Lomiko lab converts Quatres graphite to graphene oxide

Sep 17, 2013

GRAPHENE LABS SUCCESSFULLY CONVERTS LOMIKO’S FLAKE GRAPHITE TO GRAPHENE OXIDE

Graphite to graphene conversion using flake graphite from Lomiko Metals Inc.’s Quatre Milles property, as tested at Graphene Laboratories Inc., has been successful. The graphite samples were converted to Graphene Oxide (“GO”) and Reduced Graphene Oxide (“RGO”), similar to materials which are currently available for sale on www.graphene-supermarket.com.

“One of the barriers to widespread use of graphene is the cost of producing it in useable forms. By confirming that graphene may be easily created from natural flake graphite, Graphene Labs and Lomiko hope to produce the material on a larger scale and at a reduced price.”, stated A. Paul Gill, Lomiko Metals INC CEO.

In the first step of the conversion process the natural graphite flakes were oxidized and turned into GO by modified Hummer’s method. As the result, a stable aqueous dispersion with concentration of 40 g/L was obtained. Further, the GO was converted into RGO. The specific surface area of the RGO was found to be 500 m2/g and its electrical conductivity 4 S/cm. These values are similar or exceeding the values for the RGO obtained from other samples of natural graphite taken for comparison and processed by the same procedure. The RGO samples will be used further for preparation of a supercapacitor prototype and samples of graphene-base composite material for further testing.

“Quality of graphene materials strongly depend upon quality of the starting material, graphite. We are greatly pleased with results of testing of Lomiko’s mineral samples and looking forward using of this material in our R&D program as well as production. We hope to use Quatre Milles graphite to reduce costs and create new product lines” stated Elena Polyakova, CEO of Graphene Labs.

Lomiko will continue providing mineral samples from the Quatre Milles Project, as required for further testing of the conversion of natural high quality flake graphite to graphene. The primary goal of future testing by Graphene Labs is to develop a commercially viable procedure for the purification of flake graphite, which may then be used in large-scale graphene production.

Lomiko and Graphene Labs plan to co-develop a vertically integrated supply chain for large-scale graphene production; key factors to their success will include a secure supply of high-quality graphite, cost-effective and scalable processing, and high quality control. These factors are expected to ultimately result in the integration of graphene-based products into end-user goods. Lomiko’s high quality graphite and the extensive customer database cultivated by the experts at Graphene Labs will prove indispensable to reaching production and commercialization goals.

Graphene derived from the Quatre Milles graphite will also be used in the development of graphene-based supercapacitors. This project is being done in collaboration with the SUNY Research Foundation at Stony Brook University, which umbrellas the Advanced Energy Research and Technology Center (AERTC) and the Center for Advanced Technology in Diagnostic Tools and Sensor Systems (Sensor CAT).

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