White Graphene won Boeing’s Sustainability in Space Pitch Competition against competition from five young startups at a recent event hosted by Boeing’s Aerospace Xelerated incubator, Advance Queensland and the Queensland government.
The funding will further develop boron nitride nanosheets which are a single molecule thick and share similar strength and electrically conductive properties as carbon and boron nanotubes.
Applications for white graphene include thin-film photovoltaics, microelectronics, advanced battery and supercapacitor technology, optics, nanocomposites and polymers and ceramics.
White Graphene Commercial Director Lieuwke de Jong told the pitch meeting of the potential application of boron nitride nanomaterials in interplanetary travel, the protection of hardware in space and shielding space travellers from radiation.
de Jong said: “Being selected as the winning pitch is tremendously important for the team and a great recognition of their work over many years.
“We have invested significant time and resources to create the manufacturing methodology that allows us to produce the required nanomaterials in various forms for commercial application at an economically viable price point.
“We look forward to seeing where this exciting new opportunity with Boeing can take us.”
White Graphene is 65 percent owned by Brisbane technology development group PPK Group.
PPK Chairman Robin Levison said: “We have now secured active, highly-prospective collaborations across multiple industry sectors to support a path to large-scale commercialisation of boron nitride nanomaterials and the extraordinary properties they produce.”
Read the original article on Australian Manufacturing Forum.
