Grafite e grafene i materiali del futuro ? (1 Viewer)

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Leading Edge Materials Provides Update on the Norra Kärr Rare Earth Element Project
Published by Craig P at 21st February 2018
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Vancouver, Canada – Leading Edge Materials Corp. (“Leading Edge Materials”) or (“the Company”) (TSXV:LEM) (OTCQB: LEMIF) (Nasdaq First North: LEMSE) provides an update on the Company’s Norra Kärr heavy rare earth element (REE) project in Sweden.

In 2016, a Swedish governmental review of the Supreme Administrative Court (“SAC”) interpretation of the Swedish Mining Act lead the Swedish Mining Inspectorate (“Bergsstaten”) to reassess four granted Mining Leases throughout Sweden. This review included the Company’s Norra Kärr Mining Lease. Bergsstaten subsequently requested supplementary information from Mining Lease applicants to proceed with the reassessment process. The Company has recently submitted all required information to Bergsstaten, to complement the original Norra Kärr Mining Lease application documentation submitted in 2013.

Subsequent to the submission of the supplementary information, the Company was made aware that the status of the Norra Kärr Mining Lease has reverted from “granted” to “application”. The Company continues to hold exclusive rights to the Norra Kärr project throughout the Mining Lease application process. Bergsstaten is now re-assessing the supplemented application documentation.

The Company continues to actively work on optimization of the Norra Kärr project, focusing on value-add opportunities for both REE and various by-product materials.

Blair Way, President and CEO, stated “We continue to work through this Mining Lease application process with the Swedish authorities and look forward to finalizing it. Norra Kärr can potentially supply numerous innovation-critical metals and minerals, for which the European Union is currently import dependent. We look forward to continuing our research to add value to this large and strategic project.”

 

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Nelle zone Canadesi dove sono ubicate le nostre miniere è pieno inverno con temperature rigidissime, quindi penso che i lavori siano fermi. Mi aspettavo però l'approvazione da parte del governo della miniera della Mason Graphite; era prevista per l'inizio del 2018 ma ancora non è arrivata.
Nel frattempo il dollaro canadese sta sempre più perdendo valore, andando così ad erodere il valore delle nostre azioni.
Speriamo che il prezzo della grafite continui il suo trend al rialzo e comporti così una robusta crescita delle nostre aziende.

 

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EU Battery Alliance Delivers Strategic Plan to Develop Large Scale Lithium Ion Battery Industry in Europe
Published by Craig P at 26th February 2018


Vancouver, Canada – Leading Edge Materials Corp. (“Leading Edge Materials”) or (“the Company”) (TSXV:LEM) (OTCQB: LEMIF) (Nasdaq First North: LEMSE) is pleased to share the major priority recommendations of the EU Battery Alliance, which were delivered in Brussels on Friday 23rd February as part of the EU Industry Days. The EU Battery Alliance was established by Vice-President for Energy Union Maroš Šefčovic on October the 11th 2017 following a high-level meeting with Europe’s leading industrial companies.

Leading Edge Materials is proud to be an active raw material industry representative within the EU Battery Alliance, which is comprised of more than 50 of Europe’s strongest corporate voices within the emerging lithium ion battery sector, plus numerous support and government agencies. Leading Edge Materials is the only potential supplier of natural graphite anode material within the Alliance, which allowed the Company’s voice to be clearly heard with regard to the sustainable supply of European raw materials.

The EU Battery Alliance was formed in response to the recognition that despite world-leading fundamental research and a broad customer base particularly in the automotive industry, Europe is not playing a significant role in the industrial production of lithium ion batteries. European Commission research estimates that by 2025, the European battery market will have an annual value in the order of €250 billion, reflecting approximately 200 GWh of energy storage capacity per year, an industry too large to be left to global competitors.

The EU Battery Alliance was directed to identify a strategic plan to accelerate the installation of large-scale battery cell production capabilities in Europe. Discussions were focused on creating competitiveness throughout the entire European battery value chain, while increasing the sustainability of the industry through responsible and where possible local sourcing. A collaborative approach is viewed as an essential precursor, with skills drawn from European mining, chemical, energy, manufacturing and automotive industries.

“Our objective for the Alliance is simple, but the challenge is immense. We want, almost from scratch, to create a competitive and sustainable, battery cell manufacturing in Europe supported by a full EU-based value chain.”

