March 2018

An interesting project under the H2020 initiative is GRAPHENART - focused on examining graphene as an anti-fading agent for the protection of artworks. The project, funded at about €150,000, started at October 2017 and will go on until March 2019.

The reasoning behind the project is that fading, yellowing and discoloration are common degradation effects that result from exposure to UV and visible light and oxidizing agents, resulting in the irreversible alteration of the appearance of contemporary artworks. The GRAPHENART project aims to develop innovative, multi-functional graphene-based products (graphene ‘veils’ and inclusions) that provide UV shielding, de-acidification, oxygen and humidity barriers for the protection of old and modern paintings and artworks.

Perovskite materials offer exciting properties which make them useful for solar panels, fuel cells, lasers, displays and more. Many believe Perovskites are the future of solar power and researchers are discovering how to combine graphene with perovskites to create even more efficient PVs. Our new video below gives a short introduction to perovskites:

For more information on perovskites and to stay updated on these exciting materials, check out our Perovskite-Info knowledge hub!

Researchers at Rice University have demonstrated the mechano-chemical assembly of functionalized graphene layers into 3D graphitic solids (graphite pellets) via room temperature and low energy consuming processing. The pellet material is reportedly stronger and lighter than commercial graphite electrodes and could be promising for electrical storage applications with high energy and power densities.

The environmentally friendly, scalable process can be done in minutes by hand by grinding chemically modified graphene into a powder and using a hand-powered press to squeeze the powder into a solid pellet. The team demonstrated how to make a battery-sized pellet, but the graphene powders with chemical functionalities attached to it can be pressed into any form. They said the material could be suitable for structural, catalytic, electrochemical and electronic applications.

NanoXplore has announced the completion of a bought deal private placement of $10,000,155 CAD (around $7.76 million USD). The Offering was conducted by a syndicate of underwriters co-led by Paradigm Capital Inc. and GMP Securities L.P. and including Echelon Wealth Partners Inc. and National Bank Financial Inc.

The net proceeds from this placement will be used for acquisitions, funding for development of a 10,000 tonne per year graphene production plant and general corporate and working capital purposes.

International security and aerospace company Lockheed Martin will be working with Elcora Advanced Materials to develop graphene-enhanced lithium-ion batteries. The Companies stated that Elcora's graphene can "help the Li-ion batteries increase their storage of power without adding further cost".

Lockheed Martin mentioned that these batteries are being sought after for prolonging the lifespan of power charged in a wide range of devices, from the ubiquitous smartphones to electric cars. Lockheed will also be using them in the military vehicles that will be guided by their Autonomous Mobility Applique Systems (AMAS), or the ‘driverless military convoy’. Lockheed Martin is looking forward to completing the tests and fast-forwarding to deploying them for actual use in military campaigns.

First Graphene raised 3.4 million AUD (around $2.6 USD) in a placement which was strongly supported by European-based and institutional investors.

The funds will help expand the company’s high-quality graphene products, which it produces from Sri Lankan vein graphite, into European industrial markets.

Advanced materials engineering group Versarien has announced an agreement with a "world leading provider of aero engines and components, including avionics, electrical power and mechanical systems for aircraft".

The agreement will see Versarien and its new unnamed partner collaborate on research and development projects using Versarien's proprietary Nanene few layer graphene nano-platelets in base materials and sensory devices used in a variety of products in the aerospace and aero engineering sectors.

Researchers from Freie Universität Berlin, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU) and Universität Ulm have defined the mechanism on which the wet chemical synthesis of graphene from graphite is based. They succeeded in solving the basic problem of how to separate an individual layer of graphene from a graphite crystal.

The team was able to successfully stabilize individual layers of carbon from graphite using chemical functionalization. By using computer simulations, the group was able to prove the mechanism. They succeeded in making the structure of the graphene manufactured using wet chemical methods visible at the atomic level with the help of electron beam microscopy.

Graphenano Composites has signed an agreement with Tecnivial to improve the properties of the composites used in its traffic safety signs for airports, railways and roads by the incorporation of graphene. The signs are reportedly based on a compound formed by Advantex fiber fabrics mixed with thermosetting plastic resins and doped with graphene nanoparticles.

Tecnivial’s Nanotec composite signs incorporate graphene in the resin and are said to offer optimal mechanical and physical properties like lightweight and durability, corrosion resistance, excellent resistance to dampness, wind loads and snow, savings in manufacturing costs, easy installation and handling and lower environmental impact.

Researchers at Leiden University in the Netherlands have managed to bring two graphene layers so close together that an electric current spontaneously jumps across. This could enable scientists to study the edges of graphene and use them for sequencing DNA with a precision beyond existing technologies.

The team tilted two one-atom-thick sheets of graphene so that they only meet in one point, where electrons jump across from one layer to the other. Previous attempts with graphene electrodes failed because the layers are 'floppy' by nature. The Leiden scientists deposited them on a silicon substrate, making them rigid all the way to the edge. They brought both layers close enough together so that tunneling occurs—a quantum mechanical phenomenon where electrons spontaneously jump to a neighboring material, even though there is no direct contact. Any small object in between will enhance the tunneling. The number of electrons tunneling through will tell researchers about some of its properties.