AUT Researchers Develop New Aerogel Highly Useful in Different Industries
Graphene aerogels are synthetic materials with low density and high porosity. Its synthesis involves the reducing precursor graphene oxide solution to get graphene hydrogel. Freeze-drying is then used to remove the solvent and to replace it with air.
“Graphene sheets have been used to produce a very light 3D graphene foams, a material that is 99% air and the remaining 1% is made of carbon, which is lighter than the components of air, i.e. oxygen and nitrogen,” Malek Naderi, a professor at the AUT Faculty of Materials Engineering and Metallurgy said about the material.
Emphasizing that the material is lighter than air and is porous, he also said, “These characteristics have led to its different applications in the industry. We have been working on making this material since 2017 and since 2019 its production has reached reproducibility level in our laboratory. With the help of graphene aerogel, we have been able to produce various types of composites for industrial use.”
He furthr pointed to the industrial usages of the product and said, “This material can be used in various industries. We have tested it in different industry. In the mining sector, this material is used as a substitute for carbon black for gold extraction and has successfully passed industrial tests in one of the country's mines. The substance has been industrially examined in making some airplanes parts, in the meantime, positive results have been achieved in the field of absorption of pollutants in the oil sector.”
“We have a contract to use this material in the oil industry, based on which, graphene aerogel is placed on the microbubbles to make them stable. These microbubbles, which have become more stable and have improved thermal conductivity through aerogel, are used in petroleum cooling equipment. In fact, these microbubbles modified with aerogel will play the role of lubricant and cooling meterial in oil extraction equipment,” the AUT professor further explained about the application of the aerogel.
According to him, this technology has been registered as a patent in the United States Patent and Trademark Office (SPTO).
“Due to their porosity and empty spaces, graphene aerogels can also be used as absorbents in the oil industry. Each gram of these materials can absorb the liquid dozens of times more than its weight.”
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