Dickinson Corp. (San Francisco, Calif., U.S.) is a private materials lab spotlighting the development of a novel category of lightweight architected graphenes or “metamaterials” from atomically thin base materials like graphene. The company’s research is premised upon scaling the optimal mechanical capabilities of 2D materials over microscopic or macroscopic volumes. Dickinson is seeking collaborative product development partnerships with manufacturers to demonstrate what architected graphenes can do in lightweighting and reinforcement applications.

Drawing inspiration from soot formation, the company’s proprietary synthesis platform involves growing, aligning and inducing homopolymerization of polycyclic aromatic “monomers.” This edge-to-edge coalescence of 2D building blocks evolves a much larger graphenic structure — and by constraining its growth to the surface of a porous, recyclable templating structure, Dickinson says it can architect mesoporous or macroporous 3D graphenic networks with a continuous, polycyclic backbone. Multiscale control over the resulting nanofoam-like structure enables synthesization of a broad morpho-taxonomy of architected graphene microparticles, including controllably rigid or flexible graphene microfibers, microspheres and more. The common structural attribute underlying this diverse category of microfillers is their extended polycyclic backbone: each network is composed of a single, particle-spanning graphenic lattice.

Of particular importance for structural applications is Dickinson’s portfolio of ultralight graphene microfibers and microspheres. Unlike carbon black, carbon nanotubes or graphene nanosheets, these microfillers can be easily dispersed in a variety of thermoplastic or thermoset matrices up to high volume fractions with minimal viscosity effects. Based on application needs, particles can be architected with controllable mechanics — from elastomeric to rigid — over a specific gravity range of 0.1 to 0.5.

In the near term, Dickinson says that manufacturers will find that this new category of carbons excels in place of mineral fillers, nanocarbons and hollow ceramic microspheres for reinforcement, lightweighting and energy absorption applications. In the longer term, architected graphenes will also become cost-reducing additives, as Dickinson projects that their cost per unit volume will fall below most bulk-phase matrix materials.