Looking back, the graphene material was officially separated by researchers at the University of Manchester in the north of England in 2004. It is still only a new material that is only a 'predecessor', but has begun to steadily advance to mature mass production. In the next ten years, Graphene materials are likely to bring significant changes to the design and manufacturing world, including the efficiency of electric vehicles and self-driving cars.
We only need to add a very small amount of graphene to some plastics, which can significantly change the properties and properties of plastics. In the automotive industry, new technologies are always described as 'revolutionary', but this is often Good wishes, not everyone believes. However, for an emerging material, as long as the word 'may' is added before the 'revolutionary', this description is very objective. This is graphene, it' Probably' is a 'revolutionary' automotive technology. Looking back, graphene materials were officially separated in 2004 by researchers at the University of Manchester in the north of England, and are still only a new material for 'teens', but already It is beginning to steadily advance to mature mass production. In the next decade, graphene materials may bring great changes to the design and manufacturing fields, including improving the efficiency of electric vehicles and self-driving cars.
Versarien is an advanced materials engineering group with Dr. Andrew Deakin as Chief Technology Engineer. It is dedicated to extending the application of graphene materials from theoretical research to actual production, allowing this emerging material to fully reduce weight, strengthen materials and optimize batteries. The role of 'as long as it is used properly, I think graphene materials are expected to reduce the plastic part of the vehicle by 20%, which will be revolutionary. In addition, with excellent electrical conductivity, graphene materials are also expected to optimize battery performance, and thus significant Extend battery life. '
As an allotrope, graphene is a derivative of graphite (usually used in pencils and dry lubricants). At present, a large amount of research and development work is still required for the large-scale application of graphene materials to mass production of automobiles. Dr. Deakin has been working to promote the use of graphene in vehicle design and manufacturing, but at the same time frankly face the possible challenges: 'The application of graphene in some scenarios may be realized in a few years, in other scenarios. Applications may take more than a decade, and specific times are often difficult to judge, but I am confident in the potential of this material.
Forecasts show that by 2020, the global automotive industry may use up to 6 million tons of plastic per year, but the final amount may fluctuate: for example, if graphene is added to make stronger, lighter plastics and replace them with For other materials with higher mass density, the final amount of plastic may increase.
Reinforced plastic
Dr. Deakin and his team are committed to increasing the strength of plastics by more than 30% to achieve the same amount of strength but the same or higher strength. However, there are currently 13 types of plastics commonly used in vehicle manufacturing, and all types of plastics. All must go through the test procedure.
Dr. Deakin said, 'We have to determine how the graphene is added to the plastic, and the specific mixing ratio, such as 1% to 5%; then, we must improve the necessary processes and technologies; finally, we will optimize the comprehensive test, and then Driving small-scale production to industrial scale. ' At present, Dr. Deakin has begun to use graphene materials to optimize the performance of tires, composite body panels, CFRP materials and batteries.
“In the initial stage, we have to find the most meaningful application scenarios, and because of this, we are looking for help from a large number of industry experts. For example, we can use graphene to extend tire life to the current level. 1.5 times, or even 2 times, and at the same time reducing the need for plastic particles in the manufacturing process, which is very meaningful for protecting the environment. A recent report pointed out that in the plastic waste that is less than 1 mm in diameter, which is finally dumped into the ocean, More than 28% are from tires. 'Graphene also helps to reduce the weight and size of the battery, which in turn extends the range of electric vehicles and has the potential to increase battery charging speed.
In addition, graphene can also improve the impact strength of plastic sheets or bumpers, and similar performance gains can be obtained when applied to vehicle chassis. Of course, in order to achieve the desired results, the blending ratio of graphene must be continuously optimized. On the one hand, graphene is usually not used for the reinforcement of aluminum or steel, but 'replacement of these metals with graphite-reinforced plastics directly' is also an alternative idea.
Dr. Deakin explained: 'If graphene-reinforced plastics are used, the torsional stiffness of the parts will remain the same, even increase, and the impact strength will increase. Therefore, it is expected that more and more scenes will begin to use quality in the future. Lighter plastic, CFPR and GRP materials. '
Versarien acquired 2D Experts in 2014, when the latter produced only 1 gram of graphene per day. Today, with the introduction of new equipment, the company expects to increase single-day graphene production to 1 kg later this year ( 2.2 lbs).
In this regard, Dr. Deakin said this is equivalent to a 1000-fold increase in production factors. Simple calculations, if the average daily production per device can be increased to 10 kg (22 lbs), then 100 units can increase the company's single-day output. To 1 ton. Dr. Deakin added, 'In addition, when significantly optimizing the performance of plastics, we must also control the amount of graphene added to the plastic (possibly only 1% or less), which is very important.
Dr. Deakin's details on the graphene production equipment and how it works are just a few words, indicating that plastics manufacturers can easily install such equipment in existing production plants.
In Dr. Deakin's definition, 'real' graphene contains only a single layer of single-layer carbon atoms. However, most of the scales of Versarien graphene do not exceed 5 layers, and 90% of the scales do not exceed 10 layers, with an average lateral dimension of only 2 microns.
In addition, recyclability is an important consideration for any new material before it is officially applied. Dr. Deakin believes that the appearance of graphene will rejuvenate old plastics (for example, when plastics are degraded by ultraviolet light), Is to maintain its original characteristics or performance, re-enter the supply chain.
However, we still have to face a long-standing problem: What is the cost-effectiveness of 'reducing the plastic consumption of vehicles by adding graphene'? Dr. Deakin said: 'We expect to use this graphene solution by using our technology. The solution will be truly cost-effective in the next few years, and it will take about five years. ' So, can this graphene with only one layer of single-atom thick be a true 'revolutionary' material? It takes time to verify.