SBIR-STTR Award

This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5). This Small Business Technology Transfer Research Phase I project is directed toward the rapid, large-scale production of pristine nano graphene platelets (NGPs) ? an emerging class of nano materials expected to have a revolutionary impact on nanotechnology. NGPs exhibit exceptional properties as do carbon nanotubes (CNTs), but can be mass-produced at much lower costs. NGPs exhibit the highest intrinsic strength and highest thermal conductivity of the existing materials. Highly conductive graphene will find practical applications in nanoelectronics, transparent and conductive coating (e.g., as a replacement for ITO glass), supercapacitor, battery electrode, fuel cell bipolar plates, thermal interface materials, and conductive nanocomposite. The total potential market size for conductive nano fillers/nanocomposites is forecast to reach $5 billion ($550M for automotive components alone) by 2013

This Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Phase II project aims to develop a method for rapid, direct and large-scale production of pristine nano-graphene platelets (NGPs). A combined molecular dynamic, macroscopic modeling and experimental approach will be used to (1) further improve the understanding of the underlying principles behind effective peeling of single-layer graphene sheets from graphite particles in selected liquid mediums, and (2) to clearly determine the most critical processing conditions that govern the graphene production rate in a continuous processing reactor. The broader/commercial impacts of this project will be the potential to offer a cost-effective method to produce pristine nano-graphene in large quantities. NGPs are of exceptional scientific and technological significance. The ability to produce large-volume pristine nano-graphene will have a profound impact on the evolution of nano-graphene science and technology. Highly conductive graphene may find practical applications in transparent and conductive coating, supercapacitor, battery electrode, fuel cell bipolar plates, and conductive nanocomposite.