Latin America. The product is initially marketed as an abrasion-resistant industrial coating for concrete, cement, asphalt and metal floors.
Gerdau Graphene, a new subsidiary of Brazilian steel giant Gerdau, has started commercial production of a graphene-containing water-based paint, C-Fix, in Brazil.
"This new graphene-based floor paint is extremely abrasion resistant and requires less maintenance and repainting over its lifetime compared to traditional paints," Gerdau Graphene CEO Alexandre Corrêa said in a company statement in June.
"Based on the performance gains from our new product, it is clear that graphene will have a transformative impact on the entire paint industry," he said.
According to the same statement, the company is selling its proprietary graphene additives as development prototypes to major paint producers in the Americas.
The benefits of using graphene additives include reduced weight and friction, more efficient lubrication, and higher thermal and electrical conductivity, among others. Graphene coatings are said to be 200% stronger than steel and more robust than diamond.
Gerdau Graphene recently used C-Fix to paint the floors of the Gerdau special steel plant in Pindamonhangaba, São Paulo. It has plans to apply the coating at all plant locations this year.
The steel parent company Gerdau, the largest producer of long steels in the Americas, operates in 10 countries, has 75 commercial offices worldwide and has more than 30,000 direct and indirect employees in its operations.
