Zentek (TSXV: ZEN) said on Monday it has filed a patent application with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) for the electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding coating it has developed with graphite from its Albany deposit in northern Ontario.
The application builds on the Guelph-based technology company’s recent preliminary economic assessment (PEA), evaluating Albany's production capacity and economic viability. According to Zentek, the PEA demonstrated the site’s pathway to ultra-high-purity graphite products.
“ZEN-EMI-01 is a paint. It can be applied to shapes and surfaces that are difficult to shield with metal, and it absorbs electromagnetic energy rather than reflecting it toward neighbouring systems,” said Moe Jiwan, Zentek’s CEO. “It is made from purified graphite from our Albany deposit in Canada, which is another potential strategic application for our deposit.”
In early laboratory testing, a layer of ZEN-EMI-01 about the thickness of two sheets of paper reduced EMI from frequencies commonly used in radar and satellite communication, Zentek said in a news release.
Seyyedarash Haddadi, Zentek’s senior materials scientist, said the product not only works because of the purity of the graphite, but also due to the engineering process. “Exfoliated Albany graphite provides the conductive network, the conductive polymer creates the interface, and the ferrite phase contributes magnetic loss. Arranging those functions in layers enables the coating to absorb electromagnetic energy rather than simply reflect it,” he said.
ZEN-EMI-01 is still undergoing laboratory testing, with no assurance that the development program will result in commercial product.
Albany production
Located near Hearst, Ont., the Albany graphite project is wholly-owned by a Zentek subsidiary. Independent bench-scale testing conducted in 2025 demonstrated ultra-high purity of 99.9992% with an equivalent boron content of 2.60 parts per million, meeting benchmarks for potential nuclear-grade applications.
Albany’s recent PEA, published Aug. 2026, estimated the site could produce about 34,500 tonnes of graphite concentrate annually, resulting in about 30,000 tonnes of finished product. The project’s post-tax net present value (NPV) is pegged at $3.85 billion (C$5.32 billion) using a 5% discount rate. It has an after-tax internal rate of return of 27.4% and an initial capital cost of $817 million.
Comments