Huvis, specializing in chemical materials, (CEO Shin, You Dong, 079980) has begun to mass-produce 'graphene filament yarn’ made from graphite, which is often referred to as a dream material, in earnest.

Graphene is a 2D material obtained by separating one layer of carbon atoms from charcoal called graphite. Theoretically, it is over 200 times stronger than steel and boasts of outstanding thermal and electric conductivity. Due to the characteristics of the charcoal, it also has an excellent antibacterial function. As such, it is often referred to as a dream material, and it was in 2004 when a British research team succeeded in separating graphene.

Graphene filament yarn is produced as a yarn by injecting graphene into the fiber production process. Until now, high-purity graphene filament yarn has been possible only in the research phase. As graphene, an allotrope of carbon, has such poor dispersibility, synthesis with PET (polyester) polymer is not easy. As a result, most of the graphene filament yarn, which has been commercialized so far, has either substandard graphene content, or the fiber is coated with a graphene material., so it can hardly be called a true graphene filament yarn. It is for this very reason that the graphene filament yarn available in the market is black or gray in some cases.

Graphene is pulled off graphite in different ways depending on its use. Seoul National University Smart Nano Venture (CEO Kim Rib) succeeded in separating graphene as superparticles. The Smart Nano research team, led by doctors who had graduated from the department of chemistry, Seoul National University, succeeded in developing a single-layer, high-purity graphene in 2018, and further developed liquid graphene, not powder-type, in 2019.

Afterwards, NeoEnpla (CEO Kim Heon Sang), an environment-friendly plastics developer, received the graphene from Smart Nano, and from there developed the graphene master batch for fiber. NeoEnpla used its original technology for combining a heterogeneous material, called MEPPS (Mechanical Engineering & Polymer Processing System) that it had developed independently, to succeed with a stable combination of graphene with PET polymer.

Huvis and NeoEnpla have been producing graphene filament yarn on a pilot basis since March 2020. After having conducted 7 tests to increase the purity of the graphene, they finally succeeded in developing high-purity graphene filament yarn. Single-layer graphene, obtained by separating a layer from graphite, is expensive. It is impossible to mass-produce fiber with one layer alone, and as such, Huvis makes mass-producible graphene filament yarn by adding 1–5 layers of separated graphene. It is possible to use high-purity graphene to produce white-color yarns, and thanks to its excellent dyeability, it is possible to produce fabrics of various colors.

In March 2021, Huvis and NeoEnpla signed an MOU for the stable, mass-production of graphene filament yarn and for the deployment of various differentiated products. This MOU will enable Huvis to receive exclusive supplies of graphene master batches for fiber over the next 5 years. The two companies are also planning to continuously conduct joint promotion both at home and abroad in addition to further R&D to expand graphene yarns.

As graphene filament yarn will have an antibacterial, antifungal, and antiviral function, and the far infrared ray emission and antistatic function are semi-permanent without any special processing, it has an infinite range of applicability. In the antibacterial test, the death rate of Staphylococcus aureus and pneumococcus was 99.9% before and after washing demonstrating how graphene filament yarn is highly antibacterial. In the anti-viral test, Influenza A virus was reduced by 99.85%, and the material’s UV blocking rate and far infrared emissivity were also excellent above the standard.*

Graphene filament yarn is, however, still in the early stage of development. The two companies are using the characteristics of the graphene filament yarn they have developed to produce functional clothes, medical goods, bedding, and masks on a trial basis, and are aiming to develop conductive fibers, which can be used as special work clothes in the semiconductor process, by increasing the graphene content.

“Now we have graphene filament yarn, which could previously only be seen in laboratories, as sportswear and casual clothing,” said Shin You Dong, CEO of Huvis. “Huvis will try harder to develop materials in consideration of the safety, health and the environment (SHE).”

* Antibacterial test: KOTITI Testing & Research Institute
* Antiviral test: KRIBS (Korea Research Institute of Bio Science)
* UV blocking rate test: KATRI (Korea Apparel Testing & Research Institute)
* Far-infrared ray inspection: KIFA (Korea Far Infrared Association)


▲ (Left) Graphene yarn and masks made of graphene
As the graphene filament yarn, developed by Huvis, uses high-purity graphene, it is produced in a white color, and as it has good dyeability, it can be dyed in various colors.
▲ (Right) Analysis data of the graphene produced using Smart Nano's technology
 The graphene from Smart Nano was analyzed by the Institute of Physics, Beijing University, China (2018), which has a patent in graphene analysis. 46.1% of the graphene was one layer of 3G G3.1 graphene, 23.1% of it was 3 layers, while 7.7% of it was 5, 7, 11 and 15 layers. It can be confirmed that about 70% was high-quality graphene of less than 3 layers. [Data provided by Smart Nano]