Haydale published a research showing that its functionalised graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs) significantly improve the nanoreinforcement of resin. This research was conducted conducted by the Material Science Department at AeroSpace Corporation.
According to the report, graphene can significantly strengthen toughened epoxy composites. The reported increases are >2x in tensile strength and modulus of an epoxy composite using a number of Haydale's HDPlas O2-functionalised GNP. The addition of increasing amounts of GNP resulted in strength increases of over 125% and toughness improvements of 100% over that of similarly cured, unreinforced material.
This is not the first research into graphene-enhanced epoxies. In April 2013, the UK Technology Strategy Board launched a new collaborative R&D project called NanoSynth with a budget of almost $1.5 million to develop a synthesis platform for the industry-scale production of graphene-filled epoxy resins for advanced composite applications. The project coordinator is NetComposites, which estimates that the worldwide market of epoxy resins is over $15 billion, and graphene may improve current resins - with better strength, stiffness, toughness, electrical conductivity and thermal performance.
Haydale recently raised £6.6 ($11 million) in a public offering in the UK. Haydale is developing and marketing carbon materials under the HDPlas brand, with the company currently focuses on graphene, CNTs and zinc nanomaterials, and also metal-free graphene-based inks. In October 2013 we posted an article explaining Haydale's business and technology.