ES Investors Club

[100volts+]

Buy high, sell low, secret of my vast success in the market

You must be shorting.

 

[LockH]

Hey! I nEVer said that? (it was that guy with one foot loose, apparently.)

 

[LockH]

So... Canada Lithium Corp (TSE: RBI) sorta "spiked" back in mid-2010, but then sorta "tumbled" (no idea watt happened then or since).


And today its stock price is sorta near an "all time low". But maybe 16hrs ago, talk about "A new top management team has taken the reins" and "a changeover followed approval of a friendly share-exchange merger of Canada Lithium Corp. and Sirocco Mining Inc. to form RB Energy Inc. The shares of RB Energy began trading on the Toronto Stock Exchange last week."

Seen here:
http://www.montrealgazette.com/business/team+overseeing+Quebec+Lithium+project/9491173/story.html

So, I sorta wish I had some free/extra cashola to play with (and maybe lose) right now.

 

[LockH]

Oh! Lithium Technology Corp. just jumped on Klout! (Lithium, founded in 2001, has raised more than $150 million from investors such as Shasta Ventures, Emergence Capital Partners, Benchmark, DAG Ventures and New Enterprise Associates. It is considered a candidate for a 2014 initial public offering.)

Might be fun to jump in:
http://www.marketwatch.com/investing/stock/lthu

(Price has "jumped" this morning already.)

 

[LockH]

Meanwhile, in completely unrelated news, Rock Tech Lithium Inc. stock prices still basically "flat lined" at close to zero cents per share:
http://ca.finance.yahoo.com/q/bc?s=RCK.V&t=my&l=on&z=l&q=l&c=

Maybe nowhere to go but up? (Rock Tech Lithium is a Canadian-based exploration company focused on developing its lithium and graphite projects in Canada - in Quebec and in Ontario.)

 

[LockH]

Five hours ago approx., the news "Western Lithium USA (T.WLC) bumps 11% on demo plant build progress"
Seen here:
http://www.stockhouse.com/news/natural-resources/2014/02/13/western-lithium-usa-(t-wlc)-bumps-9-on-demo-plant

From their web site:

Western Lithium USA is developing two product streams: lithium carbonate and organoclay, from its property in Kings Valley in northern Nevada. The refinement and marketing of its end products will lead Western Lithium to emerge as a specialty chemicals producer in 2014, with a planned expanded product range in the future.

(One year ago, share prices "spiked" A LOT higher.)

 

[LockH]

Lithium-ion battery demand is expected to see a robust growth in the forecast period. This is due to its increasing demand across various application sectors such as automotive, wind, electronics, industrial and military. The market is currently driven by its usage in automotive sector in HEVs, trains and trams.

Seen here:
http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20140213006045/en/Research-Markets-Global-Lithium-Ion-Battery-Market

 

[LockH]

BTW, earlier thread on the Spheroid Planet "Peak Lithium: it's the new oil", waaay back in 2009, here:
http://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=10802

So, wadda mix with lithium... how about "nanowire" anodes made of *germanium* (a chemical element with symbol Ge and atomic number 32. Ranks near fiftieth in relative abundance of the elements in the Earth's crust. Today, germanium is mined primarily from sphalerite (the primary ore of zinc), though germanium is also recovered commercially from silver, lead, and copper ores. About 118 tonnes of germanium was produced in 2011 worldwide, mostly in China (80 t), Russia (5 t) and United States (3 t). Germanium is recovered as a by-product from sphalerite zinc ores where it is concentrated in amounts of up to 0.3%, especially from sediment-hosted, massive Zn–Pb–Cu(–Ba) deposits and carbonate-hosted Zn–Pb deposits. Figures for worldwide Ge reserves are not available, but in the US it is estimated at 450 tonnes. In 2007 35% of the demand was met by recycled germanium.):

http://www.geek.com/mobile/lithium-ion-battery-capacity-doubled-with-new-germanium-nanowires-1584649/

 

[LockH]

Germanium prices rose on Friday January 24, as a pick-up in demand from Asia left some consumers struggling to find material, sources told Metal Bulletin.

