Gerdau Graphene has unveiled a new water-based anti-abrasive graphene-enhanced paint for architectural use.
Gerdau Graphene, the nanotechnology company pioneering advanced graphene-enhanced materials for industrial applications, has announced that it has developed a new water-based graphene-enhanced architectural paint. The new paint is significantly more durable and abrasion resistant than traditional products and finds application on concrete, cement, metal and asphalt, such as sidewalks, cycle paths, garages, stairs, sports courts and a wide range of commercial and industrial areas.
In March, Gerdau applied the new paint to its factory floors, making it the world's first large-scale use of a water-based graphene-enhanced architectural paint. The company is already selling its proprietary graphene additives as development prototypes to major paint manufacturers in the Americas.
“This new graphene-based floor paint is extremely abrasion-resistant and requires less maintenance and repainting over its lifetime compared with traditional paints. Based on the performance gains of our new product, it’s clear that graphene will have a transformational impact on the entire paint industry,” said Alexandre Corrêa, CEO of Gerdau Graphene.
“We are proud to have painted our specialty steel plant in São Paulo in March and have since moved to paint all our assets in Brazil in the coming months. In addition, we have commercialized this new paint for key clients and partners in the construction industry to paint industrial, commercial, and residential building floors. We will continue to optimize our additives to meet the needs of customers and scale commercialization of these paint products globally.”
The development phase
The development phase of this graphene-based paint began in December 2021 and is the result of a partnership with Grafftex, a Brazilian paint manufacturer, and Polystell, a company focused on the R&D of chemical additives.
Gerdau Graphene created the graphene technology used to disperse graphene in a paint additive. Because graphene comes in a variety of types and shapes, each of which has unique properties, specific research and testing was required to determine the best graphene format needed to produce a superior quality paint product. Additionally, graphene additives must be customized based on the unique formula and ingredients of each paint manufacturer.
Gerdau Graphene is also working on anti-corrosion paint additives, focusing on the reduction of heavy metals and fossil-based ingredients from light and heavy maintenance paints.