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The cease trade order for Canada is not helping the situation. How fun is it to own a stock you can't buy or sell.
Yes and all the speculation here is
Very optimistic. Which is great.
I would like to see the day that the company shows us something physically concrete. Other than on a piece of paper.
How can some here know and not now... All speaking out of your ....
Pretty post of technology advancement of others.
I can't blame the company. They haven't showed off or told people
They are the best thing since sliced bread.
I think expectations were promoted through this board.
I remember once saying they their tech might be obsolete if they never get it off the ground. Who knows?
I've read an article of 100% efficiency from MIT.
Yes they have so many markets to do business. My question is;
Will they make it.
I don't care about all your pretty posts
Time for CEO to show and take care of his shareholders. He has done poorly untill. It's unprecedented.
GLTA
That was when....
Where are they now..
Are we even doing panels?
That's my question.
Funny thing is I have been acquiring
Untill recently they applied the CTO for all provinces not only BC
Dm ski
Can you still buy Shares
Be cause i cant from my province.
I looked into the cto little info out there because a few years they weren't current the Canadian commission put a CTO on this one.
Emailed art about it
Said their lawyer is working on it.
Lots of $$$ in Canada people have been doing well up here.
They should take care of this ASAP
I like your wishful thinking.
My question is will they make out of the pits.
Because others have.
Glta.
It's not over yet.... Seriously
It might just be the beginning
That's the best case scenario
Wait a minute!
You forgot the super high tech tweets were getting. Made us reassured as investors.
Trends don't apply on
this one
There are too many unknowns
Only logic and common sense
SS and co will release ground breaking news in feb
It's going to shatter and crush every
Other dot in its path.
May the dots be with us.
Because for sure we don't have panels.
Hey
Qmc has the blow your mind qdots
And also some sophisticated stealth.
We waited this long for something
What's another 2-3 quarters
GLTA
1: are they in production if no = major blow....
2: solar panels if yes/no = cant answer.
3: bus dev Asia..... if yes = we happy
4: fancy issuance because of physical sales coming up = we happy
5: 50k for office jobs while were in recession and company has nothing to show = hmmm what would rambo do?
6: good will enough = no
7: stock valued based on what? = not sure.
8: lower stock price in the short term if no news = yes
9: chapped lips = yes
10: buy hold or sell. = hold
Dow Electronic Materials And Nanoco Group PLC Sign Global Licensing Agreement For Cadmium-Free Quantum Dots
January 23, 2013
PHILADELPHIA & MANCHESTER, UNITED KINGDOM--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
Dow Electronic Materials, a business unit of The Dow Chemical Company (NYSE:DOW) and Nanoco Group plc (AIM:NANO) today announced they have entered into a global licensing agreement for Nanoco’s cadmium-free quantum dot technology. Under the terms of the agreement, Dow Electronic Materials will have exclusive worldwide rights for the sale, marketing and manufacture of Nanoco’s cadmium-free quantum dots for use in electronic displays.
The agreement brings together Nanoco’s world-leading technology with Dow’s large-scale manufacturing capability and well-established sales, marketing and distribution network. Dow Electronic Materials is already a major supplier of critical electronic materials to the global display industry.
The financial details of the agreement are not being disclosed though Nanoco will receive royalty payments related to Dow’s sales of cadmium-free quantum dots. Nanoco will continue to provide any technology advances to its cadmium-free quantum dot technology throughout the lifetime of the agreement and participate with Dow in the marketing and technical support of these materials.
Dow intends to build production capacity in Asia where it has extensive manufacturing capabilities to supply high-performance materials to its customers in the display and semiconductor-related segments. Full commercial production is expected to begin in the first half of 2014.
“We believe that Nanoco’s cadmium-free quantum dots will become a new standard in the display industry owing to their ability to significantly improve the color performance of LCD displays both cost-effectively and by avoiding the use of heavy metals,” said C.G. Park, Global Business Director, Dow Electronic Materials. “When coupled with Nanoco’s technology, Dow’s deep technical, engineering and industry knowledge in films, LCD, LED, and OLED display segments brings our customers an unmatched portfolio of materials solutions.”
Michael Edelman, Nanoco’s Chief Executive Officer, commented: “We are delighted to sign this agreement with Dow Electronic Materials. This agreement is transformational for the quantum dot industry and a significant endorsement of Nanoco’s cadmium-free quantum dot technology. With Dow’s production expertise and deep customer relationships, display makers can begin to plan their quantum dot production requirements with further confidence.”
About Dow
(NYSE: DOW) combines the power of science and technology to passionately innovate what is essential to human progress. The Company connects chemistry and innovation with the principles of sustainability to help address many of the world's most challenging problems such as the need for clean water, renewable energy generation and conservation, and increasing agricultural productivity. Dow's diversified industry-leading portfolio of specialty chemical, advanced materials, agrosciences and plastics businesses delivers a broad range of technology-based products and solutions to customers in approximately 160 countries and in high growth sectors such as electronics, water, energy, coatings and agriculture. In 2011, Dow had annual sales of $60 billion and employed approximately 52,000 people worldwide. The Company's more than 5,000 products are manufactured at 197 sites in 36 countries across the globe. References to "Dow" or the "Company" mean The Dow Chemical Company and its consolidated subsidiaries unless otherwise expressly noted. More information about Dow can be found at www.dow.com.
About Dow Electronic Materials
Dow Electronic Materials, a global supplier of materials and technologies to the electronics industry, brings innovative leadership to the semiconductor, interconnect, finishing, photovoltaic, display, LED and optics markets. From advanced technology centers worldwide, teams of talented Dow research scientists and application experts work closely with customers, providing solutions, products and technical service necessary for next-generation electronics. These partnerships energize Dow's power to invent. Its key end-use applications include a broad range of consumer electronics from personal computers, to television monitors, smart phones and tablets and other mobile devices as well as electronic devices and systems used in a variety of industries. More information about Dow Electronic Materials can be found at www.dowelectronicmaterials.com.
About Nanoco Group plc
Nanoco is a world leader in the development and manufacture of commercial quantities of quantum dots for use in multiple applications including lighting, solar cells and biological imaging. Nanoco's quantum dots, which are free of heavy metals and comply with RoHS legislation, can be combined into a wide range of materials including liquids, polymers and glass. Nanoco forms strategic partnerships with major end users across a range of applications.
Nanoco was founded in 2001 and is based in Manchester, UK. Nanoco began trading on the AIM market of the London Stock Exchange in May 2009 under the ticker symbol NANO.
For further information, please visit www.nanocogroupplc.com.
Copyright Business Wire 2013
Prepare the worst hope for the best
Nothing happens until something moves!
Or even become obsolete
what are you guys talking about?
you guys are talking in covert language please explain ;)
I want to see a product. we are like 3+ years into this.
tell us that they have figured how they will ship, produce and sell their dots... forget the solar panels do they even have one prototype WHATEVER!
maybe they are not ready.
I dunno.
all we know is these pretty posts on these boards..
One thing I can say is that the only bragging thats been done is on this ihub board... And I respect SS for that... he kept his mouth shut... so really if you really think about it he never boasted anything himself how great this was. Just the people on here....
but whatever. im laughing on the sidelines... see if this one makes it.
GLTA
We have no clue what our dots are good for.
No alliances of worth so far IMO
My questions is do they have a product that's ready for the masses?
Yes/no/maybe?
We don't know.
We can all talk out of our a$&es but
We have no clue what's going on.
Lets see if its qtmm s time to shine a little.
Time will tell
Back to hibernation
Untill then GLTA
swamp
crack tip opening sounds painful
I would prefer caribbean tourism office if this stocks ever takes off
GLTA.
Major Breakthroughs in Solar Technology for 2013
nanotechnology solar cells
http://designbuildsource.com.au/major-breakthroughs-in-solar-technology-for-2013
Despite a tough market leading to widespread cost reductions and negative returns for many operators in the photovoltaic sector in 2012, solar technology nonetheless took major strides and achieved a number of landmark breakthroughs in key research areas.
In materials research, the North Carolina State University (NCSU) in Raleigh, North Carolina used cutting-edge nanotechnology to develop slimmer and more affordable solar cells.
The cells are comprised of sandwiched nanostructures which not only cut down on material usage and expenditures but also improve solar absorption and raise conversion efficiency.
nanotechnology solar cells
nanotechnology solar cells
As an added bonus, the manufacturing processes for the new technology are compatible with techniques currently employed throughout the industry for the production of thin-film solar cells.
In terms of government-funded initiatives, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), a research arm of the US Department of Energy, teamed up with Natcore Technology to create the most absorbent solar cell ever devised, capable of capturing some 99.7 per cent of available sunlight.
