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  • A U.S. special forces soldier in a billow of smoke during a night patrol.

    Pentagon looks to Idaho for antimony

    Shane Lasley, Metal Tech News|Updated Jun 8, 2023

    Perpetua receives two DOD grants to study military-grade antimony from Stibnite, ID Geopolitical tensions with China and Russia's war with Ukraine has the Pentagon concerned about securing domestic supplies of antimony, a metal-like element that is critical to military hardware and emerging renewable energy storage technologies. To investigate the potential of securing this supply from an Idaho antimony mine that was attributed to saving 1 million American soldiers during...

  • Cups with aluminum, sulfur, and molten salts in aluminum-sulfur batteries.

    A new low-cost aluminum-sulfur battery

    Shane Lasley, Metal Tech News|Updated Apr 16, 2023

    Seeking an affordable and safer alternative to lithium-ion batteries for the storage of intermittent clean energy from wind and solar, a global team of researchers led by an award-winning chemist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology has developed a new rechargeable battery made with affordable and readily available materials – aluminum, sulfur, and molten salts. "I wanted to invent something that was better, much better, than lithium-ion batteries for small-scale s...

  • View across South Saskatchewan River; the Saskatoon city skyline at night.

    A rare earth supply chain master link

    Shane Lasley, Metal Tech News|Updated Apr 16, 2023

    Summit spotlights Saskatoon as an emerging rare earths hub in North America Saskatoon, a small city in the heart of the Canadian province of Saskatchewan, is emerging as the master link in a North American rare earth supply chain with connections in Canada, Australia, Europe, and the United States. This city of just over 300,000 people on the Canadian Prairies is not gaining notoriety as a major North American rare earth hub due to rich deposits of this suite of 15 enigmatic...

  • Handshake with images of wind turbines and charging electric vehicle.

    NioCorp cuts critical metals finance deal

    Shane Lasley, Metal Tech News|Updated Apr 16, 2023

    Proposed merger with GXII would provide Nasdaq listing, access to cash for Elk Creek. To fund the development of a mine at its Elk Creek project in Nebraska that produces niobium, rare earths, and other metals critical to American industry, NioCorp Developments Ltd. is merging with GX Acquisition Corp. II, a blank check corporation with nearly US$300 million in the bank and a Nasdaq stock exchange listing that will make access to additional capital possible. In fact, NioCorp...

  • Bags of black mass that Li-Cycle has produced at its Hub facilities.

    Sen. Schumer visits NY Li-Cycle facility

    A.J. Roan, Metal Tech News|Updated Apr 16, 2023

    Recycling hub will offer supply of critical battery materials in US After advocating for Zinc8 Energy Solutions Inc. to develop its zinc-air energy storage systems manufacturing plant in New York, U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-NY, paid a visit to Li-Cycle Holdings Corp.'s Rochester lithium-ion battery recycling facility in his home state. You can read about Sen. Schumer and Zinc8 at NY Sen. Schumer calls Zinc8 with an offer in the July 11, 2022, edition of...

  • Rock hammer size reference of rare earth-bearing rock samples at Sheep Creek.

    High-grade rare earths project emerges

    Shane Lasley, Metal Tech News|Updated Apr 16, 2023

    Sheep Creek rare earths project in Montana hosts 13 US critical metals With the transition to electric vehicles charged with low-carbon energy shining a spotlight on America's need for secure and reliable supplies of critical minerals, the Sheep Creek project in southwestern Montana has emerged as a potential high-grade domestic source of nine rare earths and four other metals that have been deemed critical to the United States. High-grade rare earths were found at Sheep...

  • Yellow Ford Mustang Mach-E GT Performance Edition with Nite Pony package.

    Ford calls for US mine permitting reform

    Shane Lasley, Metal Tech News|Updated Apr 16, 2023

    The Inflation Reduction Act offers American car buyers a $7,500 tax credit for buying a new electric vehicle, as long as the ingredients in the battery of that automobile are mostly produced domestically, and none of the critical minerals in the EV comes from "foreign entities of concern" in China and elsewhere. The nearly decade-long process to permit a mine in the United States, however, has automakers concerned that none of the shiny electrified models they put on the...

  • Artist’s concept of a battery system for storing wind and solar energy.

    Zinc8 scopes US zinc battery plant sites

    Shane Lasley, Metal Tech News|Updated Apr 16, 2023

    Encouraged by the support it has received from U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-NY, along with the clean energy battery tax credits offered up in the Inflation Reduction Act, Zinc8 Energy Solutions Inc. has decided to move forward with building its first commercial zinc-air battery production facility in New York. "It is abundantly clear that with the introduction of the IRA, US policymakers, led by Senator Schumer, are taking real action by introducing incentives...

  • Aerial view of Jervois’ cobalt mine in the rolling hills of Idaho.

