Volume 3 Issue 11 2019 Adrian Nixon
Table of Contents Summary .................................................................................................................... 5 Special Feature .......................................................................................................... 6 Graphene Quantum Dots (GQDs) can identify legal cannabis ................................ 6
Technology Developments ....................................................................................... 12 Fabrication of Polyvinyl Alcohol/Edge-Selectively Oxidized Graphene Composite Fibers .................................................................................................................... 12 Water based graphene for high biocompatibility ................................................... 13 When it comes to producing graphene, Irish whiskey may be the answer ............ 14 Graphene oxide nanoparticles in the interstellar medium ..................................... 15 Ultrathin graphene film offers new concept for solar energy ................................. 16 Integrating Borophene and Graphene Into 2D Heterostructures for Future Electronics ............................................................................................................ 17 UNSW scientists design graphene filter to purify methane from biogas ................ 18 Engineers develop eco-friendly graphene smart suitcase ..................................... 19 Graphene is on track to deliver on its promises .................................................... 20 MoS2 quantum dots decorated reduced graphene oxide as a sulfur host for advanced lithium-sulfur batteries .......................................................................... 21 World’s first graphene suitcase made in University of Manchester lab ................. 22 A force-engineered lint roller for super clean graphene ........................................ 23
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Company / Market Developments ............................................................................ 24 Applied Graphene Materials surges as anti-corrosion primer goes on sale at Halfords................................................................................................................. 24 XG Sciences and Terrafilum Enter Joint Development Agreement to Produce Graphene Enhanced 3D Printing Filament............................................................ 25 Haydale CFO steps down ..................................................................................... 26 ELECJET claims that its new graphene-enhanced power bank can charge to full capacity in just 19 minutes .................................................................................... 27 Biotech billionaire Patrick Soon-Shiong raises stake in graphene maker Directa Plus ....................................................................................................................... 28 Talga teams with Swedish brand for graphene packs ........................................... 29 2D fab, Saab and Blackwing develop graphene composite for lightning strike protection and strength ......................................................................................... 30 Haydale launches graphene composite for lightning strike protection .................. 31 Colloids funds graphene nanocomposites collaborative Ph.D. research project with The University of Manchester ............................................................................... 32 Haydale Graphene loss deepens amid impairments in challenging year .............. 33 Tetra Pak to research uses for graphene in the packaging industry ..................... 34 Applied Graphene annual loss deepens on rising cost, slow sales growth ........... 35 Haydale Graphene wins US$700,000 order for ceramic blanks............................ 36 Graphenea to launch two new single crystal graphene products .......................... 37 Applied Graphene Announces Restructure To Cut Costs, Grow Sales ................ 38 Arcadis partners with Manchester graphene centre .............................................. 39 Versarien secures ‘hot’ deal with Spanish firm...................................................... 40 Vittoria Martello 2.0 Graphene enhanced tyres ..................................................... 41 CenoStar and XG Sciences Partner to Deliver Graphene-Enhanced Concrete .... 42 Graphene concrete composite spin off company - Concrene ............................... 43 Directa Plus acquires Romanian environmental services firm Setcar ................... 44
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Graphene Companies Share Price Watch ............................................................... 45 Applied Graphene Materials.................................................................................. 45 Directa Plus PLC................................................................................................... 45 Dotz Nano Ltd ....................................................................................................... 45 First Graphene Ltd ................................................................................................ 46 Graphene 3D Lab Inc ............................................................................................ 46 Graphene Nanochem PLC .................................................................................... 46 Gratomic Inc.......................................................................................................... 47 Haydale Graphene Industries PLC ....................................................................... 47 Leading Edge Materials Corp................................................................................ 47 Nanoxplore Inc ...................................................................................................... 48 Talga Resources Ltd ............................................................................................. 48 Versarien PLC....................................................................................................... 49 Zen Graphene Solutions Ltd ................................................................................. 49 FTSE top 250 companies ..................................................................................... 49 Graphene Companies Share Price Watch: Commentary ...................................... 50
Appendix1: ............................................................................................................... 51 The navigator headings ........................................................................................ 51
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Summary Fascinating developments again this month with several coincident announcements. Graphene composites for lightning protection for the aerospace industry have been announced by Haydale in the UK and 2D fab in Sweden. Both companies are working with Aerospace partners. This industry is very conservative so we can anticipate that this will be competitive activity in slow motion We have seen two graphene suitcase products launched, both from researchers at the University of Manchester in the UK. There is less likelihood of direct competition here as one development is aimed at the luxury end of the market with carbon fibre and the other aimed at the market for more environmentally conscious consumers enabling the use of recycled polycarbonate plastic by adding graphene. XG Sciences in the USA and new spin out company, Concrene, from the university of Exeter in the UK both announced they are working on graphene enhanced concretes. XG has partnered with a concrete additives company so that should give them the edge in the short term. On the technical side, a new 2D material has been made in the research laboratory. This is a lateral heterostructure made from boron and carbon. This is so new that uses for this material have yet to be thought about. Prof. Jonathan Coleman’s team in Dublin has an attention-grabbing development for those partial to Irish whiskey. They have found that whiskey makes a good dispersant for exfoliated 2D material suspensions and they have worked out it is cheaper than some of the standard materials in use. Industrial quantities may be harder to find though. A new thin film solar heating device has been made with graphene oxide by researchers in Australia. Just exposing it to natural sunlight can raise its temperature well above 150°C. If the team can scale up this device it could find use for low maintenance low energy desalination plants as well as thermoelectric devices. I’ll leave you with the finding that a mystery in deep space has been solved. You can find the details and so much more in this month’s edition, please do read on… Adrian Nixon, 1st November 2019
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Special Feature Graphene Quantum Dots (GQDs) can identify legal cannabis Cannabis is legally available in many states in the USA [1]. However, this creates a problem. The plants look exactly the same whether grown under licence or illegally. This means a huge potential for fraud in the supply chain by counterfeiting, distribution and sale of unauthorised cannabis products. This is further complicated by products containing fractions extracted from the cannabis plant. The challenge for the legal cannabis industry is how to tell the legal from the criminal in the supply of cannabis? Professor James Tour of Rice University TX, is the leading graphene researcher in the USA. His laboratory has been working on this problem and they have an answer. The solution involves a new material they have been working on called graphene quantum dots (GQDs). Quantum dots are nanoscale materials that absorb ultra violet light and then fluoresce in the visible part of the spectrum with many colours that are dependent on the size of the material. They have a wide range of applications from security to medical imaging. Quantum dots have been made from heavy metals such as lead and cadmium and these heavy metals are toxic and so increasingly undesirable. Quantum dots can also be made from carbon materials. They are collectively known as carbon dots. Graphene Quantum Dots (GQDs) and Carbon Polymer Dots (CPDs) are subsets of carbon dots according to the latest work done by a mixed Chinese and American team in September 2019 [2].
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For the purposes of this article we will use the term graphene quantum dots (GQDs) to cover carbon polymers dots as well. How are graphene quantum dots made? The big advance James Tour and his team made in 2013 was to create graphene quantum dots from coal [3]. This created the foundations for an industrial process because coal is an abundant and cheap natural material and the process for making the GQDs is based on straightforward and scaleable chemistry. The graphene quantum dots made by this method are also water dispersible. This has brought the price of graphene quantum dots down to hundreds of dollars per tonne. Prof. Tour’s revolutionary technology was exclusively licensed to Dotz, and over the years modified and extended to include other carbon-based markers such as Graphene Quantum Dots (GQDs) and Carbon Polymer Dots (CPDs). These materials are currently marketed by Dotz under the brand names: ValiDotz™, Fluorensic™, and BioDotz™.