The new technology resulting from this collaborative effort between the government and private sectors could reduce the cost of solar cells by around two to three per cent while lifting energy output by up to 10 per cent. The black silicon used for the cells is also far cheaper than standard anti-reflection technologies.
paintable battery rice university
paintable battery from rice university
A key area of research for 2012 was improved storage techniques for renewable energies, with scientists from Houston’s Rice University in Texas developing a remarkable “paintable” battery which can be applied to any tractable surface. The rechargeable battery opens a new vista of possibilities for the convenient storage of solar energy.
In the field of flexible thin-film cells, a joint undertaking between scientists from Canada and Saudi Arabia smashed the world record for solar efficiency, surpassing the ousted place holder by a staggering 37 per cent. The colloidal quantum dot (CQD) thin-film solar cell, developed by scientists from Canada’s University of Toronto and the King Abdullah University of Science & Technology in Saudi Arabia, achieved a world-record efficiency level of seven per cent via the application of a “hybrid passivation scheme.”
paintable battery rice university
paintable battery from rice university
The new technology could potentially be applied to the cheap, mass manufacture of thin-film solar cells by using flexible substrates to “print” the devices in a process akin to that traditionally employed for the production of newspapers.
Nanoco Group PLC and its operating subsidiary Nanoco Technologies Ltd partner major R&D and blue-chip industrial organisations in the development of applications incorporating semiconductor nanoparticles, “quantum dots”.
Nanoco Technologies is unique in the nanomaterials market as a company that manufacture large quantities of quantum dots. Our molecular seeding process for the bespoke manufacture of these nanoparticles on a commercial scale is protected by worldwide patents.
Nanoco Technologies is the only manufacturer currently able to supply production quantities of these nanoparticles which do not use a regulated heavy metal. We are the only manufacturer able to respond to orders for large quantities of bespoke quantum dots, and we are leading the way in customising the functionalisation of quantum dots enabling chemical linkage for biological and other specific uses.
The bulk manufacture of quantum dots provides our partners with the platform to develop a wide variety of next-generation products, particularly in application areas such as display technology, lighting, solar cells and biological imaging.
Nanoco Technologies’ research and manufacturing headquarters was established in Manchester (UK) in 2001. The company currently operates facilities in the UK and Japan.
About this Site
This is the corporate website of Nanoco Technologies Ltd. Please make use of the navigation provided to find out more about our products and their applications. This site also contains useful information for prospective partner organisations, employees and investors, as well as visitors with an academic interest in our research, and general readers who would like to find out more about the fascinating subject of quantum dots.
Danny,
you could get info.... out of goodwill.
but you dont post it on the board and show off to others...
you have to keep your mouth shut or we do pms with emails which would be amazing...
anyways this type of talk can get people in trouble...
so its better not knowing.
the beauty of the unknown it's because it's unknown.
cease trade order...
like the one thats in canada
canadians cannot buy or sell this stock.
they cant answer all questions that would be called insider info...
Attended one AGM and one guy opened his mouth (idiot) and got the company in a CTO. CEOs have good intentions and want to give info but if they slip the wrong info it could harm them more than any good... Whoever will attend its going to be a real eye opener.
GLTA
Senior Process Engineer (Manchester & Runcorn, UK)
Nanoco Technologies Ltd
Location:
Manchester (M13)
Salary:
Competitive compensation package
Date posted:
23/01/2013
Job type:
Permanent
Company:
Nanoco Technologies Ltd
Reporting to the Manufacturing Director, you will be providing expertise in the design and commissioning of small scale, highly specialised, batch chemical processes. Your contribution to developing the manufacturing capability of the business will be an essential part of this rapidly growing, high technology c ... more
View job
Add to job basket
Synthetic & Materials Chemist; Manchester M13
Nanoco Technologies Ltd
Location:
Manchester (M13)
Salary:
Negotiable depending on experience
Date posted:
23/01/2013
Job type:
Permanent
Company:
Nanoco Technologies Ltd
Reporting to the Section Head, you will be joining Nanoco’s Cadmium Free Quantum Dots (CFQD™) team of R&D scientists as an organometallic/inorganic chemist to work on the development and synthesis of novel and existing quantum dots and their applications. You should have ... more
View job
Add to job basket
Scale-Up Chemist (Manchester and Runcorn, UK)
Nanoco Technologies Ltd
Location:
Manchester (M13)
Salary:
Negotiable depending on experience
Date posted:
23/01/2013
Job type:
Permanent
Company:
Nanoco Technologies Ltd
Reporting to the Manufacturing Director and Production Team Leader, you will be directly involved in the transfer of synthetic procedures from research scale to small scale production. You will be expected to communicate with the research chemists to ens ... more
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Add to job basket
Laboratory Technician, roles in Manchester (M13) and Runcorn (WA7)
Nanoco Technologies Ltd
Location:
Runcorn (WA7)
Salary:
Negotiable depending on experience
Date posted:
23/01/2013
Job type:
Permanent
Company:
Nanoco Technologies Ltd
Reporting to the Laboratory Manager, you will support our scientists by helping to provide safe, smooth running and well organised laboratories as part of a small technical team. You will be expected to communicate internally and with suppliers to ensure equipment and chemicals are available for use ... more
View job
Add to job basket
LED Scientist
Nanoco Technologies Ltd
Location:
Chortlton Upon Medlock, Manchester (M13), M13 9NT
Salary:
unspecified
Date posted:
23/01/2013
Job type:
Permanent
Company:
Nanoco Technologies Ltd
Reporting to the QD-LED Testing Team Leader, you will work as part of the team developing next generation Quantum Dot LEDs.You will be expected to conce ive and carry out experiments to prove/test novel CFQD component designs/ideas. You will be involved in fabrication, testing and analysis ... more
View job
Add to job basket
PV Physicist / Device Engineer
Nanoco Technologies Ltd
Location:
Chortlton Upon Medlock, Manchester (M13), M13 9ER
Salary:
Competitive compensation package
Date posted:
23/01/2013
Job type:
Permanent
Company:
Nanoco Technologies Ltd
Reporting to the Optoelectronics Group Leader, you will carry out research to develop devices and processes for inorganic thin film PV cell manufacturing, using Nanoco’s proprietary soluble inorganic nanoparticles to fabricate the inorganic active layers. You will work closely with material scientists/chemists and devic ... more
High quality global journalism requires investment. Please share this article with others using the link below, do not cut & paste the article. See our Ts&Cs and Copyright Policy for more detail. Email ftsales.support@ft.com to buy additional rights. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/47cae7c6-1492-11e2-8cf2-00144feabdc0.html#ixzz2Iop6zZi1
Nanoco strives to join up the ‘quantum dots’
By Peter Marsh
Michael Edelman©Jon Super
While showing a visitor around his company’s premises, Michael Edelman pauses in front of a piece of equipment that lies hidden behind a black roller blind.
“I’m sorry, but we don’t like to let anyone from outside the company see this,” he says. As chief executive of Nanoco, one of the UK’s most promising high-tech manufacturers, he is keen to protect the company’s secrets – however small.
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The hardware in question is chemical apparatus for turning out small quantities of “quantum dots” – tiny pieces of fluorescent material that emit light when stimulated by an electric current.
These particles are made in dimensions of a few nanometres, equivalent to the thickness of 50 atoms. They have excited interest due to their potential applications in such fields as lighting, display screens and solar cells – so much so that they sell for about $2m per kilogramme.
Nanoco is among three companies worldwide that have demonstrated they can produce quantum dots in relatively large quantities and, although the others – Nanosys and QD Vision – are based in the US, Nanoco set up its pilot plant in Runcorn, Cheshire.
All three companies are at an early stage and have combined annual revenues estimated at no higher than about $30m. On Monday, Nanoco’s results showed it its revenues in the year to July 31 rose 12 per cent to £2.95m, while its pre-tax loss rose 35 per cent to £4.35m and cash fell 10 per cent to £15.47m.
But the rivalry between the three – and the work being done on nano materials by research groups in Asia and elsewhere – explains Nanoco’s need for secrecy over its production process.
It is also why Mr Edelman – an American who studied for his first degree in chemistry and classical literature at Tufts University in the US, and later came to the UK for a PhD – refuses to disclose any details of the chemical formulas for the materials.
Nanoco bases its technology on scientific concepts worked out Manchester University and London’s Imperial College. It has raised £25m from a range of investors since its was set up in 2001, and floated on Aim in 2009.
It currently makes its products at the rate of about 25kg a year. However, Mr Edelman is working on a plan to build a new £10m plant adjacent to the company’s current premises, which could increase annual production to 400kg.
Gazing out of a window to the vacant building plot, Mr Edelman says: “My vision is to turn Nanoco into a sizeable business. I like the idea of running a manufacturing company and employing people.”
Mr Edelman also believes his company has one crucial lead over its US rivals. He says it does not use cadmium in any of its production processes, while Nanosys and QD Vision do use the heavy metal – the presence of which in the environment, even in small quantities, can potentially be harmful to human health.
