Bosch launches 48V battery project in China

German automotive components supplier Bosch has launched a 48-volt battery project in Wuxi, East China's Jiangsu province, the city government announced Thursday. Construction of the workshops and facilities has started, according to local officials. The 48-volt batteries are expected to be widely used in both electric and fuel vehicles, according to Bosch Automotive Systems (Wuxi) Co Ltd, the subsidiary company Bosch set up in 2015 which is running the project. 

The project is expected to generate revenue of up to 8.7 billion yuan ($1.38 billion) annually after being put into operation in 2021. Bosch will continue supplying powertrain systems in China to help promote the electrification of China's auto industry and achieve zero-emissions, said an executive with Bosch's Powertrain Solutions Division. Bosch signed a memorandum of understanding on strategic cooperation with the Wuxi government last year. The two sides vowed to work together on developing automotive batteries and promoting electrification of the automobile industry.

Source: Xinhua Finance Agency LINK

What if China corners the cobalt market?

It is widely known that more than half of the world’s cobalt reserves and production are in one dangerously unstable country, the Democratic Republic of Congo. What is less well known is that four-fifths of the cobalt sulphates and oxides used to make the all-important cathodes for lithium-ion batteries are refined in China. (Much of the other 20% is processed in Finland, but its raw material, too, comes from a mine in Congo, majority-owned by a Chinese firm, China Molybdenum.) 

On March 14th concerns about China’s grip on Congo’s cobalt production deepened when GEM, a Chinese battery maker, said it would acquire a third of the cobalt shipped by Glencore, the world’s biggest producer of the metal, between 2018 and 2020—equivalent to almost half of the world’s 110,000-tonne production in 2017. This is likely to add momentum to a rally that has pushed the price of cobalt up from an average of $26,500 a tonne in 2016 to above $90,000 a tonne. It is not known whether non-Chinese battery, EV or consumer-electronics manufacturers have done similar, unannounced deals with Glencore. 

But Sam Jaffe of Cairn Energy Research Advisors, a consultancy, says it will be a severe blow to some firms. He likens the outcome of the deal to a game of musical chairs in which Chinese battery manufacturers have taken all but one of the seats. “Everybody else is frantically looking for that last empty chair.” Mr Jaffe doubts the cobalt grab is an effort by Chinese firms to corner or manipulate the market for speculative ends. Instead, he says, they are likely to be driven by a “desperate need” to fulfil China’s ambitious plans to step up production of EVs. 

Full Article: LINK

Leading Edge Materials Initiates Research on Hafnium and Zirconium Extraction from Norra Kärr in Sweden

Leading Edge Materials Initiates Research on Hafnium and Zirconium Extraction from Norra Kärr Rare Earth Element Project, Sweden Vancouver, Canada – Leading Edge Materials Corp. (“Leading Edge Materials”) or (“the “Company”) (TSXV:LEM) (OTCQB: LEMIF) (Nasdaq First North: LEMSE) is pleased to provide an update on the first of a range of research projects aimed at capturing added value opportunities for the Norra Kärr rare earth element (“REE”) project in Sweden. A Pre-Feasibility Study completed on Norra Kärr in 2015 (“PFS”) identified a range of opportunities to improve project economics while reducing capital expenditure and minimizing the environmental footprint of the project. 

 

The Norra Kärr mine project is a mine project located in southern Sweden in Jönköping County. Norra Kärr represents one of the largest zirconium reserves in Sweden having estimated reserves of 58 million tonnes of ore grading 1.7% zirconium metal. Wikipedia

 

Leading Edge Materials has partnered with a research team lead by Prof. Julien Leclaire at the Institut de Chimie et Biochimie Moléculaires et Supramoléculaires (“ICBMS”) in Lyon, France to investigate the extraction and separation of hafnium and zirconium from a process material previously considered to be waste. Prof. Leclaire has worked extensively on highly selective extraction systems that apply carbon dioxide to form reversible extractive agents, with a focus on REEs in both primary and waste materials. 

 

Bosch will not enter battery cell production for EVs

BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany's Robert Bosch [ROBG.UL], the world's biggest automotive supplier, has decided against producing its own battery cells, saying the billions of euros of investment needed was too risky.

The decision is a blow to European politicians and car manufacturers who have called for companies to band together to create a regional battery cell producer to compete with Asian players such as Samsung and Panasonic.

"Given dynamic external market factors that can only be predicted with difficulty, it is unclear whether this investment would pay off for Bosch, and when," Bosch said in a statement on Wednesday.

Bosch had said it would only consider making battery cells if there was a chance it could capture a fifth of that market by 2030, a move it said would require about 20 billion euros (£17.7 billion) of investment to create 200 gigawatt hours of capacity.

"In the overall interest of the company, such an investment is not justifiable," Rolf Bulander, head of mobility solutions said on a conference call. "For new entrants, market conditions are more than challenging."

Full article: LINK

 

Sandvik invests $24 million in plant to make titanium and nickel powder for 3D printing

[ASM International, February 25, 2018] Sandvik, Sweden, announces that it will invest about $24.5 million in a new plant for manufacturing titanium and nickel fine metal powders within Sandvik Materials Technology. The investment will complement the existing powder offering and strengthen Sandvik’s position in the rapidly growing markets for metal powder and metal additive manufacturing. Sandvik has an industry leading position already today in the production and sale of fine metal powders. Stainless steel, nickel-base, and cobalt-chromium alloys are manufactured in the United Kingdom and Sweden. Powders are sold across Europe, North America, and Asia through the Osprey brand.
 

 

The demand for metal powder for additive manufacturing is expected to increase significantly in the coming years. Titanium and nickel alloys are key growth areas in the field of additive manufacturing, accounting for a significant portion of the metal powder market.

“This investment is an enabler for future growth and means that we are expanding our metal powder offering to include virtually all alloy groups of relevance today. In addition, it will also support the overall additive manufacturing business at Sandvik”, says Annika Roos, Head of product area Powder at Sandvik Materials Technology.

“The metal powder segment and the additive manufacturing business are of increasingly strategic importance to us,” says Göran Björkman, President of Sandvik Materials Technology.

