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GRAPHENEApril-May 2019

T H E M A G A Z I N E F O R 2 D M A T E R I A L S

Issue #17

De-icing

GRAPHENEPRODUCTS

IN

Coatings& anti-icing

Graphene Magazine is published by Future Markets, the world’s leading publisher of market

information on advanced materials and nanotechnology.

Graphene for anti-icing, de-icing,

ice-repellant and icephobic coatings. All the latest graphene product news.

Market focus on what’s happening in 2D

materials research, energy, sensors, coatings,

medicine, electronics and production.

GRAPHENE

LATEST NEWS

PRODUCTS

New products hit the market this

month.

2

GRAPHENE MAGAZINE 2019

TABLE OF

THIS MONTH

MARKET FOCUS

CONTENT

Latest graphene investments,

commercial agreements and rounds

of finance. April-May 2019. Graphene

producers report increased revenues in

2018 and 2019.

New graphene anodes to increase

the capacity of Li-Ion batteries.

White graphene for hydrogen

storage catalysts.

Gra

phen

e/si

licon

com

posi

te a

node

mat

eria

l w

hich

ca

n in

crea

se

the

capa

city

of L

i-Ion

bat

teri

es.

Latest product and production

news in graphene April-May 2019..

Graphene in de-icing and anti-icing

applications and markets.

P.04

P.12

P.19

P.16

P.13

P.14

P.06

P.12 Stronger, more flexible and lighter than

graphene, borophene is viewed as the next

2D wonder material.

Graphene energy research and

product news April-May 2019.

3


MARKET FOCUS

FROM EDITORNOTE

Graphene inks for sensor and

biosensor applications.

Graphene to feature in major car

manufacturers product line.

Graphene product news April-May

2019.

Graphene composites for sporting goods

on the market.

P.15

P.17

P.18

P.18

Subscribe to Graphene Magazine to receive

all the latest monthly news and views on this

fast developing advanced technology market,

for only £150 for 12 issues (electronic). http://

https://www.2dmaterialsmag.com/

The field of 2D materials has grown greatly in the

past few years. It is estimated that there are more

than 100-layered materials that could potentially

be stripped down to a monolayer to form a 2D

material. Graphene faces future competition from

other 2D Materials especially for applications

such as wearable electronics, sensors, batteries

and hydrogen storage.

However, there is still some way to go before

these other 2D materials can be mass produced

and incorporated into high-value products.

Graphene is already used in numerous products

commercialized now such as composites, coatings,

batteries, conductive films, printable electronics

(based on graphene inks), photodetectors and

biosensors.

This month we profile the 2D material has been

highlighted as capable of potential usurping

graphene, borophene. Stronger, lighter and more

flexible than graphene it is viewed as the new 2D

wonder material.

P.19Borophene-the new wonder material?

Properties and applications.

P.21Nanotech government, regulation

and policy news.

4


BusinessFinance&

ZEN Graphene Solutions Ltd. has been awarded a $1,000,000 grant that will accelerate ZEN’s graphene-

enhanced concrete research and development project. The grant will potentially help the Company achieve its

goal to provide innovative cement-based composite products to the Ontario market by possibly early 2020. The

grantor will reimburse 50% up to a maximum of $1,000,000 spent by ZEN on relevant expenses directly related

to graphite purification, graphene production research, concrete additive research and large-scale grapheme-

enhanced concrete testing.

ZEN is currently developing a graphene-enhanced concrete additive in collaboration with the University of

Toronto and the University of British Columbia-Okanogan campus that has the potential to increase the strength

of concrete by 40%.

Latest graphene investments, commercial agreements

and rounds of finance. April-May 2019.

5


Cardea Bio Inc., a commercial manufacturer of the biology-enabled

transistor technology made from graphene-based biosensors, has

raised $7.8m Series A-1 financing. Its ultra-sensitive graphene-based

biosensors directly measure and instantly digitize binding interactions

in biological systems. Unlike silicon, graphene is stable in water and

air, so its use in electronic circuitry allows for direct contact with

biomolecules such as proteins, RNA and DNA.

Skeleton Technologies, who produce graphene-based ultracapacitors

and energy storage systems, is to invest €25 million in its plant located

in the German state of Saxony. With the investment in Saxony, Skeleton

aims to expand its research and development as well as scale its

production.

Versarien is now fully operational at its new U.S office and laboratory

facility in Houston, Texas, which is designed to act as a hub for the

Company’s activities in North America.

The establishment of this U.S hub has already enabled the Company

to accelerate its progress in North America with various new partners,

in addition to the work it has been undertaking with the

US National Graphene Association and various existing

collaboration partners in the region.

The University of Manchester’s innovation company,

UMI3 Ltd, has become the latest partner of the multi-

million-pound Graphene Engineering Innovation Centre

(GEIC).

