Cinema, Paint and Coatings... 🎥 During the Christmas period, in the workplace and professional environment, we tend to prepare ourselves for a more relaxed atmosphere in view of the upcoming holidays. For this reason, I would like to propose a light digression, telling how paints and coatings are deeply present in our daily lives, even appearing in many cinematic scenes. The relationship between cinema and paints is deeper than it may seem and reveals much about our human, cultural, and everyday background. Paints are not just technical materials: in cinema they become visual language, symbol, memory, and transformation . Their presence, often silent and secondary, is sealed in numerous iconic scenes that show how the use of paint is part of our lives and of the way we tell stories. In everyday life, paints protect, decorate, identify, and communicate. In cinema they perform the same functions, amplified by the power of storytelling. Think of the saturated colors of auteur f...
Graphene and Paints: An Interview with Albino Ghirardelli of GrapheneUP
Graphene, often described as a wonder material, is finally moving out of the laboratories and into industrial processes, promising to revolutionize the performance of countless products. First isolated at the University of Manchester, graphene is a single layer of carbon atoms arranged in a honeycomb lattice. It is the thinnest material in the world, yet 200 times stronger than steel, an excellent thermal and electrical conductor, and nearly impermeable to any gas.
Despite its enormous potential, its industrial adoption has faced obstacles, partly due to products incorrectly labeled as "graphene" that were in fact expanded graphite. Today, specialized companies are making this material accessible and easy to use. Among them stands out GrapheneUP, the largest producer of few-layer graphene in Europe, a company with a strong connection to Italy thanks to its founder and CEO, Ivano Aglietto. To understand the state of the art of its use in the coatings sector, we spoke with Albino Ghirardelli, Sales Representative of GrapheneUP SE.
Can you tell us about GrapheneUP?
“Good morning. GrapheneUP is an independent, leading company based in the Czech Republic, and we are the largest producer of few-layer graphene in Europe. Our mission is the industrial production of high-quality graphene and the development of sustainable intermediate products such as additives, dispersions, and masterbatches. Pure graphene is often difficult to integrate into existing production processes; that’s why we provide ready-to-use solutions that allow our customers to improve the performance of their products in a simple and cost-effective way. Our graphene, called GUP®, is classified as ‘few-layer graphene’ according to the ISO standard, consisting of 2 to 5 layers, thus ensuring high quality and effectiveness.”
What does GrapheneUP specifically offer for the paint and coatings industry?
“For the coatings sector, we supply graphene-based additives that significantly enhance coating performance. Our main strength is effectiveness at extremely low dosages — we’re talking about 0.005–0.10% by weight of graphene in the dry film. This allows us to deliver significant benefits without altering the rheology of the product or the application cycles. Our products are designed to be compatible with the most common systems, both water-based and solvent-based, facilitating large-scale industrial adoption. We work with formulators in high-performance sectors such as industrial anti-corrosion, marine, heavy-duty maintenance, and high-durability architectural coatings.”
What are your flagship products and what specific benefits do they provide?
“We mainly offer two ready-to-use dispersions containing 4% GUP®:
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GUP® WB: a non-ionic, solvent-free dispersion for water-based systems, ideal for acrylic, polyurethane, and epoxy emulsions.
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GUP® SB: a similar dispersion for solvent-based systems, such as alkyd, polyurethane, and epoxy resins.
Both solutions deliver measurable benefits. First, exceptional anti-corrosion performance: graphene creates a tortuous path for aggressive agents like oxygen, water, and chlorides, and our customers report less rust formation under the protective film in accelerated tests. Additionally, we offer mechanical reinforcement, increasing hardness, abrasion resistance, and micro-crack resistance. Finally, GUP® graphene enables better thermal dissipation, spreading heat across the coated surface and reducing hotspots — a crucial advantage in sectors like HVAC and electronics.”
What is the state of the art for graphene in the coatings sector and what are the future prospects?
“Today, the use of graphene is a well-established reality in high-performance niche applications. The main challenge — stable dispersion and compatibility with different resin families — has been overcome. The most receptive markets so far have been in Asia, but Europe is catching up thanks to the availability of effective and competitively priced additives. The future opportunities are enormous and closely tied to sustainability. Our GUP® graphene allows the formulation of anti-corrosive cycles with reduced zinc content while maintaining C4-C5 protection classes, with clear environmental benefits. Another frontier is copper-free antifouling paints for the marine sector, where graphene acts as a barrier and reinforcing agent, reducing dependence on copper oxides and other toxic compounds. Finally, we see great potential in heat-spreader coatings for thermal management in sectors such as HVAC, lighting, and electronic components, where graphene improves efficiency and product durability. At GrapheneUP, we are ready to co-develop these solutions, turning the promise of graphene into a real competitive advantage for industry.”
The future of graphene is promising: the availability of effective and competitively priced additives will accelerate its adoption, turning the promise into an industrial advantage — thanks also to forward-thinking companies like GrapheneUP.
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