In one of the incredible applications of graphene in the health industry, Scientists in the University of Manchester are developing ultra thin graphene condoms.  Though current condoms are almost excellent barriers of unwanted contaminants, they are heavy and thick — which is the reason they reduce sensation and probably why people do not like wearing them, no matter the risk.

Ultra Thin Graphene Condoms

The team of Scientists from the university has received a grant of £62,123 to work on the project from the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation.  This is through the foundation`s Grand Challenges exploration program which supports creative projects aimed at improving health of people in the developing world. According to Dr Aravin Vijayaraghavan who will lead the team of scientists researching condom, if the project succeeds we might have an everyday use which literally will touch everyday life in the most intimate way.

The team at Manchester is only one of the 11 teams that received grants from the foundation to work on the project.  In their call to the Scientists on March 2013, the foundation sees the project`s success as what is going to be the next generation condom that enhances and significantly preserves pleasure.  In their proposal the condoms to be developed, must at least work well just like the existing condoms.

Graphene is a wondrous material with properties that make it the most studied material. It is the strongest, the best conductor, the thinnest, and to crown the most wondrous material known to man. Graphene was first, isolated at the University of Manchester in 2004 By Professor Kostya Nevoselov and Professor Andre Geim.   Currently several companies are putting graphene into use in develop the next generation devices.   The team of scientist according to a trusted source will use graphene with latex to develop a “nanomaterial” that could be used to make the thinnest condom.

With the experience, the team has on graphene we hope they will soon come up with a condom that will lower rate of HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases transmission in the developing world.

The post Ultra Thin Graphene Condoms appeared first on Graphene U.S..

Due to the discovery of more graphene applications, the University of Pennsylvania has established a small research company named “Graphene Frontiers” to provide technological solutions for production of quality graphene. This body was awarded 0.744 million dollars in September to improve production of graphene in a unique process known as the roll-to-roll process. This process is expected to make the production of high quality graphene more efficient than the rather. Graphene Frontiers is making attempts to lead other producers into creating polycrystalline mono-layers of graphene through a roll-on-roll process, as opposed to the current chemical vapor decomposition (CDV) process.

Types of graphene

There are two major types of graphene: monocrystalline and polycrystalline. These two types have different applications. Polycrystalline graphene is crucial to manufacture some types of transistors and advanced composites, while monocrystalline graphene is used in more advanced applications. Despite the high demand for monocrystalline graphene, its methods of extraction do not allow large scale production. Up to date, monocrystalline graphene is produced through mechanical cleavage a technique in which graphene is extracted from graphite in single layer flakes.

This limitation has attracted a lot of investments in research into best ways to extract monocrystalline graphene. One of the companies that has invested heavily in this is Graphene Frontiers. So far they have made a breakthrough and are working on ways of making it even better. There are numerous techniques suitable for producing excellent quality graphene, and since each of them has its own shortcomings and advantages, it is not possible to say which technique is best.

One of the most commonly used techniques entails extracting carbon layers from graphite using chemical, plasma and mechanical exfoliation techniques. Unfortunately, this process leads in the production of low quality graphene.

Advanced producers use CVD techniques which do not start with mined graphite. These result in the production of synthetic graphene. This type is of excellent quality, but the major problem is until now, convenient ways of producing it have not been realized.

The post Types of graphene appeared first on Graphene U.S..

Pure Graphene

US researchers who worked on ways of making electrical contacts on graphene made two important discoveries in the process. Through use of a novel fabrication technique they have managed to create stacked layers of the finest quality of pure graphene yet. Simultaneously, they have managed to make electrical contact only along graphene’s one dimensional edge, thereby increasing the electron injection efficiently into graphene.

The two-dimensional structure of graphene makes it easy to contaminate, thus most of the techniques used when stacking the material within insulating material layers use specified polymers when picking and placing the sheets. The polymers are chemically sticky and rarely contaminate grapheme, thus enabling it to maintain its qualities. The research has disproved the theory that graphene’s ability to conduct would work far more efficiently was it to be confined to the edge of the sheets.

