Researchers from MIT developed a new process that can transfer graphene directly onto a variety of flexible substrates using a lamination process that does not require an intermediate "glue" step. The new process does not leave any residues that can affect the graphene like in other transfer processes. The new method can also be used for other materials, such as boron nitride.

The process starts by synthesizing graphene flakes on both sides of a copper foil sheet. Then the flakes are sandwiched between the target flexible surface and a protective paper layer. This structure is placed between two plastic (PET) sheets. This goes into a lamination machine in which the temperature can be controlled, and the components bond together. The plastic film and paper where removed and this leaves a copper foil with graphene and the target substrate. The copper was dissolved (or etched away) using a copper etchant.

Felda Global Ventures Holdings (the world's largest crude palm oil producer, based in Malaysia) signed an agreement with Cambridge Nanosystems to produce graphene and CNT materials as by-products of crude palm oil and other hydrocarbons.

According to the agreement, FGV will provide the raw material while Carbon Nanosystems will provide proprietary technology to produce the carbon materials via a nano-systems technology.

Researchers from Finland's MIKES center and Aalto University demonstrated that quantum hall resistance measurement using graphene on silicon carbide can be done at lower magnetic fields and on industrially produced material.

The researchers say that it is well known that graphene is excellent for quantum hall resistance measurement. In fact, it outperforms the currently used gallium arsenide in many aspects. These measurements were performed on industrially produced material supplied by Graphensic that applies a high growth temperature method to produce the graphene. Photolithographic patterning and electrical contacts were made by Aalto University.

Researchers from from Sweden's Linköping University managed to fabricate an on/off switchable zipper-like graphene interface in order to control interaction between biomolecules and electrode materials. Using electrochemical techniques, the researchers hope that this can lead the way towards development of an auto-switchable graphene bio-interface based bio-devices.

The researchers developed a "zipper" that is made from a graphene donor and a polymeric receptor, which are assembled together based in a stoichiometric interaction. At about 20 degrees Celsius, hydrogen bonding creates a coalescence of the graphene interface, thereby causing considerable shrinkage in the donor-to-acceptor interface. Thus access of an associated enzyme to its substrate is largely restricted, resulting in a decrease in the diffusion of reactants and the consequent activity of the system.

A few weeks ago Graphene Nanochem reported that they did not start selling their graphene-enhanced PlatDrill drilling fluid as previously planned. Now the company announced that it remains confident in the PlatDrill prospects and are in talks with Scomi Group regarding the determination and selection of a well site by its end-customers.

NanoChem further says that it hopes that they will be able to recognize revenue in relation to PlatDrill in 2013.

In past years we've seen many research papers describing how graphene could be used for DNA sequencing (see for example here and here). Now researchers from Seoul National University are suggesting a new method to reduce 1/f noise in graphene based sequencing devices. First, they replace the silicon substrate that is usually used with a quartz-based substrate. Second, they use few-layer graphene instead of single or bilayer graphene.

The quartz substrate results in almost six times lower noise - because the silicon creates most of the 1/f noise. Using few-layer graphene instead of single-layer or dielectric layer coated graphene also simplifies the fabrication steps and allows for identical pore size during the pore drilling.

Researcher from Columbia University demonstrated that it is possible to electrically contact an atomically thin graphene (or any 2D material) only along its edge (rather than contacting it from the top). This new architecture enabled a new assembly technique that prevents interface contamination. This new assembly process resulted in the cleanest graphene ever made. They say that the new edge-contact geometry actually provides a more efficient contact without the need for complex processing.

This research work solved two graphene problems - contamination and contact. Having contacts just at the edges virtually eliminates external contamination. To achieve this breakthrough, the researchers fully encapsulated a single graphene sheet in a sandwich of thin insulating boron nitride crystals, employing a new technique in which crystal layers are stacked one-by-one.