THE MAGAZINE FOR 2D RESEARCH NANOTECH · Hydrophobic GRAPHENE FILTRATIONIN coatings Nano Nanotech...

NANOTECHMay 2018

T H E M A G A Z I N E F O R 2 D R E S E A R C H

Issue #53

Hydrophobic

GRAPHENEFILTRATION

IN

coatingsNano

Nanotech Magazine is published by Future Markets, the world’s leading publisher of market

information on advanced materials and nanotechnology.

Companies are now developing commercial filters

for filtration and water harvesting. All the latest nanotech product news.

Market focus on what’s happening in

research, energy, sensors, coatings, medicine,

electronics and graphene.

NANOTECH

LATEST NEWS

PRODUCTS

New products hit the market this

month.

2

NANOTECH MAGAZINE 2018

TABLE OF

THIS MONTH

MARKET FOCUS

CONTENT

Waterproofing electronics. Current

market, products and companies.

Graphene market news, products

and recent developments.

Latest nanotech investments, deals and

rounds of finance. April-May 2018.

Nanotech energy market news,

products and recent developments.

Gra

phen

e fi

lter

pro

duct

dev

elop

ers

and

rese

arch

cen

tre

profi

les.

New multi-million dollar investment

in nanotech batteries.

New nanotech products-nanofibers,

quantum dots and auto coatings.

P.04

P.14

P.04

P.30

P.08

P.19

P.21

P.11

P.12 Protecting smartphones and other electronic

devices with innovative nanocoatings is a

growing market.

Quantum dot transparent

photovoltaic glass.

3


MARKET FOCUS

FROM EDITORNOTE

Nanotech biomedical market news,

products and recent developments.

Nanotechnology government,

regulation & policy news, March-

Hot nanotech companies and new

commercial developments.

Filtering with graphene-clean water with

nanomaterials.

P.22

P.24

P.26

P.28

Subscribe to Nanotech Magazine to receive

all the latest monthly news and views on this

fast developing advanced technology market,

for only $250 for 12 issues (electronic). http://

www.nanotechmag.com/

Global challenges such as cleaner energy and

water are being met with what it appears to be

the constant development of new nanotech-

enabled products and processes. This month

sees a host of new innovations in batteries and

ultracapacitors for electric vehicles, coatings for

solar windows and solar cells, and CO2 conversion

technology. There have been multi-million dollar

investments in companies developing nanotech

in these areas recently.

Graphene is seen as a key tech for water filtration

and there have been several recent breakthroughs

reported. We profile the market along with the

burgeoning sector for water resistant electronics.

With explosion of the smartphone and wearables

market in the last few years, there has been an

increasing demand for a waterproof electronics.

Most major handheld electronics manufacturers

have made their devices water resistant in the

last few years and we profile the companies

developing waterproof nanocoatings.

P.29Filter technology drawbacks and market

challenges.

P.30Graphene filter and membtane

companies.

4


MARKET

WATERPROOFINGFOCUS

Water is the main cause of lost function in elec-

tronic devices, with mil-lions damaged annually.

ELECTRONICSConsumers are prone to damaging their electronic

devices:

• Unit exposed to outdoor environment – rain,

irrigation, humidity.

• Consumer electronics exposed to splashing water.

• Equipment (industrial and medical) exposed to wet

working.

• Device dropped in pool or even toilet.

A fast growing market is the use of nanocoatings

to provide moisture and corrosion protection for

printed circuit boards and electronic components

and devices, especially smartphones. This represents

the main market at present for hydrophobic

nanocoatings.

With the continued development of

electroluminescent devices, flat panel displays,

organic light emitting diodes (OLEDS), and flexible

electronics, there is even a stronger need to protect

such devices from performance degradation

due to oxidation and moisture corrosion, and

extend component lifetime. Superhydrophobic

functionalities in electrode materials is advantageous

for many new electronics applications, such as

flexible energy storage, wearable electronics and

printable circuitry. At present they are being used to

5


WATERPROOFING

corrosion protect or splash-proof handheld devices

such as smartphones and tablets, Bluetooth speakers,

and wearable electronics such as smart watches,

earbuds, or headphones.

Protecting against moisture

Water is the main cause of lost function in electronic

devices. Millions of mobile phones and many other

devices are damaged by water annually. There is

therefore a large opportunity to offer consumers

protection for their electronics against water and

moisture damage. It is estimated that liquid related

accidents or activities are responsible for more than

20% of cellphone damage. Lifestyle electronics are

also sensitive to humidity or contact with any type of

liquids, as these cause corrosion and ultimately result

in a short-circuit and product failure.

Liquid repellent, thermal, conductive, magnetic and

anti-corrosive nanocoatings have been applied inside

and outside electronic devices, but until recently have

mainly been applied in specialist applications in the

military, aerospace and automotive industries. However,

with the explosion of the smartphone market in the

last few years, there has been an increasing demand for

a waterproof electronics.

Permeability and lifetime of devices is of prime

concern to manufacturers. A typical plastic film has

a permeability for water (WVTR) of 1~10 gr/m2/day. In

electronics WVTR is needed for ~10 yr. device lifetime:

• Organic LED: 10-6 gr/m2/day.

• Solar Cells: 10-4 gr/m2/day.

• LCD: 10-3 gr/m2 /day.

• Electroforetic displays: 10-2 gr/m² /day.

• RFID tags: 10-2 gr/m²/day.

