Strategiskt innovationsprogram: Samlar Sverige för hållbar och konkurrenskraftig produktion

Customized Graphene Production

The production of materials is getting more and more sophisticated. One main trend is the increasing production of nanomaterials, because they can be used as building blocks in more complex materials.

The use of nanomaterials is also a way to better utilize raw materials and other resources. For example, they can facilitate lighter and stronger polymers, hence less material is used for a given strength. Graphene is a two-dimensional nanomaterial (2D-material), with the potential of a multitude of uses in a large number of products. Graphene’s unique material properties have gained a large industrial interest and paved the way for a move from laboratory scale to industrial scale production. How to do the scaling up to sustainable process with high gain and consistent quality is the focus of research-intensive SMEs within the area of graphene globally.

2D fab was founded in 2013 as a spin-off company from Mid Sweden University. 2D fab has recently completed a pilot-plant for production of graphene. The plant is built for a production capacity of 10 tons per annum. This may seem small from an industrial viewpoint but is large in the world of graphene. 2D fab aims to become a leading supplier of graphene, to begin with in Europe. To reach that goal, an efficient, production process is a necessity, in order to deliver graphene at a competitive price/performance ratio.

This project will increase the Swedish industry´s competitiveness by pushing production of nanomaterials forward, by increasing the machinery industry’s ability to supply equipment to the nanomaterial industry and by putting high quality graphene to market disposal. The incipient industrialisation of graphene has trigged the growing research area 2D-materials. An efficient production method will facilitate production at industrial scale of other types of 2D-material.

The goal with this project is to develop a new manufacturing process for the two- dimensional graphene, based on the combination of two manufacturing processes from the pulp industry. We aim for a production method with high sustainability in comparison to the methods commonly used today, the process is water born, with an even lower energy consumption than 2D fabs present process. The project will serve as inspiration how knowledge from a mature industry can be further developed and used in emerging technology areas.

The project is carried out by a consortium consisting of 2D fab, Valmet, VestaSi (part of the SKF group), Mid Sweden University and the research institute Chalmers Industriteknik.

Project leader
Roland Bäck, 2D fab AB
[email protected]
+46 70 522 30 74

Participating organisations
→2D fab AB
Valmet
Mittuniversitetet
Vesta SI
Chalmers Industriteknik

Produktion2030 – ett strategiskt innovationsprogram med stöd från VINNOVA, Energimyndigheten och Formas.

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