Huvis, a leading fiber producer in South Korea, has reportedly started mass production of graphene fibers.

Graphene is not easy to synthesize with PET (polyester) polymers because of its poor dispersion, the company said. As a result, according to Huvis, most of the graphene fibers developed to date either have substandard graphene content or have graphene directly coated on the surface of the fibrous material -- which Huvis says makes them of poor quality (which is why the graphene fibers currently on the market are black or gray).

Smart Nano Venture at Seoul National University has developed a process to separate graphene into "superparticles". The Smart Nano research team reportedly developed a single-layer, high-purity graphene process in 2018, and further developed graphene in liquid form, rather than powder form, in 2019.

Subsequently, environmentally friendly plastics developer Hwaseong/Korea's Neoenpla obtained graphene from Smart Nano and developed graphene masterbatch for fiber production from there. Neoenpla used its proprietary technology to combine its independently developed heterogeneous materials called MEPPS (Mechanical Engineering and Polymer Processing System), successfully achieving a stable combination of graphene and PET polymers.

Huvis and Neoenpla began trial production of graphene fibers in March 2020, and after seven trials to improve the purity of graphene, they were able to successfully develop highly pure graphene fibers.

Huvis creates mass-producible graphene fibers by adding 1-5 layers of separated graphene. High purity graphene can be used to produce white yarns and, due to its excellent dyeing properties, fabrics of various colors can be produced.

In March 2021, Huvis signed a memorandum of understanding with Neoenpla to mass produce graphene fibers and deploy a variety of differentiated products. This Memorandum of Understanding will enable Huvis to obtain an exclusive supply of graphene masterbatch for fiber use over the next five years. In addition to further developing and expanding graphene yarns, the two companies plan to continue their joint promotion at home and abroad.

The graphene fibers have unlimited applicability due to their antibacterial, antifungal and antiviral properties, as well as semi-permanent far-infrared emission and antistatic properties, which do not require any special treatment. In antibacterial tests, Staphylococcus aureus and pneumococci had a 99.9% mortality rate before and after washing, proving that graphene fibers are highly antibacterial. In antiviral tests, influenza A virus was reduced by 99.85 per cent, and the material's UV blocking rate and far infrared emission rate also exceeded the standard.

However, graphene fibers are still being developed. The two companies are taking advantage of the properties of the graphene fibers they have developed in the trial production of functional clothing, medical supplies, bedding, masks and other areas. They also plan to develop conductive fibers by increasing the graphene content, which can be used as specialized workwear in the semiconductor field.

Because of the high purity of graphene, the graphene fibers developed by Huvis are white, dyeable and can be dyed in a variety of colors.