    Idaho mine offers US cobalt, almost

    Shane Lasley, Metal Tech News|Updated Apr 16, 2023

    Jervois ramps up Idaho cobalt mine; concentrates must be shipped out of U.S. for refining. The ramping up of commercial production at Jervois Global Ltd.'s Idaho Cobalt Operations mine will provide American automakers with a domestic source of a metal critical to the performance of the lithium-ion batteries going into an increasing number of electric vehicles rolling off assembly lines. Foreseeing a sharp rise in the demand for cobalt in the United States and around the globe...

  • Concept ofelectric aircraft with wings like a plane and propellers like a drone.

    Solid-state batteries are taking flight

    Shane Lasley, Metal Tech News|Updated Apr 16, 2023

    SABERS research team at NASA are developing solid- state batteries for electric aircraft. Knowing that the electrification of air transportation requires batteries that are lighter, store more energy, and are safer than the lithium-ion batteries being used for ground transportation, a team of researchers at NASA are advancing new battery technology that achieves this trifecta. While range anxiety and concerns about the durability and fire hazard are on the minds of those...

  • Aerial view of Electra’s hydrometallurgical cobalt refinery in Quebec, Canada.

    LG inks two Ontario battery metal deals

    Shane Lasley, Metal Tech News|Updated Mar 14, 2023

    When Ontario unveiled its critical minerals strategy earlier this year, the idea was to leverage the rich mineral endowment in the northern reaches of the province and the established manufacturing in the south to attract investment from some of the biggest names along the electric vehicle supply chain. With LG Energy Solution, one of the world's largest lithium-ion battery companies, inking two deals to source battery-grade cobalt and lithium from the province, it seems that...

  • Rock hammer on a pile of rare earths-enriched rocks at Sheep Creek in Montana.

    US Critical Materials explores Sheep Creek

    Shane Lasley, Metal Tech News|Updated Nov 1, 2022

    Begins systematic investigation of overlooked rare earths project in SW Montana. To gain a deeper understanding of the high-grade rare earth mineralization coming to surface at Sheep Creek, and investigate the potential for a larger deposit of this group of technology elements, US Critical Metals Corp. and US Critical Materials Corp. are carrying out detailed mapping and sampling of this overlooked and underexplored project in southwestern Montana. While high-grade rare...

  • Fisheye view of tungsten sheets inside the WEST tokamak fusion reactor.

    Boron "detergent" for nuclear fusion

    A.J. Roan, Metal Tech News|Updated Oct 18, 2022

    Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory have found a way to add a dash of boron to a tungsten tokamak fusion reactor to keep its plasma clean during operations. Because of its high melting point, tungsten is a metal of choice for helping tokamak components withstand the intense heat of the fusion process – often upwards of 150 million degrees Kelvin, or ten times the temperature at the core of the Sun. While it is not new to use boron...

  • Left shows the prototype Thermal Camouflage Jacket. Right shows it in use.

    Prototype invisibility cloak by Vollebak

    A.J. Roan, Metal Tech News|Updated Oct 18, 2022

    Techno-clothing company utilizes graphene to make jacket invisible to infrared cameras. Thanks to the "wonder material" graphene, the invisibility cloak often seen in fantasy and science fiction will likely soon be a thing of reality, as Vollebak unveils the world's first thermal camouflage jacket that brings us one step closer to disappearing into thin air. Home to the initial discovery of graphene and two researchers that won the Nobel Prize in Physics for their pioneering...

  • A blue Chevrolet Silverado EV being plugged into a home charger.

    GM secures future EV battery metals

    Shane Lasley, Metal Tech News|Updated Oct 18, 2022

    In another example of global automakers heading to the very front end of global supply chains to source the materials they need to transition to electric mobility, General Motors is making up to a US$69 million strategic investment into Queensland Pacific Metals, an Australian company that is developing a refinery that will produce the nickel and cobalt needed for EV batteries. "The collaboration with Queensland Pacific Metals will provide GM with a secure, cost-competitive...

  • Bottles of high-grade nickel, cobalt products produced from testing at NiWest.

    Stellantis secures future nickel, cobalt

    Shane Lasley, Metal Tech News|Updated Oct 11, 2022

    In a move that demonstrates automakers need all the battery materials that can possibly be produced by the global mining sector, Stellantis has entered into a preliminary agreement to buy battery-grade nickel and cobalt from a future mine developed at GME Resources Ltd.'s NiWest project in Western Australia. NiWest is an advanced stage nickel-cobalt project that lies less than 20 miles away of Glencore's Murrin Murrin operation, the largest nickel-cobalt mine and refinery in...

  • Graphic showing 2D MXenes and some of their potential applications.

