Black Swan Achieves Wear Resistance of Up to 80%

Black Swan's Product Achieves Up to 80% Improvement in Abrasion Resistance Black Swan's Graphene Product Increases Abrasion Resistance in Thermoplastic Polyurethane by Up to 80% Black Swan Graphene Inc claimed that the latest version of its GraphCore™001 graphene nanoplatelet material ("Graphcore"), when used as an additive in Thermoplastic Polyurethane, increases composite abrasion resistance by 60 to 80%. The company previously reported a 45% performance improvement in TPU at a 1% loading rate (the amount of additive added to a composite material relative to the matrix material quantity). TPU is a thermoplastic elastomer that combines some properties of both plastic and rubber. It is hard, flexible, durable and resistant to abrasion as well as oils and lubricants. This unique combination of properties makes TPU ideal for various applications including automotive, sporting goods, textile coatings and mobile phones. Black Swan Graphene President and CEO Simon Marcotte commented: "Today's performance results remind us of graphene's tremendous potential to revolutionize the polymer industry. Beyond increasing abrasion resistance, graphene offers meaningful benefits such as weight reduction, cost savings, enhanced sensitivity, improved gas permeability and increased thermal conductivity, all of which can advance existing markets and open doors to new applications." The production of Graphcore-reinforced TPU composites and subsequent testing were independently conducted at the Graphene Engineering Innovation Center ("GEIC") located at the University of Manchester, United Kingdom. The TPU type selected for testing is currently used in mobile equipment and extruded sheets in numerous industries ranging from packaging to shipping and construction materials. Composites were produced via a masterbatch and then molded to conduct tests based on loading rates of 0.5%, 1.0% and 1.5%.

The results presented in Figure 1 below show that all Graphcore-loaded composites demonstrated performance improvements compared to the unmodified level.

Figure 1: Weight loss and abrasion resistance of TPU composites at different loading levels (CNW Group/Black Swan Graphene Inc) Abrasion testing conformed to ISO 5470 - 1:2016 – Taber abrasion1 standard. Three thousand (3,000) cycles were performed using standard abrasive discs with a weight of 1,000 grams per stone. Weight loss was recorded after every 1,000 cycles. Between each 1,000 cycles, the wheels were abraded with standard sandpaper for up to 50 cycles; sandpaper was changed at the beginning of each new test.  

Market Perspectives

The current plastic additives market (not the plastics market itself) is estimated at approximately USD 40 billion annually2. The Graphene Council, in its 2021 report3, estimates that potential annual graphene requirements when combining all different polymer types at a 5% loading rate would be 12.5 million tons of graphene. 1 This standard aligns with the following ISO sustainability objectives: Objective 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure: Building resilient infrastructure, promoting inclusive and sustainable industrialization and fostering innovation - Objective 12: Responsible Consumption and Production: Ensuring sustainable consumption and production patterns. 2 https://www.emergenresearch.com/industry-report/plastic-additives-market 3 https://www.thegraphenecouncil.org/page/TheGrapheneReport Source