– Maroš Šefčovic at Industry Days Forum, February 23rd 2018

A number of priority actions were identified by the EU Battery Alliance, including:

• Invest in R&D and pilot plants to take the technology lead in primary and secondary raw materials processing;
• Build European alliances between industries from different parts of the value chain and politics to boost mining and intermediate product production in EU;
• Define cell manufacturing as a strategic industry;
• Implement same compliance rules to foreign battery products imported to Europe as applied to European products;
• Define and implement certification/labelling of batteries made in Europe. Use the declaration as a tool in trade agreements and tax treatment with non-EU battery providers;

InnoEnergy has published a short introduction to the work completed to date:
http://europa.eu/rapid/attachment/SPEECH-18-1168/en/EBA%20presentation%2023%20Feb%202018.pdf

Leading Edge Materials is committed to pursue any opportunities that might arise from this alliance in order to become a supplier in a competitive and sustainable fully EU-based value chain.

 

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Zenyatta Announces the Appointment of Keith Morrison to the Team as Director and Chairman

Thunder Bay, ON

25 January 2018

Zenyatta Ventures Ltd. (“Zenyatta” or “Company”) (TSXV: ZEN) is pleased to announce the appointment of Mr. Keith Morrison to the Board of Directors of Zenyatta where he will also act as Chairman.

Keith Morrison is presently the CEO and Director of North American Nickel Limited. He is an entrepreneur with over 35 years of international experience in the resource sector with an accomplished background in strategy, finance, exploration, technology, global operations, capital markets and corporate development. In 1986, he co-founded Quantec Geoscience Ltd. and served as CEO for the next 20 years overseeing the global expansion and completion of over 2500 projects in more than 30 countries. His commitment to developing opportunities, while managing exploration risk, was a key element in the successful evolution and commercialization of Quantec's industry leading deep exploration (Titan24) technology. Formerly, Mr. Morrison also co-founded another significant Canadian-based success story called QGX, a Canadian-based public exploration company which operated in Mongolia prior to its acquisition. He has previously served on several public company Boards as a Non-Executive Chair and Chair of Audit, Compensation and Governance committees. Keith formerly served as the CEO and Director of Gedex Inc. and is a member of the APGO, PDAC and Institute of Corporate Directors (ICD). He is a graduate in Applied Science and Engineering Geophysics from Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario and the University of Toronto Rotman School of Business ICD program.

Keith Morrison commented, "I am very pleased to join the Board of Zenyatta with people who I’m very familiar with. The Company has a very compelling story on a nanomaterial backed by a global testing program. Zenyatta has created considerable value from this collaboration and development related to the Albany high-purity carbon material for conversion to an exciting material called graphene. I am looking forward to being a member of a team to advance both the Albany graphite deposit to production and activities related to graphene applications under ZEN-tech Materials.”

Aubrey Eveleigh, President and CEO of Zenyatta commented, "We are very pleased to add a highly respected and accomplished mining executive of Keith Morrison’s ability to our Board. Keith is an innovative leader with vision, backed by strong technical knowledge and hands-on experience. He will add considerable strength to our Board as we transition through pre-feasibility and prepare for the upcoming full feasibility study. Mr. Morrison has a considerable network in the industry which will assist management in efforts to organize and meet business objectives for both Zenyatta Ventures Ltd. and ZEN-tech Materials Limited.”

In connection with the appointment of Keith Morrison as Director and Chairman, he has been granted stock options to purchase up to 500,000 common shares in the capital of the Company. The options are exercisable at a price of $0.58 cents for a five year period. Keith replaces Brett Richards as Chairman, who remains on the Board as a Director.

 

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Zenyatta Will Focus Future Efforts on Value-Added Graphene Converted from Albany Graphite in a Vertically Integrated Structure



Thunder Bay, ON

29 January 2018



Zenyatta Ventures Ltd. (“Zenyatta” or “Company”) (TSXV: ZEN) is pleased to announce a strategic focus on the extraordinary nanomaterial called graphene, which is easily converted from the Company’s highly crystalline Albany graphite deposit. Graphene is emerging as the most promising new material in modern times for enhancing applications in various industries due to its unique combination of mechanical, electrical and thermal properties. Graphene, a single sheet of carbon discovered in 2004 at the University of Manchester, can perform all of these functions.

