Graphene manufacturer teams up with BP Polymers

Published by

Nicky Godding

Versarien plc, the advanced materials engineering group which has its headquarters in Cheltenham, has confirmed the name of the US manufacturer of speciality plastic packaging and transportation vessels for volatile chemicals it announced it was working with earlier this month. The company is BP Polymers, and together they are exploring the use of Versarien's graphene to enhance these products.

The agreement with BP Polymers LLC is to develop a next generation version of BP Polymer's Kortrax^® Barrier Resin, incorporating Versarien's graphene for use with high-density polyethylene (HDPE) and polypropylene (PP) containers.

Kortrax is a polyamide-based barrier resin which improves both the chemical permeability performance profile and the oxygen transfer rate of HDPE base resin containers. Kortrax BR included containers can safely transport solvent-based products such as household chemicals, industrial chemicals, cleaning solvents, adhesives, wood preservatives, automotive additives and agricultural chemicals. Kortrax is also used in food applications requiring a barrier resin to prevent both permeation and oxygen contamination, and is FDA, EU and USP 661 compliant.

This collaboration agreement will be focused on improving the product performance of Kortrax BR for the various markets it currently serves, through the addition of Versarien's graphene, while developing new opportunities in other industries. Utilising the properties of Versarien's graphene, Kortrax

Kevin Callahan, COO of BP Polymers, said: "With the announcement of this collaboration agreement, BP Polymers will continue to improve and enhance the performance characteristics of Kortrax."

Neill Ricketts, CEO of Versarien plc, added: "We are very pleased to have entered into this graphene application collaboration agreement with BP Polymers, further broadening the sectors addressed by our partnerships. We believe that graphene has the potential to provide significant enhancements to the family of Kortrax barrier resins, allowing BP Polymers to provide even better products for its customers."

Nicky Godding

Nicky Godding is editor of The Business Magazine. Before her journalism career, she worked mainly in public relations moving into writing when she was invited to launch Retail Watch, a publication covering retail and real estate across Europe. After some years of constant travelling, she tucked away her passport and concentrated on business writing, co-founding a successful regional business magazine. She has interviewed some of the UK’s most successful entrepreneurs who have built multi-million-pound businesses and reported on many science and technology firsts. She reports on the region’s thriving business economy from start-ups, family businesses and multi-million-pound corporations, to the professionals that support their growth and the institutions that educate the next generation of business leaders.