Thermal Management

Researchers achieved biochar yields of up to 41.3% from almond shells using fixed-bed pyrolysis at temperatures between 400 and 500 degrees Celsius.

Researchers at the National University of Singapore have developed aerogels from aircraft composite waste, which may be used for insulation, noise reduction, and cleaning up oil spills.

DASEN Group has expanded its multi-factory network across China and Vietnam, enhancing global supply of graphite sheets and carbon fiber products with coordinated production and R&D facilities.

Graphene Manufacturing Group Ltd. has launched G FLUID, a graphene-based water coolant additive for data centres. Preliminary tests show a 20% increase in heat transfer when used at 1% concentration.

AZL Aachen GmbH is leading a consortium to benchmark CFRP rotor sleeves for electric motors, focusing on press-fit and direct-winding concepts. Production starts in August 2026.

Researchers explain how optothermal Raman thermometry measures thermal conductivity in graphene by using laser-induced temperature changes. The method's accuracy depends on precise absorbed-power measurements.

Graphene fibers, when graphitized at high temperatures, achieve thermal conductivities around 1290 W m⁻¹K⁻¹, surpassing most metals, but require per-fiber measurement for accurate application-specific values.

A company led by Cambridge PhD Liu Zhenyu is advancing carbon nanotube materials for lightweight applications.

Researchers developed suspended microdevices to measure the thermal conductivity of carbon nanotubes, revealing quasiballistic transport behavior at micrometer lengths, challenging traditional diffusive models.

Graphene Manufacturing Group has partnered with Blackwoods to distribute its graphene-based lubricant additive, G® LUBRICANT, across Australia.

Researchers have directly measured the anisotropic thermal properties of micrometer-thick graphene-based films, providing insight into their potential for advanced thermal management applications.

Himadri Specialty Chemicals will establish India's first carbon nanotube production facility at its West Bengal complex, with an initial capacity of 200 tons per year, starting commercial production by FY2027.

Mivium is developing high-quality gallium nitride nanopowders to enhance semiconductor performance, while Avadain is licensing technology to produce large-scale, defect-free graphene for industrial applications.

HydroGraph Clean Power is urging the U.S. to classify graphene as a critical material to reduce reliance on foreign graphite, highlighting its domestic production capability from hydrocarbon gases.

Lyten showcased its 3D graphene technology and high-temperature adhesives, emphasizing their applications in AI data centers.

Researchers at QUT developed a molecular strategy to prevent carbon nanotube clumping, enhancing thermal power efficiency for wearable devices that convert body heat into electricity.

Researchers at Queensland University of Technology used a small molecule to stop single-walled carbon nanotubes clumping, achieving record heat-to-electricity conversion in a problem that had stalled the field for two decades.

CompositesWorld reports that new composite materials marketed as PyroKarb, PyroSic, and PyroXide are narrowing the thermal performance gap between carbon fiber-reinforced polymers (CFRPs) and ceramic matrix composites (CMCs). This development is significant for applications requiring high thermal resistance, enhancing the utility of CFRPs in industries like aerospace and automotive.

HydroGraph Clean Power has launched Fractal Graphene Paste, a pre-dispersed aqueous concentrate containing 20% graphene by weight, designed to simplify the incorporation of graphene into water-based industrial formulations. This development is significant for the advanced carbon materials sector as it addresses the dispersion challenges associated with graphene, potentially accelerating its adoption in applications such as construction materials, coatings, and thermal management systems.

Avadain has developed a new graphene type called Large, Thin, Defect-Free (LTDF) graphene, which features flakes in the 25-100+ µm² range and averages under 5 atomic layers, aiming to enhance applications in critical minerals, rare-earth-free magnets, and high-power electronics. This advancement is significant because it addresses key limitations of commercial graphene, such as flake size, layer count, and defect density, potentially improving the performance of carbon-based materials in demanding applications.

Graphene Manufacturing Group Ltd. (GMG) announced that its graphene coating product, THERMAL-XR(R), has reached a global benchmark testing milestone. This development is significant for the graphene sector as it demonstrates the material's potential in enhancing thermal management solutions.

