Graphene composites: introduction and market status - Page 18

Orbex, a UK-based private, low-cost orbital launch services company, has developed what it calls an "advanced, low carbon, high performance micro-launch" rocket called "Orbex Prime" and states that it already has a customer to fly on it.

Built with 3D-printed engines and a carbon fiber-and-graphene body, Orbex Prime will utilize renewable "bio-propane" as its fuel of choice. The two-stage rocket will be designed to carry up to 150 kilograms of payload, contained within a 1.3-meter fairing, into Sun Synchronous Orbit. Orbex even says its Prime rocket will be "80% reusable", although it is rather unclear how this would be executed.

Directa Plus has signed an agreement with Comerio Ercole to pursue joint research and development projects using the company's G+ graphene technology.

Comerio is an Italian engineering and manufacturing company founded in 1885, that specializes in rubber and composite material processing.

Global Graphene Group (G3) has announced the signing of a joint development agreement (JDA) with a major Taiwan-based manufacturer. The companies will work together to incorporate graphene-enhanced materials into polyetheretherketone (PEEK)-based products for the semiconductor industry in portions of Asia.

PEEK is a high-performance engineering thermoplastic. The addition of G3’s graphene will improve the thermoplastic’s mechanical, electrical and thermal properties. As an excellent self-lubrication material, graphene can help lower the friction ratio of PEEK/Graphene devices and reduce its wear rate significantly. It can also improve its anti-corrosion properties against harsh environments by creating a barrier to the polymer matrix.

Talga Resources has executed a Joint Development Agreement (JDA) with BillerudKorsnäs, a Swedish multinational packaging company.

The JDA reportedly results from successful test work completed under the Letter of Intent, signed by the parties in August 2018, regarding Talga’s functionalized graphene product, Talphene, used in BillerudKorsnäs fiber and board packaging products.

2D fab, together with SAAB and Blackwing Sweden, developed new graphene-enhanced components for the aviation industry that offer increased lightning strike protection and strength.

The project, called Multigraph, was launched in 2017 with the mission to create better components for the aviation industry. The aim was to use graphene’s multifunctional properties to increase the mechanical strength and electrical conductivity of the materials used, the latter reducing the amount of maintenance required due to lightning strikes.

Haydale has launched a range of graphene-enhanced prepreg materials for lightning-strike protection, utilizing functionalized graphene to improve the electrical conductivity.

The material has been developed in collaboration with Airbus UK, BAE Systems, GE Aviation and Element Materials Technology Warwick, within the NATEP-supported GraCELs project where the first iterations of materials were developed and subjected to lighting strike tests. The consortium is now looking to manufacture a demonstrator component using the materials developed to establish composite manufacturing protocols as a showcase part for commercial purposes.

The Colloids Group is funding a joint collaborative Ph.D. research project with the Graphene Engineering Innovation Centre (GEIC) at The University of Manchester. The project team will investigate the applicability of nanocomposites based on graphene and other two-dimensional (2D) materials to a broad range of thermoplastic materials, including polyolefins, polyamides and polyesters, and to understand how mechanical, thermal, electrical, rheological and gas-barrier properties (among others) are affected by the production process and by the materials used.

Phase 1 of this collaborative project was successfully completed within 12 months. Phase 2, which is about to start, is expected to be a three to four year research project. For this next phase, Colloids is funding and supporting a full time Ph.D. researcher who will be based at the University of Manchester with the Advanced Nanomaterials Group led by Dr. Mark A. Bissett and Professor Ian A. Kinloch.

Tetra Pak has joined the Graphene Flagship project as the exclusive representative from the packaging industry to explore possible future applications of graphene in food and beverage manufacturing.

As part of the programme, packaging material innovations are being examined to see how graphene could offer coatings to reduce carbon footprint in the packaging supply chain.

UK-based start-up company, GraphCase, has developed a patent-pending technology to create a composite polymer using graphene, which is made from 100% recycled plastics. A prototype for a graphene-based smart suitcase made from this material has been developed in collaboration with The University of Manchester. The world's first graphene suitcase is said to be 60% stronger, 20% lighter and has a lifetime warranty. The material used can also be recycled multiple times whilst maintaining its performance.

The overwhelming excess of plastic, detrimental to the environment, can be addressed by recycling, However, one of the barriers for using recycled plastic includes degradation and thermal aging of the plastic as well as mixing low-grade materials into the batch, which results in poor performance properties and lower reusability. The use of one 20" GraphCase cabin luggage could potentially reduce 6 kg CO₂ emissions into the environment.

Applied Graphene Materials (AGM) and pressure vessel manufacturer Infinite Composites Technologies have collaborated to develop a composite material for space exploration.

The partnership saw the use of AGM’s graphene technology in two resin systems for cryogenic pressure tanks. These vessels are currently being explored by Nasa for use in several spaceflight missions, as well as International Space Station Experiments (MISSE), Artemis and Lunar Gateway programmes.