Herein, graphite fibres were prepared from polyimide (PI) fibres by doping varying contents of graphene oxide (GO) into polyimide (PI) fibres through a carbonization and graphitization process. By in situ polymerization, GO/polyamic acid (PAA) was synthesized and used for preparing GO/PI fibres via dry-jet wet spinning.
Elecjet has created a new graphene-based fast charging USB-C battery pack which has been launched via Kickstarter this week and is capable of being charged from flat to full in 20 minutes. Watch the demonstration video below to learn more about the battery pack …
A group of researchers at Technical University of Denmark, National Physics Laboratory in UK and Spanish Graphenea, explain in a recent review paper why the graphene industry needs better and faster electrical characterisation methods.
Batteries are the engine room for so much of the modern world, from smartphones to laptops and weird new scooters to the emerging fleets of autonomous trucks. So there are plenty of folks with an interest in pushing battery technology forward, and 2017 brought a raft of exciting breakthroughs aimed at making them safer, longer-lasting, faster-charging and more cost effective. Here’s the best of the bunch.
Advanced materials company, First Graphene Limited (FGR), has provided an update on its development of the graphene based FireStop™ fire retardant material.
Development of the FireStop™ material is being conducted in conjunction with the University of Adelaide as part of the Company’s participation as a Tier 1 participant in the ARC Research Hub for Graphene Enabled Industry Transformation.
In a successful collaboration between the Graphene Flagship and the European Space Agency, experiments testing graphene for two different space-related applications have shown extremely promising results. Based on these results, the Flagship are continuing to develop graphene devices for use in space.
CealTech’s marketing and sales manager explains the company’s technology and business
Norway-based CealTech was established in 2012 to commercialize a patented 3D graphene production method. The company recently received its first prototype proprietary industrial-scale Plasma-Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition (PE-CVD) graphene production reactor.
We discussed CealTech’s technology and business with the company’s marketing and sales manager, Michel Eid. Michael holds a Ph.D. in Solid Mechanics from the Ecole Polytechnique in France, and held various roles in engineeing, manufacturing, sustaining, sales, marketing and business development. Michel joined CealTech in January 2017.
Q: Hello Michael. CealTech is commercializing a patented 3D graphene production method. Can you give us some details on the process and the material you are producing?
Our production process is based on David Boyd’s technique as per Nature communications (DOI: 10.1038/ncomms7620), ‘Single-step deposition of high-mobility graphene at reduced temperatures’. In summary, the substrate is directly exposed to a low-pressure, microwave hydrogen plasma containing small amounts of methane as carbon source. During this process, vertical grown graphene flakes nucleate and arrange perpendicularly to the surface of the substrate forming a so-called 3D network of non-agglomerated graphene flakes.
It is worth mention that this process occurs within a few minutes. Critical parameters in this process to control the quality of the 3D graphene are rotation speed of the substrate (this determines the number of layers), the microwave frequency and plasma intensity, and gas flow in the reactor. All in all, this enables superior control over the number of produced layers, the flake size, and the ability to directly functionalize the graphene directly inside the reactor per the intended application without any additional chemical treatment.
Q: How does your graphene materials compare to other graphene flake materials on the market? Or should we compare your graphene to CVD graphene materials?
Our graphene can be compared with CVD grown graphene. The purity, electronic properties, and mechanical strength of the PE-CVD graphene are in fact comparable to those of pristine graphene – where the strict definition of graphene is that of a monolayer material. Vertically grown graphene owns a number of unique features compared to other graphene types such as, to name but a few: the vertical orientation, the low degree of agglomeration of the graphene flakes, controllable number of layers, very high volume to surface ratio and the ultra-thin and reactive edges of the flakes. Our ultimate goal is to grow few- to very few-layered, high purity graphene, and this is the target we are setting for ourselves during the optimization phase of our prototype production unit, which will start in January 2018.
Q: CealTech announced it will start mass producing graphene in early 2017. Are you mass producing graphene today?
The answer to this is, ‘No’. This said, the initial plan was however to mass produce graphene around Q3/Q4 of 2017, and it is fair to stay that we are behind what we first announced. I can mention that the delays were somehow ‘intentionally planned’, that is the results of our decision to extend the functional testing phase of our production unit (from what was initially planned), where the focus was to ensure that the unit is fully operational before it is delivered to us.
Our production unit is currently being installed in our facility in Stavanger, Norway, and in January 2018, we will start the optimization phase, where the production parameters will be fine-tuned to ensure consistent and effective production of CealTech’s high quality 3D graphene. I would like to mention that, the quality of the graphene we produced during the functional testing phase of our production unit, is not too far from the target we have set. There is still some way to go, but we are confident we’ll get there.
