First Graphene

First Graphene has secured an agreement with Halocell Energy to supply graphene for the manufacture of perovskite solar cells.

The initial two-year agreement will result in First Graphene providing its PureGRAPH material to Halocell for use as a high-performing coating for perovskite solar cells. By incorporating PureGRAPH into its products, Halocell Energy hopes to expedite its manufacturing process and enhance light absorbing performance, which will enable the company to scale up commercial production to meet demand.

First Graphene has secured funding for a collaborative research project with Swansea University to determine the market potential of the Company’s Kainos Technology.

The grant is valued at approximately AU$192,152 (over USD$130,000) and was secured through Analysis for Innovators (A4i) Round 12, Stage 2 funding, delivered by Innovate UK. The funding is specifically meant for businesses utilizing expertise from leading research facilities across the UK to overcome
productivity or technical barriers of new technologies towards market readiness.

First Graphene has announced progressive traction in their financial and operational performance for the quarter ending June 2024, with revenue reaching approximately AUD$125,000 (over USD$81,000), reflecting a diversifying clientele across various industries. 

The Company is optimistic about FY2025, anticipating new product productions to drive them towards positive cash flow, bolstered by a 60% decrease in operational costs over the past four years. 

First Graphene has announced its partnership in a collaborative project aimed at advancing low-carbon hydrogen production and creating safer, more efficient storage solutions. The Company’s role will involve leveraging its expertise in graphene nanoplatelets to enhance the strength and impermeability of cryogenic hydrogen storage tanks, contributing to a project valued at around $3.72 million.

The project brings together UK and Australian expertise to develop and commercialize novel light-weight impermeable cryogenic all-composite tanks (Type-V) for the safe storage of liquid hydrogen.

First Graphene has announced a third trial with one of the United Kingdom’s largest cement producers, Breedon Group, which will test an optimized formulation of the Company’s PureGRAPH-CEM® product under full-scale production conditions. This trial builds on the work recently conducted in exclusive collaboration with Breedon at its Hope Plant, which confirmed the Company’s ability to produce graphene enhanced cement at an industrial scale.

The third trial incorporates the technical and practical experiences obtained in the first two trials to further optimize the performance of First Graphene’s graphene nanoplatelets. The trial will primarily focus on testing a new grade of graphene, PureGRAPH-CEM®, under full- scale cement production conditions at Breedon’s Hope Cement Works facility in Derbyshire, United Kingdom.

First Graphene has announced that continued positive results have been reported in field trials of its graphene enhanced cement.
The graphene enhanced concrete slab, which incorporates the Company’s PureGRAPH, reportedly continues to perform well, reaching over 200 days in operation at a wheel washing facility at a major highway infrastructure project in South East England.

A core sample (L), and samples being removed from the graphene enhanced concrete slab in the UK. Image credit: First Graphene

The slab has maintained its strength and integrity, with a complete absence of defects, damage or deterioration reported by scientists and engineers investigating the project. The concrete slab was prepared using a graphene enhanced CEM II A/L concrete mixture, produced by Breedon during site trials last year.

First Graphene has developed a low-cost, high-performing graphene-based electrocatalyst that targets the rapidly growing production of ‘green hydrogen’ by water electrolysis. Electrocatalysts are used to produce ‘green hydrogen’, but currently require high-cost rare metals such as iridium and ruthenium which can drive up operating costs. First Graphene’s solution uses its PureGRAPH® technology to produce higher-performing, affordable electrocatalysts.

First Graphene has completed a 12-month project in the United Kingdom to develop low-cost, high-performing electrocatalysts for hydrogen production.

First Graphene has reported the successful production of multi-kilogram quantities of graphene oxide at the Company’s Henderson facility in Western Australia.

Building on existing manufacturing expertise, First Graphene identified a new route to manufacturing graphene oxide materials using the Company’s existing capabilities, opening an expanded range of commercial opportunities. The graphene oxide product was manufactured in a cost-effective, scalable, and repeatable process that produces a consistent product with minimal waste streams.

First Graphene has announced details of an independent study into the performance of graphene-based electrocatalysts for the generation of green hydrogen. The study by the Centre for Process Innovation UK (“CPI”) showed electrodes composed of First Graphene’s metal-oxide doped graphene reduced the amount of power required to produce hydrogen from the electrolysis of water.

Analysis by the CPI has confirmed metal-oxide doped graphene materials from First Graphene can reduce overpotential, which is a measurement of energy efficiency of the electrolyser, by 43%. Improvements to the process were also identified that can increase throughput by 64%, reduce raw material costs by 50% and broaden metal oxide options in the product, providing a cost-effective commercial solution for the green hydrogen industry.

First Graphene has completed the second phase of its graphene-enhanced cement trials, alongside the UK’s largest cement producer Breedon Cement. The first phase demonstrated a 15% reduction in carbon emissions and 10% increase in cement strength, reinforcing graphene-enhanced cement as a lower-carbon solution for construction companies around the world. The material made during the Phase One trials also successfully met performance criteria in the end systems, demonstrating the viability of producing graphene-enhanced cement at industrial scale.

The Phase Two trials used four tonnes of grinding aid containing PureGRAPH® to produce an additional 600 tonnes of graphene-enhanced cement at the production scale. The focus was on the optimization of dosing methods at an increased graphene loading level, with the resulting formulation change in the grinding aid. This stage builds on the learnings from earlier work, with results expected in January 2024 which will be used to compare performance to the Phase One trials.