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Murray Ward
Locksley Resources has developed a highly stable antimony-graphite material while the company continues to research the production of defence-grade 99% pure antimony under its US mine-to-market strategy.
Through the company’s partnership with Rice University in Texas, researchers have been able to efficiently extract antimony without the need for traditional, complex flotation treatments, using the institution’s novel Deep Eutectic Solvent (DES) process.
Through the collaborative agreement inked six months ago and under the guiding hand of Professor Pulickel Ajayan, a global pioneer in nanotechnology and materials science, the partners are seeking new ways to extract and refine antimony.
To fast-track the research, Locksley has provided antimony ore samples and a pre-floated concentrate from its Desert Antimony mine in California.
‘Our research partner Rice University continues to make important advancements’
Locksley Resources managing director and chief executive officer Kerrie Matthews
According to management, progress has been impressive on several counts. Researchers have expanded their studies to examine new downstream antimony products for industrial batteries and defence applications.
In particular, the company has developed a new battery material by combining antimony sulphide with graphite. Using a sulphur-containing solvent leach solution, Locksley loaded up to 20 per cent antimony into the material. In simple terms, this higher antimony content could help boost battery performance.
Early tests have shown the batteries work and behave in a stable way. The key advantage is that this mix appears to expand and contract less than conventional battery materials do when charged and discharged. That repeated process can cause damage over time.
This latest finding could be profound. Batteries made from this material could last longer, be more stable, and perform better. With more testing, it could be used in both lithium-ion and next-generation sodium-ion batteries.
Safety is a major focus, with the research also identifying antimony-based additives that may improve battery safety characteristics. Initial results using antimony chloride as an electrolyte additive have shown an impressive reduction in self-extinguishing time, approaching non-flammable performance, vastly improving flame-retardancy.
These technical advancements are a perfect fit for the United States strategic priorities, which aim to reduce reliance on foreign supply chains for critical minerals.
Locksley Resources managing director and chief executive officer Kerrie Matthews said: “Our research partner Rice University continues to make important advancements in achieving production of high purity antimony concentrate as well as other uses for antimony across a range of high-tech defence and industrial applications.”
Locksley’s Mojave project sits directly adjacent to MP Materials’ famed Mountain Pass mine, which produces more than 10 per cent of the world’s rare earths.
Within the project, it’s Desert antimony prospect hosts high-grade antimony veins with recent surface assays grading 46 per cent antimony. A new high-grade antimony target was also recently identified along the Beefeater shear within the Mojave project – a key structural control on antimony mineralisation.
Adding to the mix, the company’s nearby El Campo prospect continues to show promise after yielding up to 12.1 per cent total rare earth oxides in rock chip samples.
Locksley appears to be playing a very savvy game here, moving beyond simple mining to control the high-value processing and application stages of the antimony cycle.
With US national priorities locked on critical mineral independence, Locksley’s mine-to-market strategy puts it in a strong position in a tightening supply landscape.
As results begin to roll in, the story is likely to catch punters’ attention, particularly with its potential to deliver a secure domestic supply of materials critical for defence and the clean energy transition.
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