the magazine for 2d materials graphene · the global medical technology market is expected to reach...

GRAPHENEJanuary 2018

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 #10

Flexible

LABORATORYMARKET

TO

unbreakableand

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

information on advanced materials and nanotechnology.

The market for graphene in printable, flexible

and stretchable electronics. Graphene in the construction and

infrastructure sectors.

All the latest graphene product and research news.

BUILDING

LATEST NEW

GRAPHENE

Recent products and commercial

developments in graphene.

2

GRAPHENE MAGAZINE 2018

TABLE OF

THIS MONTH

MARKET FOCUS

CONTENT

Graphene in printable, flexible and

stretchable electronic devices and sensors.

Key applications and developments.

Graphene footwear coming to the market

in 2018.

Assessment of graphene in the building and

infrastructure sectors.

Graphene for clean-up in the oil and

gas industries.

Gra

phen

e in

ce

men

t, co

mpo

site

s

and

stee

l coa

ting

s.

New graphene products in 2018.

Latest graphene investments, deals and

funding initiatives.

New graphene pilot production

facilities.

P.04

P.17

P.04

P.08

P.11

P.17

P.18

P.12

P.16 Graphene is a key material for future

development of wearable electronic devices

and sensors.

3


RESEARCH FOCUS

FROM EDITORNOTE

New graphene battery tech

developed at Samsung.

Graphene-based solar panels under

commercial development.

Recent developments in graphene

in electronics and photonics.

P.19

P.19

P.20

Subscribe to Graphene Magazine to receive

all the latest monthly news and views on this

fast developing advanced technology market,

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Entering 2018, the market for graphene continues

to look favourable. Products that chiefly utilize

the materials conductive properties in additives

are appearing more frequently, and companies

clearly view graphene as beneficial both to

product development and marketing. Recent

product launches include audio equipment

(including headphones from Panasonic) and

textiles (memory foam pillows and outdoor

clothing).

A number of graphene producers have also

reported growth in sales in 2017, a trend that will

likely continue in 2018 as demand increases in

energy storage, textiles, anti-counterfeiting and

construction markets. Significant recent financial

investments by companies, investment funds

and government bodies also point the way to a

prosperous 2018 for graphene. Happy new year!

LINDA ERIKSSONCHIEF EDITOR

GRAPHENE MAGAZINE

4


MARKET

ELECTRONICSFOCUS

Graphene is one of the key materials investigated for application in printable, flexible and stretchable

electronic devices and sensors that will revolutionalize consumer electronics and health.

Graphene possesses ex-ceptional mechanical, electrical, and optical

properties.

The performance of electronic devices and systems

has grown at an impressive rate over the last few

decades. This is mainly attributable to continued

improvements in the miniaturization of electronic

components and systems, and the development

of inorganic semiconductor materials that can

outperform silicon in speed and power. However,

further miniaturization and inorganic materials

advances are not expected to play as large a role in

the next evolutionary leap for electronic systems.

This will rely on the development of electronic

devices and systems that mass manufactured at low-

cost and integrated, possibly conformably, using a

variety of deposited advanced materials on a variety

of multi-functional substrates. Improvements in

sensors, printable technology and energy devices

are necessary for wider implementation of flexible

and stretchable electronics, and advanced materials,

nanomaterials and/or their hybrids are enabling the

next phase convergence of textiles, electronics and

informatics.

They are opening the way for the integration of

electronic components and sensors (e.g. heat and

humidity) in high strength, flexible and electrically

conductive electronic devices with energy storage

Photo: Graphene tattoo that can track vital signals.

Photo: The University of Texas at Austin

5


and harvesting capabilities, biological functions,

anti-microbial properties, and many other new

functionalities.

The use of advanced materials will transform

traditionally bulky electronics into formats that bend,

stretch, fold, and conform to the contours of human

bodies to vehicles, buildings, and many other objects.

The next generation of electronics will produce

• smarter and lighter wearable consumer electronics;

• health monitoring devices, including intelligent

patches and bandages for medical treatments;

• structural monitoring to protect and optimize

buildings, vehicles, bridges etc;

• and “soft” robotics, including advanced flexible

electronics for prosthetics that can assist, restore, or

enhance physical capabilities.

The wearables revolution

The number and variety of wearable electronic devices

has increased significantly in the past few years, as they

offer significant enhancements to human comfort,

health and well-being. Wearable low-power silicon

electronics, light-emitting diodes (LEDs) fabricated on

fabrics, textiles with integrated Lithium-ion batteries

(LIB) and electronic devices such as smart glasses,

watches and lenses have been widely investigated

and commercialized (e.g. Google glass, Apple Watch).

