Posted by AGORACOM
at 1:40 PM on Monday, August 19th, 2019
Launches Gratink, conductive inks and pastes
The inks and pastes (to the best of the Company’s knowledge) are amongst the most conductive carbon inks and pastes currently available within the global market place.
The Gratink product is formulated specifically to meet the needs of the printed flexible electronics and EMI shielding markets
The Gratink and paste applications based on surface modified nano graphene “enablers” offer a product for market penetration into the information technology sector that is now an important aspect of our everyday life. Â
About Gratomic Inc.
Gratomic is an advanced material company focused on mine to market
commercialization of graphite products, most notably high-value
graphene-based components for a range of mass market products.
Posted by AGORACOM
at 3:58 PM on Monday, August 12th, 2019
SPONSOR: Gratomic Inc. (TSX-V: GRAT) Advanced Materials company focused on mine to market commercialization of graphite products, most notably high value graphene based components for a range of mass market products. Collaborating with Perpetuus, Gratomic will use Aukam graphite to manufacture graphene products for commercialization on an industrial scale. Click Here for More Info
Nanopore membranes have generated interest in biomedical research because they help researchers investigate individual molecules – atom by atom – by pulling them through pores for physical and chemical characterization
Researchers have not yet produced a membrane with spiral defects in the laboratory, but that task may be easier than trying to rid a graphene membrane of the current molecule-immobilizing step defects
Researchers at the University of Illinois examined how tiny defects in graphene membranes, formed during fabrication, could be used to improve molecule transport. They found that the defects make a big difference in how molecules move along a membrane surface. Instead of trying to fix these flaws, the team set out to use them to help direct molecules into the membrane pores.
Nanopore membranes have generated interest in biomedical research because they help researchers investigate individual molecules – atom by atom – by pulling them through pores for physical and chemical characterization. This technology could ultimately lead to devices that can quickly sequence DNA, RNA or proteins.
In
2014, University of Illinois physics professor Aleksei Aksimentiev and
graduate student Manish Shankla demonstrated a graphene membrane that
controlled a molecule’s movement through a nanopore by means of
electrical charge. They discovered that once the molecules are on the
surface of the membrane, it is very difficult to get them to shuffle
into the membrane’s pores because molecules like to adhere to the
surface.
While on sabbatical at Delft University of Technology in
the Netherlands, Aksimentiev found that DNA tends to accumulate and
stick along the edges of fabrication-formed defects that occur as linear
steps spanning across the membrane’s surface. The Illinois team’s goal
was to find a way to use these flaws to direct the stuck molecules into
the nanopores, as a principle that can also apply to the delivery,
sorting and analysis of biomolecules.
To refine and confirm their
observations, the researchers used the Blue Waters supercomputer at the
National Center for Supercomputing Applications at Illinois and the
XSEDE supercomputer to model the system and molecule movement scenarios
at the atomic level.
“Molecular dynamics simulations let us watch what is happening while simultaneously measuring how much force is required to get the molecule to clear a step,” Aksimentiev said. “We were surprised to find that it takes less force to move a molecule down a step than up. Although it may seem intuitive that gravity would make stepping down easier, it is not the case here because gravity is negligible at the nanoscale, and the force required to move up or down should be the same.”
Aksimentiev
said team members originally thought they could use concentric defect
patterns that form around the pores to force the molecules down, but
their simulations showed the molecules congregating along the edges of
the steps. That is when it dawned on them: A defect with edges that
spiral into a pore, combined with an applied directional force, would
give the molecule no other option than to go into the pore – kind of
like a drain.
“This way, we can drop molecules anywhere on the
membrane covered with these spiral structures and then pull the
molecules into a pore,” he said.
The researchers have not yet
produced a membrane with spiral defects in the laboratory, but that task
may be easier than trying to rid a graphene membrane of the current
molecule-immobilizing step defects, they said.
“When manufactured
at scale, defect-guided capture may potentially increase the DNA capture
throughput by several orders of magnitude, compared with current
technology,” Shankla said.
“After a long development process, we
are excited to see this principle used in a variety of other materials
and applications such as delivery of individual molecules to reaction
chambers for experiments,” the researchers said.Source: Nature NanotechnologyEurekalert
Posted by AGORACOM
at 12:11 PM on Monday, July 29th, 2019
Gratomic Inc. (TSX-V: GRAT) Advanced Materials company focused on mine to market commercialization of graphite products, most notably high value graphene based components for a range of mass market products. Collaborating with Perpetuus, Gratomic will use Aukam graphite to manufacture graphene products for commercialization on an industrial scale.