UMI3, the University’s technology transfer company, is

the fifth Tier One partner of the GEIC, which opened in

December 2018.

The GEIC specialises in the rapid development and scale

up of technologies using graphene and other 2D materials.

This new collaboration will see University graphene

subsidiary Graphene Enabled Systems Ltd manage a

technology development laboratory on behalf of UMI3. The facility will be available for all University graphene spin-out

companies to use.

Norway-based Graphene Oxide developer Abalonyx has reported that its graphene oxide sales have increased by

about 80 % in 2018, and this follows a 70% increase in 2017 compared to 2016. The company expects to see further

strong sales growth in 2019. Italian producer Directa Plus has also reported that it more than doubled annual revenues,

as its various commercial partnerships started to generate orders. Total income in 2018 reportedly rose to €2.5 Million

(compared to last year's €1.23 Million) with sales of €2.25 Million (compared to last year's €1 Million).

6


MARKET

ICE-RESISTANTFOCUS

The market for ice-resis-tant coatings is driven by

demand from aviation, transportation, marine

and wind energy.

COATINGSIce resistant coatings, also know as anti-icing,

ice-repellant and icephobic coatings repel water

droplets, delay ice nucleation and significantly

reduce ice adhesion on surfaces. Ice-resistance is

desirable for a variety of surfaces including aircraft

(fixed and rotary wing), vehicles, ships, camera lenses,

road signs, protective eyewear, buildings, antennae,

power lines, and bridges.

The use of ice-resistant coating systems has several

advantages over existing methods for mitigating the

build-up of ice including:

• no energy required

• can be retrofitted

• enhancement of product value.

• reduction in costs and energy consumption.

• improve performance of technical goods.

• environmentally friendly and cost-effective way to

solve the issue of ice formation and accretion.

• mitigate safety concerns and issues.

Ice formation and accretion on surfaces is a major

problem in various industries from transportation to

energy generation, leading to equipment failure and

high energy loss.1 2

To deal with this problem, surface-coatings

techniques based on thermal, chemical, and

mechanical methods have been implemented to

7


ICE-RESISTANTCOATINGS

attain anti-icing properties; however, most of these

rely on complicated processes that require expensive

equipment and labour-intensive procedures with

detrimental environmental consequences. This

has opened opportunities for new nanocoatings

technologies.

Superhydrophobic coatings

Superhydrophobic surfaces possess extraordinary water

repelling properties due to their low surface energy and

specific nanometer- and micrometer-scale roughness.3

A superhydrophobic surface is able to repel water

droplets completely; such surfaces exhibit water droplet

advancing contact angles (CAs) of 150o or higher and

sliding angles (SAs) < 10°. The theoretical limit for CAs is

180o. Researchers at ORNL has developed surfaces with

CAs of >179o.

Superhydrophobic coatings enhance anti-icing

properties by:

• delaying ice formation.4

• enhancing the dynamic anti-icing behaviour of water

droplets impacting the SHP surface.5

• reducing the ice adhesion strength.6

Figure 1: Superhydrophobic coatings on glass.

Image: ORNL.

However, a large number of investigations have shown

that frost can build up within the micro/nanostructured

features of superhydrophobic surfaces under sub-zero

conditions, leading to the anchoring of ice, which in

turn results in the increase of ice adhesion during icing/

deicing cycles. Frost can build up within the micro/

nanostructured features of superhydrophobic surfaces

under sub-zero conditions, leading to the anchoring of

ice, which in turn results in the increase of ice adhesion

during icing/de-icing cycle.7 8 9

Also, with regular exposure to weather such as freezing

rain, the icephobicity of the coatings decreases to a

significant extent after a few thawing freezing/thawing

cycles.10 11 12 However, other researchers have since

demonstrated that superhydrophobic nanocoatings

display high stability against periodic crystallisation of

water contacting the coatings.13 14

Omniphobic coatings

Among all the attributes of superhydrophobic coatings,

the most challenging is to achieve multi-functionality

that includes super-omniphobicity (completely repels

both water and oil), high transparency with minimal

haze, and mechanical durability. Over the past few years,

researchers have proposed oleophobic and omniphobic

surfaces that repel most organic liquids, therefore

negating the problems faced by superhydrophobic

coatings (e.g. coatings are usually fragile, surfaces can be

fouled by contaminants, and condensation can induce

intrusion).

Surfaces that are capable of supporting non-wetting

interfaces for both high and low surface tension liquid

droplets are considered to be omniphobic. Most

fabricated superhydrophobic micro/nano-structured

surfaces are not suitable to support non-wetting states

for low surface tension liquids, such as oils and alcohols.

To overcome this limitation, researchers have engineered

surfaces with topographic features having specialized

8


reentrant geometries, such as:

• inverse trapezoidal.15

• serif-T. 16 17

• mushroom.18 19 20

• micro-hoodoo.21 22

• micro-nail structures. 23

On such surfaces, deposited droplets remain pinned at

the sharp edge of the reentrant structures, where the

meniscus generates an upward force that resists droplet

collapse into the surface cavities, even for low surface

tension liquids.

