Graphene for Marine Applications

[Leo Lazauskas]

I would point out that XG Composites, which is one of the manufacturers of bulk graphene in powder form specifically refers to using it in composite materials as graphite. I would be interested to see some data on its physical properties when combines with epoxy or other resins, but as I understand it, graphene is simply another physical form of common graphite.

Search for "graphene composite" and you will find many references that do not mention graphite.

 

[Doug Lord]

Graphene

From http://www.plastemart.com/Plastic-T...-automotive-aerospace-wind energy-electronics in post # 9: This shows numerous potential applications in the marine industry from batteries to improved composites strength including replacing carbon nanotubes which are being used in masts now to increase strength. This stuff seems to be to be extraordinary with incredibly diverse applications in the marine field including fuel tanks.
Here is an excerpt:

A Michigan State University (MSU) team developed a nanomaterial-xGnP Exfoliated Graphite NanoPlatelets-that makes plastic stiffer, lighter and stronger. The key to the new material’s capabilities is a fast and inexpensive process for separating layers of graphite (graphene) into stacks less than 10 nanometers in thickness but with lateral dimensions anywhere from 500 nm to tens of microns, coupled with the ability to tailor the particle surface chemistry to make it compatible with water, resin or plastic systems. The small stacks of graphene can replace carbon nanotubes, nano-clays, or other carbon compounds in many composite applications. When added in small amounts (2-3%) to plastics or resins, the nanoparticles make these materials electrically or thermally conductive and less permeable, while simultaneously improving mechanical properties like strength, stiffness, or surface toughness. When used alone or in conjunction with carbon or glass fibers, the nanoparticles enhance electrical and thermal conductivity-producing strong, lightweight composites suitable for aerospace, automotive, or electronic applications. Combined with metal nanoparticles, (xGnP + nanoparticle), the material has potential for applications in fuel cells, supercapacitors, batteries and hydrogen storage. The material will be instrumental in the development of new and expanded applications in the aerospace, automotive and packaging industries. The graphene nanoparticles are being manufactured by a new startup company, XG Sciences Inc., located in mid-Michigan and a spinoff from intellectual property owned by MSU. Potential applications of xGnP include:
• Lighter, more fuel-efficient aircraft and car parts, and stronger wind turbines, medical implants and sports equipment.
• Surface coatings on Li-ion electrodes and transparent conductive coatings for solar cells and displays.
• Lightweight gasoline tanks and leak-tight and plastic containers that keep food fresh for weeks.
Vorbeck Materials is making inroads in graphene technology with its Vor-ink conductive inks and Vor-x graphene formulations and composites. Vorbeck Materials utilizes technology originally licensed from Princeton University, where three of Vorbeck's founders were professors. In conjunction with BASF, Vorbeck established a joint research program to develop graphene-based formulations and composite materials. As part of the collaboration, Vorbeck and BASF are developing dispersions of highly conductive graphene for producing electrically conductive coatings and compounds, especially for the electronics industry. Graphene formulations offer key benefits, most notably improved conductivity; even in thin coatings of 1 micron, Vorink maintains its rated conductivity. Vorbeck has developed a scalable process and commissioned a pilot plant capable of manufacturing graphene in ton quantities.

 

[DCockey]

Search for "graphene composite" and you will find many references that do not mention graphite.

I searched and found several references that didn't use the word "graphite". But the all talked about graphene as single atom thick sheets of carbon though some have other materials added to the surfaces of the graphene. Several also discussed how "graphene" could be much less expensive than carbon nano-tubes because of the low cost of graphite from which it was obtained.

Puzzled what your point is? As far as I can see graphene sheets are the basic building block of graphite, and the simpliest way to obtain graphene is to literally tear graphite apart.

 

[brian eiland]

Guys this was posted a few months ago, and the science hasn't changed. There are some interesting physical properties of this stuff, but it is, and will never be a material used in boat building per se. By definition it is a one atom thick two deminsional sheet of carbon atoms. When stacked these sheets are graphite. I just can't imagine an application where a single atom thick molecule would be useful outside perhaps electronics of some sort.

You know I thought the same thing about all the hurah that was stirred up when nano-technology first came into being.....just too small to be worth while. Boy was I wrong.

So when I received this in an email today, I had to go searching on the forums to see what might have been posted.

Scientific breakthrough, WOW,.... GRAPHENE

Technology helps the world advance. As humans it's in our nature to investigate, innovate and solve problems. This curiosity means we make things, create things and develop new technologies.

You can look back thousands of years for basic examples of technology pushing civilization forward. Most people don't understand the rapid change technology has on their life... or the speed at which change occurs.

