Graphene sensors: introduction and market status - Page 7

Haydale has announced that it has been awarded SMART Flexible Innovation Support ("SMART FIS") from The Welsh Government to accelerate the development of its graphene underfloor heating product and range of biomedical sensor inks.

As part of a new innovation strategy for Wales, aimed at supporting Welsh industry by increased investment in research, development, and innovation, SMART FIS will provide Haydale with funding totaling £182,843 over a two-year period. Part of this funding will enable Haydale to accelerate the development of its prototype graphene underfloor heating ("UFH") towards a market-ready CE product that can be tested in a home environment. It will support continued engagement with partners such as City Energy Network Ltd and Plumbase.

UK-based Paragraf has acquired U.S-based Cardea Bio, maker of graphene biosensors. Cardea Bio has been renamed Paragraf USA and Michael Heltzen, CEO and co-founder of Cardea Bio, became EVP of Strategy at Paragraf USA.

“Joining Paragraf allows us to use the world’s only mass-produced, transfer-free monolayer graphene to manufacture the state-of-the art graphene-based biosensors developed by the Cardea team over the last ten years. We are looking forward to unlocking powerful synergistic effects to advance the broad and growing use of graphene biosensors for the benefit of both people and the planet,” says Heltzen.

A Penn State-led international collaboration has developed a self-powered, standalone sensor system capable of monitoring gas molecules in the environment or in human breath. The system combines nanogenerators with micro-supercapacitors to harvest and story energy generated by human movement. 

The researchers' tech should cost up to just a few dollars for materials and uses widely available equipment. The development is the culmination of years of work led by corresponding author Huanyu “Larry” Cheng, James L. Henderson Jr. Memorial Associate Professor of Engineering Science and Mechanics at Penn State.

Scientists from Imperial College London and Catania University & CNR-IMM have developed a novel graphene ink that can be used to detect a variety of chemical substances when layered on top of commercially available printed circuit boards (PCBs) as a thin film.

In their recent paper, the team demonstrated a novel and versatile sensing platform, based on electrolyte-gated graphene field-effect transistors, for easy, low-cost and scalable production of chemical sensor test strips. The Lab-on-PCB platform is enabled by low-boiling, low-surface-tension sprayable graphene ink deposited on a substrate manufactured using a commercial printed circuit board process. 

Researchers from the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) have developed graphene-enhanced biosensor technology that enables the operation of devices, such as robots and machines, solely through thought control.

 The technology has significant potential in fields such as defense applications, advanced manufacturing, aerospace and healthcare. The advanced brain-computer interface was developed by Distinguished Professor Chin-Teng Lin and Professor Francesca Iacopi, from the UTS Faculty of Engineering and IT, in collaboration with the Australian Army and Defense Innovation Hub.

Researchers from the Indian Institute of Science have developed ultramicro-electrochemical capacitors with two-dimensional (2D) molybdenum disulphide (MoS₂) and graphene-based electrodes. The development has great potential for wearables and implantable electronics as well as for sensors and miniature “smart” technology. 

The miniature energy storage device uses graphene Flakes and MoS₂ alternately in each electrode - the cathode and anode. Gel was used as the electrolyte, which makes it possible to integrate micro-supercapacitors into chips. This would be difficult if not impossible with a water-soluble electrolyte. The capacitor showed a capacitance of 1.8 mF/cm² for a single-layer structure (graphene-MoS₂). The multilayer electrode structure, consisting of multiple alternating layers of graphene and molybdenum disulfide, gained 30 times greater capacitance, or 54 μF/cm^2.

Versarien has announced the completion of the construction phase of a civil engineering project being undertaken by the Company with a subsidiary of Costain Group.

Versarien has been working with Costain to develop designs for, and bring into production, a 3D printed concrete headwall for use in highway construction projects, part of the Digital Roads of the Future Partnership, a collaboration led by the University of Cambridge, Costain and National Highways, of which Versarien is a partner.

Scientists at the University of Sussex and the University of Brighton have developed health sensors using natural elements like rock salt, water and seaweed, combined with graphene.

Since they are made with ingredients found in nature, the sensors are fully biodegradable, making them more environmentally friendly than commonly used rubber and plastic-based alternatives. Their natural composition also places them within the emerging scientific field of edible electronics – electronic devices that are safe for a person to consume.

SoundCell, a spin-off of TU Delft, has secured funding of €350,000 from proof-of-concept fund UNIIQ, together with Delft Enterprises. The funds will go towards facilitating the development of its graphene technology for single cell resolution antibiotic sensitivity testing.

SoundCell develops innovative technology that can measure the vibrations produced by living bacteria. This technology makes use of graphene membranes and could have significant implications for the detection and prevention of antibiotic resistance, as it would enable patients to receive effective medication against bacterial infections faster than today’s standard.

Paragraf has announced a second manufacturing site in Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, UK.    

The new site will allow Paragraf to massively increase the size of its clean room facilities and other manufacturing areas while providing additional office space. The Company plans for its staff to begin to move in during the first quarter of 2023 and production is expected to ramp up in the second half of the year. The initial expansion of staff into the Huntingdon facility will enable accelerated development of the research, development and production areas on the current Somersham site to cope with increasing customer demand as fit out of operations at the new site progresses.