Graphene quantum dots and polymer quantum dots: Image courtesy of Dotz
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What can graphene quantum dots do? Now that graphene quantum dots can be made cost effectively, a range of potential uses has opened up. Graphene quantum dots can be made in a range of precise sizes by separating the products using techniques such as cross flow ultrafiltration. Because graphene quantum dots can be made in a range of sizes the colours they emit can also be controlled precisely. The amount of GQD determines the intensity of the light emitted at a particular wavelength. This means unique ‘barcode’ identifiers can be created by combining different amounts of different types of GQD. How graphene quantum dots help identify legal cannabis In North America some states have legalised cannabis production and use. How to tell legally grown cannabis from the illegal? It turns out that graphene quantum dots can be added to the irrigation water used for growing the plants. This means the plants can be uniquely tagged from the inside.
The GQDs are taken up by each plant and incorporated in its structure. This means the leaves and stems contain the unique barcode; it not only validates the product as legal but also identifies the source. The barcode can even be used to identify the field within the legal farm source.
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This is achieved using a portable, mobile phone coupled device that Dotz has branded “Inspec™”. Alternatively, the plant can be extracted, and the GQD code can be analysed and decoded using a more complex field detector (inspec™ - Forensic), or sent to a lab for analysis.
The portable mobile phone coupled device inspecTM: Image courtesy of Dotz
Dotz has recently partnered with the licensed cannabis producer Seàch Medical to develop in-plant generation track-and trace capability for cannabis [4]. Together with Seàch, Dotz are developing the best ways to successfully insert the BioDotz™ GQDs directly into cannabis plants. The company says this will enhance product security throughout the cannabis supply chain. They also say this will provide the market with better solutions compared with existing track-and-trace cannabis security measures such as RFID tags and barcodes because these have been insufficient in preventing illegal cannabis from being introduced into the legal market as well as legal cannabis from being diverted to the illegal market.
This is just one of the applications of graphene quantum dot technology, we will be reporting on many more in the future.
This article is an extract from the interview by Adrian Nixon with Professor James Tour of Rice University, in the Nixene Journal: Volume 3 issue 7, updated with further information provided by Dotz an advanced technology company developing, manufacturing and commercialising tagging, tracing and verification solutions
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Additional information for Journal Subscribers 1. Regulatory
The legal environment in the USA is important for the market acceptance of this development. Cannabis has a peculiar legal status in the USA. Its use is legal in some states but illegal in others. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) considers cannabis use illegal because this is the status at federal level. This means FDA approval cannot be given to any additives used in the production of cannabis. Quite what this means for the Dotz marketing is not entirely clear
2. Further potential for this technology - recycling of plastics
Differentiating plastics for recycling is a big ask for untrained labour Having material uniquely tagged from the inside is an interesting concept It might be possible to develop this technology further and create GQDs that can tag different types of plastics Fluorescence modifiers such as optical brightening agents and fluorescence quenching agents could interfere with the detection of the signal and would have to be taken in to account. The scanner might then give an instant read out that can be used to identify plastics for separation and make the recycling more efficient. This does not seem to have occurred to Dotz
References 1. Anon, (2019) State Marijuana Laws in 2019 Map: Governing magazine, https://www.governing.com/gov-data/safety-justice/state-marijuana-laws-mapmedical-recreational.html [accessed 1st July 2019] 2. Xia, C., Zhu, S., Feng, T., Yang, M. and Yang, B. (2019). Evolution and Synthesis of Carbon Dots: From Carbon Dots to Carbonized Polymer Dots. Advanced Science, p.1901316. 3. Ye. R, Xiang. C, Lin. J, Peng. Z, Huang. K, Yan. Z, Cook, N, Samuel. E, Hwang. C, Ruan. G, Ceriotti. G, Raji1. A, Martı. A, Tour. J, (2013). Coal as an abundant source of graphene quantum dots. Nature Communications 4(1) 4. ASX and media release (08 July 2019) ‘Dotz partners with licensed cannabis producer Seàch Medical to develop global in-plant cannabis tagging’ https://www.asx.com.au/asx/statistics/displayAnnouncement.do?display=pdf&i dsId=02121385 [accessed 19th October 2019]
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The standard format for the report The report is in date order for the month, the most recent work first.
Date: dd/mm/yy Headline: Technology and Research are in Yellow The source material is hyperlinked
Content summary: A description of the source material translating technical jargon in to plain English as far as possible 1.
Relevance: Highlighting work that may be of interest and why
Date: dd/mm/yy Headline: Company / Market information in pink The source material is hyperlinked
Content summary: Relevance:
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Technology Developments Date: 30/10/19 Headline: Fabrication of Polyvinyl Alcohol/Edge-Selectively Oxidized Graphene Composite Fibers https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1944/12/21/3525
Content summary:
This is work done at the Korea Institute of Materials Science They made a PVA / Edge Oxidised Graphene (EGO) fibre composite in the lab The edge of graphene was selectively oxidized by step II oxidation of the modified Hummers method, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28090610 Being edge oxidised means the EGO retails electrical conductivity and -COOH groups at the edges improve the dispersion and engagement with the PVA matrix
MARKET Research & development Textiles
APPLICATION Composite polymer
PRODUCT TYPE Edge Oxidised Graphene (EOG)
They blended the PVA and EGO and wet spun into a fibre by injecting the mix into a coagulation bath of methanol creating a gel fibre The coagulated fibre was dried in an oven at 150°C The team found that adding the EGO improved the tensile strength by about 10% The electrical conductivity of the composite fibre was not measured
Relevance:
This work might also be interesting when compared with the work done in China with PVA / graphene composites that found sound dampening could be controlled by altering the voltage applied to the polymer (Vol3 Iss9 p.10) Both pieces of work might be combined to give better performing composite material
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Date: 25/10/19 Headline: Water based graphene for high biocompatibility https://www.printedelectronicsworld.com/articles/18529/water-based-graphene-for-highbiocompatibility
Content summary:
This is unpublished work done by the National Taipei University of Technology (NTUT) Reported by IDTechEx following a recent visit NTUT has developed water-based graphene composites that they claim offer improved biocompatibility
MARKET Biomedical
APPLICATION Anti-corrosion
PRODUCT TYPE Graphene Oxide Reduced graphene oxide
They claim to have optimised the process of making graphene oxide from graphite This means the graphene oxide nanoplates are relatively intact Then they reduce the graphene oxide back to graphene They have functionalised the graphene with over 50 different materials including carbon nanotubes, zinc nanoparticles and silver nanowires The material can then be coated onto the substrate and heat pressed. They have demonstrated heating textiles, ECG electrodes, glucose monitoring, TENS machines pads and also use the graphene as electrodes to assist with bone reconstruction (applying an electric field across the bone stimulates its growth).
