The Graphene, Graphite and Carbon Nanotube Research Board

[grabster]

Graphene Council identifies Versarien as quality graphene maker.

https://www.compositesworld.com/blog/post/nanomaterials-products-supply-chain-mature-for-next-gen-composites

6/26/2019
Nanomaterials: Products, supply chain mature for next-gen composites

Verifying producers and supporting developers


One of the challenges facing a dynamic, fast-maturing technology is to build trust in the supply chain. To that end, the Graphene Council is working to mature the global supply chain through its Verified Graphene Producer program. Versarien plc (Cheltenham, U.K.) is the first graphene supplier to successfully complete this independent, third-party verification system that involves a physical inspection of the production facilities and review of the entire production process and safety procedures. “We also take random samples of their products and submit them for blind testing to be rigorously characterized at the National Physical Laboratory (NPL, Teddington, U.K.), a world-class institution that follows ISO/TR 19733:2019 for Nanotechnologies,” says the Graphene Council’s Barkan. NADCAP is an analogous audit program long used by the aerospace industry for the same purpose. “Without this type of program, customers have no clue what they are getting when they buy and receive graphene products,” says Barkan. “Our Verified Graphene Producer program is an important step to provide a level of confidence in the both products and producers worldwide.”

The Graphene Council also works to improve development of graphene applications. “We connect companies with resources to help them quickly navigate products, producers, materials science and testing for faster, more successful development,” says Barkan. “We also provide independent, third-party advisory services to help companies that want to use graphene, but don’t know where to start. We not only have reach into our formal members, but also track more than 200 companies involved with graphene worldwide. We monitor what is being developed and the latest scientific and research results, helping to understand what type of graphene to use, how to functionalize and disperse it and how to test for performance.” He notes a close relationship with the Graphene Engineering & Innovation Center (GEIC) at the University of Manchester (Manchester, UK), where graphene was first discovered. “This is a rapid prototyping center,” says Barkan, “and helps us to leverage what graphene can do.”