Graphene Foam: Introduction and News - Page 2

At a recent conference, Ford Motor presented its innovative graphene-enhanced polyurethane (PU) foam that reduces noise in automobiles while also lowering their weight. The material was chosen as a finalist for the Polyurethane Innovation Award, given by the Center for the Polyurethanes Industry (CPI) during the conference. The foam is said to be used in all of Ford's North American vehicles.

One of the biggest challenges in developing the foam was dispersing a nanomaterial like graphene into a viscous polymer and keeping it from collapsing during mixing, said Alper Kiziltas, technical expert, sustainability and emerging materials at Ford.

A Penn State-led international research team (led by Professor Huanyu Larry Cheng at Penn State) recently published two studies that could boost research and development of future motion detection, tactile sensing and health monitoring devices.

There are various substances that can be converted into carbon to create graphene through laser radiation, in a process called laser-induced graphene (LIG). The resulting product can have specific properties determined by the original material. The team set out to test this process and has reached interesting conclusions.

lithium ion batteries used in extreme heat or cold can be prone to malfunctions and low performance. Purdue University engineers have developed a solution: a "thermal switch" made of compressible graphene foam, that dynamically adjusts to temperatures both inside and outside the device to maintain consistent thermal management.

As electronic devices get smaller and more powerful, managing heat becomes a more crucial issue, said Xiulin Ruan, professor of mechanical engineering, who studies nanoscale heat transfer and sustainable energy. Most devices use passive thermal management, such as conduction and convection, to move excess heat. But this system isn’t tunable or adjustable, and doesn’t help at all in cold conditions.

Integrated Graphene (formerly known as RD Graphene), developers of hyper-sensitive 3D graphene foam electrodes, have set their aims on the human diagnostics market and are aiming to enable better biosensors with improved performance and speed. The company has launched its flagship 3D graphene foam process in their first product, Gii-Sens.

The company launched its first product in conjunction with its new Integrated Graphene brand, in hopes that these steps will mark the first steps on an ambitious commercial journey to establish themselves as a leading producer of pure 3D graphene foam. In addition, the Company led a funding round in which it has raised £3.1 million (almost USD$4 million). This latest investment round follows £300,000 in seed funding from six private investors in March 2019, plus a variety of grant funding totaling £1.8m raised since 2014.

In May 2017 we reported the the Institute of Low Temperature and Structure Research (Wroclaw, Poland) developed a new efficient white light source that uses graphene foam excitated by a continuous-wave laser. We have seen a demonstration of the technology at IDTechEx 2019 (see video below).

We have recently spoken with Prof. Krzysztof Piech who updated us on the project's process. Prof. Piech tells us that the research team received a grant of around $130,000 to develop the technology, and are expecting to soon receive a $270,000 grant that will enable the production of a series of prototypes. We hope to update once these prototypes can be demonstrated.

In May 2017 we reported on a new project at the Institute of Low Temperature and Structure Research (Wroclaw, Poland) that developed a new efficient white light source that uses graphene foam excitated by a continuous-wave laser.

The project is still in progress, and the researchers demonstrated the technology at IDTechEx Graphene & 2D Materials Europe 2019 earlier this month, as can be seen in our video above.

Researchers from Nankai University in China and Rice University in the U.S. have developed a type of graphene-based foam that retains its texture when exposed to extremely cold temperatures.

Structure of the 3D graphene foam

The researchers note that almost all materials become more brittle and stiffer when exposed to very cold temperatures, often leading to loss of strength. In this new work, the researchers sought to find a material that would spring back after being crushed while exposed to extreme temperatures. To that end, they turned to graphene as a possible solution.

A new study out of Boise State University in the U.S may one day lead to new graphene-based treatments for osteoarthritis, potentially preventing the need for joint replacement.

The study investigates the compressive mechanical properties of graphene foam soft tissue composites. Previous studies have shown graphene foam’s compatibility with chondrogenic cell lines for cartilage tissue engineering. This is reportedly the first study to focus on the viscoelastic behavior of the engineered tissue to test the functionality of the grown cartilage.

Rice University scientists have developed a simple way to create conductive, 3D objects made of graphene foam. The resulting objects may offer new possibilities for energy storage and flexible electronic sensor applications, according to Rice chemist Prof. James Tour.

The technique is an extension of groundbreaking work by the Tour lab that produced the first laser-induced graphene (LIG) in 2014 by heating inexpensive polyimide plastic sheets with a laser. The laser burns halfway through the plastic and turns the top into graphene that remains attached to the bottom half. LIG can be made in macroscale patterns at room temperature.

A research team from the Paul Scherrer Institute in Switzerland and Sapienza University in Rome developed a new loud speaker that is driven by a light signal - and without electricity. The idea is to use modulated light that shines on a 3D graphene sponge. The audio is achieved via a highly-efficient photo-mechanism.

The researchers say that unlike conventional loudspeakers, this high-fidelity photo-speaker does not rely on vibrations to produce the sound - and it does not need any type of electrical connection or complicated system for sound generation. Using an optical pulse train, this loudspeaker allows a completely digital operation for frequencies from acoustic to ultrasound.