There is increasing demand for wearable electronics

from industries such as:

• Medical and healthcare monitoring and diagnostics.

• Sportswear and fitness monitoring (bands).

• Consumer electronics such as smart watches, smart

glasses and headsets.

• Military GPS trackers, equipment (helmets) and

wearable robots.

• Smart apparel and footwear in fashion and sport.

• Workplace safety and manufacturing.

The electronics industry is now moving towards the

development of electronic devices with flexible, thin,

and large-area form factors. Electronic devices that

are fabricated on flexible substrates for application

in flexible displays, electronic paper, smart packages,

skin-like sensors, wearable electronics, implantable

6


medical implements etc. is a fast developing market.

Their future development depends greatly on the

exploitation of advanced materials. Recent advances

in stimuli-responsive surfaces and interfaces, sensors

and actuators, flexible electronics, nanocoatings and

conductive nanomaterials will result in the development

of a new generation of smart and adaptive electronic

fibers, yarns and fabrics, healthcare devices, smart

surfaces, smart packaging and wearables such as smart

watches and e-textiles.

Nanomaterials

Nanomaterials such as carbon nanotubes (CNT), silver

nanowires, metal oxide nanowires and nanoparticles,

graphene and other 2D materials are viewed as key

materials for the future development of wearable

electronics for implementation in healthcare and

fitness monitoring, electronic devices incorporated

into clothing and ‘smart skin’ applications (e.g. printed

graphene-based sensors integrated with other 2D

materials for physiological monitoring).

These materials are naturally more suitable for

integration with flexible, soft or glass substrates and can

potentially offer the electronic performance needed for

low-power GHz systems. Applications include:

• Wearable devices for physiological monitoring.

• Wearable and flexible medical devices.

• Flexible digital x-ray technology.

• Smart plastics.

• Electronic components on flexible substrates for

distributed media.

• Sensors on flexible substrates.

• 3D molded interconnect (MID) devices.

• Flexible circuits.

• Flexible Displays (e.g. OLEDs, ECs)

• Flexible Lighting (OLEDs)

• Flexible OPV Cells (Energy)

• OTFTs (Electronics)

• RFID Tags, Smart Labels, e-Paper

• Biosensors & Bioelectronics

• Memory and logic circuits.

• Organic TF Batteries & Fuel Cells

• Portable Data Systems & Media

• Integrated Smart Systems

• Internet of Things (IoT).

Graphene

Graphene possesses exceptional mechanical, electrical,

and optical properties that are being exploited in

printable, flexible and stretchable electronic devices.

Desirable properties include:

• Easy to attach graphene oxide films to textiles.

• High conductivity.

• High electron mobility.

• Sensitivity to volatile organic compounds.

• Ultra-thin thickness allows for integration into

wearable electronics.

• High transparency.

Figure 1: Wearable graphene medical sensor.

Image: The University of Texas at Austin.

Conductive inks

Graphene conductive inks (GCI) require no heat

treatment and are more conductive than other carbon-

based alternatives to silver inks. They provide superior

mechanical robustness, flexibility and enhanced

7


interfacial adhesion to improve lifetime and performance

of printed electronics, while providing significant cost

advantage over silver-based inks currently widely used in

printed electronics industry.

GCI can be printed onto flexible substrates such as

polyethylene, paper, paperboard and label stock on standard

using the roll-to-roll process. Desirable properties include:

• Higher conductivity - as much as 10x higher than typical

carbon inks

• Lower cost - compared to widely used silver based inks

• No high-temperature sintering required for current inks

• True flexible applications where bending, folding, handling,

dropping, and even crumpling do not disturb the printed

circuitry.

• Energy storage batteries printed directly into flexible, plastic

substrates.

• Chemical inertness, and mechanical flexibility.

Main target applications for graphene conductive inks

include:

• Flexible electronic circuitry.

• Flexible and large-area displays.

• Radio frequency identification tags (RFID) tags and devices.

• Smart labels.

• Portable energy harvesting and storage.

• Smart coatings.

• Printable antennas.

• Printable biomedical and environmental sensor arrays.

• Intelligent packaging.

Figure 2: Printed graphene conductive ink.

Image credit: Nanotech Energy.

Wearable electronics

The rise in market demand for touchscreens, displays and

photovoltaics is increasing the need for non-indium based

transparent conductors (TC). Furthermore, next generation

flexible touchscreens such as those demonstrated by

Samsung and Nokia, require a non-brittle material. ITO

replacement is a key theme among product development.