“When a lot of regulatory authorities are trying to reduce the use of cadmium, the fact that we don’t need it [in our production process] gives us an important edge,” says the 48-year-old scientist, who has been in charge of Nanoco since 2004.
Nanosys’ chief executive, Jason Hartlove, says his company’s use of cadmium leads to “performance advantages” for its materials. In addition, he points out that Nanosys’s use of cadmium complies with legal requirements in all the countries where the company operates.
Jason Carlson, chief executive of QD Vision, declined to comment on any aspect of his company’s business.
In keeping with the secrecy that surrounds all three companies, Mr Edelman will not discuss the names of any of the companies with which Nanoco is collaborating on research agreements, or to which it is selling products for trials.
However, people familiar with the matter say some of the businesses may include large makers of display screens, including Sharp of Japan and LG and Samsung of South Korea, as well as lighting manufacturers such as Philips of the Netherlands.
Over the next year or so, Mr Edelman plans to extend Nanoco’s range of global partners, to give the company more opportunity to develop its technology and push up sales.
His ambition is simple. “My plan, in due course, is to turn this company into a leading British success story,” he says.
Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2013. You may share using our article tools.
Please don't cut articles from FT.com and redistribute by email or post to the web.
Dow Electronic Materials and Nanoco Group PLC Sign Global Licensing Agreement for Cadmium-Free Quantum Dots
Charles Gross Benzinga
Dow Electronic Materials, a business unit of The Dow Chemical Company (NYSE: DOW) and Nanoco Group plc (OTC: NNOCF) today announced they have entered into a global licensing agreement for Nanoco's cadmium-free quantum dot technology. Under the terms of the agreement, Dow Electronic Materials will have exclusive worldwide rights for the sale, marketing and manufacture of Nanoco's cadmium-free quantum dots for use in electronic displays.
The agreement brings together Nanoco's world-leading technology with Dow's large-scale manufacturing capability and well-established sales, marketing and distribution network. Dow Electronic Materials is already a major supplier of critical electronic materials to the global display industry.
See full press release
(c) 2013 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
thanks free for this post...
im up 2.5 times on this one...
smaller volume than qtmm
NEWS from business dev Asia would be great... Does that dept still exist? a partnership on an industrial level would be great.
Any news at this point would be good... like even a 1$ dollar sale.
Too funny you can buy quantum dots on alibaba.
http://www.alibaba.com/showroom/quantum-dots.html
Forget 3D, here comes the QD TV
Researchers have developed a new form of light-emitting crystals, known as quantum dots, which can be used to produce ultra-thin televisions.
The tiny crystals, which are 100,000 times smaller than the width of a human hair, can be printed onto flexible plastic sheets to produce a paper-thin display that can be easily carried around, or even onto wallpaper to create giant room-size screens.
The scientists hope the first quantum dot televisions – like current flat-screen TVs, but with improved colour and thinner displays – will be available in shops by the end of next year. A flexible version is expected to take at least three years to reach the market.
Michael Edelman, chief executive of Nanoco, a spin out company set up by the scientists behind the technology at Manchester University, said: "We are working with some major Asian electronics companies. The first products we are expecting to come to market using quantum dots will be the next generation of flat-screen televisions.
"The real advantage provided by quantum dots, however, is that they can be printed on to a plastic sheet that can rolled up. It is likely these will be small personal devices to begin with.
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"Something else we are looking at is reels of wallpaper or curtains made out of a material that has quantum dots printed on it. You can imagine displaying scenes of the sun rising over a beach as you wake up in the morning."
Although Mr Edelman was unable to reveal which companies Nanoco are working with due to commercial agreements, it is believed that electronics giants Sony, Sharp, Samsung and LG are all working on quantum dot television technology.
Most televisions now produced have a liquid-crystal display (LCD) lit by light-emitting diodes (LED), with the screen two to three inches thick. Replacing the LEDs with quantum dots could reduce the thickness.
Shortages of rare earth elements needed in these displays have driven up production costs, driving electronics firms to look for new ways of making them. Quantum dots are made from cheaper semi-conducting materials that emit light when energised by electricity or ultraviolet light.
By changing the size of the crystals, the researchers found they can manipulate the colour of light they produce.
Placing quantum dots on top of regular LEDs can also help to produce a more natural coloured light and Nanoco working to produce new types of energy efficient light bulbs. They also hope to produce solar powered displays using quantum dots.
Professor Paul O'Brien, an inorganic materials chemist at the University of Manchester who helped top develop the quantum dot technology, said: "By altering the size of the crystals we are able to change the colour they produce.
"It is rather like when you twang a ruler on a desk and the noise changes, the same is happening with the light produced by the quantum dots.
"As the colours are very bright and need little energy it has generated huge excitement in the electronics industry – the quality of display they can produce will be far superior to LCD televisions."
Yes it is!
The payouts are done....
They will show incredible revenue
Next Q.
Sony's Triluminos displays use quantum dot technology
by Mark Tyson on 16 January 2013, 15:52
http://hexus.net/tech/news/displays/50621-sonys-triluminos-displays-use-quantum-dot-technology/
Tags: Sony (NYSE:SNE)
Quick Link: HEXUS.net/qabrn5
Add to My Vault: x
We reported about the future commercial uses of Quantum Dots (QDs) in March last year here on HEXUS. Now we have news that Sony will be the first TV manufacturer to make screens using the new technology for precise backlighting tasks. QD displays can reproduce a much higher gamut of colours on a display, as much as 50 per cent more, reports The Verge. More colours will display images as more lifelike and appealing to the human eye, as current monitors and TVs show a relatively small range of colours (gamut) compared to what can be perceived. Check the diagram below.
Eye, camera, scanner, CRT, desktop printer, press
QD Vision of Massachusetts is the chosen supplier for Sony’s Triluminos branded screens says science journal Nature. The journal reports that the demand for these quantum dots could help boost the quantum dot companies’ fortunes and the UK quantum dot manufacturer Nanoco should also benefit if these displays take off.
Enhanced gamut of the Triluminos display
Let’s look again at the benefits of QD displays over OLED displays as I outlined in the last QD article.
Better colour purity: the colour produced by QDs is a considerable improvement over competing OLED technologies, which provides for an improved viewing experience for the end user.
Added flexibility: QDs are soluble in both aqueous and non-aqueous solvents, which provides for printable and flexible displays of all sizes, including large-area TVs (QD TV™)
Improved lifetime: QDs are inorganic; as such they offer the potential for improved lifetimes when compared to alternative OLED technologies.
The writer on Gizmodo thinks that the benefits may offer improvements “that the everyday viewer doesn't really appreciate” but hasn’t seen the Sony Triluminos TV in person. I’m sure this screen technology will at least be useful to print and photography professionals.
SmallHD OLED on-camera monitor; the “richest, most accurate” OLED display yet
A new enhanced OLED system made by SmallHD has been made using OLED technology. It’s interesting to see this new display coinciding with Sony’s news. The SmallHD website does a very good job of describing and illustrating the advantages of its enhanced gamut displays for professional photographers. The company advertises its new camera monitor as being able to “actually see the colours your HD camera is capturing”. Learn more about its offering here. I wonder if Sony’s new Triluminos displays trump the SmallHD OLED and by how much. Sadly the three charts on this page are from various sources and not directly comparible.
Focus Graphite Inc. Announces Bought Deal Private Placement of Flow-Through Shares
OTTAWA – January 16, 2013 – Focus Graphite Inc. (“Focus Graphite” or the “Company“) (TSX-V:FMS)(OTCQX:FCSMF)(FRANKFURT:FKC) is pleased to announce that it has entered into an agreement with Cormark Securities Inc. (the “Underwriter”), pursuant to which the Underwriter has agreed to act as underwriter in connection with the offer and sale of 3,300,000 flow through shares (“Flow-Through Shares”) of Focus Graphite (the “Offering”) on a private placement basis. The Flow-Through Shares shall be offered at a price of $0.91 per share for aggregate gross proceeds of approximately $3.0 million.
The closing of the Offering is expected to occur on or about February 5, 2013 and is subject to the completion of formal documentation and receipt of regulatory approval, including the approval of the TSXV.
The proceeds of the financing will be used to incur general exploration expenditures that are “flow-through mining expenditures” (CEE), as defined under the Income Tax Act (Canada), that will be renounced in favour of the purchasers with an effective date of no later than December 31, 2013. The funds are intended to be used for in-fill and exploration drilling of Focus Graphite’s Lac Knife Graphite Project located in Québec.
The securities described herein have not been registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and may not be offered or sold in the United States unless registered under the Act or unless an exemption from registration is available.
