Australian advanced materials company First Graphene has entered a three-year Development and Commercialisation Agreement with Turkish prepreg manufacturer Aeropreg to advance graphene-enhanced carbon fiber prepreg toward commercial production. Announced on October 5, 2026, the collaboration will combine First Graphene’s PureGRAPH graphene materials and proprietary epoxy concentrates with Aeropreg’s prepreg manufacturing and resin development capabilities.
The development programme will focus on incorporating graphene into carbon fiber prepreg with controlled and repeatable graphene loading. The partners will evaluate the resulting material’s strength, durability, performance, and manufacturability. Commercial launch will depend on the outcomes of these trials.
Carbon fiber prepreg consists of reinforcing fibers pre-impregnated with a partially cured polymer resin. It is widely used in aerospace, defence, automotive, and sporting goods components. Introducing graphene into the resin system could provide a route to modifying composite properties, although the specific performance improvements of the proposed material have yet to be established through the planned validation programme.
First Graphene’s proprietary epoxy concentrates will be used to optimise how PureGRAPH is incorporated into Aeropreg’s existing manufacturing process. Controlling graphene dispersion and loading within the resin is important for developing a consistent prepreg product. The material must also remain compatible with production processes and meet the mechanical and durability requirements of its intended applications.
Aeropreg brings established prepreg production, in-house resin development, and chemical, physical, thermal, and mechanical testing capabilities to the collaboration. The company manufactures carbon, glass, aramid, and basalt fibre prepregs for aerospace, automotive, marine, wind energy, medical, and sporting goods applications. Its prepreg production operates under AS9100 aerospace quality management certification, according to the announcement.
First Graphene Managing Director and CEO Michael Bell said the partnership would help progress the company’s carbon fiber development work toward commercialisation in aerospace, defence, and other high-value industries.
“The new partnership with Aeropreg represents an important step in progressing our carbon fibre development work towards commercialisation in key industries such as aerospace and defence. We have built considerable knowledge around incorporating PureGRAPH® into composite materials and the next step was to combine that expertise with an established manufacturer capable of producing and taking a product to market. Aeropreg brings extensive prepreg manufacturing and resin development capabilities, as well as established global sales channels across a number of high-value industries. Our immediate focus will be on successfully validating the material within Aeropreg’s manufacturing process, with the longer-term objective of establishing another commercial route to market for PureGRAPH®.”
Said, First Graphene Managing Director and CEO, Michael Bell.
Subject to successful trials, the partners intend to progress the graphene-enhanced prepreg toward commercial launch through Aeropreg’s existing sales channels. Target markets include aerospace, automotive, marine, and sporting goods, where carbon fiber composites are used to deliver lightweight structures with high specific strength and stiffness.
The agreement advances First Graphene’s strategy to establish commercial applications for PureGRAPH in reinforced plastics. The immediate focus is manufacturing integration and material validation. Its commercial potential will depend on consistent processing, reliable performance, and suitability for customer applications.
Source: First Graphene | Announcements
