Posted by AGORACOM
at 11:01 AM on Tuesday, February 25th, 2020
SPONSOR: ZEN Graphene Solutions: An emerging advanced materials and graphene development company with a focus on new solutions using pure graphene and other two-dimensional materials. Our competitive advantage relies on the unique qualities of our multi-decade supply of precursor materials in the Albany Graphite Deposit. Independent labs in Japan, UK, Israel, USA and Canada confirm this. Click here for more information
Researchers proposed a new design of the supercapacitor, which uses
films of graphene laminate with the same distance between the layers.
Energy density increases drastically — about 10 times compared to conventional supercapacitors.
Scientists from University College London and the Chinese Academy of Sciences have proposed a graphene-based design for supercapacitors, which reportedly increased their density by 10 times.
Supercapacitors charge quickly but also discharge at a high speed.
Existing supercapacitors tend to have a low energy density – about 1/20
of the battery capacity. Batteries
combined with supercapacitors are already in limited use – for example,
in Chinese public transport. But the bus in which such a battery is
installed is forced to charge at almost every stop.
In this work, the researchers proposed a new design of the
supercapacitor, which uses films of graphene laminate with the same
distance between the layers.
The work showed that when the pores in the membranes exactly
correspond to the size of the electrolyte ions, the energy density
increases drastically — about 10 times compared to conventional
supercapacitors.
In addition, the scientists note, the new material has a long service
life, retaining 97.8% of its energy intensity after 5000 cycles of
charging and discharging. The new supercapacitors are also very flexible
– they can be bent up to 180 degrees.
Posted by AGORACOM
at 9:27 AM on Tuesday, February 25th, 2020
SPONSOR: Lomiko Metals is focused on the exploration and development of minerals for the new green economy such as lithium and graphite. Lomiko owns 80% of the high-grade La Loutre graphite Property, Lac Des Iles Graphite Property and the 100% owned Quatre Milles Graphite Property. Lomiko is uniquely poised to supply the growing EV battery market. Click Here For More Information
TESLA REACHES $100 BILLION MARKET CAPITALIZATION WHILE MORGAN STANLEY PREDICTS $1200 LEVEL COMING SOON
Toronto, Ontario, Feb. 25, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Lomiko Metals Inc. (“Lomikoâ€)
(TSX-V: LMR, OTC: LMRMF, FSE: DH8C) Lomiko Metals Inc. is pleased to
announce that the company will attend the Prospectors & Developers
Association Conference at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre March 1-4,
2020. Lomiko will be at booth #2547 in the Investors Exchange portion
of the Conference. Lomiko is focused on developing graphite materials
supply for the green economy.
Prospects for developing critical minerals mines in Quebec were
buoyed when Canada and the US announced January 9, 2020 they have
finalized the Canada-US Joint Action Plan on Critical Minerals
Collaboration. The Plan is aimed to secure a North American supply
chain for the critical minerals needed for manufacturing
sectors, communication technology, aerospace and defense, and clean
technology.
Canada has significant resources of graphite, lithium, cobalt, aluminum, and rare-earths.
Media has also focused on Tesla in recent interviews with CEO A. Paul
Gill who has consistently spoken about the coming change in consumer
purchasing patterns. In the last decade, range anxiety and concerns
over infrastructure have limited the penetration of electric vehicles in
the North American market and this has cast doubt on the potential of
Tesla. However, it is clear that those fears have been alleviated and
with the onset of new electric vehicles from Ford, GM, BMW, Audi,
Volkswagen, and others.
“Tesla stock price closing in on $ 1000 per share and its valuation
has exceeded $ 100 billion. This is a major indicator that investors
think electric vehicles will become mainstream. Every day, I see at
least one or more. And every time I see one, I think about the battery
it holds which contains up to 70 kgs of graphite.â€, stated A. Paul Gill,
CEO of Lomiko Metals, “That’s why Lomiko looked for projects with good
infrastructure, high grades, and high carbon purity so we could make
strides toward participating in the supply chain of electric vehicles
with materials such as spherical graphite and graphite anodes.â€
Mr. Gill has been interviewed on the Los Angles TV Show Big Biz and
the Geekery Review in Salt Lake City, Utah focusing on Tesla, EV
Batteries and Natural Flake Graphite.