During 2017 independent labs in Japan, UK, Israel, USA and Canada have demonstrated that Zenyatta’s rare form of graphite easily converts (exfoliates) to graphene using a variety of simple mechanical methods. It has become apparent that the effort from these various collaborative programs has created significant additional value for our specific material. It is also important to note that the graphene produced by Zenyatta’s partners is a consistent and high-quality nanomaterial, including the most desirable, mono-layer to tri-layer forms. The Company’s graphene also has excellent dispersion properties and therefore is highly suitable for enhancing present day composite materials like rubber and concrete, as confirmed by the University of Sussex and Ben-Gurion University respectively. The composite materials market represents a very large volume end use for graphene and graphene-oxide. A significant business opportunity has now evolved related to this graphene product which currently sells at prices of US$1000’s/kg*. The prior business model in our PEA from 2015 included producing and selling high-purity graphite at US$7.50/kg.

Many corporate and academic R & D facilities around the world are currently competing to find the most effective, cost efficient and scalable process to produce high-quality graphene. These companies still require a consistent source (or precursor) material for conversion to graphene which is then applied to their various products for enhancement. Zenyatta has a significant competitive advantage with the ownership of a large and high-quality supply of source material, Albany graphite, in Canada. The Company is presently assessing the various simple graphene conversion methods being utilized on its high-purity graphite material by its network of collaborative partners. Zenyatta plans to source the appropriate equipment required for a graphene manufacturing (exfoliation) process and also evaluate the associated costs for graphene production in a vertically integrated structure.

Zenyatta will continue to focus on advancing the Albany graphite deposit towards production and will supply consistent, high-quality graphite or graphene to its wholly owned subsidiary ZEN-tech Materials Limited (“ZEN-tech”) in a vertically integrated structure. The formation of ZEN-tech is a strategic move that will provide a downstream vehicle to market, capture value and advance graphene application development separate from the mineral development Company.

Zenyatta Ventures Ltd. is developing the 100% owned Albany graphite deposit situated in northeastern Ontario, Canada. The deposit is a large and unique type of igneous-hosted, fluid-derived mineralization containing highly crystalline graphite in two adjacent breccia pipes. The deposit is situated 30km 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 50 km away with an all-weather road approximately 10 km from the deposit.

ZEN-tech Materials Limited is a wholly owned subsidiary of Zenyatta with a registration in England and Wales. ZEN-tech will focus on marketing, development and commercialization activities of graphene applications and the allocation of any associated intellectual property (‘IP’) and worldwide licensing. By locating in UK, ZEN-tech will be able to tap into the extensive resources available there and will be on the leading edge of the developments in this new and fast growing materials sector. The subsidiary will operate independently of Zenyatta and will be assembling an expert management team in 2018.

 

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Zenyatta’s Nanomaterial (Graphene) Added to a New Cement/Concrete Admixture Yields Extraordinary Compressive Strength Enhancement of 34% & Flexural Strength Enhancement of 62%



Thunder Bay, ON

1 February 2018



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

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

Aubrey Eveleigh, President and CEO for Zenyatta stated, “These exceptional independent test results have exceeded our expectations. The concrete industry, and composites in general, can represent a large and valuable end use market for our graphene material. An advanced nanomaterial, like graphene, can offer a game-changing solution to an existing product in the construction marketplace. The increase in concrete performance would allow for a better and wider range of infrastructure such as specialized roads, bridges, taller buildings, marine structures, tunnels, precast units and especially construction in natural disaster areas.”

Zenyatta previously announced that BGU demonstrated that the addition of the Company’s graphene into concrete achieved a faster curing time and a superior mechanical performance that inhibits premature failure and tolerates large forces like those produced during earthquakes or explosions. The Company will target the reduction of very expensive additives that are currently used to produce high performance concrete. These additives include fibers, fly ash and silica fume.

Also, this new graphene enhanced admixture has the potential to reduce the amount of cement that will be used in concrete for construction, thereby considerably cutting carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions related to its production. Cement production for the concrete industry is a significant contributor of CO2 which is a major greenhouse gas. In 2015, a total of 4.1 billion tonnes of cement was produced globally (Source: USGS). Approximately 25% of this total is in the use of Ultra-High Performance Concrete and High Performance Concrete which have the same ingredients as normal concrete but with special high-cost additives.

Zenyatta, BGU and Larisplast have received grant funding from the Canada-Israel Industrial R&D Foundation under the Ontario-Israel Collaboration Program for this pilot scale test. Upon successful completion of testing, an Agreement between the Parties contemplates the potential formation of a new corporation (‘Newco’) jointly owned (50/50) by Zenyatta and Larisplast for the purposes of marketing this new specialized admixture product. Zenyatta would be the exclusive provider of purified graphite to Newco and any other party working with Larisplast on this technology. The Company will provide additional detailed information related to this project once all parties are in a position to do so.