The performance of electronic boards, board

interconnects and mounting remain as critical

bottlenecks for product reliability. Surfaces of most

electronic board materials and components are

hydrophilic, which promotes moisture condensation

and wetting. Therefore, device performance and

reliability can be compromised when electronic boards

are exposed to liquids or excessive moisture during

everyday use. Environmental contaminants which

form ionic solutions in a wet environment can result in

leakage or shorts between the device leads. Corrosion

over time can further damage electrical connections

and render devices non-operational. Encapsulation of

the entire electronic board with a moisture protective

coating can prevent such damage.

Most major handheld electronics manufacturers have

made their devices water resistant in the last few years,

ELECTRONICS

6


with Apple, Samsung and Sony joining Nokia, Motorola

and Huawei in waterproofing smartphones. Most of these

companies achieve this by making devices physically

impenetrable. However, nanocoatings can perform the

same function for a fraction of the cost.

Nanocoatings

There are several innovative application developers now

producing protective hydrophobic, superhydrophobic

and oleophobic (HSHO) nanocoatings to treat electronic

devices, including: cellular phones, smart phones,

personal digital assistants (PDAs), music players, cameras,

video recorders, computers, tablet computers, batteries,

e-readers, radio devices and gaming devices. Electronics

is the main current market for HSHO nanocoatings at

present and the market will witness increased growth

in the next few years. These coatings provide electronic

components with water protection from humidity to full

water immersion.

As well as providing a direct barrier to moisture, these

coatings can also incorporate anti-icing, anti-corrosion,

anti-fouling, and anti-microbial functionalities. Synthesis

and applications techniques vary between application

developers.

According to P2i CEO Ady Moores “The protection you

can get from nanotechnology enables your phone to

continue to use for it’s entire life and consumers expect,

whatever they pay for the phone, to last at least two years.

So in a normal use case of a mobile phone, for the vast

majority of mobile consumers that is enough protection.”

Main companies

Aculon

USA

http://www.aculon.com/

Synthesis method/coatings technique: Proprietary

Transition Metal Complexate technology (TMC) and

fluorinated acrylic polymers.

The company is producing easy-clean, anti-smudge

coatings for eyeglasses and other optical surfaces such

as flat panel displays, and stainless steel; and coatings

that improve the functionality of electronic devices such

as displays, electrolytic capacitors and printed circuit

boards. Aculon® NanoProof™ 5.1 is a surface treatment

for imparting hydrophobicity and oleophobicity to

electronic devices using a one-step process. NanoProof®

Series provides water protection from humidity to full

water immersion.

Drywired

USA

https://drywired.com/

Synthesis method/coatings technique: Low-pressure

vacuum plasma.

DryWired’s protective nanocoating can be applied at any

point during the manufacturing process of a consumer

electronic device and will not disturb a circuit board’s

functionality. The company has partnered with XPAL

Power to coat their SpareOne Plus Emergency Phone

(www.spareone.com) with DryWired’s technology in

order to make the AA battery operated wireless devices

IPX7 waterproof and corrosion resistant. They are also

coating PowerSkin’s Wet Rated Series (www.power-skin.

com).

Europlasma

Belgium

http://www.europlasma.be/

Synthesis method/coatings technique: Plasma.

The company produces Nanofics fluoropolymer coatings

that are hydrophobic, oleophobic, resistant to sweat,

acid and salt and resistant to elevated temperatures

for application in consumer electronics. Europlasma

also designs, builds and sells turnkey vacuum plasma

treatment equipment to apply the coatings. The

company licenses their hydrophobic nanocoating

technology through various partners including Drywired.

7


HZO

USA

http://www.hzo.com/

Synthesis method/coatings technique: Proprietary

vacuum application.

The company produces WaterBlockTM technology

for consumer and industrial electronic assemblies.

Customers include Motorola and Dell.

Liquipel

USA

https://www.liquipel.com/


The company uses proprietary techniques to produce

super-hydrophobic and corrosion resistant Watersafe™

nanocoatings for smartphones and headphones, tablets

and other mobile electronics.

P2i

UK

https://www.p2i.com/

Synthesis method/coatings technique: Pulsed Plasma

Deposition Process.

P2i’s patented pulsed plasma deposition process

produces hydrophobic nano coatings. In January 2018

the company announced that it has coated more than

250 million electronic devices since it started working

with smartphone manufacturers in 2011. P2i had been

working with Motorola since 2011, and when Lenovo

acquired Motorola in 2014, the continued relationship

has seen P2i’s nano coating technology used to protect

both Motorola and Lenovo branded smartphones. Other

clients include Huawei.

Semblant

USA

https://www.semblant.com/


The patented MobileShield™ technology is used to

waterproof electronics. Semblant has over 1 million

units/day currently in production.

Further information

The Global Market for Nanocoatings

Revised to June 2018

https://futuremarketsinc.com/the-global-market-for-

nanocoatings/

8


BusinessFinance&

NuMat Technologies has completed a $12.4 million financing round led by OS Fund, with participation by Osage

University Partners, Tin Shed Ventures (Patagonia’s strategic investment arm), and other existing investors. The

company is developing products based on metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) for application in next-generation

storage, separation, and purification systems. NuMat plans to use the capital to expand the company’s high-

throughput computational and experimentation capabilities and to increase its manufacturing footprint in the

United States, Europe, and East Asia.

The Datong Graphene and Green Technology Industrial Park is nearing completion. With investment of 10

billion yuan ($1.57 billion USD), it includes a graphene production base, a research and development center, an

academic communication and reception center and related companies.

Latest nanotech investments, commercial agreements

and rounds of finance. April-May 2018.

