Graphene-Info newsletter

Graphene oxide enables multi-functional hair dye

Researchers from Northwestern University have developed a hair dye based on graphene oxide that "does not include toxic compounds commonly used in hair dyes". As an added bonus, graphene-colored hair also enjoys much less electrostatic frizz. Due to graphene’s thermal conductivity, the dye may even help dissipate heat on hot days. The team has filed a provisional patent for the color.

The researchers showed that the dye works quickly and can be applied by spraying or brushing. It also binds tightly to hair and resists fading for at least 30 washings. The researchers attribute the tight binding to several factors including graphene’s thinness, which helps it conform to uneven surfaces; hydrogen bonding between graphene and chitosan; and chitosan’s ability to bind tightly to keratin, a protein on the surface of hair.

Lockheed Martin partners with Elcora to deliver graphene-enhanced li-ion batteries

International security and aerospace company Lockheed Martin will be working with Elcora Advanced Materials to develop graphene-enhanced lithium-ion batteries. The Companies stated that Elcora's graphene can "help the Li-ion batteries increase their storage of power without adding further cost".

Lockheed Martin mentioned that these batteries are being sought after for prolonging the lifespan of power charged in a wide range of devices, from the ubiquitous smartphones to electric cars. Lockheed will also be using them in the military vehicles that will be guided by their Autonomous Mobility Applique Systems (AMAS), or the ‘driverless military convoy’. Lockheed Martin is looking forward to completing the tests and fast-forwarding to deploying them for actual use in military campaigns.

Graphene can be tuned to behave as both an insulator and a superconductor

Researchers at MIT and Harvard University found that graphene can be tuned to behave at two electrical extremes: as an insulator, in which electrons are completely blocked from flowing; and as a superconductor, in which electrical current can stream through without resistance.

Researchers in the past, including this team, have been able to synthesize graphene superconductors by placing the material in contact with other superconducting metals — an arrangement that allows graphene to inherit some superconducting behaviors. In this new work, the team found a way to make graphene superconduct on its own, demonstrating that superconductivity can be an intrinsic quality in the purely carbon-based material.

Graphene enables an aqueous hybrid capacitor that recharges in under 30 seconds

Researchers at the Korean Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) developed a graphene-based aqueous hybrid capacitor that is stable, safe and boasts high energy and power densities, in addition to recharging in under 30 seconds.

The new capacitor is made with a liquid electrolyte sandwiched between a specially-designed anode and cathode. The anode is made with polymer chain materials based on graphene, which gives it a high surface area, allowing it to store more energy. The cathode material was made up of nickel oxide nanoparticles embedded on graphene.

Talga to participate in ‘Faraday Battery Challenge’ program

Australia-based Talga Resources and its UK subsidiary Talga Technologies announced collaboration agreements to commence three UK Government Faraday Challenge battery programs. The execution of formal agreements follows the awarding of the grants under Faraday, a £246 million UK Government commitment over the next four years into battery development for automotive electrification. The initiative will encompass cell manufacture, modules, battery pack design/assembly and vehicle applications, and follows an undertaking by the UK Government to place a ban on new petrol and diesel engines by 2040.

Talga’s participation in the funding program of Innovate UK, the government development body, follows successful tests by Talga of its natural carbon materials and technologies in Li-ion batteries. Talga, together with its consortia partners, secured significant funding support under the ‘Innovation’ aspect of Faraday. Talga will receive a 70% rebate against its eligible costs, including salaries, consumables, equipment and contractor expenses. Talga’s participation in the programs range from 12-24 months and development activities will be led from Talga Technologies Limited in Cambridge UK, utilizing the Company's Swedish high grade graphite and functionalized graphene processed at Talga’s test facility in Germany.

Europe’s Most Important Event on Emerging Technologies Takes Place on 11 & 12 April in Berlin

The following is a sponsored post by IDTechEx

The IDTechEx Show! will host over 220 exhibitors and 2,500 attendees. They will see the latest innovations in the fields of wearable technology, printed & flexible electronics, sensors, 3D printing, IoT, electric vehicles and off-grid energy independence. Combining these topics together at one event brings together emerging technologies developers with their customers, leveraging the large overlap between these topics.

The event is led by IDTechEx Research analysts and therefore covers the hottest sectors that you need to be aware of, with analyst presentations covering the market, trends and opportunities. See beyond the hype to the real business.

Graphene and hBN used to create unique 2D quantum bits

Graphene, hexagonal boron nitride and the tip of a scanning tunneling microscope – these were the ingredients used to create a novel kind of a so-called “quantum dot”. These extremely small nanostructures allow delicate control of individual electrons by fine-tuning their energy levels directly. Such devices can be key for modern quantum technologies.

The international research team of TU Wien, RWTH Aachen and the University of Manchester succeeded in developing a new type of quantum dots which allow for much more accurately and widely tunable energy levels of confined electrons than before.

Scientists from the Shanghai Institute of Ceramics in China developed a 'smart' wallpaper based on highly flexible fire-resistant inorganic paper embedded with ultralong hydroxyapatite nanowires as the substrate and graphene oxide as the thermosensitive sensor.

Fraunhofer scientists have developed biosensors with graphene electrodes, produced cheaply and simply by roll-to-roll printing.

Researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago came up with a GO-based solution to a problem that has been setting back commercialization of a new kind of batteries - lithium-metal batteries.

Advanced materials engineering group Versarien announced an agreement with a "world leading provider of aero engines and components, including avionics, electrical power and mechanical systems for aircraft".

This new video gives a short introduction to perovskites - which many believe to be the future of solar power, LEDs, lasers and more. Researchers are constantly discovering ways to combine graphene with perovskites to create even more efficient PVs.

Haydale Technologies (Korea) has signed an annual supply agreement for specific functionalized graphene nanoplatelet (GNP) material with River Runs, a Korean manufacturer of high-performance fishing rods and reels.

Researchers at Rice University have demonstrated the mechano-chemical assembly of functionalized graphene layers into 3D graphitic solids (“graphite pellets”) via room temperature and low energy consuming processing.

Researchers at Leiden University in the Netherlands managed to bring two graphene layers so close together that an electric current spontaneously jumps across. This could enable sequencing DNA with a precision beyond existing technologies.

Directa Plus announced that it has entered into an agreement with Sartec to jointly develop a commercial-scale industrial system (Pilot Plant), based on the Company’s Grafysorber product, for treating oil-contaminated produced water in the oil & gas industry.

Graphene Nanochem announced that the company will remove its shares from London's AIM market, following its failure to appoint a new nominated adviser.

Researchers at UNSW have developed a graphene-based, laboratory-scale filter that can remove more than 99% of the natural organic matter left behind during conventional treatment of drinking water.

The Wuxi Graphene Industry Development & Demonstration Zone in China is an impressive graphene center - watch this video showcasing the many graphene products and materials under development or in production at the center.

The PolyGraph project, a 4-year development project with aims to develop new production techniques to deliver industrial scale quantities of graphene-reinforced thermosetting polymers, has published its results.