About Focus Graphite
Focus Graphite Inc. is an emerging mid-tier junior mining development company, a technology solutions supplier and a business innovator. Focus is the owner of the Lac Knife graphite deposit located in the Côte-Nord region of northeastern Québec. The Lac Knife project hosts a NI 43-101 compliant Measured and Indicated mineral resource of 4.972 Mt grading 15.7% carbon as crystalline graphite with an additional Inferred mineral resource of 3.000 Mt grading 15.6% crystalline graphite. Focus’ goal is to assume an industry leadership position by becoming a low-cost producer of technology-grade graphite. On October 29th, 2012 the Company released the results of a Preliminary Economic Analysis (“PEA”) of the Lac Knife project which demonstrates that the project has robust economics and excellent potential to become a profitable producer of graphite. As a technology-oriented enterprise with a view to building long-term, sustainable shareholder value, Focus Graphite is also investing in the development of graphene applications and patents through Grafoid Inc.
Q&A with Dr. Gordon Chiu [Invest in Graphene]
Posted on May 10th, 2012
Thank you for agreeing to engage in a Q&A with investingraphene.com Dr. Chiu, it’s a real coup for us to have someone at the very heart of graphene science and industry feature on the site. With a reputation for being an “execution-driven businessman” and holding a slew of qualifications in chemistry and medicine I imagine you will be able to clarify much about the science of graphene whilst giving some real insight into the financial opportunity that graphene presents.
Q1. Graphene is often described as a “wonder material” with the potential to change the world. Ballistic conductance, zero band gap and incredible strength are all frequently cited as being the defining features of graphene but what properties of graphene do you consider to be the most scientifically interesting and what products will be developed as a result of them?
Dr. Chiu: There are literally so many possibilities so, to keep my answer short, one example is unlocking graphene’s incredible strength when combined with other materials.
Some very interesting applications, as we’re discovering, are destined for use in the infrastructural sector. As a new, fatigue-resistant, fiber-reinforced composite (FRC) material, much has yet to be discovered by the science community about graphene as a nano-filler material. The use of graphene in FRC systems is still very early. The kinds of technologically advanced building materials (TABMs) that will result from graphene incorporation will provide a level of toughness that improve the safety, reliability, and cost effectiveness of FRCs. Beyond infrastructure, composites are increasingly becoming the material of choice in the aerospace, automobile, biomedical, marine and sports industries, to name a few.
The chief obstacle to unlocking graphene’s wondrous properties so far is the staggering cost of production. One of the cheaper ways to make graphene is exfoliation from oxidation of graphite followed by reductive chemistry. This recipe is typically called the Hummer’s or modified Hummer’s producing reduced graphene oxide (rGO). The problems associated with Hummer’s are that graphene’s natural properties are compromised with many scientific papers reporting lesser results when using rGO. The numerous chemical steps involved in the rGO production process also add a significant environmental and business cost into the supply chain.
Q2. Graphene, to my knowledge, certainly seems to have the potential to revolutionize our lives; yet, one of the fears associated with graphene, and nanomaterials in general, is the toxicological impact that they may have. Research has been conducted on how particles might accumulate in the food chain and how they stick to the bodies of insects, and fears have been raised about the potential for nanoparticles to aggregate in the lungs of people involved in the production process. As a doctor of medicine what are your thoughts on the proper assessment, examination and management of these risks? Is it too early to say that graphene poses a threat to health, and if so is it also too early to say that it doesn’t?
Dr. Chiu: Agree, and this is true of anything new. We function at the macro-level so anything micro and certainly at the nano-level is going to have unrealized consequences. Much information has been published regarding safety and handling issues for single-walled (SW) and multi-walled (MW) carbon nanotubes (CNTs). In the journal Nanotech, Issue #6, the world’s only nanotechnology business magazine, it specifically discusses the safety and toxicology issues of SW & MW, CNTs as well as other nano-sized metals.
Graphene, being neither of these materials will have a uniquely different safety profile. Graphene is well known to recombine via pi-pi stacking into its macro state as graphite and we know graphite is non-toxic and very safe.
However, health issues may arise in the manufacturing of scalable reduced graphene oxide (rGO) – which is not the graphene discovered and reported in 2004. The environmental burdens associated with the oxidation/reduction chemistry and the safety profile of novel graphene derivatives known as graphene oxide (GO), reduced graphene oxide (rGO), partially reduced graphene oxide (PrGO) are unknown and maybe questionable because they do not readily recombine back to the safety of natural graphite.
Therefore, oxidized derivatives of graphene are a different story and may need to be handled with care. Furthermore, we may need to be concerned if oxidized forms of graphene (GOs) and reduced forms of graphene oxides (rGOs) escape into the environment. The Grafoid breakthrough process obviates the need for using strong acids, oxidants and reducing agents and makes bilayer/trilayer graphene not rGOs.
Q3. As a Vice President and co-founder of Grafoid Inc. you are at the science helm of the joint venture with Focus Metals, a Canadian Mining company that has performed extremely well in recent months. With 100% ownership of the much heralded Lac Knife graphite deposit in Quebec, Focus Metals, which will soon become Focus Graphite, is in a prime position to become the foremost supplier of graphite for the graphene market. The company plans, based on its 8.1 million resource estimate, provide the productive capacity of some 25,000 tons per year for 40 years, and the grade of graphite is reputedly second to none.
How do you see the graphite market changing over the next two years as the mine goes into full production and how do you envisage becoming, as the Grafoid website suggests, “the global standard for economically scalable graphene.”?
Dr. Chiu: Given that the Lac Knife, Quebec deposit is a “super-concentrate” graphite deposit (“super” means any deposit having a graphite concentration greater than 15%) enables the evaluation of possibilities of transforming graphene from graphite without using the oxidation/reduction chemistries. Grafoid Inc. was created to invest in and commercially exploit graphene through co-development of unique applications with partners. Today, Grafoid’s breakthrough process can transform any graphite source into graphene. From that starting point, we created a graphene source by adopting and applying our own development principles. I call them our S.E.E.K. principles. And they are:
Safe, secure, supply (Quebec is recognized as one of the best mining jurisdictions in the world. The Lac Knife property is accessible by road and rail, has an abundant and inexpensive source of electric power and the nearby rail line connects to a deep water port.)
Effective Graphene (our discovery avoids strong acids, oxidation/reduction chemistry and produces an economically scalable, uncompromised and conductive high energy density graphene.)
Environmentally low impact (by eliminating strong acids, toxic oxidizing and reducing agents, the capital clean up costs to neutralize these harsh chemicals is completely avoided)
Key performance indicators (KPIs) indexed to produce unique applications, enabling mass production and resolving problems such as extending the fatigue life in fibre-reinforced composites, as an example. Others may become a possibility.
Q4. Using the premium grade graphite from Lac Knife, Grafoid employs a top down exfoliation process to produce graphene of the highest quality. Always keen to learn something about the science of graphene could you perhaps elucidate further on the exfoliation method and suggest why it is eco-friendly? At the back of my mind I have the thought of the two most recent bottom-up production methods involving dry ice and microorganisms, and wonder how you see Grafoid’s methods competing in such a rapidly changing field.
Dr. Chiu: The Earth has already completed a natural chemical vapour deposition (CVD) method with aging and settling over millions of years to create graphite possibly via the abundant natural methane gas. This earth-derived CVD, led to the discovery in 2004, by Nobel Laureate, Andre Geim that graphite could be exfoliated into graphene using a super cheap mechanism now known as the scotch tape method. Therefore, making graphite into graphene via an exfoliation method is going to be most direct. In fact, it is already demonstrated via the Hummer’s method that graphene can be made abundantly with the two major exceptions: environmental impact and compromising graphene when making rGO. On the topic of environmental impact, the Hummer’s uses strong acids, toxic oxidizing and reducing agents. So the concept was very clear. Eliminate the Hummer’s method and you should be able to go from a six carbon graphite into a six carbon graphene.
Human-derived CVD has its role in making large sheets of single layer graphene. This provides a different area of applications that will be for things like replacing indium tin oxide (ITO) and transistors that require single layer graphene. While the cost to make single layer graphene will moderate, the base cost will always be economically constrained by the equipment, the costs of energy, etc. If the source is dry ice (CO2), cockroach legs or microorganisms, the cost to convert something greater or lesser than six carbons into six carbon graphene is vastly more expensive than peeling six carbons of graphene from six carbons of pre-formed graphite. Future large-scale industrial applications will require extremely low-cost graphene materials with super-properties and it is important to be solving the graphene bottleneck with this kind of approach.
Q5. In a similar vein, how do companies that produce graphene by a CVD process, impact on the graphene investment market? Surely the strength of Focus Metals/Focus Graphite is based upon the need for high quality graphite flakes and as the market changes and production methods improve the need for such high quality graphite will diminish. As production methods improve is it not foreseeable that graphene could be produced from lower quality graphite and possibly even other sources of carbon?
Dr. Chiu: I’ll answer your last two questions first and then address your CVD question.