9


Directa Plus has entered into a 12-month exclusivity agreement and

9-month development agreement with an existing global luxury

accessories customer, to produce accessories with increased mechanical

properties. The value of the agreement amounts to approximately

€130,000.

Paragraf, a spin out from the University of Cambridge, has closed a

£2.9 million seed round to support the development of its first major

products.

The round has been led by Cambridge Enterprise, the commercialisation

arm of the University of Cambridge, with the participation of Parkwalk

Advisors, Amadeus Capital Partners, IQ Capital Partners and a number

of angel investors.

Paragraf is focused on graphene for electronic devices. Using a

proprietary, patent protected approach Paragraf has been able to

address the problems of poor uniformity, reproducibility, limited size

and material contamination that have held back current graphene

manufacturing techniques. The company has already produced layers

with electrical characteristics optimised for producing

very sensitive detectors at commercial scale and improved

efficiency contact layers for common technologies such

as LEDs.

Capital Power, a North American power producer

headquartered in Edmonton, Alberta, has acquired an

equity interest in C2CNT. Brian Vaasjo, Capital Power

President and CEO, said, “Our investment in C2CNT

supports our pursuit of innovative and leading-edge

technology and approaches that have the potential to

reduce greenhouse gases. Being able to take CO2 and

convert it into a valuable carbon-fibre product could

dramatically change our industry and other industries as

well.” The C2CNT technology was developed by a team

of scientists, led by Professor Stuart Licht, at George Washington University. The technology uses electrolysis, with a

current generated by electrodes to separate the carbon from the oxygen (O2), repurposes the carbon into a strong,

useable carbon fibre (nanotube), and O2 that is available for other uses.

10


NANOTECHNEWS

PRODUCT

April-May 2018

11


LABPRODUCTTO

Low-cost, high volume production and ease of integration is crucial for the development of widespread

application of graphene-enabled products. This month we look at recent developments and breakthroughs.

Fishing company Sanford has collaborated with New Zealand based

nanofibres producer Revolution Fibres to develop a nanofibre

facepack made from discarded hoki skins. The anti-wrinkle facepack

is made via electrospinning structural protein collagen from the

fish skins using Revolution Fibres proprietary technology. During

the spinning process, various “bioactive” products like fruit extracts

and the moisturising compound hyaluronic acid are bonded to the

collagen fibre. The nanofiber sheets are marketed as actiVLayr and

are now available.

Green Science Alliance Co., Ltd. has developed InP/ZnS quantum

dots and perovskite quantum dots composite materials. These

materials have been incorporated into silicon resins for LED sealants,

and light emission has been maintained. A problem with quantum

dots is their poor lightfastness, as well as poor water and heat

resistance, especially when printed or coated onto a substrate. To solve

this issue the company has prepared silica base inorganic material

coated quantum dots. However, transparency is lost due to its coated

material so that improvement is necessary in some application which

requires transparency of quantum dots.

Tint World® Automotive Styling

Centers™ is partnering with the Canadian

company Alchemy, manufacturers of

windshield-protection nanocoatings.

ExoShield is composed of proprietary

nanomaterials that increase impact

resistance up to six times the industry

standard and block 99.9 percent of

harmful UV rays.

Quantum dots are finding there way to into new elec-tronics products in sealants and solar glass.

12


QD SOLAR GLASSTransparent photovoltaic glass will not only provide energy, but will be able to illuminate – providing light in various

colours using quantum dot technology.

ML System S.A Zaczernie, a Polish producer of

building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) for the

construction industry, has secured funding for a

quantum dot glass project. The company plans to start

production of an innovative, transparent photovoltaic

glass, which uses quantum dots. They believe product

will revolutionise not only the BIPV industry but also

the glass industry and intend to invest a total $10.5

million in the project, a large part of which is to come

from EU funds. Find out more at http://mlsystem.pl/

electricity-from-the-glass-energy-revolution-with-the-

use-of-quantum-dots/?lang=en

Nanocoatings producer ShayoNano has appointed Palmer Holland

as its exclusive U.S. distributor for its line of hiding pigments for use in

aqueous roof coatings, paints, industrial coatings, and inks. ShayoNano

has developed a patented technology to precisely synthesize new

nanomaterials in aqueous dispersions for ease of handling, improved

performance, and cost savings. SmartIR Roofallows formulators

to optimize IR reflectance and hiding in aqueous roof coatings.

SmartHide replaces and optimizes the use of titanium dioxide (TiO2)

in various types of systems which results in significant raw material

savings for manufacturers.

“Palmer Holland has the national coverage and market expertise to

promote this new technology in the targeted market segments,” said

John Falsone, VP, sales/marketing at ShayoNano. Further information

at http://shayonano.com/

13


QUANTUM DOTS SECURITY

HyperSolar, Inc.’s current stability test of its proprietary fully

integrated hydrogen production device has surpassed 294 hours

without any degradation. The design of the device will serve as the

foundation of the Company’s first generation commercial renewable

hydrogen generator.

Optimizing the science of water electrolysis at the nano-level,

the company’s low cost nanoparticles mimic photosynthesis to

efficiently use sunlight to separate hydrogen from water, to produce

environmentally friendly renewable hydrogen. By utilizing a new

coating technique of the protective polymer layer that encapsulates

the full device, we were able to surpass our April results and are

much closer to our previously announced goals of 365 hours, and

1000 hours, of continuous stable operation,” said Dr. Joun Lee,

HyperSolar’s Chief Technology Officer. Further information at www.

hypersolar.com

IQDEMY Quantum Technology SA, a company of IQDEMY Holdings,

has announced its newest development designed to help brands,

marketers as well as the security market to provide an individualised,

bespoke solution in anti-counterfeiting. The company has been

developing Quantum Dots, based on its unique Quantum Dots

ink. The ink is available for water-based and UV, UV-LED printing

processes whereby each ink set is tamper-evident and contains a

code that cannot be broken. Adaptive custom solutions enable only

the brand owner to reproduce the code.