In-warehouse Rotterdam germanium prices rose to $1,900-960 per kg, up from $1,880-950 per kg on Wednesday January 22. “There is a tremendous shortage. No one is getting anything from China,” a minor metals processer said. While the market in Europe has been quiet, demand in Asia is growing on increased military spending in Japan and China as well as stockpiling by the Chinese State Reserve Bureau (SRB), sources said. One of the uses for germanium metal is for night-vision equipment, and demand from this sector has been healthy as military...

 

[LockH]

http://www.fastmarkets.com/minor-metals

Minor Metals
Minor metals is a widely-used term in the metal industry that generally refers to primary metals not traded on the London Metal Exchange (LME), CME, SHFE or any major futures markets.

Minor Metals Prices Bid Ask (London)
Germanium ($/kg) 1850 1900 (FastMarkets implied price.27Jan)
Germanium Dioxide($/kg) 1275 1375 (FastMarkets implied price.27Jan) [quote/]

 

[LockH]

Sprechen Deutsch? In 2008, Siemens was talking about Germanium (as used in "automation"):
http://www.competence-site.de/it-automatisierung/50-Jahre-Simatic-eine-kleine-Geschichte-der-Zeit

 

[LockH]

Seen here:
http://www.photonics.com/Product.aspx?PRID=55815

GyroSil Rad-Hard PM Fiber

OFS, Specialty Photonics Div.
BRONDBY, Denmark, Feb. 13, 2014 — OFS has added the GyroSil Rad-Hard PM optical fiber to its line of sensing fibers for gyroscopes.

Designed to perform in radiation environments, it has an 80-µm outside diameter cladding and is bend-insensitive, enabling long lengths to be wound on small-diameter coils.

Its pure silica core fiber offers radiation-induced losses many times less than optical fibers doped with germanium, an element highly sensitive to radiation. The birefringent fiber has a center wavelength of 1550 nm and polarization maintaining (PM) properties of low beat length and h-parameter. The outer coating diameter is 145 µm.

Gyroscope applications that could benefit from the fiber include space, high- altitude and defense-related navigation systems.

Hmmm... Now watt to do with all that germanium stuff...

 

[LockH]

"IBM mulling sale of semiconductor unit", in an online item 2 days ago, here:
http://in.news.yahoo.com/ibm-mulling-sale-semiconductor-unit-065448559--finance.html

Seen elsewhere, in part:

Big Blue is big in chips, too. Through its microelectronics arm, International Business Machines (IBM) is one of the world's top makers of semiconductors. IBM has been a major player in the chip world for decades; it pioneered such key technologies as DRAM cells and the use of germanium in specialized chips.

Chips, anyone? (It will be interesting to see whether IBM puts their microelectronics div. "in play"... and if anybuddy snaps it up. And per one recent report, in the fourth quarter of 2013, revenue from IBM's microelectronics business with third parties decreased by 33 percent compared to the same period in the previous year.)

 

[LockH]

Poor Congo ("Democratic Republic of Congo"). Seen here, "Conflict Minerals: The Human Cost of Technology":
http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/Conflict-Minerals-The-Human-Cost-of-Technology-79955.html

In part:

The vastness of the DRC's natural and mineral resources is hard to imagine. Along with being part of the world's second-largest rain forest, the DRC contains a wealth of strategic minerals, including cobalt, copper, zinc, gold, diamonds, silver, magnesium, germanium, uranium, coltan and petroleum. In fact, it is estimated that the DRC has anywhere from 64 percent to 80 percent of the world's reserves of coltan (critical to electronics manufacturing), 34 percent of cobalt and 10 percent of copper.

 

[LockH]

"Lifting the Lid on Silicon Batteries "
Seen here:
http://www.pcbdesign007.com/pages/zone.cgi?a=98090

In part:

Using these combined techniques, the researchers were able to develop a ‘map’ of how silicon transforms when it is put into contact with lithium in a battery. The insights opened up by the technology will boost further developments of silicon batteries, as it will be easier for engineers to control their properties.