Q: CealTech currently addresses three major markets: Healthcare, Composite and Energy storage. Can you detail your development and business efforts in these three important areas?
On the Healthcare, we are collaborating with the University of Stavanger and the University of Bergen in Norway, to investigate the use of our graphene as drug carrier for treatment of cancer. The research project includes In-vitro and In-vivo assessment, in addition to evaluating the non-toxicity of our graphene and its usefulness for cancer treatment, while leveraging the uniqueness of our production technique, which enables tailoring the particles and doping them for optimal drug conjugation. We will have a project meeting with all the parties involved in January 2018, and will probably have some update on the project development by then. In the meantime, more information on the project can be found here.
On the Energy Storage, the long-term objective of the project is realizing an advanced graphene-enhanced lithium-ion battery (LIB) with improved performance compared to conventional batteries, where graphene is expected to improve critical properties of LIB such as energy density, power density and cyclic performance as well as operational safety. We are currently focusing on the integration of our graphene as an additive in both cathode and anodes, as well as developing new graphene-enhanced components for the next generation of commercial LIB. We will have more update on this project soon; in the meantime, you can find more information about the project here.
Regarding Composites, this includes several projects, all of which are Client projects. Among them: graphene-based anti-corrosion coating, where our internal testing showed very positive results, while the samples prepared during phase #1 of the project are currently being tested by the client. In addition, we are working on: graphene-based elastomers, paints, isolation materials, fiberglass, epoxies and resins, where we are putting in practice our expertise in graphene functionalization and dispersion to improve not only the performance of the respective products for example, in terms of mechanical, electrical and thermal properties, but also the associated (manufacturing) process, in terms of reduced curing time, better flowability of the masterbatch, etc. The project development activities are for the most done in our labs, and where applicable, involves some of our research partners’, including Caltech (USA), FORTH (Greece), and various Norwegian research institutes including: SINTEF, IFE, IRIS and UiS, etc. We will have more updates on all of the above activities soon.
Q: Where do you see the graphene market in 3-5 years? What role will CealTech take?
It is only reasonable to expect the market to grow further, and to see more graphene-based commercial products, as the barriers, which are currently slowing the industrial adoption of graphene, will be (eventually) addressed by then. Our role is, and will be, consistent with our mission, that is, contributing to unlocking graphene’s full potential, by producing graphene, and graphene derivatives (e.g., nano-intermediates), while developing and commercializing graphene-based products, and supporting ongoing initiatives (e.g., standardization, addressing health and safety issues) that are aimed at accelerating the widespread industrial uptake of graphene.
Q: What is the most exciting graphene application for you personally? And why?
I hope you accept that I mention two applications, instead of one.
The first is the use of graphene in anti-cancer treatment, especially when considering graphene’s potential to address the urging needs on the oncology market, as cancer is (becoming) one of the leading causes of health loss worldwide, and not the least, a significant financial burden on all societies.
The second has to do with water filtration, including graphene’s potential to provide drinkable water to the world. In this respect, it is both fascinating and inspiring to read about all the efforts in the market, especially by the University of Manchester. Water filtration is an area that interests us a lot at CealTech; so, stay tuned on this one as well!
Thank you Michel for this interview, I wish both you and CealTech the best of luck!
Researchers from Pondicherry University, Puducherry and SRM University, Chennai have recently demonstrated a novel device made of Nickel/ Nickel oxide (Ni/NiO) and graphene that could be used to store hybrid-energy.
The rising use of alternative and renewable energy sources also increases the need to store enormous amounts of energy. Unlike fossil fuels, which can be burnt when there is a need for the energy, renewable sources, like solar and wind, is only available intermittently. Using these sources efficiently requires devices like batteries and supercapacitors to store the energy when it is generated. However, battery technology, unlike other technologies, has not seen huge advancements.
On December 12, Tunghsu Optoelectronic signed Agreement on Cooperation for Jointly Building Smart Cities with the related institutions in Japan, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia and Mongolia to form a strategic partnership. Meanwhile, Tunghsu Optoelectronic also signed an Exclusive Agency Contract and Sale Contract of more than RMB 10 million with Okura Co., Ltd. for Graphene Thermolysis High Power LED Lights.
Researchers at Columbia Engineering, experts at manipulating matter at the nanoscale, have made an important breakthrough in physics and materials science, recently reported in Nature Nanotechnology. Working with colleagues from Princeton and Purdue Universities and Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, the team has engineered “artificial graphene” by recreating, for the first time, the electronic structure of graphene in a semiconductor device.