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[ellissj] 07/2/2019 17:59

Confident here. 2D eco solutions possible. Best ellis

'How Graphene Research Is Taking Aim at 5 of the World’s Biggest Problems.' 26 Jan 2018

In September 2015, world leaders gathered at a historic UN summit to adopt the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). These are 17 ambitious targets and indicators that help guide and coordinate governments and international organizations to alleviate global problems. For example, SDG 3 is to “ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages.” Others include access to clean water, reducing the effects of climate change, and affordable healthcare.

If you think these goals might be difficult to meet, you’re right. Reports show progress is lacking in many of the 17 categories, implying they may not be met by the target date of 2030. However, paired with progress in social and political arenas, advances in science and technology could be a key accelerant to progress too.

Just one example? Graphene, a futuristic material with a growing set of potential applications.

Graphene is comprised of tightly-knit carbon atoms arranged into a sheet only one atom thick. This makes it the thinnest substance ever made, yet it is 200 times stronger than steel, flexible, stretchable, self-healing, transparent, more conductive than copper, and even superconductive. A square meter of graphene weighing a mere 0.0077 grams can support four kilograms. It is a truly remarkable material—but this isn’t news to science and tech geeks.

Headlines touting graphene as the next wonder material have been a regular occurrence in the last decade, and the trip from promise to practicality has felt a bit lengthy. But that’s not unexpected; it can take time for new materials to go mainstream. Meanwhile, the years researching graphene have yielded a long list of reasons to keep at it.

Since first isolated in 2004 at the University of Manchester—work that led to a Nobel Prize in 2010— researchers all over the world have been developing radical ways to use and, importantly, make graphene. Indeed, one of the primary factors holding back widespread adoption has been how to produce graphene at scale on the cheap, limiting it to the lab and a handful of commercial applications. Fortunately, there have been advances toward mass production.

Last year, for example, a team from Kansas State University used explosions to synthesize large quantities of graphene. Their method is simple: Fill a chamber with acetylene or ethylene gas and oxygen. Use a vehicle spark plug to create a contained detonation. Collect the graphene that forms afterward. Acetylene and ethylene are composed of carbon and hydrogen, and when the hydrogen is consumed in the explosion, the carbon is free to bond with itself, forming graphene. This method is efficient because all it takes is a single spark.

Whether this technique will usher in the graphene revolution, as some have claimed, remains to be seen. What’s more certain is there will be no shortage of problems solved when said revolution arrives. Here’s a look at the ways today’s research suggests graphene may help the UN meet its ambitious development goals.

Clean Water

SDG 6 is to “ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all.” As of now, the UN estimates that “water scarcity affects more than 40 percent of the global population and is projected to rise.”

Graphene-based filters could very well be the solution. Jiro Abraham from the University of Manchester helped develop scalable graphene oxide sieves to filter seawater. He claims, “The developed membranes are not only useful for desalination, but the atomic scale tunability of the pore size also opens new opportunity to fabricate membranes with on-demand filtration capable of filtering out ions according to their sizes.”

Furthermore, researchers from Monash University and the University of Kentucky have developed graphene filters that can filter out anything larger than one nanometer. They say their filters “could be used to filter chemicals, viruses, or bacteria from a range of liquids. It could be used to purify water, dairy products or wine, or in the production of pharmaceuticals.”

Carbon Emissions

SDG 13 focuses on taking “urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts.”

Of course, one of the main culprits behind climate change is the excessive amount of carbon dioxide being emitted into the atmosphere. Graphene membranes have been developed that can capture these emissions.

Researchers at the University of South Carolina and Hanyang University in South Korea independently developed graphene-based filters that can be used to separate unwanted gases from industrial, commercial, and residential emissions. Henry Foley at the University of Missouri has claimed these discoveries are “something of a holy grail.”

With these, the world might be able to stem the rise of CO2 in the atmosphere, especially now that we have crossed the important 400 parts per million threshold.

Healthcare

Many around the world do not have access to adequate healthcare, but graphene may have an impact here as well.

First of all, graphene’s high mechanical strength makes it a perfect material for replacing body parts like bones, and because of its conductivity it can replace body parts that require electrical current, like organs and nerves. In fact, researchers at the Michigan Technological University are working on using 3D printers to print graphene-based nerves, and this team is developingbiocompatible materials using graphene to conduct electricity.

Graphene can also be used to make biomedical sensors for detecting diseases, viruses, and other toxins. Because every atom of graphene is exposed, due to it being only one atom thick, sensors can be far more sensitive. Graphene oxide sensors, for example, could detect toxins at levels 10 times less than today’s sensors. These sensors could be placed on or under the skin and provide doctors and researchers with vast amounts of information.

