Directa Plus Share News (DCTA)

(ShareCast News) - Graphene-based products producer Directa Plus announced on Tuesday that Ufficio Brevetti e Marchi - the Italian patent and trademark office - has granted a further two patents covering the company's proprietary G+ manufacturing process.The AIM-traded firm now has a portfolio of 14 patents granted, and eight pending.Patent MI2014A001123, for the "process for preparing graphene nanoplatelets", covers the the liquid exfoliation phase of Directa's technology, where the material passes from a 3D to 2D state.The other - patent MI2014A001124L for the "continuous process for preparing pristine GNPs" - covers the entire production process of G+ pristine GNPs, which comprises natural graphite expansion, exfoliation and drying to obtain different grades and physical forms of G+ materials.Directa's board said the patent is focused on the continuous character of the process while maintaining its inherent flexibility for the production of customised graphene-based products.The whole production process does not involve the use of any type of chemistry nor oxidation steps, therefore providing pure materials already certified as non-toxic for human health, it explained."Our intellectual property is a key value driver for the business and so the continued widening of our patent protection is very important to us," said CEO Giulio Cesareo."It is a major step forward to achieve high volume production at a very low cost."These patents offer us excellent protection as we continue to see the commercial launch of more and more end-user products containing our technology."