Development of graphene composites for ground transportation applications

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The use of lightweight materials in ground transportation vehicles is well aligned with most recent energy conservation regulations and policies. For example, the European Commission with the End of Life Vehicles (ELV) European Union directive requiring vehicles to be constructed of 95% recyclable materials, with 85% recoverable through reuse or mechanical recycling and 10% through energy recovery or thermal recycling. For a vehicle like the Volkswagen Golf, a 30% mass reduction of the car body, currently at 296 kg for a total vehicle weight of 1,300 kg, is feasible. For a lifetime road performance of 150,000 km, fuel consumption reduction in this lifetime is around 398 L or approximately 0.3 L/100 km fuel savings for each car. Over the last decade, fundamental researches on polymer nanocomposites have led to the development of new nanomodified polymers with improved mechanical, thermal and electrical properties. In the field of thermoset resins, the integration of nanochemicals like graphene has a huge impact on the resin physico-chemical properties such as viscosity and curing behaviour. This often results in poor processability and prevents from using these products at the industrial scale. Thus, this knowledge needs to be integrated in a more robust manufacturing environment more suitable for actual application in the ground transportation industry. This project involves the collaboration between McGill University and NanoXplore. The objective of the project is to develop applications of graphene based thermoset resin composites for ground transportation. State-of-the-art graphene integration process developed by NanoXplore will be combined to McGill's knowledge in processing of nanomodified resin multiscale composites. The automotive industry is a cornerstone of the Canadian economy and the proposed research will enable significant cost savings for automotive companies like GM, Ford, Volvo, Honda, Chrysler. Smaller companies like Decoma, Hutchinson, Magna that build composites parts, will also benefit from the results of the proposed research.