Chinese scientists have even created a sensor that can detect a single cancerous cell. Further, scientists at the University of Manchester report graphene oxide can hunt and neutralize cancer stem cells.

Infrastructure

SDG 9 is to “build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation.” Graphene-enhanced composites and other building materials could bring us closer to meeting this goal.

Recent research shows that the more graphene is added, the better the composite becomes. This means graphene can be added to building materials like concrete, aluminum, etc., which will allow for stronger and lighter materials.

Resins are also getting better thanks to the addition of graphene. Research by Graphene Flagship, the EU’s billion-euro project to further graphene research, and their partner Avanzare suggests “graphene enhances the functionality of the resin, combining graphene’s electrical conductivity and mechanical strength with excellent corrosion resistance.” Some uses for this are making pipes and storage tanks corrosion-resistant, and making stronger adhesives.

Energy

SDG 7 is to “ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all.” Because of its light weight, conductivity, and tensile strength, graphene may make sustainable energy cheaper and more efficient.

For example, graphene composites can be used to create more versatile solar panels. Researchers at MIT say, “The ability to use graphene…is making possible truly flexible, low-cost, transparent solar cells that can turn virtually any surface into a source of electric power.”

We’ll also be able to build bigger and lighter wind turbines thanks to graphene composites.

Further, graphene is already being used to enhance traditional lithium-ion batteries, which are the batteries commonly found in consumer electronics. Research is also being done into graphene aerogels for energy storage and supercapacitors. All of these will be essential for large-scale storage of renewable energy.

Over the next decade, graphene is likely to find more and more uses out in the real world, not only helping the UN and member states meet the SDGs, but enhancing everything from touch screens to MRI machines and from transistors to unknown uses as a superconductor.

New research is being published and new patents being filed regularly, so keep an eye out for this amazing material."

[superg1] 07/2/2019 17:50

Having seen a few posts quite clearly some are way off re the size of what is on the way.

VRS have put it in news, when they say the below they mean just that

"the Company we are confident that we can make rapid progress this year with the commercialisation of graphene enhanced products both in China and globally with our partners."

"A licence over the Company's technology will be granted to each joint venture in conjunction with strategic investment by the partner"

Aecom

"This application has significant potential for Versarien, as the volumes of graphene that are required in these types of structure are significantly larger than for many other applications given the scale of the structures being produced.

It's all in there x many topics you just have to read them and understand it.

Tunghsu is going to be a flier for VRS IMO.

[festario] 07/2/2019 17:48

A big 50k late reported buy has shown up, well after the bell.It can't be a sell, because the bid was never that high, all day.

[ellissj] 07/2/2019 17:44

Good post grabs. Interesting that neill is content for vrs to concentrate upon gnp's and inks. Maybe because the value that vrs added to UoM and UoC spin outs (2D tech ltd and cambridge graphene ltd) can't easily be replicated elsewhere. Nice to see chinese approval this week. No wonder an extra dit man was there to help and appns packed in. Aimo. Best ellis

[meganxmas] 07/2/2019 17:39

Transfer that's actually a good article and demonstrates again why VRS are special. They have cracked the commercialisation / production issue ... there are very many Poland's out there ...

[tini5] 07/2/2019 17:35

New thread going well I see, didn’t take the trolls long to settle in.

[meganxmas] 07/2/2019 17:34

Appreciated sometimes the risk is worth it !!

[superg1] 07/2/2019 17:33

I'm all for factual accurate posts so I can't ban Mega.

[meganxmas] 07/2/2019 17:31

CS you are the most egotistical self serving attention seeking idiot I have come across on ADVFN and that is saying something. You left ITM ... good decision ... and invested in VRS ... good decision. You then crowed about how wonderful you were for a good while afterwords. You followed this by a period of trying to ingratiate yourself via Twitter with NR but when things not going according to your expectations have turned to being a complete idiot. You are clearly not suited to the stock market and should stick to filling bits of toast with chicken, bacon and lettuce.

[club sandwich] 07/2/2019 17:26

"What if it was 200kg or 2000kg or higher, would that be of interest to some holders here?"

There you go getting carried away with your delusions again, Graham. Did you forget to take your meds today?

[grabster] 07/2/2019 17:20

Some wannabe graphene makers are not finding it easy - in this case the whole of one country appears to have hit the buffers:

[superg1] 07/2/2019 17:19

Mryl

As you said that you think 20kg would be awesome I just want to chuck a number in to gauge what some may think.

