Versarien Share Discussion Threads

[woodpeckers] 10/2/2019 18:30

I still think it's unnecessary to worry too much about competitors.

We are, without doubt, one of the first, best connected (academic and political), high end producers able to scale to industrial production levels a product that is going to disrupt according to Terrance Barkan, "more than 40 vertical markets ".

With the arrival of Polygrene, we can see that Neill is aware that the value-added vertical integration approach is the way forward if we want to optimise profit.

Competition is healthy and raises awareness of our products. The total market for 2 dimensional products is beyond comprehension... We can't expect to have it all... We are up there ready to grab a sizeable portion... That makes me very happy...

[ellissj] 10/2/2019 18:06

Very good fest. Look forward to seeing what you find on here. Best ellis

[festario] 10/2/2019 17:55

I like that Ellis, it's something I didn't know, and it's helpful.A small part of the jigsaw, and I'm actively looking for more.... and at our declared competitors.

[ellissj] 10/2/2019 17:22

Re nga 'verified producer scheme.' Neill said USA is his area of responsibility for 2019 - good enough mood music to me and the biggest clue you will get presently. I have been keeping an eye, and can see nothing untoward. Aimo. Dyor. Best ellis.

[ellissj] 10/2/2019 17:17

Woody/myrl - indeed hexotene top drawer per specs sheet imo. Best ellis

"Hexotene is a few-layer hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) nanoplatelet
powder with large lateral dimensions. With high chemical purity and
mono-layer particles confirmed, Hexotene is the latest addition to our
high performance 2D product range.
It’s unique characteristics, specifically with regards to electrical
conductivity, show some markedly different properties when compared
to graphene. This is particularly promising for combined projects using
both graphene and boron nitride."

[ellissj] 10/2/2019 17:10

Is this credible enough fest ? :) And following on from my previous post - re this :"PA1201:2018 Properties of Graphene Flakes – guide was sponsored by Innovate UK" it might be remembered that vrs quality consultant dr. Martin kemp was the author of this guide per below rns. Best ellis

"..Dr Martin Kemp is Chairman of the Nanomaterials Committee of the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining (IOM3).  Of particular note, Dr Kemp has written the new standard for graphene flakes (British Standard Institution BSI PAS 1201:2018 'Properties of Graphene Flakes - Guide') which was sponsored by InnovateUK and will be published in August 2018..."

[woodpeckers] 10/2/2019 17:01

mryl, I'm guessing, based on the company's approach that Hexotene is a 'high end' product/few layer...

Wonder who our new neighbours will be...


“It will attract the most forward-thinking, like-minded individuals and businesses with the change to establish their UK HQ, start-up or scale up their company, take on and benefit from disruptive technologies and ideas or simply come and enjoy this inspirational space.”

[ellissj] 10/2/2019 16:58

And in that innovate article, there's a paragraph regarding standards and pas advice note - the blurb of which i have copied below. Best ellis

From the previous innovate article post:-

"To help companies trying to exploit the properties of graphene, this year Innovate UK and the British Standards Institute published a Publicly Accessible Specification, PAS 1201, which suggests information that manufacturers and producers can include with their products so that buyers and users of graphene can compare some basic baseline properties from different batches and suppliers. This joins efforts from the National Physical Laboratory and the National Graphene Centre in leadership in definitions, standards and characterization of graphene and 2D materials."

Details of pas201 :-

BSI launches new guide for graphene, the 2D ‘wonder material’

September 5, 2018

"Graphene, the 2D form of carbon, is 200 times lighter than steel and stronger than titanium. It was invented in 2004 at the University of Manchester

-       Defining the properties of graphene flakes is expected to help the material gain wider commercial awareness and acceptance, according to Dan Palmer,  Head of Manufacturing at BSI


Over the last decade there has been a huge interest in graphene, commercially and scientifically, due to the many exceptional properties associated with the material. Graphene is the world’s strongest and thinnest material, and an excellent conductor of heat and electricity.

BSI, the business standards company, has published a new guide to the properties of graphene flakes, PAS 1201. The guide, which is free to download, provides an explanation of the physical and chemical properties of graphene flakes, and advice on information manufacturers and suppliers of graphene should give to prospective users.

The importance of the discovery of graphene by two physicists at the University of Manchester was acknowledged by the award of the 2010 Nobel Prize for Physics, and initiated intense global activity in research and commercialization.

Dan Palmer, Head of Manufacturing at BSI, said: “PAS 1201 sets out the information that any manufacturer or interested party needs to understand about graphene before introducing this material to the manufacturing process. Standardizing the information that is made available about properties of graphene flakes is important in order for the commercial opportunities of graphene in the UK to be realized.”

PAS 1201 is relevant for users who wish to compare the basic properties of graphene flake materials from different manufacturers, who might use other manufacturing routes or post-treatments. Test equipment manufacturers, procurers, researchers, and policy makers may also find the document particularly useful.  

Graphene, the same material used in pencil lead, consists of a single layer of carbon atoms and is both pliable and transparent. Adding graphene to existing materials, such as plastic or steel, makes the composite correspondingly stronger and lighter.

