GCL’s key (patent pending) idea is to combine layers of graphene and aerogel to get both the strength of graphene and the shock absorption/lightness of aerogel – resulting in a graphene/aerogel composite that should be as strong as steel but less than a tenth of its weight. The other key characteristic of this graphene/aerogel composite is that because impact shocks are dispersed very effectively, the graphene/aerogel composite will be much more durable than graphene or aerogel by themselves.
We have recently developed our first prototype graphene/aerogel nano-composite; a close-up (650x magnification) photo of a cross-section is here (the graphene layer is the light grey vertical band, and the aerogel layer is the darker band on the middle/right):
Source: GCL proprietary technology
An even closer view (at 2,000x magnification) shows the tight and even bonding between the graphene and aerogel layers. This is crucial to the nano-composite’s performance.
Source: GCL proprietary technology
Graphene Composites Ltd 