Public Funding for Slingsby Advanced Composites Limited

The growing demand for the production, storage and transportation of hydrogen -- as one of the most sustainable sources of clean energy - in most transportation sectors (e.g. aerospace) has been the main driver for this project. **Production**: ASG's in-house highly-efficient plastic recycling process, using Flash Joule Heating (FJH) is capable of utilising minimal electrical energy to transform plastics or biomass into **high-quality graphene** and **hydrogen gas**. These hydrogen gases can be transformed into clean compressed hydrogen ready for use in the market through UoM's Electrochemical H2 purification and compression process. **Storage**: With the lighter all-composite (Type-V) tanks yet to demonstrate the ability to remain impermeable at cryogenic conditions and the need of various sectors (e.g., aerospace) for lightweight solutions, HyPStore aspires to develop and commercialise an **impermeable cryogenic all-composite tank** for **liquid H2 storage**, by bringing together: * **GIM**'s **novel** **all-composite tank manufacturing process** combining dry filament winding with nanomaterial inclusion (graphene nanoplatelets). Multi-layered graphene has been demonstrated to **decrease hydrogen permeability by up to 48 times**, consequently forming a protective barrier and making the tank impermeable. * **FGR** will utilise the graphitic materials produced via the FJH process to manufacture a diverse array of graphene nanoplatelets tailored for optimal performance in CPV manufacturing by GIM. * **QMUL's** developed **self-healing systems** that fully or partially **treat matrix microcracks** created during the operation of the tank due to storing H2 at cryogenic conditions. * **BUL's** expertise in **LBB design features** in a prearranged design pattern, which under reaching certain loading conditions (e.g., over-pressurisation), will **act as stress concentration** points, creating a coalescing crack/leak path for the pressure relief of the tank and avoiding the catastrophic consequences of a burst. * **UniSQ's** great experience in fire-retardant coating combining high-fire retardance, good durability to resist aging and chemical erosion, high toughness to resist external impact, and low gas permeability. **Utilisation**: This market-driven project is supported by the participation of 2 aerospace industrial partners: (i) **Slingsby,** an aerospace Tier-1 supplier seeking to expand their commercial offerings by exploiting a pioneer all-composite tank and (ii) **HASL** (direct end-user/customer) who is keen to integrate HyPStore as LH2 fuel tanks onboard their hydrogen-driven High Altitude Platform capable of delivering ubiquitous high-bandwidth low-latency connectivity.

To develop, embed, and exploit nanomaterial technology expertise to create next generation composite material technology for aerospace and marine applications.