A team of Columbia University researchers headed by Cory Dean has appropriately addressed these problems. This was done by developing a process to create several layers of pure graphene encapsulated by several layers of boron nitride without involving extraneous materials. This was later on followed by exposing graphene’s edges to enable electrical contact.

On completing the assembly, a mask can be then be placed on the surface on top of this, and the sides are plasma edged away so as to expose the single dimension edges of the filling made of graphene. If there is need for electrical contact, the design provides that metals are deposited on the exposed edges.

Studies conducted further entailed research show one could efficiently inject electrons into the single dimension edge, and the studies have also proved electrons can fluently flow through the samples as long as the temperature is slow enough. Dean further argues this process can work well with a number of other two dimensional materials including the transitional metal dichalcogenides.

The post Pure Graphene appeared first on Graphene U.S..

Lunar Elevator

Scientists at Columbia University conducted a study which revealed that graphene retains most of its mechanical properties even when it has been stitched together from small fragments. This discovery may have been the first step toward large scale manufacture of carbon nanotubes, which could be essential in the manufacturing of the first space elevator, light – strong materials, and flexible electronics.

At the present moment, a practical breakthrough in the construction of a lunar elevator has not been realized. However, many scientists have performed experiments which show it will be possible through use of graphene. In these experiments, they have measured the strength of the microscopic carbon nanotube and proved it can indeed support the construction of such elevators.

The space elevator ribbon is constructed out of carbon nanotubes, which are at least 100 times stronger than steel but have flexibility equal to that of plastic. Scientists will only be able to make the ribbon to be used in the space elevator if they manage to make fibers out of carbon nanotubes. In the recent experiments, the materials that were involved were neither strong nor flexible enough to form such a ribbon.

Graphene ribbons have a very high tensile strength and very high elastic modulus, theoretically they are said to make the process of building a space elevator easy. There are two major ways that a lunar elevator ribbon can be built: in the first case a long carbon tube ideally several meters long will be braided into a rope like structure, and in the second case a shorter nanotube will be placed in a selected polymer matrix.

So far graphene is the ideal material for construction of the ribbon, the carbon-carbon bond in graphene is at least 0.142 nm. Scientists have proved that two sheets of graphene are held together by much stronger van de Waals forces than bulk Graphene.

The post Lunar Elevator appeared first on Graphene U.S..

Graphene Ink

The graphene ink has three unique qualities which make it very important; it’s a good conductor of electricity, highly flexible and has optical transparency. This is a major step towards production of cheap and foldable electronics.

Developers have used graphene to print out circuits on many materials. Graphene can work well even when just an atom thick or 14nanometres, meaning it can create a very flexible form. Various scientists have made unique inventions with graphene ink.

In some instances, developers have used modern miracle stuff graphene in printing out circuits on clothing, thereby enabling people enjoy a wearable tech which does not rely on having to attach computers to your body, wearing big watches of AR glasses.

American scientists at the Cambridge University have invented a piano made by printing piano circuit board onto a garment using highly conductive graphene, to the amazement of many, they have also printed its digital display onto a kinky plastic using graphene ink.

Scientists have developed electronic ink that can print on a laser to conduct electricity.

Some developers have suggested the use of printable circuits in embedding health monitors in garments. They have also said there is a possibility of having graphene phone displays printed on human skin. For instance, people who love watching TV in bed can have a television printed on their hands. The graphene ink can also be used in cargo loading zones; preferably airports to ensure planes are loaded with the right cargo.

Scientists have also developed a laser-based anti fraud detector to be used in identifying fake banknotes, luxury goods and pharmaceuticals. This detector is based on the method used to print liquid crystal lasers using ink jet printers. Upon the technology getting fully established, it will save the millions of people who buy fake products unaware while believing that they will recover.

The post Graphene Ink appeared first on Graphene U.S..

