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Adding graphene to solar cells makes them generate power from rain. Solar power has been on a continuous rise over the past decade. Rooftop solar is arguably the most common renewable energy source for home use, and solar power plants are arguably the biggest renewable energy large scale generators. But, regardless of all this, there is still something that limits solar power generation, and that is weather. In order for solar cells to produce electricity, there has to be sun. Rain is sometimes welcome (preferably at night), to clean up dust and soil articles that could limit the efficiency of...

Spiders sprayed with water containing carbon nanotubes and graphene flakes have produced the toughest fibers ever measured, say materials scientists. Spider silk is one of the more extraordinary materials known to science. The protein fiber, spun by spiders to make webs, is stronger than almost anything that humans can make. The dragline silk spiders use to make a web’s outer rim and spokes is amazing stuff. It matches high-grade alloy steel for tensile strength but is about a sixth as dense. It is also highly ductile, sometimes capable of stretching to five times its length. This combination of strength and...

As we’ve mentioned so many times in past articles, the convergence of additive manufacturing and the ‘miracle material’ graphene could have major ramifications for dozens of industries over the next several years. Because of this, researchers and companies are spending a great deal of time and money figuring out the best methods to 3D print graphene. A group of researchers, led by Seol Seung-kwon at the Korea Electrotechnology Research Institute’s Nano Hybrid Technology Research Center (KERI) are at the forefront of this research. As we mentioned last month, KERI, a unit under the Ministry of Finance in South Korea, recently...

A weak spot found in otherwise ultra-strong graphene -- the thinnest, strongest and least permeable material known to science -- could in fact be a boon and could lead to a revolution in fuel cell technology, researchers say. Research at Britain's Manchester University led by Andre Geim -- who shared a Nobel Prize for the discovery of graphene -- has shown that the material is not quite as impermeable as previously though and will, in fact, allow protons to easily pass through it. This quality could be utilized in the future to create graphene membranes that could "sieve" hydrogen gas...

Researchers at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory recently found that properties of graphene aerogel could be used to enhance energy storage for electric vehicles and other high-power energy storage applications. The research will appear as the cover article in the Nov. 14 issue of the Journal of Materials Chemistry A. Personal electronics such as cell phones and laptops could get a boost from some of the lightest materials in the world. Lawrence Livermore researchers have turned to graphene aerogel for enhanced electrical energy storage that eventually could be used to smooth out power fluctuations in the energy grid. The team found...

VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA and NEW YORK, NEW YORK--(Marketwired - Jan. 20, 2014) - LOMIKO METALS INC. (TSX VENTURE:LMR)(PINKSHEETS:LMRMF)(FRANKFURT:DH8B) (Europe: ISIN: CA54163Q1028, WKN: A0Q9W7) (the "Company") announces Graphene 3D Lab has reached a significant milestone by filing a provisional patent application for the use of graphene-enhanced material, along with other materials, in 3D Printing (Additive Manufacturing). "This patent application is the result of a diligent effort on behalf of our team. It opens up a clear path toward the commercialization of graphene," stated Daniel Stolyarov, Graphene 3D Labs' CEO. "It is important that our proprietary technology is accepted by consumers in...

A team of researchers from the National University of Singapore (NUS), led by Professor Loh Kian Ping, who heads the Department of Chemistry at the NUS Faculty of Science, has successfully developed an innovative one-step method to grow and transfer high-quality graphene on silicon and other stiff substrates, opening up opportunities for graphene to be used in high-value applications that are currently not technologically feasible. This breakthrough, inspired by how beetles and tree frogs keep their feet attached to submerged leaves, is the first published technique that accomplishes both the growth and transfer steps of graphene on a silicon wafer....