Graphene advancements are in the headlines almost daily. Visit us often to stay up to date on all things Nova Graphene!
Bill Spurr · Multimedia Journalist |
Paul Beasant says the biggest challenge in working with graphene is not taking on too many projects, so incredible is the material’s potential.
Graphene is a form of powdered carbon.
“You don’t make things with graphene, you make other things better with it,” said Beasant, CEO of Nova Graphene, which is working on a $975,000 contract extension from the Department of National Defence to make lightweight ballistic (bullet proof) armour.
“Graphene is a unique form of carbon, just like diamond is a unique form of carbon. There are two main grades … kind of like filet mignon versus ground beef,” said Beasant, adding that the higher grade comes in at two million particles per gram of powder.
“Many of these particles are just one layer, one atom thick, so in its purest form, the thinnest substance known to man.”
The graphene that is the company’s raw material is made through a proprietary, and renewable, process to exfoliate graphite without the use of chemicals. The DND project has the company working to develop 3D printable ballistic plates for use in bulletproof vests.
“What we’re doing is compounding these powders into different materials, specifically nylon and something called PEEK, polyether ether ketone, which is one of the strongest thermal plastics in the world. The graphene, when added, makes it even stronger and better than it was before,” Beasant said. “They’re typically a 10- by 12-inch chest plate, so they’re not the full vest, they’re what goes into the vest.”
Armour used by the military and police officers is “pretty much a standard size,” determined by the U.S.-based National Institute of Justice. Beasant says that is one of the most obvious areas that needs to be improved.
“Our end goal is that we’ll be able to do a body scan of the soldier or law enforcement officer and make sure their chest plate, their helmet, whatever, fits absolutely perfectly. The better the fit, the better the comfort level and mobility, the better your survivability,” he said. “They’re used by females, certainly, but there isn’t any accommodation for the female form. On that front, we’re getting a little extra attention because to be able to fit any body shape, whether you’re small, tall, female, male.”
The cost of a vest ranges from $500-$2,000, depending on brand and whether you’re stopping a handgun bullet or a sniper rifle.
COO Michael Wise said the Nova Graphene vests will be dramatically lighter than those currently on the market, which provides all kinds of benefits.
“Increased endurance, increased mobility, (improved) response time and increased survivability,” Wise said. “So, if we can reduce the weight of their kit, we’re going to contribute to a soldier being more effective in the field.”
A specialized 3D printer is on its way from Israel to Nova Graphene’s office in Burnside at a cost of $50,000.
The company recently finished two other defence-related contracts.
“One was to develop coatings for helicopter rotors that would minimize abrasive wear, and also provide additional UV and chemical resistance,” Beasant said. “The other helicopter thing we did is called a leading-edge strip. The very front edge of the blade is going through the air and obviously gets the most abuse, whether it be from ice pellets or sand or whatever.”
Nova Graphene is also finalizing a contract with Environment Canada to put graphene into tire rubber to minimize tire wear and consequently minimize the microplastics wearing off the tires and going into the environment.
The company employs five people right now, but that’s expected to double in a year.
PRESS RELEASE: Nova Graphene has been awarded a 20-month Phase II contract extension by the Department of National Defence (Canada) to continue their development of lightweight ballistic armor for personal protection using additive manufacturing.
Current ballistic protection systems – or “bullet-proof armor” – tend to be heavy, bulky, and limit mobility. They frequently contribute to overheating & discomfort and alter natural movement biomechanics, which may increase the risk of injury. In addition, current systems lack the modularity and scalability that will enable the adoption of less burdensome solutions and improve integrated survivability.
Nova Graphene Canada is leveraging its proprietary graphene-enhanced technology to provide the means to significantly improve these characteristics, with the aim of increasing survivability, performance, and unit effectiveness.
C.E.O. Paul Beasant is honored the company was chosen from an elite field to continue to spearhead this important R&D effort: “We look forward to expanding our work to commercialize 3D-printed ballistic plates to help safeguard the members of our military. Not only do we anticipate these plates being incredibly light, but are working to custom print them from 3D body scans of the soldiers, so items
such as chest plates and helmets will fit perfectly.