Graphite is a crystalline lattice of carbon. Its applications are vast and growing. In the example that I provided question 1, I could have added that some very exciting graphene application opportunities are related to lithium-ion batteries and large-scale energy storage which also require inexpensive, high performance materials. Once you consider graphene, the applications of graphite become exponential.
Scientists, engineers and manufacturers prefer to work with crystalline materials. They have a superior behaviour over amorphous powders for many applications and again, cost is a driving factor. This is why the investment and consumer communities are focused on technology-grade graphite flakes. Industrial price spikes for graphite aren’t driven by demand alone, but rather, a fundamental, evolutionary shift in what consumers demand from manufacturers.
Eventually, I believe the demand for applications will create what I call “investment growth grade graphite” – a further refinement of the term “technology grade.”
Natural crystalline graphene, that is non-amorphous graphene, has properties that are constantly being discovered. It is too early to tell which kinds of graphite deposits are more suitable to making graphene using Grafoid’s process methodology. In time, this differentiation will define industrial demands for new varieties of graphene. Some graphite sources will be more capable than others in meeting yield, scalability, quality and location criteria when applied against our S.E.E.K. principles.
Focus’ Lac Knife graphite established a benchmark. It will be interesting to weigh and investigate other deposits’ performances. Our graphene exfoliation and transformation is agnostic. It means we can apply our production methodology to any graphite source. For Focus Metals/Focus Graphite investors, it means they also become an early stage investor in Grafoid.
Regarding your CVD question, CVD-produced graphene is used for different applications requiring large, single layered sheets or “big islands” of graphene used for example, as replacements for indium tin oxide (ITO) and transistors. For applications such as energy storage, batteries and reinforcing infrastructural materials, those applications require “tiny islands” of bilayered, trilayered graphene. The heavy costs attached to CVD come from the process of chemically depositing the crystals to form big sheets. Therefore, spending all that energy and equipment to make big island graphene only to try and break the big island into tiny islands of graphene would be a poor use of investment dollars. Along with other fundamental problems that would result, CVD to manufacture tiny bilayered/trilayered graphenes would be a wasteful on an energetic level.
Another interesting item is that the reported mobility of CVD single layered graphene compared with exfoliated single layered graphene is that the CVD produces a lower mobility. Reference: Journal of Applied Physics, Effective mobility of single-layer graphene transistors as a function of channel dimensions, 109, 104511 (2011).
That said, however, while the two graphene worlds are separate, they could come together on certain applications. For example, mixing the really inexpensively derived tiny bilayered/trilayered graphenes with the large CVD graphene sheets could create a product that is more cost effective. This is an area that Grafoid is deeply interested and engaged in through key partnerships.
Q6. Economics will inevitably play a large part in the viability of graphene. You said in your presentation to the Graphene Conference 2012 in Brussels that: “the challenge for scientists today is to produce pristine graphene for fifty cents per pound or less – down from its current cost of $20,000 per pound.” How quickly do you think this transformation in the market will take place, and what will be the key indicators to look out for that might suggest graphene is becoming a more affordable option for industry?
Dr. Chiu: The cost transformation is already here and it has begun. Different industries that have found uses for graphene but were stymied by the high cost of graphene, or sacrificed performance by using reduced graphene oxides have been contacting Grafoid.
Our Brussels presentation opened the door to a number of industries looking to resolve those cost and performance issues and it has led to the formation of a number of strategic partnerships. We supply access to unadulterated bilayer, trilayer graphene materials along with the unique engineering of our graphene to meet their application requirements. Ultimately, Grafoid provides our industrial partners with the benefits attached to a significant development lead and an advantage over their competitors. Grafoid benefits from the ability to build out its library of tailored graphene morphology (shapes, sizes, decorations) and the ability to vet potential projects and select those with highest practical future use.
Q7. Moving now to perhaps gentler waters, what three pieces of advice would you give a first time investor looking to invest in the graphene market? And running on from that question, how could an investor use those three pieces of advice to inform their decision to invest in Focus Graphite and Grafoid?
Dr. Chiu: I believe that industry leaders and investors really need to read, delineate and do careful due diligence on the state, scope and trends of current research underway in all sectors of the graphene development communities. These are exciting times for me personally. My role is to de-risk and eliminate problems and provide solutions in bringing unique applications to market.
While my chemistry and medical background certainly played a role, it is also my additional training in naturopathic medicine and time spent with geologists, chemists and numerous experts in this field that created this possibility. We should never forget that we must minimize negatively impacting chemistries when making anything. In process chemistry, medicine or any business, it is important to evaluate and derive the most practical solution towards maximizing sustainability. Perhaps this is why people have called me, “execution-driven”.
Certainly, creating greater awareness of the graphite/graphene evolution and its potential benefits to both individual and institutional investors through articles like this tend to provoke investor imagination that leads, hopefully, to an educational starting point.
The graphene story can be extremely complex and requires much time for discovery because of graphene’s infinite possibilities. Interested investors should do their own due diligence and to try to attend as many events on this subject matter so they can be properly informed
Q8. Grafoid was lead sponsor of the Brussels Graphene Conference 2012. It appears, as you’ve indicated, it was a highly successful event for you personally and corporately.
Dr. Chiu: Yes, indeed. Grafoid, Inc., is now connected to several government and industry groups that have done their own due diligence and identified with our model. There are many unique possibilities with bilayered-trilayered graphenes. Grafoid won’t be going alone into these new graphene ventures. At each event, we continue to generate inquiries that allow us to build relationships with new partners whose application development attempts using rGOs ended in failure, either because of cost or performance issues.
As mentioned, it was a positive surprise to find that a CVD graphene manufacturer has found that mixing our bilayered-trilayered graphenes can reduce the cost of their products without affecting the particular application they are targeting. This could not be done with the many types of rGOs they have already tried. This is another interesting twist in the development of Grafoid Inc. Our future remains very bright and we’ve only just begun to explore and discover graphene’s potential.
[Source]
Q&A with Dr. Gordon Chiu [Invest in Graphene]
Posted on May 10th, 2012
Thank you for agreeing to engage in a Q&A with investingraphene.com Dr. Chiu, it’s a real coup for us to have someone at the very heart of graphene science and industry feature on the site. With a reputation for being an “execution-driven businessman” and holding a slew of qualifications in chemistry and medicine I imagine you will be able to clarify much about the science of graphene whilst giving some real insight into the financial opportunity that graphene presents.
Q1. Graphene is often described as a “wonder material” with the potential to change the world. Ballistic conductance, zero band gap and incredible strength are all frequently cited as being the defining features of graphene but what properties of graphene do you consider to be the most scientifically interesting and what products will be developed as a result of them?
Dr. Chiu: There are literally so many possibilities so, to keep my answer short, one example is unlocking graphene’s incredible strength when combined with other materials.
Some very interesting applications, as we’re discovering, are destined for use in the infrastructural sector. As a new, fatigue-resistant, fiber-reinforced composite (FRC) material, much has yet to be discovered by the science community about graphene as a nano-filler material. The use of graphene in FRC systems is still very early. The kinds of technologically advanced building materials (TABMs) that will result from graphene incorporation will provide a level of toughness that improve the safety, reliability, and cost effectiveness of FRCs. Beyond infrastructure, composites are increasingly becoming the material of choice in the aerospace, automobile, biomedical, marine and sports industries, to name a few.
The chief obstacle to unlocking graphene’s wondrous properties so far is the staggering cost of production. One of the cheaper ways to make graphene is exfoliation from oxidation of graphite followed by reductive chemistry. This recipe is typically called the Hummer’s or modified Hummer’s producing reduced graphene oxide (rGO). The problems associated with Hummer’s are that graphene’s natural properties are compromised with many scientific papers reporting lesser results when using rGO. The numerous chemical steps involved in the rGO production process also add a significant environmental and business cost into the supply chain.
Q2. Graphene, to my knowledge, certainly seems to have the potential to revolutionize our lives; yet, one of the fears associated with graphene, and nanomaterials in general, is the toxicological impact that they may have. Research has been conducted on how particles might accumulate in the food chain and how they stick to the bodies of insects, and fears have been raised about the potential for nanoparticles to aggregate in the lungs of people involved in the production process. As a doctor of medicine what are your thoughts on the proper assessment, examination and management of these risks? Is it too early to say that graphene poses a threat to health, and if so is it also too early to say that it doesn’t?
Dr. Chiu: Agree, and this is true of anything new. We function at the macro-level so anything micro and certainly at the nano-level is going to have unrealized consequences. Much information has been published regarding safety and handling issues for single-walled (SW) and multi-walled (MW) carbon nanotubes (CNTs). In the journal Nanotech, Issue #6, the world’s only nanotechnology business magazine, it specifically discusses the safety and toxicology issues of SW & MW, CNTs as well as other nano-sized metals.
Graphene, being neither of these materials will have a uniquely different safety profile. Graphene is well known to recombine via pi-pi stacking into its macro state as graphite and we know graphite is non-toxic and very safe.
