October 2016

Versarien, an advanced materials group that creates innovative engineering solutions in a diverse range of industries, announced the participation of the Company's subsidiary, 2-DTech, in a new project funded by EPSRC (the UK's main agency for funding research in engineering and the physical sciences). The project 2D Materials for Next Generation Healthcare Technologies (2D-Health) started on October 1st and will utilize £5.2 million of funding over the next 5 years.

The project, in which Graphenea also recently announced its participation, is one of four major research grants awarded as part of the EPSRC Healthcare Technologies scheme, that will develop new technologies to address the health issues of an aging UK population. 2D-Health will aim to utilize the unique properties offered by graphene to develop innovative solutions for specific unmet clinical needs, particularly in wound care and management (relevant to diabetes), tissue rehabilitation by electrical stimulation (relevant to dementia), cell therapeutics (relevant to cardiovascular disease), and immunotherapeutics (relevant to cancer).

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A group of scientists from the National Research University of Electronic Technology MIET (Russia), Technological Center AIMEN (Spain) and Forschungszentrum Jülich (Germany) has developed an approach for graphene physical and chemical modification avoiding the step of resist deposition, that can be useful for graphene-based electronics technologies.

This work demonstrates the mask-less and resist-free patterning of graphene by two different routes: thermal ablation or oxidative etching. That means that by varying the parameters of laser pulses, chemical tuning (energy gap control) and isolation line patterning is possible in a single process without any chemicals. The same group published the results of graphene oxide reduction by using thermal and chemical effects from laser irradiation. Moreover the laser pulses provide 3D embossing of graphene that open the way for single processing of NEMS and microfluidic-based sensors in graphene.

Canada-based Elcora Advanced Materials has reported its first shipment of graphene from its 100% wholly owned subsidiary, Graphene Corp. The graphene material, produced from its Canadian plant in Bedford, Nova Scotia reportedly meets all the high-quality specifications as tested by the Centre for Advanced 2D Materials (CA2DM) at the National University of Singapore (NUS).

Elcora, through Graphene Corp., has developed processes to refine graphite with a much higher yield of graphene. This process can be used with a wide variety of graphite sources, therefore does not limit itself to specific raw material used. The Elcora technical personnel have also developed a unique low-cost and ecological process to make graphene that is commercially scalable.

Shanghai’s Baoshan district government, in conjunction with General Electric, Samsung and Sabic, recently launched a 400 million yuan (US$59 million) venture capital fund to support startup companies set up by expats. The fund will invest in the development and applications of new materials, with a special focus on graphene.

The fund will aim to draw global professionals and the world’s leading graphene-related projects to Baoshan to create a major research hub to develop the graphene-enhanced products. Baoshan aims to lure at least 10,000 innovative and startup firms by the end of the year to set up in an area along seven stations of Metro Line 1 between Gongkang and Fujin stations.

Graphene 3D Lab recently announced that it has developed an innovative graphene composite material that was given the trade name "G6-ImpactTM", intended for users in the automotive, robotics, drone, aerospace industries and military sectors. G3L has filed a provisional patent application covering methods of production and formulation as well as the potential applications of the G6-ImpactTM material.

The new material reportedly features excellent rigidity and extraordinary absorption for both impact and vibration. Its high performance is ensured by G3L's proprietary formulation and production method. G6-ImpactTM will be an optimal material for applications where vibration damping is required on rigid surfaces, which could include sporting gear, power tools handles, automotive parts, and aerospace components.

Graphenea recently announced its participation in a new project funded by EPSRC (the UK's main agency for funding research in engineering and the physical sciences). The project 2D Materials for Next Generation Healthcare Technologies (2D-Health) started on October 1 st and will utilize £5.2 million of funding over the next 5 years.

The project will aim to explore how 2D materials can assist in tackling major health challenges, such as cancer, diabetes and dementia. 2D-Health is one of four major research grants awarded as part of the EPSRC Healthcare Technologies scheme, totaling £17.7 million, that will develop new technologies to address the health issues of an aging UK population.

Update: After speaking with the NGI, it seems that there is no such cooperation taking place. China's Tianjin High-tech Area (THT) will cooperate with Allied Vehicles Group in Scotland, a leading supplier of adapted and special purpose vehicles and the National Institute of Graphene of the Manchester University on the development of graphene-enhanced batteries for new energy vehicles (NEV).

The Tianjin High-tech Area has formed a complete NEV industrial chain over the years, including battery, motor and other component development. The THT is expecting near-future investments and plans to expand in most parts of the industrial chain.

Researchers at Rice University have found that layers of graphene, separated by nanotube pillars of boron nitride, may be a suitable material to store hydrogen fuel in cars. The boron nitride pillars are situated between graphene layers to make space for hydrogen atoms, similarly to spaces between floors in a building. The actual challenge is to make the atoms enter and stay in sufficient numbers and exit upon demand.

In their latest molecular dynamics simulations, the researchers found that either pillared graphene or pillared boron nitride graphene would offer abundant surface area (about 2,547 square meters per gram) with good recyclable properties under ambient conditions. Their models showed adding oxygen or lithium to the materials would make them even better at binding hydrogen.

The Spain-based Graphenea recently announced that preparations are on track for mass production of 200 mm (8) diameter high quality graphene on Si/SiO2 wafers. Last week cleanroom components arrived to be assembled in a new production space at the company's location in San Sebastian. Production of 200 mm graphene on a new chemical vapor deposition system is expected to be up and running at the beginning of 2017.

The investment in the new lab will increase the company’s production capacity and quality of graphene wafers. The new addition will represent a tenfold expansion of Graphenea's production space, where it currently routinely manufactures high quality graphene with a diameter of 100 mm (4). The production capacity will increase 20-fold with the addition of the new line, to produce 4, 6, and 8 wafers as standard.