Yes Ladies, silicone ain't just for "enhancement" any more! (Silica (silicon dioxide), common in sandstone, beach sand, and similar natural materials, is the initial material from which silicones are produced; silica is also widely used in producing glass. Silicones are synthesized from chlorosilanes, tetraethoxysilane, and related compounds.)

 

[LockH]

Speaking of that poor Congo, reported six days ago here:
http://www.stockhouse.com/news/natural-resources/2014/02/07/north-sea-energy-v-nuk-slips-11-52-week-high-and-low-report

In part:

On the low side of the TSX, Ivanhoe Mines Ltd. (TSX: T.IVN), lost 1.3% to $1.51 a share. Since February 1, Ivanhoe has lost 5.8%

The stock has been quite volatile and has fallen from a 52-week high of $4.76 in April.

On December 18, the exploration and development company announced that the company's ongoing dewatering program had achieved its key initial objective of restoring access to the main underground working level of the historic, high-grade Kipushi copper-zinc-germanium-lead and precious-metals mine in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

 

[e-beach]

50 day still over 100 day.

 

[LockH]

Lookin' good!

Meanwhile, in other news "Phosphorene excites materials scientists" (and maybe ebikers too?), seen here:
http://www.nature.com/news/phosphorene-excites-materials-scientists-1.14668

In part:

There are reasons for optimism, however. Already, the groups have reported charge flows at speeds comparable with those in single layers of molybdenum disulphide, a semiconductor material with a band gap that has been tinkered with for nearly two decades. And phosphorene, unlike molybdenum disulphide, is made from a single element, so pure samples are, in theory, easier to obtain.

Phosphorene shares this purity with other post-graphene contenders such as silicene, made from silicon, and germanene, made from germanium. Although both of these are predicted to facilitate speedier charge flows than phosphorene, neither has a natural band gap. Both needs could be met by yet another mat­erial: stanene, a single layer of tin predicted by theorists3 in 2013 that has not yet been created.

BTW, per Wicked-pee:

Phosphorus is not found free in nature, but it is widely distributed in many minerals, mainly phosphates. Historically-important but limited commercial sources were organic, such as bone ash and (in the latter 19th century) guano. Inorganic phosphate rock, which is partially made of apatite (an impure tri-calcium phosphate mineral), is today the chief commercial source of this element. About 50 percent of the global phosphorus reserves are in the Arab nations. Large deposits of apatite are located in China, Russia, Morocco, Florida, Idaho, Tennessee, Utah, and elsewhere. Albright and Wilson in the United Kingdom and their Niagara Falls plant, for instance, were using phosphate rock in the 1890s and 1900s from Tennessee, Florida, and the Îles du Connétable (guano island sources of phosphate); by 1950 they were using phosphate rock mainly from Tennessee and North Africa. In the early 1990s Albright and Wilson's purified wet phosphoric acid business was being adversely affected by phosphate rock sales by China and the entry of their long-standing Moroccan phosphate suppliers into the purified wet phosphoric acid business.

In 2012, the USGS estimated 71 billion tons of world reserves, where reserve figures refer to the amount assumed recoverable at current market prices; 0.19 billion tons were mined in 2011.

Recent reports suggest that production of phosphorus may have peaked, leading to the possibility of global shortages by 2040. In 2007, at the rate of consumption, the supply of phosphorus was estimated to run out in 345 years. However, some scientists now believe that a "peak phosphorus" will occur in 30 years and that "At current rates, reserves will be depleted in the next 50 to 100 years." Phosphorus comprises about 0.1% by mass of the average rock, and consequently the Earth's supply is vast, although dilute.

"Peak Phosphorus"? Will occur in 30 years??? Well, I figure I'll be gardening by then anyway (pushing up petunias, daisies, etc.)

 

[LockH]

"Silicon Labs Si504 - CMEMS Oscillator Reverse Costing Analysis"

Seen here:
http://www.sacbee.com/2014/02/06/6135148/silicon-labs-si504-cmems-oscillator.html

In part:

First Fully Integrated, Monolithic Cmos+Mems Oscillator Device

The frequency control market is largely dominated by quartz products, but silicon timing solutions have a strong value proposition for some sub-markets.

