A team of international researchers has made a graphene-based device that captures the real-time dynamics of a classic chemical reaction at the single molecule level. Developed at Peking University, UCLA and the Institute Chinese Academy of Sciences, the method could shed light on the mechanism of chemical and biological processes.

The device consists of two graphene arrays that flank a single molecule covalently tied to each array through amide linkers. The molecule, 9-fluorenone, contains a carbonyl group situated astride three fused rings. The team submerged the device in a solution containing a catalyst and the reagent hydroxylamine, which reacts with 9-fluorenone’s carbonyl group. The reaction changes the electrical charge of 9-fluorenone, so the team could follow the nucleophilic addition reaction by monitoring current conducted by the graphene arrays.

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Scientists from the Australian Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) have used their own type of graphene called "GraphAir" to develop a water filter membrane that is reportedly capable of making water from Sydney Harbor drinkable.

The membrane makes water purification simpler, more effective and quicker, say CSIRO scientists. Conventional water filter membranes used in water purification​ are made from polymers (plastics) and cannot handle a diverse mix of contaminants, they clog or allow contaminants to pass through, so they have to be separated out before the water is filtered, they said. This technology can create clean drinking water, regardless of how dirty it is, in a single step.

Scientists at Rice University have enhanced their formerly invented LIG technique to produce what may become a new class of edible electronics. The Rice lab of Prof. James Tour is investigating ways to write graphene patterns onto food and other materials to embed conductive identification tags and sensors into the products themselves.

"This is not ink," Tour said. "This is taking the material itself and converting it into graphene". The process is an extension of the Tour lab's perception that anything with adequate carbon content can be turned into graphene. In recent years, the lab has developed and expanded upon its method to make graphene foam by using a commercial laser to transform the top layer of an inexpensive polymer film.

Zenyatta Ventures recently stated that it will concentrate efforts on the next generation lithium-ion battery (‘LIB’) utilizing advanced nanomaterials. Recent testing has shown Zenyatta’s graphene oxide combined with silicon to perform well in this new advanced battery being developed by an innovative materials company in the United States.

This advanced battery program is part of a broader graphene development strategy; Along with the new LIB’s, the Company will also focus on using its graphene for enhancing present day composite materials like concrete, rubber and plastic.

Emberion developed graphene-based photodetectors that convert light to an electronic signal using graphene charge transducers combined with a nanocrystal light absorber. Potential applications include spectrometry, optical gas detection or optical power measurements.

The photodetectors provide responsivity and low noise over a broad spectral range from VIS to NIR/SWIR wavelengths without cooling below room temperature. The full dynamic range is 160 dB, owing to the low noise and an unsaturated response.

A team of Chinese scientists has developed graphene-based high temperature-resistant memristors, which are leading candidates for future storage and neuromorphic computing, with potential to address existing challenges in the development of electronic devices.

The sandwich-like memristor is composed of two layers of graphene, with a layer of molybdenum disulfide in the middle. The memristor devices exhibit excellent thermal stability and can operate at a high temperature of up to 340 degrees Celsius.

Researchers at Washington State University are working on graphene-based sodium-ion batteries that might provide a less expensive, viable alternative to lithium-ion batteries.

The researchers used tin oxide nanocrystals supported on a graphene structure to vastly improve the battery. The team explained that technology also could be used in lithium-ion batteries, making it more attractive for manufacturing.

Researchers from the Chinese Harbin Institute of Technology have developed an intriguing material that combines a soft, self-healing polymer with a tough layer of graphene oxide and could one day form the basis of ultra-tough scratch resistant coatings.

The Harbin team sees the material as a combination of the best properties of skin which can heal itself from the inside out with tooth enamel, which is hard but cannot self-repair. "For a material to self-heal, it generally needs to be a highly dynamic polymer network", say the researchers. "Unfortunately, this also means self-healing coatings are typically made of soft materials".

Researchers at Chalmers University of Technology and the Beijing University of Technology have exploited graphene's thermoelectric properties to create a new kind of radiation detector. Classified as a bolometer, the new device has a fast response time and, unlike most other bolometers, works over a wide range of temperatures. With a simple design and relatively low cost, this device could be scaled up, enabling a wide range of commercial applications.

In the new bolometer, radiation heats part of the device, inducing electrons to move. The displaced electrons generate an electric field, which creates a voltage difference across the device. The change in voltage thus provides an essentially direct measurement of the radiation.