However, health issues may arise in the manufacturing of scalable reduced graphene oxide (rGO) – which is not the graphene discovered and reported in 2004. The environmental burdens associated with the oxidation/reduction chemistry and the safety profile of novel graphene derivatives known as graphene oxide (GO), reduced graphene oxide (rGO), partially reduced graphene oxide (PrGO) are unknown and maybe questionable because they do not readily recombine back to the safety of natural graphite.
Therefore, oxidized derivatives of graphene are a different story and may need to be handled with care. Furthermore, we may need to be concerned if oxidized forms of graphene (GOs) and reduced forms of graphene oxides (rGOs) escape into the environment. The Grafoid breakthrough process obviates the need for using strong acids, oxidants and reducing agents and makes bilayer/trilayer graphene not rGOs.
Q3. As a Vice President and co-founder of Grafoid Inc. you are at the science helm of the joint venture with Focus Metals, a Canadian Mining company that has performed extremely well in recent months. With 100% ownership of the much heralded Lac Knife graphite deposit in Quebec, Focus Metals, which will soon become Focus Graphite, is in a prime position to become the foremost supplier of graphite for the graphene market. The company plans, based on its 8.1 million resource estimate, provide the productive capacity of some 25,000 tons per year for 40 years, and the grade of graphite is reputedly second to none.
How do you see the graphite market changing over the next two years as the mine goes into full production and how do you envisage becoming, as the Grafoid website suggests, “the global standard for economically scalable graphene.”?
Dr. Chiu: Given that the Lac Knife, Quebec deposit is a “super-concentrate” graphite deposit (“super” means any deposit having a graphite concentration greater than 15%) enables the evaluation of possibilities of transforming graphene from graphite without using the oxidation/reduction chemistries. Grafoid Inc. was created to invest in and commercially exploit graphene through co-development of unique applications with partners. Today, Grafoid’s breakthrough process can transform any graphite source into graphene. From that starting point, we created a graphene source by adopting and applying our own development principles. I call them our S.E.E.K. principles. And they are:
Safe, secure, supply (Quebec is recognized as one of the best mining jurisdictions in the world. The Lac Knife property is accessible by road and rail, has an abundant and inexpensive source of electric power and the nearby rail line connects to a deep water port.)
Effective Graphene (our discovery avoids strong acids, oxidation/reduction chemistry and produces an economically scalable, uncompromised and conductive high energy density graphene.)
Environmentally low impact (by eliminating strong acids, toxic oxidizing and reducing agents, the capital clean up costs to neutralize these harsh chemicals is completely avoided)
Key performance indicators (KPIs) indexed to produce unique applications, enabling mass production and resolving problems such as extending the fatigue life in fibre-reinforced composites, as an example. Others may become a possibility.
Q4. Using the premium grade graphite from Lac Knife, Grafoid employs a top down exfoliation process to produce graphene of the highest quality. Always keen to learn something about the science of graphene could you perhaps elucidate further on the exfoliation method and suggest why it is eco-friendly? At the back of my mind I have the thought of the two most recent bottom-up production methods involving dry ice and microorganisms, and wonder how you see Grafoid’s methods competing in such a rapidly changing field.
Dr. Chiu: The Earth has already completed a natural chemical vapour deposition (CVD) method with aging and settling over millions of years to create graphite possibly via the abundant natural methane gas. This earth-derived CVD, led to the discovery in 2004, by Nobel Laureate, Andre Geim that graphite could be exfoliated into graphene using a super cheap mechanism now known as the scotch tape method. Therefore, making graphite into graphene via an exfoliation method is going to be most direct. In fact, it is already demonstrated via the Hummer’s method that graphene can be made abundantly with the two major exceptions: environmental impact and compromising graphene when making rGO. On the topic of environmental impact, the Hummer’s uses strong acids, toxic oxidizing and reducing agents. So the concept was very clear. Eliminate the Hummer’s method and you should be able to go from a six carbon graphite into a six carbon graphene.
Human-derived CVD has its role in making large sheets of single layer graphene. This provides a different area of applications that will be for things like replacing indium tin oxide (ITO) and transistors that require single layer graphene. While the cost to make single layer graphene will moderate, the base cost will always be economically constrained by the equipment, the costs of energy, etc. If the source is dry ice (CO2), cockroach legs or microorganisms, the cost to convert something greater or lesser than six carbons into six carbon graphene is vastly more expensive than peeling six carbons of graphene from six carbons of pre-formed graphite. Future large-scale industrial applications will require extremely low-cost graphene materials with super-properties and it is important to be solving the graphene bottleneck with this kind of approach.
Q5. In a similar vein, how do companies that produce graphene by a CVD process, impact on the graphene investment market? Surely the strength of Focus Metals/Focus Graphite is based upon the need for high quality graphite flakes and as the market changes and production methods improve the need for such high quality graphite will diminish. As production methods improve is it not foreseeable that graphene could be produced from lower quality graphite and possibly even other sources of carbon?
Dr. Chiu: I’ll answer your last two questions first and then address your CVD question.
Graphite is a crystalline lattice of carbon. Its applications are vast and growing. In the example that I provided question 1, I could have added that some very exciting graphene application opportunities are related to lithium-ion batteries and large-scale energy storage which also require inexpensive, high performance materials. Once you consider graphene, the applications of graphite become exponential.
Scientists, engineers and manufacturers prefer to work with crystalline materials. They have a superior behaviour over amorphous powders for many applications and again, cost is a driving factor. This is why the investment and consumer communities are focused on technology-grade graphite flakes. Industrial price spikes for graphite aren’t driven by demand alone, but rather, a fundamental, evolutionary shift in what consumers demand from manufacturers.
Eventually, I believe the demand for applications will create what I call “investment growth grade graphite” – a further refinement of the term “technology grade.”
Natural crystalline graphene, that is non-amorphous graphene, has properties that are constantly being discovered. It is too early to tell which kinds of graphite deposits are more suitable to making graphene using Grafoid’s process methodology. In time, this differentiation will define industrial demands for new varieties of graphene. Some graphite sources will be more capable than others in meeting yield, scalability, quality and location criteria when applied against our S.E.E.K. principles.
Focus’ Lac Knife graphite established a benchmark. It will be interesting to weigh and investigate other deposits’ performances. Our graphene exfoliation and transformation is agnostic. It means we can apply our production methodology to any graphite source. For Focus Metals/Focus Graphite investors, it means they also become an early stage investor in Grafoid.
Regarding your CVD question, CVD-produced graphene is used for different applications requiring large, single layered sheets or “big islands” of graphene used for example, as replacements for indium tin oxide (ITO) and transistors. For applications such as energy storage, batteries and reinforcing infrastructural materials, those applications require “tiny islands” of bilayered, trilayered graphene. The heavy costs attached to CVD come from the process of chemically depositing the crystals to form big sheets. Therefore, spending all that energy and equipment to make big island graphene only to try and break the big island into tiny islands of graphene would be a poor use of investment dollars. Along with other fundamental problems that would result, CVD to manufacture tiny bilayered/trilayered graphenes would be a wasteful on an energetic level.
Another interesting item is that the reported mobility of CVD single layered graphene compared with exfoliated single layered graphene is that the CVD produces a lower mobility. Reference: Journal of Applied Physics, Effective mobility of single-layer graphene transistors as a function of channel dimensions, 109, 104511 (2011).
That said, however, while the two graphene worlds are separate, they could come together on certain applications. For example, mixing the really inexpensively derived tiny bilayered/trilayered graphenes with the large CVD graphene sheets could create a product that is more cost effective. This is an area that Grafoid is deeply interested and engaged in through key partnerships.
Q6. Economics will inevitably play a large part in the viability of graphene. You said in your presentation to the Graphene Conference 2012 in Brussels that: “the challenge for scientists today is to produce pristine graphene for fifty cents per pound or less – down from its current cost of $20,000 per pound.” How quickly do you think this transformation in the market will take place, and what will be the key indicators to look out for that might suggest graphene is becoming a more affordable option for industry?
Dr. Chiu: The cost transformation is already here and it has begun. Different industries that have found uses for graphene but were stymied by the high cost of graphene, or sacrificed performance by using reduced graphene oxides have been contacting Grafoid.
Our Brussels presentation opened the door to a number of industries looking to resolve those cost and performance issues and it has led to the formation of a number of strategic partnerships. We supply access to unadulterated bilayer, trilayer graphene materials along with the unique engineering of our graphene to meet their application requirements. Ultimately, Grafoid provides our industrial partners with the benefits attached to a significant development lead and an advantage over their competitors. Grafoid benefits from the ability to build out its library of tailored graphene morphology (shapes, sizes, decorations) and the ability to vet potential projects and select those with highest practical future use.
