Graphene batteries: Introduction and Market News - Page 45

Researchers from Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) found that incorporating crown ethers into a graphene framework can drastically increase their binding strength and selectivity. This discovery holds great potential for various sensor, battery and biotech applications. 

Ethers are simple organic molecules in which an oxygen atom connects two carbon atoms. Ethers are the building blocks of common products like propellants, solvents, pharmaceuticals and cosmetics. When ethers are linked together in the form of large molecular rings, they form crown ether molecules, which are of great scientific significance as the initial prototype in hostguest chemistry, a promising field for applications like sensors and separators.

Researchers from Kansas State University studied graphene oxide sheets as flexible paper electrodes for sodium-ion flexible batteries and found GO to have important properties that can boost the efficiency of such batteries.

The scientists explored graphene oxide sheets as flexible paper electrodes for sodium batteries. They found that sodium storage capacity of paper electrodes depends on the distance between the layers that can be adjusted by heating it in argon or ammonia gas. The researchers also showed that a flexible paper composed entirely of graphene oxide sheets can charge and discharge with sodium-ions for more than 1,000 cycles.

The Australian Talga Resources announced a graphene research and development program with Friedrich Schiller University Jena, a renowned German materials research organization.

The program has an initial six month duration and will focus on using Talga's graphene to develop superior conductive ink development with potential applications in printable, flexible electronics and other applications (possibly including batteries).

Researchers from Cambridge University, together with a team from Beijing Institute of Technology, developed a unique multifunctional sulphur electrode that combines an energy storage unit and an electron/ion transfer system.

The electrode uses a metal organic framework (MOF) as a 'template' to produce a conductive porous carbon cage. Sulphur within the cage acts as the host and each sulphur-carbon nanoparticle acts as an energy storage unit. Graphene is wrapped around the sulphur electrode to speed the transfer of ions and electrons.

According to a report from a Chinese website, The Spanish Graphenano, along with the University of Cordoba and Grabat Energy, developed a polymeric graphene battery, especially suited for electric cars, that will be cheaper and lighter than conventional batteries and will run 1000km on a 10 minute charge. Graphenano claims that this revolutionary battery will be put into production in 2015.

Polymeric batteries can have a longer lifetime compared to conventional hybrid ones (up to four times!) and due to graphene's light weight, the battery itself will be light enough to improve the electric car's fuel efficiency.

Cambridge Nanosystems (CNS) was spun-off from the University of Cambridge last year with with an aim to supply graphene and SWCNT materials. The company recently started building a 5-yearly ton graphene factory with the help of a £500,000 grant from the Technology Strategy Board. The new factory is due to open in 2015.

Catharina Paukner, the company's chief scientist, was kind enough to answer a few questions we had on the company and its technology and also share her views on the graphene market.

Nokia has recently issued what could be a truly revolutional patent: a self-charging graphene-based photon battery, capable of being printed on flexible substrates.

The patent describes a battery that can regenerate itself immediately after discharge through continuous chemical reactions, without an external energy input. The result is an energy autonomous device. The battery uses humid air for the purpose of recharging and be made highly transparent.

It is well within the realm of gossip, but too interesting to pass on: rumor has it that a Chinese based international company called DJI is planning to come out with a drone called DJI Inspire Graphene around March-April 2015.

The multi-rotor aircraft is said to have graphene used in components like frame, arms and props to achieve light-weight and stiffness, but also in the drone's battery, for more capacity, faster loading and longevity. The battery part seems especially hard to believe as graphene batteries have not yet been commercially used.

Graphene Batteries is a Norwegian company that was founded over two years ago in order to explore the potential of graphene in batteries and develop practical graphene-based battery products.

Its vision is to provide robust battery materials for a renewable energy ecosystem, aiming to create durable battery materials that are reliable, safe and green. 

The sample, which is the proprietary LFP/graphene powder (cathode material for Li-ion batteries). It has about 20% higher capacity than the state of the art carbon coated LFP powder, an improvement that is even more significant at higher currents. Moreove