The facility will be located in Sandviken, Sweden, near the in-house titanium raw material supply and the center for additive manufacturing. It is expected to be operational during 2020.

www.sandvik.com

EU Battery Alliance Delivers Strategic Plan to Develop Large Scale Lithium Ion Battery Industry in Europe

Vancouver, Canada – Leading Edge Materials Corp. (“Leading Edge Materials”) or (“the Company”) (TSXV:LEM) (OTCQB: LEMIF) (Nasdaq First North: LEMSE) is pleased to share the major priority recommendations of the EU Battery Alliance, which were delivered in Brussels on Friday 23rd February as part of the EU Industry Days. The EU Battery Alliance was established by Vice-President for Energy Union Maroš Šefčovic on October the 11th 2017 following a high-level meeting with Europe’s leading industrial companies.

Leading Edge Materials is proud to be an active raw material industry representative within the EU Battery Alliance, which is comprised of more than 50 of Europe’s strongest corporate voices within the emerging lithium ion battery sector, plus numerous support and government agencies. Leading Edge Materials is the only potential supplier of natural graphite anode material within the Alliance, which allowed the Company’s voice to be clearly heard with regard to the sustainable supply of European raw materials.

The EU Battery Alliance was formed in response to the recognition that despite world-leading fundamental research and a broad customer base particularly in the automotive industry, Europe is not playing a significant role in the industrial production of lithium ion batteries. European Commission research estimates that by 2025, the European battery market will have an annual value in the order of €250 billion, reflecting approximately 200 GWh of energy storage capacity per year, an industry too large to be left to global competitors.

Battery Breakthrough Company Feature: ALD NanoSolutions

There is an ongoing boom in the materials supply chain industry to supply the Electrical Vehicle manufacturers with battery materials. There are a number of concerns in the supply of the actual materials (e.g. Lithium, Cobalt and graphite). The technological aspects are also still broad,  however it seems very likely that ALD will play a role for some of the technologies for producing future lithium batteries that we will use in basically all devices ranging from communication (smart phones) and for transportation (cars, trucks, trains, ships, airplanes). 

Alumina ALD Coating on LiCoO₂ cathode particles showing a clear improvment in battery cyclability. The ALD coated material (red) shows improved capacity retention compared to uncoated (black). (ALD Nano)

ALD Nano in Boulder Colorado is the pioneer in this technology area and has recently announced scaling up their technology to run high volume of powder (3000 kg/day). They have developed a Spatial vibrationg technology refered to as Continious Vibrating Reactor - CVR.

The scientific, process development and engineering teams at ALD Nano have spent considerable resources over the past few years rapidly developing this first-of-its-kind technology from research scale, bench-top to the current commercial-scale systems. A continuous vibrating reactor, or CVR, provides ALD coating capacity of more than three tons per day and 1,200 tons per year of particle materials. These techniques gained from equipment development open up new pathways for ALD Nano's growth. The CVR is a spatial ALD reactor system and can also be utilized for MLD techniques, run at atmospheric or pressurized conditions, and fitted with various features such as plasma. [LINK]

It seems to me that their technology is mature for high volume manufacturing of powder materials and that they "simply" by scaling the number and/or the size of plants can supply the know how and hardware for full scale production for any big player in the battery materials supply chain. 

ALD Nano was recently highlighted by the Colorado Cleantech Industries Association (CCIA) and here is the information given by their CEO, Wayne Simmons:

Battery Breakthrough Company Feature: ALD NanoSolutions

CCIA [LINK] : We asked several companies “What are the critical changes in the battery industry landscape that will have a strategic impact on your success?” This week, we’re highlighting ALD NanoSolutions.

Wayne Simmons, CEO

Lithium ion batteries for electric vehicles, consumer electronics, and distributed energy storage, along with new versions of lead acid batteries for vehicle start-stop fuel efficiency strategies, are driving today’s growth in the battery energy storage market. Longer term, grid-scale batteries will generate a large impact too. Overall, the dramatic changes and expansion of the battery industry are creating huge new materials markets. Every major chemical and advanced materials company in the world is attracted to this opportunity. However, for new devices like EVs to take meaningful market share, the materials for electrodes, electrolytes, and other battery components need to be engineered at the nanometer, or even atomic, scale. It is this demand for engineering new materials that improve energy storage, safety, and power management metrics, combined with the desired cost stack of inputs to the final battery price, that has a big impact on ALD Nano’s business. The key for us to succeed is to enable the new battery materials with atomic layer deposition technologies that not only solve various technical challenges to reach performance metrics, but can also scale at very low cost.

About ALD NanoSolutions  ALD NanoSolutions (ALD Nano) is creating cost-effective advanced materials through its unique portfolio of atomic layer deposition technologies to transform industries.

High Dielectric Constant Materials for Nanoscale Devices and Beyond

Here is a nice review on the introduction of high-k materials in the semiconductor industry and a future outlook by Prof. Hiroshi Iwai at Tokyo and Prof. Akira Toriumi Institute of Technology and their partner Prof. Durga Misra at New Jersey Institute of Technology. Thank you for sharing this one Rob Clark! The paper is part of a winter special issue in Interface (by ECS) with focus on "Importance of dielectric science"  and is free for download.

The authors conclude that:

• The step coverage advantage of atomic layer deposition (ALD and is possible for, high‑k migration to FinFET CMOS technology.
• The use of high‑k on new semiconductor substrates such as III-V, Ge and 2D materials is currently being investigated and faces many challenges. 
• The discovery of ferroelectric properties of HfO2 makes it viable for more potential applications.

High Dielectric Constant Materials for Nanoscale Devices and Beyond
Hiroshi Iwai, Akira Toriumi and Durga Misra

Electrochem. Soc. Interface Winter 2017 volume 26, issue 4, 77-81

Abstract: Tremendous progress of CMOS integrated circuits have been conducted by the down-scaling or the miniaturization of MOSFETs (Metal Oxide Semiconductor Field Effect Transistors). Ten years, ago, the huge direct-tunneling gate leakage current through the thin gate SiO2 film of 1 nm thickness made it impossible to further scale-down the MOSFETs, and replacing the SiO2 by HfO2-based higher-dielectric constant (high-k) material was the solution. In this paper, the history of high-k gate insulator film development and two topics from recent research results regarding ferroelectricity and reliability are described.

