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First use of graphene to detect cancer cells December 19, 2016, by Bill Burton news.uic.edu
What can’t graphene do? You can scratch “detect cancer” off of that list.
By interfacing brain cells onto graphene, UIC researchers have shown they can differentiate a single hyperactive cancerous cell from a normal cell, pointing the way to developing a simple, noninvasive tool for early cancer diagnosis.
“This graphene system is able to detect the level of activity of an interfaced cell,” said Vikas Berry, associate professor and head of chemical engineering, who led the research along with Ankit Mehta, assistant professor of clinical neurosurgery in the UIC College of Medicine.
“Graphene is the thinnest known material and is very sensitive to whatever happens on its surface,” Berry said. The nanomaterial is composed of a single layer of carbon atoms linked in a hexagonal chicken-wire pattern, and all the atoms share a cloud of electrons moving freely about the surface.
“The cell’s interface with graphene rearranges the charge distribution in graphene, which modifies the energy of atomic vibration as detected by Raman spectroscopy,” Berry said, referring to a powerful workhorse technique that is routinely used to study graphene.
The atomic vibration energy in graphene’s crystal lattice differs depending on whether it’s in contact with a cancer cell or a normal cell, Berry said, because the cancer cell’s hyperactivity leads to a higher negative charge on its surface and the release of more protons.
“The electric field around the cell pushes away electrons in graphene’s electron cloud,” he said, which changes the vibration energy of the carbon atoms. The change in vibration energy can be pinpointed by Raman mapping with a resolution of 300 nanometers, he said, allowing characterization of the activity of a single cell.
The study, reported in the journal ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, looked at cultured human brain cells, comparing normal astrocytes to their cancerous counterpart, the highly malignant brain tumor glioblastoma multiforme. The technique is being studied in a mouse model of cancer, with results that are “very promising,” Berry said. Experiments with patient biopsies would be further down the road.
“Once a patient has brain tumor surgery, we could use this technique to see if the tumor relapses,” Berry said. “For this, we would need a cell sample we could interface with graphene and look to see if cancer cells are still present.”
The same technique may also work to differentiate between other types of cells or the activity of cells.
“We may be able to use it with bacteria to quickly see if the strain is Gram-positive or Gram-negative,” Berry said. “We may be able to use it to detect sickle cells.”
Last year, Berry and other coworkers introduced nanoscale ripples in graphene, causing it to conduct differently in perpendicular directions, useful for electronics. They wrinkled the graphene by draping it over a string of rod-shaped bacteria, then vacuum-shrinking the germs.
“We took the earlier work and sort of flipped it over,” Berry said. “Instead of laying graphene on cells, we laid cells on graphene and studied graphene’s atomic vibrations.”
Co-authors on the study are Bijentimala Keisham and Phong Nguyen of UIC chemical engineering and Arron Cole of UIC neurosurgery.
Hi-Tech Machine Enables new Graphene Purification Technique
A revolutionary machine that can unboil an egg is being used to develop graphene purification technology.
Researchers from Flinders University in South Australia along with Western Australian company First Graphite Ltd will use the dynamic Vortex Fluidic Device (VFD) to produce high-quality graphene for industrial use.
already up over 300% this week on official Panasonic order -------
Saint Jean Carbon Inc. Ranked Top Technology Breakout Candidate
At the forefront of the next generation of batteries, able to refine graphite to atomic and near-atomic levels.
NEW YORK, NY, USA, January 23, 2017 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Market Equities Research Group is responsible for the content of this release. Saint Jean Carbon Inc. is a budding technology company specializing in technological innovation and applications surrounding the refinement of graphite to atomic and near-atomic levels. The Company is the subject of a Market Equities Research Group Market Bulletin, full copy of which is available from source at marketequitiesresearch.com online.
Panasonic is continually pushing the technological envelope and looking to upset the apple-cart; it is Panasonic that Tesla relies upon as the exclusive supplier of batteries for the Tesla Model S, Model X, and upcoming mass-market Model 3. The apparent connections and possible fit between Panasonic/Tesla with the innovation, personnel, and announcements coming out of Saint Jean Carbon Inc. is getting difficult to ignore.
Saint Jean Carbon has transitioned from being a commodity junior miner to one of the most advanced graphene technology companies in North America by partnering with some of the top research facilities in the world, attracting highly skilled technical talent, and in the process facilitating an array of intellectual property that appears poised to reap huge gains for shareholders. Saint Jean Carbon recently appointed as Chief Technology Officer the top Li-ion battery expert in the world, Dr. Zhongwei Chen PhD, MSChE, BS, -- we note a person of his calibre has his choice of entities to associate with, the fact he has chosen Saint Jean Carbon adds to our level of confidence that the Company is on a pathway to becoming an integral participant in the electric vehicle and energy storage sectors.