Graphene was first produced in 2004 at the University of Manchester by Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov who were jointly awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2010 "for groundbreaking experiments regarding the two-dimensional material graphene.” Graphene (or Carbon) is a single sheet of pure graphite that is one atom thick, flexible, transparent, light, stronger than diamonds or steel and is highly conductive. Graphene is making inroads in diverse industries, including transportation, medicine, electronics, energy, construction, defence and desalination. So far, one obstacle to its widespread use is the high manufacturing cost for high-quality graphene. A lower-cost approach is to use high-purity natural graphite, like Zenyatta’s material, as the starting point to produce graphene by mechanical methods or GO by a chemical method. The GO that was used in this test work was produced from Zenyatta’s high-purity graphite by Dr. Chen’s research group at Lakehead University.

Larisplast is an industry leader in Israel specializing in the field of concrete admixtures. The company develops, produces, markets and distributes high quality products and materials for Israel’s concrete industry according to strict Israeli standards. Larisplast operates on a nationwide basis in Israel and is currently developing international markets and distribution channels.

BGU is a research leader in alternative energy, robotics and nano-technology while playing a critical role in transforming Israel’s high-tech growth. Specifically, the BGU research group focuses on carbon nanotubes and graphene product derivatives for new applications. The Advanced Technologies Park (ATP), adjacent to BGU is home to many multi-national high-tech companies, such as EMC, Oracle, Hewlett Packard, and Deutsche Telekom, which are leveraging the R&D expertise of BGU mainly through B. G. Negev Technologies and Applications Ltd. (“BGN”). BGN is the technology transfer and commercialization company for development of university technologies with industry partners.

BGU’s expertise in nanoscience is advancing new materials to convert light and heat into electrical energy, to produce lightweight cars and planes of unprecedented strength. Researchers are developing incredibly small transistors to power computers, membranes for desalinating water, graphene surfaces loaded with specific drugs for delivery to targeted diseased cells, graphene reinforcement in cement-based materials and hydrogen storage device as a key enabling technology for the advancement of hydrogen and fuel cell technologies.

Zenyatta continues to develop its rare igneous-hosted Albany graphite deposit in Ontario, Canada. The Company’s highly crystalline graphite deposit is fluid-derived rather than the typical and abundant sedimentary flake-type graphite deposits. Albany is the largest and only graphite project of its kind in the world. The unusual geologic mode of formation accounts for the favourable purity, crystallinity and particle size of graphite found in the Albany deposit. Dr. Andrew Conly (Professor, Geology at Lakehead University) observed, “Evidence has shown that Zenyatta has discovered a unique sub-class of a hydrothermal graphite deposit unlike any other. Igneous breccia-hosted graphite deposits like Albany are very rare, and to the best of my knowledge, none are currently being mined or even in an advanced stage of exploration globally. The far more common flake-type (sedimentary) graphite deposits form through a completely different geological process.”

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 50 km away with an all-weather road approximately 10 km from the graphite deposit.

 

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Zenyatta to Concentrate Efforts on New Advanced Li-Ion Batteries Containing its Graphene Oxide; This Program is Part of a Broader Graphene Development Strategy



Thunder Bay, ON

8 February 2018



Zenyatta Ventures Ltd. (“Zenyatta” or “Company”) (TSXV: ZEN) will concentrate efforts on the next generation lithium-ion battery (‘LIB’) utilizing advanced nanomaterials. Recent testing has shown Zenyatta’s graphene oxide combined with silicon to perform well in this new advanced battery being developed by an innovative materials company in the United States. Given the present limitations of the existing LIB’s, R&D facilities across the world are developing a super-battery that enables higher capacity and quicker charging to meet the growing consumer demand for energy and power.

This advanced battery program is part of a broader graphene development strategy announced on 29 January 2018 titled “Zenyatta Will Focus Future Efforts on Value-Added Graphene Converted from Albany Graphite in a Vertically Integrated Structure.” Along with the new LIB’s, the Company will also focus on using its graphene for enhancing present day composite materials like concrete, rubber and plastic.