CNTs and graphene may allow for the replacement of ITO,

which is in short supply, expensive and limited in its use with

flexible substrates.

Wearable electronics encompasses the incorporation of

technological components in clothing accessories or objects

we carry. The development of next-generation, wearable

flexible electronics relies on novel materials that are:

• Mechanically flexible.

• Lightweight.

• Low-cost.

• Electrically conductive.

• Optically transparent.

Figure 3: Textiles covered in conductive graphene ink.

Image: University of Manchester.

Graphene and other 2D materials are viewed as important

materials for the development of wearable electronics

for implementation in healthcare and fitness monitoring,

electronic devices incorporated into clothing and ‘smart skin’

applications (printed graphene-based sensors integrated

with other 2D materials for physiological monitoring). These

materials are naturally more suitable for integration with

flexible, soft or glass substrates owing to their two dimensional

8


nature and can potentially offer the electronic

performance needed for low-power GHz systems.

A crucial challenge is developing fully integrated,

lightweight, wearable and high-performance energy-

storage devices to power the functioning devices in a

wearable system. Flexible graphene supercapacitors

have been fabricated to meet this challenge. Desirable

properties of graphene in wearable devices include:

• Outstanding optical transmittance and high

conductivity.

• High mechanical strength and excellent flexibility.

• Graphene films can be deposited on virtually any

substrate, and later converted into a conductor.

• Sheet resistance can be under 10 Ohms per square for

films 25 μm thick.

• Require no heat treatment and are more conductive

than other carbon-based alternatives to silver inks.

• Provide superior mechanical robustness, flexibility and

enhanced interfacial adhesion to improve lifetime and

performance of printed electronics, while providing

significant cost advantage over silver-based inks

currently widely used in printed electronics industry.

• Can be printed onto flexible substrates such as

polyethylene, paper, paperboard and label stock on

standard using the roll-to-roll process.

• Higher conductivity - as much as 10x higher than

typical carbon inks

• Lower cost - compared to widely used silver based

inks

• No high-temperature sintering required for current

inks

• True flexible applications where bending, folding,

handling, dropping, and even crumpling do not disturb

the printed circuitry.

• Energy storage batteries printed directly into flexible,

plastic substrates.

• Chemical inertness, and mechanical flexibility.

Applications include:

• Flexible and stretchable substrates for roll-up displays,

wearable biosensors, smart labels, and electronic skins

(‘e-skins’)

Robotics.

• Wearable solar cells.

• Flexible electrochromic devices, for application in

optical displays and smart glass, for improving indoor

energy efficiency or personal visual comfort.

Medical and healthcare wearables and sensors

The global medical technology market is expected to

reach over $500 billion by 2020. Drivers include and a

growing aging population, increase in chronic diseases

and increased demand from emerging markets.

There is a growing need to support independent living

in a globally aging population and support active

and healthy living. Remote monitoring is desirable

for enabling palliative care in the home and tracking

treatment programs for persons with intellectual

or cognitive disabilities in the home. The remote

monitoring of biomarkers is also useful for monitoring

conditions such as diabetes and perinatal monitoring

and diagnosis.

Figure 4: Wearable graphene glucose monitoring

patch.

Image credit: Seoul National University

Recently, human-machine interfaces as well as

the healthcare system have experienced great

advancement through the introduction of implanted

and skin-mounted electronics. However, the power

9


Figure 5: GraphWear wearable sweat sensor.

Image credit: GraphWear Technologies.

supplying system has not kept pace with technological

advances of such electronics. There is therefore a need to

develop new materials for power sources to meet these

needs.

Most current wearable medical devices feature integrated

circuits on solid substrates in rigid packages. However,

these are mechanically incompatible with soft and

curvilinear human body, which leads unreliable and

unrepeatable measurement results due to unreliable

skin contact and changing measurement locations.

A growing number of wearable devices are based on

flexible and stretchable skin sensors.

Pressure sensors are a key component in electronic skin

(e-skin) sensing systems for health monitoring. Highly

sensitive piezoelectric-type nanowire and graphene-

based sensors have been developed. MC10 have

developed a graphene-based electronic skin patch

that senses excess glucose in sweat and automatically

administers drugs by heating up microneedles that

penetrate the skin.

GraphWear Technologies has developed a wearable,

real-time dehydration, glucose, and lactic acid monitor.