The Company has been commissioned to build the first high speed commercial graphite shaping and carbon coating mill in North America. The mill will grind, size, shape and coat graphite for the lithium-ion battery industry for use in electric cars and bulk energy storage -- Saint Jean Carbon Inc. is bound by confidentiality and non disclosure agreements from saying with who, but most people looking at their specifications of material are logically immediately able to take the leap and say its Tesla. The Company's proprietary Spherical Carbon Coated Graphite (SCCG) technology has efficiencies far superior to what others are capable of and has so impressed lithium-ion battery manufacturers that after this first mill is installed on site at a major electric vehicle manufacturers new facilities, later in 2017, the successful marrying of SJL's SCCG process to other materials and processes of the manufacturer is expected to translate into an off-take agreement for the Company to supply raw materials, grind, shape, and coat 150,000 tonnes per year of spherical carbon coated graphite for 20 years, generating $350 to $500 million/per year in revenue at capacity. This first mill is being built as a prototype/first-shot at proofing what is going on the EV company's anodes, the mill will continue as a rolling start to bigger numbers just mentioned. Shaped graphite is a major component of Li-ion batteries. Currently the company is in the process of finalizing the engineering model and equipment designs for the first high speed commercial shaping and coating mill in North America.
Saint Jean Carbon Inc. is also at the forefront of the next generation of batteries; this January-2017 the Company announced it has started the design and build of a graphene based lithium-ion battery.
Additionally, Saint Jean Carbon Inc. recently announced a collaborative project with a 'their main battery manufacturing partner' regarding the building of the world's first recycled high performance Lithium-ion battery. We can only speculate who that 'main battery manufacturing partner' is, however it is increasingly clear when we connect the dots that this is all shaping up to be a spectacular opportunity for shareholders establishing a long position in SJL.V now; when Saint Jean Carbon is in a position to disclose the name of their 'main battery manufacturing partner' we expect things will heat up dramatically attention-wise.
Contact Information: Fredrick William, BA Ec. Market Equities Research Group f.william@marketequitiesresearch.com
Advanced Materials: The DNA of Disruption - Goldman Sachs Research's Craig Sainsbury
The need to make products faster, stronger, smaller and lighter is driving the development of new and enhanced materials with properties out of reach of prior generations. Goldman Sachs Research’s Craig Sainsbury discusses three of the most promising – graphene, nanotechnology and OLEDs – and their potential applications from cancer treatment to water filtration.
Terahertz radiation represents a range of the electromagnetic spectrum extending from the highest frequency radio waves to the lowest frequency infrared light. While many attempts have been made to create compact, solid-state devices that can harness it, terahertz radiation has proven difficult to exploit.
However, if such devices can be developed that can tap into the terahertz spectrum, we could see it make a big impact in non-invasive imaging in industry, medicine and security where they are less harmful than X-rays and because of the shorter wavelength and provide sharper images than those produced by microwaves.
Graphene has begun to show some real promise in terahertz devices for everything from wireless communications to improved quantum cascade lasers that can reverse their emission, offering a complete change to fiber optic telecommunications.
The researchers believe that their research, which is described in the journal Nature Communications, could lead to the development of practical uses of terahertz waves to imaging and telecommunications. They key to their development was the fabrication of a graphene-based transistor adapted to terahertz waves.
Because the interaction between terahertz radiation and the electrons in graphene is very strong, the researchers believed that it should be possible to use graphene to manage terahertz waves. With this graphene-based transistor, the researchers believe this kind of control over a complete range of terahertz frequencies is now possible.
"By combining the electrical field, which enables us to control the number of electrons in graphene and thus allows more or less light to pass through, with the magnetic field, which bends the electronic orbits, we have been able to control not just the intensity of the terahertz waves, but also their polarization," said Jean-Marie Poumirol, a member of the UNIGE research team and the first author of the study, in a press release. "It is rare that purely electrical effects are used to control magnetic phenomena."
The researchers envision the graphene-based devices being used in communications and imaging.
"Using a film of graphene associated with terahertz waves, we should be potentially able to send fully-secured information at speeds of about 10 to 100 times faster than with Wi-Fi or radio waves, and do it securely over short distances," explained Poumirol.
The initial imaging applications are thought to be in security. Alexey Kuzmenko, team leader of the research at UNIGE added: “Terahertz waves are stopped by metals and are sensitive to plastics and organic matter. This could lead to more effective means of detecting firearms, drugs and explosives carried by individuals, and could perhaps serve as a tool to strengthen airport safety."