Posted by AGORACOM
at 12:29 PM on Friday, February 21st, 2020
SPONSOR: Lomiko Metals is focused on the exploration and development of minerals for the new green economy such as lithium and graphite. Lomiko owns 80% of the high-grade La Loutre graphite Property, Lac Des Iles Graphite Property and the 100% owned Quatre Milles Graphite Property. Lomiko is uniquely poised to supply the growing EV battery market. Click Here For More Information
An Ivy charger on display at the 2020 Canadian International AutoShow in Toronto. Ontario Power Generation photo
Ivy Charging Network aims to create the “largest and most connected electric vehicle fast-charger network†in the province.
The company is expected to install 160 Level 3 fast-chargers at 73
locations across Ontario, each less than 100 kilometres apart from one
another on average, by the end of 2021.
Electric vehicle charging stations are coming to North Bay and
Temiskaming Shores as part of a new province-wide network being
developed by Hydro One and Ontario Power Generation (OPG).
Media releases from both Hydro One and OPG say they have launched a
new company, Ivy Charging Network, which aims to create the “largest and
most connected electric vehicle fast-charger network†in the province.
The company is expected to install 160 Level 3 fast-chargers at 73
locations across Ontario, each less than 100 kilometres apart from one
another on average, by the end of 2021.
Natural Resources Canada has provided an $8-million repayable
contribution, through its Electric Vehicle and Alternative Fuel
Infrastructure Deployment Initiative, to help build the network.
The Ivy Charging Network opened its first location in Huntsville in
September and an official public launch took place Friday at the 2020
Canadian International AutoShow in Toronto.
“We play a critical role in energizing life in communities across
Ontario. This fast-charger network will create a better and brighter
future through a greener transportation sector while meeting the
evolving energy needs of our customers and all Ontarians,†Hydro One
vice-president of customer service and Ivy Charging Network co-president
Imran Merali said.
“By entering this growing market in partnership with OPG, Hydro One
is expanding our product and service offering to deliver greater value
for our customers, employees, communities and shareholders.â€
Ivy Charging Network is a limited partnership owned equally by Hydro One and OPG.
The company has chosen Greenlots, a member of the Shell Group, as its service provider to operate and manage the network.
“Having delivered the world’s largest single climate change action to
date with the closure of our coal stations, OPG’s clean power serves as
a strong platform to electrify carbon-heavy sectors like
transportation,†fellow Ivy Charging Network co-president and OPG
vice-president of corporate business development and strategy Theresa
Dekker said.
“That’s why we’re so pleased to be partnering with Hydro One on an
initiative that will broaden the benefits of electrification and provide
a reliable, integrated network while ensuring no additional cost to
ratepayers.â€
Nipissing-Timiskaming Liberal MP Anthony Rota applauded the news on
Twitter, while Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry Navdeep
Bains said the federal government is committed to supporting projects
that will bring the country closer to a “competitive, zero-emissions
transportation sector.â€
He added that the network will ensure “Canadian-made solutions are at
the forefront of solving the global climate change crisis, leaving our
children and grandchildren with a healthier planet and cleaner air to
breathe.â€
Posted by AGORACOM
at 11:37 AM on Thursday, February 20th, 2020
SPONSOR: ZEN Graphene Solutions: An emerging advanced materials and graphene development company with a focus on new solutions using pure graphene and other two-dimensional materials. Our competitive advantage relies on the unique qualities of our multi-decade supply of precursor materials in the Albany Graphite Deposit. Independent labs in Japan, UK, Israel, USA and Canada confirm this. Click here for more information
Scientists at Rice University have made laser-induced graphene using a low-power laser mounted in a scanning electron microscope.
The team at Rice University,
in conjunction with Philip Rack, a Tennessee/ORNL materials scientist,
have pioneered a process to create laser-induced graphene (LIG). LIG has
features that are 60% smaller than the macro version of the material
and almost 10 times smaller than what can be typically achieved using an
infrared laser.
