Graphene for Automotive - Page 16

In July 2017, Applied Graphene Materials partnered with HMG Paints to develop and commercialize graphene-containing coatings for a variety of industries. Now, the two companies announced that they are continuing to work together and are progressing towards commercialization of the formulation in a range of protective and anti-corrosion coatings.

Following an initial stage of controlled environment testing, which reportedly produced some extremely positive results, the two companies are now testing their products in real world environments. Tests are initially focused on the application of graphene-enhanced coatings in both the commercial vehicle and construction equipment markets.

Haydale will be demonstrating real-life applications of its lightweight graphene-enhanced prepregs at JEC World. Graphene-enhanced prepreg offers significant weight reduction and improved structural performance. This is expected to be of considerable interest to the automotive, sports and leisure and tooling industries.

On display will be: graphene-enhanced carbon fiber composite rear wheel arch made with thermally enhanced tooling; demisable fuel tank for use in the satellite industry; next generation graphene-enhanced bicycle frame; graphene-enhanced payload sent to the edge of space. Also, other components will be displayed, like Haydale’s latest advancements in graphene enhanced 3D filament and pellets aimed at improving the speed, strength, quality and accuracy of 3D printed products.

XG Sciences, a US-based developer and producer of graphene flakes, has announced its plan to invest millions in expanding its Lansing-area facilities. The company will start operating out of new 64,000 square-foot facility in Vevay Township in March.

The company was formed in 2006 based on work out of Michigan State University. The company's technology can be used in automotive batteries and as wire coatings in electronics to prevent microchips from overheating. Some of the material has been used in Samsung phones as a thermally conductive adhesive, said current CEO Philip Rose. Rose also said the expansion marks the first phase in a move toward larger scale commercialization for the company.

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.

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.

Skeleton Technologies has announced the signing of a distribution agreement with Sumitomo Corporation Europe, with the aim of providing energy storage solutions for the rapidly growing hybrid electric and electric vehicle industry.

In electric vehicles, graphene-based supercapacitors can be used in tandem with lithium-ion batteries, doubling the battery lifetime and downsizing the cell receiving the peak power from supercapacitors and the long-term energy from the batteries.

Samsung has announced the development of a unique "graphene ball" that could make lithium-ion batteries last longer and charge faster. In fact, Samsung Advanced Institute of Technology (SAIT) said that using the new graphene ball material to make batteries will increase their capacity by 45% and make their charging speed five times faster. It was also said that batteries that use graphene ball can maintain a temperature of 60 degrees Celsius that is required for use in electric cars.

SAIT's team used a chemical vapor deposition process to grow a graphenesilica assembly, called a graphene ball. Each graphene ball is composed of a SiO_x nanoparticle center and surrounding graphene layers, constituting a 3D popcorn-like structure. The graphene-ball coating improves cycle life and fast charging capability by suppressing detrimental side reactions and providing efficient conductive pathways.

The NGI at The University of Manchester and William Blythe have announced the start of a new joint research project, targeting the development of high capacity graphene-related materials for use in the electric vehicle market.

The project will combine William Blythe’s core capabilities in inorganic synthetic chemistry and their graphene-oxide with the specialist experience of The University of Manchester’s Professor Robert Dryfe and the energy storage team at the NGI.

PPG, longtime developer of paints, coatings and other materials, has announced it has entered into a partnership with SiNode Systems, an advanced materials company developing silicon-graphene materials for next-gen batteries, to accelerate the commercialization of high-energy anode materials for advanced battery applications in electric vehicles.

The 30-month project will focus on the development and demonstration of anode materials that will store more energy than conventional lithium-ion battery materials, enabling electric vehicles to travel farther on a single charge or to have a lighter-weight battery. The project will focus on improving the stability and scalability of SiNode’s anode materials to meet or exceed USABC targets for a battery’s active materials, which store the energy. Raymor Industries (that recently secured a $2.3 million grant from the Canadian government to integrate graphene into lithium-ion batteries) will provide graphene to PPG, which will then prepare the material for SiNode. PPG will help both Raymor and SiNode scale up their manufacturing processes to production volumes to support the project.

NanoXplore recently reported that Martinrea International has made an investment in the Company and has become a shareholder of NanoXplore following participation in the equity financing which closed on August 2nd, 2017. Both companies have been working on product development since.

Martinrea is an international auto parts manufacturer with more than 14,000 employees at over 50 manufacturing and engineering facilities in North America, South America, Europe and Asia. Martinrea produces parts and assemblies, modules, fluid-management systems and offers lightweighting solutions, primarily for the automotive sector.