Figure 2: SLIPS technology coating.

Image: Adaptive Surface Technologies, Inc.

One strategy for creating omniphobic surfaces is slippery

liquid-infused porous surfaces (SLIPSs) that are “liquid-

like” developed at the University of Harvard. Inspired

by the Nepenthes pitcher plant. SLIPSs do not require

pressure-dependent metastable states but involve

dynamic liquid/liquid/vapor contact line motion.24 25 26

Advantages of this approach include functioning under

extreme high-pressure conditions, self-healing and anti-

icing properties. 27

Phase switching materials

Novel ice-phobic coatings have been developed that

employ organophosphorous phase change materials

(PCMs). PCMs exist in a passive or dormant state under

most environmental conditions, but PCMs undergo solid-

solid phase changes over a narrow temperature range

slightly below at which ice formation occurs. As ice forms

on the surface, some of the latent heat of freezing passes

to PCMs. This heat is absorbed by the PCMs and causes

local strain on the coating surface and results in removal

of the ice. Minimal force (<1psi) is required to remove ice

from test surfaces treated with PCM ice-phobic coating

technology.

Graphene de-icing and anti-icing coatings

Graphene-based de-icing composites and anti-icing

coatings are of great interest due to exceptional thermal,

electrical and mechanical properties of graphene.

Advantages of the use of graphene include:

• Delays ice formation

• Lowers the temperature of the freezing onset

• Prevents fogging

• Transparent

• Extremely lightweight

• Strong and durable

• An efficient conductor.

The use of graphene coatings can accelerate the internal

heat transfer of the composite materials, improving the

anti-icing and de-icing efficiency of aerospace and wind

turbine components.

Figure 3: Graphon Coating for use in conductive

heating coatings for de-icing.

Image: CSIRO.

9


Currently, fibre reinforced polymer composites are

increasingly popular in aerospace, automobile and civil

engineering industries due to their higher strength and

lower weight. However, ice accumulation reduces the

advantages that the composite brings to the structure.

The electro-thermal system is identified as one of the most

promising de-icing systems for polymer composites, as it

does not cause delamination and damage to composite

structure. However, the application of the electro-

thermal system within composites is limited by the

poor thermal conductivity and high thermal sensitivity

of polymeric materials. Many studies have reported uses

of conductive polymers, metals, CNT and carbon black

to make conductive polymer composites; however, they

still suffer from poor thermal and electrical conductivity,

and higher energy consumption. Therefore, it is desirable

to use a conductive material that can provide excellent

electro-thermal properties as well as can achieve desired

temperature without compromising existing mechanical

and thermal properties of composites.

CSIRO has created a new form of graphitic material

that’s conductive, easy to apply and offers greater control

over performance than graphene. GraphON can also be

manufactured cheaper and easier, with more flexibility

and less hazardous waste than comparable products.

The materials can be used in applications in electrical

heating (de-icing) for aerospace applications. It can

be mixed into polymers or paints to create a surface

coating that conducts heat or electricity. GraphON can

be manufactured with flow chemistry, guaranteeing a

product that’s safe, efficient, cost-effective and consistent.

SAAB has filed a patent for the development of de-icing

coatings. The graphene additive could strengthen the

acrylics and shield against EMI interference.28 Lockheed

Martin is working with Rice University on graphene de-

icing coatings.29

Companies

Adaptive Surface Technologies, Inc.

USA

https://adaptivesurface.tech/

Adaptive Surface Technologies (formerly SLIPS

Technologies) is a spin-out from Harvard University. The

company launched in October 2014 with a $3 million

Series A financing led by BASF Venture Capital. SLIPS

(Slippery Liquid-Infused Porous Surfaces) changes the

surface of a solid material into a microscopically thin

and ultra-smooth (friction-free) immobilized “sea” of

lubricant.

SLIPS creates a stable and immobilized liquid lubricant

overlayer (LOL) and this "liquid surface" provides extremely

slippery (low contact angle hysteresis) and non-sticky

surfaces against a wide range of viscous contaminants,

biofouling, ice and frost.

Alchemy Nano

Canada

https://alchemynano.com/

Alchemy is a spin-out from the University of Waterloo.

The company’s Exoshield films use multi-layer nano

composites to protect a vehicle's windows and

windshields from natural and seasonal elements, such as

insulating against summer heat, preventing frost during

winters, and avoiding stone chips. It caters to autonomous

vehicles, windshield protection, and defense and security

applications.

The company's products are available through a global

network of distributors. Alchemy was formerly known as

Neverfrost, Inc.

AF220 Anti-frost nanocoating is designed to prevent

formation of overnight frost on any desired substrate such

as glass or polycarbonate for automotive applications.