The LIG Process
LIG is a multifunctional graphene foam that is direct-written with an
infrared laser into a carbon-based precursor material. In the Rice
team’s research, this was achieved using a visible 405 nm laser that
directly converts polyimide into LIG, enabling the formation of LIG with
a spatial resolution of 12 µm and a thickness of < 5 µm. This
spatial resolution, enabled by the smaller-focused spot size of the 405
nm laser, represents a 60% reduction in previously reported LIG feature
sizes.
These smaller 405 nm lasers use light in the blue-violet part of the
spectrum. They are much less powerful than the industrial lasers that
are currently being used to burn graphene into materials.
“A key for electronics applications is to make smaller structures
so that one could have a higher density, or more devices per unit
area,†James Tour of Rice University said in a statement. “This method allows us to make structures that are 10 times denser than we formerly made.â€
A scanning electron microscope shows two tracers of LIG on a polyimide film. Image used courtesy of James Tour of Rice University
A New Path Toward Writing Electronic Circuits
To prove the viability of their concept, the researchers made tiny
flexible humidity sensors directly fabricated on polyimide. These
devices were then able to sense human breath in 250 milliseconds.
“This is much faster than the sampling rate for most commercial
humidity sensors and enables the monitoring of rapid local humidity
changes that can be caused by breathing,†said Rice postdoctoral researcher Michael Stanford, lead author of the research team’s paper.
The 405 nm laser is mounted on a scanning electron microscope (SEM)
and burns the top five microns of the polymer. This writes graphene
features as small as 12 microns.
The Rice team believes that this new LIG process could offer a new
path toward writing electronic circuits into flexible materials such as
clothing.
“The LIG process will allow graphene to be directly synthesized for precise electronics applications on surfaces,†added Stanford. With growing interest in the LIG process for use in flexible electronics and sensors, further refinement of this process will expand its utility and potentially see it being used in a range of flexible electronics across all industries.
Posted by AGORACOM
at 5:20 PM on Wednesday, February 19th, 2020
SPONSOR: Lomiko Metals is focused on the exploration and development of minerals for the new green economy such as lithium and graphite. Lomiko owns 80% of the high-grade La Loutre graphite Property, Lac Des Iles Graphite Property and the 100% owned Quatre Milles Graphite Property. Lomiko is uniquely poised to supply the growing EV battery market. Click Here For More Information
A. Paul Gill, CEO Lomiko Metals Inc. VP Business Development, appears on Michael Campbell’s MoneyTalks podcast, A financial show syndicated Canada-wide on the radio.
Posted by AGORACOM
at 6:40 PM on Friday, February 14th, 2020
SPONSOR: ZEN Graphene Solutions: An emerging advanced materials and graphene development company with a focus on new solutions using pure graphene and other two-dimensional materials. Our competitive advantage relies on the unique qualities of our multi-decade supply of precursor materials in the Albany Graphite Deposit. Independent labs in Japan, UK, Israel, USA and Canada confirm this. Click here for more information
Graphene has been dubbed the material of the future for its
unbelievable strength and the myriad of potential applications it offers
and European researchers have just released the first-ever manual on
how to produce it.
The manual was released by the Graphene Flagship consortium composed
of universities and companies. Founded in 2013, it is one of the three
big EU-funded science projects with a budget of over €1 billion until
2023.
The consortium hopes the manual will boost the uptake of the material which has the potential to revolutionise whole industries.
Graphene is a layer of carbon atoms obtained from graphite, which we can find, for example, in the tip of a pencil.
Arranged in a honeycomb-like pattern, it is 200 times stronger than
steel, harder than diamond, and carries both heat and electricity better
than any other material including gold or copper. And it’s also a
million times smaller than a strand of hair.
Seventy researchers participated in the elaboration of the free, 500-pages manual.
“It’s a big book that encompasses the description of many of the most
important methods to produce graphene and other two dimensional
materials,” Mar GarcÃa Hernández, from Graphene Flagship told Euronews.
