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This issue of NanoNews-Now covers nanoscale materials. Editor Rocky Rawstern asked five questions of companies that produce, sell, and make products from nanomaterials.
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Rocky Rawstern
Editor, Nanotechnology Now
Nanomaterials Questionnaire
In this questionnaire we asked 5 questions of materials companies from around the world. The intention was to determine how how they perceive nanoscale materials trends, to learn more about their products, and to determine how many of them came out of university research labs.
Here are the 5 questions:
1. What advances in materials science have you seen in the past five years, and what has driven them? (new/better/different tools; advances in our understanding of the nanoscale; happenstance/luck/serendipity?)
2. What kind of advances do you expect to see in the next five years, and what are the likely drivers?
3. What are the primary applications for your materials? Who are the primary users?
4. What unique properties do your materials bring to the end-user?
5. Did any of your materials science evolve from university research? If so, which lab, and which material(s)?
(click on the question number - above - to go directly to that question and the response-set.)
Each company will be represented in the response section by the initials of the person that responded, followed by the company name. For instance, Fred Tepper's responses will be indicated by "FT/Argonide" - this allows you to read all the responses to each question as a group, without having to repeat the questions.
Clicking on the details link will take you to a section with details about each company.
Today, when people talk about nanotechnology, most often they are referring to nanoscale materials. This was not true ten - or even five - years ago; then it meant something far different: little machines (assemblers), and things built by them, and "fabricators" (from which springs the nanofactory, and then the desktop factory) where the input was raw materials, and the output was almost anything you could imagine, built molecule by molecule.
So what we're presenting today is a look at what some "nanotechnology" companies are doing with nanoscale materials, and their perceptions about what is now and what will soon be driving their technologies.
I'll close this introduction with a quote from The Next Big Thing Is Really Small: How Nanotechnology Will Change the Future of Your Business
"Materials scientists are now developing new materials with enhanced electronic properties. These new materials will allow for the creation of faster computers. The faster computers will be used to generate more sophisticated computer simulation software, which in turn will be used to design even better materials. These new materials will then be turned around and used to build the next generation of ever-faster computers. The process thus continually repeats itself in an ever-shorter time frame. In addition to the creation of new materials, better software programs, and faster computers, these changes will also result in entirely new products, applications, and markets." Jack Uldrich & Deb Newberry Read our review
The following companies responded to this questionnaire:
Fred Tepper (FT), President and Founder Argonide details
Jason E. Rama (JER), Ph.D. President Meliorum Technologies, Inc. details
Dr. Torsten Schmidt (TS), Chief Executive Officer Genthe -X- Coatings GmbH (GXC) details
Patrick Collins (PC), Marketing Director Hyperion Catalysis details
Jonathon Foreman (JF), Marketing and Sales Manager NexTech Materials, Ltd. details
Andy Watson (AW), Consultant to Quantum Dot Corporation details
PlasmaChem GmbH details
Robert Pucciariello (RP): Chief Executive Officer Evolved Nanomaterial Sciences Inc. (ENS) details
Steve Petrone (SP), Ph.D. President Quantiam Technologies details
Ginger Denison (GD), Ph.D. Senior Scientist and Co-founder Liquidia Technologies details
Sally Ramsey (SR), Chief Chemist Ecology Coatings details
Michael Lefenfeld (ML), Founder and CEO SiGNa Chemistry details
Marvin Yueh (MY), Green Millennium details
Dr. Niles Fleischer (NF), Vice President of Business Development and Vice President of Product Development NanoMaterials, Ltd. details
Harry Swan (HS), Nanomaterials Business Manager Thomas Swan & Co. Ltd. details
Ganesh Skandan (GS), Chief Executive Officer NEI Corporation details
Frank C. Yang (FCY), Director of Business Development Industrial Science & Technology Network, Inc. (ISTN) details
Brian Innes (BI), Business Development Manager Advanced NanoTechnology Ltd. details
Maria Thompson (MT), President and CEO T/J Technologies, Inc. details
J. Gary McDaniel (JGM), CEO NanoEner Technologies details
Olivier Decroly (OD), Global Business Development Manager Nanocyl S.A. details
Dr. Stephanos Nitodas (SN), General Manager Nanothinx details
Dr. Andrew Hunt (AH), CEO nGimat details
Harris Goldberg (HG), President and CEO InMat details
Keith Blakely (KB), CEO NanoDynamics details
Dan Hayes (DH), Ph.D. Director of Operations NanoHorizons details
And here are their responses:
Return to Top of Questionnaire
1. What advances in materials science have you seen in the past five years, and what has driven them?
FT/Argonide: We stock and supply nano metal powders to the research community. Sales have been very modest as we seek customers with niche applications. So far we have three applications that are growing out of the lab. Unfortunately I cannot discuss the powder type or application.
Our principal business relates to the use of our nano alumina fiber as a component of a unique (and patented) electrostatic water filter capable of filtering sub-micron and nano size particulates, even at high flow rates. The filter is capable of high filtration efficiency even for particles the size of a virus. And it also has a high capacity for retaining these particles. We furnish the filter in the form of cartridges and laboratory discs and syringe filters.
JER/Meliorum Technologies: We have seen a strong transition and focus on producing nanomaterials in large-scale quantities. In the 1990s, the focus appeared to mostly be on understanding the electronic and optical (and sometimes mechanical) properties of materials whose average diameters are below, say, 80 nm. Now that much of that fundamental work has been done, the focus has pushed into a much more commercial focus and no fabrication method is of sincere interest unless it is scalable. This makes sense. From what we've seen, companies who put the carriage before the horse by scaling before they had correct size and surface chemistry are now having a difficult time surviving.
TS/Genthe -X- Coatings: Advances in our understanding of molecular design on the nanoscale.
PC/Hyperion Catalysis: We have seen that the continuing miniaturization in electronics opens up more applications for our nanotubes. Not that nanotubes will be used to make the actual devices (that is over 5 years away). What is happening is the new generation of devices are more sensitive to electrostatic discharge (ESD) and need the high level of protection from a permanent antistat without compromising cleanliness – this is exactly what our nanotubes do when compounded into plastics.