The coatings enable multi-climate reliability for AVs by

providing impact/scratch resistance, frost prevention,

de-icing to combat snow/freezing rain, and water/dirt

shedding. It is an easily applicable, transparent, infrared-

reflective and anti-frost film.

Agiltron, Inc.

USA

www.agiltron.com

10


Agiltron has developed robust and affordable anti-

icing and ice-phobic surfaces that are also transparent

(>%80) in visible spectrum for superstructures of surface

ships in Arctic and cold region operation. Leveraging

Agiltron"s previous experiences in mechanically durable

superhydrophibic nanocomposite coatings and optically

transparent fluoropolymer resins, in collaboration with

the Ice Research Laboratory at Dartmouth College,

they have produced nanotextured superhydrophobic

nanocomposite coatings of hard nanoparticles

embedded into a fluorinated polyurethane resin matrix,

both are optically transparent in the visible spectrum.

This nanocomposite coating is highly transparent, easy

to apply via spray coating over large areas and containing

no volatile organic compounds.

Battelle Memorial Institute, Inc.

USA

www.battelle.org

The company produces the HeatCoatTM ice protection

technology that utilizes a carbon nanotube coating that

can be sprayed onto an aircraft.

Figure 4: Carbon nanotube de-icing coating.

Image: Battelle Memorial Institute, Inc.

Helicity Technologies, Inc.

USA

www.helicitytech.com

IceShield coating formulations are UV weathering

and corrosion resistant, environmentally friendly, and

feature extremely low ice adhesion strength (shear stress

averaging less than 0.04 MPa at -20° C). They can be easily

applied across very large or irregular surface areas using

conventional spray coating and painting methods.

For applications that require optical clarity, Helicity

offers a transparent formulation that can be sprayed

onto virtually any surface, requires no curing, and lasts

over 30 icing/de-icing cycles. For industrial applications

requiring rain-erosion resistance and durability, Helicity

offers an opaque, two-component coating with anti-

icing properties that can last for approximately one year.

Any ice, snow, or frost that accumulates on treated

surfaces can be easily wiped away, thus reducing

or eliminating the need for thermal, mechanical, or

chemical de-icing methods.

Phazebreak Coatings LLC

USA

http://phazebreak.com

Phazebreak Coatings has developed a Patented

Icephobic Transparent Coating, NEINICE, that minimizes

ice accumulation and provides protection. The coating

contains novel silicone-based phase change materials

(PCMs).

SurfEllent, Inc.

USA

https://surfellent.com/

SurfEllent produces anti-icing coatings from various

polymers with extremely low ice adhesion and good

durability under severe environmental conditions. The

product is either applied via paint or spray.

Synavax

USA

www.synavax.com

Energy Protect™ and Hydrophobic coatings are utilized

for ice prevention. Energy Protect™ coating applied to

bridge soffits and tunnel structures provides resistance to

11


icicle formation, thus reducing the cost for icicle removal

and increasing rail safety

X-Therma Inc.

USA

http://x-therma.com/our-science/future-applications/

X-Therma Inc. is a biomimetic nanotech company with

the mission to develop safe & effective antifreeze solutions

to enable long term bio-banking of Regenerative

Medicine and enhance mechanical performance at

extreme temperatures for greener industrial applications.

The company has developed a bioinspired, non-toxic and

anti-ice nanomaterial via biomimetic nanoscience.

References

1. https://www.nature.com/articles/ncomms1630

2. Petrie, E. M. Strategies for combating ice adhesion:

Evaluating application-specific methods that help ensure

smooth function of the world’s infrastructure Met. Finish.

2009, 107, 56– 59 DOI: 10.1016/S0026-0576(09)80033-0

3. http://pubs.rsc.org/en/Content/ArticleLanding/2009/

SM/b818940d#!divAbstract

4. https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/2013/

CC/C3CC40592C#!divAbstract

5. https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/nn102557p

6 .ht tps : / / l ink inghub .e l sev ie r . com/ret r ieve /p i i /

S0257897209000553

7 . h t t p : / / a i p . s c i t a t i o n . o r g / d o i /

abs/10.1063/1.3524513?journalCode=apl

8 .h t tp : / / on l ine l ib ra r y .w i l ey . com/do i /10 .1002 /

admi.201500330/abstract

9 . h t t p : / / a i p . s c i t a t i o n . o r g / d o i /

abs/10.1063/1.4752436?journalCode=apl

10. S. Farhadi, M. Farzaneh and S. A. Kulinich, Appl. Surf.

Sci., 2011, 257, 6264.

11. S. A. Kulinich and M. Farzaneh, Cold Reg. Sci. Technol.,

2011, 65, 60.

12. S. A. Kulinich, S. Farhadi, K. Nose and X. W. Du,

Langmuir, 2011, 27, 25.

