The Graphene-Info newsletter (February 20, 2024)

Researchers at the University of Manchester, University of Edinburgh, ICN2, RIVM and the University of the Highlands and Islands have tested the safety and health implications of graphene, revealing that it has the potential to be used without risk to human health.

The study has shown that the use of graphene without harm to the human body is possible, through the carefully controlled inhalation of graphene, shown to have no short-term adverse effects on cardiovascular function.

UK-based Graphene Innovations Manchester (GIM) and Space Engine Systems (SES) from Canada have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to collaborate in various areas of SES’s Hello series of Aerospace and Space vehicles, focusing on using graphene for hypersonic applications.

GIM is working on the development and commercialization of advanced graphene-based solutions for composites, particularly in Graphene Space Habitat,
and also Type V hydrogen storage tanks. GIM is the largest Tier 1 partner in the Graphene Engineering Innovation Centre (GEIC) at the University of Manchester.

According to a recent press release, Rimere, a company specializing in climate solutions, has closed a $10 million strategic investment from Clean Energy Fuels Corp., aimed at advancing the development and field testing of its proprietary plasma technology. This technology is designed to reduce emissions from natural gas infrastructure and facilitate the production of clean hydrogen and graphene.

The investment will accelerate the deployment of Rimere’s two devices, the Reformer and the Mitigator. The Reformer employs a sequential hybrid plasma process to convert natural gas into hydrogen and high-quality graphene, a process that remarkably does not produce CO2emissions. In particular, when renewable natural gas is utilized, the hydrogen generated can achieve a negative carbon intensity rating.

Canada-based Evercloak, that aims to turn the theoretical potential of membrane-based dehumidification into a viable commercial option with its method of manufacturing graphene composite membranes at scale, has announced that it has raised CAD$2 Million (around USD$1,475,000) in an oversubscribed seed round of investment, driven by interest in its HVAC technology. 

By reducing the amount of electricity required to dehumidify air — the most energy-intensive part of cooling — Evercloak’s membrane-based solution can cut the energy demands of air conditioning in half.

Researchers at the University of Cambridge and the University of Warwick have developed a fully 3D-printed quantum dot/graphene-based aerogel sensor for highly sensitive and real-time recognition of formaldehyde at room temperature. Formaldehyde is a known human carcinogen that is a common indoor air pollutant. However, its real-time and selective recognition from interfering gases has thus far remained challenging, especially for low-power sensors suffering from noise and baseline drift. 

The new sensor uses artificial intelligence techniques to detect formaldehyde in real time at concentrations as low as eight parts per billion, far beyond the sensitivity of most indoor air quality sensors.