Graphite powder firm First Graphene has signed an exclusive worldwide licensing agreement with the UK’s University of Manchester to develop graphene-hybrid materials for use in supercapacitors.
The organisations will use a proprietary electrochemical process to develop graphene-hybrid materials in a bid to create supercapacitors that can be used in electric vehicles and stationary applications.
The licencing agreement for patented technology wil be used to manufacture metal oxide decorated graphene materials.
Supercapacitors typically use microporous carbon nanomaterials, which have a gravimetric capacitance between 50-150 Farads/g. However, the university’s researchers have found that high-capacitance materials incorporating graphene are capable of reaching up to 500 Farads/g.
Depending on the results of the study, First Graphene will build a pilot-scale production unit at its laboratories within the Graphene Engineering and Innovation Centre (GEIC) at the university.
First Graphene is a Tier-One partner of the University’s GEIC. First Graphene manufactures bulk scale graphene by electrochemical exfoliation of graphite.
Graphene was first isolated in 2004 by two researchers at The University of Manchester, Professor Andre Geim and Professor Kostya Novoselov.
