Graphene Coating: introduction and market status - Page 3

South Korea’s HD Hyundai Heavy Industries Co. has announced the use of a graphene-based sound and vibration dampening material on a mission ship.

Image credit: HD Hyundai Heavy Industries, Pulsenews

HD Hyundai Heavy Industries said it has collaborated with HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering Co., Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), and BN Chemical Co., a specialized ship painting company, for the development and application of the material.

The GIANCE research project officially commenced on October 1st, marking a step toward addressing environmental challenges with innovative solutions.

GIANCE is an ambitious initiative that seeks to establish a holistic, integrated and industry-driven platform with a clear focus on improving sustainable materials and their real-world applications. This project is dedicated to designing, developing and scaling up the next generation of cost-effective, sustainable, lightweight and recyclable graphene and related materials (GRM)-based multifunctional composites, coatings, foams and membranes (GRM-bM).

Magellan International Lube & Chemical is a small company based in the US, that designs and sells products for heavy industry and the performance world. The company's owner has been successful in solving solutions for NASA and he has been inducted into the NASA Space technology Hall of Fame for Advanced Lubrication Technology.

Magellan's research team has been attracted to graphene years ago, and have spent over 5 years testing and developing the ability to enhance its lubricants with graphene materials. The company's first project was to develop a graphene-enhanced assembly lube.

Chinese electronics company Midea has unveiled an anti-corrosion solution to improve air conditioner performance and reliability in coastal and tropical climates. The solution, featuring proprietary tech called Hyper Grapfins and sheet metal coatings, is integrated into two Midea HVAC systems, BreezelessE and PenroseAir. This technology provides comprehensive protection against salty, humid air, enhancing the durability and lifespan of both indoor and outdoor units.

Air conditioning in coastal regions can be challenging due to the corrosive effects of salt air on the critical components, leading to costly maintenance and replacements for restaurateurs and hotel owners. To address the problem, Midea developed the patented Prime Guard Hyper Grapfin which is coated with graphene to increase the durability, performance, and energy efficiency of HVAC systems.

HydroGraph Clean Power, a manufacturer of graphene, has announced it is expanding its application development capabilities to meet growing global demand by establishing a partnership with the University of Manchester’s Graphene Engineering Innovation Center (GEIC) commencing in October of 2023. 

This strategic collaboration will aim to significantly enhance and ‘de-risk’ HydroGraph's application development capabilities. The GEIC, formed to commercialize graphene-related technologies and products, specializes in rapidly scaling up applications involving composites, building materials, membranes, inks, and coatings. To support their mission the £60 million GEIC facility was established with significant lab and engineering space that houses state-of-the-art testing and application development equipment, supported by experienced and knowledgeable team. Hydrograph will scale up this critical application development work by leveraging the resources at the GEIC with a team of commercially focused scientists and engineers to support industry adoption of its "99.8% pristine fractal graphene".

HydroGraph Clean Power has announced its collaboration with Kansas-based EMP Shield Inc., a company focused on protecting devices from destructive electromagnetic interference. Under this collaboration, the HydroGraph and EMP Shield are developing advanced electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding using HydroGraph’s high-purity graphene.

Electronic equipment can be protected from EMI by conductive or absorptive materials and coatings. HydroGraph and EMP Shield are working together to develop coatings and insulated barriers to protect electronic devices by blocking unwanted disruptions or transmission of electronic data.

Directa Plus has announced that Setcar SA, its environmental services subsidiary, has signed a three-year contract with Liberty Galati, the largest integrated steel producer in Romania, to process oily mills sludge.

The contract will last for three years and has a total value of €5.5 million, with the potential for further expansion up to a total of €8.0 million. Under the terms of the agreement, Setcar will provide solutions for the treatment of oily mills scale produced in the manufacturing of steel.

Directa said the contract would enable Setcar to expand further its waste treatment and disposal services for industrial pollutants and broaden the range of applications for the group’s Grafysorber technology. By using Grafysorber, Setcar would allow Liberty Galati to recycle a considerable amount of oily sludge waste, transforming it into a raw material suitable for reuse in steel production.

Haydale and PETRONAS Technology Ventures (PTVSB), the technology commercialization arm of Petroliam Nasional Berhad (PETRONAS), have executed a collaboration agreement to functionalize graphene for product applications, in an effort to accelerate commercialization of graphene-based formulations in various different industries.

The agreement, which runs through to 31 December 2025, will see the parties exploring graphene for further commercial applications in battery cells, composites, coatings and thermal materials, among others. The collaboration will also cover knowledge sharing between the parties.

Sparc Technologies has reported positive results in relation to its ecosparc product. The critical Thermal-Cycling Resistance Testing has reportedly demonstrated significant reductions in cracking when utilizing ecosparc-enhanced coatings in comparison to coatings without ecosparc.

The prevention and postponement of cracking plays a pivotal role in extending the life of protective coatings. A primary cause of coating deterioration, which subsequently leads to corrosion and asset degradation, is the occurrence of cracks on welds and angular surfaces. An accredited third-party laboratory conducted the ThermalCycling Resistance Test.

The Graphene Flagship, Europe's $1 billion graphene research initiative, has summed up its progress in advancing graphene-based innovations for automotive in the last ten years. The project examines, among other topics, how graphene can address key challenges in the automotive sector, such as fuel efficiency, recycling, and environmental impact.

Graphene has the potential to drive significant advancements in the automotive industry — from strengthening structural components to improving electrochemical energy storage (i.e., Batteries) efficiency and safety in electric cars as well as enhancing the performance of the self-driving car. The Graphene Flagship has orchestrated a number of projects researching the benefits of graphene in automotive applications and how vehicles can be improved. The Graphene Flagship reports it is now seeing this research and development come to fruition. Listed below are the automotive-related advancements that were achieved.