Most materials lose their integrity over time, with products such as concrete and steel prone to micro-cracking and strength loss. The result is infrastructure and products becoming vulnerable, unreliable, and increasingly difficult to maintain.
In addition to this, other materials often struggle with issues around conductivity and sustainability — limiting researchers’ options and holding back progress across the materials sector.
What is Graphene?
Graphene is a form of carbon consisting of planar sheets one atom thick, with the atoms arranged in a honeycomb-shaped lattice. This structure makes it a ‘wonder material’ — stronger, lighter, and more conductive than virtually anything else we know, while being non-toxic and sustainable.
The challenge, however, has been how to manufacture and integrate graphene easily and affordably into everyday applications. That’s where HydroGraph, a Canada-based commercial manufacturer of high-quality graphene and nanomaterials, comes in.
The company uses a green, water-based detonation process to create ultra-pure, consistent graphene particles. These act as reinforcements, distributing stress more evenly within materials and preventing cracking. The particles also conduct heat and electricity exceptionally well, improving performance in batteries, sensors, and advanced composites.
Innovating Graphene Production: A New Approach
Kjirstin Breure, President & CEO of HydroGraph, believes the company’s process represents a significant breakthrough for the industry.
“Graphene is the most conductive and strongest material we’ve discovered,” she explains. “It’s a two-dimensional material added into a three-dimensional matrix — often just 1% graphene dramatically improves materials, whether it’s carbon fibre, cans, or concrete.”
She explains that while graphite — essentially billions of stacked graphene layers — has long been used for strength and lubricity, separating it down to single atomic layers is difficult.
“Most companies start with graphite and try to chemically exfoliate it down to that atomic layer,” she says. “But carbon naturally wants to bond together, so you often just end up with graphite powder.”
The Science Behind the Detonation Process
HydroGraph bypasses this issue with its patented detonation synthesis process.
“We pump acetylene and oxygen into steel chambers fitted with electrodes at both ends,” Breure says. “When we ignite them simultaneously, the mixture becomes a high-energy explosion. The force destabilises the gas, and all the carbon crystallises into a pure graphene powder.”
What makes this process so effective, Breure explains, is the sheer force of the detonation. It naturally separates the carbon layers at a nano scale, producing purer, smaller, and more consistent graphene than traditional methods.
“We’re much finer in scale — our graphene is 100 times smaller than others on the market, produced with atomic precision,” she says. “Other materials often contain voids or inconsistencies. But at this scale, graphene’s uninterrupted lattice and high electron mobility fill tiny gaps we can’t even see, forcing molecular bonds and strengthening materials from within.”
A Personal Journey into Advanced Materials
With a background in science and engineering, Breure was introduced to HydroGraph’s technology in 2020 — and was immediately hooked.
“I was smitten with the technology,” she says. “Graphene has huge potential, and this particular process made so much sense. It’s satisfying now to look back and see how far both the company and I have come.”
Endless Potential for Industrial Impact
For Breure, the possibilities for graphene are endless. She uses the example of silicon — a popular, widely used material known for its conductive properties — and suggests graphene could offer an even better alternative.
“Graphene offers not just conductivity, but UV resistance, mechanical strength, and so much more,” she explains. “It was only discovered recently, so the more we work with it, the more we realise we can bring sci-fi technologies to life."