JF/NexTech Materials: There are so many technical advances in the past 5 years, it's mind-boggling. To me the most important advances for nanotechnology are three-fold. First, is the recognition by investors and governments around the world that this class of technology has the potential to revolutionize the materials we use, and to enhance our lives, and the money is flowing. Second, the establishment of world-class research institutes dedicated to specific applications (e.g. bio-polymers, nano-scale electronics, etc.). And third is the marketing effort that is winning the hearts and minds of the general public, turning them from fear of "nano-bots" to understanding of the benefits.
AW/Quantum Dot Corporation: Ability to consistently control shape and size of nanomaterials, and some luck!
PlasmaChem: Better understanding in nano-particle behavior and in their quality control.
RP/Evolved Nanomaterial Sciences: Five years ago much of nanotechnology was driven by tools – by instruments anticipating measurement needs in nanotechnology. The most active areas of nanomaterials still revolved around fullerenes and their basic properties. There has always been a technology hurdle in using nanomaterial technologies – how do you incorporate nanoscale functional features into materials that can be manipulated on a commercial scale? More recently we've been seeing a stronger focus on supramolecular chemistry used to assemble smart nanostructures, and on some of the deeper lessons from Biophysics. One thing the new focus on Biomimicry has taught us is that self-assembly is about so much more than oriented thin films.
SP/Quantiam Technologies: We work in the space of manipulating matter at the angstrom level to build products used in very extreme industries (Chemical, Petrochemical, Oil & Gas, Mining, etc.). We have seen materials manufactured/created at an ever-decreasing smaller scale, allowing industry to exploit properties of matter once thought impossible. As example, in the field of wear coatings, we have discovered nanomaterials that allow key properties such as hardness, fracture toughness and ductility to all be increased at the same time - opposite to conventional thinking. In the field of surfaces and catalysts, we have discovered new nanomaterials that have the potential of significantly impacting energy requirements and emissions of major Petrochemical industrial processes that in some cases have not changed in 50 years - except to run hotter and harder. Much of this has been due to increasing abilities to probe matter at this smaller scale, and equally important, to manipulate and manufacture in a cost effective manner.
GD/Liquidia Technologies:
Large advances have been made in the synthesis of polymers with well controlled block length and architectures (ATRP, RAFT, ROMP, etc..). Driven by pioneers in academic circles.
Large advances have been made in soft lithography and imprint lithography driven by improved materials and processes as well as advances in tools and understanding.
Important advances have been made in the synthesis and applications of inorganic nanoparticles including demonstrated shape and size control using crystallization kinetics. This has been driven largely by basic research.
Large-scale synthesis and usage of carbon nanotubes and their conversion into sheets for use in devices.
Many advances have been made in the past 5 years in our understanding and control of surface science including thin films, superhydrophobicity, "switchable surfaces," and devices.
SR/Ecology Coatings: I have seen a better understanding of the kind of chemistry that supports dispersion of nanoparticles without agglomeration, maintaining those unique performance properties that we value in nanomaterials. Initially a byproduct of a lot of water-based applications going awry, follow-up research has produced some thoughtful work and important insight.
ML/SiGNa Chemistry: There have been a multitude of developments in materials science in the past five years in a variety of areas, such as electronics, fine chemicals, etc. The advancement of new technology and tools has driven the rapid advancement of these materials due to better visualization and refinement. However, most of the disruptive advancements are discovered due to luck. SiGNa Chemistry developed its materials through utilization of scientific understanding and the serendipitous choice of starting materials giving the best properties.
MY/Green Millennium: The Light Cleaning revolution using nano-scale titanium dioxide or photocatalyst. Scientific studies on photocatalysis started about two and a half decades ago. One of the aspects that has shown the most exciting potential is the application of photocatalysis to environmental cleanup, i.e. self-cleaning, air purification, anti-microbial. Over the years, technological advances have enabled certain photocatalysts to react with indoor light (instead of UV light spectrum), to perform the same amazing phenomenon as its predecessor. Scientists and researchers are envisioning photocatalytic technologies to be adopted extensively in hospitals worldwide in order to achieve and maintain a high level of sanitary conditions in hospitals and other public facilities.
NF/NanoMaterials: no answer
HS/Thomas Swan & Co.: We started selling single-wall carbon nanotubes in April last year (2004). The biggest advance since then has been in our understanding of production and quality control. Our main aim has always been to provide carbon nanotubes of a consistent quality to allow meaningful industrial R&D. We have almost achieved this and our material is currently being used in a wide variety of application development.
GS/NEI Corporation: From our perspective, the most important advancement has been in the area of "structure-property" correlation at the nanoscale. Since the materials properties are so different at the nanoscale compared to micrograined materials, a fundamental understanding of how the properties are related to the structure is essential to harness them into useful applications. With the advancement of synthesis technologies, it is now possible to make reproducible nanomaterials and characterize them to determine their structure and properties.
Nanotechnology is the most significant technological frontier being explored today. Materials and devices at the nanoscale hold vast promise for innovation in virtually every industry and public endeavor, including health, electronics, transportation, the environment and national security.
—Gov. Rod Blagojevich
FCY/ISTN: A recent general trend has been the convergence of top-down methods of producing nanoscale structures with bottom-up molecular methods and the integration of organic and inorganic materials to create nanocomposite hybrids. The use of biomolecules as synthons in materials science and the development of nanoparticle-based biodiagnostics are now the basis for commercial detection and lithography systems.
The trend has been to find easier bottom-up methods to make functional devices. An example is the deposition of silicon nanowires onto glass or plastic surfaces in a method similar to applying the ink to a piece of paper. There has also been intense activity in the synthesis of gold and silver nanoparticles in a variety of shapes including discs, hollow structures, rods and prisms. These materials have unusual optical properties, and methods have been developed to make them in high yield.
BI/Advanced NanoTechnology: Better manufacturing techniques and better characteristion.
MT/T/J Technologies: Our work in the electrochemical arena and the driving need for new materials for rechargeable batteries has made more Federal funding available for our research.
