Nixene Journal Volume 9 Issue 5 Article 26

This month Time Magazine named the graphene kitchen styler as one of the best inventions of 2022. This is the graphene cooker we mentioned back in vol 6 iss 2 p.30. The company behind this invention, Graphene Square, announced another product this month, the graphene virtual fireplace radiator. Both devices use large area chemical vapour deposition (CVD) graphene. The virtual fireplace radiator has already won another innovation award and will make its debut at the consumer electronics show in Los Angeles, USA in January 2023. The immediate reaction from people working in the graphene and 2D materials community has been to greet these announcements with a wry smile. My first reaction was to dismiss this as gimmickry as well. Then I thought a little more. You will know, dear reader, that great advances have been made developing manufacturing methods for large area sheet graphene using the CVD technique. Production machines exist in Europe, America, and Asia, some of which can make graphene at speeds of 2m/min and lengths of up to one kilometre (vol 5 iss 8 p.36). A manufacturing business survives by making things and then selling them at a profit. These companies have solved the science and engineering problems to create impressive production capabilities. This is only half of the survival equation. They must develop equally impressive marketing and sales operations to match. In this issue we notice that USA based manufacturer General Graphene is still struggling to find the applications that will be the foundation for the marketing and sales operation. Meanwhile Graphene Square, from South Korea is making cookers and toasters. The reason they are launching apparently trivial products is because they need to educate the market by getting the message out to potential customers that CVD graphene is real, it can be manufactured at scale and integrated into everyday products. This message will not be lost on manufactures in the automotive and aerospace sectors as well as consumer electronics. And consider this, Time Magazine has over three million subscribers, and a wider reach online. Also in this issue, graphene powder manufacturer, Applied Graphene Materials has announced it is in financial trouble. It will run out of cash at the end of January 2023 unless it can find cash from somewhere. The reason for its troubles? A lack of success finding market applications for its graphene that will generate profitable sales. A reminder to us all that developing sophisticated products is only part of the road to success. Making customers aware of the value of your product is key because if you get this right, they will prize your offering as much as you do, and this will lead to profitable sales and a sustainable business. Adrian Nixon 1st December 2022

Evidence is mounting in support of the low toxicity of graphene. The Swiss federal research laboratories have added to the body of evidence this month (p.16). They explored the effects of dusts generated by graphene enhanced polymers when they are abraded and found no toxic effects and minor respiratory inflammation. This means the dusts created during the recycling process of graphene enhanced polymer composites (in this case, nylon PA6) represent a low health hazard. As a regular reader, you will know that graphene is being trialled as an additive to enhance the life of asphalt roads. In the UK Kent County Council and the University of Nottingham have just released data from the field trials on roads in the county (p.33). They found that graphene: • Extends the surface lifetime by approximately 2.5 times to last up to 25 years • Over 65-year asset life, a carbon saving of 23kg CO2/m2 of road surface • Created a 32% reduction in cost over the lifetime of the asset Graphene applications supported by data get more of our attention. GMG has commissioned its graphene enhanced battery plant in Australia. These batteries have a lower energy density than lithium ion and nickel metal batteries. This might not sound important, but aluminium and graphene are common materials that can be made with low environmental impact when compared with lithium, cobalt & nickel. A new electric vehicle has been launched this month. UK hypercar manufacturer has presented its Apricale hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicle (HFCEV). The car has a top speed of over 300km/hr and a range over 500km. Graphene enhanced polymer composites are used to make the hydrogen fuel tank. The car does need batteries but because these are for supporting power it needs much less than a normal EV. This raises an interesting possibility, could lower energy density battery technology such as aluminium ion be used in conjunction with fuel cell technology to make better, sustainable electric vehicles? All these developments use graphene powders. Meanwhile large area sheet CVD graphene makes steady progress. A team at the University of Texas has made a ‘graphene tattoo’ sensor that can be applied to the skin to continuously monitor blood pressure. Using graphene means there is no inflammatory response from the wearer, and the sensor provides the highest sensitivity rating. Continuing the CVD theme, we interview the CEO of one of the leading graphene manufacturing companies, Jeff Draa provides insight into how he makes his CVD graphene and how they monitored customers to help them focus on the applications most likely to drive commercial success. You can find out about all this and more in this fascinating issue, dear reader please read on… Adrian Nixon 1st July 2022