The Graphene-Info newsletter (September 24, 2024)

National Highways has reportedly launched a further graphene-enhanced asphalt trial, this time on a one-kilometer section of the A12 between Hatfield Peverel and Witham, east of England. The first trial came in August 2021, when graphene was added to bitumen on the A1 in the North East.

The latest project saw a new surface laid on the A12 northbound, containing 40% reclaimed asphalt - thought to be the highest level ever used in the UK for asphalt with graphene-enhanced polymeric modifier. The performance will be monitored over several years by AtkinsRéalis, which will look at its carbon footprint and whole-life benefits, measuring it against a control section of standard polymer-modified bitumen asphalt.

University of Illinois Chicago scientists have created a new platform to study materials at the level of individual molecules. The approach is a significant breakthrough for creating nanotechnologies that could revolutionize computing, energy and other fields.

Two-dimensional materials, such as graphene, are made from a single layer of atoms. Studying and designing these ultrathin materials requires highly specialized methods. The laboratory of Nan Jiang, associate professor of chemistry and physics at UIC, pioneered a new method to simultaneously examine the structural, electronic and chemical properties of these nanomaterials. The platform combines two scientific approaches — scanning probe microscopy and optical spectroscopy — to view materials and assess how they interact with chemicals.

NanoXplore has reported its financial results for the year ended June 30, 2024. Record total revenues of CAD$38,125,566 (around USD$28,168,000) were reported, compared to CAD$33,318,964 (around USD$24,616,000) last year, representing a 14% increase; Loss of CAD$2,421,110 (USD$1,789,000) compared to CAD$2,003,549 (USD$1,480,000) last year.

Additional numbers included adjusted EBITDA of CAD$2,488,304 compared to CAD$526,140 last year; Adjusted EBITDA of CAD$3,329,793 compared to CAD$1,130,962 last year for the Advanced Materials, Plastics and Composite Products segment; Adjusted EBITDA loss of CAD$841,489 compared to CAD$604,822 last year for the Battery Cells segment (VoltaXplore initiative); Total liquidity of CAD$36,504,880 as at June 30, 2024, including cash and cash equivalents of CAD$26,504,880; Total long-term debt of CAD$6,346,503 as at June 30, 2024, down by CAD$1,529,385 compared to June 30, 2023.

While silk protein has been used in designer electronics, its use is currently limited in part because silk fibers are a messy tangle of spaghetti-like strands. To address this, researchers from Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, University of Washington, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, North Carolina State University and Xiamen University have developed a uniform two-dimensional (2D) layer of silk protein fragments, or "fibroins," on graphene. 

Scheme of silk fibroin assembly on highly oriented pyrolytic graphite (HOPG) characterized by in situ AFM. Image from Science Advances

The scientists explained that their work provides a reproducible method for silk protein self-assembly that is essential for designing and fabricating silk-based electronics. They said that the system is nontoxic and water-based, which is vital for biocompatibility.