Commercial manufacturing of one of the world’s strongest materials has taken a great step forward today with South Australian-based nano-science company 2D Fluidics filing a PCT Patent application on thin-film processing of high-quality graphene oxide and other nanomaterials.
According to Flinders University, this represents an important milestone in the commercialisation of the Vortex Fluidic Device (VFD), invented by Professor Colin Raston from the Flinders Institute for NanoScale Science and Technology.
The VFD works by producing nanomaterials in an environmentally friendly way from high-grade graphite at a price and scale viable for use in energy storage devices, coatings, polymers and other modern materials.
2D Fluidics Pty Ltd – jointly owned by ASX-listed First Graphene Ltd and Flinders University filed a PCT patent application for Devices and Methods for Thin-Film Chemical Processing, which covers routes to the manufacturing of graphene oxide directly from graphite raw materials and more. This process has the benefit of manufacturing high-quality graphene oxide without the use of high-volume corrosive reagents and associated waste streams used in the incumbent, Hummers method.
For context, graphene is a two-dimensional carbon allotrope, which holds properties as the lightest and strongest material. It also holds an outstanding ability to conduct heat and electricity, meaning it can be integrated into a huge number of applications.
Professor Colin Raston, who is a Professor in Clean Technology at the university, said he is delighted by this decisive application of his Vortex Fluidic Device.
“The ability to manufacture graphene oxide in a benign way has been a major challenge, and it is now a reality with the completion of an extensive programme of research,” he said.
“We are continuing to understand the fundamental science in the VFD, and we look forward to further improvements on the processing technology for graphene oxide and a range of other nano-carbon and related materials.”
Frist Graphene Ltd Managing Director, Craig McGuckin also added that this is an important milestone in the commercialisation of these unique processing tools.
“We are particularly excited about the opportunity to cost-effectively manufacture graphene oxide products to add to our portfolio,” Mr McGuckin said.
More information on this announcement can be found here.