Canada-based Graphene Innovation & Technologies (GIT) has recently announced been its participation in a Nova Scotia Business (NSBI) Productivity and Innovation Voucher Program with Centre for Water Resource Studies at Dalhousie University. The program will facilitate comprehensive research into using multilayer graphene in protective coatings for marine-based applications.

The goal of this collaboration is to investigate environmentally friendly alternatives to marine anti-fouling coatings, many of which function by releasing potentially harmful copper oxide particles into the ocean. The team has begun an extensive research project comparing the performance of GIT’s GrapheneCoat™ formulations against conventional anti-fouling coatings. Sensitive testing is being used to finely monitor the growth rates of microorganisms on the coated samples.

Biofilms made up of marine micro-organisms act as a precursor to the settlement of larger forms of marine biofouling, such as various species of seaweed and barnacles. Inhibiting the growth of bacteria and diatoms is therefore an important preventative step in combating bio-fouling on marine systems.

GIT produces the XGIT™ graphene nanoplatelets used to provide enhanced mechanical properties to their GrapheneCoat anti-fouling coating. GIT states that The nanostructure of the XGIT has been validated by X-ray, SEM, and Raman spectrography performed at Dalhousie University Physics Atmospheric Science and Material Science departments.