Graphene composites: introduction and market status - Page 35

Versarien has announced the successful completion of a grant funded project focused on graphene enhanced carbon fibre composites with the National Graphene Institute (NGI) at The University of Manchester.

Extensive trials of the graphene produced by Versarien’s subsidiary, 2-DTech, by an NGI team, in carbon fibre composite products, has demonstrated the benefit of adding graphene, particularly with regard to significantly enhancing the strength of the structure.

The Sixth Element, a leading producer of graphene products based in China, supported its partner Shangdong Hengyu Technology Group, a leading Chinese tyre manufacturer, in developing tyre formulations proving the positive impact of graphene oxide on the performance of tyres as an example for rubber products.

Adding only a very small amount of The Sixth Elements’ SE2430 to the formulations of the tyre tread, the rate of tyre wear decreased by more than 25%, while tear strength was more than doubled. The Sixth Element Materials Technology presented the new developed heavy duty tyre Horizon HD type during the GRAPHCHINA 2016 conference.

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".

Researchers at Tsinghua University in China have shown that feeding silkworms mulberry leaves sprayed with an aqueous solution containing a 0.2% (by weight) graphene or carbon nanotubes can result in reinforced silk that could be used in applications like durable protective fabrics, biodegradable medical implants, and wearable electronics.

This carbon-enhanced silk is said to be twice as tough as regular silks, and can withstand at least 50% higher stress before breaking. The team heated the silk fibers at 1,050 °C to carbonize the silk protein and then studied their conductivity and structure. The modified silks conduct electricity, unlike regular silk. Raman spectroscopy and electron microscopy imaging showed that the carbon-enhanced silk fibers had a more ordered crystal structure due to the incorporated nanomaterials.

Haydale recently updated on the company's financial status, and has now announced that its wholly owned subsidiary, Haydale Composite Solutions, has won a 310,000 pounds ($403,000 USD) contract extension from National Grid.

Haydale stated that the unit started designing and developing a lightweight composite gas transition piece, used to provide support and seal around steel gas transmission pipelines passing through walls. The company said that part of the contract was recognized in fiscal 2016, but that the majority of it is going to be recognized over the next 12 to 15 months.

Researchers from the University of Madras in India have managed to produce a monolayer or a few layers thick graphene nanosheets from graphite, using a simple, inexpensive and quick process without the use of strong oxidizing or reducing agents.

Liquid phase exfoliation methods are widely adopted for synthesizing graphene from graphite for their relative ease and cost-effectiveness. Still, the use of strong solvents and relatively low yield have turned out to be major drawbacks, limiting its utilization in the large-scale production of graphene. Now, the Madras team used ultrasound along with water, glacial acetic acid (CH3COOH - a mild solvent), and ethanol (C2H6O) to exfoliate graphite into graphene sheets.

Group NanoXplore, a Canadian company specializing in the production and application of graphene and its derivative materials, has announced that Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC) will partner with the company to support the commercialization of lighter, more reliable and higher-efficiency components for electric motor systems using graphene-enhanced engineering plastics in place of metals. The total value of the project is $10.4 million.

Replacing metals with plastics will require innovative polymers with unique thermal, electrical, and strength characteristics. NanoXplore has developed and is providing customers with graphene-enhanced polymers with enhanced electrical, thermal and mechanical properties. By adding trace amounts of graphene to carefully-selected polymers, engineering plastics can be tailored to improve electric motors and the systems they are used in.

Lomiko Metals has announced that it will be presenting a summary of the Graphene Energy Storage Devices Corp. (GESD) Graphene Supercapacitor Project at the Battery Material Conference in Toronto September 2016.

GESD is currently working on scale-up of the technology and an in-field evaluation of the energy storage unit with Stony Brook University. The GESD-SBU team demonstrated design and implementation of a sealed high-voltage EDLCs energy storage unit. The unit is internally balanced, there is no need for an external circuit. The electrode is very cost-effective nano-carbon composite either of a commercial carbon or of graphene platelets with carbon nanotubes. The nano-carbon electrode materials were used for deposition and assembly of a working prototype of an internally balanced high-voltage energy storage unit. The bench-top prototype unit, tested up to 10 V, exhibited good discharge characteristics and charge retention. This development enables new compact energy storage solutions for grid and vehicular applications.

Haydale recently declared the planned acquisition of Innophene, a Thailand-based graphene-enhanced conductive ink and composites manufacturer, in an all-share deal for approximately £311,665. The acquisition marks a significant step in UK-based Haydale Graphene Industries’ expansion into the Asian market, since Innophene’s access to The Thailand Science Park in Bangkok, with its extensive analytical and processing capabilities, provides a platform for it to become the Group’s Far East Centre of Excellence.

Innophene, founded in 2011, has developed (in conjunction with the Thailand National Science & Technology Development Agency) a one-stage exfoliation/dispersion process to create a range of graphene-enhanced transparent conductive inks for inkjet and other printing platforms. They have also now developed a graphene enhanced PLA (Poly-Lactic Acid) resin (commonly used in medical devices and 3D printing).

Last month we launched a new feature - Experts Roundup. In this feature we ask graphene professionals to answer a short graphene related question. Last month's question was "will CVD ever be a viable commercial way to produce graphene?" and we got great response to that. Hopefully this month feature will be just as good.

In the growing field of graphene-enhanced composites, especially plastics, how does graphene oxide fit in? Does it have any significant advantages over graphene?

Ian Fuller, VP business development & engineering, Angstron Materials : I would classify graphene oxide as a functionalized graphene nanomaterial. Functionalization, in general, allows for tailored nanomaterials for applications such as polymer nanocomposites. The oxygen-based groups on the surface of graphene oxide often promote coupling between the polymer and the nanomaterial leading to enhanced properties such as strength and quality of dispersion (however, electrical and thermal conductivity are often reduced). Similarly, other functional groups can be added to the surface of a graphene platelet to customize it for a range of applications and polymers.