Q7. Moving now to perhaps gentler waters, what three pieces of advice would you give a first time investor looking to invest in the graphene market? And running on from that question, how could an investor use those three pieces of advice to inform their decision to invest in Focus Graphite and Grafoid?
Dr. Chiu: I believe that industry leaders and investors really need to read, delineate and do careful due diligence on the state, scope and trends of current research underway in all sectors of the graphene development communities. These are exciting times for me personally. My role is to de-risk and eliminate problems and provide solutions in bringing unique applications to market.
While my chemistry and medical background certainly played a role, it is also my additional training in naturopathic medicine and time spent with geologists, chemists and numerous experts in this field that created this possibility. We should never forget that we must minimize negatively impacting chemistries when making anything. In process chemistry, medicine or any business, it is important to evaluate and derive the most practical solution towards maximizing sustainability. Perhaps this is why people have called me, “execution-driven”.
Certainly, creating greater awareness of the graphite/graphene evolution and its potential benefits to both individual and institutional investors through articles like this tend to provoke investor imagination that leads, hopefully, to an educational starting point.
The graphene story can be extremely complex and requires much time for discovery because of graphene’s infinite possibilities. Interested investors should do their own due diligence and to try to attend as many events on this subject matter so they can be properly informed
Q8. Grafoid was lead sponsor of the Brussels Graphene Conference 2012. It appears, as you’ve indicated, it was a highly successful event for you personally and corporately.
Dr. Chiu: Yes, indeed. Grafoid, Inc., is now connected to several government and industry groups that have done their own due diligence and identified with our model. There are many unique possibilities with bilayered-trilayered graphenes. Grafoid won’t be going alone into these new graphene ventures. At each event, we continue to generate inquiries that allow us to build relationships with new partners whose application development attempts using rGOs ended in failure, either because of cost or performance issues.
As mentioned, it was a positive surprise to find that a CVD graphene manufacturer has found that mixing our bilayered-trilayered graphenes can reduce the cost of their products without affecting the particular application they are targeting. This could not be done with the many types of rGOs they have already tried. This is another interesting twist in the development of Grafoid Inc. Our future remains very bright and we’ve only just begun to explore and discover graphene’s potential.
[Source]
Grafoid Inc. and CVD Equipment Corporation Sign Joint IP Development Agreement
OTTAWA -- Grafoid Inc. and CVD Equipment Corporation (NASDAQ: CVV – News) announced today the signing of a Joint Intellectual Property Development Agreement for the development of NanoToMacro™ catalyst materials. The Companies believe that this collaborative relationship has the potential to speed up the commercialization of graphene and provide additional opportunities for both companies.
“This agreement represents yet another step forward for Grafoid within the graphene community,” stated Gary Economo, President and CEO, Grafoid. “Grafoid's scalable mass production process provides us with a long-term business platform for growth and expansion within our industry,” Mr. Economo added.
Leonard A. Rosenbaum, President and CEO of CVD Equipment stated, “By combining Grafoid’s processing capabilities, understanding of applications/markets and by finding common ground for nano carbon material functionalization, we believe CVD can more efficiently leverage our 30 years of technical know-how in custom equipment design, manufacturing and process development for novel nano materials and their transformation into macro size commercially viable materials.”
“These materials,” Mr. Rosenbaum added, “will be primarily developed at our Application Laboratory and marketed through our CVD Materials Corporation subsidiary. We believe this Agreement is another way for us to accelerate the commercialization of nano materials to solve tomorrow’s problems and we expect to collaborate with other companies and universities on interesting growth opportunities.”
Dr. Gordon Chiu, Grafoid Vice President and co-founder said that Grafoid’s mesographene, few layer graphene, powders and liquids offer joint venture partners an array of possibilities for exploring potential applications.
“Grafoid is a reliable supplier of high quality graphene and a provider of IP solutions,” said Dr. Chiu. “Our relationship with CVD will help identify and solve intellectually challenging problems and our combined expertise in IP development holds great potential as our industry pioneers its way into mainstream market applications.”
“Our joint venture concept of combining carbon nanotubes with scalable graphene leverages on Grafoid's existing investments in graphene,” Dr. Chiu added.
Dr. Karlheinz Strobl, V.P. of Business Development of CVD Equipment Corporation stated: “The purpose of the agreement is to leverage both company’s knowledge of functionalized nano material design, development, manufacturing and the transformation of these materials for use in a broad range of markets and applications. Together we will increase our understanding of novel catalyst solutions for commercially viable NanoToMacro™ catalyst materials.”
About Grafoid Inc.
Grafoid, Inc. is a privately held Canadian corporation investing in graphene applications and economically scalable production processes for meso-graphene and its graphene derivatives from raw, unprocessed, graphite ore.
Focus Graphite, Inc. (TSX-V: FMS; OTCQX: FCSMF; FSE: FKC) holds a 40% stake in Grafoid on behalf of its shareholders.
About CVD Equipment Corporation
CVD Equipment Corporation (NASDAQ: CVV) is a designer and manufacturer of custom and standard state-of-the-art equipment used in the development, design and manufacture of advanced electronic components, materials and coatings for research and industrial applications. CVD offers a broad range of chemical vapor deposition, gas control, and other equipment that is used by customers to research, design and manufacture semiconductors, solar cells, graphene, carbon nanotubes, nanowires, LEDs, MEMS, smart glass coatings, battery and ultra-capacitor materials, medical coatings, industrial coatings and equipment for surface mounting of components onto printed circuit boards. CVD’s Application Laboratory focuses on higher efficiency material manufacturing for a wide variety of growth markets, which are marketed through our wholly owned subsidiary, CVD Materials Corporation.
NanoToMacro™ is a Trade Mark of CVD Equipment Corporation.
Forward Looking Statements
The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 provides a "safe harbor" for forward-looking statements. Certain information included in this press release by CVD Equipment Corporation (CVD), as well as information included in oral or other written statements made or to be made by CVD, contains statements that are forward-looking. All statements other than statements of historical fact are hereby identified as "forward-looking statements," as that term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward looking information involves a number of known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those discussed or anticipated by management. Potential risks and uncertainties include, among other factors, industry specific and general business conditions, competitive market conditions, success of CVD's growth and sales strategies, possible customer changes in delivery schedules, cancellation of orders, delays in product shipments, delays in obtaining parts from suppliers, failure to satisfy customer acceptance requirements and other risk factors described in CVD’s SEC filings. All forward-looking statements are based on management's estimates, projections and assumptions as of the date hereof and CVD assumes no obligation to update this press release.
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Focus Graphite to raise $3.0 mln for Lac Knife in private placement financing
http://www.proactiveinvestors.com/companies/news/39496/focus-graphite-to-raise-30-mln-for-lac-knife-in-private-placement-financing-39496.html
1:08 pm by Deborah Bacal
The new funds, which will be used to incur general exploration expenses that are qualified as 'flow through mining expenditures under the Canadian income tax act, will be spent specifically for infill and exploration drilling at Lac Knife. The new funds, which will be used to incur general exploration expenses that are qualified as "flow through mining expenditures under the Canadian income tax act, will be spent specifically for infill and exploration drilling at Lac Knife.
Focus Graphite (CVE:FMS)(OTCQX:FCSMF) has agreed to a $3.0 million private placement financing, with proceeds to be spent on the company's Lac Knife graphite project in Quebec.
The deal, with Cormark Securities, will see Fission sell 3.3 million "flow through" shares at a price of 91 cents each.
The new funds, which will be used to incur general exploration expenses that are qualified as "flow through mining expenditures under the Canadian income tax act, will be spent specifically for infill and exploration drilling at Lac Knife.
In November, the company received a bullish outlook from analysts, as Fundamental Research Corp raised its fair value estimate on Focus after the preliminary economic assessment (PEA) on the graphite explorer's Lac Knife deposit was released last October.
The equity research firm, which also highlighted Focus' strong cash position, raised its fair value estimate on the company to $1.44 per share from $1.21 per share previously. Analyst Nicole Engbert noted the Lac Knife PEA shows high production rates, and three potential saleable products. The long-awaited PEA, which was unveiled in late October, showed average concentrate grades of 92% graphitic carbon.
The company says that Lac Knife is unique because of its cost-mitigating, high concentration of large, medium and small flake graphite. Flake graphite - the most actively pursued type of graphite and associated with next-generation technologies - is made up of layers of graphene, which is the mineral’s base structural element.
The financing, which will go toward advancing the Lac Knife property, is expected to close on about February 5, subject to regulatory approvals.
On Monday, Focus Graphite signed a definitive option deal with Lara Exploration (CVE:LRA) for Lara's Caninde graphite project in Ceara State, northeastern Brazil. Under the terms of the deal, Focus will have two separate options to acquire a total 60% undivided interest in the property, subject to an underlying royalty to a third party on 11 exploration licenses.