“As our production capabilities continue to expand, we also look forward to making our products available to our allies and to members of law enforcement, and eventually for custom applications such as motorcycle and sports helmets.”
About The Company: Graphene, a revolutionary carbon allotrope, is the future of all sectors of manufacturing. Nova Graphene is an international provider of unique graphenes and graphene-enhanced product formulations. Their blends – including CarbonEra BlackTM and CarbonEra PlatinumTM – have successfully & dramatically improved the properties of everything from concrete & composites to lubricants & 3D printing filaments.
This is the 5th Defence contract awarded to Nova Graphene.
For more information about Nova Graphene, contact the company here:
Nova Graphene
Paul Beasant
From November 11-13, Nova Graphene (NG) attended the 2022 International Graphene Innovation Conference (‘GrapChina 2022’) in Shanghai. The 2022 event was the 9th edition of this annual conference of the graphene industry in China. Hosted by the Innovation Alliance of the Graphene Industry (CGIA), GrapChina has become a well-recognized event of the industry for exchanges and discussions on commercial applications of graphene. The conference was also accompanied by a co-located exhibition – International Graphene Application Exhibition (IGA Expo).
NG learned at GrapChina that Consumer Electronics (eg. 5G cellphones) and Energy Storage (eg. Li-ion batteries for Electric Vehicles) are the two biggest market segments of graphene application in China. In the consumer markets, graphene-enabled heating products/systems have been successfully commercialized. Researches on graphene/metal composites and anti-corrosion coatings have also attracted cross-sectoral attention.
The conference provided an excellent opportunity for NG to get connected with the graphene industry in China as well as to obtain first-hand information on the graphene market in China – the biggest manufacturer and user of graphene in the world.
This is the 4th trip to China for NG in an effort to forge a presence and collaborations in the region.
NOVA GRAPHENE AWARDED TWO DEFENSE CONTRACTS TO DEVELOP CORROSION-RESISTANT MATERIALS FOR HELICOPTER ROTORS
Halifax, Canada: Nova Graphene has been awarded two contracts by Canada’s Department of National Defence’s Innovation for Defence Excellence and Security (IDEaS) program to develop graphene- enhanced materials to protect helicopter rotors from erosion & wear due to exposure to sand, ice, and water. The ability to fly in degraded visual environments (e.g., rain or sand storms) is operationally advantageous, but results in increased damage to the aircraft, especially erosion damage to the rotary wing blades. Each rotary wing blade has an integral leading edge erosion strip, which when damaged necessitates the replacement of the entire blade. Polymeric and tape coatings have been employed on the leading edge to extend the life of the blades in a dry sand environment. However, these coatings are intended for protection against incidental exposures such as during landing and takeoff, or light sandy environments, and require frequent touch-ups between flights, increasing the maintenance burden and reducing the availability of the aircraft. The durability of the protective coating is a key consideration since coatings failure results in increased rotor vibrations, impacting flight safety and often results in an aborted mission.
Through the IDEaS program, Nova Graphene is leveraging its proprietary graphene technologies to provide the means to significantly improve protections for these rotors, thereby increases flight capability while minimizing downtime due to maintenance.
The first contract award is for the development of graphene-enhanced protective coatings for the entire rotor blade, while the second contract is to develop an improved leading-edge protective strip. Nova Graphene C.E.O. Paul Beasant is excited the company was chosen twice from an elite field to spearhead this important R&D effort. “We are honored to be working to provide improved flight capability for helicopters for our military. As our production capability continues to expand, we also look forward to making our products available to our allies, as well as for commercial applications.”
About The Company: Graphene, a revolutionary carbon allotrope, is the future of all sectors of manufacturing. Nova Graphene is an international provider of unique graphenes and graphene- enhanced product formulations. Our blends – including “CarbonEra BlackTM” and “CarbonEra PlatinumTM” – have successfully & dramatically improved the properties of everything from concrete & composites, to lubricants & 3D printing filaments. More information can be found at www.NovaGraphene.com.