A quantum phenomenon that tests the limits of graphene’s use in electricity has been discovered by a research team from The University of Manchester, The University of Nottingham and The University of Loughborough.
The research addressed how electrons in graphene scatter off the
vibrating carbon atoms in the hexagonal crystal lattice. The researchers
applied a magnetic field perpendicular to the atomically thin sheet of
graphene. This magnetic field forced the current-carrying electrons to
move in a closed circular orbit.
There is only one way for an electron from pure graphene to escape
this orbit, this is by bouncing off a “phonon†in a scattering event.
These phonons are particle-like bundles of energy and momentum. By
warming graphene crystals for a very low temperature, researchers
discovered they can generate these phonons.
Once the research team triggered the phonon scattering event, they
passed a small electrical current through the sheet of graphene in order
to measure the precise amount of energy and momentum that can be
transferred between and electron and a phonon during the event.
What happens during these scatter events?
The researchers discovered that there are two types of phonon
scatter. The first being named transverse acoustic (TA) phonons. TA
phonons force the carbon atoms to vibrate perpendicular to the direction
of phonon propagation and wave motions, such motion can be likened to
the way waves flow on the surface of water.
The second type of phonon scatter is longitudinal acoustic (LA). LA
phonons stimulate the carbon atoms to vibrate back and forth along the
direction of the phonon and the wave motion, which motion is comparable
to the motion sound waves make through the air.
By assessing these events, researchers have found a very accurate way
to measure the speed of both types of phonons. Such measurements have
indicated that the TA phonon scattering events dominate over LA phonon
scattering.
Laurence Eaves and Roshan Krishna Kumar, co-authors of the work, said
“We were pleasantly surprised to find such prominent magnetophonon
oscillations appearing in graphene. We were also puzzled why people had
not seen them before, considering the extensive amount of literature on
quantum transport in graphene.â€
Mark Greenaway, from Loughborough University, worked on the theory of this effect said: “This result is extremely exciting – it opens a new route to probe the properties of phonons in two-dimensional crystals and their heterostructures. This will allow us to better understand electron-phonon interactions in these promising materials, understanding which is vital to develop them for use in new devices and applications.â€
Posted by AGORACOM
at 3:18 PM on Wednesday, July 24th, 2019
SPONSOR: Gratomic Inc. (TSX-V: GRAT) Advanced materials company focused on mine to market commercialization of graphite products, most notably high value graphene based components for a range of mass market products. Collaborating with Perpetuus, Gratomic will use Aukam graphite to manufacture graphene products for commercialization on an industrial scale. For More Info Click Here
Ever
since graphene, the flexible, two-dimensional form of graphite (think a
1-atom-thick sheet of pencil lead), was discovered in 2004, researchers
around the world have been working to develop commercially scalable
applications for this high-performance material.
Graphene is 100 to 300 times stronger than steel and has a maximum
electrical current density orders of magnitude greater than that of
copper, making it the strongest, thinnest and, by far, the most reliable
electrically conductive material on the planet. It is, therefore, an
extremely promising material for interconnects, the fundamental
components that connect billions of transistors on microchips in
computers and other electronic devices in the modern world.
For over two decades, interconnects have been made of copper, but
that metal encounters fundamental physical limitations as electrical
components that incorporate it shrink to the nanoscale. “As you reduce
the dimensions of copper wires, their resistivity shoots up,†said Kaustav Banerjee,
a professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering.
“Resistivity is a material property that is not supposed to change, but
at the nanoscale, all properties change.â€
As the resistivity increases, copper wires generate more heat,
reducing their current-carrying capacity. It’s a problem that poses a
fundamental threat to the $500 billion semiconductor industry. Graphene
has the potential to solve that and other issues. One major obstacle,
though, is designing graphene micro-components that can be manufactured
on-chip, on a large scale, in a commercial foundry.
“Whatever the component, be it inductors, interconnects, antennas or
anything else you want to do with graphene, industry will move forward
with it only if you find a way to synthesize graphene directly onto
silicon wafers,†Banerjee said. He explained that all manufacturing
processes related to the transistors, which are made first, are referred
to as the ‘front end.’ To synthesize something at the back-end — that
is, after the transistors are fabricated — you face a tight thermal
budget that cannot exceed a temperature of about 500 degrees Celsius. If
the silicon wafer gets too hot during the back-end processes employed
to fabricate the interconnects, other elements that are already on the
chip may get damaged, or some impurities may start diffusing, changing
the characteristics of the transistors.
