Flinders Resources Limited (TSXV:FDR) announced that graphene has been produced for the first time using graphite concentrate from the Company’s Woxna mine in Sweden.

As quoted in the press release:

Key points:

Woxna concentrate has now been processed into graphene by 2D Fab AB (figure 1). The test work was completed at bench scale test levels at the 2D Fab AB facilities in Sweden. Flinders’ partner in “Swedish Graphene” is 2D Fab AB (“2D Fab”), a company spin-off from Mittuniversitetet (Mid Sweden University).
In 2015, Svenskt Grafen (“Swedish Graphene”), a 2-year, SEK 2.4M (US$0.28M) project to investigate Woxna’s Swedish flake graphite, and its suitability to produce graphene on an industrial scale was selected as one of the new projects supported by SIO Grafen (see Flinders’ news release dated 21 September 2015).

Graphene was produced using 2D Fab’s proprietary low environmental footprint manufacturing technology which utilises a low energy, hydro-mechanical exfoliation process to produce high conductivity graphene. This process is more energy efficient and less destructive to the final graphene product, compared to other hydro-mechanical exfoliation processes, such as rotary dispersers and ultrasonic treatments.

Woxna graphene films produced using 2D Fab’s technology have demonstrated sheet resistance below 1.6 Ohms/sq, which is lower sheet resistance than obtained from graphene, produced from graphite, by other methods at 2D Fab’s facilities with the same film thickness.  A key contributor to the low resistance is that the graphene produced is large and up to 40 microns in two dimensions.

Flinders and its partners, in collaboration with end users, are ensuring the graphene meets specific customer requirements.  Early applications for graphene include electrodes in energy storage, barriers in plastics, conductive inks and coatings and different types of composites.