Graphene product news October to November 2020
Low-cost, high volume production and ease of integration is crucial for the development of widespread application of graphene-enabled products. This month we look at recent developments and breakthroughs.
ZEN Graphene Solutions Ltd. has signed an agreement with Trebor Rx Corp., a Canadian personal protective equipment mask manufacturer with an initial production facility located in Collingwood, Ontario. This includes the initial purchase of ZEN’s patent pending graphene based viricidal coating for a minimum of 100 million masks/filters with pricing of these mask/filters being variable based on a number of factors. ZEN has also signed a three year lease with an option for another 3 years on 25,680 square feet of newly built B.1 industrial zoning space in Guelph, Ontario. The new space will become ZEN’s manufacturing facility and corporate headquarters. Engineering work plus the purchase of the equipment required to produce ZEN’s graphene-based viricidal coating at commercial scale is ongoing. The company expects to begin initial production in Q4 2020 for incorporation into masks, other PPE and for HVAC filters and prefilters. The company has also signed a research collaboration agreement with the Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt (“DLR”, the German Aerospace Center) to investigate the use of Albany Pure graphene-based nanomaterials in the fabrication of novel carbon aerogel composites.
Sparc Technologies Ltd (ASX:SPN), formerly known as Acacia Coal Limited (ASX:AJC), has opened on the Australian Stock Exchange (ASX) with shares opening at 30 cents, higher than the 20 cent IPO price. Acacia Coal’s shares were relisted on the ASX following the completion of its acquisition via a reverse takeover, of graphene technology developer, Graphene Technology Solutions (GTS). Sparc Technologies will focus on near-term commercialisation of revolutionary graphene-based, environmentally focused technologies. SPN’s executive chairman Stephen Hunt said: “We have already demonstrated in trials the enormous commercial potential that graphene can deliver as a performance additive for anti-corrosion, drag-reducing coatings in marine and industrial applications and we look forward to continuing that development in real-world scenarios.”
Poland-based company NanoEMI, has been selected by Startup Spark accelerator at Lodz Special Economic Zone to work with Ericsson on validation of its technology in telecommunication. The company develops graphene-based EMI shielding applications.
NanoXplore has received a purchase order from Martinrea International to supply graphene for fuel and brake lines for passenger vehicles produced by a North American automotive company. The company has developed Graphene and Nylon Coated Brake Lines that can provide 25 percent weight savings while simultaneously demonstrating superior strength, greater abrasion protection, and improved chemical resistance, all while utilizing current manufacturing equipment and processes.
UK-based graphene producer Advanced Material Development (AMD) has signed a LOI with Honeywell International to develop graphene for non-destructive testing of moulded materials that may have been subjected to high impact damage. AMD has also extended to its ongoing work with the United States Army that aims to provide camouflage control of electromagnetic emissions with a novel, printed, metamaterial based frequency reflector using AMD’s proprietary nHance ink system.
Australia-based Graphene Manufacturing Group has completed a AUD$3 million (~USD$2.2 million) Series C raise, with just over AUD$1.7 million (around USD$1.2 million) from capital pool company Cuspis Capital of Canada. The company produces graphene nanoplatelets in powder or liquid form from a hydrocarbon feedstock.
Estonian startup Skeleton Technologies has raised €41.3 million ($48.5 million) in Series D financing round, bringing its total capital raised to over €93 million ($109 million). Skeleton’s products are already on the market and, despite COVID-19, the company will reportedly see three-fold revenue growth for the second year in a row. The company acquired major new clients in the last months, including a world leader in renewable energy production and a leading hydrogen bus manufacturer. The company’s total contract backlog is currently over €150 million from leading blue chip automotive and grid companies.
Researchers at the University of Warwick, in partnership with Senergy Innovations, have developed graphene-based all polymer solar thermal cell.
Directa Plus hassigned a non-binding memorandum of understanding with NexTech Batteries, a US-based lithium sulphur batteries developer. Under the terms of the agreement, Directa will supply its G+ graphene nanoplatelets to Nextech Batteries for product development.
UK-based start-up company, Space Blue Limited, has used graphene to increase the performance of recycled tire rubber, reducing wastage from vehicle tires and contributing to positive environmental impacts. Supported by the Graphene Engineering Innovation Center’s (GEIC) ERDF Bridging the Gap program at The University of Manchester, the managing director of the company, Dr. Koncherry has stated that the developed product, SpaceMat, is a flooring product or doormat with 80% waste tire material and 20% graphene-enhanced natural rubber.
University of Portsmouth researchers are developing an innovative portable and lightweight suction device for clearing blocked airways in emergency and chronic conditions. The researchers are working with Bristol-based Airway Medical Ltd to develop the device. The Airway Medical Suction Unit (AMSU™) is the size of a sports bottle and unlike current emergency suction systems; it does not require batteries or electricity to work; is 90 per cent cheaper and 95 per cent smaller and lighter than current systems; and has no maintenance issues. It does all of this while still meeting the same international standards of power-generated suction systems. The device will also embed graphene-based technology which provides 100 per cent protection against viruses or bacteria, This part of the project is in collaboration with Chelmsford-based company Versarien.
BStartup Health, Banco Sabadell’s program dedicated to support innovative health projects has invested in INBRAIN Neuroelectronics, a spin-off of the Catalan Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (ICN2) and ICREA. The company uses graphene to build neural interfaces for brain restoration to help patients with epilepsy, Parkinson’s, and other neuronal diseases. INBRAIN is developing the least invasive and smartest neural interface on the market.
Talga Resources has received for grant funding under the UK Government’s Automotive Transformation Fund1,2 to complete a preliminary feasibility study into the commercialisation of Talga’s silicon anode product in the UK.
Strategic Elements subsidiary Australian Advanced Materials (AAM) is developing a graphene-oxide-based ink battery that is able to self-charge within minutes. The cells are created with a printable ink and designed to generate electricity from humidity in the air or skin surface to self-charge without any manual charging or wired power required. AMM esearch and development is being undertaken through a collaboration with the University of New South Wales and the CSIRO. The battery ink will be developed using the company’s Nanocube Memory Ink technology and advanced graphene oxide material. Battery ink development at the University of NSW will focus on materials engineering and optimisation of the ink formulation, achiving scale up to a large batch size of battery ink (at least 1 litre), and the development of a successful prototype connecting multiple battery cells to produce at least 3.7 Volts.
First Graphene, in collaboration with Kainos Innovation, has been awarded a grant by the UK Government to develop green hydrogen and battery grade materials.
The grant was awarded by Innovate UK under the UK’s Sustainable Innovation fund to further develop process technology invented and patented by Kainos Innovation which directly converts low-cost hydrocarbon feedstocks to graphene materials and hydrogen gas. First Graphene will provide prototype manufacturing scale-up and commercial application development.
First Graphene (FGR) has also agreed with TPR2 and its Australian distributor Exfire to work on the commercialization of a fire retardant coating utilizing FGR’s PureGRAPH. First Graphene holds the global licensing rights to a graphene-based fire-retardant coating from the University of Adelaide (UoA). Development of the FireStop product has been conducted over a three-year period in collaboration with the UoA, as part of the Company’s participation as a Tier-1 member of the ARC Research Hub for Graphene Enabled Industry Transformation. Patents have progressed to National Phase and are in the examination phase in Australia, Europe and the USA. Test work with the UoA has shown FireStop™ to be significantly more effective and efficient on several timber cladding substrates. Adhesion testing was also completed on timber, aluminium and plastic substrates.
