Graphene sensors: introduction and market status - Page 35

ICFO researchers, along with teams from CIC Nanogune, IIT and Columbia University, have developed a graphene-based phase modulator capable of tuning the light phase between 0 and 2π in situ.

To this end, the researchers exploited the unique wavelength tunability of graphene plasmons, light coupled to electrons in graphene. In their work, they used ultra-high quality graphene to build a fully functional phase modulator with a device footprint of only 350 nm, which is 30 times than the wavelength of the infrared light used for this experiment.

Exeter researchers have recently reported a new method to use graphene to produce photodetectors, which they feel could revolutionize the manufacturing of vital safety equipment, such as radiation and smoke detection units.

The Exeter team has created a new type of photodector that is said to be able to sense light around 4500 times better than traditional graphene sensors. This could possibly be implemented to create sensoring and imaging equipment that is more stable in harsh conditions, as well as been smaller and most cost-effective. The team stated that In this work we demonstrate that dressing the structure of graphene with molecules can transform the optical and electrical response of this wonder material and enable unprecedented applications.

Zenyatta Ventures has announced a program for a scaled-up production method of its graphite to graphene oxide for applications like water treatment, sensors, supercapacitors and Li‐ion batteries. The program is receiving grant funding from the Ontario Centres for Excellence (OCE) to allow a team of scientists at Lakehead University in Ontario, Canada to carry out this research.

The OCE funding helps established Ontario‐based companies develop, implement and commercialize technical innovations by supporting partnerships with publicly‐funded post‐secondary institutions. The focus of the research work will be on scaling up production methods for Zenyatta’s graphite to GO, a first critical step towards commercialization of the technology. The OCE VIP II $100,000 grant will be administered over two years and Zenyatta will be contributing $50,000 in cash and $60,000 in‐kind support to the project.

An international team of researchers, led by the University of Bern and the National Physical Laboratory (NPL) and assisted by the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU, Spain) and Chuo University (Japan), has demonstrated a new way to control the functionality of next-gen molecular electronic devices using graphene. The results could be used to develop smaller, higher-performance devices for use in a applications like sensors, flexible electronics, energy conversion and storage, and more.

The team demonstrated the stability of multi-layer graphene-based molecular electronic devices down to the single molecule limit. The findings represent a major step change in the development of graphene-based molecular electronics, with the reproducible properties of covalent contacts between molecules and graphene (even at room temperature) reportedly overcoming the limitations of current state-of-the-art technologies based on coinage metals.

Researchers from the ICFO have developed the first graphene-QDs-CMOS integrated camera, capable of imaging visible and infrared light at the same time. The camera may be useful for many applications like night vision, food inspection, fire control, vision under extreme weather conditions, and more.

The imaging system is said to be based on the first monolithic integration of graphene and quantum dot photodetectors, with a CMOS (complementary metal-oxide semiconductors) read-out integrated circuit. The implementation of such a platform in applications other than microcircuits and visible light cameras has been impeded by the difficulty to combine semiconductors other than silicon with CMOS, an obstacle that has been overcome in this work.

Rutgers University scientists have created a graphene-based sensor that could lead to earlier detection of asthma attacks and improve the management respiratory diseases, possibly preventing hospitalizations and deaths.

The Rutgers team aims for the sensor to pave the way for the development of devices - possibly resembling fitness trackers - which people could wear and then know when and at what dosage to take their medication.

A collaborative project, supported by the UK’s Newton Fund and led by BIOVICI, will bring together the National Physical Laboratory (NPL), the University of Chongqing in China, Swansea University and industry partner CTN, to develop an innovative graphene-based sensor. The aim is to provide an easy, low-cost method of diagnosing hepatitis on the spot, and the graphene sensor is planned to be the first to simultaneously test for three types of hepatitis A, B and C.

The team explained that to date, graphene electrochemical biosensors exist for diagnosing one type of hepatitis. This project, however, will develop sensors for the detection of three hepatitis types at a time, by using three graphene sensors, each tailored to identify the antibodies associated with a certain strain of hepatitis, integrated in a single test. Unlike conventional blood tests, this sensor will provide a non-invasive, quick and less expensive screening method. The ease and speed of this method will reportedly be beneficial for bulk testing of the food, agriculture and education workforces in China, for whom tests are obligatory.

Researchers from the University of Hamburg and Graphenea have succeeded in upscaling high-quality graphene devices to the 100-micron scale and beyond. By perfecting CVD graphene production, transfer and patterning processes, the team managed to observe the quantum Hall effect in devices longer than 100 micrometers, with electronic properties on par with micromechanically exfoliated devices.

The work started from graphene grown by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) on a copper substrate. Since graphene on metal is not useful for applications in electronics, the material is usually transferred onto another substrate before use. The transfer process has proven to be a challenge, in many cases leading to cracks, defects, and chemical impurities that reduce the quality of the graphene.

Researchers affiliated with UNIST have raised the possibility of in-situ human health monitoring by wearing a contact lens with built-in wireless smart sensors. Towards this end, the team made use of smart contact lens sensors with electrodes made of graphene sheets and metal nanowires.

The smart contact lens sensor could help monitor biomarkers for intraocular pressure (IOP), diabetes mellitus, and other health conditions. The research team expects that this research breakthrough could lead to the development of biosensors capable of detecting and treating various human diseases, and used as a component of next-generation smart contact lens-related electronic devices.

Researchers at the University of Melbourne succeeded in imaging how electrons move in 2D graphene, an achievement which may boost the development of next-generation electronics. The new technique overcomes usual limitations of existing methods for understanding electric currents in devices based on ultra-thin materials, and so it is capable of imaging the behavior of moving electrons in structures only one atom in thickness.

The team used a special quantum probe based on an atomic-sized 'color center' found only in diamonds to image the flow of electric currents in graphene. The technique could be used to understand electron behavior in a variety of new technologies.