Graphene composites: introduction and market status - Page 7

U.S-based specialty chemical company, Mito Material Solutions, recently announced its first ready-to-pour graphene product. In partnership with industrial coatings manufacturer Forrest Technical Coatings, Mito has harnessed its patented technology platform for the production of functionalized graphene into ready-to-pour hybrid additives with chemical and physical bonding points.

The first two available ready-to-pour products are Mito E-Go Res-1, a laminating epoxy resin, and Mito Tri-Hdnr-1, an epoxy hardener. The ready-made products may be used separately but their formulas are optimized to work together.

Sparc Technologies has announced the commissioning of Sparc's ecosparc commercial production facility. The state of the art facility aims to enable Sparc to produce commercial quantities of the graphene additive product, ecosparc®. Target markets include the global coatings industry, composites and other graphene additive applications.

The new production facility will enable Sparc to provide commercial quantities of graphene additive product for trials with global coatings companies. The Company is currently undertaking evaluations with potential global end users with results from these evaluations expected in Q3 and Q4 CY23 respectively. In parallel, the company is pursuing opportunities to target Australian coatings companies that are looking to enhance the anti-corrosive and environmental performance of their products, with the addition of ecosparc.

Gerdau Graphene, a nanotechnology company focused on the production, development, and commercialization of graphene-enhanced materials for industrial applications, has announced that it has landed the first sales of its graphene-enhanced Poly-G PE-07GM polyethylene masterbatch. The additive is suitable for the production of films, profiles, and sheets formed through the extrusion processes. 

The new thermoplastic products created using Poly-G PE-07GM are said to be stronger and offer greater overall performance while costing less to manufacture and producing significantly less waste across the value chain. Poly-G PE-07GM was piloted in a series of industrial applications within Gerdau’s factories before
commercialization, including as a film for construction nail packaging. Gerdau found that by using the new, 25% thinner graphene-enhanced plastic film, far fewer nails perforated the packaging. As a result, Gerdau reported a 39% reduction in the volume of discarded damaged packaging and a 7% increase in
film productivity.

UK-based graphene developer Haydale announced its unaudited interim results for the six months ended 31 December 2022 (H1 FY2023). Revenues were £1.78 million (up 50% from H1 FY2022), and operating loss was £1.89 million (up from £1.75 million in 2022). At the end of the year, Haydale had £2.97 million, following a successful fund raise of  £5.14 million in September 2022.

The updates that it is starting to sell its biomedical inks in Europe, with advanced trials being conducted by several parties which include electronic blood glucose reader compatibility tests. 

This is a sponsored post by the Chinese Graphene Industry Association

In recent years, China has been working towards changing its IP protection system in order to encourage innovation and foreign collaboration. In the past, China has realized technology transfer mainly through acquisitions and establishing a large market for new technologies. Now the country is moving ahead with legislation to protect IP rights and eliminate unnecessary concerns in that field.

China has been putting a special emphasis on protecting IP by foreign-funded companies, creating a good environment for foreign capital investment and new businesses.

Graphene Layers, a start-up that develops graphene-based solutions, and Rutgers EcoComplex “Clean Energy Innovation Center” and its WindIgnite “Offshore Wind Supply Chain Accelerator Program,” announced a partnership aimed at advancing their shared goals and objectives in the fields of clean energy generation, sustainable development, and integrating graphene technology for Offshore Wind (OSW) applications. 

The partnership will focus on developing and commercializing graphene-based solutions that contribute to sustainable OSW supply chain development and help tackle some of the world’s most pressing environmental and societal challenges.

Haydale has announced that its bespoke mechanical graphene masterbatch has been used to create stronger and lighter composite sea kayaks for Norwegian paddle sport brand Norse Kayaks ("Norse").

Using the new graphene-enhanced material has reportedly made the Norse kayak 30% lighter, going from 23kg to 16kg, making the composite kayak easier to load and transport. The use of graphene in the vacuum infusion composite layup process has also increased both impact strength and stiffness, improving the resistance to breakage in critical areas of the kayak. Vibration dampening has also improved the user experience.

Sparc Technologies has progressed construction of a modular and scalable manufacturing facility to produce graphene-based additives with commissioning expected in Q1 CY23.

The facility will enable the production of commercial quantities of graphene-based additives for the growing global coatings and composites markets, according to the Company's investor update.

Researchers from QingDao University of Science and Technology have created a proof-of-concept optical tractor beam that can pull macroscopic objects via laser light. 

In the study, the research team essentially amplified the force with which light can pull objects. They accomplished this by developing a composite structure made of graphene-silicon dioxide that, when irradiated with a laser, creates a reverse temperature difference—in other words, the side facing away from the laser warms up. This causes the gas molecules on their back side to receive more energy, pushing the object toward the laser’s source. When conducted in a rarified gas environment, the force was strong enough to move macroscopic objects.

The Enlit Europe 2022 energy conference recently took place, and the Graphene Flagship participated, showing some of the latest energy-related graphene projects. We took the chance to discuss graphene with some of the flagship researchers, and we also talked to Prof. Jari Kinaret, the director of the flagship project, to learn of how he summarizes the last 10 years now that the flagship project will soon end.

Q: We understand that the Graphene Flagship is attending Enlit Europe 2022, showing some new graphene R&D projects. We'll be happy to get an overview of what will be displayed at the event.

At Enlit Europe, the Graphene Flagship exhibited innovations from its Spearhead Projects, which are industry-led initiatives working to move materials from research labs towards commercial applications. Among these initiatives are:

• CircuitBreakers, led by ABB and developing first-of-their-kind grease-free, maintenance-free, low-voltage circuit breakers for fault protection in key parts of the electrical grid;
• GRAPES, led by Enel Green Power and working on combining silicon solar cells with perovskite solar cells, paving the way for low-cost, highly efficient photovoltaic energy, surpassing the limits of silicon based cells.