Accelerating Electrocatalyst Innovation with PureGRAPH®

Client

First Graphene Limited — an advanced materials pioneer focused on developing and commercialising graphene-based technologies. Their proprietary product, PureGRAPH®, is a high-performance graphene form celebrated for exceptional strength, electrical conductivity, and versatility.

The Challenge

First Graphene demonstrated promising results by incorporating their graphene material into slurry formulations for oxygen evolution reaction (OER) applications—critical for electrochemical systems like water splitting and fuel cells.

The next step required systematic optimization of OER performance. Specifically, First Graphene needed to:

  • Explore a variety of transition metal oxide-graphene compositions
  • Formulate and screen these materials for electrochemical performance
  • Identify and scale the most effective candidate for commercial applications

The Solution

First Graphene partnered with CPI, a deep-tech innovation catalyst. CPI supported by:

  • Formulating multiple dry catalyst powders into slurry-based coatings
  • Ensuring uniform material deposition and density on selected substrates for performance testing
  • Collaborating with the National Physical Laboratory (NPL) for robust electrochemical testing and benchmarking

This collaborative effort enabled a structured, iterative evaluation process to identify the highest-performing material.

The Impact

The project achieved a significant breakthrough: First Graphene successfully identified and screened a top-performing transition metal oxide-graphene composition.

This formulation was scaled up to manufacture a full-size electrode ready for industry application.

NPL’s electrochemical durability and stability testing confirmed “competitive performance” against leading OER materials.

By advancing R&D capabilities through strategic partnerships, First Graphene has progressed toward commercial viability and market leadership in advanced energy materials.