Paul Gill of Lomiko Metals Talks Energy Storage, Manufacturing and the Future of Graphene

Apr 23, 2015

Resource Investing News recently had the chance to speak with Paul Gill, CEO of Lomiko Metals(TSXV:LMR,OTCQX:LMRMF) and director of Graphene Energy Storage Devices, about the use of graphene in manufacturing and energy storage applications and what could be in store for the graphene market in the future.

Speaking to how Lomiko’s relationship developed with Graphene Energy Storage Devices, Gill stated that the company began working with Graphene Laboratories to find specific places where graphene can be used. “Energy storage is one of the best places,” he said. “So we did a deal with Graphene Labs to roll out energy storage.” Lomiko also began a research project with Stonybrook University, and Gill said that things “really took off from there.”

Last December, Graphene Energy Storage Devices announced plans to develop advanced graphene-based supercapacitors, which Gill said could have plenty of applications in energy storage. More specifically, graphene-based supercapacitors would be favorable for mobile energy storage devices, since supercapacitors made of graphene can be recharged very quickly.

Beyond that, Lomiko also owns a 10-percent interest in Graphene 3D Lab (TSXV:GGG), which focuses on developing graphene-enhanced materials for 3D printing. According to Gill, that could have major implications for the future of manufacturing.

“Conducting plastics are one of the new things in 3D printing,” he said. “The electrical conductivity of graphene allows you to put only 3 percent of graphene in with the polymer that contains plastic and it gives it conducting capability. So you could put it into a 3D printer, print out a device like a cell phone, and have it fully functional.” In other words, anything from 3D-printed clothing to 3D-printed electronic products could be a very real possibility in the future.

For now, there’s still little commercial demand for graphene, largely due to the lack of commercial applications for the material at present. However, Gill certainly hopes to see that change in the near future. He suggested it’s important for manufacturers to see someone working to commercialize graphene products, and added that Lomiko is planning to bring out a few more ideas in the next little while.

“We’re speaking to the Canadian Manufacturers Association, meeting in the end of April, and we’re talking about how we can coordinate some of the research efforts and products that are out there and the patents that exist with Canadian manufacturers,” he said. “That’s getting really exciting.”

http://www.lomiko.com/news.html