Graphene, 0.2nm thin, high physical and chemical stability
Dream Factory possesses source technology for graphene nanomaterials
Sensing material can be selected depending on the reaction resin combination

Numerous companies participated in the 2018 Korea Electronics Show and showcased their unique technologies.

Regardless of the size of the companies, all the technologies were interesting and sufficient to capture the attention of visitors. Dream Factory's Graphene IoT Leak Sensor, 'SMART-ON,' was one of them.

Industrial sites are always extremely dangerous. This is because numerous pieces of equipment, possessing power far greater than that of humans, handle massive quantities of hazardous substances. If hazardous materials leak from these facilities, it results not only in property damage but also in loss of life. Therefore, leaks must be detected and addressed in advance. Since leak sensors must detect hazardous substances at the closest possible distance, they must not be destroyed by them. If a sensor is destroyed, everything falls apart. This is why the durability of sensors must be exceptional.
Graphene, one of the allotropes of carbon, is extremely thin with a thickness of 0.2 nm (2 ten-billionths of a meter) and possesses high physical and chemical stability. Other allotropes of carbon include graphite, carbon nanotubes, fullerenes, and diamond, but graphene is only a single atomic layer thick. Although its bonding structure is the same, its characteristics differ from graphite, which is composed of multiple layers. Graphene, which has very high electron mobility and thermal conductivity, also has a very large theoretical specific surface area. Because it consists of a single layer of atoms, it has very low absorption of visible light, and its transmittance for light with a wavelength of 550 nm is 97.7%.

Graphene conducts electricity more than 100 times better than copper and can move electrons more than 100 times faster than single-crystal silicon, which is mainly used as a semiconductor. It is more than 200 times stronger than steel, has more than twice the thermal conductivity of diamond, which boasts the highest thermal conductivity, and has excellent elasticity, so it does not lose its electrical properties even when stretched or bent. Due to these characteristics, graphene is evaluated as a material that surpasses carbon nanotubes, which are in the spotlight as next-generation new materials, and is called the "dream nanomaterial."
The IoT leakage sensor made by Dream Factory using such graphene is SMART-ON.

Dream Factory, located in Seongnam, Gyeonggi-do, is a startup established in October 2015. Dream Factory manufactures sensors with improved sensitivity and accuracy using graphene nanomaterials secured through joint industry-academia-research collaboration, and provides IoT leakage sensors that can protect customers' lives and property by integrating them into monitoring systems.

Dream Factory possesses core technology capable of manufacturing graphene nanomaterials used as sensor electrodes and sells IoT systems that enable the status of installed sensors to be displayed in applications, the web, and more.

SMART-ON is an optimized hazardous chemical leak detection and monitoring system that sends an alarm within seconds of a leak occurring, ensuring customer safety and minimizing damage.

Due to the strong durability and high versatility of Dream Factory sensors and monitoring systems, they can be applied in various fields, such as industrial sites like chemical plants, university chemical and materials engineering research institutes, and tank trucks.
At the Korea Electronics Show, Hyun Min-hwan, a principal researcher at Dream Factory, demonstrated a hazardous substance detection film sensor utilizing graphene. The film coated with the graphene sensor detects acids, bases, and organic substances. When hazardous substances adhere to or adsorb into the film's pores, the resistance of the connector rises sharply.

If the resistance rises above a preset value, it notifies the customer via communication such as Wi-Fi. If this film sensor is installed in a band around the oil storage area or surroundings of a factory handling hazardous materials, it can detect the emission or leakage of hazardous materials in advance and prevent accidents.

Although SMART-ON is made of graphene, specific substances that can be detected can be selected depending on how the reactive resin is combined. In addition to liquids, gases and colors can also be detected.

"It can be installed in large-scale chemical plants, or on a smaller scale at university laboratories or reagent warehouses, to prepare for the risk of leakage," said Hyun Min-hwan, a principal researcher at Dream Factory. "Since it is an IoT sensor with endless applications, hazardous substance detection sensors can be installed to suit the customer's specific situation."