    Scientists explore new atomic frontiers

    Rose Ragsdale, For Metal Tech News|Updated Oct 4, 2022

    Researchers at Drexel University in Philadelphia have succeeded in using a new method of analysis to peel back the atomic layers of two-dimensional metallic compounds known as MXenes (pronounced max-eens), opening the door to development of a wide range of new materials. Two-dimensional materials are substances with a thickness of a few nanometers or less. Electrons in these materials are free to move in the two-dimensional plane, but their restricted motion in the third...

  • Lithium-tellurium disc batteries are held with clamps during testing at UBC.

    Tellurium may be key to longer-range EVs

    Shane Lasley, Metal Tech News|Updated Oct 4, 2022

    Tellurium, a rare byproduct of mining copper and gold, may be the secret ingredient to longer-lasting lithium batteries that allow electric vehicles to travel more than twice as far on a single charge. With the support of industrial partner Fenix Advanced Materials, researchers at the University of British Columbia Okanagan are developing solid-state lithium-tellurium batteries that could deliver such advantages to EVs. Earlier this year, a UBC Okanagan research team...

  • A high resolution picture of Mars, the Red Planet.

    3D printing with Mars dirt and titanium

    A.J. Roan, Metal Tech News|Updated Sep 27, 2022

    Washington State researchers add to out-of-this-world 3D printer materials Scientists from Washington State University have discovered that a small amount of simulated crushed Martian dirt mixed with a titanium alloy made for a stronger, high-performance material for 3D printing that could help build a future on the Red Planet. "In space, 3D printing is something that has to happen if we want to think of a manned mission because we really cannot carry everything from here,"...

  • Laser sintering metal into a complex shape, not otherwise possible with casting.

    3D printing ultra-strong titanium alloys

    A.J. Roan, Metal Tech News|Updated Sep 20, 2022

    Monash University researchers discover durable microstructure makes stronger titanium A world-first study led by Monash University engineers in Australia has demonstrated how cutting-edge 3D printing techniques can be used to produce ultra-strong titanium alloy – a significant leap forward for the aerospace, space, defense, and biomedical industries. "Titanium alloys require complex casting and thermomechanical processing to achieve the high strengths required for some c...

  • A test vial bubbling as the reaction from gallium-aluminum creates hydrogen.

    More gallium the key to green hydrogen

    A.J. Roan, Metal Tech News|Updated Sep 13, 2022

    A liquid metal being explored for use in shapeshifting soft robots and enhancing carbon-capturing properties of platinum, gallium is proving to be the missing link to many questions materials scientists have been attempting to answer for years. Now, when the need for clean alternative energy is at its peak, University of California Santa Cruz researchers have found that gallium could unlock the doors to cheap hydrogen production. Researchers have tried to find efficient and...

  • Molten rare earth metal being poured into ingot molds.

    Canada first, SRC pours rare earth metal

    Shane Lasley, Metal Tech News|Updated Aug 31, 2022

    Major step along the path to establishing Saskatchewan as rare earths hub In another milestone along the path to establishing a major rare earths hub in Saskatchewan, the province announced that the Saskatchewan Research Council poured the first rare earth metal ingots ever in Canada at the REE processing, separations, and metals facility it is developing near the city of Saskatoon. Saskatchewan's mission to become a leader in rare earths processing and production began with...

  • Concept of peeling away old power sources to reveal renewable energy.

    US utility testing liquid metal batteries

    Shane Lasley, Metal Tech News|Updated Aug 31, 2022

    Xcel Energy eyes Ambri antimony batteries for clean energy storage Xcel Energy, a utility company that generates enough electricity to power roughly 23 million homes across eight states, has selected the liquid-metal batteries produced by Amri Inc. as a potential long-term clean energy storage solution. "Partnering with a progressive and innovative utility such as Xcel Energy is an exciting opportunity for Ambri as their clean energy vision is directly aligned with our...

  • A rendering of MIT's gallium-gold bandage sensor on an arm.

    A gold-gallium bandage to monitor body

    A.J. Roan, Metal Tech News|Updated Aug 30, 2022

    MIT develops a wearable sensor able to target any biomarker Using a gold-gallium "band-aid" could prove the next generation of biological monitoring as researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have devised a new kind of wearable sensor capable of communicating wirelessly without the need for microchips or even batteries. Wearable sensors are ubiquitous due to wireless technology, which enables the monitoring of glucose concentrations, blood pressure, heart...

  • A geologist’s hammer next to lens of graphite at Graphite Creek in Alaska.

    Study details US graphite supply chain

    Shane Lasley, Data Mine North|Updated Aug 30, 2022

    At a time when American automakers are looking for potential domestic supplies of the graphite that makes up nearly half of all the materials that go into the lithium-ion batteries powering electric vehicles, Graphite One Inc. offers up details of its plans to develop a mine at its Graphite Creek project in Alaska and processing facility in Washington that would produce roughly 75,000 metric tons of advanced graphite products per year. Earlier this year, S&P Global Platts...

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