Zentek

What Zentek does

Zentek Ltd. is a Canadian dual-listed (TSX-V: ZEN / Nasdaq: ZTEK) nanomaterials technology company headquartered in Guelph, Ontario, that operates three structurally independent deep-science platforms under a single client-funded development-on-demand contract research model. Albany Graphite Corp. (wholly owned) holds a hydrothermal, igneous-hosted natural graphite deposit in Northern Ontario (~70 km northwest of Hearst) where independent bench-scale FBR (fluidized bed reactor) thermal purification in January 2026 achieved 99.9992% carbon purity and 2.60 ppm equivalent boron content without hydrofluoric acid — a specification consistent with nuclear, defence, naval, and aerospace end-market thresholds and a level no allied-nation natural graphite source has publicly demonstrated. The Graphene Coatings platform runs four product families: ZenGUARD™ (graphene oxide air filtration coating, the only one with active commercial sales and a US patent issued June 2026), ZenFire™ (graphene-enhanced intumescent fire protection gel), ZenICE™ (carbon-based copolymeric icephobic coating with PCT filing), and ZenArmor™ (graphene-enhanced anti-corrosion barrier coating). Triera Biosciences (wholly owned) operates an aptamer-based CRO built on an exclusive 20-year McMaster University IP license, combining multivalent aptamer constructs, SELEX discovery, electrochemical biosensors, and a machine-learning classification engine validated at 100% accuracy on 172 patient samples (published ACS Sensors, January 2025).

The business model is client-funded CRO across all three platforms: industry brings the problem, Zentek develops the solution, and Zentek retains IP ownership with the client receiving a use licence. Government grants (NRC IRAP, SR&ED, Ontario OIDMTC) offset 35-80% of R&D cost. Triera CRO engagements are priced at C$50,000-C$500,000 per project; ZenGUARD air filters sell directly to consumers, federal departments (via the Innovative Solutions Canada Pathway to Commercialization exclusive supplier arrangement, May 2026), HVAC manufacturers (via licensing and Quality Filters Inc. in Alabama), and as enhanced filter media to manufacturers; Albany graphite forward indicative pricing is US$20,000-$70,000 per tonne depending on nuclear, defence, or aerospace specification. The company is asset-light by design with no manufacturing capex, has undergone a strategic transformation since December 2025 under new CEO Mohammed (Moe) Jiwan, and is currently raising up to C$18M via a brokered LIFE offering led by Red Cloud Securities to fund Albany de-risking (PEA targeted Summer 2026), ZenGUARD US market entry, and Triera CRO build-out.

Name

Zentek

Legal name

Zentek Ltd.

Website

https://zentek.com

Company type

Public

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Zentek Ltd. is a Canadian dual-listed (TSX-V: ZEN / Nasdaq: ZTEK) deep-science platform company operating three CRO-style business lines: Albany Graphite (hydrothermal graphite deposit in Northern Ontario with nuclear-grade purity), Graphene Coatings (ZenGUARD air filtration, ZenFire, ZenICE, ZenArmor), and Triera Biosciences (aptamer-based diagnostics CRO under exclusive McMaster University license), serving defence, HVAC, and pharma/biotech end-markets via a client-funded development-on-demand model.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Thunder Bay

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Triera CRO services: Client-funded contract research services for custom aptamer discovery, biosensor enablement, and ML classification. Project pricing $50K-$500K per engagement; weeks-to-months timeline. IP retained by Triera with client use licence.
2. ZenGUARD air filter direct sales: Direct commercial sales of ZenGUARD Enhanced Air Filters in Canada following May 2026 Health Canada regulatory classification. Commercial orders now accepted in Canada.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion5 records

Core offering

Zentek Ltd. is an intellectual property development and commercialisation company operating three structurally independent deep-science platforms — Albany Graphite (hydrothermal graphite deposit with halogen-free FBR thermal purification to nuclear-grade purity), Graphene Coatings (ZenGUARD air filtration, ZenFire fire protection, ZenICE icephobic, ZenArmor anti-corrosion, GraphGel), and Triera Biosciences (aptamer-based diagnostics and CRO services). Each platform runs on a development-on-demand CRO model in which the client funds the work and Zentek retains the resulting IP, with government grants offsetting 35–80% of R&D cost.

Product overview

Zentek Ltd. operates a platform-plus-modules architecture comprising three structurally independent deep-science business lines that share a single client-funded development-on-demand CRO model (industry funds the work, Zentek owns the IP): (1) Albany Graphite, a wholly owned subsidiary holding a hydrothermal graphite deposit in Northern Ontario targeting nuclear, defence, aerospace, and advanced battery end-markets; (2) a Graphene Coatings platform with four active product families — ZenGUARD™ (air filtration), ZenFire™ (fire protection), ZenICE™ (icephobic), and ZenArmor™ (anti-corrosion) — with GraphGel™ also referenced on the homepage menu; and (3) Triera Biosciences, a wholly owned aptamer contract research organization offering Triera CRO Services and Triera Rapid Diagnostic Products (Influenza A, Syphilis, COVID-19, Norovirus, VEGF), built on an exclusive 20-year McMaster University license and a validated ML-classification diagnostic platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ZenGUARD™: Patented graphene oxide coating technology applicable to HVAC air filters, surgical masks, and other air-contact surfaces; platform within the Graphene Coatings business.
• ZenFire™
• ZenICE™
• ZenArmor™
• Triera Biosciences
• Albany Graphite Corp.

