BUSINESS NEWS POLICY NEWS NEW PRODUCTS

LATEST NEWS ON COMMERCIAL GOVERNMENT REGULATION & NANOTECH PRODUCTS ON THE

ACTIVITY IN NANOTECH POLICY IN NANOMATERIALS MARKET THIS MONTH

NANOTECHMAG www.futuremarketsinc.com | www.nanotechmag.com | ISSUE 40 FEBRUARY 2016

NANOCELLULOSE
Time for market.
FOCUS All the latest nanotech product, policy and research news.
NANOTECH MAGAZINE FEBRUARY 2016

contents
04

03 EDITORIAL
The market for nanocellulose continues
to grown with products hitting the
market and producers ramping up
Products are now on the market
incorporating nanocellulose and
production has moved to a com-
mercial scale globally.
production.

04 dots
Graphene quantum 12 NANOTECH
BUSINESS NEWS
Latest industry developments in
nanotech, February 2016.
Promising the exceptional properties of
quantum dots but without the toxicity,
graphene quantum dots could be the
next big thing.
16 NANOMATERIALS
POLICY NEWS
Latest regulatory developments

07 LAYERS
in nanotech, February 2016.
PEELING BACK THE
Carbon onions are multi-layered
carbon materials that receive less
attention than their carbon cousins
graphene and nanotubes. This may
soon change.

09 Commercializing
Nanocellulose

£15 Cover Story

0/1
2 is With the huge drive for
sue green manufacturing and
s
SUBSCRIBE products, companies are be-
coming more focused on the
to Nanotech use of sustainable materials
from renewable resources.
Magazine today! Enter nanocellulose.
www.nanotechmag.com
EDITORIAL
ANDREW GARLAND
by
Chief Editor
Issue 40 NanotechMag
Welcome to Nano-
tech Magazine,
now in it’s fifth
year and con-
tinuing to bring
you the latest
products and in-
novations from
electronics to
medicine.
The market for
nanocellulose gets
interesting
Since their first isolation
in 1940s by Randy, nano-
cellulose materials have
attracted the interest of
the materials research
community. In the 1980s,
Turbark succeeded in
producing microfibril-
lated cellulose (MFC),
leading to further interest
in these materials.
However, it is only in the
last few years that nano-
cellulose has come to the
forefront of nanomateri-
als research.
With the huge drive for
green manufacturing and
products, companies are
becoming more focused
on the use of sustainable
materials from renewable
resources, leading to the
recent global interest
in nanocellulose. This
NANOTECHMAG
ABOUT NANOTECHMAG
Nanotech Magazine (www.
nanotechmag.com) is pub-
upsurge in interest is due
lished by Future Markets
to their renewability
(www.futuremarketsinc.
and biodegradability cou-
pled with their outstand-
com), the world’s leading
provider of nanotechnology
ing properties. The “nano-
and nanomaterials market
cellulose” industry is now
information. Future Mar-
producing products that
will increasingly find their
kets provides leading-edge
market research reports on
way into consumer goods
advanced materials.
over the next decade.
Future Markets has been
NEWS RELEASES
involved in a number of
research projects involv-
To submit information, con-
tribute articles or provide
ing nanocellulose in the
news releases see contact
past twelve months and
details below.
we have watched com-
mercial opportunities and
ADVERTISING:
production capacities
To advertise in Nanotech-
grow.
Mag please contact info@
Also featured in this issue
futuremarketsinc.com.
we continue our recent
theme of profiling nano-
CONTACT
materials that slip under
t. +44 (0) 207 112 7500
the radar, namely gra-
e. info@futuremarketsinc.
phene quantum dots and
com
carbon onions. These ma-
w. www.nanotechmag.com
terials have exceptional
www.futuremarketsinc.com
properties but are often
www.2dmaterialsmag.com
overlooked in favour of
their carbon cousins.
NANOTECHMAG • ISSUE 40 FEB 2016
© Future Markets, Inc. 2016
3
 GRAPHENE QUANTUM DOTS

Graphene Quantum Dots

Promising the exceptional properties of quan-
tum dots but without the toxicity, graphene
quantum dots could be the next big thing.