Relevance:
Creating biocompatible and water compatible graphene composites is not quite as new as the article would make us believe Several teams around the world are experimenting with graphene oxide and reduced graphene oxide materials for biomedical applications For example in the last issue Vol3 Iss 10, p17. Describes work done with growing human cartilage tissue on a graphene oxide scaffold The fact they have been granted a patent for their process may make a difference to the commercialisation, we will wait and see
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Date: 23/10/19 Headline: When it comes to producing graphene, Irish whiskey may be the answer https://www.siliconrepublic.com/machines/irish-whiskey-graphene-production https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/2053-1583/ab3892#tdmab3892s4
Content summary:
This is work led by Prof. Jonathan Coleman at Trinity College Dublin They compared Irish whiskey with ethanol / water mixtures used to disperse graphene, hexagonal boron nitride and tungsten disulphide 2D material The 2 materials were exfoliated in liquid with ultrasound and the alcohol was used as a dispersant They found that whiskey was a better dispersant yielding more stable suspensions with reasonably high concentrations of 1mg/l They showed that whiskey-dispersed nanosheets of graphene and WS2 can be printed into networks. These can be combined in heterostructures to produce thinfilm transistors whose current can be modulated using ionic liquid gating.
MARKET Research & development
APPLICATION Sensors
PRODUCT TYPE Graphene nanoplate Hexagonal Boron Nitride hBN Tungsten Disulphide WS2 image: tookapic, Pixabay
Aged whiskey is a complex mix of hundreds of compounds dissolved in a water/ethanol blend. (Teeling Whiskey was used in this work) These are primarily phenols, esters, aldehydes, lactones and lignin and are imparted during the various stages of production Specifically, the presence of medium-to-long chain esters and lignin products should stabilise the nanosheets in a manner akin to polymer (steric) stabilisation as the dispersion efficiency scales with the length of the molecular chain
Relevance:
Interesting work, creating stable suspensions of various 2D materials is a challenge, n-Methyl Pyrrolidone (NMP) is often used to create printable inks The authors also pointed out that whiskey is both cheaper and less toxic compared to other exfoliating solvents such as NMP (€50 per litre for Teeling Small Batch Irish Whiskey vs €140 per litre for NMP Anhydrous from Sigma)
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Date: 22/10/19 Headline: Graphene oxide nanoparticles in the interstellar medium https://academic.oup.com/mnrasl/article-abstract/490/1/L17/5556554
Content summary:
This is work done by Peter Sarre at the School of Chemistry, The University of Nottingham, UK Astronomical observations over the past four decades have revealed a widespread unassigned ‘extended red emission’ (ERE) feature which is attributed to luminescence of dust grains. But no one quite knew what was causing this Peter has conducted thorough lab tests looking at the emission spectra of various candidate materials
MARKET Research & development
APPLICATION PRODUCT TYPE Graphene oxide nanoplate
His work has shown that there is a strong similarity between laboratory optical emission spectra of graphene oxide (GO) and ERE, he proposes that the infra-red emission from GO nanoparticles is the origin of ERE and that these are a significant component of interstellar dust. The proposal is supported by infrared emission features detected by the Infrared Space Observatory (ISO) and the Spitzer Space Telescope
Relevance:
Fascinating work clearly showing that graphene oxide nanoplates are an extensive component of interstellar dust This supports other work that shows graphene is commonplace in space Also demonstrates that graphene and graphene oxide are stable materials that are some of the oldest materials in the universe (See our special edition Graphene gateway we made for the American graphene summit) download from this link
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Date: 15/10/19 Headline: Ultrathin graphene film offers new concept for solar energy http://www.swinburne.edu.au/news/latest-news/2019/03/ultrathin-graphene-film-offers-new-concept-for-solarenergy.php https://www.nature.com/articles/s41566-019-0389-3
Content summary:
This is work done by researchers at Swinburne, the University of Sydney and Australian National University They have developed a solar absorbing, ultrathin film with unique properties that has great potential for use in solar thermal energy harvesting It is based on alternating layers of graphene oxide and a dielectric polymer of diallyldimethylammonium chloride (DADMAC)
MARKET Energy Management
APPLICATION Desalination Heat management Solar cells
PRODUCT TYPE Graphene oxide
They cut slices into the layered material forming stacks 90 nanometres high with lateral dimensions in the mm scale. They called this a graphene metamaterial When illuminated with natural sunlight the whole assembly heated up to over 160°C The team thinks this could be used to make solar heating elements and desalination panels
Relevance:
A fascinating use of graphene oxide If the team can scale this up then this could be used to manufacture solar eating and desalination elements that are powered purely by sunlight and have no moving parts. One minor detail. Poly DADMAC is hygroscopic, it absorbs water vapour readily from the atmosphere so this may have to be taken in to account when scaling up this development because moisture could affect the performance of the cell over time.
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Date: 13/10/19 Headline: Integrating Borophene and Graphene Into 2D Heterostructures for Future Electronics https://scitechdaily.com/integrating-borophene-and-graphene-into-2d-heterostructures-for-future-electronics/
Content summary:
This is work done at Northwestern University, USA The team wanted to test whether it was possible to integrate the two materials into a single heterostructure, Borophene – a bit like graphene but made from boron atoms rather than carbon They grew both graphene and borophene on the same substrate.
MARKET Electronics Research & Development
APPLICATION Sensors
PRODUCT TYPE CVD Graphene CVD Borophene Lateral heterostructure
They grew the graphene first, since it grows at a higher temperature, then deposited boron on the same substrate and let it grow in regions where there was no graphene. This process resulted in lateral interfaces where the two materials bonded together at the atomic scale.
Relevance:
This shows the pace of change in this fast-moving field. This type of heterostructure is entirely new – we had to add a new classification – lateral heterostructure to our product list This material may have an impact on electronics but no-one is quite sure how at this stage
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Date: 10/10/19 Headline: UNSW scientists design graphene filter to purify methane from biogas https://www.ercweb.com/tips/show/new-material-captures-carbon-dioxide
Content summary:
This is work done by the University of New South Wales and Sydney water in Australia They have demonstrated at lab-scale that graphene membranes can be used to extract methane present in biogas generated during the breakdown of organic materials in wastewater plants.
MARKET Research & development Energy management
APPLICATION Membrane – gas separation
PRODUCT TYPE Graphene nanoplate Image: Biogas, Pixabay
Biogas, a mixture of methane and other impurities, is produced during anaerobic digestion in wastewater treatment – the process of bacteria separating biodegradable material. The article does not mention any specifics and does seem to confuse waste water treatment with biogas purification We tracked the article back to its source at the university and this is the link above.
Relevance:
This article made a significant impact and was repeated in many news channels It presented a confused message and there were no links to the actual work The confusion in the article is likely due to poor communications between the researchers and the press communications people at the University It is likely to be a gas permeable membrane separating CO2 from CH4 and therefore increasing the calorific value of the biogas. (and therefore a more saleable / useable product) We’ll keep a watch on this if the research is published.
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Date: 09/10/19 Headline: Engineers develop eco-friendly graphene smart suitcase https://nano-magazine.com/news/2019/10/9/engineers-develop-eco-friendly-graphene-smart-suitcase
Content summary:
This is work done by Prof. Nazmul Karim at the University of Manchester in the UK (now at the University of the West of England) He has developed a graphene-enhanced recycled polycarbonate system This imparts smooth-touch, scratch resistant and better impact properties This was made into a travel case that is 60 percent stronger and 20 percent lighter with 50 percent less CO2 emission compared with a standard travel case.