CMC Conference 2018 Keynote by Intel Litho VP

Register now for early-bird rate to April 24-25 event in Phoenix area

SAN DIEGO, Jan. 23, 2018 /PRNewswire-iReach/ -- TECHCET CA—the advisory service firm providing electronic materials information—and the Critical Materials Council (CMC) of semiconductor fabricators announce that David Bloss, Vice President of Technology and Manufacturing Group, and Director of Lithography Technology Sourcing in Global Supply Management, Intel Corporation, will provide the keynote address at the next CMC Conference to be held April 24-25, 2018 in Chandler, Arizona (http://cmcfabs.org/cmc-events/). Building on the success of the prior CMC Conferences, the 2018 event will feature presentations by technologists from leading fabs, OEMs, materials suppliers, and analysts.

Following the annual members-only CMC meeting held earlier in the week, the 2017 CMC Conference is open to the public. Business drives our world, but technology enables the profitable business of manufacturing new semiconductor devices, and new devices need new materials. Presentation sessions will focus on the following topics:

• Global Issues & the Supply Chain,
• Immediate Challenges of Materials & Manufacturing, and
• Emerging Materials Challenges.

To register for the conference at the early-bird rate of $375 by March 15, 2018—after which the price increases to $450—please got to the website http://cmcfabs.org/registration/.

ABOUT CMC:  The Critical Materials Council (CMC) of Semiconductor Fabricators (CMCFabs.org) is a membership-based organization that works to anticipate and solve critical materials issues in a pre-competitive environment. The CMC is a unit of TECHCET.

ABOUT TECHCET:  TECHCET CA LLC is an advisory service firm focused on process materials supply chains, electronic materials technology, and materials market analysis for the semiconductor, display, solar/PV, and LED industries. Since 2000, the company has been responsible for producing the SEMATECH Critical Material Reports, covering silicon wafers, semiconductor gases, wet chemicals, CMP consumables, Photoresists, and ALD/CVD Precursors. For additional information about these reports or CMC Fabs membership please contact Diane Scott at info@cmcfabs.org +1-480-332-8336, or go to www.techcet.com or www.cmcfabs.org.

Media Contact: Lita Shon-Roy, TECHCET CA LLC, 1-480-382-8336, info@techcet.com

Nanomaterials in the semiconductor industry: An end-user industrial perspective

Dr. Dimiter Prodanov from Imec gives an end-user industrial perspective on the vital role of nanomaterials in today’s semiconductor industry and their safe use.

Nanomaterials are broadly defined as those materials that have a certain percentage of particles at the nanoscale, between 1 and 100 nanometres1. While the size cut-off used in the definitions is somewhat arbitrary, it nevertheless conveys the important fact that properties of materials with nanoscale features (e.g. nanoforms) can substantially differ from the properties of “macro” materials in bulk.

 

Understanding the properties of engineered nano-materials and how they behave in living systems, such as the human body, is a relatively new area of scientific study. It becomes increasingly clear that harmful properties of nanoforms sometimes do not correlate with the toxicological profile of the bulk materials. One of the challenges in that respect is the identification of the best metric for toxicological assessment. A related challenge is how to define a ‘nanomaterial’.

 

To address these challenges international bodies, such as the European Union, have orchestrated substantial efforts. As part of this ongoing effort, the European Commission funds the NanoStreeM project. The NanoStreeM project is funded under H2020 grant agreement 688194 of the European Commission. The goals of the project are to promote good practices by identifying applicable standards – and to identify gaps in methodologies and directions for further investigations to support governance of the occupational risk induced using nanomaterials in the semiconductor industry.

Full article : LINK

Alkane - Hafnium product breakthrough consolidates Dubbo Project business case

Alkane - Hafnium product breakthrough consolidates Dubbo Project business case.

Summary

• Alkane’s wholly owned subsidiary, Australian Strategic Materials Ltd (ASM), has developed high‐purity hafnium dioxide products tailored to meet market requirements.
• Hafnium oxide exceeding 99.8% HfO2, and 99.9% (Hf+Zr)O2, has been produced using a proprietary process to separate hafnium from zirconium at the demonstration pilot plant at ANSTO.
• Over the past 12 months, ASM has consulted extensively with industry to confirm growing market demand for high‐purity hafnium, which currently depends on supply from the production of zirconium metal for specialty alloys and the nuclear industry.
• Global shortage of hafnium anticipated as demand is poised to outstrip current supply.
• Hafnium metal for super alloys is currently trading in a US$800 ‐ $900/kg range. The ASM business case assumes a conservative product price of US$500/kg for its oxide.
• ASM will initially produce 25tpa hafnium to meet projected market demand, ramping up to higher quantities as required.

Download : Download (PDF, 718KB)

Development of high‐purity hafnium dioxide

Australian Strategic Materials Ltd (ASM), a wholly owned subsidiary of Alkane Resources, has successfully developed a high‐purity hafnium dioxide (HfO2) product that will be directly marketable as a feed material for a number of downstream applications and for producing metallic hafnium. The technical specifications of this material have been tailored to meet global market requirements, following extensive industry consultation over the past 12 months. 

Energy Storage Innovations Europe 2018 11-12 April, Berlin

Learn about the most exciting future battery technologies, innovative materials and new manufacturing techniques. 11-12 April 2018, Berlin. Join us for the annual IDTechEx event focusing on future energy storage solutions, including advanced- and post-Lithium-ion technologies, new form factors and emerging applications. The event brings together different players in the value chain, from material & technology developers to integrators to end-users, providing insight on forthcoming technologies, material selection, market trends and latest products.

 

• The event assesses the most exciting battery technology developments from world-leading companies, start-ups and research institutes 
• New form and structural factors of future batteries such as thin-film, flexible, bendable, rollable, foldable, large-area and micro-batteries 
• New manufacturing techniques 
• Promising materials for emerging battery technologies 
• Emerging applications including flexible wearable devices, Internet of Things, electric vehicles and grid-storage application 
• Integration with other components like displays, energy harvesters, etc. 
• A focus on commercialization: End users and integrators from a diverse range of markets present their needs, requirements and case studies 
• Network with potential adopters/ end users and see the current products and state of the technology at the event exhibition

Read more at: https://www.idtechex.com/energy-storage-europe/show/en/

Höganäs acquires division of H.C. Starck

Höganäs AB reports : Höganäs AB has signed an agreement to acquire German H.C. Starck Group’s Surface Technology & Ceramic Powders division, STC. The acquisition is a strategic fit, enabling Höganäs to gain critical mass within surface coating and additive manufacturing.

