• AkzoNobel and PV PAINT advance ecosparc® products, SparcES™ targets data centres and semiconductor plants, while the SHARP solar-hydrogen facility demonstrates sustained autonomous operation in South Australia

 

MELBOURNE, Australia -- Sparc Technologies Limited (ASX: SPN | FRA: NLR | OTCQB: SPTCF) has reported a quarter of commercial progress across its graphene-additives and green-hydrogen businesses, led by the first commercial products incorporating ecosparc®, the launch of its SparcES™ conductive-additives range and six months of continuous operation at the SHARP hydrogen pilot plant.

 

Quarterly highlights include:

• Commercialisation of Sparc’s flagship ecosparc® graphene additive through protective coating products from AkzoNobel and Petro Vietnam Paint.
• Launch of SparcES™, a graphene-additive range developed for electrostatic-dissipative and conductive coatings.
• Six months of continuous, autonomous operation at Sparc Hydrogen’s SHARP pilot plant in Roseworthy, South Australia.
• Progress on next-generation photocatalysts, reactor development and European commercial partnerships.
• A cash balance of A$1.47 million [approximately US$1.03 million] at 30 June 2026.
• Completion of a US OTCQB Venture Market listing under the ticker SPTCF, with the ASX remaining Sparc’s primary exchange. 

 

ecosparc® Enters Commercial Protective-Coatings Market

The June quarter marked the transition of Sparc’s graphene-additives business from product development into commercial deployment.

 

AkzoNobel committed to releasing an ecosparc®-enhanced version of its Interzone® 954 protective coating in Australia. The product will be manufactured at AkzoNobel’s Australian facility and represents the first widely used commercial protective coating globally to incorporate Sparc’s graphene-based additive.

 

The launch follows several years of laboratory testing and field trials involving Sparc and AkzoNobel. The companies have agreed on a price per kilogram for the additive, although the arrangement does not include a fixed term or minimum purchase volumes.

 

Interzone® 954 has been used for more than 25 years to protect assets in demanding industries, including mining, oil and gas, refining and offshore wind. AkzoNobel operates in more than 150 countries, employs approximately 31,500 people and generated revenue of €10.2 billion [approximately US$11.71 billion] in 2025. 

 

PV PAINT Prepares International ecosparc® Product Range

Sparc also secured a second commercial product launch during the quarter after Petro Vietnam Paint, known as PV PAINT, committed to using ecosparc® in its dedicated PERAPHENE protective-coatings range.

 

Commercial availability is expected to begin during the third quarter of 2026. The launch will make PERAPHENE the first international protective-coatings range incorporating ecosparc®.

 

Testing found that PERAPHENE products containing ecosparc® met the C5 high-corrosivity requirements of ISO 12944-6:2018 while using lower dry-film thicknesses than comparable systems currently recommended by PV PAINT. Independent third-party validation was also completed.

 

PV PAINT is part of Vietnam’s National Industry–Energy Group, PetroVietnam, and supplies coating systems to marine, offshore, industrial and civil markets. 

 

Sparc appointed coatings-industry specialist Peter Wenzke as business development manager during the quarter. Wenzke brings approximately 25 years of commercial, marketing and technical experience from companies including Sherwin-Williams and Wattyl Industrial Coatings.

 

His appointment is intended to accelerate the specification and adoption of ecosparc®-enhanced coatings in Australia and overseas.

 

SparcES™ Targets Data Centres and Semiconductor Manufacturing

Sparc launched SparcES™, a dedicated additive range for electrostatic-dissipative and conductive coatings used in data centres, semiconductor manufacturing and other sensitive industrial facilities.

 

The launch follows approximately two years of electrical-conductivity testing involving different graphene materials, dosage rates, polymer resins and coating formulations.

 

Sparc said its work indicates that correctly sourced and dispersed graphene may offer advantages over conventional conductive materials such as graphite, carbon black, carbon nanotubes and metal nanowires. Potential benefits include lower dosage requirements, easier material handling, improved durability, greater opacity and reduced raw-material costs.