Researchers from Graphene Flagship have shown that at least 1,800
different layered materials exit but so far, only a few have truly been
investigated.
“For any application of graphene or related materials, you need first
to be able to make it. For this reason, a book or a paper that gives
you precise details on how to make these materials, how to characterise
them, how to transfer them from the good substrate to the final
substrate is going to be very useful,” Andrea Ferrari, Graphene
Flagship’s Science and Technology Officer told Euronews.
The material’s flexibility and resilience mean it can be used in a
variety of industries such as aeronautics, space exploration, medicine,
energy or electronics.
Last December, Graphene Flagship
partnered with some of Europe’s biggest companies including Airbus,
Fiat-Chrysler Automobiles, Lufthansa Technik, Siemens and ABB among
others to take graphene-enabled prototypes to commercial applications.
One of the projects will develop state-of-the-art vision sensors,
which could be critical for the safe functioning of self-driving cars
while another will use graphene-based filters to remove contaminants
such as pesticides and dangerous pathogens from drinking water.
Posted by AGORACOM
at 3:26 PM on Friday, February 14th, 2020
SPONSOR: Lomiko Metals is focused on the exploration and development of minerals for the new green economy such as lithium and graphite. Lomiko owns 80% of the high-grade La Loutre graphite Property, Lac Des Iles Graphite Property and the 100% owned Quatre Milles Graphite Property. Lomiko is uniquely poised to supply the growing EV battery market. Click Here For More Information
Tesla’s cost per kWh for battery packs was approaching $150/kWh last year while others were at a price of $200/kWh
It appears Tesla has an advantage over its rivals, such as GM and Porsche, when it comes to the new battery technology that it is developing. Tesla has long been a leader on EV batteries, for years seeming to have a significantly lower cost (cost per kWh of capacity) for batteries than others. A big part of that is because Tesla in-houses the work. It appears Tesla is making significant progress on this again with new developments.
The managing director of Cairn Energy Research Advisors, Sam Jaffe,
recently noted that Tesla’s cost per kWh for battery packs was
approaching $150/kWh last year while others were at a price of $200/kWh.
Jaffe also tells CNBC that “Tesla has really revolutionized
that part of the battery pack and made it much more sophisticated, and
it gives them a competitive advantage.†Indeed. We definitely have a lot
to look forward to on Tesla’s Battery Day.
Ten or so years ago, the idea of owning an EV seemed rather absurd.
EVs were known to be super expensive due to the battery costs, and since
they were new, everyday Americans weren’t willing to spend the money to
beta test them.
Fast forward ten years. Tesla has advanced the auto industry
tremendously with EVs, and a big part of that was through a core
component of EVs — the battery. By taking on the most challenging
problems and creating solutions for them, Tesla is doing what it does so
well — moving the world forward.
In 2019, Elon Musk spoke
of a “1 million-mile battery pack†and that it would be in production
“next year.†He’s also announced that Battery Day will be in April, and
has said that Tesla’s April company talk would be at the Gigafactory in
Buffalo, where Tesla makes Solarglass Roofs. Perhaps this is where
Battery Day will be held as well? There is much anticipation regarding
Tesla battery developments following relatively recent acquisitions and
promoted specs of coming models. What exactly is coming on the battery
front from Tesla?
Posted by AGORACOM
at 1:03 PM on Thursday, February 13th, 2020
SPONSOR: ZEN Graphene Solutions: An emerging advanced materials and graphene development company with a focus on new solutions using pure graphene and other two-dimensional materials. Our competitive advantage relies on the unique qualities of our multi-decade supply of precursor materials in the Albany Graphite Deposit. Independent labs in Japan, UK, Israel, USA and Canada confirm this. Click here for more information
Every age in the history of human civilisation has a signature
material, from the Stone Age, to the Bronze and Iron Ages. We might even
call today’s information-driven society the Silicon Age.
Since the 1960s, silicon nanostructures,
the building-blocks of microchips, have supercharged the development of
electronics, communications, manufacturing, medicine, and more.
