Graphene technology patents start in competition

Tencent Technology News May 18 news, foreign media recently published an analysis article said that Samsung and Apple in the global smartphone market competition is moving from the courtroom to the laboratory, started the graphene technology patent competition in the next generation of equipment In the use of this technology. The following is the summary of the article:

Graphene is like a high-tech cling film. It's a conductive, transparent material that can be extended to the glass surface of a cellphone or tablet to turn it into a touch screen. Graphene is an ideal material for future electronic devices such as flexible smartwatches and tablets that can be folded into smart phones, as compared to current technologies, which are thinner, stronger and more flexible.

The potential of graphene has Samsung Electronics, Apple and Google accumulating patents that are part of this so-called wearable computing device market, which is expected to grow 14-fold in the next five years. Samsung Electronics, which was ordered to pay Apple compensation of 120 million U.S. dollars this month in the United States, is currently leading the patented graphene technology.

Claire Kim, an analyst at South Korea's Daxun Securities in Seoul, said: "In the future, we are going to enter an era where mobile devices are really bent and easily folded and unfolded, and by then we will need graphene. The analyst believes that, in the field of mobile devices, graphene technology first commercial company, will occupy the forefront of competition in the future.

patented technology

A 2013 report from the UK Intellectual Property Office showed that Samsung Electronics has 405 published patent applications ahead of its competitors. In the U.S. market, according to information provided by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, Samsung Electronics owns 38 patent applications, at least 17 of which mentioned the term "graphene" in the Summary of Invention. Apple currently has at least two graphene-related technologies. Including IBM, Foxconn and other companies have registered graphene patents.

The 2010 Nobel Prize in physics was researched by Manchester University researcher Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov, who "started with the introduction of two-dimensional graphene materials Sexual Experiment "won the title. They have been using gravure tape to remove graphene from a piece of graphite since 2004 and have made sheets of carbon material. However, at the time, this type of material was considered unstable. It was better to wrap carbon into a spherical fullerene carbon 60 allotrope.

Today, graphene has proven to be the thinnest and most robust material in the world, both tough and flexible, and has good thermal and electrical conductivity. The migration distance of electrons in graphene is far away from any material, and this material has also been widely used in the field of electronics.

Limitations of innovation

The potential of the market for consumer electronics manufacturers is enormous. Market research firm Yankee Group statistics show that by 2016 global mobile device sales will likely reach 847 billion US dollars. British market research firm Juniper Research in October last year is expected in the next five years, the global wearable device market will grow by about 14 times, reaching 190 billion US dollars.

In order to release this capacity, the world's major electronic equipment manufacturers are turning their attention to universities and research institutes, such as Hongsheng He, a professor at Seoul National University who has obtained a patent on mass production of graphene displays. Hong Bingxi said, "Global technology companies are currently facing the hardware and design innovation limitations. To go to the next level, they must adopt a new technology similar to graphene. Our key graphene technology has now attracted the apple, Samsung, and even Google and other companies attention. "

Key patent

Hong Bingxi said his graphene company Graphene Square owns a patent that enables graphene materials to reach a diagonal area of ​​50 inches, about five times the diagonal length of an Apple iPad. The conductive film company's material is currently mainly used for mobile devices touch screen.

Whang Dong Mok, a professor at the Institute of Advanced Materials Science and Technology at Sungkyunkwan University in Korea, believes that Hong's patent is the key to producing low-cost, large-area graphene materials for mass production of touch screen panels. The professor predicts that graphene materials may be used in wearable devices that will be on the market in the next five years.

Up to now, Samsung Electronics, Apple and Google spokesman did not comment on whether the company is interested in Hong Bingxi's patented technology. Apple spokesman also did not disclose the details of Apple's research in the field of graphene.

Intelligent hardware

Graphene can be used in Samsung's current three main businesses, namely smartphones, memory chips and TVs. Samsung Electronics said in an email statement that "graphene is more durable than steel and has better thermal conductivity and elasticity, making it the perfect material for developing flexible displays, wearable computing devices and other next-generation electronic devices."

Due to the strong sales of Galaxy series products, the performance of Samsung Electronics in the first quarter exceeded the market expectations. In April this year, Samsung Electronics began shipping Gear 2 and Gear 2 Neo smartwatches in 125 countries around the world in an attempt to stay ahead of the wearable market. Google started developing Google Glass in 2012 and held a one-day, unsold event last month, allowing consumers to buy the device for $ 1,500. It is reported that Apple is ready to launch wearable devices like watches.

Graphene is 100 times more conductive than silicon and is superior to silicon in other ways. Graphene can speed up the semiconductor, and researchers also try to apply this material to the battery. This allows a smartphone to be recharged for a week at a time, with only 15 minutes of charge per charge.

European research

Last October, the European Commission announced that it will fund one billion U.S. dollars in graphene research and development in the next ten years.

On April 4, the Samsung Advanced Institute of Technology, a subsidiary of Samsung Electronics, said that in cooperation with Sungkyunkwan University, a way has been developed to make graphene technology commercially viable in chips.

Hong Bingxi currently owns 70% of Graphene Square. He said he currently has no intention of selling the patent to Google or Apple, though it will license the company. Currently, Hong Bingxi is seeking investment from other companies to build a manufacturing plant and mass production of graphene films designed for touch screen. Hong Bingxi believes that future applications of graphene include spacesuits and "smart" clothing with integrated sensors, chips and displays. The better thermal conductivity of graphene also means that garments made of graphene are suitable for firefighters to wear. (Loudly)