STC is a leading global manufacturer of surface technology, ceramic and additive manufacturing powders for a wide variety of end-market applications. The company operates as a legally separated stand-alone division within the H.C. Starck Group. 

 

“STC’s extremely competent workforce, together with significant development capabilities will enable us to support our customers more and help them bring new applications to the market,” says our CEO Fredrik Emilson.

The acquisition will successfully position Höganäs on the trajectory towards achieving its long-term strategy. It will also enable Höganäs to leverage its global sales network and provide an opportunity to cross-sell existing products to STC’s customers and vice versa.

“STC is an exciting company with attractive growth potential and a good strategic fit for Höganäs. STC’s broad product portfolio and strong trademarks will expand our existing product portfolio and add significant product development capabilities and know-how to Höganäs. The acquisition of STC also enables us to get access to new customer segments within aerospace and adds a complementary geographic fit with STC’s strong presence in Europe in addition to our strong geographical presence in Asia and Americas,” says Fredrik Emilson, CEO of Höganäs.

“We look forward to welcoming our new colleagues to Höganäs and to collectively work towards achieving our targets and cement our position as the world’s leading manufacturer of metal powders”, says Fredrik Emilson.

The closing of the transaction is expected during the first half of 2018 and is subject to the approval of relevant authorities.

 

About STC
STC is a leading global manufacturer of surface technology, ceramic and additive manufacturing powders for a wide variety of end-market applications. STC produces a broad range of highly customized metallic and ceramic powders which target niche applications in a diversified set of end-markets including industrial gas turbines, aviation, oil & gas, welding, medical, various industrial applications, thermal management & clean energy and additive manufacturing. STC operates two production facilities in Germany and has a workforce of approximately 360 employees. In 2016, the company reported revenues slightly above EUR 100m of which approximately 50% was generated from Europe.

In 2018 the outlook for electronic materials promises good times for suppliers of semiconductor materials

In 2018 the outlook for electronic materials promises good times for suppliers of semiconductor materials according to Chemical & Engineering News, at least in the first half of 2018. However reportedly, the display materials market appears to be heading downward.

For the electronics market the following forward looking statements were given:

The good times will likely keep on rolling for suppliers of semiconductor materials in 2018, at least in the first half. But the display materials market, prone to rapid boom-bust cycles, appears to be heading downward.

“Since demand for DRAM and NAND memory chips remains strong, the first half of 2018 will be good,” says Keiji Mihayashi, president of Fujifilm Electronic Materials, which supplies both the semiconductor and display industries. Strong demand for the two types of memory chip is linked to cloud computing, he adds.

Memory chips are a major market for firms like Fujifilm, Mihayashi notes. “High demand for the chips will boost the results of memory manufacturers, and sales of materials will correspondingly be good as well.” It’s too early to tell what the second half of 2018 will bring, he says.

Lita Shon-Roy, president of the electronic materials consulting firm Techcet, points to other reasons the semiconductor materials market is buoyant. Newly built semiconductor plants in China are boosting demand for materials. And advanced chips are often made using a materials-intensive manufacturing technique called multiple patterning. Meanwhile, supplies of materials remain tight across the semiconductor industry because “producers don’t expand capacity just because of one or two good years,” Shon-Roy says.

Silicon wafers are in the shortest supply because only a few firms make them. Supplies of high-purity gases and wet chemicals are limited as well. Any unexpected production halt can stress the supply chain, she notes.

The picture isn’t so bright for manufacturers of materials used in TVs and other flat-panel displays. The display market is prone to periods of oversupply when large, new plants come on-line, and this is happening now.

“A supply glut is widely expected, which will lead to a decline in panel prices,” warns Sang-Ho Kang, display technologies global business director at DowDuPont. “Display materials markets will feel growing price pressure from panel makers.”

But newer display technologies will spur both consumer demand and the need for new materials, Kang adds. For instance, the market for organic light-emitting diode displays is small but growing rapidly. And DowDuPont researchers are developing materials for use in foldable displays, which Kang expects to hit the market this year.

Please find a collection of brief articles here: 

Economic health across the globe should mean a good 2018 for the world chemical industry (LINK) 

Cover picture as shared on Twitter (LINK)

RNC Minerals surges on $1-billion Nickel-Cobalt mne plans in Quebec Canada

RNC Minerals Surges on $1-billion Nickel-Cobalt Mine Plans. The company is looking to secure financing to build the world's largest nickel-cobalt project next year. Its share price rose nearly 50 percent on Monday.

Source: Investing News LINK

 

 

Extracting a bulk sample at the Dumont nickel-cobalt project near Amos, northern Quebec. (Source: RNC Minerals)

RNC Minerals Plans Initiatives to Allow Decision to Begin Construction of Dumont Nickel-Cobalt Project in 2019; Highlights Large Nickel and Cobalt Reserves

 

"The Dumont Nickel-Cobalt Project, one of the world's premier battery metals projects, contains the world's largest undeveloped reserves of both cobalt and nickel. It also contains the 2^nd largest nickel reserve and the 8^th largest cobalt reserve of any deposit in the world," said Mark Selby, President and CEO of RNC Minerals. "Dumont is the only deposit of this scale that is not currently in operation and not owned by a major mining company (the other eight largest deposits are owned by companies that include Glencore, Vale, Norilsk, Sumitomo Corp, and Jinchuan – see below Tables 1 and 2). Given market concern regarding future cobalt and nickel supply for electric vehicles, and nickel prices at the $12,000-$13,000/t ($5.50-$6/lb) level, RNC believes it is well-positioned to significantly advance Dumont in 2018."

RNC Press release : LINK

 

RNC is a multi-asset precious and base metal mining company with high quality production and development assets in low risk jurisdictions. The company’s principal assets are the producing Beta Hunt gold and nickel mine in Western Australia, a 50% stake in the nickel joint venture that holds the Dumont Nickel Project in the Abitibi region of Quebec, and a 30% stake in the producing Reed Mine in the Flin Flon-Snow Lake region of Manitoba, Canada.

