November 12, 2021
Graphene nanotubes producer OCSiAl is promoting the use of its products in conductive electrical heating paints. Vladimir Kravchenko, the company's Vice-President, Development and Support Leader for Thermoplastics, Thermoset and Construction Materials, says: “Conductive additives have been introduced into primers and paints for years, and we can observe some carbon-based solutions on the market. However, compared with carbon black, graphite, or metal parts, nanotubes make it possible to obtain a more uniform consistency of paint and do not affect its practical properties. The key for manufacturers is the ability to speed up production and reduce costs while gaining an improvement in the properties of the final products.”
He further explains:
- The use of graphene nanotubes increases the productivity of conductive paints and improves their performance compared to standard conductive additives.
- The working concentration of graphene nanotubes could be 50 times less than the dosage of graphite powder to reach the required level of electrical conductivity for generating heat.
- Paint with graphene nanotubes can be heated up to 40 deg C in a few minutes.
- Nanotube solutions have already passed the development and testing stages and entered the commercial market, proving cost-efficiency.
Increased productivity and improved performance of conductive heating paint were achieved by replacing standard conductive carbon additives, whose working concentration was about 25 percent of the total compound weight, with 0.5 percent graphene nanotubes from OCSiAl. The innovative paint is applied to walls or panels through an ultra-thin coating layer. Copper electrodes supply a current of 12–24 volts, which is enough to heat the paint to 40 deg C but at the same time is safe for human contact. Then the surface is covered with standard paint. The specific heating temperature is regulated using sensors or manually.
Graphene nanotube paint and varnish solutions for residential heating have passed the development phase, Kravchenko adds, and are entering the market in eco-friendly heating panels and conductive paints. According to calculations, as an example, applying only six square meters of heating paint with nanotubes applied to one wall will be enough to heat a room with an area of fifty square meters.
Powder coatings, heating films, automotive primers, epoxy and polyurethane coatings, linings, various gelcoats—graphene nanotubes are used in almost all types of coatings due to their high electrical conductivity, strength, and unparalleled low working concentration starting in many applications from only 0.02 percent.
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