Researchers at MIT and several other institutions have developed a method for making photonic devices—similar to electronic devices but based on light rather than electricity—that can bend and stretch without damage. The devices could find uses in cables to connect computing devices, or in diagnostic and monitoring systems that could be attached to the skin or implanted in the body, flexing easily with the natural tissue.
Researchers from Cambridge University have demonstrated how graphene and other related 2D materials (namely hBN) can be directly printed onto textiles to create fully inkjet-printed dielectrically gated field effect transistors (FETs) with solution processed 2D materials.
Researchers at UC Berkeley and UC Riverside developed an ultrafast method for electrically controlling magnetism in certain metals, which could lead to increased performance for magnetic RAM. While the nonvolatility of MRAM is a boon, speeding up the writing of a single bit of information to less than 10 nanoseconds has been a challenge.
As electric cars gain increasing market share, new battery technologies are being implemented in them to improve their range and efficiency. Graphene batteries are one of the new technologies that could be applied to electric vehicles.
Two interesting projects focused on coating single-layer graphene with metal-oxide nanolayers were presented at the latest Thin Films and Coating Technologies for Science and Industry event in the UK. Researchers from Cranfield University, UK, together with collaborators from University of Cambridge and the Centre for Process Innovation (CPI), applied alumina to form a composite barrier layer, while a team from Imperial College London, UK, used the unique properties of strontium titanate to fabricate a tuneable capacitor.
Indian start-up Log 9 Materials reports a technological breakthrough using graphene to improve the capacity of lead-acid batteries by 30%. “The life cycle had also increased by 35%”, Log 9’s CEO and founder stated.
“We are close to commercialization and trying to partner up with existing players in the market to cater to different needs of batteries in different applications, i.e operational requirements are quite different for a car battery as compared to a storage battery for solar panel applications,” he said. “So far the interest has been from domestic players including the defense sector. Some of them are interested for automobile applications, others for solar energy storage, etc”.
The National Physical Laboratory (NPL) and the University of Manchester have published a good practice guide on the characterisation of graphene.
It will emerge as material of choice in transistors gradually as technological barriers slowly restrict the use of Silicon.
A new sensor might improve water quality and ultimately better ensure that the water that enters homes and businesses is contaminant free.
Researchers from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee have developed a graphene-based sensing platform that can detect various water contaminants including heavy metals bacteria, nitrates and phosphates in real-time.