Panoramic analysis of graphene technology development

Release date：2017-02-16   Views：2020

Graphene, a two-dimensional carbon material with carbon atoms tightly packed into a single-layer two-dimensional honeycomb lattice structure, is characterized by its ultra-high comparative area (theoretical calculation of specific surface area of single-layer graphene is 2630 m2 / g), excellent electron mobility (20 000 cm2 / (V? S)), and high thermal conductivity (thermal conductivity up to 5300 m2 / g) W / M? K), super strong mechanical properties and good biocompatibility have become the research and development hotspots in the academic and industrial circles. It can be applied to theoretical physics experimental platform, nano electronic devices, superconducting materials, energy storage and production devices, micro filter screen and sensor, biomedical and other fields.

At present, graphene application research in the United States, Europe, South Korea and other manufacturing powers are in full swing; China's graphene industry is developing rapidly. Supported and incubated by local governments and supported by universities and scientific research institutes, a number of professional graphene materials have emerged, such as Tianjin Pulan Nano Technology Co., Ltd., Nanjing Xianfeng nano material technology Co., Ltd., Changzhou 2D Carbon Technology Co., Ltd., Changzhou sixth element material technology Co., Ltd Material production and component technology of high-tech enterprises. Moreover, in order to integrate and coordinate industrial resources, promote the technological progress and industrialization of low-cost graphene and equipment, the "China graphene industry technology innovation strategic alliance" is established to share graphene upstream and downstream, industry university research information, intellectual property rights and other resources, establish channels of communication with the government, a platform for personnel training and international cooperation, and promote standards and evaluation We are making exploratory efforts and attempts to establish a quality inspection system and enhance the overall competitiveness of low-cost graphene.

Under the background of the flourishing industrialization of graphene, it is urgent to plan the development route of graphene and its related technologies, and lead the technological development route of graphene (including related 2D crystal materials) and hybrid system products.

1、 Graphene and its related materials

The birth of the breakthrough technology of graphene and related materials (GRM) will undoubtedly make more human goals possible. It can overcome the development bottleneck of materials, components and systems in the value chain; The special performance of GRM will become the key technology of future application. These technologies may not be realized in the near future, but the research and application of these technologies will bring new development opportunities for human beings.

According to the roadmap of graphene development technology prepared by European flagship program in 2015, the key technologies of GRM development include: material technology, which is used to identify and evaluate new two-dimensional materials and evaluate the application prospect of these new materials; research on the reliability, repeatability, sustainability, safety and macro synthesis methods of GRM materials to meet the special needs of different application fields. Component technology, used to identify and evaluate new components functionalized by GRM materials; to identify and evaluate component technologies constructed with GRM materials; and to study electronic component technologies of high-frequency electronics, optoelectronics, spintronics and sensor technologies. System integration is used to study the component structure based on GRM materials, and develop system assembly methods that provide new functions and open up new application fields; develop new concepts of GRM integration into existing technology platforms; and study integration methods of nanocomposites, flexible electronics and energy applications.

By summarizing the development of GRM knowledge base and the accumulation of new device technology route, it is helpful for human to plan and innovate the development of GRM related technologies. The ultimate goal is to integrate GRM into future application systems. In the field of information and communication technology, we can focus on technologies that can bring new application directions, such as morph concept, and explore the electrical, optical and mechanical properties of GRM, so as to achieve a new breakthrough in personal communication equipment.

In the field of material exchange, more attention is paid to the key technologies of energy production and storage, as well as the application of new functional lightweight composites in this field. In this field, GRM materials and technologies will be integrated into new aircraft, buses, electric vehicles and other transportation systems. The smart forvision concept electric vehicle using GRM visualization technology is shown in Figure 1.