How small are these nanostructures? Very, very small – you could fit at least 3,000 silicon transistors onto the tip of a human hair.
But there is a limit: below about 5 nanometres (5 millionths of a
millimetre), it is hard to improve the performance of silicon devices
any further.
So if we are about to exhaust the potential of silicon nanomaterials,
what will be our next signature material? That’s where “atomaterialsâ€
come in.What are atomaterials?
What are atomaterials?
“Atomaterials†is short for “atomic materialsâ€, so called because
their properties depend on the precise configuration of their atoms. It
is a new but rapidly developing field.
One example is graphene,
which is made of carbon atoms. Unlike diamond, in which the carbon
atoms form a rigid three-dimensional structure, graphene is made of
single layer of carbon atoms, bonded together in a two-dimensional
honeycomb lattice.
Diamond’s rigid structure is the reason for its celebrated hardness
and longevity, making it the perfect material for high-end drill bits
and expensive jewellery. In contrast, the two-dimensional form of carbon
atoms in graphene allows electron travelling frictionless at a high
speed giving ultrahigh conductivity and the outstanding in plane
mechanical strength. Thus, graphene has broad applications in medicines,
electronics, energy storage, light processing, and water filtration.
Using lasers, we can fashion these atomic structures into miniaturised devices with exceptional performance.
Using atomaterials, our lab has been working on a range of innovations, at various stages of development. They include:
A magic cooling film. This film can cool the
environment by up to 10℃ without using any electricity. By integrating
such a film into a building, the electricity used for air conditioning
can be reduced by 35%, and summer electricity blackouts effectively
stopped. This will not only save electricity bills but also reduce
greenhouse emissions.
Heat-absorbing film. Some 97% of Earth’s water is in
the oceans, and is salty and unusable without expensive processing.
Efficiently removing salt from seawater could be a long-term solution to
the growing global freshwater scarcity. With a solar-powered graphene
film, this process can be made very efficient.
The film absorbs almost all the sunlight shining on it and converts it into heat. The temperature can be increased to 160℃ within 30 seconds.
This heat can then distil seawater with an efficiency greater than 95%,
and the distilled water is cleaner than tapwater. This low-cost
technology can be suitable for domestic and industry applications.
Smart sensing film. These flexible atomaterial films
can incorporate a wide range of functions including environmental
sensing, communication, and energy storage. They have a broad range of
applications in healthcare, sports, advanced manufacturing, farming, and
others. For example, smart films could monitor soil humidity near
plants’ roots, thus helping to make agriculture more water-efficient.
Ultrathin, ultra-lightweight lenses. The bulkiest part
of a mobile phone camera is the lens, because it needs to be made of
thick glass with particular optical properties. But lenses made with
graphene can be mere millionths of a millimetre thick,
and still deliver superb image quality. Such lenses could greatly
reduce the weight and cost of everything from phones to space
satellites.
Near-instant power supply. We have developed an environmentally friendly supercapacitor from graphene that charges devices in seconds,
and has a lifetime of millions of charge cycles. By attaching it to the
back of a solar cell, it can store and deliver solar-generated energy
whenever and wherever required. You will be free and truly mobile.
The world is facing pressing challenges, from climate change, to energy and resource scarcity, to our health and well-being.
Material innovation is more vital than ever and needs to be more
efficient, design-driven and environmentally friendly. But these
challenges can only be solved by joint effort from worldwide
researchers, enterprise, industry and government with a sharing and open
mindset.
Posted by AGORACOM
at 11:18 AM on Thursday, February 13th, 2020
SPONSOR: Lomiko Metals is focused on the exploration and development of minerals for the new green economy such as lithium and graphite. Lomiko owns 80% of the high-grade La Loutre graphite Property, Lac Des Iles Graphite Property and the 100% owned Quatre Milles Graphite Property. Lomiko is uniquely poised to supply the growing EV battery market. Click Here For More Information
The partnership will allow researchers to field-test batteries in
Mercedes vehicles and could hasten development of solid-state li-ion
batteries that promise greater range and durability, the companies said
As well, solid-state batteries do not use the flammable liquid
electrolytes blamed in numerous difficult-to-extinguish fires in
electric vehicles around the globe.
