8th of March 2013 ..... If you go back to this announcement "Campoona Delivers Outstanding Ultra Pure Graphite Concentrates " .... ( you can find it on the ASX website.) Campoona Graphite was tested by Tech Minerals Consulting Group and they reported back then that they considered the results largely unheard of in the natural flake graphite arena with the exception of Vein Graphite.
Campoona graphite has a highly crystalline structure which does set it apart from most other graphite resources. Tech Minerals went on to say that if Archer replicates these results consistently then they would have a unique product in the natural graphite space..... well ... over the years they have! AXE have several great resources at play ... not just graphite! .... and with the appointment of Dr Mohammad Choucair the focus has gone back into their graphite and with his experience and expertise in the graphite/Graphene arena he is the best qualified and the one with contacts in the area to bring the best value for AXE.
There are several different types of graphite .... Vein, Large Flake, Fine Flake etc and different grades and crystalline structures.. so there not all the same. The fact that after processing to refine Campoona graphite's grade to above 99% and undergoing atomic-scale analysis to show a near perfect structure of the graphite
SPEAKS VOLUMES. As the more you refine graphite to bring it to a higher percentage the more you can damage the structure and ultimately the quality of the graphite.
This will most certainly help with attracting quality customers to take a JV or offtakes to their Graphite for Graphite and Graphene applications. For those that have been around here long enough will remember Archer is looking for the niche markets for their product where quality is paramount!
The last announcement is a good one in the fact that they are continuing purification testing and also process optimization ... big tick in my book! The more efficient they become and still maintaining the 99% grades and keeping the highly Crystalline structure intact the better value, quality and profitabilty!
"The agreement with Urbix to investigate alternative methods for graphite refinement could reduce our future operational costs and provide efficient, high-volume processing of the Campoona Graphite Deposit with low environmental impact, whilst still maintaining the 99%+ grades required for downstream battery technologies"
This information is interesting ......
" The MOU outlines that consideration would be given to the joint development of additional purification process optimization, technology licensing, and toll processing services for the Campoona Graphite Project."
This sounds positive .... " joint development " and indeed it is showing that Dr Mohammad Choucair hasn't been sitting on his hands!
Of course Archers other projects are impressive and growing and I''m sure later we could see a sell off or JV of assets not in line with AXE's future vision of Advanced Materials and technologies .. AXE simply cannot develop them all and will need to focus!
I always believe in doing your own research into Company, management, product and market and clearly Archer has quality resources and has largely been overlooked by the wider market! but that will change
.... Don't forget the importance of copper .. the old metal ... in the rise of electric cars ... you need a decent amount in every motor winding!
Reflecting on the Business update ASX announcement 15 of March there's more announcements to come and certainly interest is growing in Archer as we've already seen in the accumulative trading of late!
Sorry about the long post .... one of those rare moments I have time to kill on my hands
None of this is advice to others, simply my take on events and the direction were headed in - always do your own research and invest accordingly. I'm an investor in advanced materials and disruptive technologies , not a trader so my strategies will differ a lot from others.
Certainly exciting times ahead of us especially with a very active CEO now at the helm!
Tonza
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For those new to AXE or just a refresher ... below is a run down on Archer's new CEO started Dec 2017
Appointment of Dr Choucair
Dr Choucair was the first person in the world to directly synthesise graphene (the thinnest material known) in gram-scale quantities as a bulk powder – now a common goal amongst researchers. This work was a paradigm shift because until then, graphene could only be isolated from graphite. The result was a repeatable, simple, and an economical way to scale the production of graphene. The work resulted in publication in the prestigious Nature Nanotechnology journal, has received 840 citations, and ranks in the top 1% in the field of Materials Science. Subsequently, the work was identified by the Royal Society of Chemistry as one of the biggest chemical breakthroughs of 2008, and in 2011 Dr Choucair received the coveted Cornforth Medal from the Royal Australian Chemical Institute.
Dr Choucair is currently developing a nanoscale device as part of a quantum computer that could be capable of indirectly addressing problems associated to human health and the environment. He invented the carbon material that formed the basis of the device. A current limitation of quantum computers is that they only operate efficiently at -273°C however, through his work Dr Choucair has overcome this barrier and devised the technology that could allow quantum computers to be operated at a room temperature – a significant breakthrough. The global impact of the innovation has since been recognised through publication in the prestigious journal Nature Communications, and currently ranks in the top 2% of all fields.
Dr Choucair has also been actively involved in the enhancement of lithium ion battery storage devices and demonstrated some of the first examples of graphene application in batteries. The graphene synthesised during his PhD research improved the performance of new-age liion batteries, which led to enormous interest in energy storage devices that use bulk, solid forms of graphene. The works have received 655 citations in less than 6 years and rank in the top 1% of the field of Chemistry. In addition, Dr Choucair has synthesised a novel class of metal-decorated fullerenes (‘fullerides’) that were capable of reversible hydrogen storage with potential applications in hydrogen fuel cells and industrial catalysis.
Dr Choucair was recognised by Virgin Australia as one of the Top Australian Stars of 2016, honouring people from diverse fields who showed excellence, dedication, ambition and community-mindedness in offering new perspectives on seemingly intractable problems.
Dr Choucair is currently serving a 2-year mandate as Councillor on the World Economic Forum’s Global Future Council for Advanced Materials. The Council is tasked with developing innovative ideas, frameworks, processes and recommendations for the effective, value based governance of emerging technologies. As part of this work, Dr Choucair has contributed to a 2030 roadmap that was prepared for the major Davos meeting of world politicians and business leaders. The roadmap outlined high-level interactions between Global Systems and Enablers of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, responding to challenges around the future of energy, the environment and advanced computing. Dr Choucair is now involved with the Council in drafting aspects related to Advanced Materials in The Global Risks Report.