Researchers have developed a graphene liquid cell that can be used together with the conventional transmission electron microscopy (TEM) to view ‘soft materials’ in three-dimensional. The term ‘soft materials’ refers to a number of things, including biological compounds such as protein, plastics, DNA, flexible electronics, therapeutic drugs, and some types of photovoltaics.

Even though these materials form an integral part in our lives, it has been a challenge to study them conveniently. These materials (especially biological compounds) pose numerous questions, especially the way they behave at the nanoscale.

3D printing-DNA

Through a combination of transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and their own unique graphene liquid cell, the researchers have recorded the three-dimensional motion of DNA connected to gold nanocrystals. This is the first time TEM has been used for 3D dynamic imaging of so-called soft materials. Conventionally, TEM focuses a beam of electrons on the soft materials to illuminate and magnify them as means of providing a resolution used to study their properties. This technique, unlike the use of light, requires a high vacuum setting since molecules in the air perturb the electron beam. In such a high vacuum environment, liquids evaporate. This necessitates soft materials that are highly viscous to be sealed hermetically using special solid containers. These containers, called cells, have a viewing window through which the TEM forms an image.

For some time now, these viewing windows have been made of silicon which limits the resolution of the soft materials under study because of its thickness. It also disturbs the soft materials’ natural state. To overcome these challenges, researchers have now developed a liquid cell made from graphene membrane, which is one atom thick.

They bonded two opposing graphene sheets to form a sealed nanoscale chamber. This chamber has within it a stable aqueous solution which is transparent to the electron beams of the TEM. This minimizes the loss of imaging electrons as well as provides a very high resolution which is touted to be very useful in studying soft materials.

The post 3D printing appeared first on Graphene U.S..

Given the impending bottleneck of supply in indium tin oxide, a material currently used as a transparent conducting film, researchers are now focusing their attention on graphene as a cheaper alternative since it has ideal properties for this purpose.

Photo-voltaic manufacturers have taken little interest in using graphene as a replacement of indium tin oxide as a transparent conducting film, even when graphene has the highest potential of filling this looming gap. This lack of interest has been partly due to little research into what happens to graphene’s attractive conductivity when used together with silicon.

This, however, will change now that researchers have found out that graphene does not lose its remarkable properties when used together with silicon.

Graphene and Silicon Solar Cell

Researchers had revealed that when graphene is incorporated into a pile of layers, same a thin film solar cell based on silicon, the material does not significantly change its conductive properties as initially feared.

The researchers used a process of chemical vapor deposition to grow the graphene on a copper sheet, transferred it to a substrate made from glass, and then covered it with a thin film made from silicon. The researchers experimented with different morphologies of silicon and found out that graphene maintained its conductive properties in all cases. Graphene still retains its properties, even when coated with silicon with different characteristics.

The conductive properties of graphene, when measured, exceeded most materials. For instance, its carrier mobility is 30 times higher than that of the conventional contact layers based on zinc oxide. Despite the fact that it is difficult to use contact layers made from graphene with external contacts, the prospects have attracted interest all over the world. Already, thin film technology enthusiasts have invested in incorporating this development in their work.

The post Graphene and Silicon appeared first on Graphene U.S..

Manufacturers will soon be able to replace silicon with carbon nanotube transistors in making transistors used in electronic devices. This is because carbon nanotubes address most of the shortcomings that silicon has. Carbon nanotubes are the ideal replacements for silicon since they exist in several allotropes — each of which have a high potential.

Carbon nanotube transistors

Recently, researchers successfully demonstrated a working computer based on carbon nanotube transistors, instead of the conventional silicon ones. This promises much smaller devices that will be exceedingly fast while consuming very low power. Initially, researchers made individual transistors from carbon nanotubes, and later advanced to making simple electronic circuits. Eventually, they interconnected the transistors to form a low-powered “Turing complete” computer from these carbon nanotube transistors.

While this demonstration cannot be considered as a breakthrough, it can be viewed as the first fundamental steps to exploring with precision the possibilities of replacing silicon in the manufacture of semiconductors. It shows that carbon nanotube transistors can make a universal computer, just like silicon.