JGM/NanoEner Technologies: The past 5 years have seen a very rapid advance in materials science. New nanomaterials and applications are emerging almost daily from countless nanotech start-ups as well as from large established companies. In my opinion this has primarily been driven by the large investments in R&D around the world in nanotechnology. For example, the U.S. Federal Government's approximately $1 billion annual funding for nanotechnology R&D (the National Nanotechnology Initiative) represents roughly one-quarter of the current global investment by all nations. Total annual U.S. R&D spending (Federal, State, and private) now stands at approximately $3 billion, one-third of the approximately $9 billion in total worldwide spending by the public and private sectors. With this scale of funding it is only a matter of when, not if, new materials will be developed. (Source: President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, May 2005)
OD/Nanocyl: Characterization tools for measuring intrinsic properties of nanomaterials (e.g transport properties, mechanical properties of carbon nanotubes) and manipulating them. The driving force is the nanomaterials industry and research community that need better tools for research and product development, as well as for the standardization of the properties used to describe nanomaterials.
SN/Nanothinx: During the past several years, there have been significant advances in the understanding of the science of nanotechnology and the business of capitalizing on emerging capabilities in order to create innovative products with viable commercial potential. These advances allowed nanomaterials to be employed into numerous applications. The majority of these applications sought performance improvements that were previously unobtainable.
Representative examples of nanomaterials applications that have been commercialized are: abrasion resistant transparent coatings, reinforced ceramics and polymers, sunscreen lotions to provide visible transparent UV protection, polishing slurries to provide pristine surfaces for optics, and environmental catalysts to reduce pollution.
AH/nGimat: The understanding of nanomaterials and the control of making the nanosized materials. A big driver was the availability and lower cost of analytical techniques to analyse what was made and measure the resulting properties.
HG/InMat: no answer
KB/NanoDynamics: The commercialization of the first group of nano products that are economic and amenable to consumer and other large-scale applications; the advent of "crossover products" that combine biological processes or applications with chemistry, physics, metallurgy and the other engineering sciences.
DH/NanoHorizons: There have been a number of advances in material science during the past five years. New nanoscale materials have been developed: Quantum Dots (core-shell semiconductor nanocrystals), multi-material nanorods, new shapes of nanoparticles (pyramids, disks, rods). New methods of nanomaterial synthesis have led to more efficient production processes and novel nanomaterials. These advances have primarily been driven by advances in characterization techniques and equipment. Electron microscopes, AFM's and STM's with better resolution and improved analytical tools such as XPS and SIMS have allowed greater precision in the characterization of materials. This allows new materials/devices to be fabricated and characterized. These materials/devices would not have been able to be adequately characterized by scientists and engineers a decade ago.
FT/Argonide: Nanotubes and even to some respect our nanopowders tend to be pricey so that their applications necessarily need to be high value added. A major exception insofar as our products is the nano alumina fiber, which is produced in quantity and at a very low cost. When constructed into a water cartridge the latter's cost is only about 50 to 100% higher than ordinary filter media cartridges. Yet its capability in filter life is projected to be 5-10 times greater than conventional cartridges. Moreover, filtration efficiency greater than 99.999% is typical while conventional cartridges are completely ineffective for particles smaller than about 0.5 micron. We expect to challenge much of the market for ultraporous membranes. Such membranes also have the burden of very low flow and tend to clog or foul very readily.
JER/Meliorum Technologies: We expect to see the continued emergence of nanomaterial composites, and a broader availability of materials whose macroscopic properties may be altered and tuned based not only on their size, but their relative elemental composition. Historically, technical groups have been unable to produce nanocomposites whose properties (namely, relative elemental composition) are highly specified. However, as the art is progressing, this will become more commonplace, and also the scaling of these materials will happen more readily. On a non-technical level, the nano-hype will (hopefully) subside, and people will broadly embrace all that nanotech truly has to offer by way of its technical merits, and not solely due to its name.
TS/Genthe -X- Coatings: Broad base commercial experience with nanomaterials.
PC/Hyperion Catalysis: If I knew, I'd be rich.
JF/NexTech Materials: In many ways, this is a technology push environment. New technologies have spawned new application ideas such as anti-bacterial socks and bandages. This in turn has sparked the imaginations of applications people - how can nano change what I do? The major advances in the next 5 years will be improvements in manufacturing to bring the price down as these applications gain traction.
AW/Quantum Dot Corporation: New uses in clinical diagnostic applications.
PlasmaChem: Transtion to new nano-scaled objects able to self-assemly into controlled 2D- and 3D- nano- and micro-structures.
RP/Evolved Nanomaterial Sciences: We expect to see "Smarter" nanostructures and materials – more functionality incorporated directly into materials using nanotechnology. Right now we use materials as supports for other technology written onto the material or attached to the material. Increasing sophistication in nanoscale manipulation, supramolecular chemistry, and "self-assembly" incorporating lessons from Biophysics will lead to more materials that incorporate sophisticated technology functions as inherent features. Think about the transition from vacuum tubes made from glass and metallic materials to layered semiconductor "smart" materials. We'll see the same types of advances in areas of chemical processing, medical technologies, imaging, and eventually widespread in consumer goods (just like there are now transistors in everything). What this means to the average person on the street is that more of the objects they use will require less manipulation to use and to maintain.
SP/Quantiam Technologies: We expect the advances to increase exponentially, as with any revolution. Once a critical mass of expertise, experience and resources are brought together, new product development cycle times should come down and the level or leaps of "disruptive innovation" increased further. Major drivers in our areas are the ever increasing needs for energy, lower energy costs, and lower emissions, as well as step-gains in reducing materials degradation in severe industrial applications.
Integration of nanoscale science with biological applications and processes. Likely drivers are in meeting existing needs in the applications of drug delivery, diagnostics and detection, and nanoscale sensors.
Continued improvement of soft lithographic and imprint methods to reach the level of photolithography as an alternative in the sub 25 nm regime. The driver being the enormous cost of continuing traditional photolithography into this size range.
Further control over polymer architectures to generate deliberate nanoscale structures. The likely driver being the rise of so called "bottom up" approaches to be competitive with traditional "top down" methods such as lithography.
Generation of so-called "Smart" materials, surfaces, and particles which respond to external stimuli to perform a specific function. Likely drivers to meet needs in medical devices, surface science, and medicine.
SR/Ecology Coatings: I expect to see a better understanding of the physical behavior of nanoparticles, enabling them to be used more widely and efficiently across a variety of applications. And I expect to see further efforts towards a better understanding of the environmental and physiological effects of nanoparticles, so that their safe use can be assured.
