KGHM and ARP invest in research on graphene
KGHM TFI acquired 49 percent shares in the Nano Carbon company formed by the Industrial Development Agency (Agencja Rozwoju Przemysłu, ARP), engaged in research on graphene and marketing products based on this form of carbon, ARP announced. The company will be re-capitalized with PLN 14 million.
The Industrial Development Agency announced that the recent resolution of the general meeting of the company starts the company\'s recapitalization in 2013, with the amount of PLN 14 million. The money will be used to for research and implementation of products using the unique properties of graphene.
Within five years, the company wants to start commercial production of graphene-based products. Graphene products would find applications in the energy, engineering, food, medical and construction sectors.
"We have invested in a project with a future in terms of technology and market" - said President of the Industrial Development Agency Wojciech Dąbrowski.
The agency also announced that the company signed a cooperation agreement with the Institute of Electronic Materials Technology, one of the leading centres of research on graphene. "This is a significant milestone in the company\'s plans" - according to the ARP.
Nano Carbon plans to commercialise composites made of graphene and copper in the first quarter of 2014. The offer will be addressed to customers in the scientific and research community.
The company will develop presentations of graphene products, which will be sold in the form of finished, semi-finished products or made available through the sale of licenses. "In cooperation with selected industry partners, the company will finance technologies and applications that use new technological opportunities resulting from the application of graphene onto metal surfaces, particularly copper" - explained the ARP.
"Going our own way, we do not have to directly compete with giants such as Samsung and IBM, who are working on graphene-based touch screens and microprocessors. We focus on technologies and applications in which Nano Carbon and the Institute of Electronic Materials Technology have a real chance to achieve a competitive advantage" - said President of the Industrial Development Agency.
President of the Management Board of KGHM TFI SA Marcin Chmielewski added that the KGHM Polish Copper Group\'s strategy entails not only investing in the mining sector, but also exploring the possibilities of the use of elements and metals in innovative industrial technologies. "Graphene project, carried out jointly with the Institute of Electronic Materials Technology, fits this perfectly (...) Alliance with the institute gives us strong advantages in the global competition for the development and patenting of new market applications of graphene" - said Chmielewski.
In his opinion, the value of this market in the coming years will reach hundreds of millions of dollars.
Graphene is an unusual material, referred to as 2D, because it does not have the third dimension. It is a single layer of carbon atoms, which exhibits unique physical and mechanical properties. Graphene has a low specific weight, it is highly flexible and durable, and has a high electrical and heat conductivity. Graphene was discovered in 2004 by Russian-British group of physicists.
In 2011, the team led by Dr. Włodzimierz Strupiński of the Institute of Electronic Materials Technology developed and patented a technology that allows to both produce low-cost graphene and obtain the material of the highest quality. (PAP)
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