What if it was 200kg or 2000kg or higher, would that be of interest to some holders here?

[ellissj] 07/2/2019 17:17

Looks clear to me that the 3Tonne capacity is there to service collabs already in play (ie aecom etc) and product development at geic. When orders arrive, scale up as reqd. As geic gets going, and china, rest of world and the geic business partners start/increase testing and product development -
We shall see greater graphene production. And as previously indicated by posters, the scale up to 3T by the latest machine has increased the amount of 2D material that can be produced daily by a significant degree. The china strategy is well signposted here, and jv possibilities are there to see. They could arrive at any time. Jinjan look keen by their behaviour. We shall see. Aside from china, we know 5 firms are targetted for orders. I am happy to wait for deals that neill and co are content with, for i know they shall be good for holders and UK plc. Aimo. Dyor. Best ellis

"The business model adopted by Versarien is to enter into collaboration projects with partners and where possible to utilise the facilities and relationships available at the Graphene Engineering and Innovation Centre in Manchester ("GEIC") as a result of the Company's Tier one membership.,"

"Since entering into these relationships in the later part of last year the rate of progress has been impressive and we are now at the stage where we have defined work programmes with a number of the partners.  In conjunction with the GEIC and the other facilities and expertise available to the Company we are confident that we can make rapid progress this year with the commercialisation of graphene enhanced products both in China and globally with our partners."

[superg1] 07/2/2019 17:09

Mryl

If you have been paying attention you would realise 20kg of GNPs is way way under the potential size of the order just from Aecom.

The original 200kg order and other bits are the enhanced polymer and just for the making and testing of the product for the ISO.

I think we were all guessing that would make about 5. Potentially they need 1000's of them for the project.

[ellissj] 07/2/2019 16:50

UoM thesis here. Neill says vrs are concentrating on gnp's and inks. Graphene ink used in some of this research. Best ellis

'Electromagnetic Applications of
Graphene and Graphene Oxide.'

'A thesis submitted for the degree of PhD at the
University of Manchester
Faculty of Science and Engineering
2016
XIANJUN HUANG
:
School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering.'

"..In summary, this thesis has extended 2D materials’ applications in electromagnetic
areas with study on tunable absorbers and antennas, as well as pioneering works on printed
graphene based RFID, anti-tampering RFID, EMI shielding, flexible microwave
components, printed flexible radar absorbers, and wireless sensors, etc. These applications
prove that the potentials of 2D materials are much prospective in electromagnetic areas,
and much more can be expected. The possible research in next step is listed as followed...."

"...To adopt radar absorber application, another graphene nano-flakes conductive ink is
developed. Based on this ink, a flexible wideband radar absorber have designed, fabricated
and experimentally measured. The absorber covers both X band (8-12 GHz) Ku band (12-
18 GHz) and is printed on flexible substrate using graphene nano-flakes conductive ink
through stencil printing method. The measured results show that an effective absorption (above 90%) bandwidth spans from 10.4 GHz to 19.7 GHz, namely a 62% fraction
bandwidth, with only 2 mm absorber thickness. The flexibility of the printed graphene nano-flakes enables the absorber conformably bending and attaching to a metal cylinder.The radar cross section of the cylinder with and without absorber attachment has been compared and excellent absorption has been obtained. Only 3.6% bandwidth reduction has been observed comparing to that of un-bended absorber. This work has demonstrated unambiguously that printed graphene can provide flexible and conformable wideband radar
absorption, which extends the graphene’s application to practical RCS reductions..."

[ellissj] 07/2/2019 16:34

Few layer graphene used in this research article. Excellent potential. Best quality got best results. Best ellis.

"2D MATERIALS RESEARCH UPDATE"

'Cool graphene composites block EM radiation.'

21 Nov 2018 Belle Dumé

Dual-action graphene composite

Composites made from epoxy resin containing graphene could be used to shield electronic devices from electromagnetic radiation and dissipate excess heat in these devices at the same time. This is the new finding from researchers at the University of California, Riverside (UCR) who have tested composites containing different thicknesses of few-layer graphene fillers. The best materials boast a thermal conductivity, K, of around 8 W/m/K (which is 35 times larger than the matrix material on its own) while providing a total electromagnetic interference shielding, SEtot, of 45 dB in the important X-band frequency range (of between 8.2 GHz to 12.4 GHz).

