Makers of graphene, EMI devices team up

Moving to seize opportunities presented by a rapidly emerging manufacturing sector in the cybersecurity industry, graphene maker HydroGraph Clean Power Inc. is teaming up with Kansas-based EMP Shield Inc., a leader in protecting devices from destructive interference caused by electromagnetic airwaves.

Under the collaboration, the companies aim to develop advanced electromagnetic interference shielding products using HydroGraph's high-purity graphene.

Electromagnetic interference is considered by many government and private-sector researchers to be a growing threat to most electronic systems and devices and, potentially, the U.S. power grid. EMI is generated by lightning, solar storms and flares, high-power microwave weapons, and other electrical sources.

Uncommon EMI protection

EMP Shield markets its product as the world's first electromagnetic pulse defense technology developed to protect homes, vehicles, commercial businesses and entire electric grids from high-altitude EMP threats, power surges, lightning, and solar flares, defending electronics in less than one billionth of a second.

The company's founder and lead engineer, Tim Carty, set out in 2017 to capture solar electrostatic waves from the atmosphere as an alternate energy source.

Carty designed a surge protector to guard against lightning strikes too close to the system's antenna. But he recognized that a surge protector would not protect electronics from a nuclear high-altitude electromagnetic pulse (HEMP).

Extensive experimentation resulted in a design that can protect electronics and take multiple HEMP strikes without failing, while being cost-efficient, according to the company.

EMP Shield is many times more efficient than the single-use standard military design and can be fitted to the household circuit breaker box with just four wires, the company says.

The device, moreover, is designed to protect homes with less than 10,000 square feet, or about twice the area of a basketball court, of floor space serviced by a circuit breaker box.

"Our EMP Shield is also incredibly scalable. We have developed them (and will sell them) to protect cars, boats, planes, industrial facilities, and even camping sites (using our portable version)," the company said.

EMP Shield also says its products provide some of the world's most advanced EMI protection. Unlike military applications, which are designed to protect electronics against one EMI event, EMP Shield says its product can withstand up to 40 EMP strikes with no degradation, and the devices come with lifetime warranties.

Voted the "Coolest Thing Made in Kansas in 2020" by the Kansas Chamber of Commerce, the EMP Shield device has also been tested and accredited at the Keystone Compliance laboratory, according to the company. Keystone operates federally and internationally approved testing facilities in New Castle, Pa., and Durham, N.C.

"Our testing of the EMP Shield has shown the (product) far surpasses all military EMP Protection device standards," the company boasts in marketing literature.

EMI threat awareness

Because of the dangers posed by EMPs and power surges, EMP Shield has committed to supporting the U.S. Department of Homeland Security in its mission to raise awareness of the threat and protect America from this threat.

EMP Shield created the American EMP Awareness Campaign, a program aimed at providing the public with interesting and educational information on its website.

This includes an EMP library that the company created to assist DHS in its No. 1 strategic EMP goal. The library is one of the world's largest collections of public references about EMP Defense and the impact of electromagnetic threats.

Graphene coatings hold promise

All electronic devices are vulnerable to EMI, including commercial ones, such as those used in telecommunications and consumer electronics, as well as those used in the medical, defense, automotive, and other industries. Such equipment, however, can be protected from EMI with conductive or absorptive materials and coatings.

That's where HydroGraph's nanoscale graphene could enter the picture. With impressive conductivity and corrosion resistance advantages, the material is ideal for EMI applications, according to Hydrograph.

EMP Shield is working with Hydrograph to develop coatings and insulated barriers to protect electronic devices by blocking unwanted disruptions to the transmission of electronic data.

"It is an exciting opportunity to be the first company to utilize graphene-enhanced EMI coatings," said Carty in a statement. "This fits well with our product offerings and will benefit the goals of our new US$1.9 billion gallium nitride microchip foundry being built near Burlington, Kansas, (and) expected to be completed by the end of 2026." EMP Shield has the support from the State of Kansas to apply for funding via the bipartisan CHIPS and Science Act, part of the Biden-Harris Administration's efforts to advance U.S. economic and national security as they relate to the technology sector.

Rocketing markets

HydroGraph CEO Stuart Jara said EMI shielding is one of the many critical uses the company has identified for graphene.

"EMI interference with your TV or smartphone might be an inconvenience, but interference with a bank account, pacemaker or military facilities would be extremely detrimental," Jara observed, describing the prospect of HydroGraph's graphene-fortifying critical electronic devices as "truly exciting."

The global EMI shielding market was valued at US$6.6 billion in 2022 and is expected to increase at a compound annual growth rate of 5.4% to US$8.6 billion by 2027.

HydroGraph, meanwhile, continues to expand its customer engagements. Founded in 2017 to fund and commercialize green, cost-effective processes to manufacture high-purity graphene, hydrogen, and other strategic materials in bulk. Hydrograph was publicly listed on the Canadian Securities Exchange in December 2021.

The company acquired an exclusive license from Kansas State University to produce both graphene and hydrogen through its patented detonation process.

With the EMP Shield collaboration, Hydrograph is now in discussion with 55 customers, 23 nondisclosure and testing agreements, and 20 customers testing the benefits of graphene in their products and applications. The global graphene market was valued at US$90 million in 2019 and is projected to skyrocket to US$2.5 billion by 2028.