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Haydale (Ammanford, U.K.) has launched a range of graphene-enhanced prepreg material for lightning strike protection, utilizing functionalized nanomaterials to improve the electrical conductivity. The material can be used for structural components or for enclosures for electronic avionics systems.

According to Haydale, the material also has potential applications for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), commercial aviation or space applications, or offshore wind turbine blades. 

The material has been developed in collaboration with Airbus UK (Bristol), BAE Systems (Farnborough, U.K.), GE Aviation (Evendale, Ohio, U.S.) and Element Materials Technology Warwick Ltd. (Warwick, U.K.), within the U.K.’s National Aerospace Technology Programme (NATEP)-supported GraCELs 2[1] project, where the first iterations of materials were developed and subjected to lighting strike tests. The consortium is now looking to manufacture a demonstrator component using the developed materials to establish composite manufacturing protocols for commercial purposes.

An electrically conductive masterbatch is also commercially available, and the Haydale team has been working with customers to test the capability achieving significant results over existing materials.