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G6 develops formulations for graphene-based composites

27 Aug '20

2 min read

Pic: G6 Materials

G6 Materials has concluded a project to develop two formulations for graphene-enhanced resins for fibreglass and carbon fibre marine composites. The formulations have better characteristics compared to conventional materials. Besides, the improved strength of the resin, the graphene-enhanced epoxy shows a 14-fold increase in fracture toughness.

The new material has also exhibited 20 per cent less water absorption and the fibreglass composite’s fatigue resistance increased 3-fold.

G6 has entered into an agreement with a private Singaporean company on these formulations. G6 expects to receive a final payment from the partner company of approximately $117,500.

Pursuant to the agreement, the intellectual property rights will remain with the partner company while G6 retains a non-exclusive license to use the formulations for commercial purposes. The Singaporean partner company is entitled to a four per cent royalty on the sales of the materials generated by G6, subject to the final use of the materials being in the field of marine vessels or marine structures. G6 is free to sell the materials without making any royalty payments outside of this use.

The two companies are exploring the possibility of building a prototype boat to evaluate the performance of the materials in a real-life environment.

According to various test results, the graphene-enhanced formulations demonstrated tangible advancements compared to conventional materials. In addition to the improved strength of the resin, the graphene-enhanced epoxy shows a 14-fold improvement of the fracture toughness. The new material exhibited 20 per cent less water absorption and the fibreglass composite’s fatigue resistance increased 3-fold, thereby making the service life of the new material longer than other formulations currently used in industry. The formulations have been subjected to extensive lab testing by the company, third-party performance evaluation as well as field testing at Lungteh Shipbulding shipyard.

This concludes a two-year research effort to develop graphene-enhanced marine composites. “We are very happy that this research project has come to a successful conclusion. We have developed materials with superb performance and are eager to start offering them to our customers,” said Daniel Stolyarov, president and CEO of G6. “Not only can the marine industry benefit from using these graphene-enhanced formulations, but these materials can also be used for applications in the construction, automotive and green energy industries,” added Stolyarov.

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (SV)