Haydale Graphene Industries and Graphit Kropfmuhl GmbH (GK), part of AMG Advanced Metallurgical Group, have joined forces to develop graphene/graphite nano-material materials.
The companies will make sure of Haydale’s HDPlas functionalization process and AMG graphitic feedstock material primarily from GK’s mine in Sri Lanka. GK produces high purity natural graphite that is known for its conductivity, lubrication, heat resistance, and bonding properties.
Haydale will initially supply an R&D reactor (HT60) and a larger capacity reactor (HT200), which can treat up to eight times that of the R&D unit, amounting to multiple tonnes of certain GK material.
The reactors will be delivered to a specially built GK facility in Hauzenberg, Germany by June 2016. Haydale will undertake site commissioning and provide ongoing maintenance, supply of spare parts and full technical assistance to support the operation of the reactors.
Once the reactors are installed and commissioned, the two companies will collaborate on various projects aimed at developing products for specific industrial customers in the composites, inks/dispersions, energy harvesting and lubricants sectors. As well as this, they have agreed to work together on commercialising certain products that Haydale has developed. Under the agreement,Haydale will grant a non-exclusive licence to GK to use its patented process.
Center of excellence
‘We have been working with AMG for two years now and developed a close business relationship culminating in this collaboration agreement,’ said Ray Gibbs, Haydale CEO. For Haydale, this is a significant development because it opens the way for a European center of excellence that can operate at scale with our plasma reactors in situ.’
‘The collaboration with Haydale will contribute to AMG Graphite’s development of strategic graphene and functionalised graphite products for high end applications,’ said Frank Berger, president of AMG Graphite. ‘We look forward to working with Haydale to develop processes and work towards producing and selling graphene products and master batches on an industrial scale.’
This story is reprinted from material from Haydale, with editorial changes made by Materials Today. The views expressed in this article do not necessarily represent those of Elsevier.
