Advanced Materials

TOTO Europe is a subsidiary of TOTO (Japan). The Hydrotect technology is a self-cleaning coating for building materials such as ceramic tiles. When used on outdoor surfaces and exposed to ultraviolet light, either from the sun or an artificial source, the photocatalytic surface generates a reaction that cleans the material surface by decomposing organic and by oxidizing NOx into less harmful substance. It can also be used for indoor surfaces to reduce the spread of bacteria and eliminate bad odours.

Following materials testing researchers have identified unique properties in Zenyatta Ventures Ltd Albany Graphite deposit that show positive attributes for use in multiple graphene applications.

Researchers have discovered a new stretchable, transparent conductor that can be folded or stretched and released, resulting in a large curvature or a significant strain, at least 10,000 times without showing signs of fatigue.

Electroninks was set up in Jan 2013 to commercial a particle-free silver ink formulation technology that was licensed from the University of Illinois. Its technology can be printed using inkjet, flexo, aerosol and others techniques. It can reach up to 90% of bulk silver with annealing temperatures ranging from 80 to 120C.

Physicists have been able to create the first ever superconducting graphene sample by coating it with lithium atoms.

With graphene as an electrode, the researchers hope for flexible devices with higher stability.

Nascent Objects is a California-based start-up that 3D prints electronics. It enables printing 3D plastic objects with highly conducting interconnects embedded into the 3D printed structure. Nascent has developed its own specially-formulated ink, metallization technique, library of interchangeable components and a software that allows users to build their own 3D printed electronic components. This technology can help bridge the gap between standard electronic components and 3D printing, enabling a new wave of functional product development.

Silver nanoparticles have been in the technology-push and pre-commercialisation phase for almost a decade now. May companies have come and gone, and yet success has remained largely elusive. The mood is however beginning to turn. The business landscape, once dominated by small pioneering firms, now also includes large suppliers. The end users, once put off by the high up-front price as well as performance uncertainty of Ag nanoinks, are now seriously engaged. This article gives a top-level overview of several emerging applications areas.

Video Interview with Advanced Graphene Products (AGP) at Graphene & 2D Europe.

IDTechEx recently visited Charmtron Inc in Korea. Charmtron Inc was established in 2010 and has been focused on roll-to-roll CVD graphene for the past three years. They work closely with KRICT (Korea Research Institute of Chemistry Technology).

A group of scientists from Russia, the USA and China, using computer generated simulation have predicted the existence of a new two-dimensional carbon material, a "patchwork" analogue of graphene called phagraphene.

Video interview with Graphenea at Graphene & 2D Materials Europe.

Sefar is a company focused on special fabrics. Their main business is in supplying fabrics for the screen printing and filtering industries. Their key skill is in their ability to precisely control opening in the fabric to produce a filter or printing mesh. They are now leveraging this skills to produce a novel fabric based transparent conductive film with embedded metallic wires. This profile focuses on this new emerging product line.

Dr Khasha Ghaffarzadeh caught up with Tim Harper from g2o to learn the latest news from the company, including developments following their recent grants and funding rounds.

There are many myths about the move to higher voltage with conventional internal combustion engine on-road vehicles. Here we dispel some of them.

CristalACTiV photocatalysts, added as an active ingredient in paints or in construction materials or directly applied on a variety of substrates, provide de-polluting and self-cleaning functionality to the surfaces treated, rendering them photoactive. Harmful pollutants such as nitrogen oxides (NOx), volatile organic compounds (VOC) or sulphur oxides (SOx) are degraded to harmless substances when they come in contact with the photoactive surfaces.

Video interview with Directa Plus at Graphene & 2D Materials Europe.

Linxens was born in 2011 when FCI sold their microconnection unit. The company is headquartered in France and has 1,100 employees. Linxens is now a member of the French printed electronics association.

Project Graphted is a collaborative Innovate UK project led by PolyPhotonix and seeks to evaluate Graphene's potential as a transparent electrode when dispersed in a polymeric matrix.

The growth of handheld devices in consumer electronics has enabled fast growth in the haptics industry. With billions of units sold, global reach and near ubiquitous adoption in devices like smartphones, many companies have targeted this space as having key growth potential. However, rapid commoditization led by China has left a graveyard of haptics operations across the West, Japan and Korea, so staying ahead of this curve is crucial. Our slides here summaries our latest research on haptics technologies and markets.