June 2019

Versarien has announced that it has secured its first graphene order from a U.S-based company. Versarien stated that the American customer had successfully conducted laboratory testing and industrial trials prior to placing the order for 12kg of Versarien’s high purity graphene product. The graphene, in the form of high purity nano platelets, is integrated into an enhanced material which can be used in various ways - from graphene-enhanced plastic to packaging solutions and household items.

Versarien’s new customer reportedly intends to use the graphene material in down-hole drilling components for their initial scale up process. Should this scale up be successful, Versarien expects to receive additional orders that are likely to be significantly larger.

XG Sciences recently announced that it has entered into a memorandum of understanding with Sinochem Plastics and Yuyao PGS New Material Technology (an advanced materials development company focusing on the combination of graphene nanoplatelets and thermoplastic composites) to participate in developing advanced composites in China, based on its xGnP graphene nanoplatelets.

The Agreement strengthens the on-going relationship among the parties through creation of the Graphene Applications Development Center (GADC), a joint venture company between Sinochem Plastics and Yuyao PGS New Material Technology in the Sino-Italy Ningbo Ecological Park in Yuyao City. The parties recently partnered to bring new graphene enhanced anti-corrosion coatings to industrial and marine applications.

Graphene Flagship partners, Université Libre de Bruxelles, University of Pisa and the University of Cambridge, in collaboration with the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Swedish Space Corporation (SSC), recently launched The Materials Science Experiment Rocket (MASER) into space. The objective is to test the printing of graphene patterns on silicon substrates in zero gravity conditions.

The experiment aims to test the possibilities of printing graphene inks in space. Studying the different self-assembly modes of graphene into functional patterns in zero-gravity will enable the fabrication of graphene electronic devices during long-term space missions, as well as help understand fundamental properties of graphene printing on Earth. This mission is also a first step towards the investigation of graphene for radiation shielding purposes, an essential requirement of manned space exploration.

Purdue University researchers have found that adding a graphene monolayer to devices that protect the platinum microelectrodes of implantable neurostimulation devices can improve the lifetime and reliability of such devices, for the benefit of millions of people who suffer from neurological diseases.

"I know from my industry experience that the reliability of implantable devices is a critical issue for translating technology into clinics," said Hyowon "Hugh" Lee, an assistant professor in Purdue's College of Engineering and a researcher at the Birck Nanotechnology Center, who led the research team. "This is part of our research focusing on augmenting and improving implantable devices using nano and microscale technologies for more reliable and advanced treatments. We are the first ones that I know of to address the platinum corrosion issue in neurostimulation microelectrodes". The team has shown the graphene monolayer to be an effective diffusion barrier and electrical conductor.

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Researchers from Tohoku University, Nissan Motor, Shinshu University and Okayama University have used graphene to make a significant discovery in the quest to replace hydrofluorocarbons in refrigeration systems with natural refrigerants such as water and alcohol.

Their study involved carrying-out a liquid-to-gas phase transition via a nanosponge, a soft, elastic material equipped with small nanopores less than 10 nanometers. Their findings could lead to more efficient refrigerants that are much more environmentally friendly.

Researchers at Osaka University have invented a graphene-based biosensor to detect bacteria such as those that attack the stomach lining and that have been linked to stomach cancer. When the bacteria interact with the biosensor, chemical reactions are triggered which are detected by the graphene.

To enable detection of the chemical reaction products, the researchers used microfluidics to contain the bacteria in extremely tiny droplets close to the sensor surface.

Researchers at The University of Texas at Austin have developed a graphene-based wearable device that can be placed on the skin to measure a variety of body responses, from electrical to biomechanical signals.

The device is so lightweight and stretchable that it can be placed over the heart for extended periods with little or no discomfort. It also measures cardiac health in two ways, taking electrocardiograph and seismocardiograph readings simultaneously. The electrocardiogram (ECG) technique, a method that records the rates of electrical activity produced each time the heart beats. is rather well-known. Seismocardiography (SCG), a measurement technique using chest vibrations associated with heartbeats, is a bit less so. Powered remotely by a smartphone, the e-tattoo is the first ultrathin and stretchable technology to measure both ECG and SCG.

Elcora Advanced Materials has announced it has entered into a research and development agreement with Solargise Canada, a solar manufacturing and utility-scale power project development company.

The scope of work of the research and development agreement includes the development of new technologies using graphite and graphene to improve and augment the efficiency of the solar photovoltaic panels manufactured by Solargise.

Graphene Flagship partner, Emberion, will be launching a VIS-SWIR graphene photodetector at Laser World of Photonics, from 24 to 27 June in Munich, Germany. The linear array covers a wide spectral range, detecting wavelengths from the visible at 400nm into the shortwave infrared up to 1,800nm. Traditionally, it would require both silicon and InGaAs sensors to image across this wavelength range.

Emberion estimates that replacing a system using silicon and InGaAs sensors with its graphene photodetector would result in a 30% cost reduction.