What Is Graphene?
Graphene is 10 or fewer layers of hexagonally arranged carbon.
Graphene Is Not a Single Material.
Industrially, graphene is a family of materials along a continuum of grades of quality, form factor, composition and methods of application. All have thus far failed to deliver graphene’s transformative potential for national defense, energy storage and America’s economic prosperity.
Graphene “is not even one material. It is a huge range of materials. A good comparison would be to how plastics are used.“
Prof. Sir Andre Geim, Nobel Laureate
What Makes Avadain’s Graphene Special
Only one grade confers all of graphene’s fantastic properties as an additive material: large (25+ µm² surface area), thin (<5 atomic layers) and defect free (LTDF) graphene. LTDF can lightweight products while adding substantial strength, high electrical and thermal conductivity, flexibility and durability. LTDF can transform advanced and additive manufacturing.
Our LTDF graphene gives industry the material it needs to transform thousands of products.
VALIDATION
Independent testing shows how LTDF graphene is different:
Thermal Conductivity
Thermal Conductivity. At a loading of just 0.05%, Avadain’s LTDF graphene raised thermal conductivity by 204%, well past conventional graphene nanoplatelets at 130% and the other forms tested (reduced graphene oxide 98%, functionalized graphene nanoplatelets 90%, graphene oxide 89%). The payoff: a trace amount added does the work, so the cost per use stays low, and it lands squarely in the market that needs it most, pulling heat off the chips and servers behind the AI buildout.
Corrosion and Abrasion
Avadain’s LTDF graphene coatings cut salt-fog corrosion by an average of 93% and improved abrasion resistance by 52%. For buyers in defense, marine, and infrastructure, that means equipment stays in service well past its normal life and costs less to maintain, a real dollar saving on assets that are expensive to repair or replace.
Friction and Wear
Added to motor oil, Avadain’s LTDF graphene lowered the friction coefficient by up to 42% and dropped the wear rate by 81%. Engines and machinery run cooler, burn less fuel, and go further between overhauls, the everyday result that gives lubricant makers a reason to pay for an additive that performs.
Concentrated dispersions
Avadain has formulated dispersions 40 times more concentrated than the industry standard. Customers move and store a fraction of the liquid to deliver an equal amount of graphene, which makes the material far easier to blend into their own products. The result is lower freight costs and a shorter path to adoption.
National-security demand
Published research keeps reaching the same conclusion: LTDF graphene can:
- Make drones lighter, more durable and stealthier
- Supercharge advanced energy storage
- Create next-generation body armor & ballistics
- Lessen U.S. dependence on imported critical minerals
Comparison of Graphene Materials
Graphene is a family of materials, comprised of many different grades. Above 10 layers (such as nanoplatelets), the material becomes brittle and loses strength.
Ultra-high thermal and electrical conductivity are also lost. If the graphene structure has lots of defects, even if it is <10 layers, similar losses in strength and conductivity result in end-use applications.
Larger, thinner flakes results in better strength and lower loading when conductivity in applications is required.
Only one grade of graphene, Avadain LTDF graphene, confers all of these properties in thousands of applications.
Our Manufacturing Technology
We start with large flake graphite as our feedstock.
Avadain developed a novel exfoliation process using hydrogenation instead of commonly used oxidation.
Hydrogenation is fully reversible through thermal annealing. The process achieved exfoliation yields over 70%.