About SDC corp (CVD division)
SDC is headquartered in Saugerties, New York, about two hours north of New York City. With a reputation for utilizing innovation and technology to produce a complete line of gas and chemical management systems, SDC delivers QUALITY directly to the process. Spawned from a small field construction office, SDC has burgeoned into an influential equipment manufacturer with sales in excess of $190 Million since its inception. This one time "field construction office" has evolved into the company’s Field Operations Department, holding a pulse on technology, trends and opportunities while providing a TURN-KEY capability enjoyed by few in our niche. Customers now recognize SDC's gas management systems and application-specific chemical systems among the most advanced available.
What differentiates SDC from the competition is its intimate understanding of the point-of-use process applications, having designed and built process gas panels for the world’s leading high-tech equipment manufacturers and end users---for dozens of Fortune 100 and 500 firms and research and development institutions such as Airgas, Corning Incorporated, Dow Corning, GE Global Research, GE Healthcare, GE Solar, Linde Electronics and Seagate Technologies. SDC has also completed high profile build outs at universities including Duke University’s Center for Interdisciplinary Engineering, Medicine and Applied Sciences (CIEMAS), MIT’s Micro photonics Center, Rensselaer’s Center for Integrated Electronics (CIE) Micro and Nano Fabrication Clean Room, University at Albany’s College of Nanoscale Science & Engineering, University of Texas at Dallas Nanotechnology Institute, the Vanderbilt University of Nanoscale Science and Engineering and Yale University’s Becton Laboratory. We have also received work contracts from several government agencies such as Brookhaven National Laboratories, Los Alamos National Lab, NASA/Glenn Research Center, and Sandia National Laboratories.
In December of 1998 CVD Equipment Corporation (CVD) purchased all assets of Stainless Design Corp., both tangible and intangible, including all intellectual property. SDC operates as a division of CVD Equipment Corporation (NASDAQ: CVV). While CVD Equipment Corporation manufacturers chemical vapor deposition and other custom/research equipment for high-tech companies, SDC made its mark as a technology driven manufacturer of Ultra High Purity (UHP) gas and chemical delivery systems for state-of-the-art high-tech fabrication processes.
SDC operates out of a 25,000 ft2 facility fitted with over 4,000 ft2 of Class 10 and Class 100 clean room manufacturing and laboratory space. These areas are tooled with over $1 Million in support and analytical equipment.
Customer Testimonials (First Nano Division)
by taylorhythm . Aug 10, 2012 10:29 PM . Permalink
"CVD’s core processes and application lab have enabled us to bring solutions and refinements to areas of our process development which have allowed us to accelerate the commercialization of our product. All solutions developed were also fully translatable into high volume manufacturing which will also help our company to reduce time to market. They are a good group to work with and have provided significant value"
-Larry Bawden
CEO
Bloo Solar
"I am glad to share with you the good news that the ever since the very first batch of samples we continued to produce long and uniform silicon nanowires. Suffice to say that members of our research group are all impressed with the turn-key reliability as well as extensive safety features of this LPCVD system which greatly satisfy the needs of our fundamental research program in nanomaterials. We also appreciate the custom system design effort to cater to our needs from your expert team and your ability to deliver and install in a timely manner."
-Jie Xiang
Assistant Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering
University of California, San Diego
"The FN/CVD Application & Research Lab provides our company with one-stop CNT process capabilities and technical staff support that we simply cannot get anywhere else and that help us accelerate the commercialization of our proprietary thin film technologies"
-Vincent Stenger, Ph.D
Principal Research Engineer
SRICO, Inc
"EasyTube® provides a very versatile platform for
synthesizing various semiconductor nanowries. The configuration allows for consistent nanowire growths."
-Yi Gu, Ph.D
Assistant Professor of Physics, Gu Research Group
Washington State University
"The researchers at the University of Cinncinatti partnered with First Nano, a division of CVD Equipment Corp. of Ronkonkoma, N.Y., to use their laboratory and a specialized furnace called EasyTube® 3000. With this equipment, the research team succeeded to produce 18 millimeter long CNT array which is considered the longest aligned CNT's reported ever."
- Dr. Vesselin Shanov
The University of Cincinatti
"It has been a pleasurable interaction with the First Nano process and development team. Collectively, collaborations between the Cornell Nanoscale Facility and First Nano have yielded single wall carbon wall nanotube growth from lithographically defined catalyst pads on full four inch wafers. Incorporating wafer scale nanoscale fabrication processes with predefined carbon based systems represents a major step forward in creating complex carbon based nanostructures. This enhanced functionality raises intriguing possibilities in modern scientific research of widely disparate endeavors."
-B. Rob Ilic, Ph.D
Research Associate - User Program Manager
Cornell Nanoscale Facility
"The purchase of the EasyTube® 3000 will enlarge the spectrum of our research with the growth of heterostructured nanowires, their doping, and with the possibility to extend the growth to a wide variety of other materials thanks to the liquid precursor kits. Our projects cover fundamental aspects (growth, carrier transport …) as well as potential applications (Nano Electronics, Solar Energy, Nanophotonics, MEMS and Sensors)"
- Pascal Gentile
CEA Grenoble
"EasyTube® provides the possibility for controlling the physical properties of nanotubes"
- Dr. Vesselin Shanov & Dr. Mark Schulz
The University of Cincinatti
"The turn-key EasyTube® System is the most practical and convenient instrument for solutions in nanostructure synthesis”
- Dr. Wonbong Choi
Florida International University
CVD - The Semiconductor Equipment Company That Isn't
May 11, 2012 | Filed Under » Stock Analysis, Stocks
Tickers in this Article » CVV, AMAT, CREE, IBM
Investors could be forgiven for taking a quick look at CVD Equipment (Nasdaq:CVV), seeing that it's involved in chemical vapor deposition (CVD) equipment, and just concluding that it's another semiconductor equipment company. What makes this an interesting company, though, is that it's taking well-understood technology that has indeed long been central to semiconductor manufacturing and is looking to apply it to a host of new industries and products.
Makes Sense on a Fundamental Level
When you think about what CVD is, it makes sense that CVD Equipment is looking to develop customized CVD equipment that can take the approach beyond its traditional applications in semiconductors. After all, at the most basic level CVD is about applying very thin layers of materials to a surface in a very precise and controlled fashion.
It's not surprising, then, that this technology is thought to hold a lot of promise in thin-film solar cells, med-tech (including coatings that change the performance characteristics of implants), LEDs and other advanced materials.
SEE: Earning Forecasts: A Primer
Well-Known Names on the Customer List
Although CVD Equipment has a couple of years of positive free cash flow under its belt and has been showing steady progress in growing revenue in recent years, this is still largely a developmental company. To that end, then, it's encouraging to see that companies like General Electric (NYSE:GE), IBM (NYSE:IBM) and Intel (Nasdaq:INTC), and organizations like NASA have appeared on its customer roster.
What CVD Equipment really offers at this point is customized CVD equipment and tools that are based on pre-existing standard designs. In other words, CVD Equipment tweaks and modifies, but does not have to reinvent the wheel for every customer. Not only does that reduce costs, but it also lends more predictability and consistency to the end-product.
SEE: 5 Must-Have Metrics For Value Investors
What Kind of Growth Can CVD Equipment Target?
The good and bad with a story like CVD Equipment is that it's possible to imagine huge markets just waiting for a new mousetrap to help push them towards viability. Unfortunately, it's never quite that easy. Cree (Nasdaq:CREE) is still trying to find a sustainable and predictable footing in LED, and Applied Materials' (Nasdaq:AMAT) efforts to bring new technologies (including CVD) to flat-panel, solar and LED production have not gone to plan so far.
That said, the market for thin-film solar panels could be worth $150 million to $200 million in equipment and tools for a company like CVD Equipment. Other markets like med-tech and nano-materials are likely much smaller in dollar terms today (tens of millions), but could grow significantly and sustainably over time if the technology proves itself as both efficiency-enhancing and cost-effective.
SEE: A Primer On Investing In The Tech Industry
The Bottom Line
As is often the case in these stories, valuing CVD Equipment is no easy exercise. Current multiples look rich already, but bulls will argue that CVD Equipment has only scratched the surface of its potential markets.
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Let's say that CVD Equipment can grow its free cash flow at a compound rate of 15% over the next decade. If it can do that and produce a free cash flow margin on par with Applied Materials' historical rate, that suggests only $117 million in revenue in 2022 - about 1% of Applied Materials' current annual revenue run-rate, and only about 12% of nanoscale imaging specialist FEI's (Nasdaq:FEIC) trailing revenue. Even with a robust 12% discount rate, CVD Equipment would be more than 30% undervalued today on that sort of growth assumption.
Clearly this is not a stock for conservative investors, but there's a long history of corporate success stories out there that were built in large part by taking technology developed in one industry and porting it over to a much wider potential market. There are no guarantees that CVD Equipment will become one of them, but it's at least worth a look from aggressive investors.