Friday, 13 April 2012 04:00
April 13, 2012
A company based in the United Kingdom is hoping to expand the use of a technology it developed that can produce graphene without many of the negative environmental outcomes.
The Engineer Magazine reports that Haydale, which is based in South Wales, Britain, recently announced it has partnered with a German company to market its technology. The company has invested heavily in its engineering research and development, and officials said its machines use plasma rather than acid to break graphite down into graphene, a substance that is increasingly important in electronics manufacturing.
"The plasma treatment removes any impurities within the graphite and any amorphous carbon," Haydale group commercial director Ray Gibbs noted. "It then does what acid does: it intercalates into the layers and starts to strip them off."
Germany-based Diener Electronic's plasma reactors are helping improve the efficiency and functionality of Haydale's system, according to the news provider. Gibbs said that along with Haydale's spli-plasma technology, the systems could also be used outside of graphene manufacturing. He said that the companies are exploring potentially using the system to produce other materials such as carbon nanotubes.
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