2-DTech offers graphene in safe water dispersible form
26 November 2014
Graphene pioneer 2-DTech, a spin out from the University of
Manchester, has developed a graphene solution using water and
isopropanol (IPA) that is safer, more stable and has higher
concentrations of graphene than solutions using organic solvents.
The new preparation will have numerous commercial, logistical and
safety advantages, thereby making the integration of graphene into
next generation engineering designs much easier to accomplish.
Carbon nanomaterials, such as graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs), are
often supplied as a liquid rather than a powder. Normally they will
be suspended in organic solvents such as dimethylformamide (DMF) and
N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone. Unfortunately these solvents have several
drawbacks. DMF’s chemical composition, for example, has risk of
serious health impacts for workers involved in its handling (with
links to cancer and birth defects). In addition, it needs dangerous
goods shipping certification, which adds to the expense and creates
complications when it has to be transported. Furthermore, there are
application issues to consider, as it cannot be used in conjunction
with some types of plastics.
IPA presents a more
attractive alternative, as it does not have any of the previously
mentioned drawbacks associated with DMF. When in solution with water
it offers good stability for the graphene suspended within it. Any
risk of doping occurring is eliminated, thus assuring the quality of
the graphene is maintained. Graphene supplied in this manner will
stay stable at much higher concentrations over considerably long
periods of time without being in anyway compromised.
“Our
IPA-based offering can support ten times the concentration of
graphene that is possible to achieve with the DMF solutions and it
will remain stable in this form long term. We are unique in that we
don’t add surfactants which can adversely affect the properties of
the GNPs,” explains Dr Margherita Sepioni, Research and Technology
Officer at 2-DTech.
“The potential of graphene to
revolutionise sensor technology, battery design and touch screen
deployment, as well as furnishing industry with a variety of
exciting new composites, is now starting to be widely recognised. As
these opportunities begin to open up, medium to large scale
utilisation of this material will be dependent on having a
convenient and operationally effective method by which it can be
conveyed,” said Nigel Salter, 2-DTech’s Managing Director. “To be
able to deliver graphene in a stable and totally benign media is
something that will distinguish us from rival suppliers and is
certain to be of huge benefit to our customers.”
Clive
Rowland, CEO of UMI3 Ltd - the University of Manchester’s innovation
company also commented: “We are extremely pleased to see that
2-DTech is developing new products and establishing industrial
relationships in Manchester, which was the rationale behind the
university’s sale of part of 2-DTech to Versarien Plc.”
Source: 2-Dtech