C
arbon and graphene quantum dots (CDs,
GQDs) represent relatively new members of
the carbon nanomaterials family. Graphene
is a ground-breaking two-dimensional (2D) material
that possesses extraordinary electrical and mechanical
properties that promise a new generation of innova-
tive devices in flexible displays, transistors, photosen-
sors, RFID tags, solar cells, secondary batteries, fuel
cells, supercapacitors, conductive inks, EMI shielding
heat insulation, anti-oxidation and LEDs. Studies have
demonstrated that quantum confinement could appear
in graphene with finite size and edge effects-graphene
quantum dots (GQDs).1
Properties
GQDs are promising materials as substitutes for Cd, Ir,
Ga, S, Se and P quantum dots (QDs) and possess unique
structural and photophysical properties. Theoretical
and demonstrated properties include high quantum
yield, high electrical conductivity, high thermal conduc-
tivity excellent photostability, biocompatibility, highly
tunable photoluminescence (PL) property, exceptional

Types Optical properties Stability Toxicity Cost

NANOTECHMAG • ISSUE 40 FEB 2016

Quantum yield Emission Half-height

Graphene QDs 90+ % (potentially) 380- >40nm (ca. Yes No Low

570nm 70nm)
(no red)
Semiconductor • CdSe 10-25% 480- 40nm> No Yes High
QDs • ZnSe/CdSe 30-50% 640nm

4
Figure 1: Schematic of (a) CQDs and (c) GQDs. HRTEM images of (b) C-dots and (d) GQDs showing combination
of zigzag and armchair edges (positions marked as 1–4). Image credit: Wiley. The Royal Society of Chemistry.
multi-photon excitation (up-conversion) property and
non-toxicity.
Synthesis
There are two main strategies for synthesizing GQDs:
• Top-down method: Graphene oxide is manufactured
then the graphene sheet is cut through controlled
oxidation or the reduction process to the desired size to
fabricate GQDs.
• Bottom-up method: Low molecular weight com-
pounds are polymerized to nm-size to obtain GQDs.
Specific approaches for preparation include:
• molecular assembly of carbon ring structures
• chemical exfoliation of graphite nanofibers2
• chemical synthesis
• modification of graphite nanoparticles
• electron beam lithography3
• pulsed laser synthesis
• microwave pyrolysis 4 5
• hydrothermal graphene oxide reduction, resulting in
the fracture of GO sheets into ultra-small pieces. 6 7 8 9
The bottom-up approach only produces a small quan-
tity of GQDs, limiting it’s use. The top-down method
potentially offers low-cost and high yield and is the
main focus of commercial production.
There are a number of technical hurdles that need to be
overcome for successful production with low synthe-
sis yields at present due to aggregation 10 11 that limit
industrial scale-up. Also the synthesized GQDs currently
display low quantum yield, poor control of the emis-
sion wavelength and optical instability. 12 Researchers
have recently turned their attentions to developing new
methods for synthesis.
Applications
NANOTECHMAG • ISSUE 40 FEB 2016
Applications of graphene QDs include catalysis, 13 14
bioimaging (e.g. membrane markers), 15 16 optoelectron-
ics (LEDs), 17 18 19 printing, 20 photodetectors, 21 quantum
computing and energy conversion devices. 22 These
are also the main market for quantum dots. The advan-
tage of GQDs is that demonstrate similar properties to
cadmium-based QDs but without the potentially haz-
ardous health and environmental effects, and at lower
5
 cost. In the coming years they could be utilized as
inexpensive and eco-friendly alternatives to QDs for
opto-electronic devices such as displays and lighting
devices.
Producers
ACS Materials, LLC, USA
www.acsmaterial.com
The company is a graphene producer. They also pro-
duce a range of graphene QDs.
KRI, Inc., Japan
http://www.kri-inc.jp
The company produces graphene quantum dots and
has developed proprietary synthesis methods.
Shanghai Simbatt Energy Technology Co., Ltd.,
China
http://www.simbatt.com.cn
The company produces GQD powder and in solution.
References
1. L Li, X Yan, The Journal of Physical Chemistry Let-
ters, 1(17), 2572 (2010).
2. S Schnez, F Molitar, C Stampfer, et al., Applied Phys-
ics Letters, 94(1), (2009)
3. H Zhu, X Wang, Y LI, Z Wang, F Yang, X Yang, Chem.
Commun, no. 34, 5118 (2009).
4. X Wang, K Qu, B Xu, J Ren, X Qu, Journal of Materi-
als Chemistry, 21(8), 2445 (2011).
5. Libin Tang, Rongbin Ji, et al., ACS Nano, 6(6), 5102
(2012).
6. D Pan, J Zhang, Z Li, M Wu, Advanced Materials,
22(6), 734 (2010).
7. D Pan, L Guo, J Zhang, C Xi, Q Xue, H Huang, et al.,
Journal of Materials Chemistry
8. J Lu, P S E Yeo, C K Gan, et al., Nature nanotechnol-
ogy, 6(4), 247 (2011)
9. http://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articleland-
ing/2015/nr/c5nr00814j#!divAbstract
NANOTECHMAG • ISSUE 40 FEB 2016
12. Lin, L. X. & Zhang, S. W. Creating High Yield Water
Soluble Luminescent Graphene Quantum Dots Via
Exfoliating and Disintegrating Carbon Nanotubes and
Graphite Flakes. Chem. Commun. 48, 10177–10179
(2012).
13. Zhuo S, Shao M and Lee S T 2012 ACS Nano 6 1059
14. Li Y, Zhao Y, Cheng H, Hu Y, Shi G, Dai L and Qu L
2012 J. Am. Chem. Soc. 134 15
15. Zhu S, Zhang J, Tang S, Qiao C, Wang L, Wang H,
Liu X, Li B, Li Y and Yu W 2012 Adv. Funct. Mater. 22
4732
16. S. Nandi, R. Malishev, K. Parambath Kootery, Y.
Mirsky, S. Kolusheva, R. Jelinek, Chem. Commun.
2014, 50, 10299 – 10302.
17. Luk C, Tang L, Zhang W, Yu S, Teng K and Lau S
2012 J. Mater. Chem. 22 22378
18. http://www.nature.com/articles/srep11032
19. Kwon, W. et al. Electroluminescence from gra-
phene quantum dots prepared by amidative cutting
of tatterd graphite. Nano Lett.14, 1306–1311 (2014).
20. J. Wang, C.-F. Wang, S. Chen, Angew. Chem. Int.
Ed. 2012, 51, 9297 – 9301; Angew. Chem. 2012, 124,
9431 – 9435.
21. http://www.nature.com/articles/srep05603
22. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releas-
es/2015/06/150614225649.htm