MARKET Research & development
APPLICATION Composite polymer
PRODUCT TYPE Graphene nanoplate Image courtesy of Prof. Nazmul Karim, GraphCase
One of the barriers for using recycled plastic includes degradation and thermal aging of the plastic as well as mixing low-grade materials into the batch, which results in poor performance properties and lower reusability. Using graphene improves the strength allowing polycarbonate to be recycled multiple times
Relevance:
Adding graphene to recycle polycarbonate allows 100% recycled plastic to be used The material used can also be recycled multiple times whilst maintaining its performance. Also, worth noting that two graphene suitcases were announced this month at Manchester. The other is the carbon fibre suitcase by Dr. Vivek Koncherry While superficially similar they target different markets, the carbon fibre suitcase is aimed at the luxury market while this polycarbonate one is aimed at more eco aware markets
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Date: 05/10/19 Headline: Graphene is on track to deliver on its promises https://www.nature.com/articles/s41565-019-0557-0
Content summary:
This is written by some of the top people in graphene, the Graphene Flagship, Cambridge University and the Fraunhofer institute in Germany It is published in nature, one of the most prestigious scientific journals What the authors have done is analyse the market forecasts about graphene.
MARKET All
APPLICATION All
PRODUCT TYPE Graphene nanoplate
We tend to avoid this type of source data when compiling the journal because the methodology is very unclear at best. For example - the chart here about graphene market applications. The chart shows batteries and aerospace as the highest value market segments with the highest compound annual growth rate (CAGR) over the next 5 years
Relevance:
This is an article by the leading people at the graphene flagship It is in the world’s most prestigious scientific journal – nature nanotechnology And, surprisingly, it is not very good: o Batteries: As far as we can tell graphene makes marginal improvements in rechargeable batteries Energy density - no real evidence graphene helps much here Charging time - marginal improvements perhaps by increasing anode surface area Battery life (number of charge / discharge cycles) not seen much evidence of graphene making improvements here either Aerospace: Lots of opportunities but this market is notoriously conservative when adopting new technologies - typically takes ten years - Look at the chart, this is a 5-year look into the future Graphene will make a positive market impact but probably not in the way this data analysis predicts – for example no mention of graphene in concrete
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Date: 04/10/19 Headline: MoS2 quantum dots decorated reduced graphene oxide as a sulfur host for advanced lithium-sulfur batteries https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0013468619318651#!
Content summary:
This is work done by a team at Shanghai Jiao Tong University Lithium Sulphur batteries have up to five times the energy density of standard Lithium ion batteries However, they suffer from capacity fade – lower performance with repeated charge cycles Adding graphene oxide nanoplates decorated with molybdenum disulphide quantum dots has improved the capacity fade
MARKET Research & development
APPLICATION Batteries
PRODUCT TYPE Graphene oxide nanoplate MoS2 Quantum Dot
The charge and discharge cycle in the battery is mediated by the shuttle effect. This seems to be the physical movement of lithium polysulphide (LiS) species of varying sulphur chain lengths between the electrodes Over repeated cycles the LiS tends to prefer to be dissolved in the electrolyte rather than engage with the sulphur cathode. This causes the capacity fade The MoS2 Supported by the graphene oxide improves the engagement of the LiS with the cathode and this is why the capacity fade is improved The team reported ultra-low capacity fade rate of 0.011% per cycle during 300 cycles at 2 C with an average coulombic efficiency of nearly 100%
Relevance:
Lithium Sulphide batteries are interesting but offer a modest improvement on standard Li-ion batteries So, while this work is promising, it is unlikely to deliver the leap in performance that the battery market needs, especially for automotive applications
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Date: 03/10/19 Headline: World’s first graphene suitcase made in University of Manchester lab https://twitter.com/Vivekkoncherry/status/1179730181281533952
Content summary:
This is work done by Dr. Vivek Koncherry at the University of Manchester in the UK His work specialises in carbon fibre composites Vivek has made the world’s first graphene suitcase from carbon fibre composite enhanced with graphene
MARKET Research & development
APPLICATION Composites polymer
PRODUCT TYPE Graphene nanoplate Image courtesy of Dr. Vivek Koncherry, University of Manchester
The suitcase was made by making a mould from a commercially available suitcase The shell was then made by laying carbon fibre layers into the mould with graphene enhanced epoxy resin The zips, handles and wheels were taken from the original suitcase and reengineered to fit the graphene shell The graphene increases the impact resistance, particularly in the corners of the suitcase
Relevance:
This has generated quite a bit of interest on social media, Twitter and LinkedIn The suitcase is not commercially available yet, it is a lab prototype However there seems to be a demand for this. This shows the power of using graphene in familiar, useable items that people can relate to The team behind this are looking for an industrial partner to scale up production Also, worth noting that two graphene suitcases were announced this month at Manchester. The other is the graphene polycarbonate suitcase by Prof. Nazmul Karim While superficially similar they target different markets, the polycarbonate one is aimed at more eco aware markets while this carbon fibre suitcase is aimed at the luxury market.
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Date: 02/10/19 Headline: A force‐engineered lint roller for super clean graphene https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/adma.201902978
Content summary:
This is work done by teams at the university of Manchester in the UK and Peking University in China involving Nobel Laureate, Kostya Novoselov They made a ‘lint’ roller by coating a copper foam cylinder in activated carbon They rolled the roller over the surface of chemical vapour deposition (CVD) graphene on copper foil
MARKET Electronics Research & development
APPLICATION Sensors
PRODUCT TYPE CVD Graphene
The CVD graphene contains carbon impurities on the surface as well as graphene These impurities impair the electronic properties of the graphene layer – it performs better when clean The activated carbon acts in a similar way to the adhesive on a lint roller Carbon contaminants stick to the activated carbon layer and are removed The activated carbon does not pull the graphene from the copper foil This makes the graphene suitable for the following markets High speed electronics including radio-frequency transistors Dirac-source field-effect transistors High-speed optoelectronics such as photodetectors and optical modulators and epitaxy III-V semiconductors for lighting LED or lasers
Relevance:
Carbon contaminants on CVD graphene on copper foil do reduce the quality of the graphene This graphene is nearly always polycrystalline, very few people can make single crystal graphene
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Company / Market Developments Date: 30/10/19 Headline: Applied Graphene Materials surges as anti-corrosion primer goes on sale at Halfords https://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/905924/applied-graphene-surges-as-anticorrosion-primer-goes-on-sale-at-halfords-905924.html
Content summary:
Applied Graphene Materials announced a primer containing its graphene technology is on sale at UK bike and car accessory retailer, Halfords group The Hycote anti-corrosion primer, which Applied Graphene developed in partnership with consumer chemicals group James Briggs Ltd (JBL)
MARKET Automotive
APPLICATION Coatings Anti-corrosion
PRODUCT TYPE Graphene nanoplate
Image CC BY-SA 2.0
The product has also been put on sale on Amazon Inc’s website It is also being sold via Tetrosyl Express, the UK’s largest supplier of car care, parts and accessories
Relevance:
This demonstrates the power of partnering with JBL which provides the channel to market for AGM’s graphene manufacturing operation Having a product containing graphene on the shelves of well-known market outlets will give AGM visibility and credibility amongst investors and relieve some of the pressure the company must be feeling.
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Date: 29/10/19 Headline: XG Sciences and Terrafilum Enter Joint Development Agreement to Produce Graphene Enhanced 3D Printing Filament https://xgsciences.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/XGSciences_Terrafilum-PressRel-FINAL3.pdf
Content summary:
XG Sciences, a graphene nanoplate manufacturer in the USA announced a joint development agreement with Terrafilum a USA based supplier of ecofriendly 3D printing products. The agreement is for both companies to cooperate and develop graphene enhanced filament.
