A new facility in Texas to manufacture high-purity graphene powder from acetylene has been announced by HydroGraph Clean Power Inc. (Vancouver, B.C.; www.hydrograph.com). At capacity, the facility will generate thousands of metric tons per year of sp2-bonded powdered graphene with lateral particle sizes of 20 to 50 nm.
Graphene has drawn considerable interest as an additive to materials, such as lubricants, plastic resins, coatings and concrete, because of its high mechanical strength and electrical and thermal conductivity properties. Graphene is also being investigated for applications in nanoscale electronics, batteries and hydrogen storage (for more on graphene see Graphene: Breakthrough Industrial Applications). While many pathways to graphene synthesis have been explored, all have some drawbacks with respect to cost, yield, structural defects or other reasons.
HydroGraph uses a “chamber explosion synthesis” process for graphene . The exothermic process results in exceptionally high-purity graphene, along with low energy use and batch-to-batch consistency. Although technically a batch process, the explosion synthesis is run inside a modular, four-chamber reaction (photo) that allows almost continuous production.
The proprietary process, known as the Hyperion System, involves a highly controlled explosion of acetylene gas in the presence of oxygen. The high temperature (2,500 K) of the explosion leads to high-purity (no contamination) and high-crystallinity nanosheet graphene powder. The only byproduct of the reaction is synthesis gas (syngas; H2 and CO), HydroGraph says.
The chamber explosion technology to make graphene was invented by Kansas State University (Manhattan, Kan.; www.k-state.edu) distinguished professor emeritus Chris Sorensen in 2014, and subsequently commercialized by HydroGraph, a company formed from research in his laboratory.
The new graphene production site in Texas is anticipated to begin operation in 2026, HydroGraph says. The company recently achieved certification for quality management in adherence to the ISO 9001:2015 standard.