Automotive

  • Enhanced Composite Strength: Graphene has been successfully incorporated into automotive composite materials to boost their mechanical performance. For example, adding just 1 wt% of graphene nanoparticles to a biopolymer blend (PLA with an epoxidized additive) increased the composite’s tensile strength by ~26% and impact strength by 73%link.springer.com. Similarly, in glass-fiber reinforced polypropylene (a common automotive plastic), a small graphene nanoplatelet (GNP) addition (~1%) raised tensile strength by about 20% and stiffness by 10%pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov. These studies (published in 2024 and 2025, respectively) demonstrate that graphene-reinforced polymers can produce lighter components without sacrificing strength, a critical advantage for improving vehicles’ strength-to-weight ratio.

  • Improved Coatings and Corrosion Resistance: Graphene and graphene oxide (GO) are being used as additives in automotive paints and coatings to increase durability. A 2022 review by Ford Motor Company researchers noted that low loadings of functionalized graphene (0.25–0.5 wt%) in polyurethane clear-coats enhanced tribological (wear) performance and corrosion resistance of the coatingspeautomotive.com. Likewise, reinforcing conventional polymer paint resins with ~0.3–1% GO or reduced GO has been shown to improve scratch resistance and reduce wearspeautomotive.com. Multiple studies on epoxy-based anti-corrosion paints for steel auto bodies report significant increases in corrosion resistance when even ~0.5–1% graphene or GO is incorporatedspeautomotive.com. These findings (2019–2023) highlight graphene’s role in extending automotive part longevity by imparting superior barrier properties, hardness, and corrosion protection to coatings.

The numerous applications that the automotive industry requires also necessitates different types of graphene. Allkemie can tailor graphene to each application at a fraction of the price that other companies cannot match. Allkemie is already working with industry clients for different solutions in this industry.