For example, the following are the five 'Great Ages' of human progress and their approximate duration:

• Stone Age - 3.4 million years
• Bronze Age - 2,500 years
• Iron Age - 500 years
• Industrial Revolution - 80 years
• Information Revolution - 20 years
You'll notice the length of each 'age' diminishes as technology improves.
The computer industry calls this trend 'Moore's Law'. It dictates that computer processing power doubles every 18 months.

200 times stronger than steel...
150,000 times thinner than a human hair...
more flexible than a sheet of paper…
You may have heard about Graphene. If you haven't, it's a newly discovered, very special refined form of graphite.

It's a one-atom-thick sheet of densely packed carbon atoms arranged in a honeycomb lattice. Take a look:


Put simply, it's a sheet of carbon atoms 150,000 times thinner than a human hair.

Under a powerful microscope, it looks like chicken wire.
But what's so special about it? Everything.

For starters, it's 200 times stronger than structural steel...

It's so strong you could suspend an elephant from a single strand of graphene... and the strand would not break.

It's extremely lightweight, too.

Soon, everything from bicycles and boats to airplanes and cars could be made out of graphene composites.

And when they are, their energy efficiency and durability could skyrocket.

But that's just the beginning of what this new 'smart material' can do.

Not only is it the strongest material researchers have ever tested - it's also one of the best conductors man has ever found.

IBM has already created a graphene-based processor capable of executing 100 billion cycles per second.

Researchers believe that in the future, a graphene credit card could store as much information as today's computers.

This one material alone could prove more revolutionary than and soon REPLACE - plastic, Kevlar and the silicon chip.

Kiss goodbye to shattered screens!

In fact, it's such a breakthrough that the first two scientists to successfully produce single-atom-thick crystals of graphene were awarded the 2010 Nobel Prize in Physics. And for good reason...

In just two years, over 200 companies from a wide array of industries have researched the magical potential of graphene.


• Scientists in the US and China are already using tiny graphene-based probes to target and identify tumors in live mice. They hope similar graphene-based particles could shuttle cancer drugs to tumors... or even kill tumor cells directly!
• Engineers at Northwest University, Seattle, found that specially crafted graphene electrodes could allow a lithium-ion battery - like those found in your smartphone or Toyota Prius - to charge 10 times faster and hold 10 times more power.
• And in 2011, chemists at Rice University, Houston, created graphene-based thin films unlocking the secret to incredibly flexible, super durable touch screens and solar cells that can wrap around just about anything.

The Smallest Revolution in History.
Down at the molecular level there's a lot of friction. Particles can stick together really easily. This means new and complicated structures can be formed.

Today scientists are experimenting with different conditions to see what sorts of new molecular structures they can create. The results are astonishing.

All these different molecular structures have different properties.
And soon they'll change the way we live.

From solar panels you can spray onto your roof... to computers and batteries so small they are invisible. From mobile phones that you can stretch, twist and even imbed into your clothing... they'll make stronger houses... tougher cars... and even make us healthier!

Medical researchers are already looking at using nano-particles to deliver drugs or hunt down cancerous tumors.

Just imagine 'nano medicines' patrolling your body, hunting down diseases and zapping problems as soon as they arise...

Samsung has already said its flexible displays should enter full-scale production later this year - and it expects to have a dozen more graphene-based products on the market within the next five.

IBM, Nokia and Apple are hot on their heels too.

Touch screens... processor chips... casings... and batteries in everything from PCs and HD TVs to tablets, mobile phones and hybrids could be all made with graphene.

It could change entire industries... economies... and our lives.
Imagine:

HD TVs as thin as wallpaper...

Smart phones so skinny and flexible you can roll them up and put them behind your ear... and so durable you can beat them with a hammer!

It's mind-blowing.

Imagine how our world - and your life - would change if the batteries that run your iPhone... your Kindle... and your laptop held 10 TIMES more power and charged 10 TIMES faster than they do now...
If you could eliminate breast cancer or prostate tumors with a simple injection... or by swallowing a graphene-charged pill.

If your house were strong enough to withstand a brush fire - and your windows processed enough solar energy to heat your home in winter and cool it in the summer...

If the car you drove were six times lighter and 20 times stronger... The effects would be staggering.

Fuel-efficiency would shoot through the roof.

People would live longer, healthier lives.

Cars and airplanes would be lighter, faster and safer than ever before.

And electronics of every type would be launched into an era of unprecedented growth and evolution.