Illustrations of the different stages for manufacturing graphene flakes and for impacting graphene material selection are included in PAS 1201, as well as a comprehensive list of industry-agreed terms and definitions.

PAS 1201:2018 Properties of Graphene Flakes – guide was sponsored by Innovate UK. The following organizations were also involved in its development as members of the Steering group: BAE Systems; Cambridge Nanomaterials Technology Ltd; Centre for Process Innovation Limited; DZP Technologies Ltd; Haydale; Iceni Labs Limited; Knowledge Transfer Network; National Physical Laboratory (NPL); PVI Industries; Thomas Swan & Co. Ltd; University of Warwick; Versarien plc."

[ellissj] 10/2/2019 16:47

VRS featured in that review article tweet. (Great independent confirmation - 'one of the years success stories'). And upon the innovate website i posted last year - axia collab coming through successful innovate trips to south korea 2017 (Dr Andrew on that one from memory). Matt walker on the innovate trip last year, meeting korean firms with our rep out there, rachel. Then updated in interims. Looking forward to korean updates as they come. PS note the article says per innovate 'the race is on for applications.' Vrs has many irons in the fire for end uses. Well done neill and co. Aimo. Best ellis

GRAPHENE: SOLUTIONS IN SEARCH OF APPLICATIONS

"We can’t speak of Manchester without mentioning one of its home-grown academic successes. At Innovate UK, we’ve supported graphene companies and their development to the tune of over £33m. We have run two graphene-specific competitions and since then, companies exploiting graphene have taken this boost and run with it. Without any specifically earmarked money, graphene projects have grabbed an ever-larger amount of innovation funding. In 2018, we invested £5.4m in graphene-related projects, up from £3.0m in 2017 and £2.1m in 2016.

Three or four years ago, the chicken-and-egg problem was “we don’t know what kind of graphene to manufacture until there is an application; but we don’t know what applications are realistic until we know what kind of graphene can be made at scale”. This has changed subtly in the last year or so. Now it is generally accepted that that the graphene market is demand-limited. Many graphene forms can be manufactured at scale or by methods which are realistically scalable, so the race is on for applications.

To help companies trying to exploit the properties of graphene, this year Innovate UK and the British Standards Institute published a Publicly Accessible Specification, PAS 1201, which suggests information that manufacturers and producers can include with their products so that buyers and users of graphene can compare some basic baseline properties from different batches and suppliers. This joins efforts from the National Physical Laboratory and the National Graphene Centre in leadership in definitions, standards and characterization of graphene and 2D materials.

The race towards applications is reflected in the graphene projects Innovate UK have supported in the last year or so: they have really shown a step change in sophistication and movement up the TRL scale. I’ve been impressed with not only the technical results of projects but also the attention paid to processing and scale-up.

ADVANCING COMPOSITES

One of this year’s success stories is Versarian’s collaboration with AXIA Materials, a partner they met as part of an Innovate UK mission to South Korea. The collaboration aims to develop graphene enhanced composite materials and smart graphene devices, using Versarian’s graphene nanoplatelets and inks. From that successful mission, we expect more collaborations and partnerships with South Korean companies and tech organisations next year, with an announced £4m funding for bilateral projects.

An expert mission in composites and composite manufacturing also spent a week in the USA meeting academics, research organisations and companies, looking for ways to collaborate. We are looking to step up international activities in materials next year.

Next year, we also expect more materials opportunities in the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund areas. The government’s Industrial Strategy is an unprecedented opportunity for the materials community to highlight how it enables new technology and increases productivity. There are as many ways to do this as there are new and exploitable materials, but we should keep in mind two major approaches on how best to take advantage of this opportunity.

CHALLENGING CONVENTIONS

One is the obvious materials-specific Challenges. The other is that, as a key enabling technology for almost all market sectors, materials innovation fits into sector activities and we should be looking at every Challenge to see where materials can contribute. This is easier for some, such as the Faraday Battery Challenge or Robotics for Extreme Environments from the first wave of challenges, but there will be good opportunities in the second wave and from April next year in the third wave of challenges. 

Already the Budget earlier this year announced challenges in Quantum, Made Smarter and Stephenson, last week the Future Flight challenge was announced as part of the Aerospace sector deal.  Do keep your sights on our website for announcements of funding competitions related to the Industrial Strategy. 

As we look ahead even further, the Advanced Materials team at Innovate UK are working to build communities in metamaterials and metal-organic frameworks, helping them to develop research into commercial products, like catalysts and sensors. We’re also continuing our collaboration with the Hartree Centre on an Internet of Materials-  AI-enabled materials research which will radically speed up the process of both developing new materials and integrating them into the manufacturing supply chains..."