10. Zhu, S. J. et al. Strongly Green-Photoluminescent

Graphene Quantum Dots for Bioimaging Applica-
tions. Chem. Commun. 47, 6858–6860 (2011).
11. Pan, D. Y., Zhang, J. C., Li, Z. & Wu, M. H. Hydro-
thermal Route for Cutting Graphene Sheets into Blue-
Luminescent Graphene Quantum Dots. Adv. Mater.
22, 734–738 (2010).

6
CARBON ONIONS

Peeling back the layers

Carbon onions are multi-layered carbon materi-
als that receive less attention than their carbon
cousins graphene and nanotubes. This may soon
change.

C
arbon based nanomaterials have been exten- • high mechanical and electrochemical stability
sively theoretically examined, demonstrate • high conductivity
and commercialized in the last decade due to • easy dispersion compared to nanotubes and graphene
their exceptional electronic and structural properties. • exceptionally fast charge-discharge rates stemming
Carbon onions (COs) are relatively new members of from their non-porous structure
the carbon nanomaterials family that consist of mul- • improved electronic properties.
tilayered spherical closed carbon shells concentrically
arranged one inside the other, like the layer of an onion.
They were discovered by Ugarte in 1992 1 and obtained
via intense electron irradiation of carbon soot. Their
typical size is ~5nm-10nm.
They are also referred to as carbon nano-onions (CNOs)
or onion-like carbon (OLC), and can be prepared using
NANOTECHMAG • ISSUE 40 FEB 2016

different carbon precursors. 2 3

Properties
COs are not as widely studied as other carbon nanoma-
terials such as graphene and nanotubes but possess Figure 1: TEM image of carbon onion.
exceptional properties due to their O-D structure such
as: Synthesis
• high surface area A number of different synthesis methods for carbon
7
 onions have been developed such as: 225–229.
• Arc discharge 4 8. http://www.h2sense.eu/
• Laser ablation 5 9. V.A.Popov. Metal matrix composites with non-
• Plasma method 6 agglomerated nanodiamond reinforcing particles. In:
• Chemical vapor deposition (CVD) Xiaoying Wang (Ed.) “Nanocomposites: Synthesis, Char-
• High temperature annealing in vaccum 7 acterization and Applications», Nova Science Publishers,
• Thermolysis. New York, 2013, pp.369-401.

Applications Further information on carbon onions is available in the

COs are mainly investigated as conductive additives in market study “The Global Market for Carbon Nanoma-
lithium-ion battery (LIB) and supercapacitor electrodes, terials” available at http://www.futuremarketsinc.com/
or as active material for supercapacitor electrodes carbon-nanotubes-graphene-globalmarket/, priced
for high-power applications and for low temperature £1750 for PDF download.
devices using ionic liquid electrolytes in hydrogen
storage. CO-ECs demonstrate more than ten times the
power density of activated carbon. They have also been
investigated as counter electrode materials in dye-
synsitized solar cells.

