Construction elements

Graphene nanotubes for FRP structures: anti-static properties with maintained mechanical performance

Graphene nanotubes provide pultruded and compression-molded FRP cable trays and gratings with permanent, humidity-independent antistatic performance throughout their service life. Uniform conductivity eliminates insulative spots, making these composites suitable for ATEX/IECEx zones and enhancing overall operational safety.
Effective at very low loadings, graphene nanotubes preserve chemical resistance, durability, and color flexibility. Supplied in ready-to-use forms, they enable clean, dust-free processing and are fully compatible with standard manufacturing equipment and technologies.

Construction elements
Contact us to discuss your project specifications or to request a TUBALL™ product sample

Main properties

  • Stable surface resistivity
    10⁶–10⁹ Ω/sq

    Stable surface resistivity 10⁶–10⁹ Ω/sq
  • Maintained mechanical properties

    Maintained mechanical properties
  • Maintained color options

    Maintained color options
Graphene nanotubes for thermoset composites

Graphene nanotubes for thermoset composites

What can conductive FRP replace steel?

What can conductive FRP replace steel?

Anti-static fiber-reinforced polymer products are high-performance alternatives to steel for corrosive, demanding, and high-safety environments. Unlike steel, FRP does not corrode, reducing maintenance and extending service life in chemical and industrial applications. Pultruded FRP offers high strength and stiffness for longer spans and reliable load-bearing performance, while compression-molded FRP provides excellent corrosion resistance, design flexibility, and slip-resistant surfaces.

Graphene nanotubes offer better performance

Graphene nanotubes offer better performance

TUBALL™ graphene nanotubes deliver permanent, humidity-independent antistatic performance at very low loadings, preserving mechanical properties and design flexibility. Compared with conventional antistatic additives, graphene nanotubes offer high-performance advantages over:

  • migratory liquid additives, which rely on humidity, tend to leach over time, and are unsuitable for long service life or ATEX/IECEx applications;
  • carbon black, which provides conductivity only at high loadings, limits color to black, increases weight, and can negatively affect mechanical properties and surface quality;
  • metal fillers and fibers, which add conductivity but significantly increase weight, may corrode in aggressive environments, and reduce electrical insulation;
DIAGRAM
  • TUBALL™ nanotubes
  • Carbon black
  • Liquid anti-static agents

* This diagram provides average trends compared with other additives, based on OCSiAl data. Product performance may vary depending on product type and formulation.

Conductivity with variety of colors

Conductivity with variety of colors

Starting at just 0.01 wt.%, TUBALL™ graphene nanotubes create a stable, three-dimensional conductive network within fiber-reinforced polymers, delivering precise control over electrical resistivity from antistatic to fully conductive. Its ultralow loading preserves the intrinsic properties of the composite and, unlike conventional additives, allows manufacturers to produce durable, high-performance thermoset parts in a wide range of colors.

Conductivity with variety of colors

Contactez-nous pour discuter des spécifications de votre projet ou demander un échantillon de TUBALL™ MATRIX

MATRIX sample
Additional benefits

Additional benefits

  • Limited impact on viscosity and thixotropy

    Limited impact on viscosity and thixotropy
  • Production without carbon dust

    Production without carbon dust
  • Increased cost efficiency

    Increased cost efficiency
Ready-to-apply solutions

Ready-to-apply solutions

TUBALL™ MATRIX 204 and TUBALL™ MATRIX 301 are concentrates based on polymer-carriers and pre-dispersed TUBALL™ graphene nanotubes. They are specifically designed for polyester, epoxy, and vinyl-ester composites and coatings. The concentrates can be added during the compounding stage and don’t affect standard processing or equipment.

Contact us for product processing guidelines and additional technical documentation

File formats
TUBALL™ MATRIX 204

Agent conducteur d’électricité universel pour composés acryliques, mélaminés, de vinylester et polyester, n'affectant pas négativement la couleur et les propriétés mécaniques du matériau.

TUBALL™ MATRIX 301

Additif conducteur d’électricité pour composites epoxy, revêtements et composés de polyuréthane sans solvant, n'affectant pas négativement la couleur et les propriétés mécaniques du matériau

Application cases

Application cases


Related video

  • BÜFA on TUBALL nanotubes in composites

  • TUBALL nanotubes for thermoset composites: conductivity and reinforcement

Media on graphene nanotubes in composites


Scientific validation

Composites
Composites

Interlocking Matrix and Filler for Enhanced Individualization and Reinforcement in Polymer–Single-Walled Carbon Nanotube Composites

SWCNT-enhanced polymer, in which every monomer is decorated with a U-shaped fragment, exhibits significantly increased mechanical properties when compared to the matrix polymer.


Published:
Composites
Composites

Preparation and functional study of epoxy composites reinforced with ultra-low content single-walled carbon nanotubes

It was shown that the electrical conductivity of SWCNT/epoxy composites increased by 7 orders of magnitude over that of epoxy resin when the content of SWCNTs was 0.005 wt%. The impact strength, tensile strength, and elastic modulus of the materials were increased by 47.9%, 58.9%, and 19.0%, respectively.


Published:
Composites
Composites

The Effect of Single-Walled Carbon Nanotube (SWCNT) Concentration on the Mechanical and Rheological Behavior of Epoxy Matrix

0.025 wt.% SWCNTs improved the Mode I fracture toughness, UTS, and elastic modulus of epoxy by about 182, 15, and 11%, respectively.


Published:
Composites
Composites

On the effect of electric field application during the curing process on the electrical conductivity of single-walled carbon nanotubes–epoxy composites

Applying an electric field during the curing of SWCNT/epoxy nanocomposites promotes the orientation and assembly of nanotubes into a more efficient conductive network, reducing electrical resistivity by up to one order of magnitude even at ultra-low loadings (0.01 wt%).


Published:
Composites
Composites

Conductive carbon nanotube-reinforced polymer composites and their characterization

Loading SWCNTs into carbon black/polymer composites lowers the volume resistivity of such composites. The application of a small quantity of SWCNTs in carbon black/polymer composites allows reducing the carbon black content and improving the rheological and processing properties.


Published: