Graphene composites: introduction and market status - Page 22

Versarien, the advanced materials engineering group, has announced that it has signed a supply agreement to provide Versarien's new graphene enhanced polymer range to AECOM for a current infrastructure project.

This supply agreement follows the collaboration Versarien entered into with AECOM, a US headquartered and Fortune 500 company. This collaboration covered a project that AECOM and Versarien have been undertaking involving the incorporation of Versarien's graphene nano-platelets into large scale polymer structures used in civil infrastructure projects, with a view to increasing their structural strength.

US-based graphene developer XG Sciences recently made headlines with a production expansion announcement - and an exciting deal with Ford to supply it with graphene-enhanced parts for the latest the Mustang and F-150 automobiles.

We have reached out to XGS' CEO, Philip Rose, who was kind enough to answer a few questions we had regarding the company's latest materials, plans and business.

Versarien, the advanced materials engineering group, has announced the formal launch of the Company's new graphene-enhanced polymer range, Polygrene.

Working in collaboration with industrial partners, Versarien has developed a variety of polymer compounds and masterbatches that feature different types of polymers, along with different weight loadings of Versarien's graphene, all under the Polygrene banner. These can be used in industrial extrusion, moulding and 3D printing processes.

Scientists from The University of Manchester have combined graphene with the natural fiber jute, to create graphene-strengthened natural jute fiber composites. The team explains that this could lead to the manufacturing of high-performance and environmentally friendly natural fiber composites that could replace their synthetic counterparts in major manufacturing areas, like the automotive industry, ship building, durable wind turbine blades and more.

It could also boost the farming economies of countries such as Bangladesh, India, and China where the jute material is mainly produced the researchers from The University of Manchester claim. Jute is extracted from the bark of the white jute plant (Corchorus capsularis) and is a 100% bio-degradable, recyclable and environmentally friendly natural fiber. It is also the second most produced natural fiber in the world after cotton and is at least 50% cheaper than flax and other similar natural fibers.

Australia-based advanced materials technology company, Talga Resources, has reported outstanding conductivity results from its Talphene-enhanced epoxy composite trials undertaken at TWI in the UK. Carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) panels were constructed using a dispersion of Talga graphene (Talphene) in the epoxy-based resin of the composite and subjected to a range of conductivity tests pertinent to aircraft applications.

CFRP test panels after lightning strike tests (Talphene panel on right in both photos). Image by Talga

Results reported by Talga showed the Talphene panel provided similar lightning strike protection as copper mesh panels currently used in composite aircraft but saved 75% of the weight of the copper. Further results demonstrating Talphene’s significant conductivity included up to 500% increase in dielectric constant, 100% increase in resin thermal conductivity as well as spot temperatures well over 100 degrees celsius in anti-icing trials.

Researchers at Brown University, the University of Wisconsin and the National University of Singapore have developed a way of reinforcing hydrogel materials made from alginate, a natural material derived from seaweeds that’s currently used in a variety of biomedical applications, by incorporating graphene oxide into its structure.

This produces a material that can be 3D printed into structures that are stiffer and more fracture resistant than alginate alone - an important achievement as alginate tends to be fragile and thus hard to work with. Furthermore, the material is also capable of becoming stiffer or softer in response to different chemical treatments, meaning it could be used to make smart materials that are able to react to their surroundings in real time. In addition, alginate-GO retains alginate’s ability to repel oils, giving the new material potential as an anti-fouling coating.

Rice University scientists have developed a graphene-based epoxy for electronic applications. Epoxy combined with graphene foam invented in the Rice lab of Prof. James Tour) is reportedly substantially tougher than pure epoxy and far more conductive than other epoxy composites, while retaining the material's low density. It could improve upon epoxies in current use that weaken the material's structure with the addition of conductive fillers.

By itself, epoxy is an insulator, and is commonly used in coatings, adhesives, electronics, industrial tooling and structural composites. Metal or carbon fillers are often added for applications where conductivity is desired, like electromagnetic shielding. The trade-off, however, is that more filler brings better conductivity at the cost of weight and compressive strength, and the composite becomes harder to process. The Rice solution replaces metal or carbon powders with a 3D foam made of nanoscale sheets of graphene.

The University of New South Wales (UNSW) in Sydney and China's Hangzhou ­Cables have formalized a major collaboration to begin large-scale manufacturing of graphene power cables, which promise to cut electricity costs and improve grid transmission. This is an advancement of the May 2016 engagement between the two.

The agreement, which will move the project into the second stage of development, was formalized at a ceremony to mark UNSW’s Torch Innovation Week, a showcase of Australian and Chinese partnerships. The joint venture between UNSW Sydney and Hangzhou ­Cables received an additional $3 million (around $2,160,000 USD) funding boost that will transfer laboratory research results into the industrial production of a graphene cable pilot line located in Hangzhou.

Bedimensional has received €18 million to promote their main goal – discover new applications of graphene and related materials in consumer products. The investment was made by Italian 'Pellan Group,' specialized in groundbreaking technical materials.

Bedimensional is an Associated Member of the Graphene Flagship, and is part of a network of companies associated to the Graphene Flagship developing new solutions in the field of composites for energy harvest and storage, such as batteries, super capacitors and solar cells, as well as foster the development of new composite materials, some of which are already available on the market.

Recently, several reports have popped up regarding an unknown number of China’s Z-10 air-to-ground attack helicopters that have been upgraded with graphene to serve as an extra layer of protection. For example, Asia Times reported that "the People’s Liberation Army’s Z-10 attack helicopter is now equipped with extra armor made with the lightweight, structurally rigid graphene semimetal, the latest addition to protect the chopper’s airframe without eating into its effective payload".

A model of the Z-10 assault helicopter inside Tiananmen Square in Beijing

Several websites mentioned a video that appeared on China Central Television showing one of the helicopters with "an extra armor module near its tandem cockpit" touch down after a flight. The video has not been independently verified for authenticity, and Beijing is known to keep its military secrets well under wraps.