Researchers from the Siberian Federal University (SFU), the Krasnoyarsk Research Center at the Siberian Division of the RAS, and the National University of Science and Technology MISIS have reported graphene-enhanced rechargeable lithium-ion batteries with double the capacity. To do so, they created anodes with graphene and vanadium disulfide.

The researchers say that the unit capacity of such a material arises from the fact that lithium ions are bound not only at the surface (as in conventional batteries) but also between the layers of the material. One of these layers is graphene, while the second layer is vanadium disulfide (VS₂). The overall thickness of the two-layer plate is about one nanometer. The calculations indicate that the unit capacity of anode material in such case reaches 569 mAh per gram, which is almost double that of pure graphite often applied in modern batteries.

Elcora Advanced Materials has announced the development of graphene-infused lithium-ion batteries for fast charge applications.

Elcora states that its expertise in graphene and lithium-ion battery technology will assist in this project, and that it is presently working with strategic partners (as well as in its in-house Lithium-Ion R&D Battery Lab) in development of applications.

Graphene 3D Lab has announced that a grant of $500,000, awarded to the Graphene Laboratories (a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company) by Long Island Regional Economic Development Council (LIREDC) to help finance the renovation of the company’s new facility at Ronkonkoma, has been supported by the State of New York. The grant will also finance the acquisition of new equipment for the facility.

When announcing the award, NY's Governor said: These awards are critical to building the foundations for New York’s future and ensuring that our economic momentum continues. I congratulate each of the Councils on their awards and look forward to continuing to partner to keep our communities vibrant and thriving for years to come.

Directa Plus, a producer and supplier of graphene-based products for use in consumer and industrial markets, recently announced that it has entered into a collaboration with GSP SA. Headquartered in Romania and part of the GSP Holding group. GSP will be working with Directa Plus to evaluate the use of Grafysorber, Directa's graphene-based product for environmental applications, in the removal of hydrocarbons from contaminated water emanating from oil & gas activities.

The companies have signed a binding letter of intent to conduct field trials with a view to entering into a commercial agreement during the first half of 2018. Under the terms of the LOI, GSP will commence on-field trials in early 2018 to explore multiple applications for Grafysorber across its range of activities in the oil & gas industry, which include offshore drilling and construction, shipping, engineering, aviation, onshore facilities, logistics and catering. This will involve testing the absorbent capabilities of Grafysorber in decontaminating hydrocarbons from seawater and in the treatment of industrial water.

Graphene has been attracting attention due to its exciting properties and countless ideas for applications benefiting from those properties have been thought of; However, it is rightfully claimed that graphene has yet to transform an actual industry or become a household name.

With that said, graphene seems to be slowly but surely entering the market in all sorts of products. In this post, we list 10 products already commercially available that contain graphene - and these are not all of them. Hopefully this is just the beginning and many more applications will follow.

International wheel producer Vittoria sells a range of bicycle wheels that are built from graphene-enhanced composite materials. The wheels, called Quarno (Graphene Plus inside) are available in three different editions (46, 60 and 84 mm) and contain graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs) provided by Directa Plus. The company explains that the graphene grants the wheels advantages like heat dissipation (15-30°C lower) a crucial factor in the slopes, an increase in lateral stiffness (more than 50%) and puncture reduction, especially around the valve area.

Researchers at Columbia Engineering, working with colleagues from Princeton and Purdue Universities and Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, have engineered "artificial graphene" by recreating, for the first time, the electronic structure of graphene in a semiconductor device.

Etched pillars define the positions of quantum dots (red puddles) arranged in an hexagonal lattice. When the spacing between the quantum dots is sufficiently small, electrons can move between them.

Graphene comes in one atomic arrangement: the positions of the atoms in the graphene lattice are fixed, and so all experiments on graphene must adapt to those constraints. On the other hand, in artificial graphene the lattice can be engineered over a wide range of spacings and configurations, making it convenient for condensed researchers because it will have more versatile properties than the natural material.

Norway-based CealTech was established in 2012 to commercialize a patented 3D graphene production method. The company recently received its first prototype proprietary industrial-scale Plasma-Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition (PE-CVD) graphene production reactor.

We discussed CealTech's technology and business with the company's marketing and sales manager, Michel Eid. Michael holds a Ph.D. in Solid Mechanics from the Ecole Polytechnique in France, and held various roles in engineeing, manufacturing, sustaining, sales, marketing and business development. Michel joined CealTech in January 2017.

Q: Hello Michael. CealTech is commercializing a patented 3D graphene production method. Can you give us some details on the process and the material you are producing?

Our production process is based on David Boyd’s technique as per Nature communications (DOI: 10.1038/ncomms7620), ‘Single-step deposition of high-mobility graphene at reduced temperatures’. In summary, the substrate is directly exposed to a low-pressure, microwave hydrogen plasma containing small amounts of methane as carbon source. During this process, vertical grown graphene flakes nucleate and arrange perpendicularly to the surface of the substrate forming a so-called 3D network of non-agglomerated graphene flakes.

The European Defence Agency (EDA) hosted the kick-off meeting for a new study to be carried out over the next 12 months on possible future applications of graphene in the military domain and its expected impact on the European defence industry. The study findings are expected to be published in December 2018/January 2019.

To explore the possible military applications in the land, air and maritime domains, the EDA launched the graphene study which, following a Europe-wide call for tenders, was assigned to Fundacion Tecnalia Research and Innovation (Spain) who will collaborate with two partners, the Technical University of Cartagena (Spain) and Cambridge Nanomaterial Technology (United Kingdom). All consortium members have proven experience in graphene research and also in the defence sector.

Panda Green Energy Group Limited recently announced a strategic collaboration agreement with AVIC BIAM New Materials Technology Engineering Company Limited to jointly develop and manufacture graphene VCI anti-corrosion materials.

This is not the first collaboration between the two companies, and it was stated that this new project is the starting point to promote the combination of new materials and new energy. Panda Green Energy’s future cooperation with AVIC BIAM New Materials will continue to extend, and contribute to leading the industry standards and promoting technological progress throughout the industry.

Canada-based Leading Edge Materials (formerly Flinders Resources), a graphite mining company with principal assets located in Scandinavia, has announced the initiation of a new government-funded project entitled Graphene Energy which aims to apply graphene from the Company’s Woxna graphite facility to enhance the electrical conductivity and the mechanical strength of lithium ion battery anodes. Other project partners comprise 2D fab AB, VestaSi AB, Ã…ngström Advanced Battery Centre (Ã…ABC), Uppsala University (UU) and Mid Sweden University (MIUN).

LEM receives significant support from the Swedish Government through the agency Vinnova, which funds collaborative research between companies, universities, research institutes and public sector. With the initiation of this latest project, the Company is now collaborating in four Swedish government or European Commission supported projects, demonstrating the spectrum of potential markets for Woxna graphite. Two of which are graphene-focused: The Vinnova Graphene Energy Project Announced December 6th 2017, and the Vinnova Graphene Composite Project Graphene Modified Composites for Long-Term and High-Temperature Applications Announced 8th June, 2017.