Now, after a decade-long quest to achieve graphene interconnects,
Banerjee’s lab has developed a method to implement high-conductivity,
nanometer-scale doped multilayer graphene (DMG) interconnects that are
compatible with high-volume manufacturing of integrated circuits. A
paper describing the novel process was named one of the top papers at
the 2018 IEEE International Electron Devices Meeting (IEDM), from more
than 230 that were accepted for oral presentations. It also was one of
only two papers included in the first annual “IEDM Highlights†section of an issue of the journal Nature Electronics.
Banerjee first proposed the idea of using doped multi-layer graphene
at the 2008 IEDM conference and has been working on it ever since. In
February 2017 he led the experimental realization of the idea by
Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) of multilayer graphene at a high
temperature, subsequently transferring it to a silicon chip, then
patterning the multilayer graphene, followed by doping. Electrical
characterization of the conductivity of DMG interconnects down to a
width of 20 nanometers established the efficacy of the idea that was
proposed in 2008. However, the process was not “CMOS-compatible†(the
standard industrial-scale process for making integrated circuits), since
the temperature of CVD processes far exceed the thermal budget of
back-end processes.
To overcome this bottleneck, Banerjee’s team developed a unique
pressure-assisted solid-phase diffusion method for directly synthesizing
a large area of high-quality multilayer graphene on a typical
dielectric substrate used in the back-end CMOS process. Solid-phase
diffusion, well known in the field of metallurgy and often used to form
alloys, involves applying pressure and temperature to two different
materials that are in close contact so that they diffuse into each
other.
Banerjee’s group employed the technique in a novel way. They began by
depositing solid-phase carbon in the form of graphite powder onto a
deposited layer of nickel metal of optimized thickness. Then they
applied heat (300 degrees Celsius) and nominal pressure to the graphite
powder to help break down the graphite. The high diffusivity of carbon
in nickel allows it to pass rapidly through the metal film.
How much carbon flows through the nickel depends on its thickness and
the number of grains it holds. “Grains†refer to the fact that
deposited nickel is not a single-crystal metal, but rather a
polycrystalline metal, meaning it has areas where two single-crystalline
regions meet each other without being perfectly aligned. These areas
are called grain boundaries, and external particles — in this
case, the carbon atoms — easily diffuse through them. The carbon atoms
then recombine on the other surface of the nickel closer to the
dielectric substrate, forming multiple graphene layers.
Banerjee’s group is able to control the process conditions to produce
graphene of optimal thickness. “For interconnect applications, we know
how many layers of graphene are needed,†said Junkai Jiang, a Ph.D.
candidate in Banerjee’s lab and lead author of the 2018 IEDM paper. “So
we optimized the nickel thickness and other process parameters to obtain
precisely the number of graphene layers we want at the dielectric
surface. “Subsequently, we simply remove the nickel by etching so that
what’s left is only very high-quality graphene — virtually the same
quality as graphene grown by CVD at very high temperatures,†he
continued. “Because our process involves relatively low temperatures
that pose no threat to the other fabricated elements on the chip,
including the transistors, we can make the interconnects right on top of
them.â€
UCSB has filed a provisional patent on the process, which overcomes
the obstacles that, until now, have prevented graphene from replacing
copper. Bottom line: graphene interconnects help to create faster,
smaller, lighter, more flexible, more reliable and more cost-effective
integrated circuits. Banerjee is currently in talks with industry
partners interested in potentially licensing this CMOS-compatible
graphene synthesis technology, which could pave the way for what would
be the first 2D material to enter the mainstream semiconductor industry.
Support for the research has come from various sources over the years, including the National Science Foundation, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, Semiconductor Research Corporation, and currently, the U.S. Army Research Office and the University of California Research Initiatives.
Posted by AGORACOM
at 10:38 AM on Wednesday, July 10th, 2019
Gratomic is a leader in the mining and commercialization of graphite products
The global tire market acknowledges that employing graphenes
within tire treads, walls and the inner linings can make tires lighter,
provide better grip and reduce rolling resistance to an extent that is
not possible with existing tire compounds
Key to the ability for Gratomic to establish the first mass-market
Mine to Graphene to Tire, is the production of large quantities of
graphenes nano surface modified to enhance tire performance
Gratomic is developing and commercializing its Graphene Processing
capacity in Wales through its partnership with Perpetuus carbon
technologies.
