Ionic Industries is pleased to provide the following update on recent progress, including management changes which pave the way for the next phase of the company’s growth.
Over the past 12 months, Ionic has continued to develop its portfolio of graphene technologies and identify new and exciting applications. Ionic has improved the performance, cost-effectiveness and market appeal of the primary material, graphene oxide (GO). In particular, the recyclability of graphene nano-filtration membranes has been improved through the development of an innovative and environmentally-friendly GO production method.
Ionic has developed lithium sulphur (Li-S) battery technology as a near-term commercial technology. Potential investors and partners have identified Ionic’s Li-S technology as one of the most exciting elements of Ionic’s portfolio.
In our next phase of growth, we will focus on establishing strategic relationships with industry partners to commercialise its first-generation lithium sulphur battery technology and graphene SuperSand water filtration product. Negotiations are currently under way on several potential partnerships and Ionic management anticipates being in a positon to announce key partnerships on a number of technologies in the near future.
Ionic’s prime partnership with Monash University and the Nanoscale Science and Engineering Laboratory under Associate Professor Mainak Majumder continues to move from strength to strength with new research streams and areas of collaboration surfacing. As we move into our next phase of growth, we have negotiated several dedicated research projects with the Monash team to increase our proprietary information and technology for commercialisation. In particular, Ionic-funded research is continuing on advanced energy storage and nano-filtration technologies. Ionic is also a key participant in research conducted at the government-funded Research Hub for Graphene Enabled Industry Transformation (ITRH).
These recent advances both in Ionic’s technologies and our relationships with Monash and the ITRH have been accompanied by a number of changes to management, which will establish a solid foundation for the company in this next episode of our development.
Mr Merlin Allan has been appointed to the Board of Ionic Industries. Merlin has long experience with technology start-ups, founding several himself and serving as executive and non-executive director in a number of listed and unlisted companies including SMS Technologies (ASX:SMX), YourCall Communications and UCMS. He has extensive experience commercialising early-stage technologies, working with universities, driving strategy and managing mergers and acquisitions. Merlin’s experience, particularly in commercialising University-born technology, will be of enormous benefit to us.
Mr Simon Savage has been appointed as Executive Director and Interim CEO. Simon has been a key contributor at Ionic for the past two years, supporting the company’s strategic planning and partnership initiatives. Simon’s experience in business and project management, strategic planning and stakeholder engagement will be critical in focusing Ionic’s research efforts, prioritising the commercialisation of our most advanced technologies and concluding partnership agreements.
SER Director, Mr Peter Armitage, has been appointed to the Board of Ionic Industries. Peter brings a wealth of board experience to the position and will facilitate communication between Ionic and SER shareholders. Peter’s expertise in governance and financial management will greatly assist in guiding Ionic to sustainable growth.
Dr Anne-Marie Grisogono and Mr Mark Muzzin have resigned from the company as Director and Director and CEO respectively. Their enthusiasm and drive have contributed to Ionic’s evolution and their efforts are appreciated.
Ionic is currently operating with minimal expenditure until we have succeeded in engaging one or two substantial commercial partners, after which it is intended to raise seed capital and proceed to IPO.