BeDimensional S.p.A.

BeDimensional S.p.A. (BED) is a privately held company which was born in 2016 from the Technological Transfer program of the Italian Institute of Technology (IIT), inspired by the initiative of leading worldwide researchers in the field of graphene and two-dimensional (2D) materials. The core of our technology is pillared around a patented methodology (wet-jet milling exfoliation) for the production high-quality 2D materials, in both liquid dispersions and powders form. Our R&D and Production teams are composed of 22 people with different multidisciplinary skills. Our researchers are specialists in chemistry, physics, material science and engineering, accredited by prominent academic institutions all over the world, having several years of professional experience in private and public R&D environments. We formulate functional inks and paints for smart coatings containing 2D materials with tunable electrical, thermal and barrier performances set by design. Our ambition is to bring our technologies into industrially relevant, inexpensive, reliable printing/coating processes and create a new portfolio of environmentally friendly inks and paints to yield a new level of smartness to products for energy storage and conversion applications. Today a pilot industrial line with a productivity of 0.2 tons/year is operative and in its fully operational industrial line at 1.5 tons/year by the end of 2023.

BeDimensional is currently working on the development of supercapacitors using advanced electrode formulation based on high-purity few-layer graphene. By controlling the nanotribological properties of both graphene-based active materials and electrolytes, the classic dichotomy of energy density and power density in supercapacitors can be overcome. By conceiving an efficient ion transport within high-surface area electrodes, electrolyte ions can access into meso- and micro-pores. This feature is mandatory to reach rate-independent high energy densities, the ultimate goal of any supercapacitor technology. Thanks to their high-purity grade, our few-layer graphene flakes act as friction-free “ion slides” for common supercapacitor electrolytes, while providing high electrically conductivity to carbonaceous electrode films. Within GREENCAP, the distinctive features of graphene-based electrodes will be exploited in combination with high-voltage electrolytes based on ionic liquids, aiming at realizing novel concepts of supercapacitors with energy density approaching to that of battery systems.

BeDimensional will develop graphene-based materials for high-performance supercapacitors electrodes by means of sustainable processes and relying on the use of synthetic graphite, thus, eliminating the need of natural graphite that is the 2020 EU Critical Raw Materials List. BeDimensional will upscale the graphene production up to 10³ kg/year, while promoting the standardization of the 2D materials to support their integration into industrial supercapacitor manufacturing chains. BeDimensional will also coordinate the implementation of project activities, while accelerating the dissemination of key technical outcomes to stimulate exploitation and future market uptake of 2D material- and ionic liquid-based supercapacitors.