivity for thermal detection, capable of resolving temperature changes down to a few tens of µK. This work may open the door to high-performance IR imaging and spectroscopy

The technology is focused on the detection of the radiation generated by the human body and its conversion into a measurable signal. The key point is that using graphene, the conversion reaches performance more than 250 times better than the best sensor already available. But the high sensitivity of the detector could be of use for spectroscopic applications beyond thermal imaging. With a high-performance graphene-based IR detector that gives a strong signal with less incident radiation, it is possible to isolate different parts of the IR spectrum. This is of key importance in security applications, where different materials – explosives, for instance – can be distinguished by their characteristic IR absorption or transmission spectra.

An all-electric car with graphene-based battery to be unveiled at the 2017 Geneva Auto Show

One of the surprises about to be unveiled at the 2017 Geneva Auto Show is rumored to be a Chinese project - an all-electric vehicle designed by Pininfarina, being completed for Hybrid Kinetic Group (HK Motors of Hong Kong). The H600 luxury sedan is said to be relying on graphene-based battery technology to deliver high and lasting power.

While technical specifications and range are not yet available, the graphene battery in the sedan expected to launch soon should have around 50-100 times the power density of comparable lithium-ion batteries and 5-10 times the energy density.

A Chinese company announces graphene-enhanced Li-ion AA batteries

The Chinese Beijing Carbon Century Technology has stated that it has developed a graphene-based lithium-ion AA rechargeable battery and said it's ready to be mass produced.

Compared with ordinary AA dry batteries and rechargeable batteries, Carbon Century Technology’s graphene batteries can reportedly be used 30,000 times under temperatures between -45 degrees Celsius and 60 degrees Celsius. Carbon Century’s new batteries use graphene for the framework of electrode materials to increase their strength, which enhances the overall life of lithium batteries and improves micro-conductivity and better safety, said the company.

The exact use of graphene in this product remains unclear to us, and it will be interesting to see if these batteries will be available commercially anytime soon.

Graphene-coated smart contact lenses could protect eyes from EM radiation and dehydration

Researchers at Seoul National University, Graphene Square and Interojo have shown that graphene-coated contact lenses could protect eyes from electromagnetic radiation and dehydration and be used in various healthcare and wearable technologies.

The team believes that such a lens could make for a new healthcare platform for wearable technologies in the future. "For diabetes diagnosis, for example, we are now planning to integrate an active circuit with graphene-based sensors and electrodes for real-time wireless monitoring of glucose concentration in tears in collaboration with a contact lens company", said the team.

Meet the Graphene-Info team at Graphene & 2D Materials Europe 2017

On May 10-11, IdTechEx will host its annual Graphene & 2D Materials Europe event, as part of its Printed Electronics Europe, that will focus on the commercialization of graphene and other 2D materials. The Graphene-Info team will visit this event, so if anyone wishes to schedule a meeting - now is a great time to do so!

The graphene & 2D materials event is co-located with eight other events focused on printed & flexible electronics, electric vehicles, energy harvesting, energy storage, internet of things, wearables and sensors. The printed electronics event (which according to IdTechEx is the largest event of its kind) includes a conference, an exhibition, a demonstration street showing a full range of interactive products and prototypes, an end-user forum, master classes and IdTechEx's early-stage Launchpad.

Researchers at Rice University have created a graphene foam, reinforced by carbon nanotubes, that can support more than 3,000 times its own weight and bounce back to its original height. In addition, its shape and size are easily controlled.

Researchers in India and Japan have developed an improved method for using graphene-based transistors to detect disease-causing genes.

Researchers from Flinders University and First Graphite plan to use a machine called Vortex Fluidic Device (VFD) to produce high-quality graphene for industrial use.

The scientists have demonstrated flexible graphene transistors with a record high cut-off frequency of 39 GHz. The graphene devices, made on flexible polymer substrates, are stable against bending and fatigue of repeated flexing.

UK-based Haydale has announced a collaboration agreement with Everpower International Holdings that has agreed to make a strategic investment in Haydale of £3.26 million to acquire a 9.9% of the Company.

A joint research conducted by Samsung Advanced Institute of Technology and Sungkyunkwan University in Korea yielded an original technology for synthesizing amorphous graphene, a material with different properties than crystalline graphene.

The collaborative team received a grant of $632,285 AUD (almost $500,000 USD) from the CRC-P program, to develop energy efficient wastewater treatment technology using graphene oxide technology.

A group led by Stanford University wrapped copper with graphene and found that this can alleviate the major problem called electromigration, which might allow for smaller electronics.

Researchers from the South China University of Technology, National Taiwan Normal University and the U.S-based Georgia Institute of Technology have developed a graphene-based anode material that enables sodium-ion batteries to perform at high capacity over hundreds of cycles.

Directa Plus has teamed up with Eurojersey to produce a range of fabrics containing the company’s graphene-based products. The new line will focus on high-performance technical fabrics targeting sportswear and underwear sectors.

Nippon Shokubai, a Japan-based global materials provider, has announced its success in mass production tests of graphene oxide-based materials.

Metalysis announced that it has successfully synthesized graphene using its process, with commercialization targeted towards 2017.