Mr. Keith Morrison, Chairman of Zenyatta stated, “Graphene is emerging as the most promising nanomaterial for enhancing the performance of products across a broad range of industry sectors. Given its incredible natural properties, it is not surprising to find graphene integrated into new LIB designs. LIB developers plan market disruption by engineering optimization of a product’s performance and cost that outperforms its internal combustion competition. The forecasted growth rates for LIB’s in the next decade are impacting critical supply chain resource values today.”

These new graphene-based batteries are receiving significant interest and R&D investment around the world in comparison to conventional Li-ion batteries. High-quality graphene can make batteries that are potentially lighter, durable, safer, have higher energy storage capacity and shorten charging times. Graphene adds greater conductivity without requiring the amount or type of carbon that is used in conventional batteries. These new advanced batteries can be enhanced by incorporating graphene into the battery and exploiting its superior conductivity, high material strength and large surface area characteristics to achieve optimum performance.

LIB’s are widely used globally for portable electronic devices and electric vehicles. Unfortunately, the existing lithium-ion batteries still lack the required level of energy storage to completely meet the demands of such applications as electric vehicles. The adaption of silicon-graphene based anode batteries could accelerate the fast growing market for energy storage, especially for the automotive sector. The demand for electric car batteries is driving an increased requirement for better raw material ingredients which includes graphene, the most advanced form of carbon. The electric vehicle game is all about the best battery and the trend is for companies to adapt using the best nanomaterials and technology available.

Zenyatta’s high-purity graphite was converted to graphene oxide by Dr. Aicheng Chen, Professor at Lakehead University. That material was then sent to an American advanced materials company where it was successfully used to create a silicon-graphene composite for testing as a new anode material in a next generation lithium-ion battery. The superior dispersion qualities and electrochemical performance of the Company’s material are desirable properties that are well suited for this advanced silicon-graphene battery. While silicon has many times the capacity of the current graphite anode, it cannot be used alone due to rapid degradation. A significant amount of research has been carried out to encapsulate silicon in a graphene oxide material to enhance the cycle life while also increasing charge capacity and durability for advanced lithium-ion batteries. Many companies including Samsung, Cabot Corporation, Huawei and Nokia are using graphene to enhance the performance of batteries they are developing.

 

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LOMIKO RETAINS 1342 HA AT VINES LAKE PROPERTY IN THE CASSIAR,


MINING B.C. DISTRICT

(Vancouver, February 26, 2018) LOMIKO METALS INC. (TSXV:LMR,) (OTC: LMRMF) (FSE:

DH8B) (ISIN: CA54163Q1028) (WKN: A0Q9W7,) ("Lomiko" or "the Company”) has reduced its

land package in Cassiar, B.C. area to 1,342 Ha. Cassiar is known for Gold, Molybdenum and Base

Metal Deposits such as the Erickson Gold Mine at Table Mountain, the Tarus Gold Deposit, the

Storie and Cassiar Molybdenum deposits and the Mt. Haskins Molybdenum, silver, lead and zinc

deposit. Situated between the Golden Triangle in B.C. to the South-West and the White Gold

District to the North in the Yukon, the Cassiar area has not significant attention in several years.

On February 26, 2018, adjacent property owner China Minerals Mining Corp announced plans to


evaluate tailings in the area for gold particulate. China Minerals hosts several historical mines and

discoveries detailed in the China Minerals news release.

The Vines Lake Property is located in the Cassiar Gold Camp in the Liard Mining District of

northwestern British Columbia. The Vines Lake property has year-round paved road access as the

property's northern boundary crosses Hwy 37N, seven kilometers south of the unincorporated

settlement of Jade City.

 

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Molto interessante, si parla di cifre concrete:

Northern Graphite Updates Project Economics With Current Prices/Exchange Rates

February 28, 2018 – Northern Graphite Corporation (NGC:TSX-V, NGPHF:OTCQX) (the “Company”) is pleased to provide updated financial metrics for the Preliminary Economic Assessment (the “PEA”) on the Company’s 100% owned Bissett Creek graphite project (the “Project”).

The PEA used a weighted average concentrate price of US$1,800/t and a CDN/US dollar exchange rate of 1.05, which reflected market conditions at the time, as well as an 8% discount rate. The CDN/US dollar exchange rate has subsequently increased to approximately 1.25 while the US dollar graphite price has declined. The net effect is a 10% increase in the weighted average Canadian dollar price that the Company would realize for its concentrates. Based on this change only, the Project has a pre-tax internal rate of return of 30.3% (25.4% after tax) and a pre-tax net present value of CDN$292.5 million (CDN$192.2 million after tax) using an 8% discount rate. Cash operating costs over the first 10 years of operation are estimated at US$547/t using current exchange rates.

