The first patent covers HGMS coated with pristine graphene whilst the second focuses on HGMS coated with reactive graphene. These two patents represent HydroGraph’s effort to innovate within large scale application areas by offering improvements in both sustainability and performance. As a stand-alone product, HydroGraph’s coated microspheres have already received customer attention and are effectively a drop-in solution for numerous application areas seeking lightweighting or strengthening capabilities.
HydroGraph’s technology can produce two types of graphene coated bubbles, using uncoated hollow glass bubbles, which are industrial commodity material. The finished graphene coated bubbles may be used in composites, such as lightweight electromagnetic interference (EMI) shields and lightweight filler in plastic parts across industries such as automotive, marine and aerospace. Glass bubbles can also be used in the production of lightweight, high-strength concrete. The rising demand and extensive use of this innovative technology have the potential to further increase the demand for glass microspheres, with estimates for the bare glass bubbles approaching $8 billion annually in 2024.
“Our new patent applications demonstrate our dedication to pushing the boundaries of what’s possible with graphene to deliver cutting-edge, customised solutions to meet the evolving needs of our partners,” said Kjirstin Breure, president and interim CEO of HydroGraph. “This innovation opens new possibilities for lightweight, high-strength materials, representing a significant leap in material science.”
The graphene coating converts the white insulating glass bubbles into black, electrically conducting, free-flowing powder. HGMS are mostly made of air and a thin glass spherical shell, so light in weight, they are able to float on water. The size of the glass shell is typically less than 100 microns thick, making HydroGraph’s nanoscale graphene the ideal coating material for preserving HGMS’ low-density feature. HGMS are extremely small in size, so are often mixed with resin to make lightweight composites. Because HGMS are spherical, they can also act as lubricants in flow. Graphene’s integration as a coating on bubbles can be thought of as a support material for graphene nanostructure, potentially useful as an absorption media of contaminants, thus, showing filtration capability. Graphene-coated bubbles are a multifunctional version of the bare HGMS and HydroGraph’s first stand-alone industrial product.
Currently, HydroGraph has 11 patent applications filed in the US and globally with two patents granted for its FGA-1 pristine graphene.