The patch is placed on the lower back and linked to a

smartphone app. The company plans to commercialize

a device by 2018.

Flexible batteries

Energy storage devices, especially batteries, require

new, novel form factors to meet the needs of growing

markets for wearable electronic devices. For example, the

reported peak current consumption of Bluetooth Low

Energy wireless communication in a wearable sensor

module was 18mA, and a smart watch (e.g. Samsung

Gear 2) consumes up to 48 mA during calls.

Producers are seeking two solutions: thin and flexible

batteries; energy harvesting wearable devices and

smart textiles. Harvesting and storage of energy in

electronic textiles is a crucial step in the development

of autonomous wearables. Power sources for flexible

and wearable electronic systems should themselves

be flexible and require minimal or no wired charging.

Current wearable tech generally requires removal for

10


charging and the batteries are relatively rigid and

bulky. Therefore, solutions are required for powering

wearable devices utilizing ambient light, thermal or

vibrational energy. Graphene is widely investigated due

to the following properties:

• High intrinsic conductivity (7580 vs. 500–3000 S

m-1)- can act as a type of conductive phase to form

composite films containing polymers, paper and cloth

• High aspect ratio (~10 vs. 1)

• Large specific surface area

• Inert basal surface.

• Improved adhesion.

• High energy density.

• Improved flexibility.

Figure 6: Stretchable graphene supercapacitor.

Image credit: Xiaodong Chen, Ph.D.

In November 2017, researchers at the Samsung

Advanced Institute of Technology (SAIT) developed

a “graphene* ball,” a unique battery material that

enables a 45% increase in capacity, and five times

faster charging speeds than standard lithium-ion

batteries. The breakthrough provides promise for the

next generation secondary battery market, particularly

related to mobile devices and electric vehicles. In its

research, SAIT collaborated closely with Samsung SDI

as well as a team from Seoul National University’s

School of Chemical and Biological Engineering.

Further information:

The Global Market for Printable, Flexible and

Stretchable Sensors and Electronics 2017-2027

Published December 2017 | 342 pages

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

for-printable-flexible-and-stretchable-sensors-and-

electronics-2017-2027/

11


MARKET

BUILDING WITH GRAPHENE

FOCUS

Graphene is already find-ing its way into construc-

tion products from cement to steel coatings.

There is a growing market need in buildings

and infrastructure for new materials solutions, for

construction materials and coatings.

Cement

Cement is one of the most important building

materials, and global production has increased

significantly in recent years, especially in developing

countries. As the scale of structures created with

concrete has increased dramatically, the need for

advanced materials has too. Market trends include

high strength and strain concrete and cement

products using new composite materials with

superior properties to existing materials. Ordinary

Portland Cement is widely used but suffers a

number of drawbacks. Due to its poor tensile stress

and strain capacity it must be reinforced with steel

bars.

Graphene materials have been extensively explored

and successfully used to improve the performance

of cement composites. The use of graphene is

attractive as not only do they lead to an increase

the lifespan of concrete, they also make it virtually

invulnerable to possible attacks by external agents.

Combining a cement matrix with graphene oxide

(GO) sheets results in improving bonding and

patronizing of hydration crystals of the cement

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matrix due to graphene’s large exposed surface area.

Laboratory tests conducted by researchers at Monash

University show that only 0.05% of GO is needed to

improve flexural strength of an OPC matrix from between

41% to 59% and compressive strength from between

15% to 33%.

First Graphene is working with the University of Adelaide

(UoA) on using conductive graphene flakes to make

“smart cement”. The company are seeking problems

of cracking and corrosion and provide conductivity for

better monitoring of the health of concrete structures.

According to the company, recent test results indicate

the addition of 0.03% standard graphene is the optimal

quantity of graphene from the test conducted to date,

showing a 22 - 23 % increase in compressive and tensile

strength, respectively. The

The focus of the next stage of the work will be trialling

other concentrations of graphene in concrete, specifically

the 0.01 and 0.1% graphene, and optimization of the

mixing procedures. New methods of incorporating

graphene into the concrete mixture will be tested. The

graphene provided by FGR will have a range of aspect

ratios (smaller sheet sizes) and will be tested over the full

range of concentrations. It is anticipated this material will

better disperse within the concrete mixture and therefore

provide further mechanical strength improvements.

In response to the increased incidence of destructive

storms, NanoGraphene, Inc. is seeking to identify the

optimal composition of graphene concrete, capable of

withstanding hurricanes and other natural disasters. The

combined toll taken by hurricanes Harvey and Irma is

more than $290 billion, or 1.5% of U.S. GPD.