 

Figure 1 smart forvision concept electric vehicle with visualization technology

In the field of health and energy, through the research and exploration of the special electrical and optical properties of GRM materials, it is hoped that the development direction of new information processing and communication systems will be clarified in academic and industrial fields. Aiming at the GRM materials and technologies that have been formed, the European flagship plan has planned 11 technical fields for GRM development, including basic research, health and environment, preparation, electrical devices, spin electronics, optics and optoelectronics, sensors, flexible electronics, energy storage and production, composite materials, biomedical applications. Graphene will appear in the 11 fields in the next 10-20 years. It is expected that by 2030, GRM related materials and technologies will be directly converted into consumer goods and walk to consumers, as shown in the prediction in Figure 2. The following will be a panoramic analysis of the current development of graphene materials and technologies in accordance with the research and patent output of GRM materials and technologies.

 

 

Figure 2 forecast of GRM product development trend

2、 Research output of GRM materials and technologies

By studying the development of GRM technology, it is not difficult to see that the research of GRM materials and technology is a typical case of "translational" nanotechnology. That is to say, graphene was found in the laboratory and soon transferred to practical application research. Since 2007, the activities of scientific papers and patents about graphene have been growing rapidly in the world at the same time. That is, in a large number of scientific research and application fields, the emergence of graphene has attracted extensive attention. This fact proves that GRM is a translational nano technology.

Research and development in the field of biomedicine is the most closely combined direction of basic research and clinical practice. It is closely related to the concept of transfer technology, and can also be applied to a wider range of fields for promotion. A typical case is the emergence of giant magnetoresistance (GMR). After only a few years, the related research has developed from the academic field to the leading direction of information storage application technology. In contrast, the application prospect of GRM technology has a more far-reaching influence: integrating GRM components into the Si based electronic industry, or gradually replacing the application of Si, can not only provide higher performance, but also may find more important and new application fields.

Moreover, carbon materials have always been the driving force of various technological solutions: in the 19th century, through the combustion of coal, human beings gained energy, which promoted the process of the first industrial revolution; in the 20th century, carbon based plastics revolutionized the development of manufacturing industry; in the 21st century, carbon materials with graphite structure will become the key component of the third technological revolution.

As shown in Figure 3, since 2000, the number of scientific papers related to graphene has been increasing year by year, and this growth has not slowed down. There are many reasons for the heat of graphene research. Firstly, graphene is a kind of material with special properties. Whether separated or combined, these properties can be applied to many fields. With the passage of time and the progress of graphene technology, people can always find its new capabilities and new uses. Secondly, the development of graphene technology is based on the most abundant elements on the earth, which makes GRM technology a stable, sustainable and economic technology. Third, graphene is a kind of two-dimensional material, which is not only suitable for the production of information and communication field, but also suitable for the development of traditional Si material components.

 

 

Figure 3 publication of graphene related scientific papers

Graphene was found in Europe, and Research on GRM technology has spread all over the world, as shown in Figure 4. In 2013, the European region published the largest number of scientific papers on GRM technology, accounting for 34% of the total; followed by Asia, mainly from the contributions of the three East Asian countries; North America also attaches great importance to the research of GRM related technologies, accounting for 24% of the total.

Combined with the above discussion, GRM technology research can become a new, powerful and flexible, sustainable and economically feasible technology platform. Therefore, graphene technology research has become the most important frontier in the field of materials science. However, due to the unique structure of graphene, many applications of graphene may not be understood, and the corresponding analytical methods are also highly complex. According to Nobel laureate Frank Wilczek, graphene is the only system platform that can transform quantum field theory into patent innovation. Therefore, the fundamental and prospective research of GRM materials and technologies will still be the focus of attention in the next few years. The publication of scientific papers in this field will continue to maintain a rapid growth trend.

 

 

Figure 4 distribution of countries and regions publishing graphene related scientific and Technological Papers

3、 Panoramic analysis of GRM materials and technology patents

As an important part of intellectual property, patent is an important manifestation of enterprise R & D achievements, and also the most important display platform of world science and technology information. Through the panoramic analysis of global patents on GRM materials and technologies, we can understand the current development status of GRM technology and obtain the information of future technology development trend. It is an important means to study GRM technology, strategy and intelligence.