“Heat and electromagnetic radiation are inevitably produced in electronic devices, especially those operating at high frequencies,” explains research team leader Alexander Balandin, who is in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at UCR. “As electronic devices become ever smaller and operate at higher and higher frequencies, they generate even more heat and electromagnetic waves. These not only degrade the devices themselves (EM waves also produce heat), but they can adversely affect neighbouring electronics systems. EM radiation might also be dangerous for human and animal health and the environment.”

The problem of excess heat is usually solved by using interface materials with a high thermal conductivity that dissipate this heat. And EM shielding materials are the answer to blocking EM radiation. “These two types of materials often have very different characteristics, however – an excellent shielding material can be a poor heat conductor while an efficient thermal interface material is usually an insulator, which means that EM waves pass right through it,” says Balandin. “This means that both types of material need to be employed in the same device, which adds to complexity and cost.”

Both functions at once

The UCR researchers have now found that composites containing the “wonder material” graphene can block EM radiation while dissipating excess heat. “Surprisingly, we discovered that the graphene composites can block EM energy even below the so-called percolation threshold, and remain electrically insulating (which is an important property for a thermal interface material).” Electrical percolation is the term used to describe composites in which electrically conductive filler particles form a continuous network, allowing for electrical current to flow.

Team members Fariborz Kargar and ;Zahra Barani of the UCR Phonon Optimized Engineered Materials (POEM) Center, led by Balandin, prepared epoxy-resin composites containing a high loading fraction of few-layer graphene fillers (FLG). They processed the material in their lab to determine the optimum aspect ratio, lateral dimensions, and thickness of the fillers. For EM shielding applications, for example, fillers with high aspect ratios are best, and for thermal applications optimum lateral dimensions and thickness are required, says Balandin.

They then prepared two batches of the composites using fillers with very different thicknesses. In the first batch, referred to as GF-A, the lateral dimensions of the FLG fillers ranged from 1.5 to 10 microns while their thicknesses were between 0.35 to 12 nm, which corresponds to 1 to 40 graphene monolayers, respectively. In the second batch (GF-B), the lateral dimensions were between 2-8 microns, but the thicknesses were much smaller – ranging from 0.35 to 3 nm, corresponding to 1-8 graphene monolayers, respectively.

Graphene composites can block more than 99.99% of high-frequency EM radiation

The researchers found that the best composites had an efficient total electromagnetic interference shielding SEtot of 45 dB, in the X-band frequency range while simultaneously providing a high thermal conductivity, K, of around 8 W/m/K. “Our results also show that graphene composites can block more than 99.998% of high-frequency EM radiation,” says Balandin.

“Electromagnetic shielding requires interactions of the EM waves with the charge carriers inside the shielding material so that the EM radiation is either reflected or absorbed,” he explains. For this reason, the shielding material must be electrically conductive or contain electrically conducting fillers. Graphene is a good conductor of electricity, which allows fillers made from this material to reflect and absorb EM waves. It is also a good conductor of heat – thanks to the unique properties of phonons (quanta of crystal lattice vibrations) in 2D materials.  Our group discovered this property back in 2008.”

The UCR team, reporting its work in Advanced Electronic Materials 10.1002/aelm.201800558, says that it is now busy testing out its graphene composites as protective coatings in real-world heat-generating electromagnetic devices."

[able11] 07/2/2019 16:26

In that video clip are they all eating Club Sandwich for breakfast?

[festario] 07/2/2019 16:21

Christ, Neill wearing a tie merits a post on here.I give up, seriously.

[ellissj] 07/2/2019 16:11

Indeed. Here's neills tweet. Neill is in the video. Unsure who he is talking too. Good that our man got an invite :) best ellis

"Punchline are here at the formal opening by @PhilipHammondUK of the @uniofglos #Business #School. @GFirstLEP @thegrowthhubbiz @ssltweet @neillricketts @Hazlewoods @RichardGrahamUK @cllrpauljames @AlexChalkChelt See more on our daily #Enewsletter or visit (link: hxxp://www.punchline-gloucester.com) punchline-gloucester.com"



Video

[cheek212] 07/2/2019 15:58

I see NR had to wear a tie today for his engagement with Phillip Hammond.

[pshevlin] 07/2/2019 15:26

Not gone ade but definitely going.

[festario] 07/2/2019 15:21

Of course not! Buys getting ever cheaper, its not difficult.

[adejuk] 07/2/2019 15:16

i've got my hands over my eyes
has the seller gone?
:-)

[markyboy5] 07/2/2019 15:12

Ha ha ha yes I was able to read it, so you are not cranks thanks again