Leading Edge Materials Partners With Ångström Advanced Battery Centre for Natural Graphite Anode Research

VANCOUVER, Oct. 16, 2017 /CNW/ - Leading Edge Materials Corp. ("Leading Edge Materials") or (the Company") (TSXV: LEM) (OTCQB: LEMIF) is pleased to announce the Company's participation in a Swedish Government Funded research project entitled "Natural Swedish Graphite for Future Lithium Ion Batteries".

Leading Edge Materials is a founding participant in the project, along with the Ångström Advanced Battery Centre ("ÅABC"), Uppsala University, Sweden.  The project is focused on the application and optimization of high purity natural graphite as anode material for lithium ion batteries, using graphite sourced from Leading Edge Material's Woxna project in Sweden.  Major funding is provided by Vinnova, a Swedish government agency working under the Ministry of Enterprise and Innovation to promote research investment.

The Natural Swedish Graphite project brings together a very knowledgeable team with decades of lithium ion battery research and development experience.  Led by Uppsala University's Professor Kristina Edström, the ÅABC is the largest battery research group in the Nordic countries with research focused on all aspects of the chemistry of rechargeable batteries and fuel cells. The total project budget is SEK 1.75 million (approximately CA$270,000) and the project is scheduled to run until Q3 2019.

Professor Kristina Edström stated "ÅABC is looking forward to working with Woxna battery graphite to develop a superior anode material both technically and environmentally for the future cell manufacturers in Europe and the world."

 Project aims include:

• The manufacture of natural graphite powder with optimized particle size distribution and shape to facilitate rapid lithium movement;
• Optimization of the natural graphite purification process with as low environmental impact as possible;
• Testing of graphite electrodes using new processes and binders for commercialization;
• Development of polymeric composites that withstand long term exposure to high temperatures and humidity by using graphene as diffusion barrier.

Blair Way, President and CEO, stated "The Ångström Centre is highly regarded globally with many decades of lithium ion battery research and development.  We are very pleased to have the opportunity to work with Professor Edström and her team on the further development of natural graphite from Woxna for high value anode materials."

On behalf of the Board,

"Blair Way"
Blair Way, President & CEO

About Leading Edge Materials

Leading Edge Materials was formed with our sights firmly focused on the material demands of a once-in-a-generation revolution, as the world shifts to the efficient production, storage and preservation of low carbon energy. From the lithium batteries in our electric vehicles to our ability to generate energy from the sun, wind and waves LEM is focused on the green energy markets. With a focus on Europe and assets in innovation-rich Scandinavia, Leading Edge Materials is ideally placed to play a pivotal role in the sustainable supply of critical technology materials.

About Ångström Advanced Battery Centre (ÅABC),

The Ångström Advanced Battery Centre is the largest battery research group in the Nordic region and is led by Professor Kristina Edström, Uppsala University in Uppsula.  The lab has all necessary equipment for available for the project including furnaces for purification, mills for powder processing, microscopes (SEM and TEM), spectroscopic methods, XRD, a small pilot line for electrode production and battery manufacturing, and more than 200 channels for cycling batteries testing. The group can manufacture battery cells ranging from button cells, Swagelock cells, pouch cells to 18560 size battery cells. ÅABC battery group recently received SEK 27 million from the Battery Fund, a research and development program focused on battery reuse and recycling, and on vehicle batteries, run jointly by the Swedish Energy Agency and the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency.

About Vinnova
Vinnova is a Swedish government agency working under the Ministry of Enterprise and Innovation and acts as the national contact agency for the EU Framework Program for R&D. They promote sustainable growth by funding needs-driven research and stimulating collaborations between companies, universities, research institutes and public sector.

The TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange), accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release.

The qualified person as defined in National Instrument 43-101 for the Woxna project, Blair Way, President, Chief Executive Officer and a director of the Company, and a Fellow of the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, has reviewed and verified the contents of this release.

Forward-Looking Information. This news release may contain forward-looking statements and information based on current expectations. These statements should not be read as guarantees of future performance or results. Such statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from those implied by such statements. Such statements include but are not limited to, the Company's expectations regarding development and graphite production at Woxna, the Company's preliminary economic assessment on Woxna is no longer current or valid as a result of the filing of a new NI 43-101 Technical Report effective March 24, 2015, and the Company has no plans to complete a new preliminary economic assessment, a pre-feasibility or feasibility study on the project, as such there is an increased risk of technical and economic failure for the Woxna graphite project; unexpected geological conditions; exploration activities to advance other critical material projects of the Company for energy storage markets, delays in obtaining or failure to obtain necessary permits and approvals from government authorities.  Although such statements are based on management's reasonable assumptions, there are risk factors which could cause the Company's actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking information contained herein. All forward-looking information herein is qualified in its entirety by this cautionary statement, and the Company disclaims any obligation to revise or update any such forward-looking information or to publicly announce the result of any revisions to any of the forward-looking information contained herein to reflect future results, events or developments, except as required by law.

SOURCE Leading Edge Materials