 

Two customer product-development programmes using SparcES™ materials are already underway.

 

Independent research commissioned from Orr & Boss estimated that the global market for electrostatic-dissipative and conductive coatings will be worth US$1.2 billion in 2026, rising to approximately US$1.65 billion by 2030.

 

Data centres and semiconductor manufacturing facilities are expected to represent around 75% of demand in 2026 and approximately 80% by 2030. These figures describe an estimated addressable market and should not be treated as Sparc revenue guidance. 

 

SHARP Hydrogen Pilot Completes Six Months of Continuous Operation

Sparc Hydrogen, the joint venture between Sparc Technologies, Fortescue Ltd and Adelaide University, completed six months of continuous operation at its SHARP photocatalytic water-splitting pilot facility in Roseworthy.

 

The plant demonstrated autonomous operation, including remote start-up and shutdown, sustained hydrogen production at maximum reactor-design pressure and stable performance at elevated temperatures.

 

The facility continued operating through a South Australian summer in which ambient temperatures reached 46°C. Photocatalyst performance and durability were maintained throughout the testing period, providing real-world operating data beyond earlier laboratory and prototype trials.

 

Photocatalytic water splitting uses sunlight, water and a photocatalyst to produce hydrogen without conventional electrolysers. The technology is being developed as a potentially lower-infrastructure and lower-energy route to renewable hydrogen production. 

 

Work planned for the third quarter includes extended reactor and catalyst durability studies, improvements to plant-control systems, mirror-tracking development, performance-data analysis and routine maintenance.

 

The joint venture is also evaluating several next-generation photocatalyst materials and expects to begin testing selected materials at the SHARP facility during the second half of 2026.

 

European Partnerships Move Forward

Sparc Hydrogen progressed business-development activities in Spain, Germany, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands during the quarter.

 

The company worked with a concentrated-solar infrastructure partner in Valencia on mirror systems, reactor mounting and thermal management. The discussions resulted in a non-binding memorandum of understanding signed in late June.

 

Meetings were also held with photocatalyst developers in the United Kingdom to examine how emerging materials could be integrated into Sparc Hydrogen’s concentrated-solar reactor platform.

 

The company participated in the World Hydrogen Summit in Rotterdam as part of an Australian trade delegation and held discussions with technology developers, industrial hydrogen buyers, government representatives and development-finance institutions.

 

Sparc Hydrogen will continue developing partnerships that could connect photocatalyst research with future commercial-scale hydrogen-production projects. 

 

Priorities for the Remainder of 2026

Sparc’s immediate commercial priority is to expand ecosparc® into additional protective-coatings products and manufacturers following the AkzoNobel and PV PAINT launches.

 

The company will also advance SparcES™ customer-development programmes and has started collaborative testing aimed at entering the powder-coatings market.

 

For Sparc Hydrogen, the remaining 2026 programme will focus on continued operation of the SHARP facility, testing of next-generation photocatalysts, reactor improvements and discussions with prospective strategic and commercial partners. 

 

Corporate Update

Sparc Technologies reported cash of A$1.47 million [approximately US$1.03 million] at 30 June 2026. This included an approximately A$680,000 [US$478,000] advance against the company’s expected 2026 financial-year research-and-development tax-incentive claim.

 

Quarterly cash expenditure was reported to be in line with expectations.

 

In June, Sparc obtained a listing on the US OTCQB Venture Market under the ticker SPTCF. No new shares were issued in connection with the listing, and the Australian Securities Exchange will remain the company’s primary market. 

 

About Sparc Technologies

Sparc Technologies Limited is an Australian technology company developing graphene-enhanced materials and renewable-hydrogen production technology.

 

The company has commercialised ecosparc®, a graphene additive designed to improve the performance of epoxy-based protective coatings at low dosage rates.

 

Sparc Technologies is also a partner in Sparc Hydrogen, which is developing photocatalytic water-splitting reactor technology that produces hydrogen using sunlight, water and photocatalyst materials.

 

Source:   Fuel Cells Works