Some of the advantages of using carbon nanotube transistors to make computers in place of silicon are that these computers will be ever more powerful, much faster and cheaper than conventional ones. They also require less power to operate that the existing ones.

Since any new technology unveiled must meet the thorough factory processes that constitute the modern semiconductor industry, it might take not less than three years for this technology to be tested and perfected before it hits the market. Some companies such as I.B.M are already wary that silicon might cease to scale down further in its use for the manufacture of transistors. These companies have, therefore, turned to the possibility of using carbon nanotubes. This computer was made in accordance with the standard industry requirements such as those used to make silicon transistors. This means that it will be possible to manufacture hybrid chips from carbon nanotubes and silicon in certain locations/proportions to extend the use of silicon.

The post Carbon nanotube transistors appeared first on Graphene U.S..

We will soon retrieve data from a broken device, thanks to graphene oxide’s refractive index and fluorescence that can be manipulated.

A new material promises the possibility of recovering data even from a broken device. Graphene, the ‘wonderful material’ has unique properties that include; unmatched strength, flexibility, lightness, conductivity, and transparency. These properties make graphene to next big thing that will spearhead the next generation of gadgetry design. Graphene oxide has the same characteristics, but its refractive index and fluorescence properties, which can be manipulated, make it special in making media that guarantee your data security.

Graphene Oxide

Holographic storage of data has been the talk in science for a while now but graphene oxide has made it almost real. Researchers increased the oxide’s refractive index by between ten to hundred times. They also decreased the oxide’s fluorescence to make it ideal for bioimaging and multimode optical recording. This large refractive index means that data storage can be merged with holography. This would not only ensure that the data is securely coded but also that it is easily retrievable even from a broken device.

Most companies spend a lot of resources hiring the services of data centres or establishing one. These data centres spend a lot of money replicating information several times over (back up, disaster recovery snapshot, live copy, e. t. c). The commercial realization of this graphene oxide-based holographic storage of data will save a lot of resources that go into managing data in anticipation of loss.

The discs that are currently in use today store information in binary form. If the disc breaks, it will result in automatic data loss. This, however, will no longer be the case since the new technology means that a super-disc can be made that enables data to be retrieved even from broken discs thus saving the data centres the trouble of physically duplicating data to avoid data loss.

The post Graphene Oxide appeared first on Graphene U.S..

The days of folding your tablet or phone to fit in a purse or small pocket are approaching fast with the unveiling of foldable electronics. Unlike bendable substrate-based flexible electronics, foldable electronics rely on foldable substrates that come with a very stable electricity conductor that can withstand folding. It means that the conductor embroiled on the substrate must also be foldable.

foldable-electronics

Researchers have already considered a paper as the ultimate foldable substrate to replace plastic substrates since it is cheap, versatile and can be rolled up.

In the past, there has been positive progress in several foldable electronic applications. For instance, researchers in nanotechnology have already been successful making foldable paper batteries powered by algae as well as printing solar cells on paper.

Perhaps one of the most promising paths for foldable electronics is the use of graphene circuits based on paper substrates. Researchers have been able to fabricate foldable graphene circuits for use in electronics.

Graphene is the ideal candidate for foldable devices since it has an inimitable combination of properties that make it ideal for making unique conductive ink since it is chemically stable, mechanically flexible and suitable in conducting electricity. An Inkjet-printable ink made from graphene will lead to cheap and scalable path towards real-world technologies.

foldable electronics

The creation of a high performance foldable battery and the development of graphene based electronic circuits means that future electronics will be flexible. Manufactures will now design gadgets differently since they will now be foldable or rollable. Screen will now be bendable around corners and computers will be wearable. Electronics will be paper thin and exceptionally light. Giant electronic manufacturers such as Nokia and Samsung have invested a lot in research and development of foldable electronics and have already demonstrated a lot of success in this field.

The post Foldable Electronics appeared first on Graphene U.S..