Another main area of application is their use as solid

lubricants with superior tribological properties (friction
and wear reduction) in machining and semiconductor
manufacturing. They have also been investigated for
application in catalysts, sensors 8 and composites.9

References
1. Ugarte, D. Nature 1992, 359, 707–709.
doi:10.1038/359707a0
2. V. L. Kuznetsov, A. L. Chuvilin, Y. V. Butenko, I. Y.
Mal’kov, V. M. Titov, Chemical Physics Letters, 222 (1994)
343-348.
3. J.Cebik, J.K.McDonough, F.Peerally, R.Medrano, I. Neit-
zel, Y.Gogotsi, S. Osswald, Nanotechnology, 24 (2013)
205703.
4. Tomita S., Hikita M., Hayashi S., Yamamoto K. A New
and Simple Method for Thin Graphitic Coating of
Magnetic-Metal Nanoparticles. Chem Phys Lett. 2000,
316(5–6), 361–364.
5. Radhakrishnan G., Adams P.M., Bernstein L.S. Room
Temperature Deposition of Carbon Nanomaterials by
Excimer Laser Ablation. Thin Solid Films. 2006, 515(3),
NANOTECHMAG • ISSUE 40 FEB 2016

1142–1146.
6. Cota-Sanchez G., Soucy G., Huczko A., Lange H. Induc-
tion Plasma Synthesis of Fullerenes and Nanotubes Us-
ing Carbon Black-Nickel Particles. Carbon. 2005, 43(15),
3153–3166.
7. Qiao Z.J., Li J.J., Zhao N.Q., Shi C.S., Nash P. Graphi-
tization and Microstructure Transformation of Nano-
diamond to Onionlike Carbon. Scr Mater. 2006, 54(2),
8
MARKET
Commercializing Nanocellulose
Products are now on the market incorporating
nanocellulose and production has moved to a
commercial scale globally.
Since their first isolation in 1940s by Randy, nanocellu-
lose materials have attracted the interest of the mate-
rials research community. In the 1980s, Turbark suc-
ceeded in producing microfibrillated cellulose (MFC),
leading to further interest in these materials.1
With the huge drive for green manufacturing and prod-
ucts, companies are becoming more focused on the
use of sustainable materials from renewable resources,
leading to the recent global interest in nanocellulose.
This upsurge in interest is due to their renewability
and biodegradability coupled with their outstanding
properties. The “nanocellulose” industry is now produc-
ing products that will increasingly find their way into
consumer goods over the next decade.
Today there is a substantial amount of research on
nanocellulose and production is underway with the
construction of multi-ton capacity manufacturing facili-
ties, mainly in North American, Japan and Europe.
Types of nanocellulose produced
Nanocellulose is a generic term used to refer to cellu-
lose-based nanomaterials. There are three main do-
mains of nanocelluosic materials.
NanoFibrillar Cellulose (NFC)
Also referred to as cellulose nanofibers (CNF) or microfi-
brillated cellulose (MFC). MFC is both a distinct product
and also categorized along with NFC by a number of
companies. NFC is by far the most widely produced
nanocellulose material.
NANOTECHMAG • ISSUE 40 FEB 2016
NanoCrystalline Cellulose (NCC)
Also referred to as cellulose nanocrystals (CNC). Com-
mercial scale production of NCC has not yet been
achieved and is currently on a pilot scale.
Bacterial cellulose (BC)
Refers to nanostructured cellulose produced by certain
bacterias. Also referred to as bacterial nanocellulose
(BNC) or microbial cellulose.
9
 • Kruger Bioproducts, Inc.
NFC can be considered “spaghetti-like;” and NCC is more • Paperlogic
“rice-like”. • Performance Biofilaments, Inc.

Global production Europe

Production of nanocellulose has, until the past 18 • Cellucomp
months, been on the lab scale, in kilogram batches. • Imerys
Most producers now supply sample batches in multi- • Zelfo Technology
ton quantities for industry and research. Manufactur-
ing facilities have or are being built worldwide with Japan
multiple tons per day capacities. NFC is the most widely • Asahi Kasei
produced types in these facilities. • Chuetsu Pulp & Paper
Current production capacity far exceeds the market • Daicel Corporation
demand at present, but this is likely to change as prices • DKS Co.Ltd.
drop in the next few years. Producers have already • Daio Paper Corporation
begun to produce additives that are competitive with • DIC Corporation
conventional polymer composites (e.g. carbon fibers). • Nippon Paper Industries.
• Sugino Machine
NanoFibrillar Cellulose (NFC) production • Tokushu Tokai Paper
NFC is produced in pilot and commercial volumes. Com-
panies producing commercial volumes that are avail- A number of Japanese producers have plans to greatly
able for incorporating into products include: increase their production capacities in 2016, due to the
success of recent NFC product launches in Asia.
USA
• American Process Companies with plans for commercial scale facilities in
NANOTECHMAG • ISSUE 40 FEB 2016

Figure 1: Schematic of NFC production. Source: Nippon Paper.