The work is already in the testing stages and undergoing

independent trials at a research institute. Initial testing

has established that the inclusion of graphene oxide

significantly increases both tensile and compressive

strength in concrete composites. This is due in large part

to the graphene additive creating favorable conditions

for the formation of cement microstructures. These

results indicate good prospects for large-scale adoption

of graphene as a new component in cement-matrix

composites.

Figure 1: Graphene added to cement.

Image credit: NanoGraphene, Inc.

In July 2017, Talga Resources signed a non-binding

memorandum of understanding with Heidelberg

Cement to explore business opportunities associated

with Talga’s graphite and graphene based materials in

carbon enhanced concrete applications for the building

and construction sector.

In May 2017, Talga reported impressive initial concrete

prototype strength results from trials undertaken at the

commercial concrete/cement laboratory of Betotech

Baustofflabor in Germany.

Graphenano Smart Materials has also developed a

range of graphene additives which are able to increase

the technical performance of concrete.

Steel Coatings

The development of active corrosion protection systems

for metallic substrates is an issue of prime importance

for many industrial applications. The use of refined

metals is widespread, but such metals can frequently

be chemically reactive, limiting their use or requiring

protective coatings. Protecting the surface of such metals

has developed into a significant industry.

There is a market need to reduce the use of toxic and

hazardous substances and extend the service life of anti-

corrosion coatings for steel substrates. Companies are

seeking to develop novel green, environmentally friendly,

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anti-corrosion coatings with extended durability for steel

protection.

Graphene providing thermal barrier, wear-resistance and

corrosion-resistance are of great interest for refurbishing

and lengthening the working life of equipment and

pipelines. Incorporated into coatings, it can protect

structures like drilling platforms, bridges and metal

construction from corrosion; they safeguard shut-off

valves and pumping and compressor fixtures; they

protect equipment for drilling, oil and gas extraction, and

processing and refining from wear and tear.

Talga Resources Ltd. has announced promising initial

test results from epoxy resin-based coatings formulated

using Talga’s Talphene® branded graphene, Talga’s

tests used a formulated dispersion of Talga’s few layered

graphene (FLG) and graphene nanoplatelets (GNP),

mixed into a two- part epoxy resin (a type of thermoset

polymer) used commonly in marine coating systems.

By substituting current active ingredients such as zinc

with lower quantities of higher performing non-toxic

graphene alternatives, the application, environmental and

maintenance costs of steel vessels and infrastructure can

be reduced.

Talga reported that initial test results show significantly

improved coating performance including higher corrosion

resistance, increased mechanical strength and higher

abrasion resistance compared to the control coatings

using commercial type zinc-rich epoxy.

Figure 2: Graphene based anti-corrosion steel coatings.

Image credit: University at Buffalo.

Panda Green Energy Group Limited recently announced

that it signed a strategic cooperation agreement on new

materials technology with AVIC BIAM New Materials

Technology Engineering Company Limited to jointly

develop and manufacture graphene VCI anti-corrosion

materials.

In October 2017, researchers from Nanyang Technological

University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) and JTC

developed a 3-in-1 graphene coating that offers enhanced

fire and corrosion protection.

Existing steel structures in buildings are usually coated

with a fire-retardant layer to shield the bare metal from

damage by fire and meet the fire protection standard of

two hours – aimed at giving occupants enough time to

evacuate the building. Today’s conventional intumescent

coatings are thick, more expensive and laborious to apply.

The graphene coating can be applied to bare steel without

the need for sandblasting to prepare the surface, reducing

coating time by half, and protects the material against fire

for two hours without falling off. Branded FiroShield, the

new coating is cheaper and less laborious to apply, and can

function aesthetically like normal paint. View the coating

at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SOZJzGOsfBA

Steel multi-national Tata Steel recently brought a

graphene-based anti-corrosion product to the market

- graphene-coated stirrups, named Tiscon Superlinks+

for application in construction. Stirrup reinforcing is

an important means of adding strength to concrete

support columns. According to the company Superlink+

has enhanced corrosion resistance and better bonding

strength than other stirrups in the market.

China-based graphene producer The Sixth Element

Materials produces a graphene-zinc anti-corrosion primer

with Toppen Technology. The product is now used to

cover several bridges and wind-turbines steel towers in

China.

14


BusinessFinance&

Sweden-based 2D Fab AB has entered into a collaboration agreement with a major company in the energy

storage market for conductive applications of graphene. The agreement is ongoing, with customs tollgates every

6 months.