ML/SiGNa Chemistry: The advancements that will most likely be most pivotal in the next few years will be the development of better electronic components due to these advanced materials as well as better and cleaner chemical processes.
MY/Green Millennium: While photocatalysts excel in anti-microbial power, the real power of it may lie in its multi-functionality. We envision that buildings in the future, including houses, churches, hospitals, schools, malls, all public facility, etc., will incorporate photocatalyst technology to keep them maintenance-free (against dirt, grime, city pollutants) while providing a purified and sanitized environment at all times for their residents.
HS/Thomas Swan & Co.: Performance and application data on carbon nanotubes. Everyone knows they have the potential to deliver some incredible properties, the key now is proving the performance of the material warrants the cost. The main barrier to achieving this will be successful and stable dispersion of carbon nanotubes (especially single-wall tubes) prior to blending in a composite or down-stream application.
GS/NEI Corporation: Over the next five years, we are likely to see more evolutionary nanotechnologies (particularly nanomaterials) embedded in existing products. The driving force comes from the need for mature companies to distinguish their products from the competition in established markets. If there is sufficient performance enhancement with a minimal amount of incremental cost associated with it (hence a good value proposition), the particular nanomaterial will then be accepted in the marketplace.
FCY/ISTN: Nanomaterials currently under development will provide ways of improving performance in a range of products including silicon based electronics, displays, paints, batteries, solar cells, and catalysts. Memory and other electronic devices using carbon nanotubes are expected to be commercialized within the next five years. Applications of nanotechnologies in medicine are especially promising, and areas such as disease diagnosis, drug delivery targeted at specific sites in the body, and molecular imaging are being investigated and products are undergoing clinical trials. Materials for biosensors will incorporate metal nanoparticles that use surface plasmon resonance spectroscopy. Other possible materials include improved lubricants that incorporate inorganic nanospheres, nanoceramics to make more durable and better medical prosthetics, and nano-engineered membranes for more energy efficient water purification from seawater. The drivers will be the creation of products with enhanced performance using nanomaterials, and manufactured with more efficient approaches with reduced resource use and waste. A driver for material research is to leverage self-assembly processes to make new materials with a biomimetic emphasis.
BI/Advanced NanoTechnology: More materials entering mainstream markets from a more certain regulatory environment, and a more competitive cost base.
MT/T/J Technologies: We focus our research on the bottlenecks to commercialization, which tend to be cost and performance driven. Safety and power are important criteria for the next generation of battery materials.
JGM/NanoEner Technologies: Understandably, the first nanotech products and applications to be commercialized have simply been "improvements" on existing technologies. For example, nanotechnology has been used to make stain-free khakis, transparent zinc-oxide sunblock, scratch-resistant automobile paint, and more powerful semiconductors. Nanoparticles having higher surface areas are also now being used to make more active catalysts with improved performance.
Over the next 5 years, however, new nanoproducts and nanotechnology applications will begin to emerge. Next generation nanomaterials for the production of clean energy (e.g. advanced batteries, fuel cells, photovoltaic cells), new medical applications (e.g. nanocrystalline synthetic bone, enhanced medical imaging, targeted drug therapies), and nanomembranes and filters for water purification and desalinization are just a few of the breakthroughs that are in the near-term pipeline. The drivers are the same as above: the huge investments in R&D for nanotech that are currently being made around the world.
OD/Nanocyl: More and more control of intrinsic properties of nanomaterials, especially for carbon nanotubes as well as individual manipulation of nanomaterial for single device.
SN/Nanothinx: Over the next five years, (advances in) nanomaterials will result in significant advances in biomedicine, energy, electronic and high-strength applications. These advances are dictated by the need for improvement of the quality of life. For example, the application of nanotechnology on medical/biomedical research is expected to have a major impact leading to the development of new types of diagnostic and therapeutic tools. Another example are nanoscale chemical and biochemical sensors that exploit the large surface area of nanotubes.
A category of materials that has generated substantial interest is that of molecularly perfect carbon structures called carbon nanotubes, which are seen as the "building blocks" of the future. The future trends in the market of carbon nanotubes lie on their applications and consequently, on the need for their low-cost production in industrial scale amounts. CNTs are considered as the key components in reinforced composites, fuel cells, electrical transmission lines, thermoelectric conversion devices and tools for cancer treatment.
AH/nGimat: Improved and lower cost batteries for hybrid vehicles and portable application, high speed portable data and clearer communications, low cost enhanced selectivity sensor system for more efficient industry and safer air and water, lighter and stronger materials for wide range of products, revolution in health care and drug bioavailability. The key driver is low cost, mass production of nanomaterials that are now demonstrating the desired performance.
HG/InMat: Further barrier improvements; coatings for flexible organic electronics.
KB/NanoDynamics: Driven by what is already high demand for nanotechnology research and development, I expect to see a trend toward increased industry acceptance and large-scale availability of raw nanomaterials. Today a large portion of the work being done in nanomaterials is yielding fascinating results that just don't yet meet the rigors of large-scale commercialization; invention of a great product is only the first hurdle: advancements in scalability, reliability and affordability are necessary next steps.
DH/NanoHorizons: Over the next five years further improvements in analytical tools will result in development of smaller and more complex material systems. Greater ability to analyze surfaces and materials will allow advances in nanoelectronics, photovoltaics, optoelectronics, drug delivery, biotechnology tools. More specifically, the next five years may see the development of organic microelectronics, nanowire/tube based transistors, cost effective organic and flexible photovoltaics, targeted drug delivery systems and further advancement in lab-on-a-chip technology.
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FT/Argonide: Drinking water filters, in residential, medical and dental suites, for ultrapure water production in pharmaceutical, chemical, food processing, in swimming pools, cooling towers.
JER/Meliorum Technologies: Primary applications are semiconductor microelectronic fabrication groups, who use our materials to manufacture solar cells, and other optoelectronic devices. We also have a strong presence in the development of nanofluids, for thermal management and other applications.
TS/Genthe -X- Coatings: Antifog and anti-scratch coatings on transparent materials, e.g. glass, polycarbonate, plexi. Users are in automotive lighting, cameras and sensors, safety helmets, masks and goggles, instrumentation and displays in metering devices (e.g. dashboards).