13. Superhydrophobic nanocoatings: from materials to

fabrications and to applications, http://pubs.rsc.org/en/

content/articlelanding/2015/nr/c4nr07554d#!divAbstract

14. Designing durable icephobic surfaces, http://advances.

sciencemag.org/content/2/3/e1501496


SM/b925970h#!divAbstract

16. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23278566


18. http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2014JMiMi..24i5020W


SM/C2SM25879J#!divAbstract






25. http://wyss.harvard.edu/viewpage/316

26. http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v477/n7365/

full/nature10447.html

27. http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/acsami.6b00194

28.http://www.innovativesurfaces.ch/vio/images/

NordinPart4.pdf

29 .http : / /news . r ice .edu/2013/12/13/graphene-

nanoribbons-an-ice-melting-coat-for-radar/

Further information

The Global Market for Ice-Resistant Coatings and

Surfaces

Published April 2019

https://www.futuremarketsinc.com/the-global-market-

for-ice-resistant-coatings-and-surfaces/

12


GRAPHENENEWSENERGY

To meet the demands of

an electric future, new

battery technologies

will be essential.

One option is lithium sulphur

batteries, which offer a theoretical

energy density more than five

times that of lithium ion batteries.

Researchers at Chalmers

University of Technology,

Sweden, have unveiled a

promising breakthrough for this

type of battery, using a catholyte

with the help of a graphene

sponge.

The researchers' novel idea is a

porous, sponge-like aerogel, made

of reduced graphene oxide, that

acts as a free-standing electrode

in the battery cell and allows for

better and higher utilisation of

sulphur.

Global Graphene Group, and its

subsidiary Angstron Energy (AEC)

has developed a new graphene/

silicon composite anode material

(GCA-II-N) which can increase

the capacity of Li-Ion batteries

while reducing the battery's size

and weight. AEC current market

focus is on electronic bikes and

consumer electronics, but is also

working with Tier-1 electric cars

and trucks makers.

Researchers at the TPU Research

School of Chemistry and

Applied Biomedical Sciences

Germany, have found a new

way to functionalize a dielectric,

otherwise known as 'white

13


GRAPHENE SOLAR FILMResearchers at Swinburne, the University

of Sydney and Australian National

University have collaborated to develop a

solar absorbing, ultrathin film with unique

properties that has great potential for use

in solar thermal energy harvesting.

The 90 nanometre material is 1000 times

finer than a human hair and is able to

rapidly heat up to 160°C under natural

sunlight in an open environment.

This new graphene-based material also

opens new avenues in:

- thermophotovoltaics (the direct

conversion of heat to electricity)

- solar seawater desalination

- infrared light source and heater

- optical components: modulators and

interconnects for communication devices

- photodetectors

- colourful display

It could even lead to the development of

‘invisible cloaking technology’ through

developing large-scale thin films enclosing

the objects to be ‘hidden’.

The researchers have developed a 2.5cm

x 5cm working prototype to demonstrate

the photo-thermal performance of the

graphene-based metamaterial absorber.

They have also proposed a scalable

manufacture strategy to fabricate the

proposed graphene-based absorber at low

cost.

White graphene polymer carpets

are promising for the produc-tion of environ-

mentally friend-ly hydrogen fuel.

graphene', i.e. hexagonal boron

nitride (hBN), without destroying it or

changing its properties. The research

team have synthesized a 'polymer

nano carpet' with strong covalent

bond on the samples. 'One of the

important challenges in catalysis is

forcing the starting material to reach

active centers of the catalyst. 'Polymer

carpets' form a 3D structure that

helps to increase the area of contact

of the active centers of the catalyst

with water and makes hydrogen

acquisition more efficient. It is very

promising for the production of

environmentally friendly hydrogen

fuel,' Prof Raul Rodriguez from the

TPU Research School of Chemistry

and Applied Biomedical Sciences

explained. Further information at

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/

abs/10.1002/smll.201805228

Zeta Energy are developing hybrid

anodes made from graphene

and carbon nanotubes. The

three-dimensional carbon anode

approaches the theoretical maximum

for storage of lithium metal – about 10

times the lithium storage capacity of

graphite used in lithium-ion batteries.

Further information at https://www.

zetaenergy.com/

14


GRAPHENENEWS

PRODUCT

April-May 2019

15


LABPRODUCTTO

Low-cost, high volume production and ease of integration is crucial for the development of widespread

application of graphene-enabled products. This month we look at recent developments and breakthroughs.

Thomas Swan has established a collaboration with manufacturer

Graphene Composites (GC) to incorporate graphene in their GC

Shield Armour products.

The product is the result of a lengthy development collaboration

between the companies together with the Centre for Process

Innovation (CPI) using GNP-M grade graphene from Thomas Swan in

the final application.