Researchers have optimized reduced Ti3C2 MXene to achieve a photothermal conversion efficiency of 91.66% under an 808-nanometer laser. This enhancement in free electron concentration can significantly improve MXene's performance in photothermal applications, potentially impacting fields like energy conversion and thermal management.

Pure Resources (ASX: PR1) and Rice University have announced peer-reviewed validation of their carbon nanotube fibre (CNTF) technology, highlighting its high thermal conductivity and potential to outperform traditional materials like copper and aluminum. This development is significant for advanced carbon materials as it demonstrates the potential of CNTF to enhance thermal management in applications such as AI data centers, drones, and defense systems.

Carbice has partnered with Noctua to introduce a thermal pad for DIY PC builders that uses vertically aligned carbon nanotube technology. This collaboration brings advanced thermal management solutions, previously used in aerospace and AI infrastructure, to the consumer electronics market.

A study of fluoroelastomer compounds reinforced with graphene nanoplatelets finds that platelet size drives the mechanical and thermal performance of the resulting composite.

TCMC has launched Carbonix Materials to develop a U.S. supply chain for graphene. This initiative aims to enhance the availability and integration of graphene in advanced carbon materials, particularly benefiting applications in composites and electronics.

Researchers at the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology have developed a sensor electrode using a composite material of graphene, carbon nanotubes (CNTs), and gold nanoparticles that can detect pesticide residues at concentrations as low as parts per billion (ppb). This advancement is significant for the field of advanced carbon materials as it enhances the sensitivity and functionality of sensors, contributing to improved agricultural product monitoring and food safety.

Ant Studio in Noida has designed a sustainable home for Kamran Haider using green cement and biochar to offset carbon emissions. This approach highlights the potential for advanced carbon materials like biochar to enhance sustainability in building design by reducing embodied carbon and improving energy efficiency.

European semiconductor companies raised substantial funding in 2025, with the ten largest rounds ranging from NXP Semiconductors' €1 billion EIB loan down to IQE's £18 million convertible note, spanning AI chips, photonics, power electronics, memory, and chip cooling. Two graphene-focused companies, Paragraf ($55M Series C) and CamGraPhIC (€25M Series A), secured funding to scale graphene-based electronic devices and graphene silicon photonics respectively, signaling continued investor commitment to graphene's commercial role in semiconductors and optical interconnects.

Toray Industries will showcase its latest advanced material solutions, including TORAYCA carbon fibre and high-performance thermoset systems, at the Farnborough International Airshow from July 20–24. These materials are crucial for meeting stringent qualification and certification requirements in aerospace, space, and defence applications, highlighting Toray's commitment to reliability and performance in critical sectors.

HydroGraph Clean Power Inc. commercially launched Fractal Graphene Paste, a 20% graphene-by-weight aqueous dispersion with a 99.8% carbon purity and over two-year shelf life, and has supplied samples to more than 30 customers. The product targets the graphene sector's core adoption barrier—dispersion difficulty—by delivering a stable, ready-to-use concentrate compatible with standard mixing equipment, which could accelerate graphene uptake in composites, coatings, and construction materials.

Professor Chang Liu of the Institute of Metal Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences presented research at an NTU MSE seminar on SWCNT-based hybrid materials, including a SWCNT/Cu core-shell fiber with a specific electrical conductivity of 1.15×10⁴ S m² kg⁻¹ and FeCl3-filled CNT fibers reaching 1.35×10⁷ S m⁻¹ conductivity and 2.54 GPa tensile strength. The work advances CNT fiber and film applications in electrical conductors, thermoelectric devices, and electrocatalysis by addressing the longstanding dispersion challenge that has limited SWCNT composite development.

Professor Roman Gorbachev at the University of Manchester received a £1.9 million EPSRC Open Fellowship to lead a five-year project scaling van der Waals 2D material heterostructures from micrometre samples to wafer-scale fabrication using a new ultra-high vacuum platform. The work directly advances graphene and 2D materials manufacturing by targeting industrial-process compatibility and establishing a UK fabrication hub accessible to academic and industry users.