MARKET Manufacturing
APPLICATION 3D Printing Composites polymer
PRODUCT TYPE Graphene nanoplate
Terrafilum supplies Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS) and Poly Lactic Acid (PLA) printing filaments
The attraction from Terrafilum’s point of view is to use graphene to create eco-friendly filament products that allow a greater variety of parts to be created at faster production rates using less energy
Relevance:
Both ABS and PLA printing filaments can be improved with graphene This means XG Sciences should be able to add value to the relationship The key to success in this relationship will be the creation of graphene composite filaments that can demonstrate better energy performance while maintaining or increasing the mechanical properties of the structures they will make.
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Date: 29/10/19 Headline: Haydale CFO steps down https://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/905704/haydale-cfo-steps-down-905704.html
Content summary:
Haydale’s chief financial officer, Laura Redman-Thomas, has resigned from the company to take up a new role.
MARKET Manufacturing
APPLICATION Composites polymer
PRODUCT TYPE Graphene nanoplate
She will remain with the company until 22 November to ensure an orderly handover, while a search for a replacement was currently underway
Relevance:
It is not clear what is behind this announcement The company is clearly experiencing challenging times To lose a CFO is not an encouraging sign
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Date: 27/10/19 Headline: ELECJET claims that its new graphene-enhanced power bank can charge to full capacity in just 19 minutes https://www.notebookcheck.net/ELECJET-claims-that-its-new-graphene-enhanced-power-bank-can-charge-to-fullcapacity-in-just-19-minutes.440424.0.html https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/apollo-max-the-power-bank-recharges-in-19-mins#/
Content summary:
ELECJET is a crowdfunded company, not clear where it is based. Their rechargeable battery pack uses graphene in two ways o Graphene is part of the positive electrode they claim for faster charging o Graphene heat dispersion plate in the case to cool the pack and extend its life over repeated charge and discharge cycles
MARKET Energy management
APPLICATION Battery
PRODUCT TYPE Graphene nanoplate
The company claim the battery pack can be fully charged in 19 minutes It has a 10,000 mAh capacity And can be recharged over 3000 times with no loss of capacity
Relevance:
The company did not signpost to any independent test results to verify their claims At the time of writing the company’s home page did not seem to be working www.elecjet.com
The European site did work https://elecjet.co.uk/pages/about They have certainly invested in their product development and have a slick marketing pitch
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Date: 25/10/19 Headline: Biotech billionaire Patrick Soon-Shiong raises stake in graphene maker Directa Plus https://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/905644/biotech-billionaire-patrick-soon-shiong-raises-stake-ingraphene-maker-directa-plus-905644.html
Content summary:
Directa Plus is an AIM listed graphene manufacturing and applications company Patrick Soon-Shiong is an investor-innovator, who owns newspapers including LA Times as well as tech firms NantEnergy and Nantworks,
MARKET Manufacturing Civil engineering infrastructure Textiles
APPLICATION Composites asphalt Heat management Pollution control
PRODUCT TYPE Graphene nanoplate
Patrick now owns 28.89% of the AIM-listed graphene company, having purchased 18.85% of Directa Plush shares in February 2019
Relevance:
Directa Plus have been making high profile announcements over the past two years They were the first to prove that graphene in asphalt doubles the service life of roads and this is stimulating a lot of interest around the world Directa Plus also have developed graphene enhanced textiles for workwear and also high-end fashion applications The company also has a pollution control operation cleaning up oil spills with its graphene This activity explains the investor interest
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Date: 24/10/19 Headline: Talga teams with Swedish brand for graphene packs https://themarketherald.com.au/talga-teams-up-with-swedish-company-for-sustainable-graphene-packaging-2019-10/
Content summary:
Talga resources is an Australian graphene manufacturing company that has access to graphite deposits in Sweden Their graphene is marketed under the brand name Talphene Billerudkorsnas is a Swedish paper and board manufacturer The two companies have been collaborating for over a year having announced a joint development agreement in August 2018 (see also Vol2 Iss 8 p28)
MARKET Paper & Board Packaging
APPLICATION PRODUCT TYPE Graphene nanoplate
The company said “Incorporating Talphene into BillerudKorsnäs' packaging will enable a range of performance and eco-benefits such as replacing plastic packaging with natural fibres, amongst others”
Relevance:
This announcement sounds good but it is not entirely clear This seems to be continuing a development agreement rather than actual sales of graphene Billerudkorsnas is a respected manufacturer and they may be using the graphene to improve the barrier and vapour resistant properties of their paper and board as a plastic replacement for packaging They are also working with Uppsala University to develop paper battery technology so this could be another application of the graphene We will have to wait until this development ceases to be secret to know for sure
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Date: 21/10/19 Headline: 2D fab, Saab and Blackwing develop graphene composite for lightning strike protection and strength https://2dfab.se/news-2/
Content summary:
2D fab, a Swedish graphene manufacturer has developed new components for the aviation industry that offer increased lightning strike protection and strength The project, called Multigraph, was launched in 2017 with the mission to create better components for the aviation industry. Multigraph, partly financed by Vinnova, is a collaboration between 2D fab, SAAB, Blackwing Sweden, Chalmers and two Brazilian universities (UFABC and ITA) The aim was to use graphene’s multifunctional properties to increase the mechanical strength and electrical conductivity of the materials used, the latter reducing the amount of maintenance required due to lightning strikes
MARKET Aerospace
APPLICATION Composites polymer Lightning protection
PRODUCT TYPE Graphene nanoplate Aircraft lightning: Image source skeeze, Pixabay
The results – presented October 10th at the Brazilian-Swedish workshop on aeronautics in Stockholm – are to be considered a success: by adding graphene to the polymers used, electrical conductivity and strength both improved. 2D fab and SAAB have been granted renewed funding from Vinnova and will continue working toward better components for the aviation industry
Relevance:
This work sounds positive It has the feel of an academic research project, more than a commercial development However, the release did say that further funding has been granted so this work will continue and the involvement of industrial aerospace companies means there will be a built-in channel to market for any product that emerges from development
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Date: 21/10/19 Headline: Haydale launches graphene composite for lightning strike protection https://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/905325/breakfast-news---thor-mining-haydale-graphene-indfusion-antibodies-and-more-905325.html
Content summary:
Haydale has launched a range of graphene-enhanced prepreg material for lightning-strike protection, These are graphene composites with enhanced electrical conductivity. The material has been developed in collaboration with Airbus UK, BAE Systems, GE Aviation and Element Materials Technology Warwick Ltd
MARKET Aerospace
APPLICATION Composites polymer Lightning protection
PRODUCT TYPE Graphene nanoplate Aircraft lightning: Image source skeeze, Pixabay
GraCELs 2 project where the first iterations of materials were developed and subjected to lighting strike tests. The consortium is now looking to manufacture a demonstrator component using the materials developed to establish composite manufacturing protocols as a showcase part for commercial purposes. These materials can be used for structural components as well as for enclosures for the electronic avionics system
Relevance:
Some good news for Haydale This development has been in planning for some time and is a legacy development from the company It will be interesting to see the consortium develop and launch this composite for use in aerospace markets
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Date: 17/10/19 Headline: Colloids funds graphene nanocomposites collaborative Ph.D. research project with The University of Manchester https://colloids.com/colloids-funds-graphene-nanocomposites-collaborative-ph-d-research-project-with-theuniversity-of-manchester
Content summary:
Colloids group is a UK based manufacturer of masterbatches and performance enhancing additives The company is funding a joint collaborative Ph.D. research project with the Graphene Engineering Innovation Centre (GEIC) This is the second phase, which is about to start, and expected to be a three to four-year research project.