Since 2007, graphene related patent activities have accelerated, as shown in Figure 5. This is mainly driven by patent applications in related fields by major enterprises and scientific research institutions in South Korea and the United States. Moreover, the high-level graphene patent activities from China have also made important contributions. Some critics believe that Europe's graphene patents lag behind other regions. However, this is not the case. An intellectual property analysis shows that Europe's graphene patent panoramic strategy has an important foothold and can guarantee the value opportunities of Europe in the future. With the development of graphene potential technology, GRM patent activities are gradually mature, and redistribution of technology field will inevitably occur. Europe will also benefit from the patent based commercial fossil graphene research.

 

 

Figure 5 graphene patent applications

In general, the patent activities of graphene technology are growing rapidly, and they have gathered in the relevant market segments of the semiconductor and biotechnology industries, and all of these segments maintain a high level of patent activity. In the above market segments, the patent strategy of business activities usually includes two strategies: "profit maximization" and "profit optimization". Policies, regulations and business strategies restrict the practice of patents in the development process. In this environment, accurate technology panoramic analysis can provide important information for policy makers, investors and individual industry participants, thus providing a basis for sound policies, business strategies and commercialization research programs.

The top graphene patent owners (patent consignors) and their patent application analysis demonstrate the broad relevance of graphene in different industrial directions, such as automobiles, computers and chemical raw materials. In these industrial fields, the application of patents is widely changeable between time and industry, which increases the guiding challenge to strategic planning, and people need more accurate graphene intellectual property map.

Understanding and accurately positioning the technology panorama of graphene's rapid growth is very important for those looking for future value assurance. Patents may be a particularly important part of realizing the future commercial interests of graphene, because patents are an important component of intellectual property rights in business models, an important practice mode of technological development, and an important link in the strategic deployment of enterprise R & D.

The following analysis and discussion of intellectual property rights highlights the differences between graphene related scientific products represented by scientific and technological publications, and graphene related patent applications related to technology development, and provides a large-scale, concentrated activity of academic leaders (famous and contributing scientific outputs) and industrial leaders (significant contribution patent applications) Please).

4、 A panoramic analysis of graphene intellectual property

The patent activities related to graphene have been accelerated since 2007, which is similar to the performance in the field of scientific papers published. This phenomenon also proves that the research and exploration of graphene technology is developing rapidly in the world. Interestingly, the intellectual property activities related to graphene started as early as 2004, and the patent application process related to graphene manufacturing can be traced back to 1896 (this is a patent for the synthesis method of graphite oxide).

Before 2006, GRM related patents were mainly applied and developed by American research institutions, while after 2006, the number of GRM related patents began to increase sharply. After 2007, the applications for GRM related patents were mainly led by R & D institutions from South Korea, which are SamSung group and research institutions associated with Samsung Group, such as chengjunguan University.

According to the different application fields, the patents related to graphene include many directions, such as characterization methods, polymer composites, transparent display devices, transistors, capacitors, solar cells, biosensors, conductive inks, windows, saturated adsorbates, photoelectric detectors, tennis rackets, etc. Generally speaking, the patent applications related to graphene are focused on electronic components, preparation and synthesis, composite materials and other fields. Among them, the synthesis of GRM materials and the manufacturing of electronic devices account for 28% and 27% of the total patent applications respectively. As shown in Figure 6.

As we all know, the synthesis of graphene mainly includes chemical vapor deposition method, stripping method and so on, while graphene electronic devices mainly focus on equipment, transistors and computer chips. Although there may be overlap in each industry field, this is the result of interdisciplinary research, which makes technology transformation and breakthrough possible.

 

 

Figure 6 distribution of graphene patent applications

Graphene is widely used as a treasure house of vertical cross technology. It can be applied in electronic industry, information and communication industry, energy industry, consumer goods industry, polymer composite material industry, automobile industry, pharmaceutical industry, chemical catalysis industry, etc.

The number of patent applications for graphene dominated by synthesis and electronic devices just proves that the research on graphene is still in its infancy, and there is still a lot of room for the development and utilization of GRM.

Furthermore, considering that the research and development of graphene is still in its early stage, the development of batch synthesis methods and technologies is needed, and it is not surprising that a large number of patents on synthesis have emerged. With the development of graphene potential technology and the gradual maturity of patent applications, the redistribution of patent activities will be inevitable, and the share of patent applications in the aspect of preparation will gradually decrease and shift to the direction of terminal application which is not mature or determined at present.

