Investment in graphene continues

Europe will fund multiple research projects with 1 billion Euro for the next 10 years, EACH.

Sources:
http://techcrunch.com/2013/01/28/europe-bets-e1bn-and-10-years-on-wonder-material-graphene-as-a-silicon-replacement/

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/projects-to-model-human-brain-and-explore-graphene-win-up-to-a-billion-euros-each-from-eu/2013/01/28/dbd2f234-692d-11e2-9a0b-db931670f35d_story.html

A centre for research on graphene opens

It's about time -

A centre for research on graphene, a material which has the potential to revolutionise numerous industries, ranging from healthcare to electronics, is to be created at the University of Cambridge. The University has been a hub for graphene engineering from the very start and now aims to make this “wonder material” work in real-life applications.

Making graphene from waste

We can now make graphene from sources that are inexpensive, including cookies, dog feces and other waste.

See the vid below for demonstration, or see a pretty good source article from Guardian on the whole story.

New 2D material on the scene

MoS2, molybdenum disulfide may not have the best name to it yet, but seems promising with its electrical properties.

See more in the original post.

http://www.newelectronics.co.uk/electronics-news/new-wonder-material-to-rival-graphene/44450/

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A few videos on graphene

This is with Andrew Geim, one of the two awarded the Nobel prize for experiments in graphene.

And the second with Nobel prize winner Konstantin Novoselov

Quick charge and discharge with graphene

With use of graphene in batteries, we could have 10x faster charge and discharge. Those are the aspects regular batteries are not handling very well today. Especially those in electric cars and mobiles would benefit from this development big time.

See the article for more info.

Graphene properties change based on where it is

According to a few articles, chemical and physical properties of graphene change based on what material is near it. Since graphene is so thin, the bonds btw atoms can be easily affected by the surroundings.

This is useful in creating various patterns for sensors. The other dimension is that it behaves differently when more layers of graphene are added as well.

Read more at science daily.

Graphene sandwich modelling and cutting

I wanted to share a video and an article about modelling a several layer thick graphene composites. In the video, the material is being cut by an ion beam, re-positioned at a very small scale.

Graphene facts graphical presentation

If you wanted to learn more about graphene in a user friendly way, you could check out the visual map at:
http://www.visualcapitalist.com/portfolio/graphene-the-2d-material-that-could-change-everything

Graphene adds efficiency to artificial photosynthesis

Korean scientists have proven higher efficiency by combining graphene itself in the process of artificial photosynthesis. Graphene figures here as a photo-catalyst. This can be used to produce fine chemicals/fuels made with solar energy.

See the source at phys.org for more info.

Now graphene can repair itself

A new property of graphene has been discovered, it can repair itself spontaneously after holes have been made to its fabric.

It rebuilds itself from available atoms of carbon in its vicinity.


Sources:
Nano Letters
Gizmodo

Graphene affects the prices of raw materials

I was thinking of how to visualize the graphene production cost on this site. Then my friend (Armin Roehrl) shared an information on how the graphite prices are going up. This is a significant opportunity for investment.

I would also check out this interview about the prices and future of graphite mining to get a good sober overview where to start and what to look for.

Video: Why should Europe invest in graphene?

Nice video with people from science around the Europe explaining why graphene is an important discovery and why it should be invested into.

Andrew Geim explains why Graphene is not patented

In an interview from 2010 Andre Geim mentions why Graphene isn't patented.

We considered patenting; we prepared a patent and it was nearly filed. Then I had an interaction with a big, multinational electronics company. I approached a guy at a conference and said, "We've got this patent coming up, would you be interested in sponsoring it over the years?" It's quite expensive to keep a patent alive for 20 years. The guy told me, "We are looking at graphene, and it might have a future in the long term. If after ten years we find it's really as good as it promises, we will put a hundred patent lawyers on it to write a hundred patents a day, and you will spend the rest of your life, and the gross domestic product of your little island, suing us." That's a direct quote.

I considered this arrogant comment, and I realized how useful it was. There was no point in patenting graphene at that stage. You need to be specific: you need to have a specific application and an industrial partner. Unfortunately, in many countries, including this one, people think that applying for a patent is an achievement. In my case it would have been a waste of taxpayers' money.

Long term the lack of a patent will only help to encourage innovation with Graphene, and will allow companies to find currently unimaginable uses.

Graphene traps light

Scientists can now control light at nanoscale with graphene. Which means we will have better nano-sensors.

Scientists control light at a nanoscale with graphene

Worldwide graphene production made possible

The material can now be manufactured almost anywhere. Graphene was discovered initially by peeling off a layer from graphite.

This one is basically taking graphite, sticking it to water, blowing some air on it to produce flakes and those flakes can then be used to create graphene coating.

You can find the full article here on EurekAlert.com

Filtering sea water can be made efficient with graphene

Graphene could be better than the most desalination techniques. It works like pushing sea water through a membrane. You will have water on one side and salt on the other. Looks great so far.

The simulations identified an intermediate range of nanopore diameters where the nanopores were large enough to allow the passage of water molecules but small enough to restrict salt ions.

Guys from MIT made a really nice video that shows the tech in user friendly detail.

New graphene battery charging in 10 minutes

Innovation in graphene space will allow for a new battery charging in 10 minutes. It has been recognized as one of the top innovations today.

Demand for graphene rising, making nuclear power safer

Another wondrous use of Graphene - making nuclear power safer. In an article about the surging demand for Graphene this little nugget of information stands out:

A new generation of nuclear reactors called pebble-bed nuclear reactors use large amounts of flake graphite. These reactors get their name from the pebble-sized spheres of graphite mixed with uranium that they contain. “This structure allows pebble bed reactors to produce power more efficiently – and safely – than conventional reactors,” Alex Cowie, editor of Diggers & Drillers, wrote recently. “This technology means nuclear reactors can be smaller, and as easy to run as turning a switch.”

Finally - Transistor (Barristor) made of graphene

Want 100 x Performance? Chip it in!

Samsung has developed what others were trying to do until now. Graphene could not switch on/off well and they seem to have nailed it.

For a more scientific information, read through the Science Magazine abstract on Graphene Barristor, a Triode Device with a Gate-Controlled Schottky Barrier.

For a less scientific mind, read the Samsung develops graphene device for transistor use.