29/04/2015
Hohenstein: Graphene goes textile
A wonder material sets new standards: Graphene is a single layer of carbon just one atom thick, in the form of a honeycomb lattice made up of hexagons. This layer, just a few nanometres thick, can only be seen under a scanning tunnelling microscope and holds within it the technology of tomorrow.
Graphene has outstanding properties as a fire-resistant material: it acts as a physical barrier that prevents the diffusion of heat, gases and the by-products of thermal decomposition, and has extremely high rupture resistance Photo: Hohenstein Institute
Graphene, which comes with up to 10 layers, is an expensive “all-rounder“. It is not a natural resources that is found in the ground but must be manufactured Photo: Wikimedia.org /wikipedia
Graphene has outstanding properties as a fire-resistant material: it acts as a physical barrier that prevents the diffusion of heat, gases and the by-products of thermal decomposition, and has extremely high rupture resistance Photo: Hohenstein Institute
The graphene-based textiles are being tested for compliance with DIN standards on resistance to heat and flame spread, tensile strength, burst pressure and tear propagation. Their absorption of infrared heat radiation (IR absorption) is also of great interest Photo: Dupont