Graphene Coating: introduction and market status - Page 19

Future Markets has released a new report titled The Graphene and 2-D Materials Global Opportunity and Market Forecast 2017-2027 Report, that predicts that the graphene market will reach $250 million in revenues in 2017.

According to Future Markets, revenues for graphene at the materials supply level will be less than $75 million. However, a growing number of products that make use of graphene and 2D materials across a range of markets (smartphones, supercapacitors, coatings, composites, smart textiles and conductive inks) will be generating revenues of over $175 million, at the component level, in 2017. The market for graphene continues to expand, with new product launches, multi-million dollar funding for companies and start-ups and new government initiatives worldwide.

It was recently announced that work on the Smart Filter project, initially declared in October 2015, has begun.

The Smart Filter project - an Innovate UK-funded project led by Haydale and involving The CPI, G2O Water Technologies and Sellafield - aims to develop a low cost self-cleaning coating technology based on functionalized graphene, which once applied to industrial membranes increases their resistance to fouling and enhances ion removal. The technology has already been demonstrated successfully in lab-scale tests.

In a recent coatings event held in China, The Sixth Element and Daopeng Technology presented graphene-based anti-corrosion coatings.

The anti-corrosion coatings based on grapheneSE1132 from The Sixth Element are said to be a milestone for anti-corrosion applications in marine environment. Adding 1％ graphene to the primer, formulated with only 25% zinc powder, more than 3000 hours can be achieved in the salt spray test. Compared to conventional anti-corrosion systems using 70%-80% zinc powder, this new formulation with 1% graphene reduces the necessary zinc amount by more than 50%.

A couple of weeks ago we visited Haydale's headquarters and production floor in Ammanford, Wales, UK. Here are our impressions following this visit, the meeting with Haydale's management and a visit to the production floor and processing rooms.

First of all, let's clear up a common misunderstanding: Haydale is not a graphene producer. It buys graphene materials (from several sources) and uses its proprietary plasma process to improve the materials, make them more uniform in quality and tailor them to specific requirements. Haydale then uses these materials to create intermediate materials - inks, coatings, composite materials (and masterbatches) and 3D filaments. Haydale is working with customers to take these materials and use them in various graphene-enhanced products.

Researchers at the Center for Multidimensional Carbon Materials (CMCM) within the Institute for Basic Science (IBS), have demonstrated a graphene coating that protects glass from corrosion. Their research has been said to hold potential for solving problems related to glass corrosion in several industries.

The IBS scientists grew graphene on copper and transferred either one or two atom-thick layers of graphene onto both sides of rectangular pieces of glass. The effectiveness of the graphene coating was evaluated by water immersion testing and observing the differences between uncoated and coated glass. After 120 days of immersion in water at 60 C, uncoated glass samples had significantly increased in surface roughness and defects, and reduced in fracture strength. In contrast, both the single and double layer graphene-coated glasses had essentially no change in both fracture strength and surface roughness.

Graphene 3D Lab, a leader in the development, manufacturing and marketing of proprietary composites and coatings based on graphene and other advanced materials, recently announced the release of a new product. The Company will now offer a filament for 3D printing that is both highly electrically conductive and flexible.

G3L reports that the enhanced properties of this product make it ideal for applications involving flexible sensors, electromagnetic/radiofrequency shielding, flexible conductive traces and electrodes to be used in wearable electronics. This new material will be available for purchase in 1.75mm diameter 100 gram spools at the Company's on-line store, www.blackmagic3D.com, under the trade name of "Conductive Flexible TPU Filament".

Australia-based Imagine Intelligent Materials has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with TenCate Geosynthetics, for the purpose of expanding the commercialization opportunities for graphene-based geotextile coatings into the USA market.

The company stated that the next step is to modify the imgne X3 masterbatch to suit TenCate’s materials and confirm performance in field trials. The plan is that with progression of Imagine IM’s capability, it will strive to take it from polyester (PET) nonwoven geotextiles into polypropylene geotextiles.

Talga Resources has announced that commissioning of all stages of the Phase 2 German pilot test facility has been successfully completed.

In April 2016, Talga announced the commissioning of its Phase 2 processing plant in Germany and has now provided further updates. The pilot test plant is currently configured so that approximately 76% of the input graphitic carbon reports to graphene products (FLG and GNP) and the remaining carbon reports to Talga’s building sector (micrographite) products.

Talga Resources recently announced its new graphene commercialization strategy, made possible by the growth and scale-up of Talga’s pilot plant facility in Germany.

One of the premier industry sectors identified by Talga was metal pre-treatment coating. Talga now announced that it manufactured its first graphene coating product, and delivered it to its industry partner. This partner is highly likely to be Tata Steel - with whom Talga has been collaborating since the end of 2015.

Applied Graphene Materials has signed a joint development agreement with James Briggs, one of Europe’s largest consumer chemicals companies, to develop graphene-based anti-corrosive coatings. This collaboration reportedly follows the outstanding performance results from proof of concept studies into such coatings.

AGM and James Briggs have already started an accelerated product development program that aims towards early market exploitation of graphene. Under the JDA, James Briggs will incorporate graphene material into its existing paint formulations to deliver higher-performing primers with improved corrosion protection. The expectation is that a new range of primers will be launched in early 2017. Alongside this, the two businesses will be cooperating on potential applications for lubrication products given the improved friction properties offered by the application of graphene.