FIRST GRAPHENE Graphene pioneer primed on global growth
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FIRST GRAPHENE
Graphene pioneer primed on global growth
Michael Bell
Mark Lacy | Founder & CEO
CEO
60 | AUGUST 2021
20 BEST
COMPANIES
TO WATCH IN 2021
For decades, the supercapacitors, precision electronics, which capitalize on the protective barrier
F
potential for batteries, and to strengthen components properties offered by graphene.
carbon-based used in the aerospace industry.
wonder material Year of transformation
graphene has been First Graphene quickly realized there
understood in were significant opportunities in much While the COVID-19 pandemic certainly
theory. larger, more mainstream industrial led to some temporary delays on a
applications across sectors such as number of projects, it was short-lived.
The realization of that theory took a big mining, construction, marine, and high- The past 12 months have been a
step forward in 2004 when two Russian volume plastics and composites transformative period as the business
scientists managed to isolate graphene for manufacturing. evolved from its development phase to a
the first time at the University of more concerted commercial growth focus
Manchester in the UK. The pair Everyday applications and expanded global reach.
subsequently won a Nobel Prize for their
work. Through its research division, based at That coincided with the retirement of the
Manchester University's Graphene founding CEO, who was instrumental in
But the lingering problem has been Engineering & Innovation Centre (GEIC) developing the production process, and
scaling up production from the laboratory and its work with customers around the the appointment of Singapore-based
bench to commercial quantities and world, First Graphene has identified and Michael Bell as the company's new
consistent quality. The complexity is that implemented graphene-enhanced options CEO.
graphene consists of single layers of pure across a broad range of common
carbon atoms, so isolating it can be a industrial applications including Commercial growth is an area that Mr.
challenge. composite materials, elastomers, and Bell is well versed in. He has previously
polymers, concrete and cement, and worked in a range of high-growth
That all changed two years ago when coatings. industries, from privately owned
Australian-listed First Graphene Limited businesses to multi-national corporations
(ASX: FGR) pioneered a process to Work is also underway in the higher-tech across a broad range of sectors including
convert graphite into high-purity areas, including advanced work on the consumer and commercial electronics,
graphene at volume and launched its supercapacitor front and with hydrogen software, marine, and offshore
PureGRAPH® range of graphene fuel cells. engineering, and defence. Earlier in his
additives to the market. career, the New Zealand native was part
But in recent months, work with of the team responsible for the expansion
As an additive, graphene offers foundation customers on more everyday and significant global growth of
significant improvements in terms of products has started to come to fruition, telematics provider Navman Wireless,
strength, electrical and thermal with commercial launches of graphene- which was subsequently acquired by the
conductivity, flexibility, and enhanced swimming pools, safety Danaher Corporation.
impermeability. The initial focus of footwear, and wear liners used in the
researchers was for graphene to be used mining industry. The company has also At present, the company has the
in high-tech applications such as developed a range of fire-retardant paints capability to produce around 100 tonnes
“First Graphene's unique ability to manufacture
pristine graphene, cost-effectively and in volume, is
making the graphene revolution a commercial reality.”
GLOBAL BUSINESS LEADERS | 61
FIRST-MOVER (110 tons) of the product in powdered and aqueous paste formats.
A pelletized masterbatch range was also recently released,
providing an easy integration option for manufacturers of plastic,
ADVANTAGE rubber, and elastomer-based components. The pellets contain pre-
dispersed graphene in particular quantities, allowing
manufacturers to incorporate its use into existing production
lines.
Mr. Bell has no misconceptions about the
tasks ahead but says First Graphene has a Given graphene is an extremely lightweight material and most
applications only require very small additions of graphene to
prime first-mover advantage.
realize significant improvements, the company is keeping up with
global demand.
“The company is the world's only
But Mr. Bell expects that demand to increase exponentially and
manufacturer of commercial quantities of
says the technology is highly scalable.
consistent grade graphene and we have an
enormous opportunity to capitalize on that “We've announced a range of agreements with some major
manufacturers and service providers that in turn have the
position,” he said. potential to expand First Graphene's reach into new verticals and
new geographies,” Mr. Bell said.
