Graphene Coating: introduction and market status - Page 14

Versarien recently announced it will be collaborating with fire retardant coatings supplier Advanced Insulation to work on a graphene project.

The collaboration will focus on incorporating Versarien's Nanene few layer graphene nano-platelets into sub-sea insulation materials to improve tear resistance and reducing water absorption of these materials.

Greece-based industrial paint producer Hydroton has launched a new graphene-enhanced zinc epoxy paint - the 23303 ZINCTON GNC. This is a two-component epoxy based coating that offers improved cathodic protection due to the addition of the graphene, compared to epoxy zinc rich primers.

The new primer also offers improved adhesion to metal and as the zinc content is low, it is still cost effective. It is recommended for applications in highly corrosive environments.

Haydale has been jointly awarded a contract by the English Institute for Sport (‘EIS’) for the development of advanced wearable technology for elite athletes in training for the 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

The EIS will use Haydale and its long-term partner the Welsh Centre for Printing and Coating at Swansea University to incorporate graphene coatings into a range of clothing for elite performers.

Earlier in 2018 Applied Graphene Materials (AGM) launched their Genable 3000 dispersion range - graphene based, active non-metallic, anti-corrosion additives. AGM has now reported results from further testing, which not only underlines the potential for significant anti-corrosion performance gains but also the products commercial attractiveness particularly under harsher C4/C5 corrosive environments.

Incorporated into the formulation of an industry standard C3 epoxy primer system, and tested under representative cyclical salt spray testing (ASTM G-85-94 Prohesion), Genable 3000 series materials have been shown to deliver a 5-fold extension in coating lifetime, based on a single 60 micron dry film thickness. These results are supported by a detailed mechanical dataset and studies incorporating combination with a PU topcoat exploring intercoat adhesion and overcoating intervals. All results confirm the products attractiveness for development into commercial anti-corrosion systems.

Gilding is the process of coating intricate artifacts with precious metals. Ancient Egyptians and Chinese coated their sculptures with thin metal films using gilding—and these golden sculptures have resisted corrosion, wear, and environmental degradation for thousands of years.

Microscope image of a graphene crystal on a palladium leaf

In a new study at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Sameh Tawfick was inspired by this ancient process and used it with a twist - he added a layer of graphene on top of palladium metal leaves—doubling the protective quality of gilding against wear and tear.

Australia-based advanced materials technology company, Talga Resources, has advised that it has signed a Joint Development Agreement with Biomer Technology, a UK-based polymer manufacturing and technology company, to co-develop graphene-enhanced thermoplastics for potential commercialization in the healthcare and coating markets.

This initiative is in the composites sector under Talga’s graphene commercialization strategy. Highlights of the JDA include:

• Creation of new multi-functional thermoplastic polyurethanes incorporating Talga functionalized graphene (Talphene) in Biomer polymers.
• Terms for evaluation, five years exclusive supply in the event of commercialization of products and intellectual property ownership.
• Commercialization of successful products for targeted biomedical and coating applications can be facilitated through Biomer’s existing global-scale commercial clients.

Researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Collaborative Innovation Center of Quantum Matter (Beijing), looked at the interactions of water molecules with various graphene-covered surfaces and found that graphene coatings may offer the ability to control the water evaporation process from various surfaces.

Lead author of the study, Dr. Yongfeng Huang from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said: "Water droplet evaporation is a ubiquitous and complicated phenomenon, and plays a pivotal role in nature and industry. Understanding its mechanism at the atomic scale, and controlling evaporation rate rationally is important for applications including heat transfer and body-temperature control. However, it remains a significant challenge". The team's experiments showed that a graphene coating controls water evaporation by suppressing the evaporation rate on hydrophilic surfaces, and accelerating evaporation on hydrophobic ones.

ZNShine Solar is a maker of PV modules, PV power station and EPC, founded in 1988 in China. In May 2018, ZNShine Solar launched the G12 evolution era series - a 12-busbar graphene module, 5-busbar graphene module and double-glass graphene module. According to reports, the application of ZS's graphene film layer increases light transmission performance of the glass itself. In addition, Znshine Solar's modules are self-cleaning.

Now, reports suggest that ZNShine Solar has won the bid to provide 37.5MW of PV modules to Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL), India's largest power generation equipment manufacturer. The deal makes ZNShine Solar the first overseas module supplier to win a contract with BHEL. According to the contract,10% of the shipment will be graphene-coated solar panel and all deliveries will be made by October.

A collaboration led by the University of Tsukuba has recently optimized an approach to increase the stability of catalysts used in the hydrogen evolution reaction without significantly sacrificing activity. The team found that coating catalyst nanoparticles with an optimal number of layers of graphene raised nanoparticle durability while allowing the nanoparticles to retain their catalytic activity. The study was reported in ACS Energy Letters.

"We optimized the balance between the number of graphene layers coating the nanoparticles and their catalytic activity," study first author Kailong Hu says. "To do this, we had to precisely control the number of graphene layers coating the nanoparticles, which we achieved by carefully regulating the deposition time of graphene on the nanoparticles."

First Graphene Limited has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with Engage Marine for the development of graphene-enhanced coatings and ropes for the marine industry. The Company and Engage Marine will work to commercialize the project outcomes with other global marine organizations.

Following FGR's commissioning of its Henderson Commercial Graphene Facility, it has been involved with a number of industries that could benefit from the addition of graphene to existing product ranges. Research work has shown graphene can provide significant benefits to the maritime industry in a number of applications. The most obvious application is in anti-fouling paints and coatings, which promise benefits from improved performance and longer life between reapplications; every five years instead of the three-year standard now prevalent.