We only need to add a very small amount of graphene to certain plastics to significantly change the characteristics and performance of plastics. In the propaganda of the automotive industry, new technologies are always described as "revolutionary", but this is often a good wish, not everyone believes. However, for an emerging material, as long as the word "possible" is added before "revolutionary", this description is very objective. This is graphene, which is "probably" a "revolutionary" automotive technology. Looking back, the graphene material was formally separated by researchers at the University of Manchester in the north of the United Kingdom in 2004. It is still only a new material that is only "teens", but has begun to steadily advance to mature mass production. In the next decade, graphene materials may bring huge changes to the design and manufacturing fields, including improving the efficiency of electric vehicles and autonomous vehicles.

Versarien is an advanced materials engineering group headed by Dr. Andrew Deakin as the chief technical engineer. It is committed to promoting the application of graphene materials from theoretical research to actual production, so that this emerging material can make full use of reducing weight, strengthening materials and optimizing batteries. Role. "As long as it is used properly, I think graphene materials are expected to reduce the plastic part of vehicles by 20%, which will be revolutionary. In addition, with excellent electrical conductivity, graphene materials are also expected to optimize battery performance, which will significantly extend battery performance Life. "


As an allotrope, graphene is a derivative of graphite (commonly used in pencils and dry lubricants). At present, a large amount of research and development work is still needed before the large-scale application of graphene materials to automobile mass production. Dr. Deakin has been committed to promoting the application of graphene in vehicle design and manufacturing, but at the same time frankly faces possible challenges: "The application of graphene in some scenarios may be realized in a few years, and in other scenarios The application may take more than a decade, and the exact time is usually difficult to judge, but I have full confidence 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 For other materials with greater mass density, the final amount of plastic may increase.

Dr. Deakin and his team are committed to increasing the strength of plastics by more than 30%, in order to reduce the amount but achieve the same or higher strength. However, there are as many as 13 types of plastics commonly used in vehicle manufacturing today, and all types of plastics must go through a test procedure.

Dr. Deakin said, "We must determine the way in which graphene is added to plastics, and the specific mixing ratio, such as 1% to 5%; then, we must improve all necessary processes and technologies; finally, we will optimize comprehensive testing, and Promote 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.

He said, "In the initial stage, we must find the most meaningful application scenarios, and that's why we are seeking the help of a large number of industry experts. For example, we can use graphene to extend the life of tires to current levels 1.5 times, or even 2 times, and at the same time reduce the demand for plastic particles in the manufacturing process, which is of great significance for protecting the environment. A recent report pointed out that in the plastic particle wastes that finally dumped into the ocean with a diameter of less than 1 mm, More than 28% come from tires. "Graphene also helps to reduce the weight and size of batteries, which in turn effectively 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 plates or bumpers. In addition, when applied to vehicle chassis, similar performance improvements can be obtained. Of course, in order to achieve the desired effect, the mixing ratio of graphene must also be continuously optimized. On the other hand, graphene cannot usually be used for the reinforcement of aluminum or steel, but "directly replacing these metal materials with plastic reinforced with graphene" is also an optional idea.

Dr. Deakin explained: "If graphene is used to reinforce the plastic, the torsional stiffness of the components will remain the same, even increase, and the impact strength will increase. Therefore, it is expected that more and more scenes will start to use quality Lighter plastic, CFPR and GRP materials. "

Versarien acquired the 2D specialist company in 2014, when the latter's daily graphene output was only 1 gram, and now with the commissioning of new equipment, the company is expected to increase the single-day graphene production to 1 kg later this year ( 2.2 pounds).

In response, Dr. Deakin stated that this amounts to a factor of 1000 increase. Simple calculations, if the average daily output of each 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, it is important to control the amount of graphene added to the plastic (perhaps only 1% or less)."

Dr. Deakin was silent on the details of the graphene production equipment and how it works, only 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 carbon atoms with a single atom thickness. However, most of the scales of the Versarien graphene material do not exceed 5 layers, 90% of the scales do not exceed 10 layers, and the average lateral dimension is only 2 microns.

In addition, recyclability is an important issue that must be considered before any new material can be officially used. Dr. Deakin believes that the emergence of graphene will "renew the old plastic" (for example, when the plastic deteriorates due to ultraviolet radiation), that is, to maintain its original characteristics or performance and re-enter the supply chain.

However, we still need to face a long-standing question: How cost-effective is “reducing the amount of plastic in vehicles by adding graphene”? Dr. Deakin said, "We expect that by using our technology, this graphene solution will be truly cost-effective in the next few years, which will take about five years." Then, this type of graphite is only one layer thick Can ene be a true "revolutionary" material? This takes time to verify