Saint Jean Carbon, University of Western Ontario to publish at ICNFA17 --------
2017-03-08 12:01 ET - News Release
Mr. Paul Ogilvie reports
SAINT JEAN CARBON SUPERCONDUCTOR PAPER TO BE PRESENTED AND PUBLISHED AT ICNFA17
Saint Jean Carbon Inc. and the University of Western Ontario's latest paper, titled "Deposition of YBCO Nanoparticles on Graphene Using Matrix-assisted Pulsed Laser Evaporation," which is related to the development of thin superconductor by using graphene-based products, has been accepted for presentation and publication in the proceedings of International Conference on Nanotechnology: Fundamentals and Applications (ICNFA17).
Dr. Jin Zhang, PhD, associate professor, department of chemical and biochemical engineering, University of Western Ontario, commented: "High-temperature superconductivity (HTS) brought significant breakthroughs in electric power technology, medicine, information technology. For decades, scientist and engineers have been taking great efforts to develop thin/ultrathin superconductors at high temperature which can achieve the high-energy-saving and ultrahigh-speed processing. The most challenges to develop thin/ultrathin HTS materials are related to identify the source of charge carrier, tailor the interface between different composites to enhance the current density, and, of course, an easy way to produce thin HTS materials. In this paper, we demonstrate a simple process to incorporate superconductive nanoparticles onto graphene sheets, the two-dimensional structures at nanoscale. This work could offer an alternative method to produce ultrathin HTS materials in an easy and controllable fashion."
Paul Ogilvie, chief executive officer of Saint Jean Carbon, commented: "We are really pleased when our work can stand out when there is so much other quality research going on around the world. Once the publication is issued, we will post the paper to our website. We continue to push the limits to what graphene can do, with the hope that the technology will find its way into all sorts of different applications."
About Saint Jean Carbon Inc.
Saint Jean is a publicly traded carbon science company, with specific interests in energy storage and green energy creation and green recreation, with holdings in graphite mining and lithium claims in Quebec, Canada.
Graphene 3D Lab develops carbon-silver adhesive, files patent
2017-03-09 09:29 ET - News Release
Mr. Daniel Stolyarov reports
GRAPHENE 3D LAB SECURES IP RIGHTS FOR LOW LOAD CARBON-SILVER CONDUCTIVE ADHESIVE
Graphene 3D Lab Inc. has completed the development of an innovative carbon-silver adhesive material and filed a provisional patent application to secure the intellectual property rights. This new material is a highly electrically conductive epoxy adhesive based on the proprietary combination of carbon and silver fillers, and other additives. The company is planning to add a product based on this formulation to the G6-Epoxy line of adhesives.
The key unique feature of this material is the low weight load of silver needed to achieve high electrical conductivity. According to results of internal testing, the volume resistivity of the material is 0.007 centimetre and can be achieved with a silver weight load as low as 40 per cent. Most commercially available silver-based adhesives typically require a 75-per-cent to 80-per-cent silver load by weight to attain conductivity.
Silver is currently priced near $550 (U.S.) per kilogram and is the major factor contributing to prices of silver-based adhesives ranging from $600 (U.S.) to $3,000 (U.S.) per kilogram. The company believes that the invented formulation that has a significantly lower silver content, while still providing similar levels of conductivity, will result in a product that will be well positioned to compete with current commercially available conductive silver-loaded epoxies.
In addition, the higher content of the epoxy polymer in the formulation of this product offers the additional competitive advantage of improved bond strength to a wide variety of substrates including glass, plastic and fabrics. Low load of fillers allows tailoring the formulation for better flexibility making this material well suited for wearables, smart textiles, sensor networks and medical devices.
The electrically conductive adhesives (ECA) market was estimated to be $1.2-billion (U.S.) in 2015 (according to IDTechEx) and is projected to reach an estimated $2.53-billion (U.S.) by 2021, a compound annual growth rate of 8.48 per cent from 2016 to 2021, according to the report by the market research firm MarketsandMarkets. ECAs are considered to be a replacement for traditional tin-lead solders, and their fast growing demand is driven by the increase in the use of electronic components in various industries such as aerospace, automotive, 3-D printing, consumer electronics and medical devices.
The company invites commercial enquiries for this product.
About Graphene 3D Lab Inc.
Graphene 3D Lab is a world leader in the development, manufacturing and marketing of proprietary composites and coatings based on graphene and other advanced materials. These diverse materials have a wide spectrum of commercial, research and military applications. The company's wholly owned subsidiary, Graphene Laboratories Inc., currently offers over 100 graphene and related products to a client list comprising more than 12,000 customers worldwide, including nearly every Fortune 500 tech company and major research university.
