May 2013

Researchers from Korea's Sungkyunkwan University developed a highly flexible and transparent memory device using graphene electrodes (both and anode and the cathode). This is the first time graphene is used for the bottom electrode in such a device, and this was achieved by using a chemical union of the bottom electrode with the molecular film of organic molecules (which is placed between the two electrodes).

This is not the first graphene based flexible memory device. In October 2012 researchers from Rice University developed highly transparent (95%), flexible, nonvolatile resistive memory devices based on silicon oxide (SiOx) and graphene. In March 2013 Researchers from EPFL designed a new flexible, small and fast flash memory cell prototype from graphene and Molybdenite (MoS2).

Lomiko Metals, the Research Foundation of Stony Brook University (SBU) and Graphene Labs have signed an agreement to investigate novel, energy-focused graphene applications. The three collaborators will mainly focus on super capacitors and batteries.

Researchers from Nanyang Technological University developed a new camera sensor made from graphene that can detect a broad light spectrum - from visible to mid-infrared - at high sensitivity. The new sensor is 1,000 times more sensitive to light than current imaging sensors, yet it uses 10 times less energy as it operates at low voltages.

The researchers say that they used existing manufacturing practices (a CMOS process) which means that these new sensors can be commercialized rather easily. They now intent to find industry partners to develop this into a real product.

QuantumWise and the Technical University of Denmark (DTU) will co-develop software that can simulate large-scale nano-electronic devices (including graphene), where electron-phonon coupling is taken into account.

The project, "Nano-Scale Design Tools for the Semiconductor Industry", will extend Quantum Wise's Atomistix ToolKit (ATK) routinely simulate electrical characteristics and thermal heating of nano-scale devices containing more than 100,000 atoms. The calculations will be based on an atomic-scale description and include electron-phonon couplings.

Researchers from the University of California, Berkeley created a light-responsive hydrogel made from graphene and elastin-like proteins. When light (a laser) is shining on the gel, it curls inward rapidly. This property is called phototropism - plants use it to orient towards a light source. This material may be useful in robots, drug delivery and synthetic tissue engineering.

The idea behind the new material is that the graphene sheet generates heat when exposed to infrared light,. This causes the proteins to release the water the cling to when not heated.

Researchers from Rice University and the Honda Research Institute USA found that using graphene coating may enable carbon nanotube (CNT) growth on substrates which are normally unsuitable for this task.

A diamond for example conducts heat very well (five times better than copper) but it has a very low available surface area. Coating diamonds with graphene enables the growth of vertically aligned CNTs on the diamond - which creates a very efficient heat sink.

Firmus SAM has been granted a patent for a novel electronics manufacturing method using graphene and other two-dimensional carbon crystals similar to graphene. Firmus expects to deploy graphene's potential in desalination, water treatment and contaminant removal, and will also explore other applications in electronics and other areas.

Firmus has a production facility in Warsaw, Poland and plans to use that for its graphene program.

Researchers from Purdue University developed a new transparent electrode made from silver nanowires and graphene. ITO, which is currently used for transparent electrodes in touch displays is expensive, non-flexible, brittle and rare. Silver Nanowires is a promising material to replace ITO - and it is already being commercialized for LCD and OLED displays.

The researchers say that coating the silver nanowires with graphene sheets changed the resistance of the electrodes - which dropped to only 22 ohms per square (which is five times better than ITO which has a sheet resistance of 100 ohms per square).

A group of researchers from the University of Texas in El Paso (UTEP) developed a new technology to recycle water - based on graphene membranes. The researchers won $100,000 from the University of Texas System Horizon Fund Student Investment Competition and established a new company called American Water Recycling (AWR) to commercialize this technology. This follows an earlier $10,000 win in March 2013.

AWR claims that their graphene membrane can extract grease from water and clean it - and much faster than existing membranes. In fact, a regular membrane can process about 30 gallons a day, but the graphene based membranes will do 30 gallons per hous. AWR is now applying to a $300,000 state grant that will allow them to test the membrane in a year-long trial at a septic-tank pumping company in Las Cruces. According to their business plan, they will reach $33 million in sales in the next five years and will also develop other water-treatment and water-recycling products.

We already know that laser can be used to produce graphene (see here and here), and in 2010 researchers developed an ultra-fast mode-locked laser using Graphene. A recent research improved their graphene-based laser device to produce a broad spectrum of infrared wavelengths. This may be useful for applications such as fiber optic communications.

The researchers say that their results suggest it will be possible to create graphene-base lasers that emit light over the entire spectrum of visible light.