Graphene composites: introduction and market status - Page 8

Haydale has launched its graphene-enhanced prepreg after extended field trials more than doubled the manufacture of composite parts.

Using Haydale's HDPlas technology, functionalized graphene is added to high performing tooling epoxy resin and then pre-impregnated onto a suitable carbon fiber reinforcement for use in tool manufacture. The graphene-enhanced epoxy prepreg tooling material is designed to deliver cost-efficient composite tooling with extended tooling life, improved surface quality and enhanced thermal conductivity.

On 1 July 2020, Versarien announced that the UK Government, via Innovate UK, had granted a £5 million loan to the Company, for a project named G-SCALE, an acronym for Graphene, Seat, Concrete, Arch, Leisure, Elastomer. The award was to facilitate the production of sufficient quantities of graphene to enable commercialization of graphene-enhanced products in these five priority application areas.

Recently, Versarien has provided a summary of G-SCALE progress for each of the relevant segments. 

Graphene Flagship Partners University of Cambridge (UK) and Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB, Belgium) collaborated with the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC, United Arab Emirates) and the European Space Agency (ESA) to test graphene on the Moon. This joint effort sees the involvement of many international partners, such as Airbus Defense and Space, Khalifa University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Technische Universität Dortmund, University of Oslo, and Tohoku University.

The MASER15 launch. Credit: John-Charles Dupin/Eurekalert

The Rashid rover is planned to be launched today (30 November 2022) from Cape Canaveral in Florida and will land on a geologically rich and, as yet, only remotely explored area on the Moon’s nearside – the side that always faces the Earth. During one lunar day, equivalent to approximately 14 days on Earth, Rashid will move on the lunar surface investigating interesting geological features.

The University of Manchester has entered a partnership with Abu Dhabi-based Khalifa University of Science and Technology, with the aim to deliver a funding boost to graphene innovation. Professor Dame Nancy Rothwell, President & Vice-Chancellor of The University of Manchester, and Professor Sir John O’Reilly, President of Khalifa University  officially signed a contract between the two institutions during a VIP visit by a Manchester delegation to the United Arab Emirates (UAE). 

This international partnership will further accelerate Manchester and Abu Dhabi’s research and innovation into graphene and other 2D materials. The Research & Innovation Center for Graphene and 2D Materials (RIC-2D), based in Khalifa University, is part of a strategic investment program supported by the Government of Abu Dhabi, UAE. This partnership will expedite the development of the RIC-2D at Khalifa University as well as help building capability in graphene and 2D materials in collaboration with Graphene@Manchester, a community that includes the academic–led National Graphene Institute (NGI) and the commercially-focused Graphene Engineering Innovation Centre (GEIC), a pioneering facility already backed by the Abu Dhabi-based renewable energy company Masdar.

Researchers from Rice University, University of Calgary, South Dakota School of Mines and Technology and University of Washington have managed to turn a waste material called asphaltene (a byproduct of crude oil production) into graphene.

Rice University's Muhammad Rahman, an assistant research professor of materials science and nanoengineering, is employing Rice’s unique flash Joule heating process to convert asphaltenes instantly into turbostratic (loosely aligned) graphene and mix it into composites for thermal, anti-corrosion and 3D-printing applications. The process makes good use of material otherwise burned for reuse as fuel or discarded into tailing ponds and landfills. Using at least some of the world’s reserve of more than 1 trillion barrels of asphaltene as a feedstock for graphene would be good for the environment as well.

HydroGraph Clean Power has announced that it has secured a CAD$90,000 (around USD$67,820) grant in funding per year for two years for composite work at the Fraunhofer Innovation Platform for Composite Research at Western University.

This research will study HydroGraph’s graphene in thermoset resins to understand the effect of filler material on mechanical, electrical and thermal properties. The results will provide valuable information that will help increase the supply and use of graphene for applications that require lightweight and superior mechanical and energy properties.

Lyten, an advanced materials and applications manufacturer that recently announced opening its first 3D Graphene fabrication facility, has launched LytR™, its unique polymer composite product line. Pelican Products, maker of high-durability protective cases, will incorporate LytR™ into a new generation of transport cases, including cases intended for U.S. military forces.

LytR™ is Lyten’s unique polyethylene formulation, infused with a proprietary carbon-based material called Lyten 3D Graphene™ that significantly reduces weight while maintaining the same or better strength and performance. LytR™ R series is a copolymer engineered for exceptional stiffness, great mold release, and outstanding impact strength. It is designed for rotational molding applications that require increased stiffness and low-temperature toughness with a broad processing window. It was explained that the infusion of LytR technology will allow Pelican to manufacture cases up to 50% lighter while maintaining the same strength and durability as their standard cases. Based on the reduced container weight, LytR reinforced cases will enable customers to reduce bodily strain, reduce transportation and fuel costs, increase payload capacity, and reduce their carbon footprint.

Directa Plus has signed an agreement with CIA Miguel Caballero SAS, a Columbia-based manufacturer of ballistic protection clothing. This is Directa Plus' first supply contract in Latin America, reportedly worth €1 million over four years.  

As part of the new contract, Directa will supply 77,500 linear meters of PTC printed material over four years following a four-month trial period. Directa will provide CIA Miguel’s subsidiary, MC Amor, with PTC printed linings for ballistic vests. This supposedly refers to the G+ Planar Thermal Circuit (PTC), a technology for a functional Graphene Plus print that can be applied to various types of fabrics.

An ESA project with Adamant Composites in Greece tested how the addition of graphene (and other nano-sized materials) can optimize a satellite’s thermal and electrical properties.

The airless vacuum of space is a place where a satellite can be hot and cold at the same time, with part of it in sunlight and the rest in the shade. Scientists work to minimize temperature extremes within a satellite’s body, because heat buildups might lead to parts going out of alignment or even buckling. Another undesirable outcome in highly-insulating vacuum conditions is for satellite surfaces to build up electrical charge, which may eventually result in disruptive or damaging discharge events. Composite materials are increasingly supplanting traditional metal parts aboard satellites, but these polymer-based materials possess lower thermal and electrical conductivity, compounding such problems.

a collaboration between Sparc Technologies, Swinburne University and Composite Materials Engineering focuses on smart composite structures to help engineers detect structural defects in planes and rockets before they cause disaster. The industry-linked project will create graphene-enabled smart composites for aviation, aerospace and renewable energy.

The project was funded by an Australian Research Council (ARC) Linkage Grant from the Federal Government, with over AUD$1 million (around USD $640,000) invested across Swinburne University, the government and industry partners.