 

RNC Minerals

Car manufactures are aiming at reducing the amount of cobalt in lithium batteries

Here is an interesting article from Bloomberg for those of you who follow Electrical Vehicle material supply chain and lithium battery technology

Hype Meets Reality as Electric Car Dreams Run Into Metal Crunch

By Elisabeth Behrmann, Jack Farchy and Sam Dodge

January 11, 2018

 

When BMW AG revealed it was designing electric versions of its X3 SUV and Mini, the going rate for 21 kilograms of cobalt—the amount of the metal needed to power typical car batteries—was under $600. Only 16 months later, the price tag is approaching $1,700 and climbing by the day. For carmakers vying to fill their fleets with electric vehicles, the spike has been a rude awakening as to how much their success is riding on the scarce silvery-blue mineral found predominantly in one of the world’s most corrupt and underdeveloped countries.

If each of the billion cars on the road were replaced today with a Tesla Model X, 14 million tonnes of cobalt would be needed—twice global reserves. Even a more realistic scenario for people to drive 30 million electric cars by 2030 requires output to be more than trebled, according to a study commissioned by Glencore from commodity analysts CRU Group.

Full article (LINK)

BMW News from Detroit Car Show : BMW aims for half-million electric vehicles by 2019, shows off X2 at Detroit auto show


The Bloomberg article focuses on BMW technology but presumably this game of reducing cobalt is followed by all car manufactures. Especially interesting is the comparison on how much cobalt is in each cathode technology. The article also give a good overview on the supply issues for cobalt.

Amount of cobalt in lithium battery cathode materials and the BMW roadmap moving to materials with lee amount of cobalt. (Screen dump from the Bloomberg article)

 

Nano One ready for cobalt free HVS cathode material for lithium ion batteries

Nobody should have missed the current expected boom for electrical vehicles (EVs). However, the high energy, cobalt containing batteries for these cars can possibly not be supplied at a low cost due to high demand and insufficient supply chain, as well as ethical concern in mining. That is why many researchers around the world are focusing on developing technology that is so called "cobalt free". Just now Nano One, a Canadian company has announced recent success with their cobalt free High Voltage Spinel (HVS) cathode material for lithium ion batteries

HVS has been tested with lithium, graphite and lithium titanium oxide anodes (LTO) and consists of LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4 (LNMO) cathode, which according to preliminary cell data shown below indicates increased power for Cobalt Free, High Voltage Spinel made with the Nano One process.

Initial discharge curves showing improved performance of High Voltage Spinel (LiNi_0.5Mn_1.5O₄) using Nano One’s advanced process. [Nano One press release LINK]

Please find details in the press release below or visit www.nanoone.ca for more.

Nano One Successfully Completes High Voltage Spinel Project Vancouver, B.C., January 11, 2018: Dr. Stephen Campbell, Principal Scientist at Nano One, today announced that Nano One has successfully completed an 18 month project developing cobalt free High Voltage Spinel (HVS) cathode material for lithium ion batteries, with the support of the National Research Council of Canada Industrial Research Assistance Program (NRC IRAP). HVS is suited to fast charging and high power applications and is a candidate cathode material in next generation solid state lithium ion batteries for automotive, consumer electronics and energy storage applications.

The Periodic Table of Endangered Elements

American Chemical Society rerports (LINK) that: "Of the 118 elements that make up everything—from the compounds in a chemists arsenal to consumer products on the shelf—44 will face supply limitations in the coming years. These critical elements include rare earth elements, precious metals, and even life essentials like Phosphorus. Research into more abundant alternatives, more efficient uses, recycling and recovery will help mitigate risks and move industry towards sustainable supply chains."

The Period Table of Endangered Elements presents elements facing supply restrictions in the coming years. The research was conducted by the Chemical Innovation Knowledge Transfer Network.

According to the sudy by the Chemical Innovation Knowledge Transfer Network the availability of the following elements are listed as having a serious threat: Hafnium (Hf), Silver (Ag), Zinc (Zn), Gallium (Ga), Indium (In), Germanium (Ge), Arsenic (As), Tellurium (Te) and Helium (He).

A sample of a 1,7kg Hafnium crystal bar, made by van Arkel-de Boer process. [Wikipedia]

Just to grasp the situation - all of these ellemnts are used in high volume manufacturing in the electronics and semiconductor industry today. If you only look at hafnium, you will notice that it is used in many high-tech industries today in high-temperature turbines, aersospace applications including rocket engine nozzles and ceramics for thermal shielding, plasma cutting inserts and welding torches, plastics manufacturing, in commercial control rod assemblies for nuclear reactors, as high-k gate insulators and dielectrics in logic and memory microchips. [Alkane Resources]

As reported by USGS - China and Morocco are the leading global producers of arsenic trioxide, accounting for 87% of estimated world production. China is the leading world producer of arsenic metal and as an example supplied about 89% of U.S. arsenic metal imports in 2016. [LINK]

As for Arsenic, most people may first think of it as a poisonand in that case actually arsenic tri oxide (As2O3) of which approximately 50,000 tonnes are produced annually with application ranging from medical to wood impregnation. The primary use of metallic arsenic is in alloys of lead (for example, in car batteries and ammunition). More recently, Gallium arsenide has become an important semiconductor material, used in integrated circuits. Circuits made from GaAs are much faster (but also much more expensive) than those made from silicon. Unlike silicon, GaAs has a direct bandgap, and can be used in laser diodes and LEDs to convert electrical energy directly into light. [Wikipedia]

On the other hand a gas like helium is well known for use in balloons however, they are a minor part of all helium use. Other applications include : protective gas for welding, vacuum leak detection, neutral heat conductive gas in heating and cooling reactive ion etching, protective gas in growing silicon and germanium crystals, in titanium and zirconium production, and in gas chromatography, supersonic wind tunnels and impulse facilities. Importantly, helium at low temperatures is used in cryogenics, and in certain cryogenics applications. As examples of applications, liquid helium is used to cool certain metals to the extremely low temperatures required for superconductivity, such as in superconducting magnets for magnetic resonance imaging. The Large Hadron Collider at CERN uses 96 metric tons of liquid helium to maintain the temperature at 1.9 kelvin. [Wikipedia] 

A section of the LHC, the Large Hadron Collider at CERN uses 96 metric tons of liquid helium to maintain the temperature at 1.9 kelvin [Wikipedia]

2D fab enters collaboration agreement with technology leader in the energy storage market segment

2D fab enters collaboration agreement with technology leader in the energy storage market segment

2D fab AB produces graphene and develops customer products using graphene. Our focus is on products that best utilize the inherent mechanical strength of graphene, such as bulletproof plastics, and/or its unique conductivity, both thermal and electrical conductivity. We see very large future volumes of graphene in both of these areas, and we have already had good cooperation within the polymer area. It is therefore very pleasing that we have now found an innovative industrial partner in thermal conductivity. 

