University of Manchester - Page 15

Scientists at the University of Manchester demonstrated how tailored fabrication methods can make a variety of previously inaccessible 2D materials available - by solving the problem of their negative reaction in air.

To do that, the scientists protected the reactive crystals with more stable 2D materials like graphene, via computer control in a specially designed inert gas chamber environments. The technique allowed these materials to be successfully isolated to a single atomic layer for the first time. Combining a range of 2D materials in thin stacks gives scientists the opportunity to control the properties of the materials, which can allow materials-to-order to meet the demands of industry. It could allow for many more atomically thin materials to be studied separately as well as serve as building blocks for multilayer devices with tailored properties.

A PhD student at the University of Manchester has won a prestigious award accompanied by a £50,000 grant. The prize money will be used to help found a new graphene start-up company based on producing graphene inks. 

Manchester University has teamed up with Amsterdam-based paints and coatings company Akzo Nobel, to investigate graphene oxide-based paints that provide protection against rust and corrosion for large metal structures, such as oil rigs, tankers and bridges.

This collaboration between Akzo Nobel and Manchester University is part of a €1m partnership in corrosion research. Akzo Nobel says graphene oxide could provide an ultra-strong, non-corrosive coating for a wide range of industrial applications. Corrosion in its various forms is estimated to cost the global economy $3 trillion a year. Products to protect against corrosion represent an $18 billion world market.

Scientists from the UK, including ones from Manchester University, used graphene to develop a material that could convert an engine heat into electrical energy to help keep a car running (instead of going to waste) and reduce the need for fuels. It could also have applications in aerospace, manufacturing and other sectors.

Compounds that are able to capture waste heat from engines and other power systems and turn it into electricity are usually heavy, costly, toxic or only operate at high temperatures. The scientists in this study took a material called strontium titanium dioxide and added a small amount of graphene. The resulting composite was able to capture and convert heat into electric current efficiently over a broad temperature range.

Versarien, the advanced engineering materials group, recently announced that its graphene development subsidiary, 2-DTech, has achieved a major breakthrough in graphene production. The 2-DTech production process provides significant amounts of single layer graphene on an industrial scale.

The company believes that this significant advance will accelerate potential commercial applications for graphene and graphene products. As a result of 2-DTech's investment program, it has developed its own proprietary graphene production technique founded upon a licensed process from University of Ulster.

Researchers at the University of Manchester, along with UK graphene manufacturer BGT Materials, printed a radio frequency antenna using compressed graphene ink. The antenna worked well enough to make it practical for use in radio-frequency identification (RFID) tags and wireless sensors, according to the researchers. Furthermore, the antenna is flexible, environmentally friendly and could even be cheaply mass-produced. 

The research team found a binder-free way to increase the conductivity of graphene ink. They accomplished this by first printing and drying the ink, and then compressing it with a roller. Compressing the ink increased its conductivity by more than 50 times, and the resulting "graphene laminate" was almost two times more conductive than previous graphene ink made with a binder.

Arvia, The UK-based water and wastewater treatment company that uses the graphene-based Nyex to remove pollutants from water, has recently secured a £140,000 grant. The funds come from the Catalyst for Growth fund, managed by the University of Chester and part of a Government-led plan to encourage innovation and economic growth in regional areas of England.

In June, the company will also move to a new UK location, which will enable it to take on new staff and apply its technology to large-scale industrial projects. The company claims it has already successfully shown how the technology can be used to remove toxic chemicals from water, and is now seeking the cooperation of large municipalities that are willing to adopt this innovative technology. 

Arvia, a UK-based water and wastewater treatment company, has secured £4 million in its latest round of investment funding. The company developed its own graphene-based proprietary material called Nyex which removes organics, contaminants and micro-pollutants from wastewater and is regenerated in-situ in the novel organics destruction cell (ODC) process. The technology was spun-out of Manchester University’s School of Chemical Engineering.

Arvia’s modular treatment units can remove and oxidise low, trace toxic and problematic pollutants. The company says it has numerous test units to deploy into the market and are looking for early adopters to collaborate with Arvia in applying this technology.

An international team of researchers from The University of Manchester, the University of Ulm in Germany and the University of Science and Technology of China created a transparent nanosized graphene capillary to investigate the atomic structure of water trapped inside.

The findings shed light on the unexpected behaviour of water at the molecular scale and are important for development of more efficient water treatment technologies including filtration, desalination and distillation. 

The National Graphene Institute was recently opened in the UK, in an official ceremony that also included another intriguing event.

Professor Sir Kostya Novoselov demonstrated to the Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne the graphene light bulb, which was mentioned to be set to launch later in 2015. While the price is yet unknown, it is rumored to be relatively low-price, cut energy use by 10% and last longer owing to its conductivity.