Like other automakers, Mercedes is moving aggressively into
electrification, with a goal of introducing at least 10 EVs for 2022
under its EQ and Smart subbrands. It also plans more plug-in
gas-electric hybrids across its model lines.
As well, “our association will allow us to test new materials quickly
in field conditions, and so accelerate the development cycle and
respond to the concerns of automobile manufacturers.” Zaghib said in a
release.
Posted by AGORACOM
at 2:30 PM on Tuesday, February 11th, 2020
SPONSOR: Lomiko Metals is focused on the exploration and development of minerals for the new green economy such as lithium and graphite. Lomiko owns 80% of the high-grade La Loutre graphite Property, Lac Des Iles Graphite Property and the 100% owned Quatre Milles Graphite Property. Lomiko is uniquely poised to supply the growing EV battery market. Click Here For More Information
The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC)
has singled out accessibility of raw materials as a pressing issue,
warning that a prompt solution for the development of batteries is
needed to make electric mobility and sustainable transport possible.
The European Union needs to secure permanent access to raw materials
as soon as possible in order to develop a strong battery industry for
electric vehicles. The alarm was sounded at the debate held in Brussels
on 5th February 2020 by the Section for Transport, Energy,
Infrastructure and the Information Society (TEN).
Widespread e-mobility, with zero COâ‚‚ emissions, is the next key step
towards making sustainable transport and climate neutrality happen.
Nevertheless, only by having ongoing access to raw materials for
batteries will Europe be able to move away from fossil-based fuels and
embrace electrification.
Colin Lustenhouwer, rapporteur for last year’s EESC opinion on
batteries, pointed out that it was vital to raise awareness of the
urgent measures needed.
“We must take immediate action†said Mr Lustenhouwer. “The
accessibility of raw materials is an ongoing issue in an area where
Europe has few resources and would like to guarantee supply.
Electrification is the only solution for sustainable fuel and this
requires batteries.â€
Pierre Jean Coulon, president of the TEN section, added that for
Europe’s sustainable future, the whole battery lifespan needs to be
considered and that European countries need to equip themselves with the
resources needed. European businesses can only become a major player in
battery development and deployment in the global market by taking a
huge leap forward over the next few years.
Car batteries are a crucial issue for Europe’s future and should not
be taken for granted. They account for 40 percent of the cost of an
electric vehicle, but 96 percent of them are produced outside Europe.
The raw materials are not available in the EU to the extent needed and
have to be imported. Lithium, nickel, manganese and cobalt mainly come
from South America and Asia. This means that if the EU does not act, it
will become increasingly dependent on third countries such as Brazil and
China.
Furthermore, the need to secure the supply of raw materials for
batteries is leading to international competition that may well affect
the geopolitical balance and cause political tensions in exporting
countries. The EU therefore needs to act swiftly to ensure that it has
access on the global market and so will not be vulnerable as a result of
the imminent race for raw materials.
The European strategy for batteries must be comprehensive and allow
for their entire lifecycle, from creation to deployment and recycling.
All actors have to be involved and pull together, in line with the
principles of the value-chain approach which factors in every stage.
The EESC flagged up the importance of material recycling in its 2019
opinion on batteries, where ‘urban mining’ was promoted as a possible
way to build new batteries by recovering elements from used products and
waste, such as discarded electric and electronic devices.
In the opinion, the Committee called for a strong European battery
industry and supported the Strategic Action Plan presented by the
European Commission, emphasising two priorities: on the one hand,
heavier investment was needed to achieve the necessary level of
technological expertise while on the other, solutions had to be found to
secure the supply of raw materials from third countries and EU sources.
Stressing that the EU needed to do more and adopt a structural
approach to batteries, the EESC was one of the first institutions to
bring together all the social partners to point out that batteries are
one of the main challenges for Europe’s green and prosperous future.