Australian graphene producer First Graphene Limited has raised $3.5

million in equity investment. Funds raised will be used for general

working capital purposes and to advance the Company’s facility at

the Graphene Engineering Innovation Centre at the University of

Manchester. Additionally, there will be an increasing effort to expand

the sales and marketing functions of the Company.

2D fab, a Sweden-based producer of graphene, has secured SEK

$650k in capital investment. The money funding was provided by a

range of of Swedish investors, including E14 Invest and ALMI Invest

Mitt. The capital will be used to expand the production facility in

order to enable large delivery volumes at a competitive price. 2D

Fab, founded in 2013 as a spin-off from Mid Sweden University in

Sundsvall, produces graphene flakes using graphite from the Swedish

Woxna Graphite.

Archer Exploration Ltd. has successfully printed and patterned ink

formulations of human antibodies on graphene-based biosensor

components derived from the company’s Campoona graphite.

Ink formulations comprised primarily

of human antibody immunoglobulin

G (IgG) as the active constituent were

successfully prepared and printed using

proprietary methods. The IgG inks were

printed on resin-coated paper and a

number of graphene-based electrodes

and were able to withstand the chemical

and physical processes in the formulation,

printing, and post-printing steps.

Grolltex has shipped the first version of

its patented graphene sensor to a large

European sensor maker partner. “Our

strain sensor is very versatile because it is

16


GRAPHENE BIKESInefficient charging and a limited battery life has been the main problems which have restricted the development

of e-bikes as well as other e-vehicles. Jiangsu NESC Science and Technology Company has found a solution.

The Graphene-Polymer battery is able to handle

fast charging in less than 15 minutes (800 seconds).

Company president, Yao Xiaoqing stated “They improved

all of the five performance parameters. These include

energy density, power density, temperature, cycle

life and safety. Our 6Ah battery based on Grapheme-

Polymer technology, highlights a breakthrough in

electric capacity, performance and life cycle. The ability

to fully charge electric vehicles at regular speed in 10-

15 minutes and to do so over 1,500 times will help solve

fundamental problems for new energy vehicles.”

The company is currently testing the Graphene battery

and has already installed some 100,000 battery cells in

electric delivery bicycles.

small, flexible, robust and with a gauge factor of up to 1300, it is

incredibly sensitive. This means it can be used in a wide variety of

applications,” said Jeff Draa, Grolltex CEO. “For example, it can be

layered into the skins of airplanes to sense micro stress in the fuselage

or be used as a wearable blood pressure monitor in a skin patch

configuration. The prototype we delivered to our European partner

was designed to measure any environmental pressure or strain that

a silicon microchip might experience while sitting in its packaging.

This can be important information for many defense or autonomous

vehicle related device designs.”

Wearable electronic components incorporated directly into fabrics

have been developed by researchers at the University of Cambridge.

The Cambridge researchers, working in collaboration with colleagues

at Jiangnan University in China, have shown how graphene and

other related materials can be directly incorporated into fabrics to

produce charge storage elements such as capacitors, paving the

way to textile-based power supplies which are washable, flexible

17


and comfortable to wear.

The research demonstrates

that graphene inks can

be used in textiles able

to store electrical charge

and release it when

required. The new textile

(90%) and to subsequently form thermoplastic/

FL-GNPs composites with improved electrical

and mechanical properties. Queen’s University is

currently seeking industrial partners interested in

commercializing the technology.

Directa Plus and clothing group Alfredo Grassi

will extend their exclusive relationship to develop

graphene-enhanced clothing for up to a further

three years. The two companies will focus on the

use of graphene to enhance military outerwear

as well as work-wear for organizations like the

Italian police and fire services.

Advanced Material Development (AMD) has

received funding via the UK Defense and Security

Accelerator (DASA) of £83,000. The programme

will be an early stage nine month R&D project

using AMD's proprietary nanomaterial liquid

processing technology for signature management

applications in both civilian and military fields.

Another UK-based company, ZEN Graphene

Solutions, has announced that it has signed a

Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with The

University of Manchester.

The MOU will explore opportunities of

collaboration in the areas of development and

commercialization of graphene and other 2D

materials and accelerate the adoption of these

materials into commercially viable markets.

Mitsubishi has developed graphene-based

MWIR sensors with extraordinarily high sensitivity.

Thanks to an internal graphene FET gain, the

responsivity is said to be 10 times higher than

that of quantum-type IR sensors with no internal

amplification. Mitsubishi uses graphene FET and

leverages its high electron mobility.

ECD Lacrosse, a manufacturer of lacrosse

equipment, has teamed up with Global

Graphene Group (G3) to develop ECD's Rebel

+Graphene heads, which were released in a

electronic devices are based on low-cost, sustainable

and scalable dyeing of polyester fabric. The inks are

produced by standard solution processing techniques.

