Graphene composites: introduction and market status - Page 6

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.

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.

A team of researchers from Japan's Chiba University, led by Associate Professor Tomonori Ohba and including master’s students, Mr. Kai Haraguchi and Mr. Sogo Iwakami, has fabricated fullerene-pillared porous graphene (FPPG)—a carbon composite comprising nanocarbons—using a bottom-up approach with highly designable and controllable pore structures. 

Separation processes are essential in the purification and concentration of a target molecule during water purification, removal of pollutants, and heat pumping. To make the separation processes more energy efficient, improvement in the design of porous materials is necessary. Porous carbon materials offer a distinct advantage as they are composed of only one type of atom and have been well-used for separation processes. They have large pore volumes and surface areas, providing high performance in gas separation, water purification, and storage. However, pore structures generally have high heterogeneity with low designability, which poses various challenges, limiting the applicability of carbon materials in separation and storage.

Gerdau Graphene has announced that Packseven, one of Brazil’s largest flexible film makers, will be commercializing  what they define as 'the world's first graphene-enhanced stretch film'. It is expected to be made available for sale in Q3 2023.

The new ultra-thin film, developed using Gerdau Graphene’s specialized graphene additive technology, is said to be significantly thinner and more durable: initial testing revealed that the new films could pack 120% more material without breaking compared with comparable flexible films. More durable stretch films reduce consumption of the material per pallet and increase safety in packing and loading. 

Researchers at Queen Mary University, University of Sussex and University of Brighton have integrated graphene into seaweed to create nanocomposite microcapsules for highly tunable and sustainable epidermal electronics. When assembled into networks, the tiny capsules can record muscular, breathing, pulse, and blood pressure measurements in real-time with ultrahigh precision.

The team explained that much of the current research on nanocomposite-based sensors is related to non-sustainable materials. This means that these devices contribute to plastic waste when they are no longer in use. The new study shows that it is possible to combine molecular gastronomy concepts with biodegradable materials to create such devices that are not only environmentally friendly, but also have the potential to outperform the non-sustainable ones.

Researchers from Purdue University have developed patent-pending, solid-state, continuously tunable thermal devices based on compressible graphene foam composites. The devices can dissipate heat, insulate against cold and function across a wide range of temperatures. 

The devices have the potential to improve battery safety and performance in electronic devices and systems like battery thermal management, space conditioning, vehicle thermal comfort and thermal energy storage.

Haydale has announced that it will be a key contributor to Viritech's development of fuel cell hydrogen electric vehicles (FCHEVs).

Viritech, a developer of high-performance hydrogen powertrain solutions for the automotive industry, has secured a major role in Ford Motor Company's three-year hydrogen fuel cell E-Transit trial and Haydale will lead the development of new functionalized materials and resins for Type V pressure vessels to support Viritech's proprietary integrated mounting system Graph-Pro™.

Stellantis and Lyten have announced that Stellantis Ventures, the corporate venture fund of Stellantis, invested in Lyten to accelerate the commercialization of Lyten 3D Graphene™ applications for the mobility industry, including the LytCell™ Lithium-Sulfur EV battery, lightweighting composites, and novel on-board sensing. 

Lyten will aim to leverage the tunability of the material to enable enhanced vehicle performance and customer experience while decarbonizing the transportation sector. Lyten’s tunable materials platform has demonstrated significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions and will advance the transition to sustainable mobility.

Haydale recently announced an extension of its cooperation with Viritech, a developer of high-performance hydrogen powertrain solutions for the automotive industry. The two companies will work together on solutions for hydrogen pressure vessels, initially focusing on commercial vehicles.

In focusing on Type V, linerless pressure vessels, Viritech and Haydale are looking to develop 'the world’s most efficient vehicle storage system for gaseous hydrogen'. This technology could have wide application, including to the automotive, aerospace, and marine industries, with immediate application in the emerging market for fuel cell vans.

Goodfellow Cambridge, a UK-based supplier of specialist metals and materials to the scientific and industrial manufacturing sectors, has recently introduced several new products, including a composite material consisting of graphene.

The new product reportedly boasts remarkable mechanical properties, along with outstanding biocompatibility. The Company's exclusive range of products, Hastalex and BioHastalex, are only available to its existing customer base.