PC/Hyperion Catalysis: Our nanotubes are primarily used as a conductive additive for plastics. They are used for applications that range from high tech to low tech. On the hight tech side, they are used in electronics to provide ESD protection to sensitive devices such as computor hard disk drives. They are also used to protect chips from ESD during their conversion from a disc of silicon to the integrated circuitry of a computor chip. On the low tech side (with appologies to the auto engineering community) they are used to provide ESD protection to those plastics that touch moving fuel in a car's fuel system; for obvious reasons you want do not want an electrostatic discharge near gasoline.
JF/NexTech Materials: We manufacture nano-scale ceramic materials, and our customer base is in energy applications. The main applications of the materials lie where high area to volume ratios are of benefit. These surface-activated processes include catalysis - less material yielding more activity means smaller catalyst beds/components and lower costs in the long-term. We also have developed unique gas sensors and new materials for solar cells. The catalyst and sensor technologies are rather close to commercialization, and we are working with specific customers to take these from the bench to the field. The solar cell technology is earlier stage.
We also utilize these materials in our solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) component processing. The nanoscale materials enable better processing and properties of the anode and cathode materials. The nanoscale nature allows the cells to be processed at lower temperatures while retaining structure and catalytic activity.
AW/Quantum Dot Corporation: Life scientists - biologists doing biology and/or drug discovery research.
PlasmaChem: R&D Market, composite industry.
RP/Evolved Nanomaterial Sciences: The advanced nanomaterials from ENS are currently being used for chiral separations solutions, including chiral separations services, chiral drug discovery and manufacture and chiral compound development. The primary users are in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology fields, although agrichemical, flavor and fragrance markets are also interested in the technology.
SP/Quantiam Technologies: Currently, our primary applications are the first two areas below and expanding to include the latter two:
Wear and corrosion applications in the Chemical Process Industries (Chemical, Petrochemical, Oil & Gas, Oil Sands, and Mining).
Novel catalysts and coatings applications in the petrochemical sector aimed at large-scale energy and emissions reductions (Chemical, Petrochemical and Energy sectors).
Novel catalysts for hydrogen manufacture from hydrocarbon feedstock, as well as photocatalyzed hydrolysis of water.
Novel hydrogen storage materials.
GD/Liquidia Technologies: Our materials are useful in three main areas: solvent and chemically resistant polymeric microfluidic devices, high performance imprint lithography, and custom size and shaped organic nanoparticles. We have a broad user base ranging from the pharmaceutical industry to specialty chemicals to the semiconductor industry.
SR/Ecology Coatings: Our materials are primarily used as barrier coatings. They serve as barrier to physical damage, moisture, corrosion, and some organisms. The coatings may be used on a variety of substrates including metals, plastics, composites, wood, and paper in diverse arenas such as the automotive industry and electronics.
ML/SiGNa Chemistry: The pharmaceutical industry is one of the first to benefit directly from SiGNa's products. While alkali metals are used in the early stages of drug development to manipulate the chemicals into the products being synthesized, they are not used in actual production due to their volatility. Replacing the use of the alkalis requires the design of a multiple step process, driving costs higher. With SiGNa's reagents, there is no need to replace the usage of the alkali metals, lowering the development and production costs.
Fuel cells are another area of interest. One of our alkali metal-oxides products is benign in open air, but as soon as it comes in contact with water, it reacts and produces pure hydrogen gas. This process requires no catalyst, unlike the current borohydride fuel cell systems in development. SiGNa is currently working with a number of fuel cell manufacturers to integrate this technology.
SiGNa could also benefit the petroleum industry. Petrochemicals, specifically polymers, are generally constructed through anionic polymerization (adding an electron). Unfortunately, this is a complex process that requires working with very dangerous elements. SiGNa's products maintain the reactivity needed to be effective, but in a much safer environment.
This technology can also be used to pull impurities from crude oil. SiGNa's products have proven highly efficient in cleansing petroleum of sulfur and other agents.
SiGNa Chemistry has sold its materials to ExxonMobil, Shell Chemical and Pfizer.
MY/Green Millennium: Our products come in the form of a solution. Once sprayed, or through manufacturer integration, it forms an odorless, transparent, VOC-free, pH neutral, and non-toxic thin coating to keep the building's exterior self-cleaning, and the interior purified and sanitized, 3-dimensionally. Our customers are individuals, car owners, pet owners, home owners, office / building owners, and property managers. On a B2B scale, any manufacturers (i.e. air condition, air purifier, building material, textile, metal, etc.) or post applicators (i.e. painters, building restoration companies, mold remediators) are our potential customers.
NF/NanoMaterials: Our business model is to sell NanoLub® to all four major segments of the lubricant market: as a performance enhancing additive to oils and greases, as a solid lubricant for impregnating self-lubricating parts, and as the active component in advanced anti-friction coatings.
The target markets for NanoLub® include: maintenance free systems, aerospace, heavy equipment, the semiconductor industry, power generating equipment and wind turbines, construction vehicles and heavy trucks, agricultural equipment, mining and manufacturing machinery, the automotive industry, and biomedical devices like artificial joints.
HS/Thomas Swan & Co.: Most of the initial application work / interest in our material has been in advanced composites (thermal and electrical properties first and then structural improvements). We have also seen considerable development in field emission devices and advanced nanoelectronics. Another key area has been the fuel cell market where our tubes are being used as a catalyst support and in the conductive bi-polar plates.
GS/NEI Corporation: Our line of products for the Protective Coating market is finding increasing market acceptability. The materials range from hard metal coatings on steel substrates to thermoplastic and thermoset coatings on any number of different substrates. Our nanomaterials for rechargeable battery electrodes are also making headway into the commercial market.
FCY/ISTN: Our materials have applications in three broad product areas; optoelectronics, focusing upon anti-reflection coatings and coatings for OLED enhancement; biotechnology, focusing upon drug delivery and enzyme immobilization; and industrial products, focusing upon nanoporous materials for water treatment and polymer additives that provide functional benefits such as improved fire retardancy.
Anti-reflection and glare-reducing coatings have been developed for a variety of users, including a LCD polarizer manufacturer, several eyewear coating companies, and companies developing solar energy panels.