Canada's graphene sector has developed across production, construction, filtration, printed electronics, and energy storage, with companies such as NanoXplore operating a 4,000-metric-ton-per-year facility in Montréal and firms like Zentek and Graphene Leaders Canada advancing application-specific products toward commercial deployment. The ecosystem signals a shift from materials science demonstration toward repeatable industrial use cases in carbon-based composites, conductive additives, and separation technologies, though commercial viability still depends on product qualification, standardization, and cost competitiveness against incumbent materials.

Researchers at POSTECH in South Korea engineered hollow silicon nanotube structures that reduced thermal conductivity by 70% compared to solid silicon nanowires by trapping phonons at near-room temperature. The approach uses abundant silicon compatible with existing semiconductor manufacturing, offering a potential alternative to rare-material-dependent thermoelectric devices for waste heat recovery in data centers, EV batteries, and industrial facilities.

Graphene's single-atom-thick sheet structure forms strong in-plane covalent bonds that enable rapid heat conduction along its surface while limiting conductivity in the perpendicular direction, producing highly anisotropic thermal behavior. This directional heat management capability makes graphene-based thermal materials relevant for electronics cooling and composite applications where controlling heat flow pathways is a design requirement.

The Advanced Carbons Council published a position paper in May 2026 arguing that carbon credit financing should be redirected from geological carbon capture and sequestration toward conversion of captured carbon into advanced materials such as graphene, carbon fiber, biochar, and carbon nanotubes. The paper contends that carbon-to-materials conversion projects are commercially self-sustaining without ongoing subsidies, unlike CCS, and deliver compounding lifecycle emissions reductions across sectors including construction, aerospace, agriculture, and energy storage.

Terrance Barkan of The Graphene Council published a framework mapping the commercialization maturity journey of graphene through stages from discovery to mature commercialization, identifying nine recurring obstacles including capital access, regulation, standardization, and value chain complexity. The framework positions graphene as approaching proven commercial viability in multiple application areas—including composites, construction materials, and thermal management—while arguing that its "killer application" lies in broad adoption as a performance-enhancing additive across sectors rather than in any single use case.

Graphene Manufacturing Group (GMG) submitted a Significant New Use Notice (SNUN) to the US EPA on June 2, 2026, seeking authorization to manufacture, distribute, and sell graphene coatings, lubricants, and fluids domestically in the United States, with approval expected by end of June 2027. The filing marks a shift from export-only access to domestic graphene production in the US, which could establish a local graphene supply chain for industrial applications including HVAC coatings and engine lubricant additives.

Researchers at EMPA demonstrated a graphene-composite leading-edge skin that reduces aircraft de-icing energy consumption by 60%, achieving ice shedding at 5 W/cm² in panels tested at -25°C and 240 km/h after 1,200 cycles without delamination. The result advances graphene's case as a functional heating element within carbon-fibre-reinforced polymer structures for aerospace applications, with EMPA now scaling production toward trial integration in a commercial trainer aircraft.

Graphene-X, a Hong Kong-based outdoor gear company, launched the Tardigrade Sleeping System via Kickstarter, a modular sleeping bag rated to -22°F that incorporates graphene-based materials. The product signals growing commercial application of graphene in consumer thermal regulation gear beyond industrial and electronics uses.

NeoGraf commissioned a new production line at its Lakewood, Ohio facility, adding 2,000 tonnes per annum of flexible graphite sheet capacity funded by a $38 million investment, bringing its total to 11,000 tonnes per annum. The expansion increases domestic supply of high-purity exfoliated graphite sheets for EV battery thermal management, where the material's in-plane thermal conductivity above 600 W/m·K at low density addresses a critical requirement for North American automotive manufacturers.

Graphene Manufacturing Group (GMG) partnered with Australian Supercars team Tickford Racing to trial GMG's liquid graphene products, including G Lubricant and THERMAL-XR, across Tickford's workshop and event infrastructure. The partnership provides GMG with a real-world performance testing environment to generate documented case studies validating its graphene-based lubricant and thermal products for broader industrial customers.