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Haydale Graphene supplies material for world’s first graphene skinned plane

Last updated: 03:28 01 Aug 2018 EDT, First published: 02:31 01 Aug 2018 EDT

Graphene structure
One benefit of the material is better electrical conductivity to protect against lightning strikes

Haydale Graphene Industries PLC (LON:HAYD) has supplied enhanced prepreg material for the world’s first graphene skinned aircraft.

The AIM-listed nanomaterials developer said the material had been applied to Juno, a three-metre wide graphene-enhanced composite skinned aircraft, that was revealed as part of the Futures Day at the Farnborough Air Show 2018.

READ: Haydale Graphene notes new graphene characterisation service at University of Manchester

The unmanned vehicle was developed in a partnership between Haydale, an aerospace engineering team from the University of Central Lancashire, the Sheffield Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre and the University of Manchester's National Graphene Institute.

The company said the material it had developed for the aircraft had potential value for fuselage and wing surfaces in larger scale aerospace applications as well as for the drone market, adding that the use of nanoparticles in the material would improve electrical conductivity for lightning-strike protection. It also saves on weight.

Haydale added that the technology also had performance benefits for a wide range of applications including offshore wind turbines, marine industries, oil and gas, and electronics and control systems.

Ray Gibbs, chief executive of Haydale Graphene, said the Juno aircraft highlighted “the capability and benefit of using graphene properly dispersed into composite materials to meet key issues faced by the market” such as weight reduction to increase range as well as protecting aircraft skins from lightning strikes and ice build-up.

In early morning trading Wednesday, Haydale's shares were up 4.5% at 46p.

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