Electronics - Page 20

The European NanoMaster project (a EC Seventh Framework funded project which started on December 2011 and includes a total of 14 partners, including AIMPLAS), has developed improved graphene, nanographite and expanded graphite masterbatches (or concentrates), offering the chance to use these particles in the conventional industry of plastics processing, as well as in additive manufacturing processes, such as 3D printing and laser sintering.

The particles can be used in injection and extrusion conventional processes and AM (powders for SLS and rods for 3D printing) to produce parts for cars, toys and electronic devices. While there is still a long way to go, NANOMASTER has provided valuable information regarding the behavior of these materials. The processing conditions have been optimized in each one of the manufacturing stages, with the collaboration of multinational companies, such as ROCHLING, PHILIPS and LEGO, who have developed parts for sectors such as toys, electrical- electronic and automotive industries. AIMPLAS has also developed materials for the new manufacturing technologies: rods for 3D printing and powder for laser sintering.

Scientists from the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology (MIPT), the Institute of Physics and Technology RAS, and Tohoku University (Japan) have developed a new type of graphene-based transistor and using modelling they have demonstrated that it has ultralow power consumption compared with other similar transistor devices. Reducing power consumption enables the clock speed of processors to be increased, according to calculations, to as high as two orders of magnitude, since the electronic components heat up less.

Building transistors that are capable of switching at low voltages (less than 0.5 volts) is one of the major challenges of modern electronics. Tunnel transistors seem to be the most promising candidates to solve this problem. Unlike in conventional transistors, where electrons jump through the energy barrier, in tunnel transistors the electrons filter through the barrier due to the quantum tunneling effect. However, in most semiconductors the tunneling current is very small and this prevents transistors that are based on these materials from being used in real circuits.

CealTech aims to become a leading global producer of high volume, high quality graphene, ultra-fine graphite and fine graphite. Production will be done by CealTech's independently-developed FORZA 3D graphene production unit (patent pending).

The FORZA prototype unit is currently under development and should be ready for operation by October 2016. CealTech's daily single layer graphene production capabilities starting October 2016 will be 1600m², and are planned to grow to 150,000 m² starting 2020.

Researchers at Chalmers University of Technology have developed an efficient way of cooling electronics by using functionalized graphene nanoflakes. This could come in handy as heat dissipation in electronics and optoelectronics is a major obstacle for the further development of systems in these fields.

According to the researchers, the method is a "golden key" with which to achieve efficient heat transport in electronics and other power devices by using graphene nanoflake-based film. This can open up potential uses of this kind of film in broad areas, and the team states that it is getting closer to pilot-scale production based on this discovery.

Garmor, a graphene technology provider and developer of advanced customer-driven applications, has developed graphene-based composites ideal for high-volume electronic and energy storage applications. By leveraging inexpensive manufacturing methods to produce few-layer graphene oxide (GO) along with innovative composite compression molding processes, Garmor produced compression-moldable GO-composites that can be shaped and stamped into almost any form factor. Garmor is currently establishing strategic business relationships to deploy this technological advancement in applications focused on energy production and storage.

These composites exhibit nearly isotropic electrical conductivity exceeding 1,000 S/cm delivering a unique, omnidirectional conductive substrate. Equally impressive is that these GO-enhanced materials include a polymeric resin that is inherently chemically resistant and allows for increased lifetime even in harsh operating environments.

XG Sciences aims to raise $24 million through an initial public offering to fund operations, as it continues to commercialize composite materials for lithium-ion batteries and other applications. Of the $24 million XGS hopes to raise through an IPO, $11.4 million will go to fund operations for the next two years, by which time the company might begin generating positive cash flow from operations. Proceeds from the IPO would also go to working capital, and to increase capacity and its sales and technical service staff.

While the company has accumulated operating losses exceeding $43 million during its development stage, the securities filing cites a growing customer list and order volume. XG Sciences projects 2016 revenues of $5 million to $10 million through the sale of graphene and graphene nanoplatelets for electronic and industrial products that use lithium-ion batteries. A number of companies are currently testing XG Sciences’ materials for applications including lithium-ion batteries, supercapacitors, thermal shielding, inks and coatings, printed electronics, construction products, composites and military uses.

Researchers at Forschungszentrum Jülich that have studied how the structure of the substrate material influences the doping process in graphene, discovered unexpected effects and found that effective doping depends on the choice of substrate material.

Scientists have been testing silicon carbide (a crystalline compound of silicon and carbon) for use as a substrate material for graphene. When the material is heated to more than 1400 degrees Celsius in an argon atmosphere, graphene can be grown on the crystal. However, this epitaxial monolayer graphene displays -albeit slight — interaction with the substrate, which limits its electron mobility. In order to circumvent this problem, hydrogen is introduced into the interface between the two materials. This method is known as hydrogen intercalation. The bonds between the graphene and the substrate material are separated and saturated by the hydrogen atoms. This suppresses the electronic influence of the silicon crystal while the graphene stays mechanically joined with the substrate: quasi-free-standing monolayer graphene.

Researchers at the University of Cambridge, in collaboration with Cambridge-based technology company Novalia, developed a method that allows graphene and other electrically conducting materials to be added to conventional water-based inks and printed using typical commercial equipment.

The method works by suspending tiny particles of graphene in a ‘carrier’ solvent mixture, which is added to conductive water-based ink formulations. The ratio of the ingredients can be adjusted to control the liquid’s properties, allowing the carrier solvent to be easily mixed into a conventional conductive water-based ink to significantly reduce the resistance. The same method works for materials other than graphene, including metallic, semiconducting and insulating nanoparticles.

The graphene keynote speech in the MWC 2016 included Nokia's Head of Business Line, Tapani Ryhanen's talk on graphene activity in Nokia.

It was a fascinating segment that shed light on the company's graphene-related activities, some of which (as can be seen in the image above) are energy storage applications, sensors, various electronic devices, photonics, optoelectronics and even graphene manufacturing - which shows that the company is really aiming at completing a full circle of graphene use.

Last week the Graphene-Info team visited the MWC - the world's largest mobile technologies conference held in Barcelona, which this year included a graphene pavilion, organized by the ICFO and the Graphene Flagship, Europe's $1 billion research project initiative.

One of the companies showcased in the pavilion was the Italy-based GNext, that demonstrated its graphene-based ink, used for rapid fabrication of electronic devices. GNext's ink can be printed using many common techniques on a wide range of substrates, including biopolymers such as PLA, and achieving a volume resistivity below 4 ohm/sq/mil.