Speakers

One of the greatest challenges being faced today in commercialising graphene is how to produce high quality material, on a large scale at low cost, and in a reproducible manner. Currently, the synthesis of graphene by conventional methods involves the use of toxic chemicals and these methods usually result in the generation of hazardous waste and poisonous gases. Other methods are capital intensive and complex. Thus the major hurdle in manufacturing graphene on an industrial scale is the process complexity and the associated high cost of its production, which results in expensive product.

The quality of graphene produced is also crucial, as the presence of defects, impurities, grain boundaries, multiple domains, structural disorders, or wrinkles in the graphene sheet can have an adverse effect on its electronic and optical properties.

At First Graphite Limited we have addressed these issues by producing graphene using high-grade, vein graphite from Sri Lanka. Sri Lankan graphite has a unique crystalline structure and is the highest quality, naturally occurring material in the world. The use of electrochemical exfoliation on this unique product was viewed as a method to overcome some of the issues outlined above.

Test work has conclusively demonstrated up to 80% of our unique vein graphite converts to graphene within a short time frame. Furthermore, the graphene platelet size being produced is larger than that produced by other graphite material and graphene production methods with graphene platelets of between 45μm and 78μm regularly produced.

First Graphite promises the ability to dramatically change the cost structure of the graphene supply curve, thereby facilitating the acceleration of the development of applications for consumption of bulk tonnages of graphene in industry.

First Graphene Ltd. is the leading supplier of high-performing, bulk graphene products. The company has a robust manufacturing platform based upon captive supply of high-purity raw materials and an established 100 tonne/year graphene production capacity. Commercial applications are now being progressed in composites, elastomers, fire retardancy, construction and energy storage. First Graphene Ltd. is publicly listed in Australia (ASX:FGR) and has a primary manufacturing base in Henderson, near Perth, WA. The company was recently incorporated in the UK as First Graphene UK Ltd. and is a Tier 1 partner at the Graphene Engineering and Innovation Centre (GEIC), Manchester, UK.