Development of graphene-based composites for applications in the field of surface transportation

PROJECT COST:

570 000$

PRIMA CONTRIBUTION:

114 000$

PROJECT DETAILS:

The use of lightweight materials in land transport vehicles is well aligned with the most recent energy conservation regulations and policies. For a vehicle such as the Volkswagen Golf, a 30% reduction in the mass of the body—currently 296 kg out of a total weight of 1,300 kg—is achievable. Over a service life of 150,000 km on the road, the reduction in fuel consumption over that lifetime is approximately 0.3 L/100 km per car. Over the past decade, fundamental research on polymer nanocomposites has led to the development of new materials with improved mechanical, thermal, and electrical properties.

In the field of thermosetting resins, the incorporation of graphene has a significant impact on the resin’s viscosity and curing behavior. This often makes the material difficult to process and prevents the use of these products on an industrial scale. Therefore, this knowledge must be integrated to develop more robust processes that are better suited for real-world applications in the land transportation industry. This project involves a collaboration between McGill University and NanoXplore. The goal is to develop applications for land transportation using graphene-based thermosetting resin composites. The state-of-the-art graphene integration process, developed by NanoXplore, will be combined with McGill’s expertise in the processing of nanomodified composites.