This is just a taste of the cutting-edge innovations coming in the Molecular Age... innovations that will reshape the future in the months and years ahead... and it's starting now.

This technological change and innovation will transform the world.

• 'Nano batteries' will charge your mobile in seconds... and even power whole cities...
• 'Smartphones' will carry the computing power of IBM's Watson Supercomputer...
• A new era of computing mobility - none of the solid rectangular things we carry now but flexible, wearable devices...
• Handheld 'breathalyzers' will diagnose disease in seconds...
• Bionic limbs with human fluidity and dexterity, but the strength of Superman!
• Spacecraft with the capacity to take us beyond our solar system into places and worlds never explored...

You're looking at a simultaneous eruption of new-age technologies that will alter our lives on a scale not seen for hundreds of years.

(I thought about putting this under another heading as it may eventually effect a lot of systems on our vessels, but its just too broad of a subject)

 

[brian eiland]

...another reference
http://www.gizmag.com/tag/graphene/

 

[El_Guero]

too expensive .... it will be decades before prices come down to useable levels.

 

[yipster]

http://www.gizmag.com/carbyne-prope...ail&utm_term=0_65b67362bd-2c0e5f0cf4-90039869
another gizmag link, carbyne perhaps another branch of graphene?

 

[El_Guero]

The problem will be multi-fold.

Cost of the process itself.

Application(s). Most likely medical industry and aeronautics will be early adopters.

Then, we will begin to see actual usability in general.

Still waiting to see it applied to anything.

 

[brian eiland]

Another Youtube presentation that a friend sent to me recently....

https://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=WFacA6OwCjA&list=TLf8g3CPufet8

 

[brian eiland]

too expensive .... it will be decades before prices come down to useable levels.

Polymer-based graphene substitute is easy to mass-produce

http://www.gizmag.com/polymer-graphene-substitute-kist/32824/

 

[BertKu]

It's so strong you could suspend an elephant from a single strand of graphene... and the strand would not break.

Hi Brian, I am just wondering whether the elephant grass as mentioned in thread #1168 of Batteries and New Battery technologies, are not a form of Graphene. The local tribes are using this grass mixed with epoxy glue in their hulls of their boats and claim it is very light and extremely strong. I probably have it totally wrong, I should have taken some grass back for analyses. However, I did not want to be in trouble during the 11 police/veterinary road blocks I experienced. But we shouldn't rule out the clever way African Tribes are using plants and vegetation. Bert

 

[brian eiland]

Another Youtube presentation that a friend sent to me recently....

https://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=WFacA6OwCjA&list=TLf8g3CPufet8

Hi Bert,
Back to the subject of batteries, which I will add this posting to the 'batteries' subject thread,.....What do you think of this suggestion on this video that this grapheme substance will have a big effect on future battery technology??
....at minute 4:00 into this video (almost at the end)

 

[redreuben]

Well to address the original question, if it increases energy density as advertised it may make electric propulsion actually realistic, will probably make pv panels more efficient too.
What I'm wondering is if incorporated into sailcloth could it shape sails with an electric current ?

 

[richfcollins]

While it is true that graphite is made of stacked sheets of natural graphene, these are tiny pieces of graphene, usually micrometers in diameter, hence the graphite is breakable. Graphene sheets are now being synthesized in sheets up to 1 meter across, so stacking these sheets would have millions of times the surface area of contact (vs natural graphene), so it's possible that no epoxy would be needed. If graphene were the thickness of paper it would have thousands of layers and be 100 times stronger than steel. Imagine hulls the thickness of paper, that's 100 times lighter than present hulls. Besides graphene a new material has been discovered, nanowires. These are also one atom thick but with the molecular structure of diamond. Although properties are unproven these wires hold great promise. Since it's one atom thick would be nearly invisible and have virtually no weight. These could be used for rigging, although I think I would want to see my rigging, perhaps wire could be made thick enough to be visible. Let's see what the future holds.

 

[schakel]

Some news about what Alex Thomson with Hugo Boss Imoca 60 is undertaking with graphene.
http://www.alexthomsonracing.com/20...ng-partners-with-graphene-specialist-haydale/
The application is coatings, quoted in the last line of this Article: "They will consider inclusion of Haydale Graphenes into barrier films and coatings and will investigate how the specific graphene enhanced coatings could improve boat performance."

Well that's a beginning. What about use graphene as thin film that is sheeting-material for the wings of the America's cup? Additional increasment strength of aramide lined resins as construction material for hulls?

When it is as strong and light as was promised during the Nobel-prize giving in 2010, a mayor design advantage for sailboat-racing is obvious.