Silica nanoporous materials have been developed that can target the absorption of heavy metal ions in a selective and efficient manner. End uses include the recovery of precious metals such as palladium, gold and silver, and the removal of highly toxic elements such as mercury to trace levels to comply with strict environmental regulations. Nanoporous silica with embedded enzymes is being used to develop a lower cost method to make peptides for use as heparin antagonists.
BI/Advanced NanoTechnology: Industries that can move quick and adopt new technologies such as Cosmetics.
MT/T/J Technologies: We are developing safe, high power and high rate nanomaterials for large format lithium ion batteries. Hybrid vehicles, power tools and UPS systems are key applications.
JGM/NanoEner Technologies: NanoEner Technologies has developed a proprietary technology for the production of nanostructured thin-film coatings called Vapor Deposition SolidificationTM (VDS). This patented process offers the advantages of traditional vacuum technologies in controlling film structure at the atomic or "nano" level while at the same time providing for higher efficiencies (rates) of evaporation and deposition, fewer variations in film thickness, fewer surface defects, and lower production costs than conventional deposition methods. Bottom line: the use of this new disruptive technology results in thin-films with superior physical and chemical characteristics and superior performance.
The VDS process is a unique and generic "platform" technology having a wide variety of potential applications in such advanced technologies as: high charge/discharge rate lithium-based battery electrodes, thin-film photovoltaic solar cells, fuel cell components, super capacitors, thin-film sensors, and high-conductivity wires.
OD/Nanocyl: Materials composites, electron sources, catalyst support. Users are composite materials designers, fuel cell components manufacturers, and consumer electronics companies.
SN/Nanothinx: Their high electrical conductivity, excellent mechanical strength and high thermal conductivity render carbon nanotubes (CNTs) ideal materials for use in a variety of industrial applications. Potential customers of a company that produces carbon nanotubes, such as Nanothinx, are companies that develop products in which CNTs can be incorporated. In this category fall companies that produce batteries, cars and other vehicles, aerospace products, fuel cells, accessories and components of energy systems, electronics/microelectronics, systems for gas separations, composite materials, biosensors and chemical sensors, accessories for medical equipment, etc. Small quantities are also requested by university researchers.
AH/nGimat: See #2. All industries will be effected.
HG/InMat: Gas, vapor, or chemical barrier; tire & rubber industry, packaging industry.
KB/NanoDynamics: We develop nanomaterials and nanostructures based on metals, oxides, carbon-based, polymer-based and mineral-based nanotubes and coatings for a broad range of industrial applications, including electronics, optics, energy conversion, hardness, toughness and wear resistance as well as anti-microbial and anti-fungal additives. To give you a sense of the depth here, we've used them ourselves to develop two very distinct proprietary products: portable solid oxide fuel cell systems and our high-performance NDMX(TM) golf balls.
DH/NanoHorizons: We have two major product lines, the first is nanoparticle based polymer additives, which impart improved antimicrobial properties to polymers. The primary customers are textiles, coatings and medical device manufacturers. We are currently developing additives which modify other polymer material properties such as strength and hydrophobicity. Our second product line, QuickMass, is a mass spectrometry tool for small molecule analysis. It is a disposable chip based system used in laser desorbtion mass spectrometers. The primary customers are academic and pharmaceutical analytical chemists. We have a number of technologies available for license related to photovoltaics, and flexible microelectronics.
FT/Argonide: Highly efficient electrostatic adsorption of particulates.
JER/Meliorum Technologies: Many companies are able to produce materials of various elements in a few sizes. We are able to produce materials which are size-uniform, and can be produced along a broad continuum of sizes, ranging from 1 nm up to 100 nm and somewhat higher in some cases. And even more important, we are able to not only produce powders, but we perform patented surface chemistry modification to suspend these materials in various solvents as the application requires. Key point: for nanomaterial application usefulness and versatility, the surface chemistry is as important, if not more important, than the actual material itself. We've found this allows us to highly differentiate us from the powder-only products our competitors typically provide.
TS/Genthe -X- Coatings: Thin layers, minimal internference with light, longevity.
PC/Hyperion Catalysis: They provide permanent ESD protection while preserving the toughness and other physical properties of the resin (important for an automotive application), because they are used in a very low loading. They also do not rub-off to contaminate sensitive electronics.
JF/NexTech Materials: Much of this was spelled out in the last section. However, relative to competition, our nanoscale materials have much higher surface area and are produced using relatively low-cost and scalable methods that can be used to produce large batches cost-effectively in the long-run. Furthermore, we have control over properties and processing such that we can retain nano-scale character of materials even as they are processed into different forms.
AW/Quantum Dot Corporation: Very bright and stable signals enabling new types of bio-detection.
PlasmaChem: Unique new materials, standard stable high quality of known materials, wide range of nano-products, ability of industrial scale-up of purchased amount of any of our material.
RP/Evolved Nanomaterial Sciences: Our material enables nanostructured chiral sorting, scaling to meet any requirement with exceptional selectivity and yield.
SP/Quantiam Technologies: Unique properties and combinations of properties of matter, considered by old-school as impossible or "anomolies of matter." Such properties potentially providing major economic benefits in industrial applications of materials if successfully exploited.
GD/Liquidia Technologies: Our materials are functional fluoroelastomers, so they provide the chemical and solvent resistance of Teflon, coupled with the physical properties of silicone rubber, which is transparent and elastomeric. They have an incredibly low surface energy, which allows us to wet and mold extremely small features with high (<1 nm) fidelity.
SR/Ecology Coatings: Our nanomaterial based coatings have the ability to serve as a barrier to unwanted substances, while allowing improved adhesion to difficult materials. They are UV-curable, cross linking in a few seconds of ultra violet light exposure - as opposed to the long period of heating required by conventional powder coats. In this time of high energy costs, this can produce significant economies. Since the formulations contain no VOC's or HAP's, emissions are greatly reduced, contributing to a cleaner environment.
ML/SiGNa Chemistry: SiGNa Chem's core technology is nanoencapsulation of alkali metals into porous oxides. Alkali metals readily donate electrons to produce chemical reactions that are highly useful throughout science and industry. However, these metals are also extremely dangerous to store and handle, with a tendency to burst into flames when exposed to moisture or air. SiGNa's patent-pending technology produces inert, safe-to-handle powder from alkali metals and silica gel. These powders react controllably, with different stages of predictable activation to suit industry protocols.