10
2016 include: ant and antibacterial effects. Due to the success of the
• Borregaard Chemcell produt the company plant to increased production to
• Oji Holdings 300 tons/year in fiscal year 2016.
• SAPPI
• Seiko PMC References
1. http://www.osti.gov/scitech/biblio/5062478
Pilot scale producers include:
• EMPA
• Innventia Further information on production of nanocellulose is
• Inofib available in the Future Markets report “The Global Mar-
• University of Maine ket for Nanocellulose” available at http://www.future-
• US Forest Service FPL marketsinc.com/the-global-market-for-nanocellulose-
• VTT. to-2024/, priced £1000 for PDF download.

Figure 2: Nanocellulose production at Innventia

pilot facility. Image credit: Innventia.

NanoCrystalline Cellulose (NCC) production

NCC production is currently on a pilot scale. Producers
include:

• Alberta Innovates
• Blue Goose Biorefineries, Inc.
• Celluforce
• FPInnovations
• India Council for Agricultural Research
• MoRe Research
• US Forest Service (FPL).

Products on the market

In October 2015, Nippon Paper industries launched
the “Hada Care Acty” series adult diapers incorporating
NANOTECHMAG • ISSUE 40 FEB 2016

CNF deodorant sheets.

The company process, TEMPO catalytic oxidation
method, was developed by the research group of
Prof. Akira Isogai of The University of Tokyo. It allows
for high concentrations of metal ions and metallic
nanoparticles to be attached to the surface of CNFs.
The company manufacture sheets of CNF incorporating
a large amount of metal ions that generate deodor-
11
 BUSINESS NEWS

Latest nanotech busi-

Nanoco Wins 2016
Prism Award for QD
technology
Nanoco Group plc was
selected as the winner of ness news, February
2015
the Prism Awards 2016 in
the Materials and Coat-
ings category for its cad-
mium-free CFQD® quan-
tum dots. The award was
presented at a ceremony
held in San Francisco
during the SPIE Photonics
West Conference, February
13-18. Read more: www.
nanocogroup.com.

Parvus Therapeutics’
Treatment Repro-
grams Immune Cells
to Reverse Autoim-
mune Disease
Parvus Therapeutics has
published a paper in
Nature describing the
discovery and applica-
tions of a novel therapeu-
tic approach employing
nanomedicines, referred
to as “Navacims”TM, to re-
program white blood cells
to become regulatory cells
capable of blunting au-
toimmune responses and nature16962.html
restoring the equilibrium The second project will involve a part-
of the immune system. Thomas Swan to collaborate on nership with DelStar International
Navacims are nanopar- graphene applications Ltd., Haydale Ltd. and the University of
ticles (NPs) coated with Thomas Swan has received Innovate Bradford to develop plastic composites
disease-relevant peptide- UK funding for two new collaborative for advanced separations. Both projects
NANOTECHMAG • ISSUE 40 FEB 2016