Soft launching Gratomic Fuel Efficient Tire in the summer.
Gratomic has recently prepared an additional 2 tonnes of Graphite
concentrate which it will be shipping to wales in the coming days for
converting into high quality Graphenes targeted for the use and
development of several high value Graphene applications.
About Gratomic Inc.
Gratomic is an advanced material company focused on mine to market
commercialization of graphite products, most notably high-value
graphene-based components for a range of mass market products.
Posted by AGORACOM
at 3:55 PM on Wednesday, July 3rd, 2019
Gratomic aims to penetrate the tire market with GUET: Graphene Ultra Fuel Efficient Tires
The global tire market acknowledges that employing graphenes within tire treads, walls and the inner linings can make tires lighter, provide better grip and reduce rolling resistance to an extent that is not possible with existing tire compounds
Key to the ability for Gratomic to establish the first mass-market Mine to Graphene to Tire, is the production of large quantities of graphenes nano surface modified to enhance tire performance
Gratomic is developing and commercializing its Graphene Processing capacity in Wales through its partnership with Perpetuus carbon technologies.
Soft launching Gratomic Fuel Efficient Tire this summer.
Gratomic also prepared an additional 2 tonnes of Graphite concentrate for Wales for convert into high quality Graphenes targeted for the use and development of several high value Graphene applications.
Posted by AGORACOM
at 9:45 AM on Monday, June 24th, 2019
The global tire market acknowledges that employing graphenes within tire treads, walls and the inner linings can make tires lighter, provide better grip and reduce rolling resistance to an extent that is not possible with existing tire compounds
Key to the ability for Gratomic to establish the first mass-market Mine to Graphene to Tire, is the production of large quantities of graphenes nano surface modified to enhance tire performance
Gratomic is developing and commercializing its Graphene Processing capacity in Wales through its partnership with Perpetuus carbon technologies.
Soft launching Gratomic Fuel Efficient Tire in the summer.
Gratomic has recently prepared an additional 2 tonnes of Graphite concentrate which it will be shipping to wales in the coming days for converting into high quality Graphenes targeted for the use and development of several high value Graphene applications.
About Gratomic Inc.
Gratomic is an advanced material company focused on mine to market
commercialization of graphite products, most notably high-value
graphene-based components for a range of mass market products.
Posted by AGORACOM
at 9:00 PM on Friday, June 14th, 2019
Gratomic aims to penetrate the tire market with GUET: Graphene Ultra Fuel Efficient Tires
The global tire market acknowledges that employing graphenes within tire treads, walls and the inner linings can make tires lighter, provide better grip and reduce rolling resistance to an extent that is not possible with existing tire compounds
Key to the ability for Gratomic to establish the first mass-market Mine to Graphene to Tire, is the production of large quantities of graphenes nano surface modified to enhance tire performance
Gratomic is developing and commercializing its Graphene Processing capacity in Wales through its partnership with Perpetuus carbon technologies.
Soft launching Gratomic Fuel Efficient Tire this summer.
Gratomic also prepared an additional 2 tonnes of Graphite concentrate for Wales for convert into high quality Graphenes targeted for the use and development of several high value Graphene applications.
Posted by AGORACOM
at 3:41 PM on Tuesday, June 4th, 2019
The global tire market acknowledges that employing
graphenes within tire treads, walls and the inner linings can make
tires lighter, provide better grip and reduce rolling resistance to an
extent that is not possible with existing tire compounds
Key
to the ability for Gratomic to establish the first mass-market Mine to
Graphene to Tire, is the production of large quantities of graphenes
nano surface modified to enhance tire performance
Gratomic is
developing and commercializing its Graphene Processing capacity in
Wales through its partnership with Perpetuus carbon technologies.
Soft launching Gratomic Fuel Efficient Tire in the summer.
Gratomic has recently prepared an additional 2 tonnes of Graphite
concentrate which it will be shipping to wales in the coming days for
converting into high quality Graphenes targeted for the use and
development of several high value Graphene applications.
About Gratomic Inc.
Gratomic is an advanced material company focused on mine to market
commercialization of graphite products, most notably high-value
graphene-based components for a range of mass market products.