MY/Green Millennium:
A Self-Cleaned, purified, and sanitized living environment.
Longevity: Once applied, above-mentioned benefits will last for 10 years without re-application.
pH neutral
Non-Toxic (environmental friendliness)
Odorless
Colorless
NF/NanoMaterials: Our materials have unique, commercially attractive properties for superior products in several fields:
Enhancing the performance of moving parts.
Much stronger impact resistant composite materials for personal safety, protective equipment, and biomedical uses.
Post-silicon era electronics: ballistic transport hybrid electronic components and superior flat panel displays.
Catalysts for petroleum refining, metal production, and power sources.
NanoLub®, the world's first commercial nanotechnology-based solid lubricant. NanoLub® particles have a unique structure of nested spheres that lubricate by rolling like miniature ball bearings. It reduces friction and wear significantly better than conventional lubricants and extends the ability of moving parts to operate under much harsher conditions than possible with conventional lubricants. The benefits of using NanoLub® are that it: saves energy, decreases maintenance costs, lowers operating expenses, minimizes capital expenditures, and reduces pollution. NanoLub is used to improve the performance of oils and greases, anti-friction coatings, self-lubricating parts.
NanoLub® is a green, environmentally friendly material. In this respect it is a 'must-to-have' product since presently used anti-friction additives are hazardous and thus are being phased out of use in Europe, the US and Japan in response to governmental restrictions. NanoLub is positioned in the market as not only a safe but also a superior performing alternative.
HS/Thomas Swan & Co.: Depending on the application, carbon nanotubes can deliver performance improvements in three key areas: electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity and structural improvements. The best results to date have been in the electrical conductivity applications, where 0.23% wt loading of our single-wall carbon nanotubes have conferred anti-static properties on a common epoxy resin.
GS/NEI Corporation: Our nanomaterials are developed in response to specific needs that are brought to us by our customers. Each nanomaterial solution that we provide is engineered to provide the specific performance enhancement that our customers are looking for. It could be as simple as providing increased abrasion resistance to something more complex with multiple functionalities.
FCY/ISTN: Utilization of wet coating processes that can apply our nanoparticles to either plastic or glass substrates eliminates the need for the more costly process of chemical vapor deposition traditionally employed for making anti-reflection coatings. The end-user also benefits from customizable nature of the materials that can provide enhanced functionality such as abrasion and stain resistance and self-cleaning properties.
For our nanporous reactive/absorbent materials, the materials have a combination of high loading of reactive or active sites and a stable silica based matrix that has good mechanical properties in aqueous and organic media. A controlled pore size distribution allows for optimization of the surface area while minimizing diffusional resistance, and makes it an ideal material for packed bed reactor systems.
BI/Advanced NanoTechnology: Primarily selling point is transparency.
MT/T/J Technologies: Our nanoscale battery materials are inherently safe, low cost and can charge and discharge at very high rates. We have also been able to demonstrate long cycle life.
JGM/NanoEner Technologies: There are many types of material deposition processes. These include the physical vapor deposition techniques such as flash evaporation, plasmatronic evaporation, ion DC or RF sputtering, electron beam evaporation, and laser evaporation as well as the numerous variations of chemical vapor deposition (MCVD, HDCVD, PHDCVD, etc.). These techniques can be performed in a vacuum for precise environmental control or otherwise. Each of these techniques has certain advantages and certain disadvantages. NanoEner's VDS process is a patented technology for the deposition of a wide-variety of materials onto a wide-variety of substrates. The use of this process provides all of the advantages of the best deposition techniques without the usual disadvantages.
The advantages of the VDS process are many and are summarized below:
Ability to effectively deposit a wide-variety of materials on a wide-variety of substrates:
- Oxides, Sulfides, Salts, Ceramics, Composites, Spinels, Metals & Alloys, Carbon, Silicon
Superior efficiency of deposition enabling high production rates
Lower cost of apparatus and lower production costs:
- Reduced steps, cheaper raw materials
Ability to produce a variety of structures:
- Particles, Fibers, Porous Materials, Multi-layer films, Nanowires, Amorphous, Crystalline
Multi-purpose applications:
- Electrodes (anodes and cathodes) for primary and secondary batteries, thin-film photovoltaic solar cells, catalytic membranes for fuel cells, super capacitors, nano-sensors, high-conductivity wires
Ability to scale-up to produce commercial quantities
Better adhesion of deposited film to substrate:
- Eliminates traditional need for binders and additives which inhibit performance
Consistent film structure, thickness, and composition with fewer surface defects
- Ability to produce thick- and thin-film deposits
OD/Nanocyl: The size effect of carbon nanotubes brings advantages in terms of electrical conductivity and mechanical properties for designing better materials, cheaper processes and smaller devices.
SN/Nanothinx: The advantages of Nanothinx technology are:
Development of carbon nanotubes at much lower cost than the existing production methods. One of the principal characteristics that account for the lower cost of the company's products is the low cost of the novel catalysts that have been developed by Nanothinx scientists.
Higher purity of the as-prepared carbon nanotubes than that of commercially available carbon nanotubes.
Minimal levels of impurities (e.g., amorphous carbon) that degrade CNTs properties.
High MWNTs and SWNTs production rates.
Besides the main focus of Nanothinx on the large-scale, high-yield and low-cost production of carbon nanotubes, the company also concentrates on the process engineering of systems in which nanotubes are employed.
Recent reports by the National Research Council and the DOE Office of Science predict that most of the new science and technological breakthroughs in the 21st century will come from complex materials and structures "engineered" at the atomic level.
—Bill Appleton, Deputy Director for Science and Technology, ORNL
AH/nGimat: See #2
HG/InMat: Better diffusion barrier with a thinner coating, lower cost, transparency, environmentally friendly, no hazardous materials.
KB/NanoDynamics: NanoDynamics is able to offer our end users commercial quantities of high-quality nanomaterials. With exceptional purity and particle size control, our materials reach the end-user in unagglomerated, ready-to-use form. In many cases what the end user sees is dramatically improved performance.
DH/NanoHorizons: Our nanoparticle product line brings safe and effective, low cost, permanently integrated, antimicrobial performance to many traditional polymer materials. Our QuickMass product line provides a very high throughput, cost effective tool for small molecule chemical analysis.
