GRAPHENE REPORT

Graphene a 1-atom-thick sheet of carbon in hexagonic crystal lattice. 200x stronger than steel. Tougher than diamond. World's thinnest material. Flexible, transparent. Conducts el and heat very well. Stocks: AIXG, CVV, FCSMF, NGPHF, GTI, CHGI, PKX.


UK giving $34.7M more for graphene R&D. Imperial College in London getting largest sum - 4.5M Pounds - to look at aerospace aps. 4 other universities to collab with industrial partners who will invest another 12M Pounds.

MIT developed new solar PV cell made from several graphene sheets coated with nanowires. Flexible, transparent, light, mechanically strong, chemically robust. Could be made cheaply. Series of polymer coatings modify graphene properties, allowing them to bond a layer of zinc oxide nanowires. Then overlay of material that responds to light waves - lead-sulfide quantum dots or polymer called P3HT.

Euro NanoMaster project - 14 partners including UK - developing new graphite materials to produce high-quality graphene. Multiple-stage chem exfoliation process involving oxidative treatment, washing, filtration, reduction.

New book out: Graphite, Graphene and their Polymer Nanocomposites.

Aixtron (AIXG) announced China's Zhejiang U ordered BM 2-inch R&D system in 2Q12. Delivery this quarter. To be used for advanced CNT and graphene research.

U of TX Austin developing flexible graphene FETs. Record current densities, highest ever power and conversion gains. Transistors show near symmetric electron and hole transport. Most mechanically robust flexible graphene devices to date. Also water resistant. Made directly atop patterned dielectrics on plastic sheets using microelectronic lithography. Multi-finger metal gate electrodes embedded in plastic sheet. Graphene grown using CVD.

GA Tech researchers developing low-temp method to dope graphene films using self-assembled monolayers that modify interface of graphene and support substrate. Develops graphene p-n junctions. Graphene grown on copper film, then transferred to silicon dioxide substrates. Make fairly well doped p-type and n-type graphene controllably by patterning the underlying monolayer instead of modifying graphene directly. Previous methods had disrupted graphene lattice which reduced electron mobility and unstable devices.

Angstron Materials awarded new US patent for method that exfoliates layered graphene to produce nano graphene platelets thinner than 10nm down to under 1nm. No contaminated wastewater.

NASA developing graphene-based chem and strain nanosensors. Working on measuring amount of atomic ox in upper atmos to determine drag factor. When graphene oxidizes it changes its el resistance. Can be used to measure ox or other gases' density.