Graphene composites: introduction and market status - Page 28

Imperial College London researchers aim to reduce the weight of body armor by combining silk with graphene. The team hypothesized that by improving on the Kevlar layer, they could reduce the size of the ceramic outer layer, making the vest much more wearable.

They initially looked at spider silk (as it is known to be 10 times tougher than Kevlar) but soon reached the conclusion that it would be too expensive and difficult. Instead, they turned to silk from silkworms, produced for thousands of years through sericulture. But while it is much easier to produce, it is not as tough as spider silk. To improve this, they added graphene.

Zenyatta Ventures has announced a strategic focus on graphene, which is converted from the Company’s Albany graphite deposit.

Zenyatta states that during 2017, independent labs in Japan, UK, Israel, USA and Canada demonstrated that Zenyatta’s rare form of graphite easily exfoliates to graphene using a variety of simple mechanical methods. It was also stated that the graphene produced by Zenyatta’s partners is a consistent and high-quality nanomaterial, including the most desirable, mono-layer to tri-layer forms. The Company’s graphene also has excellent dispersion properties and therefore is highly suitable for enhancing present day composite materials like rubber and concrete, as confirmed by the University of Sussex and Ben-Gurion University respectively.

Haydale Graphene Industries has provided an update on trading for the six months ended 31 December 2017, as well as the general progress updates.

The main highlights include the report that Haydale is on track with its strategy and trading is in line with market expectations for the full year to 30 June 2018. The creation of two Strategic Business Units (‘SBU’) with respective senior management teams to drive sales and realize geographic potential has reportedly led to an uptake in sales and commercial opportunities.

New research by WMG at the University of Warwick has shown a novel approach to replacing graphite in the anodes of lithium-ion batteries using silicon, by reinforcing the anode’s structure with graphene girders. The team expects that this could more than double the life of rechargeable lithium-ion batteries by extending the operating lifetime of the electrode, and also increase the capacity delivered by such batteries.

Researchers and manufacturers have been looking for a way to replace graphite in batteries with silicon for a long time, as it is an abundantly available element with ten times the gravimetric energy density of graphite. However, silicon has several performance issues that have so far limited such use. Due to its volume expansion upon lithiation silicon particles can electrochemically agglomerate in ways that impede further charge-discharge efficiency over time. Silicon is also not intrinsically elastic enough to cope with the strain of lithiation when it is repeatedly charged, leading to cracking and rapid degradation of the anode’s composite microstructure. This contributes significantly to capacity fade, along with degradation events that occur in the the cathode.

Callaway Golf Company, U.S-based maker of golf equipment, unveiled new graphene-enhanced golf balls called Callaway Chrome Soft golf and Chrome Soft X golf balls. Shipping is supposed to be starting in February 2018, for about $45/dozen.

Graphene has reportedly allowed designers to push the limits of compression between the inner and outer core. A soft inner core is made to deform under large impact, and surpresses spin for maximum distance. On shorter shots, the firm graphene outer core helps the ball hold its shape, allowing for maximum spin and control. The new outer core is also designed to help the urethane cover grip the outer core, for even more spin on shorter shots.

Versarien has noted the recent strong performances by British Skeleton World Cup competitor Dominic Parsons utilizing graphene-enhanced equipment provided by Versarien’s collaboration partner Bromley Technologies.

Versarien has been collaborating with Bromley since May 2016 to incorporate Versarien’s graphene enhanced carbon fibre into the skeleton sleds being produced by Bromley. Utilizing one of three Bromley X22 prototype sleds, Parsons set the fastest speed of 137.3 km/hr at the International Bobsleigh & Skeleton Federation World Cup Race in St. Moritz.

Scientists at the UK's University of Sunderland are leading Task 10.11 Composites for Automotive, part of the European Commission’s Future and Emerging Technology Flagship. The project is exploring how graphene could be used to create lighter, stronger, safer and more energy-efficient applications and parts for the automotive market.

The University of Sunderland is leading a consortium of five research partners from Italy, Spain and Germany that have been conducting a series of tests with support from Centro Ricerche CRF of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles over the last two years. Graphene was embedded into a polymer and mixed with traditional carbon fiber or glass fiber structural material, to test as the bumper of a car, and allowed the researchers to reduce the thickness of the structural components.

First Graphene has provided an update on its work with the University of Adelaide (UoA) on graphene for enhancement of industrial building products. The UoA is testing FGR graphene, with the aim of making smart cement with conductive graphene flakes with aims to address the concerns of cracking and corrosion and provide conductivity for better monitoring of the health of concrete structures.

According to FGR, the first test results indicate the addition of 0.03% standard graphene is the optimal quantity of graphene from the test conducted to date, showing a 22 - 23 % increase in compressive and tensile strength, respectively. The addition of more standard graphene does not reportedly increase or decrease the strength of the concrete material when compared to the control in this test work.

MITO Material Solutions has been awarded a National Science Foundation (NSF) Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant of $224,988 to develop a graphene oxide-based nano-additive that doubles the interlaminar toughness of composite materials utilized in aerospace, recreation, and automotive industries.

The main focus of this project is the development of new hybrid nanofillers based on Graphene Oxide (GO) and Polyhedral Oligomeric Silsesquioxane (POSS). These nanofillers can be added to epoxy/vinyl ester/polyester matrices through a "Master Batch" process to enhance the interlaminar fracture toughness of commercial composites.

As part of a collaboration between the Graphene Flagship and the European Space Agency, experiments testing graphene for two different space-related applications have been performed. These have been reported to show very promising results, based on which the Flagship is to continue the development of graphene devices for use in space.

Graphene's excellent thermal properties are promising for improving the performance of loop heat pipes, thermal management systems used in aerospace and satellite applications. Graphene could also have a use in space propulsion, due to its lightness and strong interaction with light. The Graphene Flagship tested both these applications in recent experiments in November and December 2017.