For the purpose of this analysis, no change has been made to capital or operating cost estimates. The Company has engaged GMining Services Inc. to update costs and review other technical parameters with respect to the Project and those results will be released when available. The PEA is based on Measured and Indicated resources only which have not changed. Mineral resources that are not mineral reserves do not have demonstrated economic viability.

The Company’s PEA envisions developing the Project in two phases. Phase 1 will consist of building a mine and plant capable of producing over 20,000 tonnes of graphite concentrate per annum at an initial capital cost of CDN$101.5 million (US$81.2 million at current exchange rates). A full Feasibility Study was filed by the Company with respect to the Phase 1 development. The PEA, which was subsequently filed in late 2013, includes a second phase which involves doubling the plant throughput after three years of operation and increasing production to an average of 42,000tpy over the succeeding 10 years in order to meet the expected future growth in graphite demand.

“Bissett Creek not only has attractive economics at current prices but the multi phase development approach reduces upfront capital requirements and provides the ability to expand as demand from the battery and EV markets grow”, commented Gregory Bowes, CEO. He added: “the Project also has very low marketing risk because it is “right sized” for the current market and production will be almost entirely large/XL/XXL flake with no fines.”

The PEA used a weighted average, CIF Europe price of US$1,800/t (CDN$1,890/t) for mine concentrate. The current price is estimated at US$1,660/t (CDN$2,075) based on the following prices provided by Benchmark Mineral Intelligence: US$850/t for small (+150 mesh) flake, US$950/t for medium (+100 mesh) flake, US$1,175/t for large (+80 mesh) flake and US$1,850/t for XL (+50 mesh) flake concentrates. An independent European marketing consultant provided a current price of US$2,250/t for XXL flake (+32 mesh) concentrate.

More information with respect to the Project is available in the technical report entitled “Northern Graphite Corporation, Bissett Creek Project, Preliminary Economic Assessment” and the technical report entitled “NI 43-101 Technical Report – Bankable Feasibility Study of the Bissett Creek Project”, both of which are available under the Company’s profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.

The Company also announces that Jay Chmelauskas has resigned from the Board of Directors due to the increased demands of his other professional commitments. The Board of Directors express their appreciation for Mr. Chmelauskas’s contributions to Northern Graphite and wishes him all the best in his future endeavours.

 

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MONTREAL, March 5, 2018 /CNW/ - NanoXplore Inc. ("Nanoxplore" or the "Company") (TSX-V: GRA) – announced that it has entered into an agreement with a syndicate of underwriters co-led by Paradigm Capital Inc. and GMP Securities L.P. (the "Underwriters") for a "bought deal" private placement offering of units of the Company (the "Units") at a price per unit of $1.65 (the "Unit Price") for aggregate gross proceeds of approximately $8 million (the "Offering"). Each Unit will be comprised of one common share of the Company and one half of one common share purchase warrant (each whole common share purchase warrant, a "Warrant"). Each Warrant will entitle the holder thereof to purchase one common share of the Company at a price of $2.30 or a period of 24 months following the Closing Date (as defined below), and will be subject to accelerated expiration if the closing price of the Company's common shares on the TSX Venture Exchange (or equivalent Canadian exchange) is equal to or greater than $3.45 per common share for a period of 20 consecutive trading days.

Two existing shareholders of the Company, Mason Graphite Inc. and Martinrea International Inc., have indicated their intention to participate in the Offering.

The Company has granted the Underwriters an option, exercisable, in whole or in part, at any time up to 48 hours before the closing of the Offering, to purchase up to an additional 1,212,200 Units at the Offering Price for additional gross proceeds of approximately $2,000,000.

The closing of the Offering is subject to the completion of formal documentation, including but not limited to, the execution of an underwriting agreement with the Underwriters in connection with the Offering and receipt of any required regulatory approvals, including approval of the TSX Venture Exchange. Securities issued pursuant to the Offering, including any common shares that may be issued on exercise of the Warrants, will be subject to a statutory hold period expiring four months and one day after closing of the Offering. Closing of the Offering is expected to occur on or about March 27, 2018 or such other date as the Underwriters and the Company may agree (the "Closing Date").

The Company intends to use the net proceeds of the Offering for acquisitions, funding for development of a 10,000 tonne per year graphene production plant and general corporate and working capital purposes.