Use of polymer composites with carbon fiber and graphene: technology and innovation for application in the offshore industry

• Grant number: 25/14283-1
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• Start date: September 01, 2025
• End date: August 31, 2027
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Materials and Metallurgical Engineering - Nonmetallic Materials
• Principal Investigator: Zehbour Panossian
• Grantee: Natália Ferreira Braga
• Host Institution: Instituto de Pesquisas Tecnológicas S/A (IPT). Secretaria de Desenvolvimento Econômico (São Paulo - Estado). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Company: Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Escola Politécnica (EP)
• Associated research grant: 22/03698-8 - OTIC Offshore Technology Innovation Centre, AP.PCPE

Abstract

One of the biggest challenges in offshore platform installations are problems related to excess weight and corrosion, especially when it comes from metal structures, which leads to increased maintenance costs for repairing these items. Replacing metal with polymers, especially polymer composites, is significant to provide good protection against corrosion, low density, and excellent strength for use in environments with severe humidity, solar radiation, fire hazards, saline environments, among others.There is a major challenge in developing materials that can withstand all of these demands. In this context, the addition of fibers and nanoparticles, such as graphene, creates materials with improved characteristics, producing multifunctional materials that combine both structural and non-structural functions. Multifunctionality can bring benefits such as increased material durability, reduced installation and maintenance costs, and simplified design.This project aims to produce composites of polyamide 12 (PA12) and short carbon fiber (CF) with different concentrations of graphene, aiming at obtaining multifunctional materials to be used in offshore applications, such as gratings, stairs and handrails, electrical cable trays, among others that need to be replaced. These materials will be characterized by morphology, physical-chemical, thermal and mechanical properties, using microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), rheology and thermal and electrical conductivity techniques. To simulate real conditions of such application, the materials will be conditioned to UV exposure and saline environment. All these tests will be performed for reference materials (without aging), aged and degraded. (AU)