Graphene Quantum Dots producer Dotz Nano has completed a capital raising of $3 million. The company has also

signed an exclusive three-year distribution and sales agreement to sell $15 million of its graphene quantum dots

to joint venture China Israel (hengqin) Science Technology Innovation Center (CisticPoly). Pending product

specification approvals, CisticPoly will distribute the graphene quantum dots into China. Subject to approvals,

in the first 12 months, CisticPoly will purchase at least $2.5 million in graphene quantum dots, with the second

Round-up of the latest investments, deals and funding

initiatives in graphene. December 2017-January 2018.

15


milestone comprising purchases amounting to $7.5 million within 24

months and $15 million by 36 months. The company is targeting anti-

counterfeiting applications in China.

Dotz Nano also signed a purchasing agreement for the sale of GQDs

with Colorplastic, who have agreed to purchase $300,000 USD of GQDs

per annum.

UK producer Versarien PLC has reached an agreement with an Asia-

headquartered global textiles and apparel manufacturer to develop

graphene conductive ink for application in yarns and fabric finishes.

The graphene ink is produced by Versarien’s subsidiary Cambridge

Graphene Ltd. The company has also recently signed an agreement

with an unnamed US-headquartered global chemical supplier.

Canada-based Leading Edge Materials (formerly Flinders Resources),

a graphite mining company with principal assets located in Scandinavia,

is to receive funding from the Swedish government for a project entitled

“Graphene Energy”. The project will use graphene from the company’s

Woxna graphite facility to enhance the electrical conductivity and the mechanical strength of lithium ion

battery anodes. Other project partners are 2D fab AB, VestaSi AB, Ångström Advanced Battery Centre (ÅABC),

Uppsala University (UU) and Mid Sweden University (MIUN).

University of Swinburne researchers have secured $3.45 million in funding to continue work on a project

investigating energy storage alternatives using graphene oxide. Researchers will receive the grant as part of

the Cooperative Research Centres Projects (CRC-P) funds commissioned by the Australian Government. The

Swinburne Centre for Micro-Photonics is collaborating with Flinders University as well as industry leaders First

Graphene Ltd and Kremford Pty Ltd. “This project aims to develop the manufacturing specifications for the

commercial production of a graphene oxide super-capacitor with the ‘look and feel’ of a LIB but with superior

performance across weight, charge rate, lifecycle and environmental footprint factors,” Professor Colin Raston

from Swinburne stated.

MITO Material Solutions has been awarded a National Science Foundation (NSF) Small Business Innovation

Research (SBIR) grant of $224,988 to develop graphene oxide-based nano-additive that double the

interlaminar toughness of composites utilized in aerospace, recreation, and automotive industries.

The main focus of this project is the development of new hybrid nanofillers based on Graphene Oxide (GO) and

Polyhedral Oligomeric Silsesquioxane (POSS). These nanofillers can be added to epoxy/vinyl ester/polyester

matrices through a “Master Batch” process to enhance the interlaminar fracture toughness of commercial

composites.

16


GRAPHENENEWSBUSINESS

S aint Jean Carbon

Inc. has completed

the design build

of a research and

development facility located in

Oakville Ontario. The facility is

can process graphite from raw

material right through to anode

material and actual anodes.

Planned applications are in

lithium-ion batteries, solar panels,

conductive inks and wearables.

New graphene pilot plant

Spanish graphene producer

Gnanomat opened a new

graphene pilot plant. The

company produces graphene

for application in energy storage

devices and plans to produce

100kg/year.

Swedish energy company to

explore graphene production

Swedish energy storage

company SaltX Technology

has signed an agreement

with a graphene company to

manufacture graphene. By

using graphene, SaltX has been

able to demonstrate that the

heat conductivity, and thereby

the performance, in the SaltX

material can be increased by up

to five times. The collaboration

project starts immediately and

is expected to deliver the first

batches of graphene material

already next year.

17


GRAPHENE FILTERSItalian graphene producer Directa Plus plc

has entered into a collaboration with GSP

SA to evaluate the use of Grafysorber®, the

Company’s graphene-based product for

environmental applications, in the removal

of hydrocarbons from contaminated water

emanating from oil & gas activities. The

companies have signed a binding letter

of intent (“LOI”) to conduct field trials

with a view to entering into a commercial

agreement during the first half of 2018.

