Imagine a world where batteries are more efficient, medical devices are safer, computers are more powerful, planes fly faster, and our troops are safer.
All this — and far more — is possible with graphene. Graphene is the strongest, thinnest, lightest, most thermally and electrically-conducting material in history. In fact, it’s defined as a “super material” — a substance with remarkable physical properties.
For graphene to reach its potential, a high-quality supply of it needs to be manufactured at large volumes. It needs to be affordable, too. Until recently, the breakthrough technology to solve this challenge this didn’t exist. But now, a startup called Avadain has created it.
Avadain is a materials-science company using patented technology to produce superior-quality graphene flakes at a low cost. Its large, nearly-defect free flakes overcome the technical obstacles that have plagued the graphene industry. And its manufacturing process can potentially meet the need for more than eighty percent of the global market for graphene flakes — an opportunity worth billions of dollars.
A major problem with graphene production is oxygen. It gets trapped in the material, resulting in defects that hinder its qualities.
Avadain’s patented process uses optimize Electrochemical Exfoliation and Expansion to all but eliminate the presence of oxygen. The result is nearly defect-free flakes.
Graphene can be used to enhance targeted drug delivery, or reduce side effects associated with current cancer treatments. It can be added to existing products to make them lighter and more durable. And the material can increase the efficiency of batteries, improve their power capacity, and enable faster charging times.
Furthermore, graphene can have a massive impact on industries ranging from health and electronics to biotech and consumer goods. It can even enable soldiers to better withstand enemy fire and use more nimble tanks and aircraft. The possibilities with this super material are virtually limitless.
Notably, this company’s emergence is coming at the right time. That’s because the market for graphene is at a tipping point. A tipping point is an expression that can refer to anything from new technologies to the environment. It refers to the point where a series of small changes suddenly becomes significant enough to cause a larger and far more important change.
For years, researchers have been digging into the potential for graphene for years. But getting access to high-quality, affordable graphene was keeping this industry from reaching its tipping point — from achieving mainstream adoption. Avadain’s technology can enable this adoption.
We’re already seeing this tipping point take effect. While the global graphene market was valued at just $285 million in 2020, Fortune Business Insights projects it’ll surpass four billion dollars by 2028.
Avadain produced its first batch of graphene flakes in 2018. A year later, it demonstrated its lab scale manufacturing process, and its technology was published in a peer-reviewed paper for the first time.
In 2020, the company collected patents and then began developing partnerships. In 2022, it received a $3.7 million project grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce.
One key investor in Avadain is Panasonic Investment Management (PIM), part of Panasonic, the global brand that makes consumer lifestyle technology products. PIM focuses on intellectual property, including contracts and negotiations related to IP applications, rights creation, and licensing of IP.