 

 

The collaboration agreement is well in line with our ambition to become one of Europe's largest manufacturers of graphene. As part of the agreement, we will also evaluate different strategies for production and delivery scale up. The agreement also gives us the opportunity to build relationships with an important and potentially very large customer, and we see it as a stepping stone to the market for products with extreme conductivity capabilities. The agreement is ongoing, with customs tollgates every 6 months and we anticipate reporting of the first positive results within six months.

MPD Chemicals Acquires Specialty Chemical Manufacturer Norquay Technology

Norqay Technology, a company with more that 30 years experience in organo metallic precursors for ALD and CVD has just been acquired by MPD Chemicals. Please find press release below.

TREVOSE, Pa., Jan. 11, 2018 /PRNewswire/ — MPD Chemicals (MPD), a US-based manufacturer of specialty chemicals and custom synthesis solutions, announced today the expansion of its manufacturing capabilities, product portfolio and customer base with the acquisition of Norquay Technology, Inc. (Norquay). Located in Chester Pennsylvania, Norquay is the fourth acquisition to be integrated into the MPD Holdings platform, an Addison Capital portfolio company; existing MPD businesses include Monomer Polymer & Dajac Labs, Silar, and IsoSciences.

Norquay is a specialty chemical manufacturer with over 30 years of expertise in providing the scale-up and production of advanced proprietary custom materials, including organometallic, inorganic and organic molecules. Norquay’s product line includes chromic, electronic, catalyst, ligand, medical adhesive and UV performance products, with a customer base that ranges from startups to large multi-national corporations.

Democratic Republic of Congo may double tax on Cobalt by making it “Strategic”

The world’s top cobalt-producing country could more than double an export tax on the metal as demand and prices continue to climb.

A proposed revision to the Democratic Republic of Congo’s (DRC) mining code could classify cobalt as a “strategic substance,” resulting in a tax hike, according to Mines Minister Martin Kabwelulu.

Under the country’s current mining code, cobalt is classified as a base metal, alongside copper. If the proposed revision goes through, the royalty on base metals will climb 1.5 percent, rising from 2 percent to 3.5 percent.

Source : Investing News LINK

Cobalt (Co) is a metal used in numerous diverse commercial, industrial, and military applications, many of which are strategic and critical.  On a global basis, the leading use of cobalt is in rechargeable battery electrodes.  Superalloys, which are used to make parts for gas turbine engines, are another major use for cobalt.  Cobalt is also used to make airbags in automobiles; catalysts for the petroleum and chemical industries; cemented carbides (also called hardmetals) and diamond tools; corrosion- and wear-resistant alloys; drying agents for paints, varnishes, and inks; dyes and pigments; ground coats for porcelain enamels; high-speed steels; magnetic recording media; magnets; and steel-belted radial tires. (USGS Cobalt Yearbook 2017)

Shell Chemical to raise US IPA pricing by 10 cents/lb in mid-January

Recent reports has it that materials used in the semiconductor industry may not be able to meet the demand in 2019. For example Business Korea reported that "There are growing concerns that semiconductor materials can be in short supply in 2019 as major companies at home and abroad, such as Samsung Electronics Co. and SK Hynix Inc., are expanding their production facilities due to a boom in the semiconductor industry."

 

The following materials and gases was mentioned in the report:

• isopropyl alcohol (IPA)
• helium
• tungsten slurry
• ceria slurry
• tungsten hexafluoride (WF6)
• nitrogen trifluoride (NF3)

Just now Platts report that Shell Chemical will increase its US isopropyl alcohol pricing by 10 cents/lb ($220/mt) in mid-January, the company said. The price rise will take effect on January 16 or as contracts allow, the company said in a letter to customers seen by S&P Global Platts Wednesday. The company did not cite a specific reason for the increase. Also Dow Chemical and Monument Chemical announced mid-January price increases of 5 cents/lb ($110/mt), according to their source.

Hong Kong based Graphene scam revealed

According to The Standard (LINK), two men has been arrested for cheating 120 people out of HK$67 million, which they claimed would be invested into high-tech phone chargers made of a "wonder material" called graphene. The scammers used graphene - branded as the "next big hit" in the tech scene - as bait to attract the victims, according to Commercial Crime Bureau officers. The mastermind set up a company two years ago, which he claimed focused on developing high-tech chargers for mobile devices. He proceeded to organize fund raising events in Hong Kong, Macau and on the mainland, and lured people to "invest" in the company's new project, which was to produce graphene phone chargers.

Lithium and Cobalt Markets are Expected to Grow

According to a report published by Grand View Research, Inc. the global lithium-ion battery market is expected to reach USD 93.1 billion by 2025, growing at a CAGR of 17.0%, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc. Increased usage of lithium-ion batteries in electric vehicles, portable consumer electronics and grid storage systems owing to its high energy density and high safety level is expected to drive market demand.

Lithium-ion batteries are used in applications that require lightweight and high-energy density solutions. These batteries provide the highest energy density per weight and are mostly used in cellular phones, notebook computers, and hybrid automobiles.

Leading Edge Materials Intersects High Tantalum and Lithium Grades at Bergby, Sweden

Vancouver, Canada – Leading Edge Materials Corp. ("Leading Edge Materials") or ("the Company") (TSXV:LEM) (OTCQB: LEMIF) is pleased to report the final set of results from the second program of drilling completed at the Company's 100% owned Bergby lithium project in Sweden. Drilling intersected regular high lithium grades, and was notable for significantly increased tantalum grades in comparison to prior drill holes.

