Great post Glorieux.
I second that ZEN´s Graphite/-ene - or rather it´s uniqure properties - came as a big surprise.
The 09/2015 news release you cited ( http://www.zenyatta.ca/article/press-release-1397.asp ) respectively same by BGU - Ben Gurion University http://phys.org/news/2015-09-albany-graphite-unique-properties-graphene.html
"BGU regularly uses various types of commercially available natural flake graphite, but found Albany graphite to exfoliate under sonication more easily and with higher yields of graphene nanoparticles than any other natural graphite types that we have tested."
and further:
"Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA) on the material found it to be completely different from any other natural graphite flake products studied so far in our lab. The Zenyatta graphite appears to be composed of smaller and cleaner particles with a narrower particle size distribution. It is the same order of magnitude as more expensive, commercially available Graphene Nano Platelets (GnP). These ideal properties probably stem from the unique geological process by which the Albany graphite deposit was formed."
So judging purely from a "materialistic" view Albany Graphite (Graphene) should be rather compared to synthetic Graphene Nano Platelets (GnP).
According to Graphene Platelets suppliers like cheaptubes >100 tonnes per year are available - and retail prices are at ~2500$ per kg(!).
(enough room for a price war ;-)).
https://www.cheaptubes.com/product-category/graphene-nanoplatelets/
more astronomical prices:
http://raymor.com/our-products/graphene-puresheets/
While this extreme price seems a huge positive at first - the big question arising is how big a market are we talking of?
I am kind of baffeled (and sceptical) that there weren´t any major follow ups/updates to this nr since almost 1 year ago!?!?
Do we have a global need for tons of (Albany?) Graphene in a not too distant future (for comparable prices) and does the quality really compare to synthetical, high priced Graphene Nano Platelets?
