Grafoid - Page 4

Grafoid signed a joint-venture development agreement with CapTherm Systems to develop and commercialize next generation, multiphase thermal management systems for electric vehicle (EV) batteries and LEDs. Grafoid will supply graphene materials and the technology needed to adapt graphene to CapTherm's existing EV and LED cooling systems.

CapTherm says that graphene's lateral and vertical heat spreading capabilities will enable them to develop more competitive products.

Lux Research released a new report (Is Graphene the Next Silicon ... Or Just the Next Carbon Nanotube?) on the graphene market, in which they forecast that the graphene market will grow to $126 million in 2020 (up from $9 million in 2012). It's an impressive growth - but the overall market will remain small. Most of the growth will come from graphene nanoplatelets (NGP) for the composites and energy storage applications. Graphene sheets will remain mostly in the lab.

According to Lux, the leading companies will be XG Sciences and Vorbeck Materials. Vorbeck is selling higher margin conductive inks, while XG supplies GNPs to corporate channel partners. Regarding newer startups (such as Graphene Technologies, Grafoid, National Nanomaterials, Xolve and Haydale), Lux says it is simply too early to tell.

Grafoid has signed a 3-year R&D agreement with Hydro-Quebec's Research Institute (IREQ) for the development of next generation rechargeable batteries using graphene with lithium iron phosphate materials. This is a 50-50 collaborative agreement that aims to create patentable inventions by combining graphene, supplied by Grafoid (from the Lac Knife graphite resource of Focus Metals), with Hydro-Quebec's patented lithium iron phosphate technologies.

Grafoid and the IREQ are targeting two specific markets - rechargeable automobile batteries and batteries for mobile electronic devices (such as smartphones and laptops).

Grafoid has signed a joint intellectual property development agreement with CVD Equipment Corporation to develop graphene based "NanoToMacro catalyst materials". Grafoid will provide expertise to develop unique intellectual properties including the identification and feasibility for creating new combinations of graphene with carbon nanotubes as a catalyst material.

Both companies have equal rights to share in jointly created IPs and the ability to further the JV on additional terms. The current agreement runs for one year but it's renewable.

Focus Metals announced it has loaned $500,000 to Grafoid (of which it owns 40%). This payment will be used by Grafoid to pay an unnamed foreign university for a patent pending technology relating to exfoliation of graphite using raw graphite rock.

Grafoid signed an agreement with Rutgets University to co-develop graphene-based polymer and non-polymer applications. Grafoid will provide manpower, graphene expertise and graphene materials (from the Lac Knife graphite resource of Focus Metals), while Rutgers University will provide the inter-disciplinary and research lab facilities.

Grafoid and Rutgets will focus at first on applications ii the automotive, aviation and infrastructural markets.