Fact Sheet

Our Product: Graphene-Infused Concrete

Concrete is a critical material for the construction industry but the downside is that cement production is responsible for an estimated 10% of global CO2 emissions. In our work with graphene-infused concrete, we have observed significant improvements in both performance and sustainability by lowering the need for cement. We are approaching the environmental aspect by creating less need and demand, hereby inherently lowering the production requirements for cement. By incorporating graphene— which has been reported in academic literature to possess exceptional tensile strength, including claims of being up to 200 times stronger than steel under specific conditions, into concrete, we aim to enhance its strength, durability, lightness, and environmental impact.

Microstructural Reinforcement: Through the chemical bonding of graphene with the cement matrix, we’ve seen enhanced strength at the interfacial transition zone (ITZ), leading to improved load distribution and increased hardness.

Crack Bridging & Healing: Our testing shows that graphene effectively bridges microcracks during curing, preventing crack propagation and significantly improving the material's overall mechanical integrity.

Unmatched Performance: Based on internal testing, our graphene-infused concrete formulations have demonstrated up to 25% greater compressive strength and improved water resistance compared to traditional concrete mixes. These preliminary findings continue to be evaluated through lab and field trials.

Plaid Technologies Graphene in Cement

• The key is in both our dedicated source of high-quality, low cost graphene oxide and,
• Our technology whereby we “layer in” the graphene into cement
  • Advantages
    • Anti-aglomeration surface chemistry
    • 20X the surface interaction of conventional additives – many adhesives are introduced with cement, none can come close to doing what graphene can do for the compound
    • Reduces cure time by up to 70%.  Critical in construction – think of a 30 story tower…standard cure time for cement is 30 days, thus a 30 story takes 30 months to build.  However with a small amount of graphene, cure time can be reduced by 70% or more thus enabling construction time to be reduced by as much as 50%
    • Increased tensile strength by 3X

Applications

• Construction
  • faster, cheaper, taller
  • stronger – eg. “earthquake prone jurisdictions”
  • lasts 50X the lifespan of asphalt
• Well-Capping (our initial focus)
  • Methane leaks are responsible for up to 30% of the destruction of the ozone and thus global warming
  • Most of these wells are leaking substantial volumes of methane
  • Ideal initial application of Plaid’s graphene-enhanced cement
    • Low risk application
    • Open, fragmented and largely ‘unaddressed’ market
    • Typical well-plugging job ranges from USD $80,000 - $200,000 dependent upon depth and complexity
    • Plaid’s application reduces that cost by between USD $10k and $50k/well.
      • Less concrete required
      • Faster curing means reduced rig time – typical well requires as much as 48 hours of rig time due to the curing effect – this reduces that to under 18 hours
      • We are initially partnering with well service companies who are already capping wells, but our eventual plan is to begin securing our own capping commitments and then act as the general contractor for the plugging contract thus recognizing all the revenue and benefitting from all the cost savings
      • We also believe we can secure premium pricing on the carbon credits due to the lifespan of the cement being 3X that of traditional products

So we start with well-plugging and then move to construction applications, and then eventually we move beyond cement to a host of other addressable markets, capitalizing upon the nano-scale of our technology as well as time and cost advantages.

• A good example is the work we’ve been doing with paint
  • Faster adhesion and thus reduced labour (only requiring one coat)
  • Longer lasting
  • Non scratch or flake
  • Electrification (using the conductive aspects of graphene to heat or cool a room thus eliminating the need for central heating)
• Well-capping: $500B business in the US alone
• Construction: multi-trillion dollar opportunity worldwide

Summary: The value is not in the ‘graphene’ or the graphene oxide, but rather it’s in the time, labour and cost savings this brings to a broad host of applications

Graphene and Solar panels

Graphene is made of a single layer of carbon atoms that are bonded together in a repeating pattern of hexagons. It is a 2 dimensional material with amazing characteristics. It is extremely strong and almost entirely transparent and also astonishingly conductive and flexible.

Graphene Uses in Optical Lenses

Graphene is being researched for use in lenses, particularly smart contact lenses, to provide functions like electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding, dehydration prevention, and infrared vision. Our Researchers are exploring how graphene's unique properties—such as its strength, conductivity, and transparency—can be used to create advanced optics for healthcare and augmented reality applications. 

Graphene in Energy Storage

Graphene in Electric Vehicals

The rapid growth of electric vehicles (EVs) is pushing the demand for more efficient, durable, and sustainable battery technologies. While lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries have dominated the EV landscape, they have several limitations, including long charging times, degradation over multiple cycles, and safety concerns.

Graphene, a groundbreaking material known for its exceptional electrical and thermal properties, is emerging as a game-changer in battery technology. By integrating graphene into energy storage solutions, researchers and companies aim to significantly improve battery performance. This article examines graphene batteries' advantages, research progress, commercialization challenges, and impact on EVs.  

Quantum Computing and Graphene

Graphene is a promising material for quantum computing due to its unique electronic and mechanical properties, which can be used to create and stabilize qubits, transmit quantum information efficiently, and build ultra-thin quantum circuits. Potential applications include creating robust topological qubits, developing novel spintronic devices to connect qubits, and improving components like single-photon detectors. Research is exploring ways to use graphene's ability to host exotic states of matter and to enable magnet-free quantum effects, paving the way for more powerful and efficient quantum computers.