Patents - Page 5

Researchers from the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute have developed a new graphene based anode that can be charged or discharged 10 times faster than conventional graphite anodes currently used in today’s lithium-ion batteries. To create the new anode material, the researchers took a sheet of graphene-oxide paper and then introduced defects (using a laser or a camera flash) on the material.

The graphene paper, after being damaged, has expanded five-fold in thickness, which means that there were large voids between the graphene sheets. The lithium ions can use the cracks in the paper to quickly traverse the entire sheet - which means faster charges or discharges of the battery.

Nokia filed a new patent for a graphene-based photo detector. The new detector uses graphene as a photo-collecting layer, and also uses a graphene nanoribbon that acts as a field effect transistor to amplify the current and transfer it to the control electronics. Stacking several such detectors on top of each other with color filters can be done to detect colors.

The big advantage of this graphene-based photo detector is graphene's transparency. The graphene sheet itself absorbs only 2.3% of the light (and does it very evenly across the whole light spectrum) and so should perform much better than CMOS in low light conditions. The graphene sensor will also be vastly thinner than current technologies, and potentially cheaper to produce (once graphene itself is available on the cheap).

Focus Metals announced it has loaned $500,000 to Grafoid (of which it owns 40%). This payment will be used by Grafoid to pay an unnamed foreign university for a patent pending technology relating to exfoliation of graphite using raw graphite rock.

Northern Graphite signed an agreement with Grafen Chemical Industries to supply +48 mesh and +32 mesh extra large flake graphite for graphene research. The two companies will also collaborate to develop intellectual property rights. Northern will retain a 50% interest in the North American patent rights to any products and processes developed by Grafen.

Grafen developed a novel fabrication method allowing it to synthesize graphene of excellent quality and with considerable yield. Its graphene production process is a highly modified implementation of the conventional graphite oxide manufacturing technique and eliminates known major drawbacks such as extreme disruption of crystal structure of precursor graphite causing low product qualities of electrical conductivity, mechanical performance etc.

Angstron Materials announced a spin-off company called Angstron Supercapacitor that was formed to produce a new supercapacitor electrode material made from Graphene.

The new material (patented by US patent #7,623,340) is based on nano graphene platelets (NGPs). Angstron developed curved graphene sheets that resist restacking and this dramatically improved surface area and energy density.

Nanotek Instruments was awarded $1 million by the Ohio Third Frontier Commission to accelerate the commercialization of its nano graphene platelets-based electrode materials for next generation supercapacitors. This is a joint project by Nanotek and its manufacturing company Angstron Materials.

Nanotek says that their NGP material has solved the low energy density problem by demonstrating an energy density that exceeds that of commercially available supercapacitors and is comparable with nickel metal hydride batteries.

Focus Metals plans to form a multi-country (US, Canada and Asia) to develop patents for Graphene applications. They did not disclose who the partners will be, but the joint venture will be based in NYC. The JV will focus on aviation and defense applications.

Focus Metals owns one of the world's highest concentrations of natural flake graphite at its Lac Knife property in Quebec, Canada.

Nanotek Instruments, parent company of Angstron Materials, has been issued a US Patent for its development of a new high-performing class of meso-porous nanocomposites.  The new nanocomposite provides a superior supercapacitor electrode material for uses that include hybrid electric vehicles (EVs), transportation and energy storage. The technology is based on the company’s breakthrough discovery of nano graphene platelets (NGPs). Angstron, the world leader in production of NGPs, will make the nanocomposite material.

Angstron will provide the meso-porous NGP nanocomposites in two forms: NGPs coated with a thin layer of conducting polymer or surface functional groups and NGPs bonded by a conductive binder, coating, or matrix material such as a polymeric carbon. The platelets in these products are comprised of a sheet of graphite plane or multiple sheets of graphite plane with a thickness less than 10 nm and an average length, width, or diameter smaller than 500 nm. The binder or matrix material bonded to the platelets to form the nanocomposite material create a surface area greater than 500 m.sup.2/gm.

Angstron Materials will invest $400,000 in machinery and equipment to expand its manufacturing, with Daytona city to support the expansion with a $100,000 grant from its development fund.

Angstron has developed a new class of nanomaterial referred to as nano graphene platelets,. Angstron’s nano-graphene material is protected by 18 U.S. patents and several international patents, issued and pending.