A Chinese manufacturer is utilizing

graphene nanotubes from OCSiAl to

produce ESD packaging for electronic

products. Just 0.008% of TUBALL nanotubes

in the film enables a surface resistivity of 10^9

Ω/sq to be achieved, while improving the

mechanical properties and preserving 90%

of the light transmittance level. According

to OCSiAl, several other Chinese companies

have also successfully completed industrial

tests of nanotube applications, and are

about to launch their product lines of PE

films containing TUBALL nanotubes.

Use of nanotech in solar prod-ucts is growing fast.

14


GRAPHENENEWS

PRODUCT

April - May 2018

15


LABPRODUCTTO

Low-cost, high volume production and ease of integration is crucial for the development of widespread

application of graphene-enabled products. This month we look at recent developments and breakthroughs.

Archer Exploration Limited has entered into exclusive negotiations

with The University of Sydney Commercial Development and Industry

Partnerships (CDIP) for exclusive rights to develop and commercialise

graphene for quantum computing technology.

One of the main barriers to the introduction of quantum computers

is that they currently operate at extremely low temperatures, below

zero, to work effectively, and also need to be made of conducting

components in order to integrate into electronic circuitry.

Dr Mohammad Choucair is believed to have solved the materials

dichotomy of operating qubits at room temperature in a conducting

material using graphene. In late October 2017, Archer announced

the acquisition of Australian graphene production innovator Carbon

Allotropes Pty. Limited, and the appointment of its founder, Dr

Choucair, as Chief Executive Officer of Archer Exploration. Commenting

on the opportunity, Dr Choucair said: “Negotiations with CDIP will

allow Archer to leverage our materials assets, and recent acquisitions,

as high value, materials-centric, end-to-end solutions to solve one of

the most challenging problems in our technological age.”

“Archer is in a strong position to develop and commercialise

strategically relevant IP for long-term company success and business

development,” added Dr. Choucair.

The negotiations with the University

will centre on Archer’s exclusive right

to develop and commercialise the IP

described in a patent cooperation treaty

(PCT) application that was filed by the

University in the names of the University

and École Polytechnique Fédérale de

Lausanne (EPFL).

There is a need in quantum computing to develop components that can be integrated into circuitry while

remaining functional at room-temperature.

16


MARINE GRAPHENEGraphene is being developed in the marine industry mainly as an additive to anti-corrosion and anti-fouling paints

and coatings. Australian producer First Graphene has recently started to explore applications.

First Graphene Limited has entered into a

Memorandum of Understanding with Engage Marine

for the development of graphene-enhanced coatings

and ropes for the marine industry. The Company and

Engage Marine will work to commercialize the project

outcomes with other global marine organizations.

The terms of the MOU cover collaboration on

graphene enhanced anti-fouling as an additive to

existing coatings or a new formulation; coatings with

fire retardant and noise reduction properties for

ship bulkhead doors and engine rooms that can be

sprayed on; and graphene- enhanced polypropylene

ropes.

Directa Plus has entered into an exclusive collaboration agreement

with Arvind Limited, India’s leading textile-to-retail-and-brands

conglomerate, to incorporate Directa Plus’ G+ graphene-based

products into their denim fabrics. The company’s graphene can

be used in a variety of ways to alter or enhance the properties of

conventional Denim fabrics, and to produce ‘smart’ clothing for

different purposes and environments. By incorporating G+ products

within fabrics and textiles, end-users benefit from the thermal and

electrical conductivity and bacteriostatic properties of G+, such

as thermal regulation, heat dissipation, energy harvesting, data

transmission and no odour effect.

The first of 13 Class 61 high speed trains for services for operation in

Malaysia is nearing completion at CRRC Zhuzhou’s plant in China.

CRRC is the world’s largest train manufacturer and is producing

two of the trains in Zhuzhou before transferring production of the

remaining 11 to a local assembly plant in Malaysia.

The four-car, 1 000 mm gauge DMUs have a design speed of 140

17


GRAPHENE SOLAR COATINGS

km/h and are expected to operate at up to 120 km/h. They are

being equipped with CRRC’s own design of graphene-based

supercapacitor for storing braking energy and two MAN powerpacks.

The train maker has produced two types of capacitors, 2.8 Volt/30,000

F and 3 Volt/12,000 F. The former can power trolley buses for up to 10

km after a one-minute charge, compared with 6 km in the previous

generation. The latter one can provide enough electricity to power a

tram for 6 km with only 30 seconds of charging.

Graphene materials producer Applied Graphene Materials has

announced on Tuesday that James Briggs intended to bring a new

range of aerosol paint primers containing Applied’s graphene to

market during the last quarter of 2018. The AIM-traded company said

that, due to the “outstanding results” achieved in coating properties

through the incorporation of its graphene ‘Genable’ dispersion into

their paints, James Briggs anticipated extending the use of graphene

technology into other product lines within its range.

