Zentek - Page 7

Zenyatta Ventures recently stated that it will concentrate efforts on the next generation lithium-ion battery (‘LIB’) utilizing advanced nanomaterials. Recent testing has shown Zenyatta’s graphene oxide combined with silicon to perform well in this new advanced battery being developed by an innovative materials company in the United States.

This advanced battery program is part of a broader graphene development strategy; Along with the new LIB’s, the Company will also focus on using its graphene for enhancing present day composite materials like concrete, rubber and plastic.

Zenyatta Ventures has announced significant results from the cement-based composite test work that was recently conducted by Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) in Israel. BGU tested the performance of Zenyatta graphene oxide in a new cement/concrete admixture and the results demonstrated a remarkable reinforcing effect, with a compressive strength enhancement of 34% and a flexural strength enhancement of 62% over normal cement paste.

Dr. Oren Regev, Associate Professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering at BGU, stated These enhancements are among the highest reported in the literature for nanocarbon-loaded matrices (Carbon nanotubes, graphene nanoplatelets and other GO available in the market), suggesting that Zenyatta GO is extremely attractive for cement nano-reinforcement.

Zenyatta Ventures has announced a strategic focus on graphene, which is converted from the Company’s Albany graphite deposit.

Zenyatta states that during 2017, independent labs in Japan, UK, Israel, USA and Canada demonstrated that Zenyatta’s rare form of graphite easily exfoliates to graphene using a variety of simple mechanical methods. It was also stated that the graphene produced by Zenyatta’s partners is a consistent and high-quality nanomaterial, including the most desirable, mono-layer to tri-layer forms. The Company’s graphene also has excellent dispersion properties and therefore is highly suitable for enhancing present day composite materials like rubber and concrete, as confirmed by the University of Sussex and Ben-Gurion University respectively.

Zenyatta Ventures has announced the commencement of a collaborative research project with Dr. Takashi Kuboki at Western University to develop an advanced plastic (polymer composite) using Zenyatta graphene (or graphene-oxide) derived from Albany high-purity graphite deposit.

Zenyatta sees a potential for such enhanced polymer composite materials to be attractive to the automotive, aerospace and construction industries that seek lightweight materials with added strength, electrical and thermal properties. This new project may expand Zenyatta's business opportunities as a graphene nanomaterial supplier for the polymer composite markets.

We recently reported that U.S-based Alliance Rubber signed an agreement with University of Sussex to study how graphene could be used in rubber products. Now, Zenyatta Ventures and said Alliance Rubber and the University of Sussex have announced a collaboration program to develop enhanced rubber products.

Alliance manufactures 2,200 products and markets them in 55 countries. It is funding research at Sussex to develop enhanced new rubber products using graphene, focusing on rubber sensor products that will hold credit and debit cards to prevent hacking of information stored on the chip. The Alliance program will also focus on a rubber sensor product attached to food produce that changes color when the produce item reaches a set temperature or after a certain amount of time passes since harvest. This product can also act as a bar code on produce in grocery stores.

Zenyatta Ventures, a Canadian graphite explorer, has formed a wholly owned European subsidiary company named ZEN-tech Materials to focus on the development and commercialization activities of graphene applications and the allocation of any associated intellectual property and worldwide licensing.

Zenyatta stated that the formation of ZEN-tech is a strategic move that will provide it with a way to capture value and advance graphene application development separate from the mineral development business. Zenyatta will continue to focus on advancing the Albany graphite deposit towards production and will supply highly crystalline, purified graphite to ZEN-tech, academics and end users.

Zenyatta Ventures has announced a program for a scaled-up production method of its graphite to graphene oxide for applications like water treatment, sensors, supercapacitors and Li‐ion batteries. The program is receiving grant funding from the Ontario Centres for Excellence (OCE) to allow a team of scientists at Lakehead University in Ontario, Canada to carry out this research.

The OCE funding helps established Ontario‐based companies develop, implement and commercialize technical innovations by supporting partnerships with publicly‐funded post‐secondary institutions. The focus of the research work will be on scaling up production methods for Zenyatta’s graphite to GO, a first critical step towards commercialization of the technology. The OCE VIP II $100,000 grant will be administered over two years and Zenyatta will be contributing $50,000 in cash and $60,000 in‐kind support to the project.

Zenyatta Ventures has announced that the next phase to test a graphene-enhanced concrete admixture is progressing through their Collaboration Agreement with Larisplast, an Israeli business that specializes in the field of concrete admixtures.

The 10 kg market sample of high-purity graphite that was sent to Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in Israel (BGU) will allow for the testing and optimization of a much larger volume of concretes. Zenyatta and Larisplast have both received grant funding from the Canada-Israel Industrial R&D Foundation under the Ontario-Israel Collaboration.

Zenyatta Ventures has announced the successful testing of its graphene oxide material by a U.S. based advanced materials company developing silicon-graphene anodes for the next generation of lithium-ion batteries.

Zenyatta stated that preliminary results showed the ease of processing with its graphene oxide and similar electrochemical performance compared to the control material that is currently being used by the U.S. company. Zenyatta's high-purity graphite was recently converted to graphene oxide and then sent to the U.S. collaborator for testing as an advanced nano-material in a new Lithium-ion battery.

Zenyatta Ventures has announced that a team of scientists at Lakehead University in Canada has made significant progress in developing sensing applications with the first graphene oxide (GO) produced from the Company’s Albany graphite.

The team has developed a novel one-pot synthesis of fluorine functionalized graphene oxide (F-GO) which can be used in many energy, environmental and electrochemical sensing applications. The produced F-GO has been tested for the simultaneous detection of various toxic metal ions (e.g. mercury, lead, cadmium and copper) and a substantial improvement in the electrochemical sensing performance was achieved in comparison with GO.