Posted by AGORACOM
at 3:35 PM on Thursday, May 23rd, 2019
Gratomic graphenes derived from Gratomic graphite mined from its Aukum Mine located in Namibia are being used to manufacture Graphene enabled conductive inks and pastes.
The inks and pastes are amongst the most conductive carbon inks and pastes currently available within the global market place.
The Gratink product is formulated specifically to meet the needs of the printed flexible electronics and EMI shielding markets.
TORONTO, May 23, 2019 /CNW/ – Gratomic Inc. (“GRAT” or the “Company”) (TSX-V: GRAT) (FRANKFURT:CB81, WKN:A143MR) is pleased to announce its first Graphene from Gratomic Graphite derived product.
Gratomic graphenes derived from Gratomic graphite mined from its Aukum Mine located in Namibia
are being used to manufacture Graphene enabled conductive inks and
pastes. The inks and pastes (to the best of the Company’s knowledge) are
amongst the most conductive carbon inks and pastes currently available
within the global market place.
The Gratink product is formulated specifically to meet the needs of
the printed flexible electronics and EMI
shielding markets. Electromagnetic interference (EMI), sometimes
referred to as radio-frequency interference (RFI) is a disturbance
generated by an external source that affects an electrical circuit by
electromagnetic induction, electrostatic coupling, or conduction.
The Gratink and paste applications based on surface modified nano
graphene “enablers” offer a product for market penetration into the
information technology sector that is now an important aspect of our
everyday life.
The Gratomic Gratink product delivers a functional print and coat component solution.
Due to a multiple range of potential applications including antennas,
RFID tags, transistors, sensors, and wearable electronics, the
development of printed conductive inks and coatings for electronic
applications is growing rapidly. Currently available conductive inks
exploit metal nanoparticles to realize electrical conductivity.
Traditionally, metallic nanoparticles are normally derived from
silver, copper and platinum based enablers which can be expensive and
easily oxidized.
The Gratink product is designed to fill a gap in both the flexible
printed electronics and EMI market space where metallic nanoparticle
solutions are unnecessary.
Gratink is initially available to meet customer printing and coating
preference specifications for R&D purposes with orders available in
one-kilo packages.
Following satisfactory customer preproduction qualification, the
products can then be varied so they are suitable for printing and
coating in bulk quantities formulated to specification and made
available as required in 10’s to 100’s of kilos or tonnes.
Please note – Inks and pastes are prepared for all currently
available methods of printing and coating with the exception of ink jet
printing.
Sheldon Inwentash Co-CEO of Gratomic commented. “Gratomic is
delighted to offer their first product of a planned product range based
on the Company’s graphene derived from graphite mined from its Aukum
Mine.”
Gratink is a collaborative development product formulated in tandem with Perpetuus Carbon Technology Wales UK and Gratomic Inc.
Gratomic continues to move its business towards production and as part of its business plan, expects to obtain a National Instrument 43-101Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects technical report to help it ascertain the economics of Aukam.
Presently the Company uses its existing pilot processing facility to
produce certain amounts of graphite concentrate from accumulated surface
graphite.
Qualified Person
Steve Gray, P.Geo. has reviewed, prepared and approved
the scientific and technical information in this press release and is
Gratomic Inc’s “Qualified Person” as defined by National Instrument
43-101 – Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects.
Risk Factors
The Company advises that it has not based its production decision on a
feasibility study of mineral reserves, demonstrating economic and
technical viability, and, as a result, there may be an increased
uncertainty of achieving any particular level of recovery of minerals or
the cost of such recovery, including increased risks associated with
developing a commercially mineable deposit.
Historically, such projects have a much higher risk of economic and
technical failure. There is no guarantee that production will begin as
anticipated or at all or that anticipated production costs will be
achieved.
Failure to commence production would have a material adverse impact
on the Company’s ability to generate revenue and cash flow to fund
operations. Failure to achieve the anticipated production costs would
have a material adverse impact on the Company’s cash flow and future
profitability.
About Gratomic Inc.
Gratomic is an advanced materials company focused on mine to market
commercialization of graphite products most notably high value graphene
based components for a range of mass market products. We are
collaborating with a leading European manufacturer of graphenes to use
Aukam graphite to manufacture graphene products for commercialization on
an industrial scale. The company is listed on the TSX Venture Exchange
under the symbol GRAT.
“Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services
Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture
Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this
release.”