THUNDER BAY, ON --(Marketwired - May 16, 2017) - Zenyatta Ventures Ltd. ("Zenyatta" or "Company") (TSX VENTURE: ZEN) (OTCQX: ZENYF) is pleased to announce the successful testing of the Company's graphene oxide material by a leading U.S. based advanced materials company ('U.S. Co.') developing silicon-graphene anodes for the next generation of lithium-ion batteries. Preliminary results show ease of processing with Zenyatta's graphene oxide and similar electrochemical performance compared to the control material that is currently being used by U.S. Co. The superior dispersion qualities and good electrochemical performance of the Company's graphene oxide are desirable properties for this silicon-graphene battery application. Zenyatta's high-purity graphite was recently converted to graphene oxide by Dr. Aicheng Chen, Professor at Lakehead University, and then sent to the U.S. Co. for testing as an advanced nano-material in a new Lithium-ion battery.
Lithium-ion batteries are widely used globally for portable electronic devices and electric vehicles. Unfortunately, lithium-ion batteries still lack the required level of energy storage to completely meet the demands of such applications as electric vehicles. A new silicon-graphene composite anode enables higher capacity and faster charging batteries that could meet consumer demand for increasing power and range.
Aubrey Eveleigh, President and CEO of Zenyatta, commented, "Given the present limitations on the existing lithium-ion battery, the World needs to develop a super-battery. Silicon-graphene is the next generation anode being developed for batteries by many advanced material companies. Zenyatta's graphene oxide has properties that make it a suitable material to be used with silicon in these next generation Lithium-ion batteries. While silicon has many times the capacity of graphite, it cannot be used alone due to rapid degradation. A significant amount of research has been carried out to encapsulate silicon in a graphene material to enhance the cycle life while also increasing charge capacity and durability for advanced lithium-ion batteries."
Mr. Eveleigh added "We are very excited with the potential of our graphene to play a key role as a component of the next generation batteries. The adaption of silicon-graphene based anode batteries could further accelerate the fast growing market for energy storage, especially for the automotive sector. Having a consistent and high quality raw material source in North America for an end-user's supply chain is critical in order to maintain long term quality control for product specifications."
U.S. Co. will continue to carry out advanced testing on Zenyatta's graphene oxide for use in Lithium-ion anode composite material. Additional testing will include the determination of the following:
- Aqueous dispersion quality;
- Compatibility with processing method and yield;
- Electrochemical performance; and,
- Characterization of the composite material.
Zenyatta Ventures Ltd. is developing the Albany Graphite Deposit situated in northeastern Ontario, Canada. The deposit is a unique type of igneous-hosted, fluid-derived graphite mineralization containing highly crystalline carbon in two large breccia pipes. The Company is collaborating with several partners in Asia, Europe and North America using its high purity graphite for Lithium-ion batteries, fuel cells and graphene. The outlook for the global graphite and graphene market is very promising with demand growing rapidly from new applications. It is now considered one of the more strategic elements by many leading industrial nations, particularly for its growing importance in high technology manufacturing and in the emerging "green" industries such as electric vehicle components.
The Albany graphite deposit is situated 30 km north of the Trans-Canada Highway, power line and natural gas pipeline near the communities of Constance Lake First Nation and Hearst. A rail line is located 70 km away with an all-weather road approximately 10 km from the graphite deposit. The world trend is to develop nano-material products for technological applications that need extraordinary performance using ultra-high purity graphite powder at an affordable cost. Albany graphite can be upgraded to ~99.9% C with very good crystallinity without the use of aggressive acids (hydrofluoric) or high temperature thermal treatment therefore having an environmental advantage over other types of upgraded high-purity graphite material.
Mr. Aubrey Eveleigh, P.Geo., Zenyatta's President and CEO, is the "Qualified Person" for the purposes of National Instrument 43-101 and has reviewed, prepared and supervised the preparation of the technical information contained in this