Further information at https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/

articlelanding/2019/NR/C9NR00463G#!divAbstract

Ford Motor Company is using graphene under the hoods

of passenger vehicles like the Ford F-150 pickup and Ford

Mustang pony car. In collaboration with Eagle Industries

and XG Sciences, the company is developing underhood

components, including fuel rail covers, pump covers, and

front engine covers. “A small amount of graphene goes a

long way,” said Eagle Industries President John Bull. “In

this case, it has a significant effect on sound absorption

qualities.” Tests have demonstrated a 17-percent reduction

in noise, a 20-percent improvement in mechanical

properties, and a 30-percent improvement in heat-

endurance properties for Ford’s graphene-containing

foam, vs. the same foam material without any graphene

content.

“The breakthrough here is not in the material, but in how

we are using it,” said Ford Senior Technical Leader of

Sustainability and Emerging Materials Debbie Mielewski.

“We are able to use a very small amount, less than a half

percent, to help us achieve significant enhancements

in durability, sound resistance and weight reduction –

applications that others have not focused on.”

Researchers at Queen’s University in Kingston, Canada

have developed a simple yet effective exfoliation process

for producing few-layer graphene nanoplatelets (FL-GNPs).

Utilizing this one-step, chemical and solvent-free process

the researchers were able to convert graphite flakes

(+100 mesh, purity >97%) into FL-GNPs at a high yield

18


faster than silicon chips; and in chemical and electrical sensors, where graphene could increase sensitivity by a factor

of more than 30. The company’s first device will reportedly be available in the next few months. Professor Sir Colin

Humphreys from the Centre for Gallium Nitride in Cambridge’s Department of Materials Science and Metallurgy,

along with his former postdoctoral researchers Dr Simon Thomas and Dr Ivor Guiney, developed a new way to make

large-area graphene in 2015.

Using their method, the researchers were able form high-quality graphene wafers up to eight inches in diameter,

beating not only other university research groups worldwide, but also companies like IBM, Intel and Samsung.

RFID-product and IoT-solutions provider Smartrac has unveiled plans to add environmentally friendly tag options to

its offerings, based on graphene inks. Smartrac stated that each of its products that receives a Green Tag will include

a published Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), according to ISO 14040/44.

Saint Jean Carbon Inc. will start building the first prototype graphene gel salt water batteries. Batteries based on

this technology should charge faster, run longer and theoretically may last indefinitely. The project’s long term goal is

to have a series of three full production batteries ready for launch in spring 2020. Salt water battery technology has

been in research for about 5 years. Continued advancement slowed due to limited voltage capacity in comparison

with Lithium batteries. Now with the use of graphene in a highly concentrated salt water gel, graphene can now be

used without worry of the graphene restacking, which would reduce the intercalation rate. Salt water batteries are

much safer, won’t burn and have significantly less raw material cost.

The Company plans on building out a “flex” production line that will allow a number of companies to share in the

facility on a fee for use basis. The Company’s first production will concentrate on three specific battery types:1) small

for portable devices, 2) large stationary storage, and 3) high energy density automotive/motorcycle.

limited edition. The composite of G3’s graphene with ECD’s polymer

benefits from graphene's properties, including its light weight and

impact resistance.

US-based Carbon Research and Development Company (CRDC),

a producer of graphene materials derived from bio-mass, has

received a loan of $1.5 million that the Virginia Coalfield Economic

Development Authority towards its carbon research and development

project in Wise, Virginia, USA. The new center will research graphene

production technologies, in addition to new graphene applications.

CRDC's process converts coal and wood chips into graphene.

University of Cambridge spin-out Paragraf has started producing

graphene at up to eight inches (20cm) in diameter, large enough for

commercial electronic devices.

Paragraf is producing graphene ‘wafers’ and graphene-based

electronic devices, which could be used in transistors, where

graphene-based chips could deliver speeds more than ten times

The use of carbon nano-based

ultracapacitors in lithium-ion

batteries can create a dual

energy source for high volume

electric vehicles.

19


BOROPHENEStronger, more flexible and lighter than graphene, borophene is viewed as the next 2D wonder material. Research

and efforts towards production could have a huge impact in electronics, battery and hydrogen storage.

Graphene faces competition from other

2D Materials. The field materials has

grown greatly in the past few years,

and it is estimated that there are more

than 100-layered materials that could potentially be

stripped down to a monolayer to form a 2D material.

Borophene, a 2D allotrope of boron, has attracted

research attention since it was first synthesized

in 2015 on Ag(111) substrates via atomic layer

deposition and molecular beam epitaxy under

ultrahigh vacuum conditions. 1 2 3 Borophene is

a single layer of boron atoms that form various

crystalline structures, and possesses unique chemical

and physical properties including:

• stronger than graphene.

• more flexible.

• high capacity.

• excellent electronic and ionic conductivity.

• high surface activity.

