Black Swan Graphene (TSX-V:SWAN) announced the launch of its GraphCore 01 family of graphene nanoplatelets products for the polymer industry.
GraphCore products have achieved improvements in their tensile properties – the ability to withstand stretching or pulling forces – when they are loaded with less than 1% of the graphene nanoplatelets.
At global customer industrial trials, these enhancements have translated into substantial performance improvements, such as a 25% weight reduction with 1.5% loading in Thermoplastic Polyurethane (TPU) and more than 20% increase in impact resistance in Polypropylene (PP) at 0.2% loading.
There was a more than 40% improvement in barrier properties in Polylactic Acid (PLA) at 1.0% loading, Black Swan added.
Black Swan's graphene-enhanced masterbatch products, GraphCore, promise price-performance improvements without any disruption to the supply chain. These products are readily available in volume directly from Black Swan or through globally represented value-added distributors such as Thomas Swan & Co LTD, Gerdau Graphene, and Hubron International.
"We are thrilled to introduce our innovative commercial products, marking a significant milestone in the evolution of graphene-enhanced masterbatches,” said Michael Edwards, Chief Operating Officer of Black Swan.
“After several years of meticulous research and development, we are able to provide the industry with turnkey solutions with constant and reliable results without interrupting our customers' production process."
Fergus McKendrick, managing director of Hubron International, echoed the sentiment. "Everyone at Hubron is thrilled to collaborate with Black Swan to introduce this technology to the market through an easy-to-use masterbatch solution in order to capitalize on the unique benefits of graphene.”
Jeff DeWerth, global managing director of Thomas Swan Polymer Performance Solutions Division, underscored the transformative impact of Black Swan's Graphene Enhanced Masterbatches, highlighting significant performance improvements across various polymers and applications.
External industrial trials in masterbatch, spanning a range of polymers including TPU, Nylon, PLA, HDPE, LDPE, PET, PC, and PP, are currently underway.