Graphene

Researchers have developed a wearable skin patch with embedded copper oxide in graphene, designed to release copper ions when heated for a potential cancer treatment.

INBRAIN is advancing a graphene-based brain-computer interface for Parkinson's care, integrating neural decoding, stimulation, and Azure AI.

Researchers at Shanghai University and Shanghai General Hospital have built an electrochemical biosensor pairing a three-dimensional graphene framework with a heat-denatured casein interlayer to detect uric acid in sweat at femtomolar levels.

Researchers in Poland have developed a graphene-based early warning system for heart failure, pending further testing and clinical validation.

Researchers at Queen Mary University of London have developed a graphene-based soft lens that can electronically change focus without bulky parts, potentially advancing medical devices and cameras.

Drexel and Penn State researchers created a new hydrogel for biosensors that maintains skin contact through sweat and hair, enhancing durability and comfort during physical activity.

Bioengineers at UC San Diego integrated an insect olfactory receptor into graphene chips, creating a sensor that detects diverse organic compounds. This could lead to scalable, nature-inspired chemical sensors.

Mackenzie Fly Fishing has developed graphene-infused outdoor clothing that deters ticks, following unexpected results during a Highlands stalking trip. The fabric's anti-tick properties require no chemical treatments.

KeAi Communications Co., Ltd. reports on the antibacterial and anticancer capabilities of polymer nanocomposites enhanced with graphene-silicon nitride nanomaterials.

Researchers have found that graphene quantum dots (GQDs) could provide a new approach for studying and potentially disrupting the protein aggregation associated with Parkinson's disease. This discovery highlights the potential of graphene-based materials in biomedical applications, particularly in targeting neurodegenerative disorders.

Researchers from Brazil's Federal University of Pelotas and Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul have developed a laser-induced graphene sensor capable of detecting dopamine in tear fluid with high sensitivity. This advancement could lead to noninvasive monitoring of neurological disorders, utilizing the electroactive properties of graphene to provide a compact and scalable alternative to traditional methods that often require blood or implanted devices.

Turquoise Group has achieved Verified Graphene Producer® status, confirming its capability to produce 30 tonnes of high-purity few-layer graphene annually at its Brisbane facility. This certification enhances the company's credibility in delivering high-quality graphene, a material crucial for applications in coatings, composites, and energy storage.

Researchers at Concordia University have developed nanocomposites using graphene oxide and reduced graphene oxide embedded in a nanocellulose matrix, achieving high accuracy in predictive modeling with R² > 0.99. This advancement is significant for the field of advanced carbon materials as it demonstrates the potential of these composites in applications such as wearable electronics and biosensors, leveraging the unique properties of graphene oxide and reduced graphene oxide.

South Korea's Ministry of Science and ICT rated four of its 14 Small-scale R&D Zones—Seoul Hongneung, Pohang, Incheon Seo-gu, and Jinju—as "Excellent" in the 2025 annual evaluation, with Pohang's zone directing roughly 11 billion won toward Graphene Square and POSTECH to build the world's first mass-production plant for graphene film. The Pohang result signals growing state-backed infrastructure for scaling graphene manufacturing, a persistent bottleneck for the advanced carbon materials sector.

Researchers at ICN2, led by Jose A. Garrido, are developing graphene-based thin film devices for neural stimulation and recording, with work spanning device fabrication, in vivo testing in rodent and large-animal models, and clinical translation efforts. The work demonstrates a pathway for graphene to move from laboratory research into regulated medical devices, advancing the material's role in bioelectronics beyond conventional carbon fiber or composite applications.

INBRAIN Neuroelectronics completed enrollment of ten patients (eight treated) in a first-in-human trial of its graphene cortical interface, conducted during brain tumor resection surgeries at Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust, with no device-related adverse events or perioperative failures observed. The results support graphene as a viable electrode material for neural interfaces, with implications for the graphene sector as the technology advances toward clinical commercialization in brain-computer interface applications.

US NIOSH researchers measured occupational exposures to graphene family nanomaterials (GFN) across 11 manufacturing facilities, finding that 38% of respirable samples and 53% of inhalable samples exceeded the suggested occupational exposure band of <10 µg/m³. The findings indicate that graphene producers and downstream processors face uncontrolled worker exposure risks, with primary manufacturers showing higher inhalable concentrations due to handling dry powdered materials.

Researchers at ICFO and partner institutions built a monolayer graphene terahertz photodetector using acoustic graphene plasmon cavities grown via chemical vapor deposition, achieving a 30% higher photoresponse than conventional devices without hexagonal boron nitride encapsulation, published in ACS Photonics in 2026. The result shows that CVD-grown graphene can deliver competitive THz detection performance without the fabrication complexity of hBN encapsulation, lowering a barrier to large-scale graphene device manufacturing.

Chinese researchers combined gold nanoparticles with graphene oxide quantum dots to form a Schottky junction nanocomposite that, when activated by blue LED light, achieved 97% bacterial eradication and nearly 99% wound closure in mice within nine days. The work demonstrates a functional wound-treatment application for graphene oxide quantum dots, advancing their use beyond structural roles into photodynamic and photothermal biomedical therapies.

A team led by Yingke Wu and Tanja Weil at the Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research synthesized 3–4 nm nanodiamonds from nanographene building blocks under high pressure and temperature, publishing the results in Nature. The bottom-up method gives precise control over nanodiamond size and allows silicon- and germanium-based optical emitters to be incorporated during synthesis without post-processing, which is relevant for carbon-based quantum and photonic material development.

Researchers at Vietnamese universities fabricated a glassy carbon electrode modified with poly(pyrocatechol violet) and electrochemically reduced graphene oxide using one-step cyclic voltammetry, achieving a metronidazole detection limit of 0.013 µM. The work demonstrates a route to functionalized reduced graphene oxide composites that avoids toxic chemical reductants, relevant to the development of graphene-based electrochemical sensing materials.

A research team at Osaka University built a graphene nanoribbon-based gas sensor capable of detecting individual CO2 molecules at ambient pressure, achieving detection limits below 10 parts per trillion, as published in Nature Materials. The result demonstrates graphene nanoribbons as a viable platform for ultra-sensitive gas detection, with potential applications in environmental monitoring and medical breath analysis.

A team at the National University of Singapore developed a graphene field-effect transistor biosensor that detects four oral cancer biomarkers from saliva in 90 seconds, achieving 94.2% sensitivity and 91.8% specificity in a 220-patient clinical pilot. The device demonstrates a scalable diagnostic application for functionalized graphene, with a spinout company pursuing commercialization and a projected per-test cost under 4 USD.

Advanced Graphene Products has begun supplying ISO 10993-certified graphene oxide from its Zielona Gora facility to Boston Scientific under a $4.2 million contract for a two-year, 480-patient FDA-approved clinical trial of antimicrobial-coated cardiac catheters. The trial represents a direct application of graphene oxide in regulated medical devices, with a potential commercial supply pathway if Boston Scientific proceeds to FDA submission.

Levidian and Zentek have signed an agreement to explore building a graphene-integrated manufacturing facility in the Middle East, combining Levidian's methane-derived graphene production with Zentek's graphene-enhanced air filters. The deal signals growing regional demand for graphene-enhanced products and positions the Middle East as an emerging hub for graphene manufacturing and deployment across multiple industries.