major histocompatibility projects in a programme entitled “Ad- are due to start on 1st April 2016. Read
complexes (pMHCs) that vancing the Commercial Applications of more: http://www.thomas-swan.co.uk
alter the behavior of Graphene”.
pathogenic T lymphocytes The first project will see the Thomas Graphene producer Haydale re-
by binding directly to Swan Advanced Materials team work ceives major research grants
their antigen receptors. alongside Plessey Semiconductors Ltd., Haydale has been awarded a number of
Read more: http://www. Nano Products Ltd. and Nottingham research grants, totalling £350k, which
nature.com/nature/jour- Trent and Strathclyde universities on will help accelerate the development of
nal/vaop/ncurrent/full/ flexible LEDs. new products enhanced by the incorpo-
12
BUSINESS NEWS
ration of functionalised
graphene and other nano-
materials. The projects are
for for development of
composites. Read more:
http://www.haydale.
com/media/1178/grant-
awards-16-2-16-final.pdf
Nanomedical Diag-
nostics launches new
graphene biosensor
Nanomedical Diagnostics,
a biotech company devel-
oping and commercializ-
ing bioelectronics for use
in research and diagnos-
tics, has announced the
completion of its first AG-
ILE biosensor Early Access
Development Kit test with
a lab at the University of
Colorado Anschutz Medi-
cal Campus. The lab need-
ed in vitro protein concen-
tration measurements to
validate its RNA data, but
doing so using traditional
protein analysis methods
such as Western Blot was
almost impossible due to
the amount of tissue re-
quired to observe the pro-
tein. Read more: www.
nanomedicaldiagnostics.
com.
Nanocellulose com-
pany develop wood
bicycle helmet
Cellutech has developed
a prototype helmet made
of wood that incorporat-
eds nanocellulose foam.
The project was financed
by the Swedish Forest In-
dustries Federation. Read
more: www.cellutech.se
Elcora Advanced Materials to
construct graphene facility
Elcora Advanced Materials has started
construction on a graphene production
facility. Elcora is constructing its own gra-
phene production facility in the Canadian
city of Halifax, Nova Scotia to supply pre-
mium quality graphene. The plant has a
modular design wherein each “line” can
produce 100 kg of graphene per year. The
plant uses a graphite pre-cursor specially
processed and refined for the Elcora gra-
phene process within our vertically inte-
grated supply chain. The current world-
wide market for graphene is on the order
of a tonne per year. The company plans to
increase production as the total market,
and the company’s market share, increas-
es. Read more: http://www.haydale.com/
media/1178/grant-awards-16-2-16-final.
pdf
Xefro and European Circuits to
use graphene in new heating
system
Xefro has employed the services of
European Circuits Limited to design and
manufacture the electronics for their
heating system. Test systems are cur-
rently under trial, but Xefro confidently
expects this to be the world’s first com-
mercial heating system using graphene.
Graphene has been selected by Xefro
for the heating element because of its
potential for extremely efficient energy
transfer. This is the basis of their expecta-
tions of reduced energy costs of up to
70%.
The Xefro heating system will consist of
a central heating controller which will
communicate via RF signals to a hot wa-
ter controller and to the various zones,
each zone consisting of a radiator or at
least one heating element with AC power
controller and separate temperature
sensors. The user interface for the entire
system will be via a mobile app.
Read more: http://xefro.com
Applied Graphene Materials
raises £8.5m in shares sale and
starts graphene paint collabora-
tion
Applied Graphene Materials has raised
around £8.5m to allow the firm to con-
tinue to plan for a significant increase
in its production capacity. The company
has also agreed a link-up with leading US
paint producer Sherwin-Williams Protec-
tive & Marine Coatings and materials and
corrosion management firm TWI in order
to develop graphene based anti-corro-
sive coatings. Innovate UK will be co-
funding the collaboration. Read more:
www.appliedgraphenematerials.com
New cosmetics regulations ap-
proved
The European Commission’s Stand-
ing Committee on Cosmetic Products
has approved three new amendments
to the EU’s cosmetics regulation (No
1223/2009), which update regulations on
three substances: Carbon Black: Safe and
authorised for use at a maximum con-
centration of 10%, except for ‘sprayable
applications/products.’; Ethyl Lauroyl
Arginate HCL: Safe and authorized for
use in mouthwashes at a maximum
concentration of 0.15%, except for when
used by children under 10; Titanium
Dioxide: Safe and authorized for use
as a UV-filter at a maximum concentra-
tion of 25% in sunscreens, except for
‘sprayable applications/products.’ Read
more: http://ec.europa.eu/transparency/
NANOTECHMAG • ISSUE 40 FEB 2016
regcomitology/index.cfm?do=search.do
ssierdetail&CSDAinYFfmuY893cPlUTt9N/
RF3yZkLQq6UcVWvaXEU3bRM1Lk0tVAX-
icXaBOyw5
Graphene Nanochem signs
agreement
Graphene NanoChem has entered into a
three-year leasing and tolling agreement
13
 BUSINESS NEWS
with Temasek Growth Sdn
Bhd for the production of
refined bleached deodo-
rised palm oil at the Lahad
Datu plant in Sabah,
Malaysia.
The arrangement will start
in the first quarter of 2016
and is expected to gener-
ate revenues of approxi-
mately £500,000 during
its first year of operation,
with planned production
ramp up in the second
and third year of opera-
tions. This arrangement
with Temasek provides
the group with a predict-
able revenue stream for its
Lahad Datu plant.
Graphene NanoChem says
it has been progressing
discussions with its finan-
ciers on the terms of the
restructuring of its debt
facilities and anticipates
that it will be in a posi-
tion to provide a further
update shortly.
Chief executive Jespal
Deol commented:
“We are pleased to be able
to leverage on the capac-
ity of our Lahad Datu
plant to generate a new
revenue stream for the
group. We are also grateful
for the commitment of our
financiers to working with
the group to achieve an
acceptable terms of the
NANOTECHMAG • ISSUE 40 FEB 2016
restructuring of our bank
debt and we are confi-
dent that the successful
completion of the same
will position the group
well for future growth.”
Read more: http://www.
graphenenanochem.com
14
Graphenano sets up graphene
battery plan
Spanish graphene producer Graphenano
has announced the installation of a man-