MARKET Manufacturing
APPLICATION Composites polymer
PRODUCT TYPE Graphene nanoplate
For this phase, Colloids is funding and supporting a full time Ph.D. researcher who will be based at University of Manchester with the Advanced Nanomaterials Group led by Dr. Mark A. Bissett and Professor Ian A. Kinloch. The main goal of this collaborative Ph.D. research project is to develop and upscale new polymer-graphene nanocomposites with enhanced properties and multifunctional capabilities that are not currently available. Key target markets for ‘next generation’ graphene nanocomposite Colloids products include automotive, aerospace, electronics and electrical.
Relevance:
Colloids group will have a more precise target for the research than the press release announces The GEIC is a good place to do this work, having a well-equipped composites laboratory and access to other composites laboratories on campus with the new Royce institute opening autumn 2020
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Date: 16/10/19 Headline: Haydale Graphene loss deepens amid impairments in challenging year https://www.morningstar.co.uk/uk/news/AN_1571133298736802500/haydale-graphene-loss-deepens-amidimpairments-in-challenging-year.aspx
Content summary:
Haydale Graphene Industries PLC announced its annual loss deepened amid in a "challenging" year for the firm, despite progress on streamlining and orders. For the year ended June, pre-tax loss widened to GBP7.8 million from GBP6.0 million the year prior. This was despite revenue rising 2.9% to GBP3.5 million from GBP3.4 million the year before
MARKET Manufacturing
APPLICATION Composites polymer
PRODUCT TYPE Graphene nanoplate
The company chairman, Ian Banks, was quoted saying “we have streamlined the business and rationalised our cost base, created a rigorous product and commodity analysis with subsequent clear focus and created a group sales force In March, the firm raised GBP5.8 million through a share placing and subscription
Relevance:
Haydale seem to be experiencing similar difficulties to Applied Graphene Materials even though the two companies target different market segments They are both coming out of R&D mode, developing products and applications The investors are now demanding a focus on return on investment Both companies have changed their leadership and the new top management and are driving increased sales and cutting costs.
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Date: 16/10/19 Headline: Tetra Pak to research uses for graphene in the packaging industry https://www.packaging-gateway.com/news/tetra-pak-graphene/
Content summary:
Tetra Pak will be exploring the possible future applications of graphene in food and beverage manufacturing They announced they are the exclusive representative from the packaging industry at the European Commission Graphene Flagship project
MARKET Packaging
APPLICATION Coatings Sensors
PRODUCT TYPE Graphene nanoplate
Tetra Pak will look at how graphene can be used in packaging material innovation such as reducing the carbon footprint of the packaging supply chain. The company will also look at how the material can be used in smart packaging, by using ultra-thin graphene sensors that are smaller, lighter and cheaper than traditional sensors and can be integrated into packages as data carriers for producers, retailers and consumers.
Relevance:
This announcement means that Tetra Pak has access to the European community of graphene experts in the graphene flagship On another level it seems strange that the Graphene Flagship should have allowed Tetra Pak to be the only representative of the packaging industry with this exclusive membership status The packing industry is about to go through a period of intense change with environmental directives prompting increased use of recycling and reduced use of plastics, a broader range of contact with the industry would make better strategic sense
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Date: 16/10/19 Headline: Applied Graphene annual loss deepens on rising cost, slow sales growth https://www.morningstar.co.uk/uk/news/AN_1571211782928694000/applied-graphene-annual-loss-deepens-onrising-cost-slow-sales-growth.aspx
Content summary:
Applied Graphene Materials PLC (AGM) said Wednesday its annual loss deepened on rising costs, and revenue growth was slower than expected. For the year ended July, pre-tax loss at the graphene maker widened to GBP 4.8 million from GBP 4.5 million the year prior. Revenue remained largely immaterial, edging lower to GBP50,000 from GBP77,000 the year before. Profit performance was hurt by a rise in cost of sales to GBP472,000 from GBP250,000 the year prior
MARKET Aerospace
APPLICATION Composites polymer Lightning protection
PRODUCT TYPE Graphene nanoplate
CEO, Adrian Potts was quoted saying "The restructuring process we are implementing will re-align our business to focus on our core dispersion technology and will reduce our cost base to sustain the business while we focus on achieving conversion of our pipeline." AGM has product launches by Alltimes Coatings, and James Briggs which are on schedule for this calendar year
Relevance:
AGM’s anti corrosion coatings products clearly seem to work from the evidence we saw at the American Graphene Summit in May 2019 However, the company is under pressure from investors to cut its costs and increase its sales
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Date: 11/10/19 Headline: Haydale Graphene wins US$700,000 order for ceramic blanks https://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/904799/haydale-graphene-wins-us700000-order-for-ceramicblanks-904799.html
Content summary:
Haydale Graphene Industries announced an order for ceramic blanks worth US$700,000. The order is from a large US cutting tool manufacturer, (not named) This follows a prior, trial, order of 33,000 ceramic blank units previously delivered by Haydale's South Carolina-based unit, Haydale Ceramic Technologies (HCT)
MARKET Manufacturing
APPLICATION Composites polymer
PRODUCT TYPE
The company also announced that HCT has received a commitment in principle from a Japanese cutting tool manufacturer set to launch in April 2020. This commitment is for 145,000 blanks units with a value of around US$600,000. Haydale installed a new leadership team, this year taking around £1.6m of annual costs out of the business.
Relevance:
Interesting that Haydale’s announcement is not for graphene but for ceramics which is probably silicon carbide This may be a reflection of the new management team focus Time will tell…
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Date: 10/10/19 Headline: Graphenea to launch two new single crystal graphene products https://physicsworld.com/a/trends-in-nanotechnology-nano-pioneers-celebrate-the-conferences-20th-anniversary/
Content summary:
Graphenea is one of the oldest graphene manufacturing companies founded in 2010 in san Sebastian, Spain Their scientific director, Dr. Amaia Zurutuza was interviewed and reported that the company was launching two single crystal graphene products at the end of 2019 These products are aimed at the industrial and academic research markets Graphena is supported by the Graphene Flagship as a partner organisation It also has corporate investment from and Oil & Gas company Repsol
MARKET Manufacturing Electronics
APPLICATION Sensors – graphene field effect transistors GFET
PRODUCT TYPE Single crystal graphene
Reading the original source paper by Graphena researchers, it looks like their method is to have ultra-low carbon feedstock concentrations so very few crystal nuclei form and those that do grow big (3mm)
They achieve this by folding the annealed foil over then crimping the edges to form a pocket. Then they run the CVD process - the carbon species migrate through the copper foil to the inside of the pocket. This is the mechanism to restrict the concentration of carbon. Clever idea
The process takes about an hour and produces single crystals about 3mm in size. This work was done in 2017 so they should have increased the size of the crystal domains by now we would expect the announcement to be still square mm rather than square cm scale
Relevance:
Single crystal graphene is becoming the industry standard term for monolayer graphene made with no defects Graphenea did not announce details of their product, we expect the announcement to be still square mm rather than square cm scale
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Date: 10/10/19 Headline: Applied Graphene Announces Restructure To Cut Costs, Grow Sales https://www.morningstar.co.uk/uk/news/AN_1570631408788587300/applied-graphene-announces-restructure-to-cutcosts-grow-sales.aspx
Content summary:
Applied Graphene Materials (AGM) said it has decided to re-align itself and focus on graphene dispersion, a process of mixing graphene with other materials to enhance the mechanical and barrier properties of the material. The company said it will work primarily to grow revenue from a "pipeline of approximately 100 active engagements"
MARKET Manufacturing
APPLICATION Anti-corrosion
PRODUCT TYPE Graphene nanoplate
The company will consult with employees with the goal of "implementing a realignment of its operations towards dispersion and application know-how and customer support". The firm's £GBP 4.3 million cash operating base for its year to July 31 is set to drop around £GBP 900,000 for its year ending July 2020 and then another £GBP 1.1 million in financial 2021. The cost of the changes is predicted to be around £GBP 200,000
Relevance:
AGM is under pressure from investors to deliver a return on the investment The company’s anti corrosion products clearly work so that is not an issue They clearly need greater sales and the restructure is to reduce costs and direct resources to sales activity rather than product development If this solves the immediate problem it could sow the seeds of another problem in a few years where they lack the capacity to develop new products and applications
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Date: 10/10/19 Headline: Arcadis partners with Manchester graphene centre https://www.building.co.uk/news/arcadis-partners-with-manchester-graphene-centre/5102085.article
Content summary:
Arcadis has been signed as the newest affiliate partner to The University of Manchester’s Graphene Engineering Innovation Centre (GEIC). Arcadis will be contributing to the development of construction related innovations.
