September 2015

Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology used carbon atoms deposited on graphene with a focused electron beam process, to demonstrate a technique for creating dynamic patterns on graphene surfaces. The patterns could be used to make reconfigurable electronic circuits, which evolve over a period of hours before ultimately disappearing into a new electronic state of the graphene.

Beyond allowing fabrication of disappearing circuits, the technology could be used as a form of timed release in which the dissipation of the carbon patterns could control other processes, such as the release of biomolecules.

Graphene 3D Lab has filed a non-provisional patent relating to the preparation and separation of atomic layers of graphene. This technology is said to represent a new, energy-efficient process to manufacture, sort and classify graphene nanoparticles, resulting in the potential for large-scale production of high-grade graphene.

The patent is relevant to graphene nanoplatelets - it covers a new, energy-efficient, non-chemically invasive process that significantly lowers the cost of preparing and separating high-quality, low atomic layers of GNP. 

Group NanoXplore has announced that it has participated in the financing of two innovative graphene applications companies: NanoPhyll, a company dedicated to improving efficiencies in the photocatalytic and photovoltaic markets through the application of customized graphene; Two Carbon, a materials technology company designing next-generation, high performance outdoor products using graphene as a fundamental building block.

Both companies originally approached NanoXplore for support in developing their technology solutions. NanoXplore states that its graphene turned out to be suitable for these applications and the resulting performance was even better than initially projected.

A few days ago we reported that the Fraunhofer Institute FEP will demonstrate an OLED device with a graphene-based electrode, as part of project GLADIATOR. The researchers hope that the graphene will enable devices that are highly flexible and stable. The CVD-produced monolayer graphene was produced by Graphenea, and the project that will run until April 2017 aims to produce larger demonstrators.

We had the good chance of talking to Beatrice Beyer, the project's coordinator at the Fraunhofer Institute, and she was kind enough to answer a few questions we had regarding the project and the technology they develop.

Q: Beatrice, thanks for your time. Can you explain to us how the graphene compares to ITO as an OLED electrode?

For the time being, the optoelectronic performance of graphene as a transparent electrode is still not as good as for the mature 'industry standard' ITO, but the performance and production technologies are continuously improving and we are optimistic that soon graphene based devices will reliably compete with ITO based on performance.

Researchers at Swinburne University of Technology, collaborating with Monash University, have developed an ultrathin, flat, lightweight graphene oxide optical lens with extraordinary flexibility, that enables potential applications in on-chip nanophotonics and improves the conversion process of solar cells. It might also open up new possibilities in areas like non-invasive 3D biomedical imaging, aerospace photonics, micromachines and more.

Recent developments in nano-optics and on-chip photonic systems have increased the demand for ultrathin flat lenses with 3D subwavelength focusing capability (the ability to see details of an object smaller than 200 nanometres). A number of ultrathin flat lens concepts have been developed, but their real-life application is limited due to their complex design, narrow operational bandwidth and time consuming manufacturing processes. This lens, however, has a 3D subwavelength capability that is 30 times more efficient, able to tightly focus broadband light from the visible to the near infrared, and offers a simple and low-cost manufacturing method.

Researchers at Sungkyunkwan University and the Institute for Basic Science in Suwon, South Korea have designed a new method for opening up a band gap in graphene to allow the construction of graphene-based transistors.

In this study, the scientists have opened a band gap in graphene by carefully doping both sides of bilayer graphene in a way that avoids creating disorder in the graphene structure. Delicately opening up a band gap in graphene in this way enabled the researchers to fabricate a graphene-based memory transistor with the highest initial program/erase current ratio reported to date for a graphene transistor (34.5 compared to 4), along with the highest on/off ratio for a device of its kind (76.1 compared to 26), while maintaining graphene's naturally high electron mobility (3100 cm2/V·s).

Researchers from the Laboratory of Nanooptics and Plasmonics, Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology (MIPT) in Russia have devised a graphene oxide-based biosensor with the potential of significantly speeding up the process of drug development. Graphene helps to improve the sensor's sensitivity, which in the future may enable the development of new drugs and vaccines against many dangerous diseases like HIV, hepatitis and cancer.

The GO-based biosensors exploit the phenomenon of surface plasmon resonance (SPR). Surface plasmons are electromagnetic waves propagating along a metal-dielectric interface (like gold/air) and having the amplitudes exponentially decaying in the neighbor media. Adsorption of molecules from solution onto a sensing surface alters the refractive index of the medium near this surface and, therefore, changes the conditions of SPR. These sensors can detect biomolecule adsorption even at a few trillionth of a gram per millimeter square. Thanks to these merits, SPR biosensing is an outstanding platform to boost technological progress in the areas of medicine and biotechnology. Nevertheless, the most distinctive feature of such sensors is an ability to "visualize" molecular interactions in real time. Researchers believe that the introduction of this method into preclinical trials, for example, can completely change the pharmaceutical industry.

The UK-based Applied Graphene Materials announced that its performance in the 2015 financial year (which ended on July 31) was slightly ahead of company expectations.

AGM significantly broadened its pipeline of identified collaboration opportunities, and provided over 120 evaluation samples to customers in more than 20 countries. The growth in opportunities seems to be accelerating as the evaluation quantities provided in the Q4 was higher than in the previous nine months combined.

Nanomedical Diagnostics, a U.S-based biotech company developing and commercializing bioelectronics for use in research and diagnostics, launched its first product, AGILE Research, a label-free, quantitative, low-cost biosensor for small molecule and protein analysis. The product is entering beta testing this fall and planned for commercial release in early 2016.

AGILE Research is based on graphene biological field effect transistor (BioFET) technology. Its vision is enabling personalized healthcare by improving diagnostic ease, speed, and cost through cutting-edge capabilities. Nanomed’s current focus is finalizing AGILE Research product design and will be evaluating its performance with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Stanford University. The CDC and Nanomedical Diagnostics are entering into a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement to evaluate direct electronic detection of Borrelia burgdorferi antigens for a new Lyme disease diagnostic system. Lyme disease research is also a focal point in the Stanford beta test.

Haydale has been awarded over £450,000 by the government to work on series of research projects. The studies, set to take place over the next 18 months, include several areas of research like a low cost, self-cleaning graphene enhanced coating which could be used to clean and filter swimming pools and waste water, as well as developing resins and coatings for boats and sign posts which emit UV fluorescent dyes under impact.