Haydale, a developer of enhanced graphene and nanoparticulate materials, has announced a collaboration with listed Australian technology materials development company, Talga Resources Ltd.
Talga has a simple and cost effective process to liberate graphene and graphite directly from its 100%-owned natural graphite ore deposits in Sweden. Talga is close to commencing trial production in Germany and once mining at full capacity, Talga expects to be one of the world’s largest nominal cost producers of graphene nano platelets (GNPs).
As part of the collaboration, Talga and Haydale will jointly explore industrial scale business cooperation opportunities utilising Talga graphitic carbon nanomaterials, graphite and GNP’s value-added with Haydale’s proprietary low temperature plasma functionalisation treatment and end user demand chains.
The initial project will be for Haydale to analyse Talga carbon nanomaterial samples with a view to using those materials in its ongoing composite or ink research programmes and develop tailored finished or functionalised products that can be supplied to both Haydale and Talga’s end users or intermediaries for integration by them into their end use applications. Haydale anticipate this initial project will, over time, lead to additional projects with associated revenue streams.
Commenting, Ray Gibbs, Haydale Chief Executive said: “We have been saying for a very long time that the successful commercialisation of graphene and other nanomaterials requires a consistent quality of the base nanomaterial in order to be able to produce consistent results in the finished product which is why we are constantly looking for new sources to add to the already growing list of approved suppliers. We have been talking to Talga for some time about its capabilities, their graphitic carbon nanomaterials, and the potential synergies the companies share. We wish to fully evaluate these materials and ascertain what difference our functionalisation process can make. In particular, with the arrival of its German operations and near term large samples, now is the right time to enter into a formal relationship, providing the framework for both parties to work together on a series of programmes.”
Mark Thompson, Managing Director of Talga Resources, added: “The speed at which industry will adopt graphene into real world applications is in part linked to the sophistication and nanomaterials handling capabilities of end users. In some circumstances, if materials are not in a format that can be mixed straight into the end product matrix, handling techniques can cause varied results. Haydale has an established track record providing these solutions but is looking for a sustainable quality source of graphitic carbon nanomaterials. Talga has a special and large natural source from which to produce low defect graphene, so there is a tremendous opportunity to upscale feed to Haydale’s processes and leverage from existing opportunities that Haydale has created.”