The Si504 is the first silicon oscillator from Silicon Labs. Manufactured with the CMEMS process (CMOS + MEMS), the crystal elements are replaced by micromachined semiconductor resonators.

SLAB near max for the last 12mo, but has been higher (over 12 years ago).

 

[LockH]

"Axcelis Technologies' CEO Discusses Q4 2013 Results - Earnings Call Transcript", here:
http://seekingalpha.com/article/1994021-axcelis-technologies-ceo-discusses-q4-2013-results-earnings-call-transcript

From their web site, in part:

Axcelis Technologies, Inc. is a world-leading provider of equipment and services to the semiconductor manufacturing industry. For thirty five years, chipmakers from around the globe have relied on Axcelis' systems and process expertise to form the transistors.

http://www.axcelis.com/about-us/overview

Thing is, per Yeehaw, here:
http://ca.finance.yahoo.com/q?s=ACLS

Wish I had bought a year ago, but about four years ago they were still waaay higher than they are today.

 

[LockH]

Press release date: January 29, 2014
Indium Corporation announces that Glen Thomas has been named Product Manager for PCB Assembly Solder Paste.

Thomas is responsible for managing the company’s entire line of solder paste materials for PCB assembly. He will work closely with the sales, technical support, research and development, manufacturing, and quality teams to ensure the product line best meets the needs of the customers.

Thomas has over 25 years of experience working with printed wiring boards and semiconductor packaging. He has held marketing and applications engineering roles at several companies, including Endicott Interconnect Technology, Kyocera, and IBM. He has also traveled extensively throughout Asia and lived in Japan for two years.

Thomas earned his bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from the University of Wisconsin and his master’s degree, also in chemical engineering, from Michigan State University.

Indium Corporation is a premier materials manufacturer and supplier to the global electronics, semiconductor, solar, thin-film, and thermal management markets. Products include solders and fluxes; brazes; thermal interface materials; sputtering targets; indium, gallium, germanium, and tin metals and inorganic compounds; and NanoFoil®. Founded in 1934, Indium has global technical support and factories located in China, Singapore, South Korea, the United Kingdom, and the USA.

Indium seems to have "bottomed out" recently. Lots of "up side"? (Stocks have been 10x more expensive in the past.)
http://www.morningstar.com/invest/stocks/89283-smgi-smg-indium-resources-ltd.html

 

[LockH]

War Eagle Mining (V.WAR) completes sale of Mexico project, up 28%
Seen here, from Jan. 16 this year:
http://www.stockhouse.com/news/natural-resources/2014/01/16/war-eagle-mining-v-war-completes-sale-mexico-project-up-28

In part:

War Eagle is involved in the acquisition, exploration and, if warranted, development of mineral resource properties.

On Thursday, War Eagle gained 28.6% and was trading at $0.045 a share. The company had a market cap of $694,870, based on 15.4 million shares outstanding.

MAYBE, some "upside" there?

 

[LockH]

Golden Deeps turns up high grade copper and lead samples at Nosib project in Namibia
Monday, January 20, 2014
Seen here:
http://www.proactiveinvestors.com.au/companies/news/52025/golden-deeps-turns-up-high-grade-copper-and-lead-samples-at-nosib-project-in-namibia-52025.html

Golden Deeps (ASX:GED) should trade significantly higher after channel sampling at the old Nosib block underground mine revealed high grade copper and lead, with silver and vanadium in Namibia.

Assays include 8 metres at 2.86% copper, 3.13% lead, 5.56 grams per tonne silver and 0.56% vanadium; and 9 metres at 3.1% copper, 10.84% lead, 11.33 grams per tonne silver and 3.12% vanadium.

Notably, the intercepts also assayed anomalous values of gallium, germanium and zinc, exhibiting similarities to the nearby Tsumeb Mine that boasts 30 million tonnes at 4.3% copper, 10% lead, 3.5% zinc, 100 grams per tonne silver and 50 grams per tonne germanium.

