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Graphene oxide has gained nationwide acclaim in recent years as a result of advancements in water purification using graphene oxide membranes. However, the researchers at GOgraphene have learnt that this 2D material can be utilised in a variety of purification applications. The global adsorbent market is expected to reach $4.3 billion USD by 2020, and the purification of liquid systems such as petroleum and water constitutes a large segment of this. The prevalent use of dyes, pesticides and polymers in many societies has led to the contamination of water. An understanding of the harmful effects of these molecules has lead to stricter regulations on the limits of contaminants in our drinking water. This has fuelled research into adsorbent materials suited for the removal of harmful molecules, and among these materials is graphene oxide.

Graphene has a theoretical surface area of 2630 m²/g, which provides a massive area for the adsorption of molecules onto individual sheets. The delocalised aromatic system of graphene produces strong attractive forces between the aromatic components of organic dye molecules, as demonstrated in literature with methylene blue. A reduced graphene oxide adsorbent was also demonstrated to have an adsorption capacity of 1200 mg/g for pesticides, being larger than any material investigated for this purpose. Alternatively, graphene oxide was combined with magnetic iron compounds for the adsorption of toxic arsenic ions, allowing for easy recovery of the adsorbent material and contaminants via magnetisation.

The versatility of graphene materials is consistently exemplified in research from around the globe, and applications like this indicate how they will make a positive impact to our lives in years to come. If you have any enquiries about the applications of graphene oxide, or about how it can improve your existing application, please do get in touch.

Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 2016, 23, 9759-9773

Small, 2012, 9, 273-283

Colloids and Surfaces B: Biointerfaces, 90, 197-203

William Blythe recently announced the launch of a new collaborative project with the National Graphene Institute (NGI) at the University of Manchester. This project will investigate novel anode materials for use in energy storage, specifically targeting increased capacity to extend the range of current electric vehicles. Andrew Hurst, Managing Director at William Blythe commented: "We are excited to be undertaking this important development project with Professor Dryfe and his team at the NGI. A combination of William Blythe’s capability in inorganic chemistry and the Institute's global pre-eminence in graphene offers real potential to solve one of the significant problems limiting the adoption of electric vehicles."

Throughout this two year project, William Blythe will supply GOgraphene graphene oxide products to researchers throughout the NGI. The arrangement established will allow extended access to William Blythe’s material which is already in use in a number of projects at the Institute.

Professor Vladimir Falko, Director of the National Graphene Institute said: “The researchers based in the NGI rely on highly consistent and top-quality graphene materials to progress our research and aid in the development of commercial applications. This new partnership with William Blythe allows the University’s graphene scientists greater access to necessary materials with which to work with, in tandem with a project exploring the possibilities of 2D materials and new battery technologies.”

Last week, the William Blythe team showcased their work with graphene oxide at the most recent CIR Strategy conference in Cambridge. The event featured esteemed delegates with expertise in a variety of sectors including the field of advanced materials: a promising and ever-expanding area of scientific development. This conference acted as a platform to discuss breakthrough technologies in the academic and commercial world of nanomaterials, and here is just a snippet of what we learnt.

The ISO standardisation for a variety of 2D materials now states that graphene materials must have fewer than 10 layers, which can be measured using the AFM or Raman/SEM coupled analysis techniques used for the GOgraphene range. It was apparent that the production of ‘high quality’ graphene materials is required for commercialisation, indicating high purity, consistency from batch to batch, affordability and most importantly, performance.

The scope for the applications of graphene materials ranges from polymer composites to biomedical applications. Energy storage was a recurring theme throughout the sessions, with the inclusion of reduced graphene oxide into battery and fuel cell technologies allowing for an advanced device with higher performances. Graphene materials even have the promising uses in aerospace applications. With its exceptional strength at very low weight loadings, the incorporation of graphene materials can drastically reduce vehicle mass. This leads to savings on fuel, in conjunction with electronic and thermal conductivity properties obtained with a reduced graphene oxide/graphene material.

The 15^th HVM and 4^th GNM conference was a superbly organised and informative event, and the William Blythe team look forward to attending more distinguished events in the future. If you are currently working in any sectors noted in this article and would like to know how graphene oxide can improve your technology, please do get in touch.

On the 2nd and 3rd November, the city of Cambridge will stage a unique crossover of the 4th Graphene and New Materials and the 15th High Value Manufacturing (HVM) conferences, hosted by the Cambridge Investment Research (CIR) team. This prestigious event will showcase the most recent advances for industrial automation in HVM and the use of graphene materials in applications such as aerospace & defence, electronics, sensors, energy storage, printing and biomedicine, delivered by senior executives and experts in each respective field.

William Blythe will be among those presenting in the ‘Enabling Technology and Industry’ Session on the first day of the conference. This presentation will briefly explore William Blythe as a company, their development and scale up work on graphene oxide which has been achieved in recent years, before concluding with the company’s ability to tune graphene oxide to suit a variety of applications.

The inclusion of graphene materials throughout this conference evidences the materials' flexibility in a variety of sectors, and the drive to commercialise these 2D materials. William Blythe aims to work with its customers in optimising graphene oxide to each specific application and therefore hopes to connect with researchers interested in graphene oxide at this event. If you would like to learn more about our aims, or to arrange a meeting with a member of the William Blythe team at this event, please get in touch.

How soon could it be before graphene materials are present in everyday clothing? The rapid development of nanoscience has accelerated the production of miniaturised electronic devices. These advancements have opened new markets in the textile industry, with academics now researching wearable electronics via the weaving of conductive nanomaterials into the clothing fibres. These fibres have been demonstrated as strain and pressure sensors for health applications, wearable energy converters that can harvest solar energy, and as energy storage devices. This last application is particularly exciting as this will allow for displays on clothing, paper like mobile phones and clothing that can be used as a power source for when you’re on the move.

Materials such as metallic nanoparticles and polypyrrole have been deposited on yarn to produce supercapacitors with energy storage properties, however research has demonstrated issues with low strength and capacitance in the fibres. An ASC Nano published paper has utilised graphene oxide as an effective component in these fibres to increase the electronic performance. This research produced a fibre with high specific capacities, good flexibility and long cycle life, with up to 92% retention of capacity after 4950 cycles.

In the study, the yarn is coated in a graphene oxide dispersion and is easily reduced in-situ during the fibre making process. The reduced graphene oxide was found to increase strength, improve charge transfer to the metallic nanoparticles and also contributes to capacitance enhancement. This research exhibits another example of how graphene oxide can be used in composites to increase a products performance in a wide range of applications. If you have any questions regarding the use of graphene oxide in your research, please get in touch.

ACS Nano, 2015, 9, 4766–4775