MARKET Construction
APPLICATION Composites asphalt Composites – concrete and cement
PRODUCT TYPE Graphene nanoplate
Arcadis already has a relationship with the University of Manchester, having led the delivery of the National Graphene Institute, GEIC and the Henry Royce Institute for Advanced Materials,
Relevance:
The construction industry is starting to wake up to the potential of graphene Particularly with graphene-concrete and graphene-asphalt composites Arcadis is a well-respected construction consultancy and should help the GEIC network into the industry. This looks like a good partnership
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Date: 09/10/19 Headline: Versarien secures ‘hot’ deal with Spanish firm https://www.punchline-gloucester.com/articles/aanews/cheltenham-manufacturing-business-versarien-secures-dealwith-spanish-firm-insertec
Content summary:
Versarien has signed a "collaboration agreement" with Refractory Solutions Insertec S.L.U., an international manufacturer of industrial furnaces and refractory products. Versarien and Insertec will be working on a project to incorporate Versarien's Hexotene® into certain of Insertec's refractory materials
MARKET Manufacturing
APPLICATION Refractory products
PRODUCT TYPE Hexagonal Boron Nitride (hBN)
The company describes the Hexotene product as a few-layer hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) nanoplatelet powder with large lateral dimensions. It is not clear if Versarien manufacture hBN themselves or act as a reseller, we believe the latter.
Relevance:
Interesting application for hexagonal boron nitride powder The benefit will be heat resistance with low chemical reactivity However, this is not a sale for Versarien it is a development agreement
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Date: 04/10/19 Headline: Vittoria Martello 2.0 Graphene enhanced tyres https://www.velonews.com/apparel-reviews/vittoria-martello-graphene-2-0-tires
Content summary:
Bicycle tyre manufacturer Vittoria (with Lion Tires) has launched a new product The Martello 2.0 graphene tyre – it is softer but more wear resistant rubber The company says it combines low rolling resistance and exceptional grip This article is a review
MARKET Manufacturing Sports
APPLICATION Composites Polymer Tyres / Tires
PRODUCT TYPE Graphene nanoplate
Martello Graphene Bike Tyre: Image source Vittoria
The reviewer’s comments are worth noting, he says: “Not long ago Vittoria launched its line of Graphene 2.0 tires, and the bike world largely reacted with a collective, “say what?” As in, what exactly is graphene? And what makes graphene 2.0 any better or different? Do I need it in my tires?... The only concern I had was premature wear, since the compound does seem to be quite soft. But after half a summer of miles on them, the tread is only slightly worn, far less so than I had expected for a tire that feels so soft. I’m willing to bet I could still get plenty of life out of these tires over the winter and even into next spring… I can tell you that it excels in loose, dusty conditions and rolls faster than the tread profile will have you believe. They’re currently mounted to my everyday bike and I have no intention of taking them off anytime soon”
Relevance:
Vittoria are certainly getting the marketing right. Their customers seem to be noticing the difference graphene makes and are buying the product.
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Date: 02/10/19 Headline: CenoStar and XG Sciences Partner to Deliver Graphene-Enhanced Concrete https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/cenostar-and-xg-sciences-partner-to-deliver-graphene-enhancedconcrete-300927366.html
Content summary:
XG Sciences announced the signing of a distribution agreement with CenoStar, a global provider of functional fillers. Under the agreement, CenoStar will leverage its knowledge and market channel in various end-use markets for cement additives in the distribution of XG Sciences' XG Concrete™, an additive with demonstrated performance in extending lifetime and strength in cement through reduced moisture absorption, crack propagation and gas permeability while increasing resistance to acid attack and freeze-thaw performance
MARKET Civil engineering infrastructure Construction
APPLICATION Composites – concrete and cement
PRODUCT TYPE Graphene nanoplate
XG Concrete™, is a concrete additive The company claims demonstrated performance in extending lifetime and strength in cement through reduced moisture absorption, crack propagation and gas permeability while increasing resistance to acid attack and freeze-thaw performance
Relevance:
A good move by XG Sciences However we have seen no published evidence from the company to support their claims for increase performance Cenostar has no published data on its website either
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Date: 02/10/19 Headline: Graphene concrete composite spin off company - Concrene https://www.chemistryworld.com/features/concretes-carbon-problem/3010915.article
Content summary:
This is a spin off company from the University of Exeter called Concrene Ltd The company is led by Dimitar Dimov https://www.concrene.com Dimitri and colleagues discovered that adding graphene made concrete twice as strong, improved its flexural strength and made it highly impermeable to water. Dimov, says that graphene acts as a bridge between the cement crystals – those crystals grow and interlock mechanically. This means Graphene leaves less air voids between the crystals and this is what make the concrete stronger and less permeable
MARKET Civil engineering infrastructure Construction
APPLICATION Composites – concrete and cement
PRODUCT TYPE Graphene nanoplate
They calculate that the addition of 125g of graphene can cut the volume of cement required for a cubic metre of concrete by 50%, which in turn means a 446kg per tonne reduction in carbon emissions
Relevance:
If we take the teams results a face value then a 125g addition on a cubic metre of concrete (2005kg) that contains 365 kg cement = 0.03% graphene w/w% (by weight of cementitious material) This figure agrees closely with the study reported in our vol 3 Issue 9 page 7 of the nixene journal Astonishingly small amounts of graphene double the strength of the concrete Cement manufacture accounts for 8% of global CO2 emissions so this development can make a massive positive environmental impact. The company needs to get this out of the laboratory and into real world applications quickly – let’s hope the team of academics can do this.
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Date: 01/10/19 Headline: Directa Plus acquires Romanian environmental services firm Setcar https://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/903801/directa-plus-strengthens-position-in-oil-clean-upspace-with-setcar-acquisition-903801.html
Content summary:
Directa Plus has bought a majority stake in one of its oil services partners, Romanian firm Setcar. Total consideration for the deal is €4.1mln, with Directa Plus investing 51%, It is buying Setcar jointly with GVC, a company whose owner supplies offshore oil rigs in Romania, Turkey, Greece and Mexico.