Chinese company Znshine Solar has launched the Znshine Graphene

Series- a12-busbar graphene module, 5-busbar graphene module

and double-glass graphene module.T he application of graphene

film layer not only increases the light transmission performance of

the glass itself, but are also hydrophilic. At present, solar PV utilities

are using regular manual cleaning methods to clean the surface

of photovoltaic panels. This type of cleaning method can to cause

problems such as cracking of the PV cell and residual water stains on

the surface of the module.

Graphene Quantum Dots producers Dotz

Nano has recently received a significant

order of 10kg for it’s Validotz product.

According to Dotz Nano, its most recent

Validotz order totals 10 kilograms of violet

and blue Validotz to be distributed by

Pflaumer Bros. in their official capacity as a

distributor. The planned application for the

order is for pilot productions to a variety of

customers in industrialized sectors, namely

nylon, concrete, floorings, poly-resins and

thermosetting materials. Read more at

https://www.dotznano.com/

Graphene is increasingly used in smart textiles.

18


GRAPHENE KAYAKThe lightest* surfski kayak in the world that weighs just 9.3 kg has been developed in a joint ventures between

Graphenest and Sipre, a Portuguese kayak manufacturer.

The lightweight surfski kayak was first revealed at

Techstars Autonomous Technology Acceleration

Demo Day event on the 20th of April at Boston, It was

constructed by substituting the ordinarily used epoxy

resin by Portugal-based Graphenest’s HexaBond

epoxy resin system for fiber reinforced composites.

HexaBond can be applied in any fiber reinforced

composites to improve mechanical strength,

durability and chemical resistance. Hexabond is able

to increase the strength of carbon fiber composites

up to 24%, while simultaneously reducing weight by

10%.

Versarien has reached an agreement with a UK-based polymers

company to develop graphene enhanced plastics at scale. Luxus

manufactures high quality thermoplastics from prime and recycled

polymers and is the largest independently owned plastic manufacturer

in the UK, supplying plastics to the automotive, packaging, and civil

engineering sectors amongst others. The collaboration will involve

incorporating graphene into polymers to enhance mechanical

strength and other properties. Versarien is already working with

Warwick Manufacturing Group (WMG) to optimise the performance

of graphene enhanced polymers.

Neill Ricketts, chief executive of Versarien, said: “We are delighted to

have signed this agreement with Luxus. We look forward to working

with Luxus to ensure that a viable UK supply chain is established

for the production of thermoplastics enhanced with Versarien’s high

quality graphene.”

The use of carbon nano-based

ultracapacitors in lithium-ion

batteries can create a dual

energy source for high volume

electric vehicles.

19


GREENENERGY

NANOTECH

This month sees new developments in innovative applications for nanomaterials in batteries for electric

vehicles (EV) and construction glass.

FastCAP Systems Corporation is rebranding

to Nanoramic Laboratories. In addition to

ultracapacitors, Nanoramic will specialize

in advanced material solutions based

on nanocarbon technology. Nanoramic’s line of

ultracapacitors will be sold under the name FastCAP

Ultracapacitors. FastCAP Ultracapacitors are the only

ultracapacitors capable of operation in conditions up

to 150ºC. In fact, Nanoramic’s success in advanced

material product development can be attributed

to FastCAP Ultracapacitors’ years of research and

expertise in developing carbon nanotube based

electrodes. The company is a spin-out from MIT and

has a strategic partnership with NGK SPARK PLUG

CO., LTD., a Japan-based company that specializes in

packaging for complex electronic applications.

French nanomaterials company NAWA

Technologies is aiming to bring a new dimension to

the automotive industry’s use of the word “hybrid.”

It is aiming to link high efficiency new technology

carbon nano-based ultracapacitors with lithium-ion

batteries, to create a dual energy source for high

volume electric vehicles.

NAWA claims its Ultra Fast Carbon Battery

from parts of a French state Energy Authority in 2013.

2050 Motors has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Graphene Future, Inc., to produce high-grade

graphene material for the electric vehicle battery market. The MOU includes a 20% ownership in Graphene Future,

Inc., by 2050 Motors and the exclusive rights to utilize and distribute this graphene product for the next generation

electric vehicle battery market worldwide.

20


technology now in pilot production, can

deliver between three and five times

higher power and energy density than

existing ultracapacitors.

The result of its R&D work, said CEO Ulrik

Grape, is confidence that high volume

manufacture of a radical energy storage

system will help overcome many of

the frustrations that continue to dog

the wholesale public acceptance of

automotive electric motive power.

The company believes that key markets

for the batteries will include automotive,

industrial, defence, aerospace, power

tool and personal mobility. They could

also play a key role in managing energy

across the smart electricity grid. NAWA

Technologies was created by a spin-off

CLEAR GLASS NANOSOLARClearVue Technologies Ltd has

entered into a deal to provide

its solar window technology to

Mirreco Holdings.

Under the memorandum of

understanding, ClearVue will

become the exclusive supplier of

solar window products, initially

for small-scale housing units, or

micro homes, created by Mirreco.

ClearVue’s smart building material

patented technology comprises a

glass lamination interlayer glass

lamination interlayer doped

with inorganic micro and nano-

particles that converts rays into

energy, while allowing up to 70%

of visible light to pass through. The

company has also recently raised

$5 million in investment. http://

www.clearvuepv.com/

21


BP invests $20 million in nanotech companyBP Ventures has invested $20 million in ultra-fast charging battery

developer StoreDot. The company has developed a lithium ion-based

battery technology which enables ultra-fast charging for the mobile and

industrial markets. Using this technology, StoreDot is also developing

a new type of electric-car battery that will aim to achieve a charging

experience that is comparable to the time spent to refuel a traditional

car. StoreDot currently expects first sales of its flash batteries for mobile

devices as early as 2019.