[ellissj] 10/2/2019 16:39

Innovate spending more each year on graphene research re this tweet - click through to the link. Best ellis


UK Manufacturing Review @ukmfgreview

"@innovateuk has helped #graphene companies with over £33million worth support, with an investment of £5.4million in graphene projects in 2018 alone. #advancedmaterials #ukmfg # #ukmfgreview (link: hxxp://ow.ly/EMmT30nD9wb) ow.ly/EMmT30nD9wb"

4:15 pm · 8 Feb 2019

[dgduncan] 10/2/2019 16:23

More on aerospace from March 2018 -

"Recent studies from the ATI suggest that new passenger aircraft worth $6.2 Trillion will need to be delivered between 2016 and 2035. Graphene enhanced components could have a significant impact on the economic benefit of components produced from a new emerging value chain. Through accelerated GRM adoption within the aerospace sector, new high value design and manufacturing skills can be realised, and high- volume bulk material manufacture and manufacturing conversion enabled, contributing to the UK economy".

All being done with ATI, GEIC, NGI and the quality graphene supplier(s). All coming together

[festario] 10/2/2019 16:11

I've PM'd you Rid, I don't want trolls knowing exactly where I'll be!

[ridicule] 10/2/2019 15:59

Hi Fest we are in Princess Yaiza until 22 Feb. Where in Playa Blanca are you staying? Evidence to point you at - the Aecom order for 200 plus Kg accompanied by confirmation of use for certification having already proved effectiveness. I suspect we will be waiting weeks, not months for this to trigger and it alone will transform VRS. In my view when Neill says we are in the first 5 minutes of the match he means it. Remember, he knows more than we know.

Happy to meet up.

[superg1] 10/2/2019 14:38

Don’t forget when talking about the Chinese standard that China starting working with the UK on it back in 2017.

The first UK-China Graphene Standardization Cooperation Working Group Conference, recently held in Chongqing, China, brought news of an agreement to collaborate on developing and submitting a co-authored International Organization for Standardization (ISO) proposal by February 2018. This joins other recent graphene standardization efforts, like NPL & NGI's good practice guide for graphene metrology and NPL's first ISO (International Organization for Standardization) graphene standard.

[festario] 10/2/2019 14:03

Ridicule, did you read Luckykids post earlier? I sincerely hope so.You have a very significant amount invested here, based on what you have said, so it's very pertinent to you.You hit on a key point when you said there are loads of things in VRS statements to show that we are close to greatness. But that's the problem, almost everything is in VRS' statements.Please point me in the direction of some evidence from independent third parties or organisations which would validate what the company has said. That's where my research is focussed, as there is little point in me researching 2d materials as the science is way above my head.By the way, I'm in Lanzarote, Playa Blanca from 19th Feb for 2 weeks. If you fancy a shareholders meeting, drop me a line!

[ridicule] 10/2/2019 13:50

I flew to Lanzarote over the weekend and between trying to catch up on rugby and getting a tan quickly, I wanted to catch up on the latest VRS posts. Imagine my surprise when I saw how many there were. Then I read the comments!!! Can we please, please get back to talking about the company and its outstanding prospects.

For example, in terms of Neill’s determination to move VRS up the value chain, his first step can clearly be seen with the launch of Polygren I predict entry into 3-D printing will be an early further steps and could involve an acquisition. I say this because 3-D printed components can be created anywhere in the world using the digital design pack and the supply of the right materials on site. This is what makes the Brexit argument but we will always trade most with our nearest geographic partners anachronistic.

Finally, there are enough facts out there, contained In RNS statements, to show that we are on the cusp of a major growth phase from this company and arguing about the timing, whether it be months or one or two years is missing the bigger picture. The facts tell me it will happen and I have no doubt that 12 or 24 months from now we will look back on the posts that have happened over this weekend and laugh.

[madchick] 10/2/2019 13:50

Thanks for the reply and link djduncan! I guess the program was talking about standard CFRP and not graphene-enhanced, then. Slowly, slowly...

[alchemy] 10/2/2019 13:37

Only if you know the derivation. Most don't . I do but the link is gone in everyday use.

[dgduncan] 10/2/2019 13:36

Had a look at the "City in The Sky" BBC2 documentary. The lightning protector did just seem to be a sheet of copper mesh. Going on to look at the BBC link to the OU



for more info, I was surprised at how much CFRP is used in todays planes. It seems inevitable that graphene will have a big place in this once all the intensive approvals are obtained for commercial use and I don't think it will take as long as a totally new material would take due to it being just an enhancement of a proven material.

[tini5] 10/2/2019 13:11

Best analogy I’ve come up with when explaining layers to people is a few layers of tin foil vs planks of wood lol.

[1teepee] 10/2/2019 12:18

Love at first sight and a perfect candidate for your vice dictator.Thanks for the research mike , I have read it a few times:)

[ellissj] 10/2/2019 12:06

For example, if you review thomas swan elicarb, they allude to the raman spec issues in this statement :

"Raman spectrum (532nm excitation wavelength) of Elicarb® Premium Grade Graphene Powder
shows a high quality sp2
carbon network with D/G ratio of 0.28 and D/D’ of 5.0. Analysis of D/G
ratio against flake size (inset) confirms that D-band is associated with # plate edge effects rather
than in-plane defects.# The low D/D’ ratio is also consistent with edge effects only. The 2D band
shape indicates the presence of few layer graphene flakes with an average of 5-7 atomic layers."

Click on the link to see. Then look at page 2. For a review of afm (atomic force microscope) thickness. In my view, the results of that is open to interpretation. Aimho. Dyor. Best ellis