【Research Progress】Graphene nanotube reinforced composite material

Graphene nanotubes enable engineers to produce brand new, highly innovative and competitive products.

Graphene nanotube reinforced composite material

At the 2019 Nano Reinforced Materials Industry Summit (NAUM‘19), experts agreed that graphene nanotubes (also known as single-walled carbon nanotubes) are currently the most effective advanced antistatic additives.

Faris Ustamujic, Senior Engineer for Defense and Space at Airbus said:

"Compared with standard carbon black, Tuball nanotubes produced by OCSiAl seem to have a stronger effect on electrical conductivity and very uniform dispersion, which shows many disadvantages, such as hot spots."

Melina Remers from the material design engineering department of Lufthansa technology company Intercoat added:

"During repairs, single-walled carbon nanotubes are conductive and allow us to create a new life for aircraft components. In this case, epoxy resin is not allowed to be used for insulation. There is no negative impact on wear rate, heat resistance or bond strength, which is important to us and our customers."

As experts have emphasized, the extremely low loading levels of graphene nanotubes (tens or even hundreds of times lower than the closest analogue) can bring many benefits.

Michail Nedanov, a project engineer at Schäfer Rolls, shared some of their recent results (which have now been confirmed by commercial products), said:

"We were able to replace more than 12 wt.% of multi-walled carbon nanotubes in epoxy industrial rolls with 0.15 wt.% Tuball nanotubes, thus achieving high efficiency, flexibility in the coloring of the final product, and a clean production process."

Using graphene nanotubes to improve mechanical properties may become the next focus of technological development. Lehvoss Group believes that the use of graphene nanotubes to enhance the car body has great potential, which can reduce weight. Marco Burth, Product Development Manager, added:

"We are expanding the use of single-walled nanotubes for in-situ process polymerization production of PA6 and developing different masterbatches for aerospace, automotive and industrial applications."

Techplast, which produces innovative cylinders for respirators, industrial gases and paintballs in Europe, revealed that by using graphene nanotube-reinforced composite materials, they can reduce the weight of cylinders by 75% compared to traditional cylinders, a new generation The product is the lightest steel cylinder in the world, and expands it to CNG and hydrogen storage.

Materials should not become stronger and smarter. Rob Thompson, Head of Material Arrival, shared:

“When we talk about vehicle crash performance or embedding sensors in coatings, single-walled carbon nanotubes play an important role in it. We want to integrate functionality into the material without increasing the process. Using single-walled nanotubes can Help us achieve this goal."

Ivica Kolaric, Head of Fraunhofer‘s IPA Department, said:

"We made aluminum reinforced with nanotubes for advanced OEMs."

In addition, using single-walled carbon nanotubes, Fraunhofer can turn a car surface of more than 16 square meters into an artificial smart skin for connected cars with sensors, and can change the color as needed. Japan’s Nagase ChemteX and Dynaic Corporation shared their results in the development of transparent conductive films using Tuball nanotubes.

Shingo Shinohara of Nagase ChemteX said:

"We have studied most types of conductive additives, including graphite and multi-walled carbon nanotubes, but we chose single-walled carbon nanotubes as the most suitable solution."

Ryo Asano, chief developer of Dynic, added:

"We believe these nanotubes can effectively replace expensive ITO in touch screens and solar cells."

Graphene nanotubes are entering more and more specific applications, such as reducing the radar cross section (RCS) of wind turbines, where Trelleborg Applications uses them to prevent interference with radar systems approaching airports. However, these tubes continue to be widely used as standards in mass production applications such as tank liner coatings, powder coatings, conductive primers, flexible polyurethane foams, fast-curing cast polyurethanes for printing and flexographic printing. More applications will be added to this list in the coming year.

Article source: Composite Materials Network
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