Tsumeb is now closed, but produced 24.9 million tonnes at 5.5% copper, 11.8% lead and 171 grams per tonne silver over its lifetime.

Over 1600 metres of strike has now been identified, which remains open in all directions, and 3D modelling shows high grade continuity from surface to over 60 metres depth.

Latest results are from the remainder of level 1, and levels 2 and 3, and demonstrate strong potential for an open pittable resource.

These assays provide a promising development for Golden Deeps.

In addition, many investors may be unaware that Golden Deeps is entitled to a $20 per ounce royalty from gold produced at Phoenix Gold's (ASXXG) Blue Funnel mine, on top of 5% of net profits from the project, and holds 3 million Phoenix shares worth over $500,000.

And a snap of GD share prices over time:

 

[LockH]

Long-life laptop battery the tech industry doesn’t want you to have
(Published Feb 5, 2014)
Here:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/small-business/sb-growth/the-challenge/long-life-laptop-battery-the-tech-industry-doesnt-want-you-to-have/article16689343/

After a year of trial and error, the Ottawa-based father-son duo hit an engineering bull’s-eye. By pairing batteries with their own special printed circuit board, they were able to increase a battery’s capacity by 30 per cent. Their battery management system also boosted the number of recharging cycles available. Today’s standard lithium-ion batteries are good for about 300 cycles; the Sherstyuks boosted this to an amazing 2,500.

and:

In 2012, the father-son team patented the technology under the company Gbatteries Systems Inc., and they’re shopping it to major players in the consumer electronics and energy storage industries. They recently relocated to California’s Silicon Valley to test the waters there, although they will keep their headquarters in Ottawa for all development-based work.

and:

Unfortunately, these altruistic intentions are not finding a receptive audience along Technology Row. While he remains focused on promoting the increased calendar life, Mr. Sherstyuk says most of the major players he has met with so far are interested only in the increased capacity and, in fact, want to downplay the longer life. The reason, he says, is that these companies have expressed concern that the longer-lasting batteries will result in fewer units sold, as consumers will be able to hang on to their devices for much longer.

While a number of smaller companies have expressed interest in this, Mr. Sherstyuk has held back before jumping into any partnerships. He says he’s aware he has a potentially game-changing product and wants to make sure that, as a newly minted entrepreneur, he’s leveraging his company’s potential to the widest and most lucrative market possible.

 

[LockH]

New Polymer Could End Battery Fires, Quadruple Efficiency
Posted yesterday, here:
http://www.wired.com/autopia/2014/02/batteries-flammable-polymer/

Lithium-ion batteries are at the heart of the phones, tablets, cars, and planes we use every day, but they have an inconvenient habit of occasionally bursting into flames. Now, a team of scientists have found they can replace the unstable, fire-prone chemicals in batteries with an exceptionally stable polymer.

Researchers at UNC Chapel Hill, led by chemist Joseph DeSimone, were originally looking for a material that would keep marine life from adhering to the hulls of ships. But like most great discoveries, it led down a different path.

While testing the material, the team realized this perfluoropolyether, or PFPE, could dissolve lithium salt, an indicator needed to produce conductivity in batteries. “Most polymers don’t mix with salt, but this one did,” says grad student and head researcher Dominica Wong. “And it was nonflammable.”

And:

DeSimone and his team have been working with PFPE for years, and during their research, the crew found that another polymer electrolyte, polyethylen glycol or PEG, and PFPE could combine to dissolve salt, and potentially function as an electrolyte. When his team attached the PFPE to dimethyl carbonate, an electrolyte traditionally used in batteries, the resulting PFPE-DMC was a polymer that could move a battery’s ions with insane levels of efficiency while remaining stable.

How efficient? The battery in a Tesla or Prius, using a regular electrolyte, has a transference rate of around 0.2, which works, but is far from ideal. The PFPE electrolyte measured around 0.91, almost approaching “unity” — a transference of 100 percent.