Graphene-Info - Page 10

GraphAudio was established in 2016 to commercialize graphene-based acoustic products based on technology that originated from UC Berkeley and Berkeley Lab. GraphAudio's technology enables electrostatic micro transducers that use CVD graphene sheets.

GraphAudio's CEO is Ramesh G. Ramchandani, that previously held executive leadership positions at International Rectifier, Semicoa, nPlay Technologies, ZiLOG and ON Semiconductor, and was a senior advisor for consumer and commercial AI at Google X. Following is an interview with Ramesh to discuss GraphAudio's technology, business and roadmap.

A couple of months ago UK-based SpaceBlue launched a graphene-enhanced flooring product called SpaceMat. The company sent us a floor mat for review here at Graphene-Info.

Reviewing a floor mat isn't easy - there's not much to do with it, so we decided to use it in our home for a few months - and let nature and our family of six (plus a husky) do its thing. One of the promises of the SpaceMat is its enhanced durability, and we definitely put that to the test.

2020 has been a challenging year for the graphene industry - the pandemic has caught everyone by surprise. But many in the graphene industry and academia were quick to adapt and develop graphene-based solutions and technologies.

Here are 2020's top ten graphene applications, ranked by the references at Graphene-Info. It is not surprising that the most popular applications this year were medicine and sensors:

1. Medicine
2. Sensors
3. Batteries
4. Composites
5. Automotive applications
6. Coating
7. Supercapacitors
8. Thermal conductivity
9. Inks
10. Electronics

2020 will soon be over - a fact that many find comforting, hoping that 2021 will bring the COVID-19 pandemic to an end. The entire world was effected, and the graphene industry and academia have been adapting quickly in developing graphene-based technologies that could assist in the fight against the Corona virus.

Here are the top 10 stories posted on Graphene-Info in 2020, ranked by popularity (i.e. how many people read the story):

1. How can graphene assist in the war on Coronavirus? (Mar 24)
2. Graphene amplifier may tap into the "terahertz gap" (Feb 6)
3. New face masks use graphene and electrical charge to repel viruses and bacteria (Mar 20)
4. MIT researchers use graphene to convert terahertz waves to usable energy (Mar 30)
5. planarTECH and IDEATI launch graphene-enhanced antibacterial face masks (Apr 14)
6. New graphene biosensor can detect SARS-CoV-2 in under a minute (Apr 21)
7. Goodyear to launch bicycle tires with graphene technology (Jan 26)
8. New method uses hydrogen plasma to smooth out wrinkles in graphene (Jan 17)
9. New graphene-based lithium-air battery may enable longer-running electric cars (Jan 12)
10. Health-tech startup Flextrapower launches GO-enhanced protective face masks (Aug 11)

The Coronavirus pandemic has been having a significant impact on the graphene market and industry. Even before the pandemic, graphene has already received much attention due to promising antimicrobial properties and demonstrated antiviral efficacy. However, there is no denying the recent urgency to put these traits to good use in combating the Coronavirus.

More than a few companies have launched graphene-enhanced textiles, inks and coatings, incorporated into personal protective gear (face masks, gloves etc.), and applications like air filters and room cleansers have been developed.

In December 2018, Manchester University’s Graphene Engineering Innovation Center (GEIC) first opened, aiming to accelerate the commercial impact of graphene and help realize its potential to revolutionize many sectors.

James Baker, the CEO at Graphene@Manchester (G@M) who's responsible for the development and delivery of the business strategy which includes the National Graphene Institute (NGI) and the GEIC, kindly agreed to answer a few questions we had and update us on the latest from the GEIC.

Today we published new versions of all our graphene market reports. Graphene-Info provides comprehensive niche graphene market reports, and our reports cover everything you need to know about these niche markets. The reports are now updated to October 2020.

The Graphene Batteries Market Report:

• The advantages using graphene batteries
• The different ways graphene can be used in batteries
• Various types of graphene materials
• What's on the market today
• Detailed specifications of some graphene-enhanced anode material
• Personal contact details into most graphene developers

The report package provides a good introduction to the graphene battery - present and future. It includes a list of all graphene companies involved with batteries and gives detailed specifications of some graphene-enhanced anode materials and contact details into most graphene developers. Read more here!

The potential for improved performance and life cycle, fast charging and enhanced safety have proven to be enough of an incentive to inspire active study into graphene-based batteries, with many researchers and companies working globally to develop this energy Holy Grail.

Graphene-enhanced batteries seem to be one of those technologies that holds great promise and appeal, but always remains somewhat unattainable. Some batteries have been commercialized in which graphene was used to perform secondary functions - such as to enhance the casing flexibility or the heat dissipation abilities. These batteries have been launched in some markets - but this is not the breakthrough everybody is waiting for. Some claims have been made regarding actual graphene batteries. Some of these have been found to be outright scams while others have yet to form an actual presence on the market. It is also important to know that not all graphene-enhanced batteries actually use graphene - some use graphene derivatives or multi-layer graphene which is actual graphite.

In spite of all the above, advances are being made and milestones achieved, with some initial products entering the market and great amounts of funds invested into R&D. It is still our view that graphene holds great promise for the batteries of the future.

Today we published new versions of all our graphene market reports. Graphene-Info provides comprehensive niche graphene market reports, and our reports cover everything you need to know about these niche markets. The reports are now updated to July 2020.

The Graphene Batteries Market Report:

• The advantages using graphene batteries
• The different ways graphene can be used in batteries
• Various types of graphene materials
• What's on the market today
• Detailed specifications of some graphene-enhanced anode material
• Personal contact details into most graphene developers

The report package provides a good introduction to the graphene battery - present and future. It includes a list of all graphene companies involved with batteries and gives detailed specifications of some graphene-enhanced anode materials and contact details into most graphene developers. Read more here!

UK-based planarTECH has recently concluded a successful equity crowdfunding campaign, as part of Graphene-Info's Graphene Crowdfunding Arena. The company's CEO, J. Patrick Frantz, was kind enough to answer a few questions we had and give his advice for graphene companies that consider the equity crowdfunding option.

Thank you for this interview. You have recently concluded a successful graphene crowdfunding campaign. Well done. Can you summarize this experience for us?

Well, given the current situation with COVID-19, it was certainly an emotional rollercoaster ride to get through the crowdfunding. If I recall correctly, we launched the campaign in private live mode in January as the pandemic started to unfold. We stayed in private mode for a while but finally went public" in March as the crisis was reaching its most severe point in Europe.