ufacturing plant for batteries with Gra-
phene Polymer in Yecla, (Murcia) Spain.
The plant will host twenty assembly and
manufacturing lines of high added value
batteries which should produce, at full
capacity, more than a million cells. The
production of the first cells is expected in
January/February 2016, and will be at full
capacity in the second half of the year.
Read more: www.graphenano.com/
New start-up receives $8.7 mil-
lion
General Graphene Corporation,, a new
start up, has received $8.7 million from
funding network Angel Capital Group
(ACG). General Graphene, has licensed a
graphene synthesis process developed
at ORNL that overcomes limitations of
previously used techniques. Read more
at: www.generalgraphenecorp.com
Alpha & The National Graphene
Institute Sign Collaborative
Partnership Agreement for Gra-
phene Electronics Applications
Alpha has announced a collaborative
partnership with the National Graphene
Institute (NGI) at The University of
Manchester to develop next generation
Graphene-Based Electronic Materials for
the Electronics Assembly & Packaging, as
well as for the Energy and Power Market
Segments.
The collaboration is a multi-year effort
and focuses on how to utilize these inno-
vative soldering materials in applications
where components must meet higher
connectivity, mobility and sustainability
requirements. Graphene-based materi-
als provide significant improvement in
thermo-mechanical reliability that are
particularly useful in the Energy and
Power industries.
Graphite from Energizer Re-
sources deposit verified for gra-
phene ink applications
Energizer Resources Inc. has announced
that independent testing by various
third-parties has confirmed that the flake
graphite concentrates from the Compa-
ny’s Molo deposit meet or exceed quality
requirements for all major end-markets
for natural flake graphite, namely refrac-
tories, anode material for lithium-ion
batteries and specialty graphite foils,
also referred to as expandable graphite.
Graphite from the Company’s Molo de-
posit has also been verified for graphene
ink applications.
Garmor develops graphene films
Garmor has developed graphene
oxide-based coatings useful for limit-
ing UV radiation damage to sensors and
polymers. This was achieved by leverag-
ing inexpensive manufacturing methods
for few-layer graphene oxide (GO) with
commercial coating tools. Garmor’s
transparent GO-films are derived from a
commercially-viable and scalable process
that can be readily implemented with
minimal constraints. The use of GO-
films will extend the lifetime of a variety
of consumer products and minimize
maintenance costs and warranty replace-
ments. In addition, this new material
could prove quite attractive for develop-
ing low-cost and potentially even dis-
posable sensors. Read more at: http://
garmortech.com
Semblant launches new nano-
coating
Semblant™ has launced MobileShield™,
a waterproof nanocoating. Semblant’s
proprietary waterproof nanocoating is
a solution to combat water damage and
corrosion, the leading causes of mobile
device damage.
Approximately 25% of smartphones are
returned due to liquid and mechani-
BUSINESS NEWS
cal damage during use.
Repairing and replacing
damaged smartphones
costs the industry ap-
proximately $30 billion
annually. S“Many compa-
nies have claimed to offer
waterproofing technol-
ogy for mobile devices,
but to date they have
not succeeded, as they
have simply repurposed
fabric coatings that do not
work in this space,” said
Simon McElrea, CEO of
Semblant. “We designed
MobileShield from first
principles to protect
smartphones and wear-
ables, and we are de-
lighted that our customers
are now benefiting from
this with exceptionally
high growth.” Read more:
www.semblant.com
Graphene 3D Lab
inks R&D-Royalty
Agreement with a
Fortune 500 Manu-
facturer
Graphene 3D Lab Inc.
and Graphene Labora-
tories Inc. have signed a
research, development
and royalty agreement
with a Fortune 500 listed
manufacturer. Initially,
the Agreement encom-
passes the development
of multi-phased deliver-
ables over the course of
the next 12 months. Upon
successful completion of
the research phase, and
subject to approval by the
U.S. Food & Drug Admin-
istration, the developed
materials will become a
part of a consumer retail product. Saint Jean Carbon Graphene
Test Shows Superconductivity
Dutch Institute publised nano- Higher Than Normal
materials risk assessment tool Saint Jean Carbon Inc., has announced
Netherlands National Institute for Public that the results from the most recent test
Health and the Environment (RIVM) from Western University has demonstrat-
has published a report that describes ed that the Saint Jean Carbon graphene
the content of a computer program shows superconductivity with transition
that can be used for a risk assessment. temperature around 250K, which is much
Read more: http://www.rivm.nl/en/ higher than normal superconductive ma-
Documents_and_publications/Scientific/ terials. The temperature variation tests
Reports/2016/januari/Description_of_a_ are very important to understand how
nanocosmetics_tool_for_risk_assess- the materials will react under extreme
ment and varying circumstances. The tests
were conducted from 80K to 300K. Read
P2i nanocoatings to protect tab- more: www.saintjeancarbon.com
lets
Lenovo a Chinese PC company, has Further news
launched its flagship tablets at Mobile www.nanotechmag.com/category/busi-
World Congress in Barcelona on 21 Feb- ness-news/.
ruary. The t TAB3 10 and TAB3 7. ablets
are coated with P2i’s water-repellent
coating. P2i’s technology makes devices
more durable. Jeff Meredith, Vice Presi-
dent and General Manager of Lenovo’s
Tablet Business said:
“We are delighted to continue our
partnership with P2i with their water-
repellent technology on our TAB3 10
Business and TAB3 7 tablets.” Read more:
www.p2i.com
Researchers use 3D printing to
build ultrafast graphene super-
capacito
Scientists at UC Santa Cruz and Lawrence
Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL)
have reported the first example of ultra-
fast 3D-printed graphene supercapacitor
electrodes that outperform comparable
electrodes made via traditional methods.
NANOTECHMAG • ISSUE 40 FEB 2016
Their results open the door to novel,
unconstrained designs of highly efficient
energy storage systems for smartphones,
wearables, implantable devices, electric
cars and wireless sensors.
Read more at: http://pubs.acs.org/doi/
abs/10.1021/acs.nanolett.5b04965
15
 POLICY NEWS

