Apparel / Textiles & Accessories

According to reports, South Korea’s leading fiber manufacturer Huvis has begun mass production of graphene fibers.

The company stated that it is not easy to synthesize with PET (polyester) polymer due to the poor dispersibility of graphene. Therefore, according to Huvis, most of the graphene fibers developed so far either have substandard graphene content or directly apply graphene to the surface of the fiber material-Huvis said this makes them poor quality (this is also the current market The reason why graphene fibers are black or gray).

The Smart Nano Venture of Seoul National University has developed a process that can separate graphene into "super particles." According to reports, the Smart Nano research team developed a single-layer, high-purity graphene process in 2018, and further developed liquid graphene in 2019 instead of a powder type.

Subsequently, NeoEnpla of Hwaseong/Korea, a developer of environmentally friendly plastics, obtained graphene from Smart Nano and developed a graphene masterbatch for fiber production from there. NeoEnpla used its proprietary technology to combine its independently developed heterogeneous materials called MEPPS (Mechanical Engineering and Polymer Processing System), successfully achieving a stable combination of graphene and PET polymer.

Huvis and NeoEnpla began trial production of graphene fibers in March 2020. After 7 trials to improve the purity of graphene, they finally successfully developed high-purity graphene fibers.

Huvis creates graphene fibers that can be mass-produced by adding 1-5 layers of separated graphene. High-purity graphene can be used to produce white yarn, and due to its excellent dyeability, fabrics of various colors can be produced.

In March 2021, Huvis and NeoEnpla signed a memorandum of understanding to mass-produce graphene fibers and deploy various differentiated products. The memorandum of understanding will enable Huvis to obtain the exclusive supply of graphene masterbatch for fiber in the next five years. In addition to further research and development and expansion of graphene yarns, the two companies also plan to continue joint promotion at home and abroad.

Because graphene fibers have antibacterial, antifungal, and antiviral functions, and the far-infrared emission and antistatic functions are semi-permanent, without any special treatment, they have unlimited applicability. In the antibacterial test, the mortality of Staphylococcus aureus and pneumococcus before and after washing was 99.9%, proving that graphene fibers have strong antibacterial properties. In the antiviral test, the influenza A virus was reduced by 99.85%, and the UV blocking rate and far-infrared emission rate of the material also exceeded the standard.

However, graphene fibers are still under development. The two companies are using the characteristics of the graphene fibers they have developed to trial-produce functional clothing, medical supplies, bedding, masks, etc., and plan to develop conductive fibers by increasing the content of graphene, which can be used as special work clothes in the semiconductor field. use.

Because the graphene fiber developed by Huvis uses high-purity graphene, it is white, has good dyeability, and can be dyed into various colors.