By Dr. Tim Sandle
February 14, 2025
DIGITAL JOURNAL
A large sample of glassy carbon. Image by Alchemist-hp (Creative Commons 3.0)
Some 20 years have gone ever since the discovery of graphene as a single atom layer. Numerous papers have been published to demonstrate its high electron mobility, excellent thermal and mechanical as well as optical properties.
Graphene is an ultra- thin material (one atom thick) and is highly conducive at conducting electricity. The material is strong , very flexible and has been used from coating power plants, to making flexible computing screens to filtering out contaminants from water.
In this article, Digital Journal takes a brief look at five recent innovations with graphene that showcase continued developments. These are centred on different manufacturing and characterization techniques, especially in electronics and power modules.
Graphene enhanced concrete
A collaborative consortium, working within with Abu Dhabi government’s initiatives towards reducing carbon footprint and enhancing economies of construction materials, has undertaken work on boosting the properties of concrete in an environmentally friendly way.
When making cement, used to bind traditional concrete and mortar, limestone and other materials are heated to around 1,480 degrees Celsius. This process results in the release of large amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. By integrating graphene into concrete, engineers and architects can create structures that require less material, while still achieving the same structural performance as traditional concrete.
Graphene-enhanced concrete is 2.5 times stronger and 4 times less water permeable than standard concrete. It uses much less cement to deliver the desired strength. As a result, it is expected to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 30 percent.
Graphene enhanced tires
The firm Perpetuus Advanced Materials has introduced the first in its range of proprietary nano engineered graphene-enhanced masterbatch compounds, including tires. The initial offerings include other polymer/elastomer masterbatches suitable for industries such as hoses, seals, gaskets, V-belts, and conveyor belts.
By using a plasma treatment process, Perpetuus graphene is integrated into the masterbatch, allowing tire manufacturers to integrate this breakthrough material into their existing production processes. The process eliminates the need for energy-intensive drying steps and the associated disposal of post-production toxic waste.
In terms of performance, road testing showing up to a 40 percent reduction in tire tread wear, together with improved overall handling and braking.
Cooling technologies
Many cooling solutions are contributing to warming the world. Worldwide, air conditioning accounts for 10 percent of current electricity consumption and associated greenhouse gas emissions. To tackle this, one Ontario company is working to redress this by commercializing advanced material manufacturing.
This is in the form of Evercloak’s technology which changes how buildings are cooled by improving indoor air control and comfort without further warming the planet. To develop refrigerant-free dehumidification systems the technology is powered by graphene oxide composite membrane technology. This can improve building cooling efficiency by up to 50 percent.
Graphene renewables
The firm First Graphene Limited has secured patents in Australia and Korea for its Kainos Technology, used to produce graphite, graphene, and hydrogen from petroleum waste streams.
Smartphone cooling
A limitation with smartphones is a tendency to over-heat. A new innovative cooling system is based on graphene film combined with a 3D VC heat spreader and Ultra-High Thermal Conductivity Graphene. Graphene has a very high thermal conductivity. The material’s large thermal conductivity enables passive cooling and a large thermoelectric power factor enables active cooling
The smartphone device that achieves this is the Huawei Mate X6. This continues Huawei’s use of graphene heat dissipation technology, which started with the use of graphene films in the Huawei Mate 20X and continued with later versions, as well as the Huawei MatePad Pro 5G tablet.
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