Scientists at the University of Kansas managed to fabricate an innovative substance made of an atomic sheet of graphene interlocked with a sheet tungsten disulfide that could be used for solar cells and flexible electronics.

The material was formed using "layer to layer assembly" as a versatile bottom-up nanofabrication technique. The scientists then examined the motion of electrons between the layers through ultrafast laser spectroscopy, and found that nearly 100% of the electrons that absorbed energy from the laser pulse moved from the tungsten layer to the graphene within one picosecond, proving that the new material combines the properties of each component layer.

The U.S based public comapny Graphene 3D Lab, developer of graphene-enhanced materials for 3D printing, announced the signing of a memorandum of understanding with Taulman 3D, an American company that focuses on research and development of new 3D printing materials (with an accent on proprietary nylon materials), for the cooperation on research and development of 3D printing materials.

The agreement states that the companies will collaborate on the development of a graphene-infused nylon material for use in 3D printers, and Graphene 3D Lab will be granted exclusive distribution rights in North American for Taulman3D's Nylon 680 material, meant to start being sold in the beginning of 2015, for a two-year period.

Reseachers from University of Nebraska-Lincoln used graphene and ammonia to enhance the properties of a component that can be used in next generation RAM.

The scientists placed ammonia between graphene the ferroelectric layer to produce an enhanced ferroelectric tunnel junction that improved the reliability of RAM devices and allowed them to read data without the need to rewrite it. 

Researchers from the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR) conducted a study on the dynamics of graphene electrons in a magnetic field, which reportedly yielded fascinating results.

The HZDR researchers exposed graphene to an extremely strong (four-tesla) magnetic field, and as a result the electrons occupied only certain energy states. These energy levels were examined with free-electron laser light pulses which excites the electrons into a certain Landau level. The surprising result of this test was that the particular energy level in which the electrons were arranged via the laser gradually emptied.

A model of the electron redistribution that HZDR researchers discovered

It has been established that energy states of graphene in a magnetic field - known as Landau levels - behave differently than those of semiconductors. Yet, the scientists claim, not many researchers tested the dynamics of electrons in such a magnetic field system.

Graphene Batteries is a Norwegian company that was founded over two years ago in order to explore the potential of graphene in batteries and develop practical graphene-based battery products.

Its vision is to provide robust battery materials for a renewable energy ecosystem, aiming to create durable battery materials that are reliable, safe and green. 

The sample, which is the proprietary LFP/graphene powder (cathode material for Li-ion batteries). It has about 20% higher capacity than the state of the art carbon coated LFP powder, an improvement that is even more significant at higher currents. Moreove

The Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden announced the 2015 launch of ChalmersX, a venture of moocs (massive open online courses) on the edx.org platform.

The first mooc will be an introduction to graphene, called Introduction to Graphene Science and Technology, as Chalmers is also the home of EU's research initiative Graphene Flagship.

European researchers from the Insidde, the Seventh Framework Programme (a European Union funded project) are working on the development of a graphene-based scanner, which can be used to reveal hidden aspects of artwork and other historic objects.(a) Ceramic from the III century. (b) Setup for 3D acquisition with a structured light scanner. (c) 3D model resulting from raw data before post-processing.

The scanner will allow viewing concealed details on canvases, like preliminary sketches or former paintings, as well as the way brush strokes were done. This information can shed light on how great art was made, and also be helpful for conservators for the restoraion of paintings.

The UK based 2-DTech, maker and supplier of 2D materials and University of Manchester spun off start-up has signed a Memorandum of Understanding to become a project partner of the National Graphene Institute (NGI).

The agreement will allow 2-DTech to work from the NGI facility upon its completion in March 2015, and is hoped to push forward graphene applications development and commercialization and help cultivate this relationship into a strategic partnership in the future.

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