The advanced materials company said that tires built with graphene—honeycomb lattice of single layer carbon atoms—showed an increase in tire life by up to 30 percent while also lowering rolling resistance by a similar percentage.
Toronto-based Gratomic is basing its claim on the results of an 18-month development program that compared the performance of graphene-enhanced tires with premium tires from a globally recognized brand on a fleet of high-mileage delivery vans in the United Kingdom.
"We see these results as a breakthrough in tire technology and safety," said Sheldon Inwentash, chairman and co-CEO of Gratomic. "We look forward to deploying nano-engineered graphenes enhanced passenger and light commercial tires into the global tire market."
Gratomic said adding graphenes to rubber changes the shape of the rheology curve, which influences the cure chemistry and results in changes to the rubber compound.
Gratomic also said the use of graphenes in inner liner compounds can reduce air permeability and can yield a lighter tire as well.