Key Results:

• BBY17025 intersected 5.1m @ 361ppm Ta2OM5 (tantalum oxide) from 25.1m depth
• BBY17026 intersected 2.8m @ 297ppm Ta2OM5 from 49.2m depth
• BBY17030 intersected 5.4m @ 1.60% Li2O, 155ppm Ta2OM5 from 25.0m depth
• BBY17031 intersected 4.5m @ 1.31% Li2O, 164ppm Ta2OM5 from 71.5m depth
• BBY17033 intersected 3.0m @ 1.33% Li2O, from 52.8m depth

Holes BBY17025 to BBY17029 were drilled along the strike of the pegmatite to the north of previous drilling, up to 800m from the discovery zone (hole BBY17029). Where pegmatite was intersected in this northern area, it was notable for a lower lithium grade and a significant increase in the tantalum grade, suggesting a different style of LCT pegmatite (lithium-cesium-tantalum) was intersected. Pegmatite was not intersected in holes BBY17027 to BBY17029, which may indicate a steeper dip than anticipated from nearby lithium mineralized outcrop.

The Bergby project lies in central Sweden, 25km north of the town of Gavle, and is secured by three exploration permits for a total of 1903Ha. The site is close to infrastructure, with major roads, rail and power supply passing immediately adjacent to the claim boundaries. [LINK]

Holes BBY1030 to BBY17033 tested down dip from prior drilling, and all except for BBY17032 intersected high grades of lithium mineralization consistent with previous intersections. Mineralization remains open in a down dip direction over at least 600m of strike.

Bergby has now been tested by a total of 1525m of drilling in 33 drillholes to a maximum depth of 131.1m over an approximate 1500m strike length. Drillhole locations and results are provided in Tables 1 and 2 and presented as Figure 1. The true thickness of mineralized intervals is interpreted to be approximately 90% of the sampled thickness.

Blair Way, President and CEO, stated "These final results from the second program of drilling at Bergby have again delivered the strong encouragement of high lithium and tantalum grades over more than 1km of strike. The grade variation is typical of LCT pegmatite fields, and has highlighted that there may be much more to find under the thin glacial soil cover. Bergby remains a new lithium discovery at a very shallow depth, and we are now preparing a sample for metallurgical testwork to further advance the project."

Bergby lies in central Sweden, 25km north of the town of Gävle, secured by three exploration licenses that cover a total of 1,903 Ha. The site is close to infrastructure, with major roads, rail and power supply passing immediately adjacent to the claim boundaries. The potential for low cost and rapid development is significantly enhanced by the presence of a deep-water port only 5km from the site.

The qualified person for the Company's exploration projects, Mark Saxon, Director of Leading Edge Materials, a Fellow of the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy has reviewed and verified the contents of this release.

On behalf of the Board,

"Blair Way
Blair Way, President & CEO

For further information, contact: 1.604.685.9316 or
info@leadingedgematerials.com

www.leadingedgematerials.com

General Motors and Forge Nano has co-developed ALD technology for lithium batteries

According to recent news releases General Motors and Forge Nano has co-developed and been rewarded for ALD for lithium battery technology featuring:

• ultrathin (thickness < 5nm) multifunctional hybrid coatings and processes.
• solutions to critical issues involved with gas generation, manganese dissolution induced capacity loss and safety issue associated with polymeric separators.
• scale-up production and commercialization of this innovation for both automotive and non-automotive applications.
• semi-continuous ALD systems (the tall pilot-scale stack, as well as the large single-cycle stack), have the production capacity of more than 1 MT/day, making it possible to implement the advanced surface coating technologies into the next generation of lithium ion batteries.

 

Background information:

LOUISVILLE, CO - Forge Nano, Louisville, Colorado, recently won a 2017 R&D 100 Award as co-developer with General Motors for the development of the Ultrathin Multifunctional Hybrid Coatings and Processes. The R&D 100 Awards have served as an innovation awards program for the past 55 years, honoring great R&D pioneers and their revolutionary ideas in science and technology.

“Forge Nano was founded with a vision to deploy precision nano-coatings to make many other technologies safer, less expensive and more efficient. That vision is now a reality, and it is extremely gratifying to be honored by the R&D 100 Awards for introducing one of 2017’s most innovative and influential technology solutions,” said Forge Nano Founder and CEO Dr. Paul Lichty, who accepted the award at the R&D 100 Conference in Orlando, Florida.

Forge Nano launched in 2013 with breakthrough technology that makes nano-coatings fast, affordable and scalable in manufacturing. The company specializes in nano-coatings and atomic film deposition, serving functions from corrosion resistance to electrical insulation or conduction. As demands for next-generation materials become more and more extreme, nano-engineered surface coatings can fulfill the need for enhanced properties and precise characteristics.

The R&D 100 Award - Ultrathin multifunctional hybrid coatings and processes (LINK)

The majority of battery failure initiates from active material surfaces in the electrodes. Surface coatings, as an effective mitigating strategy, have been widely applied into battery material manufacturing process to protect active materials. Conventional coating technologies, such as chemical vapor deposition, physical vapor deposition and wet chemistry, typically generate non-uniform coating particularly on nano-sized particles. The thickness control becomes difficult, and the thicker coating typically induce high much impedance. To tackle this challenge, General Motors—a pioneer in applying surface coating using the Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD) technique—has developed several Ultrathin multifunctional hybrid coatings and processes. These ultrathin (thickness < 5nm) multifunctional coatings solve critical issues involved with gas generation, manganese dissolution induced capacity loss and safety issue associated with polymeric separators. Forge Nano has developed the technologies that enable scale-up production and commercialization of this innovation for both automotive and non-automotive applications. Their semi-continuous ALD systems (the tall pilot-scale stack, as well as the large single-cycle stack), have the production capacity of more than 1 MT/day, making it possible to implement the advanced surface coating technologies into the next generation of lithium ion batteries.

The Ruthenium price surge end of 2017

About 10 years ago the ruthenium metal price was very volatile (see Historical Ruthenium price below) due to multiple reasons and price speculation, for example:

• Ruthenium use in magnetic hard drive disks
• Ruthenium use in chemical catalysis
• potetntial use in semiconductor memory devices (DRAM)

The the price spiked again 2009/2010 but did then settle at a relatively low baseline until autumn last year (see 2017 Ruthenium Price below).

