Graphene applications: what is graphene used for? - Page 16

Earlier this year, Stolt Tankers entered an agreement with Graphite Innovations & Technology (GIT) for graphene-based marine coating to be applied on 25 ships. Now, Stolt Tankers has announced it is the first shipping company to apply a cutting-edge sustainable coating to the hull of one of its chemical tankers, Stolt Lotus.

The X-GIT FUEL graphene technology, developed by Graphite Innovation & Technologies (GIT) Coatings, has the potential to reduce fuel consumption and resulting greenhouse gas emissions. X-GIT FUEL is a hard foul release hull coating that creates an ultra-low friction surface to increase vessel performance, without the use of biocides, silicon oils or toxic components. The coating is expected to provide fuel savings of between five and seven percent by decreasing the friction between the hull and the water and removing marine growth as the ship travels.

Researchers at North Carolina State University and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory have found that graphene can enhance an important property of metals called the temperature coefficient of resistance. 

They showed that mixing graphene in just the right proportion with copper could lead to improved electrical wires for more efficient electricity distribution to homes and businesses, as well as more efficient motors to power electric vehicles and industrial equipment. The team has applied for a patent for the work, which was supported by the Department of Energy (DOE) Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Technologies Office.

Directa Plus has revealed that it has signed a deal with an unnamed Italian innovator to buy the technology for a system capable of preparing tailored graphene compounds. According to the Company, this technology will initially be used in batteries and polymers.

It explained that the acquired know-how and technology would help to enable the dry encapsulation of G Plus graphene nanoplatelets into different compound carriers for different exacting applications.

A new Horizon Europe funded project was launched in October 2023. With a consortium of 11 partners from 8 different countries, the Next-2Digits project aims to develop the next generation of sensors and imagers enabled by 2D materials digital integration. Next-2Digits will run for 3 years and 3 months.

Coordinated by the National Technical University of Athens, Next-2Digits benefits from the presence of academic, research and industrial teams, whose areas of work span from graphene and 2D materials synthesis, characterization, manipulation, and integration, as well as in the fields of photonics, material science, application-based integration technologies and validation.

HydroGraph Clean Power has announced successful testing of its flagship product, FGA-1, fractal graphene, in electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding.

The integration of HydroGraph’s graphene in epoxy resin was reportedly able to achieve substantial EMI shielding properties by reaching an 80-decible (dB) attenuation (a reduction of signal strength during transmission) in shielded enclosures of less than 1 mm thick. Minimum ratings for consumer protection are 30 dB and ranges from 60 dB to 80 dB for automotive and aerospace applications.

Researchers from Korea's Seoul National University and Sungkyunkwan University recently developed a method to grow GaN LED arrays on a flexible graphene layer. The so-called microdisk arrays exhibit excellent crystallinity with a uniform in-plane orientation and strong blue light emission.

Flexible GaN-microLEDs on graphene, Seoul National University, Sungkyunkwan University

The researchers grew the GaN microdisks on a graphene layer (grown on a sapphire substrate) covered with a micro-patterned SiO₂ mask using metal–organic vapor-phase epitaxy. The microdisks were then processed into micro-LEDs and then successfully transferred onto bendable substrates.

Researchers at Flinders University, University of Melbourne and Birmingham City University are developing a 'value add' approach for old broken concrete for 'upcycling' coarse aggregate to produce a strong, durable and workable concrete using graphene.

The scientists have tested results using a weak graphene solution on recycled aggregates to produce concrete potentially superior to untreated recycled aggregates in cement-based mixtures. 

Ora Graphene, producer of free-standing graphene membranes, announced a partnership with Taiwan-based Merry Electronics to develop off-the-shelf GrapheneQ headphone drivers. These, according to Ora, will be the world's first commercially available graphene-based drivers. The two companies will offer 40 mm and 50 mm drivers, which will be available for pre-order in Q1 2024.

Ora Graphene says that it already integrated its technology into flagship products for two major consumer electronics companies - both of these premium gaming headphones. The availability of off-the-shelf headphone drivers will hopefully accelerate the adoption of Ora's technology.

South Korea’s HD Hyundai Heavy Industries Co. has announced the use of a graphene-based sound and vibration dampening material on a mission ship.

Image credit: HD Hyundai Heavy Industries, Pulsenews

HD Hyundai Heavy Industries said it has collaborated with HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering Co., Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), and BN Chemical Co., a specialized ship painting company, for the development and application of the material.

Researchers from Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, Universität Duisburg-Essen, CENTERA Laboratories, Indian Institute of Technology, University of Maryland and the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory have used graphene disks to demonstrate light-induced transient magnetic fields from a plasmonic circular current with extremely high efficiency. 

The effective magnetic field at the plasmon resonance frequency of the graphene disks (3.5 THz) is evidenced by a strong ( ~ 1°) ultrafast Faraday rotation ( ~ 20 ps). In accordance with reference measurements and simulations, the team estimated the strength of the induced magnetic field to be on the order of 0.7 T under a moderate pump fluence of about 440 nJ cm⁻².