The bio-based, non-toxic and biodegradable solvent Cyrene, made from cellulose and produced by Australian biotechnology company Circa Group, has been found to outperform traditional, toxic solvents in the production and dispersion of graphene ink, which is used in a range of high-value commercial applications.
Following work by the University of York in the UK and the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC Madrid) reporting that Cyrene had “near-ideal physical properties for graphite exfoliation and the production of graphene dispersions”, the University of Manchester, UK – the birthplace of graphene – has now successfully produced the highest quality conductive graphene ink ever reported using Cyrene instead of N-Methyl-2-Pyrrolidone (NMP).
According to Circa Group, these findings have far-reaching commercial applications and open up multi-million euro market opportunities for graphene in applications such as advanced composites and polymers, coatings, batteries and supercapacitors, 3D printed materials and functional fluids.
More specifically, graphene inks can directly be applied to materials like textiles and paper and used in many applications including transistors, sensors, antennas, radio frequency identification (RFID) tags and wearable electronics.
Graphene is one of the world’s most important nanomaterials and the growing body of scientific evidence – generated by world-class research teams – further validates Cyrene as a viable alternative to toxic traditional solvents such as N-Methyl-2-Pyrrolidone (NMP). Graphene production and dispersion is one of the many applications Circa is targeting for Cyrene, which is outperforming traditional solvents in many high-value market applications such as the manufacture of specialty polymers and formulations of different kinds. For Circa and other companies looking for high-performance, non-toxic, sustainably-produced solvents – it’s a win-win-win situation, remarked Fabien Deswarte, Business Development Manager at Circa Group.