Products and services

• Albany Graphite Project Hydrothermal, igneous-hosted natural graphite deposit in Northern Ontario (~70 km northwest of Hearst), held through wholly owned subsidiary Albany Graphite Corp. The deposit is purified via halogen-free Fluidized Bed Reactor (FBR) thermal processing to nuclear-grade purity, with 367 mAh/g reversible battery capacity confirmed, targeting nuclear SMR, defence, aerospace, and advanced battery end-markets.
• ZenGUARD Patented graphene oxide air filtration coating applied to HVAC air filters, surgical masks, and other air-contact surfaces. Alters filter media surface topography to increase mechanical air disruption without raising pressure differential, delivering improved filtration at no energy cost. Active U.S. pilot evaluation with Quality Filters Inc. and Canadian commercial sales launched May 2026.
• ZenFire Graphene-enhanced intumescent fire-protection gel that delivers passive fire protection at dramatically lower coating thickness than conventional intumescent chemistry, enabling retrofit applications for structural steel, building materials, and offshore platforms. Currently in development programme with commercial engagements active.
• ZenICE Carbon-based copolymeric icephobic coating that reduces ice adhesion strength so ice cannot accrete or sheds under its own weight, addressing icing on aircraft, wind turbines, transmission infrastructure, and offshore structures without active heating or chemical treatments. PCT patent filed establishing international priority.
• ZenArmor Graphene-enhanced anti-corrosion coating that uses graphene's two-dimensional impermeable structure as a barrier against oxygen and moisture migration, designed for retrofit compatibility with existing primer systems in marine, offshore, industrial, and infrastructure applications.
• GraphGel Graphene gel product family referenced alongside ZenGUARD, ZenICE, and ZenArmor as one of the graphene coating product families in Zentek's portfolio.
• Triera CRO Services Contract research organization services from Triera Biosciences covering custom aptamer discovery, biosensor engineering, and machine-learning classification support for pharmaceutical, biotech, and diagnostics clients across North America and Europe. Engagements priced C$50,000–C$500,000 per project, with Triera retaining commercial IP rights and clients receiving use licences. Built on an exclusive 20-year McMaster University aptamer license.
• Triera Rapid Diagnostic Products Pipeline of five aptamer-based rapid diagnostic products (Influenza A, Syphilis, SARS-CoV-2, Norovirus, VEGF/oncology biomarker) built on a reusable electrochemical-sensor plus ML-classification platform validated at 100% accuracy on 172 real patient samples and published in ACS Sensors in January 2025.
• ZenGUARD Enhanced Air Filters Finished commercial air filter product incorporating ZenGUARD graphene oxide coating technology, available for direct purchase in Canada following May 2026 Health Canada regulatory classification and added to Innovative Solutions Canada Pathway to Commercialization source list for Government of Canada procurement.

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability2 records

Feature8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Nouveau Monde Graphite: Canadian developer of battery-grade natural graphite targeting EV and advanced materials markets. Comparable to Zentek's Albany Graphite platform as a Western, allied-nation graphite source pursuing downstream qualification with battery and industrial customers.
• Northern Graphite: Canadian-listed natural graphite miner and processor producing specialty graphite grades for batteries, refractories, and industrial uses. Comparable to Albany Graphite on the mining and downstream purification side.
• Talga Group: Australia-listed developer of graphite anode materials and graphene-based coatings. Closely comparable to Zentek across both the Albany graphite purification pathway and the ZenGUARD/ZenArmor graphene coating platform.
• First Graphene: Commercial-stage graphene producer selling PureGRAPH additives into coatings, composites, and energy storage. Most direct pure-play competitor to Zentek's graphene coatings portfolio (ZenGUARD, ZenICE, ZenArmor).
• SomaLogic: Aptamer-based proteomics platform offering large-scale biomarker discovery services to pharma and diagnostics clients. Direct comparable to Triera on aptamer discovery CRO and ML-assisted biomarker classification.
• Lomiko Metals: Canadian junior graphite developer with properties in Quebec. Comparable to Albany Graphite as a small-cap Canadian natural graphite play targeting specialty and battery-grade end-markets.
• Applied Graphene Materials: UK-based graphene dispersions and coatings producer supplying industrial coatings, composites, and corrosion-protection markets. Comparable to the ZenArmor/ZenICE/ZenFire coatings portfolio.

Broad incumbents

• Bio-Techne: Large-cap life-sciences tools company with diagnostic reagents, aptamer/antibody products, and a global CRO footprint. Comparable to Triera as an established player in the aptamer/diagnostics tools space with broader portfolio reach.

Emerging players

• Novonix: Battery materials developer focused on synthetic graphite for anode applications and battery testing. Partial overlap with Albany's specialty graphite pathway, particularly defence and aerospace grades.
• Graphenea: Graphene materials supplier producing graphene oxide and CVD graphene films for research and industrial customers. Comparable as a graphene oxide supplier relevant to ZenGUARD's underlying chemistry.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/zentekltd
• Facebookfinance.yahoo.com/quote/ZEN.V
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/zentekltd

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds4 records

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Zentek