MARKET Oil & Gas Water treatment
APPLICATION Pollution control
PRODUCT TYPE Graphene nanoplate
Setcar specialises in oilfield contamination and has been helping Directa Plus develop its Grafysorber graphene-enhanced decontamination units since 2014. Setcar posted revenues of almost €4mln in 2018. Directa is raising a firm £7.2mln through a placing at 75p plus up to a further £1mln through an open offer to help fund the deal and provide working capital.
Relevance:
This confirms our view that the Directa Plus commercial strategy is to capture applications parts of the value chain This means in this oil services environmental market segment they are not just selling graphene but a water treatment solution of graphene chemistry and engineering equipment with the skilled people to operate this as a service. This acquisition is a logical move.
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Graphene Companies Share Price Watch This is trend information over the past five years. Note that the y (vertical) axes are in different amounts and currencies
Applied Graphene Materials 5 Year trend
Applied Graphene Materials 1 Month trend
Directa Plus PLC
Directa Plus PLC
5 Year trend
1 Month trend
Dotz Nano Ltd
Dotz Nano Ltd
5 Year trend
1month trend
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Graphene Companies Share Price Watch (continued) First Graphene Ltd
First Graphene Ltd
5 Year trend
1 Month trend
Graphene 3D Lab Inc
Graphene 3D Lab Inc
5 Year trend
1 Month trend
Graphene Nanochem PLC
Graphene Nanochem PLC
5 Year trend
1 Month trend
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Graphene Companies Share Price Watch (continued) Gratomic Inc
Gratomic Inc
5 Year trend
1 month trend
Haydale Graphene Industries PLC Haydale Graphene Industries PLC 5 Year trend
1 Month trend
Leading Edge Materials Corp
Leading Edge Materials Corp 1 Month trend
5 Year trend
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Graphene Companies Share Price Watch (continued) Nanoxplore Inc 5 Year trend
Nanoxplore Inc 1 Month Trend
Talga Resources Ltd
Talga Resources Ltd
5 Year trend
1 Month trend
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Graphene Companies Share Price Watch (continued) Versarien PLC 5 Year trend
Zen Graphene Solutions Ltd 5 Year trend
FTSE top 250 companies 5 Year trend
Versarien PLC 1 Month trend
Zen Graphene Solutions Ltd 1 Month trend
FTSE top 250 companies 1 Month trend
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Graphene Companies Share Price Watch: Commentary Summary This is not investment advice. It is purely a commentary based on our view of these emerging markets and technology. This does not include privately owned companies. All the listed companies are recovering to a greater or lesser extent from the graphene hype. So their share price trends over the past five years reflect the over optimism of investors. Many observers predict a tipping point, where graphene products start creating real world benefits and profitable returns for these companies. This tipping point has started in terms of the technology applications; it will take time to cascade through to profitable sales and then the share price. In the process of doing this there will be a shakeout in the market where some of these companies leave the market or are acquired by others. This shakeout has not happened yet. Brief commentary headlines: Applied Graphene Materials: The news this month that AGM’s graphene is part of a paint primer that is now on sale in high profile UK retail outlets and online may take time to filter through to the share price. Investor interest may be raised by this development. Directa Plus: The share price is not changed significantly. However one big shareholder has increased his holding by a significant amount this month. They have also bought into their applications market with the acquisition of oil services company Setcar. This could signal to others that the company’s longer term prospects are positive. First Graphene: The share price seems stable. Warwick Grigor the Chairman is good at communicating with the investors and the company has a good story to tell around the composites market. Haydale: The share price continues to struggle. The company has announced that the Chief Financial Officer CFO has resigned from the company this month. Talga Resources: The long-term share price seems to be holding up. The company has announced a development agreement with a Swedish paper manufacturer this month. Again, this does not seem to be actual sales. Versarien: Relatively stable performance this month. Positive news with another collaborative agreement, this time with hexagonal boron nitride powder for refractory aplications Zen Graphene Solutions: A relatively stable share price, little movement again this month.
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Appendix1: The navigator headings The content for the headings will be updated on a regular basis in response to reader feedback and the emerging content in the market.
Market
Product Type Artisan graphene (handmade from graphite)
Graphenic glass
Aerospace Automotive
Borocarbonitrides
Graphite
Borophene
Graphitic film
Carbon nanotubes
Graphyne
Chemically synthesised graphene
Heterostructure
CVD Graphene
Hexagonal Boron Nitride (hBN)
CVD hBN
Homostructure
Biomedical Caution Communications Civil engineering infrastructure Construction Defence Electronics
Indium Selenide
Energy management
Cyclocarbon
Laser Induced Graphene (LIG)
Fast moving consumer goods (FMCG)
Cyclodextrin functionalised Graphene Oxide (CD-GO)
Lateral heterostructure
Legal
Edge oxidised graphene (EOG)
Janus graphene
Luxury Goods
Fluorographene
Molybdenum disulphide (MoS2)
Grain boundary diffusion graphene
MoS2 Quantum Dot
Graphenes
Other 2 D materials
Graphene aerogel
Phosphate graphene nanoplate
Oil & Gas
Graphene fibre
Phosphorene
Packaging
Graphene foam
Plumbene
Paper & Board
Graphene ink
Reduced graphene oxide nanoplate
Graphene Monoxide
Single crystal graphene
Graphene nanoplate
Tungsten diselenide (WSe2)
Graphene nanoribbon
Transition metal Dichalcogenides (TMDCs)
Graphene Standards
Manufacturing Marine Measurement Standards Mining Mobile / wearable devices
Quantum Computing Research & development Regulations Security Separation Membranes Sports Textiles
Graphene oxide nanoplate
Transport
Graphene oxide aerogel
Water Treatment
Graphene oxide dough Graphene oxide nanoplate Graphene quantum dot (GQD)
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Application 3D Printing
Lightning protection
Adhesive
Membrane – gas separation
Anti-bacterial
Nanoelectromechanical systems NEMS
Anti-biofilm
Noise reduction
Anti-cancer
Optoelectronics
Anti-corrosion
Paint
Anti-counterfeiting
Patents
Anti-mosquito
Personal protection
Anti-static
Photonics
Armour
Pollution control
Barrier – vapour / gas
Potable Water
Batteries
Power generation
Catalysis
Power transmission
Clothing
Pressure measurement
Coatings
Printing
Composites - polymer
Propellant
Composites - asphalt
Rail
Composites – concrete and cement
Refractory products
Composites - silicon
Regulations
Conductive inks
RFID
Conductive membrane
Roads
Cosmetic dentistry
Sensors
Desalination
Sensors – graphene field effect transistors GFET
Desiccant
Sensors - magnetic
Down hole drilling process aid
Solar cells
Electromagnetic interference shielding (EMI)
Sound enhancement
Fire retardant
Strain measurement Supercapacitors
Flexible displays
Temperature measurement
Fluorescence quenching
Terahertz (THz)
Geothermal
Tether
Health & Safety
Tissue Engineering
Heat management
Touchscreen
Internet of Things (IOT)
Twistronics
Lubricants
Tyres / Tires
Lighting
Wound Management
www.nixenepublishing.com Volume 3 issue 11 2019
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