“In addition, we have the best research and
“First Graphene customers have recently launched swimming
development people globally and access to pools, safety footwear, and wear liners for the mining industry
the world's best facilities at the GEIC, among other products, and our focus is on further expansion in
those sectors as well as building our capacity in areas such as
which means we can carry out advanced
specialized coatings. As an example, the company recently signed
R&D and work with customers through the a Memorandum of Understanding with Advanced Material
entire development lifecycle, from devising Development to collaborate in the area of conductive inks.”
the most appropriate graphene Team building
formulations for the application, to
advanced testing.” One of Mr. Bell's first moves on commencing with First
Graphene early this year was to appoint commercial managers to
focus on key verticals.
The first appointment was to promote existing staff member Neil
Armstrong to the role of Commercial Manager Composites and
Plastics. Like his namesake who was the first person to step on
62 | AUGUST 2021
the moon, this Neil Armstrong was one of
the pioneers in developing commercial
opportunities for graphene.
Unlike the astronaut, Mr. Armstrong is
far more comfortable on the ground, or in
the water.
As such, he was instrumental in helping
swimming pool manufacturer Aquatic
Leisure Technologies to develop its range
of Graphene Nano-Tech pools.
Similar technology and techniques have
been used to make the first graphene-
enhanced boat, which is currently
undergoing sea trials, and a “ding-
resistant” surfboard.
Mr. Bell's second appointment was Mr. Bell says First Graphene is in the fuels such as diesel and gasoline declines
concrete and cement industry expert Todd process of recruiting commercial and the electric vehicle market continues
McGurgan, who is well known in the specialists to focus on coatings, to grow.
Asia Pacific area, having worked with elastomers, and rubber applications, with
some of the region's largest cement and a range of active and potential Among other uses, high purity graphite is
concrete providers. commercial opportunities in train in those in demand for use in the batteries that
areas. power EVs, while hydrogen can be used
As one of the most commonly used as a clean source of energy.
materials in the world, concrete presents “To date, we've worked predominantly
a range of challenges in terms of with end-users such as pool, safety wear, First Graphene is focused on improving
sustainability and disposal. and mining product manufacturers,” Mr. sustainable outcomes across multiple
Bell said. industries. Mr. Bell says the company
First Graphene's research has found that utilizes the highest-grade graphite
very small additions of graphene—less “But with some of the recent agreements available which involves minimal
than 1 percent—result in up to 30 percent and MoU's we've put in place, we expect purification and produces almost no
increased strength and a significant to move the focus upstream to material waste in the process of conversion to
reduction in water usage. Ultimately, that suppliers, which will significantly graphene.
provides an opportunity to achieve increase the size of the markets we're
required structural integrity with thinner addressing. That's why we need dedicated “Our focus is on minimizing waste at
concrete slabs and panels. subject matter experts to target specific every step in the value stream, from
verticals.” responsible mining and mineral
Graphene also enhances thermal processing operations right through to
conductivity in concrete. That is Global Innovation and Sustainable extending the functional life of products
important as it results in more even Focus that incorporate our PureGRAPH®
drying of concrete structures, in turn additives,” he said.
inhibiting cracking and fractures that can At the same time, First Graphene remains
result from uneven heat distribution. at the forefront of research and “We are also actively pursuing
innovation. The company has recently opportunities in the renewable energy
In addition, initial research has found that developed and patented a novel process sector, not just in terms of energy storage
adding graphene to recycled concrete can to convert certain petroleum feedstocks applications for the electric vehicle
return it to near-new mechanical into high purity graphene, graphite, and market, but also in developing graphene-
properties. clean hydrogen without any carbon enhanced turbine blades for wind farms.
dioxide or other pollutant emissions.
A third commercial specialist, Matt “Disposal of old blades poses a landfill
Curthoys, has been appointed to focus The process, which uses cavitation problem but by increasing the life of each
specifically on marine composites and chemistry, has the potential to provide blade, we can reduce that issue.”
renewable energy applications. petroleum companies with alternative
pathways as the reliance on combustible
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