Saint Jean Carbon Files Patent for Carbon Coating Lithium-ion Battery Grade Graphite
OAKVILLE, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - Dec 1, 2015) - Saint Jean Carbon Inc. ("Saint Jean" or the "Company") (TSX VENTURE:SJL), a carbon science company engaged in the development of natural graphite properties and related carbon products, is pleased to announce the filing of a patent for the carbon coating of spherical graphite that is used in lithium-ion batteries. This is an essential step in the entire process for creating spherical shaped graphite. First, the concentrate graphite is jet milled to approximately 2 microns larger than the desired final size material; as an example - 15 microns. Next, the material is purified to typically 98.9% gc. The material needs to be spherical shaped like a potato, dried, carbon coated and finalized with a material that has a tap density of 1%. The individuals currently employed by the Company have several years of experience and has spent many years working through this process and the final push with our industry and academic partners has helped greatly in making it a reality.
The reason that carbon coating spherical shaped graphite is to be used in lithium-ion batteries is that the graphite needs to have a sensitivity to propylene carbonate (PC) - based electrodes. PC is an essential solvent for the electrolytes of lithium-ion batteries. The carbon coating (>1wt%) keeps the graphite surface from having direct contact with the electrolyte. Today, there are a number of ways to coat the material. Popular ways include thermal vapour decomposition (TVD) and chemical vapour disposition (CVD). Our system is a continuous feed from the spherical shaping system into the drying (moisture removal) chamber where the pre sized material flows into a vacuum chamber. Once the moisture has been completely removed, the material is forced with air pressure into the high-pressure vessel. The vessels are lined with electromagnetic bars that create enough force to keep the graphite in colloidal suspension. A very small electrical charge is applied to the material. The material is introduced to the diamagnetic carbon through the feed port and blends with the oxygen. The carbon repels the magnetic field and is attracted to the graphite, dispersing onto the mildly charged graphite, creating a nano level coating. The material on a continuous feed enters the cooling chamber, and then through to the output holding chamber. See diagram below.
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Paul Ogilvie, CEO, commented: "Having now created an end-to-end solution which marks a great milestone for Saint Jean. We believe we can be more competitive, cost effective and most of all work towards supply agreements with North American battery manufacturers. Presently, our proposed engineering model with our industry partners is to build the entire process at the location of the battery manufacturing facility to assure quality control and seamless integration with the assembly line."
The next steps in the process are: a number of add-on patents to be filed in the coming weeks, the secondary tests from Western University on our ferromagnetic graphene, and our industry partners' projects which are all moving along well. We continually test our raw materials for improvement in overall performance.
About Saint Jean
Saint Jean is a publicly traded carbon science company, with interest in graphite mining claims on five 100% Company-owned properties located in the province of Quebec in Canada. The five properties include the Walker property, a past producing mine, the Wallingford property, the St. Jovite property, East Miller and Clot property. For information on Saint Jean's other properties and the latest news please go to the website: www.saintjeancarbon.com
On behalf of the Board of Directors
Saint Jean Carbon Inc., Paul Ogilvie, CEO and Director
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FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS: This news release contains forward-looking statements, within the meaning of applicable securities legislation, concerning Saint Jean's business and affairs. In certain cases, forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as "plans", "expects" or "does not expect", "intends", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates" or variations of such words and phrases or state that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will be taken", "occur" or "be achieved". Such forward-looking statements include those with respect to the Company's intention to complete the Offering, use the proceeds of the Offering as working capital to fund the continued development of the Company's business, the Company's intention to complete the Divestitures and the intention to become a graphite procuring company.
These forward-looking statements are based on current expectations, and are naturally subject to uncertainty and changes in circumstances that may cause actual results to differ materially. The forward-looking statements in this news release assume, inter alia, that the conditions for completion of the Transaction, including regulatory and shareholder approvals, if necessary, will be met.
Although Saint Jean believes that the expectations represented in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, there can be no assurance that these expectations will prove to be correct. There are risks which could affect Saint Jean's ability to complete the Transaction, the impact of general global economic conditions and the risk that they will deteriorate, industry conditions, including fluctuations in the price of supplies and the risk that they will increase, that required consents and approvals from regulatory authorities will not be obtained, that activity in the lump or vein graphite business will not be at the level or of the nature anticipated, liabilities and risks inherent in Saint Jean's operations, technical problems, equipment failure and construction delay.
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