Versarien plc Provides Battery Technology Update

Versarien plc provided an update on its activities in relation to graphene enhanced power storage devices such as batteries and supercapacitors. The primary goal of incorporating graphene into these devices is to significantly increase power storage capacity and reduce charging times.
 
Versarien has been working with WMG (Warwick Manufacturing Group) and its partner companies and scientists at the universities of Warwick and Cambridge to collaborate on the production of power storage devices such as batteries and supercapacitors using Versarien’s proprietary Nanene graphene nano platelets. Significant advances have been made through incorporating the company’s graphene into these devices.
 
The relationship with WMG has now been supplemented by a number of other agreements that provide Versarien with access to both leading technology providers and manufacturing expertise, both in the UK and overseas, including China.
 
Versarien announced that it has entered into a collaboration agreement with ZapGo Ltd (Zap&Go), a high technology business focused on developing a new class of energy storage device with considerable functional improvements over current commercially available supercapacitors. Zap&Go’s technology and growing patent portfolio is in part derived from Oxford University research, and in part developed independently by Zap&Go’s own scientists. Zap&Go works with a number of Chinese partners to manufacture their technology.
 
Versarien and Zap&Go have agreed to collaborate on research and development projects involving the incorporation of Versarien’s proprietary Nanene few layer graphene nano-platelets and other Versarien supplied two-dimensional materials into Zap&Go’s supercapacitor type devices with a view to enhancing their performance, specifically through the increased electrical conductivity of the supercapacitor cells.
 
The company, through its subsidiary Cambridge Graphene Ltd, is part of the Flexibat consortium that has recently been awarded £1.2 million of grant funding from Innovate UK as part of a £1.5 million project to develop and bring to market graphene enhanced, thin, flexible printed batteries for electronic wearable and IoT (Internet of Things) devices.
 
The Flexibat project aims to provide much thinner and more flexible batteries, with higher energy densities, than those currently available. These are expected to be straightforward to manufacture using roll-to-roll printing processes. The initial target market will be for healthcare and wellbeing wearables.
 
In addition to these relationships, the company reported that it has received its first small initial order for Nanene graphene nano platelets from a Chinese automotive battery manufacturer for technical evaluation.
 
“Improved battery technology is a key area where the addition of high quality graphene can provide significant benefits,” Neill Ricketts, CEO of Versarien, said. “Alongside our work and collaborations in the areas of graphene enhanced composites and plastics, battery technology is a key focus for Versarien.”