Zenyatta Ventures’ Graphite Shows Excellent Crystallinity and Surface Area

University laboratory tests on Zenyatta Ventures Ltd.’s (TSXV:ZEN) Albany graphite show excellent crystallinity and surface area characteristics. A sample of Zenyatta’s graphite was examined with a high resolution scanning electron microscope, which revealed a highly crystalline structure with surfaces of individual grains of graphite being essentially platy or flat.

As quoted in the press release:

Don Hains, P. Geo. industrial minerals specialist and advisor to Zenyatta stated “SEM Photos show highly crystalline graphite with no contaminants and a very high aspect ratio (length verses thickness). These images closely resemble micrographs of commercial grade synthetic graphite as published by major synthetic graphite producers. The typical particle size from the SGS bench scale processing was in the 7 – 46 micron range.”

Don Hains, P. Geo. stated, “The BET results indicate very high quality natural graphite matching high purity synthetic graphite in terms of surface area. Also, the average pore diameter for the Zenyatta material shows the unit cells are the same as determined for pure natural graphite.”

BET data are within range of typical high grade synthetic graphite powder. It is also worth emphasizing that the measurements were performed on unmilled graphite material produced from the initial caustic bake process development tests. Further work to optimize the process conditions and to prepare materials to meet target customer specifications is underway and will result in production of a range of grades with varying BET, particle size, particle size distribution and particle morphology characteristics.

Zenyatta Ventures President and CEO, Aubrey Eveleigh, said:

This new data on the physical characteristics of the Albany graphite is consistent with the results of the recent work on resistivity and shows the high quality nature of the Albany graphite which could be suitable for a wide range of high technology applications presently served by synthetic graphite.

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