Future Applications

Concrete Additives

Graphene additives give a 34% increase in the compressive strength of concrete and a 27% increase in the tensile strength of concrete, when tested to international standard methods.

• Graphene concrete additive is easily dispersed into the mortar using standard methods and can be selected to optimise performance; high aspect ratio materials are most effective.
• Reduced permeability giving reduced re-bar corrosion is an expected additional benefit.

Significant improvements in the strength of concrete products has been demonstrated. In a systematic study, it has been confirmed that addition levels of 0.02% w/w of additive, produces increases in compressive strength of 34% and increases in tensile strength of 27% in concrete mortars.

Fire Retardants

Fire is a devastating disaster for our society, costing lives, damaging the environment and causing economic loss. In the United States alone economic loss from fire is estimated at US$600 billion per annum, or approximately 2.1% of GDP. In Australia, the numbers are estimated at $15 billion or 1.3% of GDP.

Fire retardants currently used throughout industry rely on toxic halogen organic-based fire retardants. These create environmental problems such as soil and water pollution. Many are mutagenic and carcinogenic and have been banned in some countries. Industry is actively looking for better alternatives.

A graphene based fire-retardant could become the new generation of fire resistive coatings and fire retardants.The graphene technology would provide a four fold benefit.

Benefits Offered by the New Technology

• Oxygen barrier effect and water vapour release – which would mitigate flammability
• Self extinguishing ability – so it would not be a flame propagator
• Restraining structural collapse – the mechanical strength of graphene would assist in maintaining integrity
• Toxic and flammable volatiles suppression – which would assist rescue efforts

Wing Manufacture

Many of today’s airplanes are made of carbon-fibre composite, but putting graphene in the carbon-fibre coating made the plane’s wings stronger.

It has better impact resistance and is lighter and more drag resistant than a comparable with conventional carbon-fibre wings. The material’s strength means the wings of the plane would need to be coated with only one layer of graphene-infused carbon fibre rather than four or five layers of the conventional composite. If you can build a stronger aircraft with less material, it’s lighter, and you’ll fly farther. In tests, a graphene-enhanced skin on the wings improved impact damage, a standard measurement of potential in-flight damage, by at least 60 percent.

Advances in supercapacitors are delivering generational changes in energy-storage options. They are increasingly demonstrating that they can compete against standard chemical batteries in a range of markets.

Super Capacity Batteries

A supercapacitor is a double-layer capacitor that has very high capacitance but low voltage limits. Supercapacitors store more energy than electrolytic capacitors and they are rated in farads (F). Supercapacitors store electrical energy at an electrode–electrolyte interface. They consist of two metal plates, which only are coated with a porous material known as activated carbon. As a result, they have a bigger area for storing much more charge.