David Gilmour, vice president, business development, BP Ventures, said:

“The technology to support EVs is advancing rapidly and BP Ventures is

committed to identifying and investing in companies that we believe

are at the cutting edge of this industry. StoreDot has shown significant

progress in the development of ultra-fast charging, both in mobile

phone and vehicle applications. BP looks forward to working alongside

them, as an investor and strategic partner, to bring their technology

from the lab to the vehicle.”

Savosolar and Danish Grenaa Varmevaerk A.m.b.a. have

signed a final delivery contract of a large solar thermal

system. The project is the largest in Savosolar's history so

far in both value and size. The final value of the deal is

approximately EUR 3.5 million including a solar field of

nearly 21,000 m2. Savosolar's collectors are equipped

with patented nano-coated direct flow absorbers. jari.

www.savosolar.com

Australian company Nano-Nouvelle has demonstrated

that it’s nanotech-enabled lithium-ion battery is ready for

plug-and-play production. Nano-Nouvelle’s technology is

a three-dimensional nano-structured, porous electrode

aimed at overcoming current battery limitations by

allowing them to charge faster and last longer. Further

information at http://nanonouvelle.com.au/

22


NANOTECHNEWSBIOMEDICAL

For the first time, a ligand-

targeted nanoparticle

has been successfully

used to deliver CRISPR

into the nucleus of a T-cell. “From

the start, CRISPR and other genetic

therapies have suffered from the

classic ‘last-mile’ problem,” said

Andre Watson, founder, chairman

and CEO of Ligandal. “For all their

power to heal, genetic therapies

are ineffective at best if they

cannot be delivered to the precise

cellular subtypes and locations

inside cells. “Now they can be,”

Watson said.

Ligandal’s bioinspired

nanomaterials utilize peptide

targeting ligands, which bind to

precise cellular surface profiles

of targeted cell populations, to

target CRISPR and other genetic

materials into T-cells or other cells.

The ligand targeting capacity is an

industry first for these gene therapy

modalities: Ligandal’s technology

can selectively target T-cells with

manifold greater efficiency than

other blood cell populations. “In

part, the flexibility and ease of

this platform is enabled by state-

of-the-art peptide synthesis and

fluid handling robotics, driven

by a back-end machine-learning

approach to rapid ligand and

nanomaterials discovery,” Watson

said. “Of course, none of these

robotics or machine learning

approaches would be meaningful

without our breakthroughs in

23


NANO PROBE FUNDINGOncoNano Medicine, a Dallas-based

University of Texas Southwestern Medical

Center (UTSWMC) spinout, is developing

nanotechnology enabled fluorescent

probes to help a cancer surgeon excise

tumors. The company has just closed

of a $11.7 million Series A financing.

The funding will be used to support the

company’s continued clinical development

of a new class of pH-activated compounds

that digitalize and exploit the variability of

pH in disease indications such as cancer.

OncoNano is using pH variability, a simple

and robust biomarker, to detect and treat

diseased tissue. By targeting pH, a clear

delineation between diseased and healthy

tissue can be digitalized to develop a

broad range of targeted applications. The

technology and compounds were invented

at the University of Texas Southwestern

Medical Center by Dr. Jinming Gao.

The company’s first program with its pH-

activated compound platform is ONM-100,

an injectable imaging agent that targets

the acidic pH within tumors to accurately

distinguish cancer cells from healthy tissue

during surgery. ONM-100 aims to eliminate

the “guesswork” often associated with the

removal of tumors by providing surgeons

with an easier and more effective method

to assess lymph nodes and tumor margins

in real-time during surgery.

Nanocapsules can be absorbed by the body four times faster than

their counter-parts.

bioinspired nanomaterials design and

synthesis.” www.ligandal.com

Cardiol Therapeutics Inc., a

nanotherapeutics company focused

on advancing the treatment of heart

failure by developing proprietary

formulations designed to deliver

cannabinoids and other drugs to

inflamed tissue in the heart, has

rasied CDN$10.5 million in investment

funding.

Cardiol is utilizing nanotechnology

to improve the treatment options

available to this large heart failure

population by developing proprietary

nanoformulations designed to

optimize and maintain blood levels

of anti-inflammatory and anti-fibrotic

drugs and target their action to sites

of inflammation and fibrosis in the

failing heart. https://www.cardiolrx.

com/

Salus Nutraceuticals, a leading

manufacturer and provider of full

spectrum hemp-based CBD oil

products, is now using innovative

nanotechnology to increase the

effectiveness and bioavailability of their

popular dietary supplement product,

PhytoLogica. The softgel capsules can

be absorbed by the body four times

faster than their counterparts. http://

salusnutraceuticals.com/

24


The European Commission (EC) Registration, Evaluation,

Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH)

Committee voted on April 26, 2018, to amend several

REACH Annexes to clarify the registration requirements

for nanomaterials. The proposed amendments will

clarify REACH registration requirements with regard

to nanomaterials and address the knowledge gap on

which substances registered under REACH are placed

on the market as nanomaterials and in which quantities.

The amendments will enable both companies and

authorities to know more about the characteristics of

nanomaterials, how they are used, how they are handled

safely, what risks they potentially pose to health and the

environment and how these risks are controlled. The

draft Commission Regulation is now subject to scrutiny

by the Parliament and Council for a period of three

months before being adopted by the Commission. ECHA

will already start to assess the need to update existing, or

issue new guidance to support registrants in complying

with the new requirements.

