News & Blogs

How Do the Properties of Graphene Protect Against Rust?

How Do the Properties of Graphene Protect Against Rust?

According to data from the Financial Times, corrosion in its many forms is estimated to cost the global economy $3 trillion a year due to damage to steel buildings and infrastructure. Corrosion and rust can be a nightmare for any building owner, the costs and disturbance of treatment or replacement can be greater than first anticipated. That is why corrosion treatments and coatings are so important in the fight against rust.

Corrosion, in its simplest terms, is the oxidation of a metal substrate (iron or steel) with oxygen, from the air or from water, to form chemically stable metal salts – rust. Coatings help protect the surface of the metal from the air and therefore can slow down rust.

However, coatings are not impenetrable- water particles can eventually reach the metal over time.

How Does Graphene Protect Metal from Rust?

Graphene has many amazing properties. It is 200x stronger than steel and is the thinnest material known to man. This is due to its atomic structure being made of a single layer of carbon atoms linked together in a hexagonal structure.

This also means it has an extremely high surface area when found in multiple layers. Just 1g of graphene has a total surface area of over 350m²!

These properties work together to contribute to graphene being an incredible material for protection against corrosion. When combined with a hybrid coating, such as Advantage, it prevents the moisture molecules from getting to the metal surface and reacting to cause rust.

Graphene effectively provides a barrier between the metal and oxygen due to its particulate size and surface area.

Finally, graphene strengthens the surface bond between the coating and the metal substrate. This system works together to help prevent any water particles from reaching the metal.

How is Graphene Better Than Other Coating Materials for Roof Protection?

Due to graphene’s molecular structure and one layer only being an atom thick, the number of graphene particles in the coating is exponentially higher than that of other barrier coatings. This means that in a process where water particles have to navigate through the coating to come into contact with the metal, graphene provides a superior protective barrier.

Graphene coatings also have the added benefit of dramatically longer life expectancy than other coating materials. For example, at Alltimes Coatings we provide a 30-year product warranty and a 12-year latent defects insurance on our Advantage Graphene roof coating.

Choose Advantage Graphene For Your Metal Roof Protection

Our graphene roof coating is industry-leading in its long-lasting resistance to corrosion as we use corrosion experiments to simulate extreme weathering. Advantage Graphene has undergone rigorous testing to ISO:9227, withstanding nearly 10,000 hours of testing in a salt spray cabinet, and is, therefore, an approved enhanced metal roof coating with game-changing resistance to corrosion.

Conclusion

Graphene is an incredible material and has exponential benefits, especially within the coatings industry. It provides unparalleled protection from rust and corrosion to all metal surfaces whilst still being easy and convenient to apply.

Graphene has enabled the roofing coatings industry to take an enormous step forward in innovation and technology.

Alltimes Coatings have developed Advantage Graphene as the solution to industrial metal roofs due to its advanced properties, from the addition of graphene into its hybrid technology. Alltimes Advantage Graphene is the most advanced and protective roof coating on the market.

Keen to learn more? Check out our latest CPD: Rust Never Sleeps by clicking the link below, or call an expert today on 01453 872850.

Get in Touch Today

section-title-icon

For further guidance and support, don’t hesitate to reach out to our technical team today.

Simply call the number below or leave your name, number and a message and one of the guys will get in touch with you.

Alternatively, click here to book your free site survey today.