ChemQuest Technology Institute supports sustainable, scalable graphene development

The ChemQuest Technology Institute (South Boston, Va., U.S.), part of global consulting firm, The ChemQuest Group (Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S.), has entered a three-year, collaborative innovation agreement to support the growth and validation of Universal Matter’s (Houston, Texas, U.S.) graphene technology based on sustainable feedstocks. 

ChemQuest Technology Institute will explore the benefits of the technology in applications for paints and coatings and identify the most valuable markets and opportunities for growth. It is focused on providing advanced formulation guidance, technology acceleration, raw material validation and performance testing equipment, services that are used by suppliers, manufacturers and users of formulated materials, such as coatings, adhesives, sealants and polymers. 

“In this collaboration, Universal Matter seeks to leverage ChemQuest’s 40-plus years of industry expertise and technology development experience and to validate performance and value creation benefits in the target applications that will ultimately accelerate industry transformation,” John van Leeuwen, CEO of Universal Matter, says.

Earlier collaboration between Universal Matter and ChemQuest reportedly demonstrated the effectiveness of the technology in formulations for specific applications.

Universal Matter has reportedly pioneered high-performing, economical graphene technology based on a range of carbon materials, including coal, cokes, biomass and recycled rubber and plastics, which is said to dramatically reduce its environmental footprint versus graphene based on traditional feedstocks.

“Our team is excited to continue working with this material,” Daniel Murad, CEO of The ChemQuest Group, notes. “Not only is Universal Matter’s graphene technology sustainable thanks to raw materials based on biological and circular sources, it is also economical, scalable and high performing. This is because of its innovative and novel production process.”

Universal Matter produces its graphene using rapid, flash-fired bursts of electrical energy. The process enables the bonding of carbon into few layers of turbostratic graphene, as opposed to AB-stacked (Bernal) graphene, resulting in optimized performance benefits in the target applications. The flash process is modularized into compact manufacturing units and can be scaled by adding more modules of identical configuration. Many different carbon-based feedstocks can be transformed into high-purity turbostratic graphene using this flash process.

Earlier collaboration between Universal Matter and ChemQuest reportedly demonstrated the effectiveness of the technology in formulations for specific applications. Proven performance improvements included compressive strength, tensile strength, barrier properties, rheological enhancement and flow characteristics.

According to van Leeuwen, “There is an inherent need and significant business opportunity to improve the performance and sustainability of products in these markets via the upcycling of carbon into ‘green’ graphene, thus improving the mechanical properties of these industrial materials and creating stronger, longer lasting coatings, which also significantly reduce our carbon footprint and greenhouse gas emissions.”

The ChemQuest Group’s Murad notes that the company has recently invested in the expansion of its R&D facilities, enabling it to independently qualify and quantify the benefits of the technology in a diverse range of market applications, identify the most valuable opportunities and help to expedite their commercial feasibility and market entrance.