Graphene Meets Product Solutions

Aerospace is always trying to save weight without giving up strength, durability or safety. Graphene is studied as a small addition to the polymers and composites that aircraft already use.

Our aerospace polymer work

Working with Advanced Armor Research Group (AARG), we developed graphene-integrated polymers and composites. They were evaluated with V50 ballistic testing at the NTS Chesapeake ballistic and materials testing facility in Belcamp, MD. Read the aerospace polymers press release and see graphene in commercial aerospace.

Graphene can be added to textiles as a coating, a printed layer or a filler in fibers. Researchers and brands are using it to add functions that ordinary fabrics don't have.

Graphene is being researched for healthcare because of its conductivity, its large surface area and how easily its surface can be modified. Most healthcare uses are still in research or early development, and medical products need regulatory approval before use.

Concrete is one of the most promising places to use graphene, because a very small dose can change how the material performs and it fits into existing mixing processes.

What our testing showed

Our graphene concentrate, added to concrete at 5% by weight of cement, gave a 67.7% gain in compressive strength in independent third-party testing in 2023. Results depend on the mix design, cement, aggregates and curing, so we test with you in your own mix before any change to a design. See graphene in concrete and the concrete additive press release.

Graphene's electrical and thermal properties have made it one of the most researched materials in electronics. Electrons move through it very quickly, it conducts heat well, and a single layer is thin, flexible and nearly transparent.

What research has shown

Research labs have built graphene transistors that operate at very high frequencies; in 2010 IBM reported a graphene transistor running at 100 GHz. A major obstacle is that graphene has no natural band gap, so it doesn't switch "off" the way silicon does. Researchers are working on ways around this, such as chemical doping, strain and combining graphene with other materials. Graphene-based processors are not a commercial product today.

Cars are a natural fit for graphene: manufacturers want parts that are lighter, last longer and protect better, without changing how those parts are made. Graphene is usually added in small amounts to materials automakers and suppliers already use, such as polymers, coatings, lubricants and fluids.

Where we've already put graphene into automotive products

Car care. Our first client was ITW, the company behind the Rain-X and Black Magic brands. Working with ITW's engineering team, we developed four graphene-enhanced car care products that reached store shelves: