Graphene thermal conductivity - introduction and latest news - Page 5

Huawei recently launched its Pocket S clamshell smartphone, that uses a graphene-based cooling system.

This continues Huawei's use of graphene heat dissipation technology, which started with the use of graphene films in the Huawei Mate 20X and continued with later versions, as well as the Huawei MatePad Pro 5G tablet. 

An ESA project with Adamant Composites in Greece tested how the addition of graphene (and other nano-sized materials) can optimize a satellite’s thermal and electrical properties.

The airless vacuum of space is a place where a satellite can be hot and cold at the same time, with part of it in sunlight and the rest in the shade. Scientists work to minimize temperature extremes within a satellite’s body, because heat buildups might lead to parts going out of alignment or even buckling. Another undesirable outcome in highly-insulating vacuum conditions is for satellite surfaces to build up electrical charge, which may eventually result in disruptive or damaging discharge events. Composite materials are increasingly supplanting traditional metal parts aboard satellites, but these polymer-based materials possess lower thermal and electrical conductivity, compounding such problems.

First Graphene will be developing and marketing a unique heating device using its PureGRAPH graphene, along with UK-based ZEBCO Heating. The parties have signed a joint development agreement (JDA) to develop the device, which is suitable for new installations or retrofitted into existing domestic and commercial heater systems.

ZEBCO has secured an initial $87,000 grant from Innovate UK’s Fast Start Innovation Fund to fund feasibility studies and develop a proof-of-concept unit within the next six months. The device is expected to deliver energy efficiency savings, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and be an enabler to more resilient and secure domestic heating supply.

Scientists from Israel's Weizmann Institute of Science, in collaboration with teams at Manchester University and UC Irvine,  have shown that an electronic fluid can flow through materials without any electrical resistance, thereby perfectly eliminating a fundamental source of resistance that forms the ultimate limit for ballistic electrons. This result could open the door to improved electronic devices that do not heat up as much as existing technologies.

When electrons flow in electrical wires, they lose part of their energy, which is wasted as heat. This heating is a major problem in everyday electronics. The heating occurs because electrical conductors are never perfect and have a resistance for the flow of electrical currents. Typically, this resistance originates from the scattering of the flowing electrons by imperfections in the host material. But it stands to reason that a perfect conductor, devoid of any imperfections, would have zero resistance. However, even if the conductor is perfectly clean and free from imperfections, the resistance does not vanish. Instead, a new source of resistance emerges, known as the Landauer-Sharvin resistance. In an electrical conductor, electrons flow in quantum channels, much like cars in highway lanes. Similar to highway lanes, each electronic channel has a finite capacity to conduct electrons, limited by the quantum of conductance. For a given conductor, the number of quantum channels is finite and determined by its physical width. Thus, even a perfect electronic device, devoid of any imperfections, will never have infinite conductance. It will always have resistance. In the absence of interactions between electrons, this Landauer-Sharvin resistance is unavoidable, putting a fundamental lower bound on the heating of computer chips, which becomes even more severe as transistors become smaller.

Directa Plus has signed an extension to the commercial supply agreement with Alfredo Grassi to include Graphene Plus Thermal Planar Circuit for the workwear market in Italy and France.

The supply agreement will grant Grassi use of Directa's print textile technology for the workwear market in both countries for two years. The agreement is expected to give a significant boost to company's workwear income in 2022.

A team of researchers from Stanford University, University of Washington, The Charles Stark Draper Laboratory, University of Maryland and MIT have reported the design of an energy-efficient, silicon-based non-volatile switch that manipulates light through the use of a phase-change material and graphene heater.

Data centers are dedicated spaces for storing, processing and disseminating data, that enable various applications, from cloud computing to video streaming. In the process, they consume a large amount of energy; As the need for data use grows, so does the need to make data centers more energy-efficient.

A couple of months ago WearGraphene sent us one of their Gamma graphene-enhanced jacket. We posted our review in early May, and today the company sent us a custom 10% discount coupon (GRAPHENE10) to share with our readers. You can find out more, and order the graphene jacket here.

The jacket uses graphene in two ways. Graphene is infused into the coat, with an aim to achieve thermo-regulation, and the jacket also includes graphene heating elements, in the pockets, and in the back. Read our full review here.

A social housing development in Wales is reportedly being heated by graphene-enhanced wallpaper by NexGen Heating, as part of a trial exploring affordable alternatives to radiators and heat pumps to keep residents warm.

The graphene heating system, which aims to look and feel just like traditional wallpaper, can be plugged into a domestic socket, and is packaged with solar panels and a smart battery, meaning it cuts emissions while vastly lowering fuel costs.

Q36.5, producer of advanced cycling clothing, has launched a line of bike shirts made of yarn that integrates graphene in the fabric (rather than using the material as a treatment).

The "Clima Jersey" line is said to be made from a polyester fabric infused with graphene, and takes advantage of graphene’s conductive and heat dissipation properties to provide cutting edge thermoregulation, helping the wearer to stay cool and dry during hard efforts.

WearGraphene recently launched its Gamma graphene-enhanced winter jacket. I have spent a couple of months with this jacket, including two trips to Europe during the springtime, and here's my review.

First of all, the jacket looks very sleek (in my opinion, of course), the material feels of high quality. It is quite light, and packs very easily. There are many pockets, Velcro bands and drawstrings, which is really useful and helps you to customize this jacket so that it fits perfectly.