With the exception of Platinum, other noble metals did also surge in 2017, however earlier in the year compared to ruthenium:

• Platinum - flat 900 to 1000 USD/ozt. rang
• Palladium - upward drift 800 to 1100 USD/ozt.
• Rhodium - surge 1000 to 1750 USD/ozt.
• Iridium - surge 700 to 980 USD/ozt.

Besides new potential application in the interconnects semiconductor logic and memory devices the sited industrial applications (LINK) are the same as for 10 years ago, namely:

• Ruthenium use in magnetic hard drive disks
• Ruthenium use in chemical catalysis
• potential use in semiconductor devices

And a new one:

• China, presumably vacuum cleaning the earth for scares materials etc.

Upcoming blogs will cover these applications as well as emerging ones in more details one by one - stay tuned.

Canadian miners prepares to cash in on Cobalt demand for electrical vehicles (EVs)

Lithium cobalt oxide (LCO, LiCoO₂) and other cobalt containing mixed metal oxides (containing e.g. Mn and or Ni) are widely used in lithium ion batteries. These materials are composed of cobalt oxide layers in which the lithium is intercalated. During discharge, the lithium is released as lithium ions, hence the name lithium ion batteries (LIB). Besides the mobile device industry (phones, laptop tablets etc.) the electrical vehicle industry is creating an increase in the demand for cobalt, increasing the need to find additional sources in stable areas of the world. 

According to USGS latest report, Congo (Kinshasa) continued to be the world’s leading source of mined cobalt, supplying more than one-half of world cobalt mine production. (LINK). Besides mining 30% of the cobalt comes from recycling. Due to political, legal and labor issues (child labor) in Congo, Canadian miners prepares to cash in on Cobalt demand for electrical vehicles (EVs).

WSJ Reports:  TORONTO—A handful of Canadian miners are ramping up operations to mine cobalt, betting on demand for a socially responsible source of the metal that is in high demand as a key component of electric cars.

Most cobalt currently comes from the Democratic Republic of Congo, where supply is threatened by political, legal and labor issues. That means car makers and battery suppliers are increasingly looking elsewhere for the mineral. 

Full story: LINK

Some beautiful cobalt cotaining minerals from Ontario Canada - Top Skutterudite and below Nickeline (Cobalt, Ontario, Canada, Wikipedia)

LiCo Energy Metals completed on the Teledyne Cobalt Property in Ontario Canada

January 3rd, 2017 – Vancouver, British Columbia; – LiCo Energy Metals Inc. (“the Company” or “LiCo”) TSX-V: LIC, OTCQB: WCTXF is pleased to report assay results for drill holes TE17-02 and TE17-03 completed on the Teledyne Cobalt Property, located 6 km northeast of Cobalt, Ontario.

A summary of the most significant results of the recent drill core assays are:

• TE17-02 0.95% Co over 1.9 m from 143.0 to 144.9 m, incl. 2.58% Co over 0.60 m from 144.30 to 144.90 m
• TE17-02 0.59% Co over 3.9 m from 156.0 to 159.9 m, incl. 2.22% Co over 0.60 m from 156.6 to 157.2 m

On the Teledyne Cobalt Property, the Company completed a total of 11 diamond drill holes totaling 2,200 m in the fall of 2017. The drilling has confirmed the cobalt mineralization on the Property which is consistent with historical grades and widths reported historically.

 As reported on the Company’s November 30th, 2017 news release, LiCo has recently completed its 2017 diamond drilling program on its Teledyne and Glencore Bucke Properties completing a total of 32 diamond drill holes, drilling 4,100 m of core. This exploration work satisfies both its flow-through financing obligations and the contractual obligations outlined in the recently acquired Glencore Bucke Property from Glencore plc of Baar Switzerland (LSE: GLEN). The overall drilling program has confirmed and extended the cobalt mineralization on each property and these results are consistent with historical grades and widths in the overall Cobalt Camp. As reported previously, visual cobalt camp style mineralization has been noted in every drill hole that the Company has logged.

Full press release : LINK

LiCo Energy Metals Inc. is a Canadian based exploration company whose primary listing is on the TSX Venture Exchange. The Company's focus is directed towards exploration for high value metals integral to the manufacture of lithium ion batteries.

Ontario Teledyne Cobalt Project:

The Company has an option to earn 100% ownership, subject to a royalty, in the Teledyne Project located near Cobalt. Ontario. The Property adjoins the south and west boundaries of claims that hosted the Agaunico Mine.  From 1905 through to 1961, the Agaunico Mine produced a total of 4,350,000 lbs. of cobalt and 980,000 oz. of silver (Cunningham-Dunlop, 1979). A significant portion of the cobalt that was produced at the Agaunico Mine located along structures that extended southward onto property currently under option to LiCo Energy Metals.

Aveni extends copper interconnects to 5nm and below for BEOL integration employing ALD TaN & CVD Co barrier/seed

Recently at IEDM 2017 IBM announced that copper is here to stay and can continue to be scaled for the future back end of line (BEOL) interconnects - 20 Years of Cu BEOL in Manufacturing, and its Future Prospects (Invited), D. Edelstein, IBM TJ Watson Research Center (LINK)

Before the actual copper plating process, the advanced dual-damascene structures for interconnects employ two very important conformal deposition processes :

• an atomic layer deposition tantalum nitride (ALD TaN) copper diffusion barrier
• a thin chemical vapor deposition cobalt (CVD Co) liner

More detailed information on Cobalt CVD for barrier/seed and selective encapsulation of copper from the leader Applied Materials can be found here (LINK).

According to a press release below (LINK), Aveni has announced it has obtained results that support the continued use of copper in the BEOL for advanced interconnects, at and beyond the 5nm technology node. Aveni is a French developer and manufacturer of wet deposition technologies and chemistries for 2D interconnects and 3D through silicon via packaging. The company was originally founded in 2001 as a spinoff from the Commissariat à l’énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (CEA) to develop and market groundbreaking nanometric deposition technologies for a variety of electronic applications.  

MASSY, France – Dec. 12, 2017 – aveni S.A., developer and manufacturer of market-disrupting wet deposition technologies and chemistries for 2D interconnects and 3D through silicon via packaging, today announced it has obtained results that strongly support the continued use of copper in the back end of line (BEOL) for advanced interconnects, at and beyond the 5nm technology node.