New and Advanced Approach in Graphene Nanotube Technologies

Recently developed graphene nanotubes (single-walled carbon nanotubes) concentrates for powder coating formulations have expanded a range of nanotube products across all epoxy formulations. With just 0.2 wt.% nanotube concentrate providing 106 Ω/sq surface resistance, it preserves the color of epoxy resin, surface quality, rheological and mechanical performance. Over the past few months, a number of powder coating solution suppliers from Asia and Europe have introduced new products enhanced with graphene nanotubes. These manufacturers have been able to reduce the loading rate of carbon black applied as a conductive additive in standard recipes by more than 20-fold for applications such as pipes for electronic equipment and flammable materials. TUBALL™ MATRIX 815 or 821 concentrate, produced by OCSiAl, at 0.2% of industry-friendly graphene nanotube forms, enables achievement of persistent, stable resistance of 106 Ω/sq without insulating "hot spots," while the ultra-low loading rate also permits a wide color range. "Until recently, incorporating nanotubes into powder materials was a problem and was never the case in liquid epoxy systems.

OCSiAl Vice President of Polymers, Zakhar Bolshakov, said that even graphene nanotubes' ultra-low loading rates are sufficient to create a dense conductive network that guarantees protection against so-called "hot spots" or insulating zones.

Epoxy coating manufacturers, in particular, point to graphene nanotubes' ability to preserve the mechanical and rheological properties of the original compound thanks to the nanotubes' unique morphology and low loading rates. These parameters and the color of the final product are typically sacrificed when using standard conductive additives such as carbon black or carbon fiber, which require much higher loadings to target the same resistance level. In some specialized applications, nanotubes result in cost reduction for coating manufacturers or end users. For example, ESD floor installers can reduce coating thickness and use less epoxy, while tank lining manufacturers can reduce the number and duration of required visual inspections of conductive coatings. "Almost all epoxy coating systems are now completely covered with graphene nanotube solutions. The introduction to market of easy-to-use nanotube concentrates for series production of coatings with standard industrial equipment and no changes to formulation have significantly increased mass adoption of nanotubes," added Zakhar Bolshakov. Graphene nanotubes can be used to produce high-performance epoxy coatings for aviation, transport, oil and gas, construction, electronics manufacturing, green technologies and other industries.