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 heat and el very well. Stocks: AIXG, CVV, FCSMF, NGPHF, GTI, CHGI, PKX.



China controls 73% of world graphite supply. India 12%. Brazil 7%. Others 8%. China limiting exports with quotas, 20% export tariff, 17% value added tax. Ordered restrictions on any further graphite mines in 2 of its largest graphite producing regions.

Future Markets reports 4,000% increase in demand for graphene-based materials. Next year, world will demand more graphite than available. Price has more than doubled since '06 to $1,500/ton.

Northwestern U researchers developed highly-conductive graphene ink for ink jet printing. Made from graphene flakes. No residues left on graphene. Graphene ink with low number of flake-to-flake junctions for high conductivity. Ethanol solvent. Ethyl cellulose a stabilizing polymer. 15% graphene black powder dispersed into solvent creates the fluid ink.

Japan's National Inst for Materials Science, Germany's Max Planck Inst found simple, efficient way to make 2D thiophene sheets. Thiophene suggested for OLED panels, OPUs, FETs. Using alternating copolymer made from thiophene derivative, flexible ethylene glycol chains. Fold it in organic solvents. Material self-assembles in 2D sheets.

UK's Engineering, Physical Sciences Research Council awarded U of Nottingham 1.3M Pounds to buy molecular beam epitaxy system. Will enable growth of high quality, large area layers of graphene, boron nitride for electronic, optoelectronic aps.

Brookhaven developed new catalyst from graphene, molybdenum, soybeans. Can replace platinum in H production processes. Best non-noble metal catalyst ever. Better than one made from bulk platinum. Soybeans ground into powder, mixed with ammonium molybdate. High-temp carburization makes moly react with C, N in soy to produce molycarbides, nitrides. Material then anchored on graphene sheets for batts, capacitors, fuel cells, electrolyzers.

American Graphite Technologies to research using graphene-based materials for 3D printing. Collab with Ukraine's Kharkiv Inst of Physics, Tech. AGT has 100% ownership of 100 mineral claims in Quebec.

U of IL researchers discovered InGaAs nanowires grown on graphene self-assemble into unexpected structure. The InAs acts as cone with InGaAs shell around it. Could be useful for electronics. Graphene tried because silicon expensive, thick, brittle. Graphene flexible. Easy to make the nanowires.

U of Exeter researchers developed new flexible, transparent, ultra-lightweight photodetector made with graphene and "graph Exeter". Just few atoms thick, can be woven into textiles to make PV fabrics. Efficiency similar to opaque devices based on graphene and metals. (Nokia working on graphene-based photodetectors.) No metals. Can detect light across entire visible light spectrum.

IBM researchers studying how plasmons lose energy in graphene - very slowly. Good for photonics, quantum optics. Using graphene nanoribbons, dots, nanodisk arrays grown in all sorts of substrates - silicon wafers, diamond-like C, SiO2 to name a few. New technique based on Fourier transform IR spectrometer to measure exact plasmon damping mechanisms, rates. Graphene plasmons appear to interract strongly with vibrations of SiO2 substrate surface atoms on which graphene deposited. Leads to energy-dependent hybrid plasmon-phonon modes that disperse, decay very differently v. modes where graphene deposited on non-planar diamond-like substrates.

Graphene Stakeholders Assoc formed to promote responsible graphene development, commercialization. 501(c)6 HQ'd in Buffalo.

Canada's Queen U researchers discovered way to make graphene-based materials with simple, cheap method. Replaces some C atoms with boron, N. Enables use of light exposure on compounds to grow graphene-like honeycomb lattice. Patent filed.

Indian Inst of Tech researchers show layers of graphene deposited on silicon have excellent anti-reflective properties. Demonstrated CVD-deposited graphene much better at UV anti-reflective layer v. commonly used Si3N4 layer in current solar cells.

Graphene Devices using process for graphene developed at U of Buffalo. Funded by Excell Partners. Awarded over $600K by US, state authorites.

Graphene Labs to test new graphite samples from Lomiko Metals (LMRMF) (Canada), develop new ways to make graphene.

Graphoid, U of Waterloo to jointly develop graphene-based materials for fuel cells, supercapacitors. New material can make electrodes, nanocatalyst support, electrolyte membranes, bipolar plates, transparent electrodes, other aps. Graphoid 40% owned by Focus Metals.