Sparc Technologies, which recently announced the acquisition of Australian company Graphene Technology Solutions (GTS) as well as its plan to become a significant developer of graphene-based products that will disrupt and transform industrial markets, has established a new graphene bio-medical division aimed at developing non-invasive graphene-based breath sensing devices for detection of diseases in humans and animals.

Sparc will advance the project together with cornerstone shareholder, strategic partner and leading graphene research centre the University of Adelaide (UA) in order to establish and develop non-invasive sensing devices for human and veterinarian applications.

Applied Graphene Materials has announced that its customer, Halo Autocare, a leading innovator in car care products, has launched Graphene Alloy Wheel Wax as part of its EZ Car Care range of products. This is the second graphene-enhanced wax polish product launched by Halo Autocare as part of its Graphene Innovation Programme, which uses AGM’s Genable® graphene dispersion technology.

The microcrystalline wax-based polish is said to be the result of the continued partnership and a rigorous testing programme delivered by Halo Autocare. This has produced a new product that delivers extended performance benefits, including improved thermal and chemical resistance to enhance coating durability further for demanding wheel and exhaust applications. The temperature resistance made possible through the new graphene nanoplatelet formulation helps with durability when alloy wheels heat up from consistent brake use. Combining these attributes with excellent barrier performance means that water spotting is also less likely to occur.

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Following decades of development, 2021 and 2022 are set to be notable years for the graphene industry, as it finally approaches an inflection point. Some in the graphene sector are now seeing their labors bear fruit in the form of commercial success but that is not the case for everyone, as IDTechEx’s report, Graphene Market and 2D Materials Assessment 20212031, explains.

IDTechEx, an acknowledged leader in market intelligence, has released a comprehensive market report on the subject and forecasts that the market for graphene materials will reach $700m in 2031. The study gives detailed technical information about the graphene sector, including granular 10-year forecasts, comprehensive manufacturer analysis, and application analysis.

An international research team from China, France, Canada, Denmark and the UK has demonstrated a novel process to modify the structure and properties of graphene. This chemical reaction, known as photocycloaddition, modifies the bonds between atoms using ultraviolet light.

The researchers demonstrated a spatially selective photocycloaddition reaction of a two-dimensional molecular network with defect-free basal plane of single-layer graphene. The cycloaddition is triggered by ultraviolet irradiation in ultrahigh vacuum, requiring no aid of the graphene Moiré pattern. This work could open the door to designing and engineering graphene-based optoelectronic and microelectronic devices.

An international research team, led by the University of Vienna, has shown that structures built around a single layer of graphene allow for strong optical nonlinearities that can convert light. The team achieved this by using nanometer-sized gold ribbons to squeeze light, in the form of plasmons, into atomically-thin graphene. The results are said to be promising for the creation of a new family of ultra-small tunable nonlinear devices.

In recent years, an effort has been made to develop plasmonic devices to manipulate and transmit light through nanometer-sized devices. At the same time, it has been shown that nonlinear interactions can be greatly enhanced by using plasmons, which can arise when light interacts with electrons in a material. In a plasmon, light is bound to electrons on the surface of a conducting material, allowing plasmons to be much smaller than the light that originally created them. This can lead to extremely strong nonlinear interactions. However, plasmons are typically created on the surface of metals, which causes them to decay very quickly, limiting both the plasmon propagation length and nonlinear interactions. In this new work, the researchers show that the long lifetime of plasmons in graphene and the strong nonlinearity of this material can overcome these challenges.

An international research team, that included researchers from the Harbin Institute of Technology in China, INRS in France and more, has demonstrated a novel process to modify the structure and properties of graphene. This process relied on a chemical reaction known as photocycloaddition, that modifies the bonds between atoms using ultraviolet (UV) light.

"No other material has properties similar to graphene, yet unlike semiconductors used in electronics, it lacks a band gap. In electronics, this gap is a space in which there are no energy levels that can be occupied by electrons. Yet it is essential for interacting with light," explains Professor Federico Rosei of INRS's Énergie Matériaux Télécommunications Research Centre.

The Coronavirus pandemic has been having a significant impact on the graphene market and industry. Even before the pandemic, graphene has already received much attention due to promising antimicrobial properties and demonstrated antiviral efficacy. However, there is no denying the recent urgency to put these traits to good use in combating the Coronavirus.

More than a few companies have launched graphene-enhanced textiles, inks and coatings, incorporated into personal protective gear (face masks, gloves etc.), and applications like air filters and room cleansers have been developed.

Researchers from Princeton, in collaboration with the National Institute for Materials Science in Japan, have discovered that, under certain conditions, interacting electrons in ‘magic angle' graphene can create topological quantum states. This finding may hold potential for revolutionizing electrical engineering, materials science and especially computer science.

the different insulating states of the magic-angle graphene, each characterized by an integer called its Chern number, which distinguishes between different topological phases. Image from Princeton webstie

Topological states of matter are particularly intriguing classes of quantum phenomena. Their study combines quantum physics with topology, which is the branch of theoretical mathematics that studies geometric properties that can be deformed but not intrinsically changed.

Talga has announced the launch of a fully underwritten institutional placement to raise USD$18.8 Million (AUD$25 million) before costs and a non-underwritten Share Purchase Plan to eligible shareholders to raise up to USD$7.5 Million (AUD$10 million).

Talga will use the proceeds to fund the Electric Vehicle Anode (EVA) pilot plant as part of the development of the Vittangi Anode Project located in northern Sweden.

Advanced Material Development (AMD) recently announced that it secured its first contract under the Defense Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL) Weapons Sector Research Framework (WSRF), worth £125,000 (around USD$166,700).

The contract will fund the early development of AMD’s proprietary technology in carbon-based inks to improve protection systems for people and assets.