In this publication, we do not aim to highlight specific achievements of our company’s work and summarize the results for the short period since its founding earlier this year, but rather to outline the direction of our graphene research. This includes identifying priorities for our research to integrate it into existing technological processes and create new technical and technological processes in which graphene plays a key role.
We believe that it is not just about the development of our company, but also about trends surrounding the promising but somewhat forgotten topic of “graphene and its application prospects.”
What has been achieved in such a short time:
First, we obtained a patent for a device for graphene extraction by exfoliation in liquid environments.
Second, we filed an invention application for a method of producing few-layer graphene dispersions in liquid dispersive media.
Third, using our graphene dispersions, we were able to increase the alkali resistance of basalt fibers fourfold, enabling the use of basalt fibers for reinforcing construction concrete with a significant improvement in its operational properties and reducing cement consumption by one-third.
Fourth, a technology for applying protective coatings to all types of mineral fibers, including fiberglass, using our graphene-based coatings, was developed, increasing the resistance of these fibers in both acidic and alkaline environments.
Fifth, tests were conducted with graphene dispersions to improve the strength and appearance of sidewalk tiles and facing bricks formed from concrete mixes. As a result, the strength of the formed concrete products increased by 25%, pigment consumption decreased by at least 2 times, and these products achieved an ideal surface. In addition to the mentioned points, we are using specific types of graphene dispersions in the production of some types of refractory materials.
What we are currently working on and what problems we are trying to solve:
Currently, we are conducting research in four directions simultaneously, each of which is significant for practical application in a range of industries:
1.Developing a technology for manufacturing energy storage devices in monolithic blocks with high capacity using binders containing few-layer graphene dispersions (so-called supercapacitors or ionistors).
2.Manufacturing solid electrolytes and electrodes with minimal lithium salt content or completely without lithium.
3.Applying graphene dispersions in drilling fluids to increase oil and gas production in hydraulic fracturing in depleted wellbores and shale formations. The effect we have discovered in some graphene dispersions allows for reducing the surface tension of drilling fluids by several times and delivering proppant to significantly greater depths, increasing the performance of wellbores.
4.Reinforcement of aluminum alloys with few-layer graphene and reinforcement of steel by co-pressing with pliable graphene dispersions using powder metallurgy.
All these works are carried out by us independently, without attracting sponsors and without participating in investment programs.
And finally, the answer to the most important question that the absolute majority of people involved in graphene and those who are not – when will the expectations for this wonder material turn from words into reality?
To explore the properties of graphene, develop technologies using graphene, and create entirely new materials with unique properties, researchers and scientists need the material itself – graphene or graphene compositions to work with. It is impossible to study a material without knowing its properties and characteristics, based solely on theory and publications, most of which refer to questionable studies aimed at obtaining funding and scientific titles.
Currently, there are hundreds, if not thousands, of companies positioning themselves as graphene manufacturers. In reality, graphene is purchased in China and costs a considerable amount of money. Working with such material requires not only additional financial investment but also specific technical skills. This is the second reason hindering the practical application of graphene, one of the most promising materials, in new areas and directions as discussed in the early years after its discovery.
We could provide a selection of our materials for research to a number of researchers and organizations interested in the unique properties of graphene compositions, and who, like us, are eager to use graphene in areas and directions discussed in the early years after its discovery.