Under the terms of the LOI, GSP SA will

commence on-field trials in early 2018

to explore multiple applications for

Grafysorber® across its range of activities

in the oil & gas industry, which includes

offshore drilling and construction,

shipping, engineering, aviation, onshore

facilities, logistics and catering. This will

involve testing the absorbent capabilities

of Grafysorber® in decontaminating

hydrocarbons from seawater and in the

treatment of industrial water. The LOI also

includes the potential purchase or renting

by GSP SA of the Company’s Mobile

Production Unit (“MPU”) for the on-site

production of Grafysorber®.

The company commercially launched

Grafysorber® in 2015 to clean up

water contaminated with the harmful

hydrocarbons contained in oil spills.

The use of graphene will

allow for perfor-mance footwear that is stronger,

more flexible and long-lasting.

Graphene footwear coming to the

market

UK company innov-8 is using graphene

in sports shoes that will be hitting the

market in 2018. Graphene has been

incorporated into the rubber outsoles,

and tests show this has made them

stronger, more flexible and wear

resistant. The company is collaborating

with the University of Manchester to

develop the footwear.

Dr Aravind Vijayaraghavan said “When

added to the rubber used in innov-8’s

G-Series shoes, graphene imparts all

its properties, including its strength.

Our unique formulation makes these

outsoles 50 per cent stronger, 50

per cent more stretchy and 50 per

cent more resistant to wear than the

corresponding industry standard

rubber without graphene.”

New graphene start-up in Ireland

This month sees a new start-up in

Ireland, GrapheneXL is a new start-

up in Ireland. The company are

developing a process to produce high-

quality, low cost and scalable high

volume graphene.

Graphene sensor patent granted

Grolltex has been granted a patent

by the USPTO for a new multi-

modal ‘super’ sensor design made of

single layer graphene. The patent is

titled “Graphene-based multi-modal

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sensor”. The

c o m p a n y

is working

on initial

applications

for these

s e n s o r s

that are

t a r g e t i n g

the bio-

sensing and

d e f e n c e

sectors.

Samsung develop new graphene battery

Researchers at the Samsung Advanced

Institute of Technology (SAIT) have developed a

“graphene* ball,” a unique battery material that

enables a 45% increase in capacity, and five times

faster charging speeds than standard lithium-ion

batteries. The breakthrough provides promise

New graphene products in 2018

Cecorelax has launched a pillow made from memory-

foam enhanced with graphene, the “Graphene Memory

Foam Pillow”. According to the company the pillow helps

maintain body temperature during the night, and is highly

resistant, light and flexible. Other product launches this

month include SEC-S801BT heart rate sports earphones

with graphene diaphragm from Pioneer Corporation.

The Graphene diaphragm is a more superior material for

earphones speaker than traditional diaphragm because

its strength to weight ratio is higher, it has more accurate

sound reproduction and it can deliver clarity in the mid to

high frequency range. Initial sales will be in China.

Ghostek has brought to the market for the first time

graphene-based headphones, the “Rapture Wireless

Headphones”. According to the company the product

uses 40 mm graphene drivers to deliver a “Next-Level HD

Audio Experience”. partnership with Fraikin highlights the

significant impact utilising regenerative braking technology

and energy storage can have. This is an important first step

in realising essential efficiencies for the industry and we

look forward to seeing further advances in this field.”

Graphene for defence

India’s defence forces are partnering with Bangalore-

based graphene start-up Log 9 Materials. The company,

founded in 2015, has developed graphene-based lead

acid batteries and will seek to produce batteries for the

defence forces on a large scale.

FUELING GRAPHENEResearchers from Rice University have

discovered that nitrogen-doped carbon

nanotubes or modified graphene nanoribbons

could potentially replace platinum for fast oxygen

reduction—a crucial reaction in fuel cells that

transform chemical energy into electricity. The

researchers used computer simulations to see

how carbon nanomaterials can be improved for

fuel-cell cathodes and discovered the atom-level

mechanisms by which doped nanomaterials

catalyze oxygen reduction reactions.

The simulations also revealed why graphene

nanoribbons and carbon nanotubes modified

with nitrogen and/or boron are so sluggish and

how they can be improved.

Read more at http://pubs.rsc.org/en/

C o n t e n t / A r t i c l e L a n d i n g / 2 0 1 8 / N R /

C7NR08061A#!divAbstract

for the next generation secondary battery market,

particularly related to mobile devices and electric

vehicles. In its research, SAIT collaborated closely with

Samsung SDI as well as a team from Seoul National

University’s School of Chemical and Biological

Engineering.

In theory, a battery based on the “graphene ball”

material requires only 12 minutes to fully charge.