OECD publishes nanomaterials reports

T
he Organization for Economic
Cooperation and Develop-
ment (OECD) has published a
series of reports on nanomaterials:
“Considerations for Using Dis-
solution as a Function of Surface
Chemistry to Evaluate Environ-
mental Behaviour Of Nanomateri-
als in Risk Assessments: A Pre-
liminary Case Study Using Silver
Nanoparticles”
http://www.oecd.org/env/ehs/
nanosafety/considerationsforusing-
dissolutionasafunctionofsur-
facechemistrytoevaluateenviron-
mentalbehaviourofnanomaterialsin-
riskassessmentspreliminarycasestud-
yusingsilvernanoparticles.htm nanosafety/approachesonnano-
groupingequivalenceread-across-
“Physical-Chemical Parameters: conceptsbasedonphysical-chem-
Measurements and Methods icalpropertiesgera-pcforregulato-
Relevant for the Regulation of ryregimes.htm
Nanomaterials”
http://www.oecd.org/env/ehs/
nanosafety/physical-chemicalpa-
rametersmeasurementsandmethod-
srelevantfortheregulationofnano-
materials.htm
“Approaches on Nano Grouping/
Equivalence/Read-Across Con-
cepts Based on Physical-Chemical
Properties (GERA-PC) for Regula-
tory Regimes”
http://www.oecd.org/env/ehs/

EFSA begins public consultation

Danish agency publishes
nano in cosmetics litera-
ture review
The Ministry of Environment
and Food of Denmark’s Envi-
ronment Protection Agency
has published a new literature
review, Assessment of Nano-en-

T
he European Food Safety
Authority (EFSA) has begun
a public consultation on its
draft guidance on the preparation
and presentation of an application
for authorization of a novel food.
Further reading http://www.
efsa.europa.eu/en/consultations/
NANOTECHMAG • ISSUE 40 FEB 2016
lished a study that concluded that
there was a lack of nano-specific
guidance in the Biocidal Products
Regulation (BPR). This could be
an obstacle for manufacturers or
importers and may also result in
placing of biocidal products con-
taining NMs on the market, where
abled Technologies in Cosmetics
(link is external), as part of their
‘Better Control of Nano’ Initia-
tive 2012-2015, which focuses
on how nanomaterials fit into
the Danish market and environ-
ment. Further reading http://
mst.dk/service/publikationer/

call/160218 the hazard potential have not been publikationsarkiv/2016/feb/

Danish researchers state
BPR regulation lacks guid-
ance related to nanomate-
rials
Researchers from the University
of Copenhagen and the Technical
University of Denmark have pub-
16
sufficiently investigated, result- assessment-of-nano-enabled-
ing in inadequate protection of technologies-in-cosmetics
humans and/or the environment.
Further reading http://www.
mdpi.com/2079-4991/6/2/33/htm
mono(2015)19&doclanguage=en
mono(2015)30&doclanguage=en
FUTURE MARKETS, INC.
Nanotech solutions since 1998