Date: 2014-12-26 Source: Shanghai Securities News
Graphene materials revolution can not get rid of the "Tesla curse"
Graphene, the ever more present in the lab materials, overnight become the industry "darling." Mobile phone from Samsung, Apple's wearable devices to Tesla electric car batteries, graphene materials have appeared on the scene.
Some people say, who mastered the graphene technology, grasps the key to the future development of the electronic equipment market. Because it allows the device to become thinner and more flexible, the overseas media that graphene will become Apple and Samsung's next battleground. Currently Apple, Samsung and Google have been acquired in the competition, wishing this material for mobile and wearable devices related to intellectual property rights are in the bag.
Electric car "Godfather" Musk's ambition is to achieve a single charge mileage of up to 500 miles of the target soon after, because graphene-based anode material may be existing energy density lithium-ion battery and output power is increased threefold.
Musk's ambition ignited Running worldwide. Japan rushed specially developed material graphene replace platinum as a catalyst, can significantly reduce the cost of electric vehicle batteries. Spain, in 2015 the company plans Graphenano graphene battery polymeric material into production, and in collaboration with two German auto giant, put on trial this month.
In China, the graphene-level special attention. According to Xinhua News Agency reported that 13 evening President Xi Jinping inspected the Industrial Technology Research Institute of Jiangsu Province, to understand the situation of graphene research. It is said that the Ministry and other plans to write graphene "Thirteen five" new material planning.
Although most people travel by car average daily mileage of only 100 miles (161 kilometers) or so, but Tesla CEO Musk still 85 kwh battery pack ModelS cars currently in use are dissatisfied, he hopes to be able to battery capacity doubled.
"The company will likely develop a 500 miles (about 805 kilometers) to the mileage of the car. In fact, we may soon be able to do that." Maske if people on graphene imagination.
American scientific community predicts that once the graphene-based anode material technology is mature, Tesla can be achieved on a single charge mileage of up to 500 miles of the target in the near future. According to the technical parameters, such material will be available to the lithium-ion battery energy density and output power increased threefold.
Musk's every move was seen as the latest electric vehicle technology development benchmark, "Tesla curse" has been difficult to crack. This "me too" type of development is in Japan, Spain in full swing, is expected to lead the next materials revolution broke out in advance.
Recently, Tohoku University Assistant Professor Ryoichi Ito led research team tried to use graphene as an alternative catalyst. Graphene is a new material of a single layer sheet-like structure of carbon atoms, the price is not high. Researchers first use to produce a three-dimensional graphene sheet-like structure, and then to the three-dimensional structure of a vapor deposition method plated nitrogen and sulfur. It was found that the more the amount of nitrogen and sulfur plated, the more energy efficient catalytic produce more hydrogen. The researchers said that if graphene added nickel catalyst, the hydrogen production capacity could surpass the platinum catalyst, is expected to market this technology, you can greatly decrease the cost of the fuel cell.
One in Spain Graphenano cooperation with industrial-scale production of graphene Cordoba company and the country's first university developed a polymeric material graphene battery, the battery in 2015 this is expected to put into production. This month, two German auto giant will test this new electric car.
Technical analysts say the new technology is to make graphene polymer, its advantage lies in its energy density, duration, charging speed, weight and price. Graphenano vice president stressed: "It is for the aviation industry, the automobile industry, the computer industry and the energy industry will mean a leap of discovery, can greatly increase the efficiency of the industry, and some imagination will become possible before."
Technical parameters show that the polymeric material graphene excellent battery performance, storage capacity is three times the best products currently on the market, use this battery to power an electric car can travel up to 1,000 kilometers, while the charging time of less than 8 minutes; use life is four times the conventional hydride batteries, lithium batteries twice; half the weight of conventional batteries, this can increase the battery loaded machine efficiency; 77% lower cost than lithium batteries.
One of the inventors of graphene, the Nobel laureate Sir Konstantin Novoselov received last year, a rare thing from China - the world's first touch screen phone graphene. "It is true? Really do with graphene phone Well?" When you receive a gift, Novoselov filled with wonder. Novoselov and his mentor because of the two-dimensional material graphene groundbreaking research experiments to obtain the 2010 Nobel Prize in Physics.
Currently, the University of Cambridge in England to improve R & D team, flexible graphene screen to a higher level.
This year, the University of Cambridge, UK graphene research centers and companies PlasticLogic jointly produced a folding screen can be fully bent. It is an active matrix electrophoretic display, a technique by using an electric field to rearrange solution on suspended particles, displays an image. This display and now e-reader display very similar, but it did not use the glass, but the choice of soft plastic, of course, this is the first application of graphene-based electronic devices on top of the transistor.
This research was supported by the United Kingdom recently Technology Strategy Committee and as part of its "graphene revolution" project. Next year, it is possible to apply this technology in full color flexible OLED display production of graphene is based.
Usually the display backplane are conductive connection layer, may provide power to support, rearrange the display particles suspended. But this display and the display is also very different traditions, its backplane graphene electrode by emulsion treatment, rather than the standard sputter deposition of metal electrodes. In other words, by using a low temperature process, graphene is "printed" on the backplane in the underlying substrate. PlasticLogic company has also developed a kind of "organic thin-film transistor technology," at a low temperature less than 100 degrees Celsius (212 degrees Fahrenheit), to create a 150PPI display backplane. Thereafter, the storage electrode will be started in accordance with a predetermined circuit pattern is etched to provide the backplane connection network.
In the industry, Apple and Samsung compete in the flexible screen field has a white-hot state.
This month Apple officially applied for a patent on the flexible display technology. This technology allows the display to provide tactile feedback through deformation, while supporting the push and touch modes. It is understood that the future is likely to use this AppleWatch support force feedback display screen. Not only that, Apple's other products are also likely to adopt a flexible screen.
Apple is not a unique flexible displays, Samsung had also developed a comprehensive and flexible displays have been used in its smart watch GalaxyGear. However, both of the flexible display is technically not the same. Apple's flexible screen can create bumps and dips in the drive by setting the bottom of the screen, while Samsung's flexible screen, you can complete the curl and fold.
Future, with further development of the project, in conjunction with a flexible screen LCD and OLED technology, with full color support capability, and high-speed refresh rate to meet the needs of the video display. Thus, this technique can be applied in a lighter, easier to expand the high-density sensor, such as high-resolution medical imaging systems, and high-precision gesture recognition applications.
Identify genuine graphene
Graphene has many advantages, very broad applications, solar cells, sensors, nanoelectronics, nano electronic devices of high performance composite materials, field emission materials, gas sensors, and energy storage and other fields with a wide range of applications.
Graphene industry in China has also been highly valued. The evening of December 13, Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, Industrial Technology Research Institute study. In the results of exhibition area, he picked up the graphene gas barrier film, to understand product performance, market applications, industry prospects.