By analyzing the regional distribution of patent applications, we can obtain the classification of key research institutions and potential markets of graphene. Figure 7 shows the distribution of graphene patent applications in different regions. Because enterprises prefer to apply for patents first in their home country, patent analysis of source jurisdiction can provide more basis for analysis of key markets and key production areas than International Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT).

As shown in Figure 7, compared with 2004-2006, South Korea applied for more patents on graphene between 2007 and 2009. This shows that around 2007, South Korea produced a large amount of commercial investment in graphene technology. Between 2010 and 2012, there was a significant increase in graphene patent applications in China. What is more noteworthy is that during this period of time, China's patent applications have covered many aspects of the field of science and technology. Not only did China's graphene patent activities grow significantly during this period, but its business investment in graphene technology also increased rapidly. It is also worth noting that the contribution of the European Patent Office to global graphene patent applications decreased from 8% in 2007-2009 to 4% in 2010-2012.

The distribution of patent owners with the most graphene related patents in the United States, China and South Korea is shown in Figure 8. Among them, Samsung Group, a Korean multinational enterprise, has the largest number of graphene technology patents, and its application volume is three times that of the second competitor. Samsung Group is unparalleled in the aspect of graphene patent application. Its main technology applications include synthetic technology, transparent display devices, composite materials, transistors, batteries and solar cells. Samsung's patent application is sustainable and in-depth research and development of graphene, and it also unites a wide range of academic institutions (patent owners). Shenzhen haiyangwang Lighting Technology Co., Ltd., the third Chinese enterprise, has the largest number of graphene related patents in China. Its main business is professional lighting equipment, laying graphene technology in LED and OLED fields.

 

 

Figure 7 graphene patent granting institutions

Another interesting point is that universities and research institutions account for 50% of graphene patent applications. The other 50% is contributed by SMEs and TNCs. Europe has contributed the most scientific papers in graphene technology, but its patent application lags far behind the United States (30%), China (25%) and South Korea (13%). Patent applications in Europe are mainly concentrated in scientific research institutions, accounting for 9% of the total.

Although the number of patent applications for graphene technology in Europe is relatively backward, it has left an important footprint in the panoramic development of graphene technology. Today, Nokia of Finland, the top patent owner of graphene in Europe, combines graphene materials with electronic devices such as resonators and electrodes to develop the semiconductor industry.

European universities have also made important contributions to graphene patent technology. They have jointly developed with enterprises, such as Germany's amo GmbH and chemical giant BASF, to jointly apply for patents and lay out the development of graphene related industries. In addition, European companies also see the importance of GRM patent application. They have jointly developed graphene technology with various enterprises and universities, including Samsung, vorbeck materials, Princeton University and Rice University. This helps to improve the quality of graphene technology research and is also an important graphene technology market.

 

 

Figure 8 distribution of global graphene patent holders

In graphene technology system, there are risks of patent jungle and overlapping of many authorized patents. The patent activities around graphene are of high capacity, which is an early technology direction, and the patent application is highly professional. In the panorama of graphene technology, carbon nanostructures are often found, but these carbon nanostructures are not the real graphene. This is the main difficulty in the definition and planning of graphene development.

Furthermore, the establishment of graphene terminology is not perfect. Different patent examination bodies may grant patents to the same components, and the names of these components in different experts and industrial fields are different. The use of different names should be deliberate and efforts should be made to overcome the barriers to overlapping naming. Some scientific and technological literatures hold that the quality of patent evaluation is underground due to the difficulty of finding experts in relevant fields. Therefore, a high-quality patent jungle should be established to reduce the negative impact on GRM technology innovation.

Despite the above difficulties, graphene technology is still an important opportunity and challenge for academic institutions, SMEs and multinational companies. The growing academic industry alliance, such as the case of Korea and the United States, should be used to prepare for the inevitable redistribution of graphene patents when technology matures. More importantly, the key to planning GRM technology and developing GRM products is to shift the focus from material synthesis to end-user applications that have not yet been fully established

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