Government, regulation & policy news

EU CLARIFIES REACH NANOMATERIALS

25


Nanomaterials scorecard in United StatesNanomaterials have been included in a ‘science scorecard’ initiative

launched in the United States by organisations involved in cosmetics

production. Together with NGO ‘Forum for the Future’, companies such

as Walmart and Target developed a scorecard system to encourage

responsible product development, called “Beauty and personal care

product sustainability rating system’.

32 Key Performance Indictaors (KPIs) were identified for sustainable

products and grouped into areas such as human health impact,

resource use and emissions, ingredient disclosure and impacts of

packaging. Products will be assessed against KPIs, with companies

encouraged to use external auditors for the process. Read more at

https://www.sustainabilityconsortium.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/

TSC%C2%AE-BPC-Product-Sustainability-Rating-System.pdf

The French Government amendment No. 2557 was

adopted by the National Assembly om 27th May. The

amendment states the Government shall take regulatory

measures to suspend the placing on the market of

additive E171 (titanium dioxide - TiO2) as well as foods

containing it. This is based on the French Consumer Code,

articles 521-17 and also under Article 54 ‘Other Emergeny

Measures’ in EU Regulatin (EC) 178/2002 (the General

Food Law Regulation).

The Belgian Federal Public Service for Public Health

has released its first report from the implementation of

a nanomaterial register in Belgium. The report covers

substances registered in 2016.

Most of the registrations (45% ) fall under the category of

use: SU3 - Industrial uses: Uses of substances as such or in

preparations at industrial sites. 150 different substances

were registered, for a total 75 000 tons. https://www.health.

belgium.be/fr/nano-executive-summary-fr-2016

26


HOTCOMPANIESNANOTECH

C2CNT is a spin-out from George Washington University and

has developed a process for converting carbon dioxide

into carbon nanofibers using molten electrolysis. This

technology will take CO2 from many sources, including

emissions from thermal power generation and other industrial

processes, and convert it into a carbon-based product that can be used

in various industries. C2CNT’s approach is to capture CO2 directly from

the flue stream of a power plant, cement kiln or other industrial facility,

then convert it into pure carbon nanotubes. The process costs less than

traditional carbon nanofiber manufacturing, such as chemical vapor

deposition or polymer pulling.

Dr. Stuart Licht, head of the C2CNT team and professor of

chemistry at George Washington University, said, “C2CNT

is focused on a revolutionary solution to climate change

– one that is ground-breaking, innovative and potentially

disruptive.” He continued, “We’ve found a way to transform CO2 into

a valuable product, worth on the order of a quarter-million dollars

27


per ton, at low cost while reducing

CO2 in our atmosphere. That’s earth

changing.” https://arxiv.org/ftp/arxiv/

papers/1710/1710.07246.pdf

Researchers at Vanderbilt

University has developed a method

for turning carbon dioxide into

carbon nanotubes. They have

founded a new company, SkyNano

LLC, to develop the process. “One of

the most exciting things about what

we’ve done is use electrochemistry

to pull apart carbon dioxide into

elemental constituents of carbon

and oxygen and stitch together, with

nanometer precision, those carbon

atoms into new forms of matter,”

Assistant Professor of Mechanical

Engineering Cary Pint said. “That

opens the door to being able to

generate really valuable products

with carbon nanotubes. What we’ve

learned is the science that opens

the door to now build some of

the most valuable materials in our

world, such as diamonds and single-

walled carbon nanotubes, from

carbon dioxide that we capture

from air through our process.” www.

skynanotechnologies.com

Carbon Upcycling Technologies

has developed a process that

combines CO2 with waste products,

such as fly ash left over from burning

coal or petroleum coke, to create

nanoparticles that can be used as

additives for concrete, plastic and

coatings to enhance performance

and increase efficiency.

Using nanoparticles made with

captured CO2 not only keeps

those emissions from entering the

atmosphere, but reduces the need

to consume expensive, carbon-

intensive traditional

materials such as plastics

and concrete. http://www.

co2upcycling.com/

Founded in 2016,

NanoCnet is developing

silver nanoparticles for the

transparent conductive

electrodes, conductive

inks and pastes market.

The company recently

launched SilverStrandTM,

flexible, durable and

stable silver nanomaterials

for application in flexible

electronics and related

industries such as touch

panels, solar cells, displays,

and smart windows..

https://nanocnet.com/

Linney Tuning is using bi-layer

graphene in the development

of brake pads - currently in

the development/testing

stage. The company should

have graphene clutch plates

at testing stage by the end of

June 2018.

Versarien has signed a

collaboration with a FTSE listed

European manufacturer and

supplier of co-manufactured

and private label consumer

products for the household

and personal care markets.

OTHER NEWS

A round-up all the other

important news in

graphene this month.

28


MARKET

FILTERING WITHGRAPHENE

FOCUS

Graphene filtration allows for membranes

with holes so small that salt molecules cannot

pass through.

Due to rapid global population growth and the

resulting shortage and contamination of global

drinking water, the importance of water purification

technologies has increased significantly. About

one billion people worldwide do not have access to

safe drinking water. The World Health Organization

(WHO) has estimated that 80 percent of illnesses

in the developing world are the results from

waterborne diseases. Effective and low-cost water

disinfection methods are urgently needed.

Technological solutions for water treatment,

particularly for waste management and filtration

are increasingly important. The lack of cost-effective

water purification technology has exacerbated

the problem of clean and safe water. This issue

is of critical importance and has been posing

a significant threat to global health, economic

growth, sustainability and social progress.

