Australia's Eden Innovations has been notified by the United States Patent Office that its patent application, entitled "Methods for Fabricating Nanostructured Materials Using Carbon Nanoparticles," has been approved in August 2017. This method is particularly suitable for manufacturing high-strength plastic nanostructured materials, which was jointly developed by Eden and the University of Queensland.
The company reports that this is a very important step in its commercialization of EdenPlast composites, providing protection for patented methods in the United States (and any other jurisdiction where similar patents may be granted under the Patent Convention Treaty) until 2037 August.
EdenPlast has been developed over the years and has produced a range of plastics with enhanced performance characteristics including stiffness, elasticity and strength. In addition, master batches of high-concentration nanoparticle-reinforced plastics have also been successfully developed. Target applications include automotive, aerospace, conductive coatings, packaging materials and batteries.
Compared to other carbon nanotube and fiber production methods, Eden's pyrolysis process for carbon nanotubes, carbon nanofibers, and natural gas to produce hydrogen is reported to be relatively effective without producing carbon dioxide. The process was jointly developed by Eden and the University of Queensland and is now 100% owned by Eden. The process has been commercialized at a facility in Eden Innovations, Colorado, where methane is broken down into hydrogen and carbon components without producing carbon dioxide. Carbon is produced in the form of carbon nanofibers or carbon nanotubes as a solid. In some applications, the strength of carbon nanotubes is many times that of steel. At the same time, they also have great electrical and thermal conductivity.
The initial commercial application came in the form of EdenCrete, an carbon-rich carbon nanotube admixture for concrete that significantly improves resistance without affecting compressive strength, permeability or corrosion resistance. Tensile and flexural strength. EdenCrete is in use by some general contractors and shotcrete contractors in Colorado, and EdenCrete is also used in two highway maintenance projects in Georgia.