Additionally, the battery can maintain a highly stable 60

graphene battery that can be charged in seconds, instead of hours.

The team, led by professor Gao Chao, from Department of Polymer Science and Engineering of Zhejiang University,

designed a battery using graphene films as anode and metallic aluminum as cathode. Experiments show that the

battery retains 91 percent of its original capacity after 250,000 recharges, surpassing all the previous batteries in terms

of cycle life. Read more at http://advances.sciencemag.org/content/3/12/eaao7233

19


degree Celsius temperature, with stable

battery temperatures particularly key for

electric vehicles. Read more at http://

www.nature.com/articles/s41467-017-

01823-7

Solar technology company Verditek

PLC has signed a joint development

programme with Paragraf Ltd to develop

a new graphene-based solar panel. “This

is an exciting development for both our

organisations. The opportunity to apply

the breakthrough graphene production

technique developed by Paragraf to the

Verditek solar cells moves us both to the

cutting edge of the solar industry,” said

Verditek Chairman Geoff Nesbitt.

A team of researchers from Zhejiang

University has developed an aluminum-

GRAPHENE SUPERCAPSGraphene supercapacitors

company Skeleton Technologies

has signed of a distribution

agreement with Sumitomo

Corporation Europe. The

agreement aims to provide

energy storage solutions to the

hybrid electric and electric vehicle

industry. “Ultracapacitors play an

important role for high power

applications in the transportation

sector. Skeleton’s revolutionary

technology has the potential to

drive this industry forward and

ensure that both manufacturers

and customers alike, can reap

the benefits of a hybrid approach

to battery technology,” reported

Hidenori Eto, General Manager of

Sumitomo Corporation Europe’s

Warsaw office.

20


ELECTRONICS&PHOTONICS

Researchers at The University of

Manchester have developed graphene

sensors that can be embedded into

RFIDs. They have developed humidity

sensors for remote sensing with the ability to

connect to any wireless network by layering

graphene-oxide over graphene to create a flexible

heterostructure. According to the researchers, the

sensors can be printed layer-by-layer for scalable

and mass production at very low cost. The device

also requires no battery source as it harvests power

from the receiver.

Iowa State University researchers have

developed a graphene sensor that can be taped

to plants. Researchers have developed various

sensors using a “simple and versatile method

for patterning and transferring graphene-based

21


nanomaterials” to create

the flexible sensors. The

research has been primarily

supported by the Faculty

Scholars Program of Iowa

State’s Plant Sciences

Institute.

graphene and glass – that bends when driven

by a stimulus like heat, a chemical reaction or

an applied voltage. The shape change happens

because, in the case of heat, two materials with

different thermal responses expand by different

amounts over the same temperature change.

Graphene is utilized due to it’s exceptional

mechanical properties and flexibility. Researchers

Iowa State University researchers have developed

these “plant tattoo sensors” to take real-time, direct

measurements of water use in crops.

A research team at Cornell University has built a robot

exoskeleton that can rapidly change its shape upon

sensing chemical or thermal changes in its environment.

“We are trying to build what you might call an ‘exoskeleton’

for electronics,” said Paul McEuen, the John A. Newman

Professor of Physical Science and director of the Kavli

Institute at Cornell for Nanoscale Science. “Right now, you

can make little computer chips that do a lot of information-

processing … but they don’t know how to move or cause

something to bend.”

The machines move using a motor called a bimorph. A

bimorph is an assembly of two materials – in this case,

SHINING A LIGHT ON GRAPHENEUniversity of Central Florida (UCF) researchers

have demonstrated more than 45 percent

absorption of light in a single layer of graphene.

This discovery could open up applications that

require the incident light to be fully utilized,

including light detectors, touchscreens, glucose

testing meters and even water filtration systems.

Debashis Chanda, a researcher in the NanoScience

Technology Center and College of Optics and

Photonics and Michael N. Leuenberger at UCF

said “This is the first published work on extremely

high light absorption in graphene which is

tunable dynamically. Theoretical studies show

further design optimization can lead to further

enhanced absorption close to 90 percent.”

$12 months. Further information: https://doi.

org/10.1103/PhysRevB.96.165431

Marc Miskin said “Our devices are compatible with

semiconductor manufacturing,” “That’s what’s making

this compatible with our future vision for robotics at

this scale.” Further information: http://www.pnas.org/

content/early/2018/01/01/1712889115.abstract.

GrapheneTECH MARKET REPORT | AUGUST 2017

2017

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