Nanotech Energy, a leading supplier of graphene, graphene oxide and graphene super batteries, announced today that it has cleared a monumental hurdle in the production of high-quality graphene-based materials. The first patent for Graphene, now exclusively licensed to Nanotech Energy, was filed in 2002 by Dr. Richard Kaner, Nanotech co-founder and UCLA professor of Chemistry and of Materials Science and Engineering.
Through its proprietary technology, Nanotech Energy is now able to produce graphene with an unsurpassed surface area of over 2,500 meters squared per gram, almost the theoretical limit. A second version of graphene with a surface area of 2,000 to 2,200 meters squared per gram, measured by methylene blue adsorption is available for purchase based on downstream application, while the other version of over 2,500 meters squared per gram is being used only for Nanotech’s downstream products.
Graphene is a single layer of carbon with a theoretical surface area limit of slightly over 2,600 meters squared per gram. The surface area determines how many electrons can be stored and, in turn, how much energy can be stored in batteries and supercapacitors. Without the large surface area, graphene loses most of its superlatives and behaves just like graphite.
Jack Kavanaugh, Nanotech founder and CEO said, ”Nanotech Energy has created a remarkable technology that reaches the boundaries of superior energy density, power density, cycle life and, most importantly, safety. It’s an exciting time for the company and the industry.”
Dr. Maher El-Kady added “it’s widely accepted that the properties of graphene vary depending on the number of layers. The high surface area of our graphene has potential to dramatically transform the graphene industry. We already produce super-batteries, supercapacitors, conductive inks and conductive epoxies with unprecedented performance and have responsibly extended our leads in each of those arenas by making them all safer.”
Dr. Kaner further added, “After tests have demonstrated that almost all graphene sold today is really thin layer graphite and not graphene, this is a major step forward to be able to scale real graphene with a surface area (over 2500 m2/g) that approaches the theoretical limit.”
