On November 1, 2011, Cabot Corporation announced the addition of graphene technology to its portfolio. These emerging performance materials will be offered through an intellectual property licensing agreement with Michigan-based XG Sciences, Inc. Under the agreement, Cabot will license intellectual property rights to XG’s xGnP® graphene nanoplatelets technology, including detailed know-how regarding the manufacturing process.
According to the press release, graphenes are highly electrically and thermally conductive, mechanically strong, thin sheets of carbon atoms. They are used as performance-enhancing materials in composites to add strength, stability, electrical and thermal conductivity, and other properties at lower loading levels than traditional materials.
Although both are made from carbon atoms, graphenes, because of their unique shape and structure, provide different application opportunities from standard carbon black. For example, the thermal transfer properties of graphenes extend beyond those of carbon black, making graphenes useful for applications in plastics that are heat sensitive and require a good conductor of heat. Because the particles are flat, graphenes can also be used as a barrier layer to reduce gas transfer in packaging applications.