Graphene Company Hires Media Firm As They Prepare For Major Capital Raise
HALIFAX, Nova Scotia & TORONTO - March 3, 2022 - PRLog -- Nova Graphene, a leading North American R&D firm specializing in graphene product enhancements, has retained the services of Black Ram Media Group as it prepares for its next significant capital raise. The capital is needed as Nova Graphene commercializes its novel materials & products, developed via their numerous defense contracts and other collaborate work. Nova Graphene has intentionally stayed under the radar while they moved their leading advancements from Proof-of-Concept to the Prototype stage. Nova Graphene CEO Paul Beasant said of the decision, "Now that targeted, significant milestones have been attained, we look forward to working with Black Ram Media Group and using their expertise to help tell our story as effectively as possible." Black Ram Media Group Inc is a full-spectrum strategic service & media production house. Based in the Toronto area, they are now opening a satellite office to better service their Nova Graphene file.
Specializing in award-winning film production, strategic social media, and political communication campaigns, Black Ram Media can accommodate the nuances of Nova Graphene's (sometimes) sensitive defense-related research with the desire for a high-profile media campaign. Black Ram Media chief strategist and registered lobbyist Daniela Siggia is looking forward to the challenge: "A top University researcher told me a couple of years ago that Graphene would soon go beyond the lab and transform manufacturing - now, I'm seeing graphene everywhere. I look forward to helping bring awareness to such a transformative development in the manufacturing space."
Nanjing is the capital city of Jiangsu and is among the Top 10 Cities of highest GDP in China.
Nova Graphene (NG) met with a leading petrochemical products manufacturing group, the local association of paints and coatings industry, and a major innovation promotion body while in Nanjing to explore market opportunities and feasible types of partnership for NG’s graphene products and formulations.
NG observed good interest at the meetings in graphene applications in electrical conduction.
Jiangsu Province is the #2 provincial level economy in China. The province achieved 2021 GDP of USD1818bn, similar to the size of South Korea (2021 projected GDP at USD1824bn). Canada’s 2021 projected GDP was USD2016bn.
NG also visited a small city called Liyang 0.5hr away from Nanjing by high-speed train. Liyang is regarded as a tier-4 city in China (for reference, Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhen and Shenzhen are the four tier-1’s) and a part of Greater Changzhou. But nothing is ‘small’ in China. Even Liyang has a population of 788,000. The trip was to study a typical local concrete market in China. NG learned from a major local concrete plant that
- Market size of the city of Changzhou and Liyang combined is 25 million M3/year of concrete, and 10 million M3/year of mortar.
- Market size of concrete in Suzhou + Wuxi + Changzhou (the cities with top GDP in Jiangsu Province): 100 million M3/year.
If graphene can be applied to concrete in an economically feasible way, it can help reduce carbon emissions significantly in Jiangsu Province.
The Business Development team of Nova Graphene came to Shanghai, China!
After a three-week long quarantine, I was able to move freely around and had my first meetings in China. I started with visiting the Canadian Trade Commissioner Service in Shanghai, which is based at the Consulate General of Canada.
Boasting a history of 120+ years, TCS is a free business consulting service provided by the Canadian federal government to help Canadian businesses to explore international markets. It has a network of 1000+ Trade Commissioners in 160 cities across Canada and the world. The TCS team in Shanghai has 20+ Trade Commissioners providing services in all major sectors.
At the meetings with the Trade Commissioners (TCs) responsible for Clean Tech, Infrastructure & Building Products, and Transportation, I was impressed with the professionalism of the officers as well as their insights into the markets. Upon my introduction of NG and our R&D activities in graphene applications, TCs shared their views of the market prospect in various applications, market challenges, and the connections they have in the market, which may be of good value to NG.
As a follow up of the meetings, TCS coordinated a video conference between NG and a graphene research institute in East China.
All the services are for free! I look forward to more interactions with TCS to better leverage their knowledge and connections to support our business development efforts in China.
Cheers,
Sandra Jiang
CEO Paul Beasant gives us the scoop on graphenes
How can graphene improve military vehicles? Let us count the ways!
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