PPK Group Limited announced that following on from the positive test results announced in March 2022, its subsidiary White Graphene Limited (WGL) has received further highly encouraging results from its `polymer and resin coatings' research and development project following testing of white graphene as an additive to commercially available gelcoat. White graphene is currently manufactured by White Graphene Limited at its plant in Geelong, Victoria. The team has worked with the Institute of Frontier Materials (part of Deakin University) to research the effects of adding white graphene to two commercially available gelcoats.

Gelcoat is an outer layer of a laminate commonly used to protect boats and wind turbine blades from the effects of corrosion and moisture. The addition of less than 1% by weight of white graphene was found to significantly improve many of the gelcoat properties including water, wear, and corrosion resistance, hardness and tensile strength. Furthermore, underwater friction was reduced by up to 50%.

This is a critical finding that could lead to innovative new gelcoats for boat hulls that not only increase corrosion resistance but also improve the fuel efficiency by reduce drag in the water. These polymer enhancement and matrix reinforcement technologies further demonstrate the opportunity for significant and viable large scale industrial use of boron nitride nanomaterials in the manufacture of everyday products. WGL continues to undertake further research to investigate the extent to which white graphene coatings can be made impermeable to hydrogen, to improve the durability of hydrogen storage and transport systems.