• superconductor. 4

• lower mass than graphene (lightest 2D material).

• high catalytic performance.

Figure 1; Schematic of borophene structure.

Applications include:

• Ultra-high capacity anode materials in lithium-

ion batteries.

• Anchoring materials for lithium-sulfur batteries.

• Flexible and transparent conductors in

electronics.

• Supercapacitors.

• 2D plasmonics

• Interconnects.

• Electrodes.

• Biosensors.5

• Hydrogen storage.

• Gas sensors.6 7 8

• Hydrogen storage (ultrahigh storage capacity).

sonochemical exfoliation. "We have synthesized freestanding borophene with the energetically favorable structure

via sonochemical exfoliation of boron powder (~20 µm) in various solvents such as dimethylformamide (DMF),

acetone, isopropyl alcohol, water, and ethylene glycol," said Dr. Prashant Kumar, Department of Physics, Indian

Institute of Technology.

References

1.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26680195

2.https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/2019/nr/c8nr08729f#!divAbstract

3. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27219700

4. https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.nanolett.6b00070

5. https://www.bnl.gov/newsroom/news.php?a=113226

6. V. Nagarajan, and R. Chandiramouli, Borophene nanosheet molecular device for detection of ethanol – A first-

principles study, Comput. Theor. Chem. 1105, 52 (2017)

7. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0375960116303218

8. A. Omidvar, Borophene: A novel boron sheet with a hexagonal vacancy offering high sensitivity for hydrogen

cyanide detection, Comput. Theor. Chem. 1115, 179 (2017)

9. https://news.yale.edu/2018/12/03/yale-scientists-make-borophene-breakthrough

20


Despite the attractive properties of 2D

materials beyond graphene, and their

potential for integration into existing

electronics technologies, there are

numerous challenges to overcome.

Current limitations of fabrication

techniques, the instability of the

materials interface and finding suitable

applications will hinder progress towards

commercialization.9 Also, borophene’s

reactivity makes it prone to oxidation.

In May 2019, researchers has synthesized

free-standing borophene – β12, X3

and intermediate phases – for the first

time and in a scalable manner.10 The

researchers used a facile and scalable

liquid-phase synthesis method of

freestanding borophene sheets via

21


The German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment

(BfR) announced InnoMat.Life, a joint research project

to establish criteria for an efficient assessment of the

human health and environmental risks of novel (nano)

materials. The Federal Ministry of Education and

Research is providing 2.22 million euro to fund the

project, which will be coordinated by BfR and includes

ten partners from public authorities, academia, and

industry. BfR states that until now, nanosafety research

focused mainly on first generation nanomaterials,

i.e., mainly round particles of pure substances such as

nanosilver, titanium oxide, and zinc oxide. In real life,

far more materials are used, however. Hybrid materials,

consisting of two or more substances, are often applied,

and nanoparticles can have many different shapes. Many

industrially used materials cover a broad size distribution

from nanometers to micrometers. Moreover, according

to BfR, many industrial applications are based on material

systems that alter their structure during manufacturing

or use, such as the layer-by-layer assembly of products

manufactured with 3D printers.

Government, regulation & policy news

RISK ASSESSMENT FOR NANOMATERIALS

22


ECHA includes CNTs for evaluationA European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) Community Rolling Action

Plan (CoRAP) has stated that carbon nanotubes are to be evaluated

by Germany in 2019, due to initial grounds of concerns as suspected

carcinogen, other hazard based concern, wide dispersive use, consumer

use, exposure of environment, cumulative exposure’

The CoRAP is updated yearly, and the latest update lists 100 substances

that are to be evaluated by Member States under 2019 to 2021. The

substance evaluation is based on Articles 44-48 of the REACH Regulation.

Further information at

https://echa.europa.eu/information-on-chemicals/evaluation/

c o m m u n i t y - r o l l i n g - a c t i o n - p l a n / c o r a p - t a b l e / - / d i s l i s t /

details/0b0236e1807ee629

The International Organization for Standardization

(ISO) has published standard ISO/TR 19733:2019,

“Nanotechnologies — Matrix of properties and

measurement techniques for graphene and related two-

dimensional (2D) materials”.

ISO states that since graphene was discovered in 2004,

it has become one of the most attractive materials in

application research and device industry due to its supreme

material properties and it is expected that applications

of graphene could replace many of the current device

development technology in flexible touch panel, organic

The French government has announced a ban on titanium

dioxide in foods from 1 January 2020. The decision, from

the Ministry of Environment and from the Ministry of

Economy, will be published shortly as a ministerial decree.

E171 is used in foods e.g. mainly as whitener agent.

The French Agency for Food, Environmental and

Occupational Health and Safety (ANSES) published 12

April an opinion on the ingestion of TiO2, E171, based

on an assessment of 25 additional studies not previously

assessed by ANSES, or by EFSA in their 2018 opinion.

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