GNPs - Page 6

Versarien, the advanced materials engineering group, has announced that it has signed a supply agreement to provide Versarien's new graphene enhanced polymer range to AECOM for a current infrastructure project.

This supply agreement follows the collaboration Versarien entered into with AECOM, a US headquartered and Fortune 500 company. This collaboration covered a project that AECOM and Versarien have been undertaking involving the incorporation of Versarien's graphene nano-platelets into large scale polymer structures used in civil infrastructure projects, with a view to increasing their structural strength.

Versarien has announced that it has received an order for the supply of Versarien's graphene nano platelets to a design and manufacturing company for use in fire retardant aircraft interior parts for a major global airline.

The order is for an initial 1 kg of the Company's graphene nano platelets and it is anticipated that further orders will be received to fulfill the end-customers' contract. The specific aircraft interior parts have reportedly gained the necessary certification from a USA-based, Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) certified, fire testing laboratory.

In a recent study, researchers from the Stevens Institute of Technology in the U.S have come up with an original idea - they designed a bionic mushroom that uses graphene to produce electricity. More accurately, the researchers have generated mushrooms patterned with energy-producing bacteria and an electrode network.

Many examples of organisms that live closely together and interact with each other exist in nature. In some cases, this symbiotic relationship is mutually beneficial. The research team wanted to engineer an artificial symbiosis between button mushrooms and cyanobacteria. In their vision, the mushroom would provide shelter, moisture and nutrients, while bacteria 3D-printed on the mushroom's cap would supply energy by photosynthesis. Graphene nanoribbons printed alongside the bacteria could capture electrons released by the microbes during photosynthesis, producing bio-electricity.

Versarien recently announced it will be collaborating with fire retardant coatings supplier Advanced Insulation to work on a graphene project.

The collaboration will focus on incorporating Versarien's Nanene few layer graphene nano-platelets into sub-sea insulation materials to improve tear resistance and reducing water absorption of these materials.

Researchers from Empa and the Adolphe Merkle Institute (AMI) in Fribourg have conducted studies on a 3D lung model to examine the behavior of graphene and graphene-like materials once they have been inhaled.

The lung model at Adolphe Merkle Institute (AMI)

Thanks to the 3-D lung model, the researchers have succeeded in simulating the actual conditions at the blood-air barrier and the impact of graphene on the lung tissue as realistically as possible without any tests on animals or humans. It is a cell model representing the lung alveoli. Conventional in vitro tests work with cell cultures from just one cell type the newly established lung model, on the other hand, bears three different cell types, which simulate the conditions inside the lung, namely alveolar epithelial cells and two kinds of immune cells macrophages and dendritic cells.

XG Sciences has announced the completion of the first phase of expansion in its newest 64,000 square-foot facility. The expansion has added 90 metric tons of graphene nanoplatelet production capacity, bringing the total capacity of the facility up to approximately 180 metric tons and enabling the formulation of up to 18 million kilograms of advanced materials per year. Phase two of the expansion is expected to be complete by year-end and will result in up to 400 metric tons of total graphene nanoplatelet output capacity at the facility.

XG's total graphene nanoplatelet output capacity across both of its manufacturing facilities currently exceeds 200 metric tons per year and will more than double over the next three months, reaching up to an approximate 450 metric tons by year-end. The expansions support XG’s mission to continue commercializing the use of graphene in customer products across diverse industries.

Versarien reports it has signed an agreement with U.S-based firm AECOM, a Fortune 500 company, to explore the potential of its graphene-based Nanene in construction. AECOM is involved in various construction projects from planning new cities and building skyscrapers to "repairing damaged environments."

AECOM "will initially be working on a project involving the incorporation of Versarien's proprietary Nanene few layer graphene nano-platelets into large-scale polymer structures used in civil infrastructure projects, with a view to increasing their structural strength".

Researchers at The University of Manchester and TWI have discovered ways of using graphene to prolong the lifetime of pipes used in the oil and gas industry. The team has designed a way of incorporating graphene into a polymer liner used in pipes that transport crude oil and gas from the sea floor. This technology has the potential to extend the life of the underwater pipework and therefore reduce the time between repairs.

Such pipes are generally made of internal layers of polymer or composite and external strengthening steel. Within these pipes, fluids may be at very high pressure and elevated temperature. In situations where carbon dioxide (CO₂), hydrogen sulfide (H₂S) and water permeate through the protective barrier layer of the pipe, the steel may corrode causing the pipe to lose strength over time, leading to a risk of catastrophic failure.

Vollebak, a sports gear manufacturer with an affinity towards using next-gen materials and technologies, is now selling (for 595 euros!) a graphene-enhanced jacket that according to the company, can perform functions like absorbing heat and then warming you up over time, conducting electricity, repelling bacteria, and dissipating your body’s excess humidity.

The process of developing Vollebak’s jacket, according to the company’s cofounders, brothers Steve and Nick Tidball, took years of intensive research. The jacket is reportedly made out of a two-sided material, which the company invented during the extensive R&D process. The graphene side is gray, while the other side appears matte black. To create it, the scientists turned raw graphite into graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs) that were then blended with polyurethane to create a membrane. That, in turn, is bonded to nylon to form the other side of the material, which Vollebak says alters the properties of the nylon itself. Adding graphene to the nylon fundamentally changes its mechanical and chemical propertiesa nylon fabric that couldn’t naturally conduct heat or energy, for instance, now can, the company claims.

Directa Plus, a producer and supplier of graphene-based products for use in consumer and industrial markets, has announced it has received a further order from Alfredo Grassi. Over a year ago, in June 2017, Directa Plus and Grassi teamed up to develop graphene-enhanced clothing, workwear, uniforms and other textile products.

This follow-up order is worth an initial €0.70 million to supply high performance technical textiles with Graphene Plus (G+). It is anticipated that this order will be delivered in the current financial year. The Board believes this order represents the largest amount of textile material to be treated with graphene nanoplatelets by any company in the world to date.