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An electrochemical exfoliation (ECE) process to produce graphene oxide (GO) from Zen Graphene Solutions’ (TSXV: ZEN) Albany Pure Graphite may have a patent soon.
GO is a key ingredient in Zen’s proprietary virucidal ink which, according to the company, has proven to be 99% effective a minimum of 35 days after application to N95 mask material.
The exfoliation method is designed to be scalable, low-cost, low-energy and environmentally friendly
In a press release, the miner said that the provisional patent was filed by the University of Guelph, and Zen and the University signed an 18-month exclusive initial option agreement for intellectual property regarding the ECE process. The method is being developed by chemistry professor Aicheng Chen and his team of researchers.
As the patent process is underway, Chen has also committed to working with Zen through an NGen grant, to optimize the ECE process as it was initially designed to be scalable, low-cost, low-energy, and environmentally friendly.
“This second provisional patent application in a week creates a solid commercial foundation for the company to launch its first commercial product, our virucidal ink at a crucial time when covid-19 is starting its second wave,” Francis Dube, Zen’s CEO, said in the brief. “We believe Zen’s product can make a serious contribution to the fight against this global pandemic.”
Zen’s Albany Pure Graphite is sourced from the company’s Albany deposit in Ontario, Canada.
