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Specialty chemical company, Mito Material Solutions (Indianapolis, Ind., U.S.), announces the launch of its graphene-based technology, Ligra. Short for “liquified graphene,” Ligra is an aqueous graphene-based solution with functionalized surface chemistry on top of the graphene that enables it to be readily dispersed in hydrophilic matrices. This is reported to provide optimal dispersion and the ability to integrate into different chemistries that are more water-based, such as coatings, emulsions and sizing. Ultimately, Mito notes that its ability to seamlessly mix into standard manufacturing methods achieves more adoption ease for industry.

A recent application of Ligra was a partnered product designed with Vartega Inc.’s (Denver, Colo., U.S.) FenixFiber+. The carbon fiber product, enhanced with Ligra, identified Ligra’s ability to improve functionalization and strengthen the Z-axis dimension in parts. Third-party testing showed a 50% improvement in elongation and a 37% improvement in impact toughness on the FenixFiber+ carbon fiber sized with Ligra. The innovation received an ACE Award at CAMX 2023 in the category “Infinite Possibility for Market Growth.”

“Graphene is a chemically inert material and has hydrophobic characteristics. This product — Ligra — was specifically developed to disperse in water-based chemistries to unlock new markets and ease integration,” Haley Keith, Mito’s CEO, notes. “Ligra’s first use case in fiber coatings is a real game-changer because it creates a new delivery mechanism for graphene into complex composite systems and delivers superior performance with new functionalities.”