Applications

Applications of water filtration technology include:

• Municipal water facilities.

• Medical facilities.

• Laboratories.

• Distilleries.

• Desalination plants.

• Industrial facilities.

29


• Power plants.

• Hydraulic fracturing sites.

• Wastewater treatment facilities.

• Consumer markets.

Current filter technology drawbacks

There has been widespread interest in the filtration and

separation properties of graphene and water filtration

has been identified as one of the key target markets

for graphene. Membranes containing functionalized

or pristine graphene display excellent potential for

selective uptake and transport of molecular or ionic

species. Ionic and molecular sieving membranes that

enable fast solute separations from aqueous solutions

are essential for processes such as water purification

and desalination, sensing, and energy production.

Desirable properties include:

• Over 20,000 x thinner than other membranes.

• Ideal pore size for separation (Improvement of 500x

compared to other membranes).

• Large surface area (Up to areas of 1 mm ^2).

• Resistant to oxidation (for temperatures less than 450

Celsius).

• Very mechanically stable.

• Low frictional water flow.

• Hydrophobicity.

Graphene Oxide (GO) nanosheets show excellent

potential for application in ultrathin, high-flux and

energy-efficient sieving membrane. Graphene oxide

(GO) membranes precisely sieve out ions and molecules

larger than 4.5 Å in diameter. Water molecules

permeate through the interconnected nanochannels

formed between GO nanosheets and follow a tortuous

path primarily over the hydrophobic nonoxidized

surface rather than the hydrophilic oxidized region of

GO.

It has been demonstrated that nanoporous graphene

can filter salt from water at a rate that is 2-3 orders

of magnitude faster than today’s best commercial

desalination technology, reverse osmosis (RO).

Nanostructuring of membranes allows for actual flow of

water (with full salt rejection) via size exclusion, leading

to much higher permeability compared to reverse

osmosis.

Thermally reduced graphene is being developed for

use in oil spill clean-up and wastewater treatment.

Graphene has been demonstrated to be a very efficient

adsorbent for oil-spill clean-up and dye removal from

wastewater. It is chemically inert, non-toxic, non-

inflammable, hydrophobic and insoluble in water.

According to Directa Plus, G+ graphene performs at

least 4 times better than traditional sorbent materials.

Market challenges

Drawbacks of the use of graphene in water filtration that

need to resolved prior to commercialization include:

• Unknown risks to eco-systems.

• Insufficient data quality on long time operation.

• High investment in existing water filtration facilities.

• Stability.

• Scaling up to large membranes.

• Producing defect free membranes.

• Low permeance to fluids.

Recent developments

Researchers from CSIRO in Australia have developed

a filtration membrane that they claim is capable of

making water from Sydney Harbour drinkable.

Made from graphene, one of the world’s strongest

and thinnest materials, the membrane makes water

purification simpler, more effective and quicker, says

CSIRO scientist Dong Han Seo.

“Conventional water filter membranes used in water

purification are made from polymers (plastics) and

cannot handle a diverse mix of contaminants, they

clog or allow contaminants to pass through, so they

have to be separated out before the water is filtered,”

CSIRO scientist Dong Han Seo said. “This technology

can create clean drinking water, regardless of how dirty

30


it is, in a single step.”

Figure 1: Graphair.

Image credit: CSIRO.

CSIRO developed the graphene membrane, named

Graphair, and placed it over a normal, commercial

grade water filtering membrane. From tests using water

samples from Sydney Harbour, the team found that

without Graphair the filtration rate halved in 72 hours, as

contaminants clogged the filter’s membrane. After the

Graphair was added however, scientists say the filter did

not clog, more contaminants were filtered and the water

was determined safe to drink.

CSIRO is hoping to begin field trials in a developing-

world community in 2019 after researchers from QUT, the

University of Sydney, University of Technology Sydney, and

Victoria University confirmed Graphair’s water purification

properties.

Researchers at the University of Manchester have

recently developed a graphene oxide membrane for water

desalination. They are working with UK company Icon

Lifesaver to create a portable version of the graphene

filter that can be attached to a drinking bottle or larger

mobile water unit.

Companies and research centres

Arvia Technology

UK

http://www.arviatechnology.com/

The company has developed its own graphene-based

proprietary material – NyexTM – which removes organics,

emerging contaminants and micro-pollutants from

wastewater and is regenerated in-situ in the

novel organics destruction cell (ODC) process. The

technology was spun-out of Manchester University’s

School of Chemical Engineering.

G2O Water

UK

http://g2o.co/

The company is producing graphene membranes.

The process is based on research developed at the

University of South Carolina, USA which is patented

and licensed exclusively by G2O for use worldwide.

Ionic Industries

Australia

http://www.ionicindustries.com.au/

The company is producing graphene oxide based

membranes for water filtration. These technologies

are being commercialized with Clean TeQ (http://

www.cleanteq.com/).

Lockheed Martin

USA

https://lockheedmartin.com

The company is using graphene to coat filters for

desalination technology. The Perforene membrane

is small enough to trap sodium, chlorine and other

ions from seawater, and the holes dramatically

improve the flow-through of water molecules,

reducing clogging and pressure on the membrane.

THE MAGAZINE FOR 2D RESEARCH NANOTECH · Hydrophobic GRAPHENE FILTRATIONIN coatings Nano Nanotech...

Documents

Transcript of THE MAGAZINE FOR 2D RESEARCH NANOTECH · Hydrophobic GRAPHENE FILTRATIONIN coatings Nano Nanotech...