5. Did any of your material's science evolve from university research? If so, which lab, and which material(s)?
FT/Argonide: No. We invented the water filter.
JER/Meliorum Technologies: Our scientific progress did not directly evolve from University research, although the academic backgrounds of our founders have certainly had an indirect influence on our fabrication methods and technological approach.
TS/Genthe -X- Coatings: Technical Universtiy of Clausthal; Sol-gel chemistry.
PC/Hyperion Catalysis: No
JF/NexTech Materials: Our main production technology evolved from a non-profit research institute. Some of our catalysis efforts evolved from University of Pennsylvania's pioneering work on ceria.
AW/Quantum Dot Corporation: Yes, from UC Berkeley (Prof. Alivisatos), and MIT (Prof. Bawendi). Quantum dot bio-compatible materials.
PlasmaChem: Humboldt University of Berlin (Berlin, Germany), Institute of Biochemistry of Russian academy of Science (Moscow, Russia).
RP/Evolved Nanomaterial Sciences: Yes, Tufts University. The lab was Tufts Biological and Chemical Engineering lab. The material is a proprietary polymer.
SP/Quantiam Technologies: To-date, all of our science and technology developments have come from within our R&D efforts and in collaboration with other private sector companies. As universities and government laboratories ramp-up their efforts in nanotechnology, and in areas of near-term commercial relevance, we expect that we may commercialize some of these additional sources of nanotechnologies.
GD/Liquidia Technologies: Yes, our technology was developed at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, in the labs of Professor Joseph DeSimone, the W.R. Kenan Jr. distinguished professor of chemistry and chemical engineering.
I have no question that thirty years from now, every industrial process will look different because of things we learned from nanotechnology. We will discover that there isn't anything that can't be made better, faster, cheaper in some fashion by introducing some element of nanoscience into the materials.
—Clark Miller, Public affairs professor, UW-Madison
SR/Ecology Coatings: No, the research and development of our proprietary coatings was performed entirely in a commercial setting.
ML/SiGNa Chemistry: Our nanoencapsulated alkali metal materials are based on research originally done by Dr. James L. Dye at the Michigan State University. Dr. Dye was working with zeolites and alkali metals.
MY/Green Millennium: To be disclosed.
NF/NanoMaterials: The company's proprietary technology is based on patented inorganic, multi-walled nanoparticles of spheres and tubes licensed to it by the renowned Weizmann Institute of Science.
HS/Thomas Swan & Co.: Our ability to manufacture single-wall and multi-wall carbon nanotubes followed a 3 year collaboration with the Department of Chemistry and Department of Materials Science at Cambridge University. While Thomas Swan & Co .Ltd. has over 77 years of chemical manufacturing experience, we didn't know how to 'grow' nanotubes! The academic-industry partnership worked very well.
GS/NEI Corporation: Our company was originally a spin-off from Rutgers University and another small business. Soon thereafter, the company took a life of its own and developed technologies independently.
FCY/ISTN: Nanoporous materials for enzyme immobilization were made in conjunction with the Department of Chemical Engineering at the University of Maryland and the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of Michigan.
BI/Advanced NanoTechnology: Process came from University of Western Australia.
MT/T/J Technologies: No
JGM/NanoEner Technologies: No. These technologies have been developed in-house.
OD/Nanocyl: Most of our technologies for producing and dispersing carbon nanotubes have been developed in Belgian universities. Laboratories: Prof. B. Nagy, University of Namur (fundamental aspects of nanotubes synthesis); Prof. Pirard, University of Liège (synthesis technology of carbon nanotubes); Prof. Dubois, University of Mons-Hainaut (carbon nanotubes nanocomposites).
SN/Nanothinx: Nanothinx materials (carbon nanotubes) evolved from the research work of Professor Stratis Sotirchos at the Institute of Chemical Engineering and High Temperature Chemical Processes (ICE-HT). ICE-HT is one of the seven Institutes of the Foundation for Research and Technology Hellas (FORTH). FORTH is the pioneer Research Transfer Organization (RTO) in Greece in terms of exploitation of its research results by setting up and creating spin-off enterprises.
AH/nGimat: Georgia Tech for the CCVD process and some of our device designs.
HG/InMat: No
KB/NanoDynamics: We have worked with a number of universities in the US including Clarkson, Purdue, Rutgers, RPI and Penn State, and also overseas universities as far away as Christchurch, New Zealand.
DH/NanoHorizons: Yes, the QuickMass product line and a number of our microelectronic and photovoltaic technologies have evolved out of research conducted by the company founders at the Penn State University Nanofabrication facility.
This section gives details on the individuals who responded to the questionnaire
Argonide
Argonide was founded in 1994 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania by Fred Tepper. Our mission is to develop and market new products based on nanotechnology. We have an international business perspective, with collaborative work in Italy, Japan, Singapore and in particular with Russian institutes active in nanotechnology.
Meliorum Technologies, Inc.
Meliorum Technologies is a privately held company which manufactures a broad range of cutting edge nanomaterials and nanomaterial-based devices to satisfy the stringent technical requirements of both university research and industrial manufacturing. Meliorum's nanofabrication process allows for production of highly uniform nanomaterials, scalable from micrograms up to kilograms (and tons for some materials). As a result of its ability to deliver materials with strict specification claims, Meliorum realized its first substantial revenue from operations in August 2003 from a large university in the northeastern US.
Genthe -X- Coatings GmbH (GXC)
Genthe -X- Coatings (GXC) applies funtional coatings based on nanotechnology to glass and polymer substrates. Applications of such coatings are in automotive, optics, microtechnology, sensors, safety, instrument covers, windows and glazing.
Hyperion Catalysis
Founded in 1982 to develop novel forms and morphologies of carbon, Hyperion Catalysis' flagship technology is a conductive, vapor grown, multi-walled carbon nanotube. These tubes are trade named FIBRIL™ nanotubes.
NexTech Materials, Ltd.
Founded in 1994, NexTech has established a reputation for innovation and performance through its development of ceramic materials and components. Specifically, our team of scientists and engineers has developed proprietary, high volume processes to manufacture the active components of solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) utilizing our unique electrolyte and electrode materials. In addition we are developing catalysts and sensors for fuel processing applications.
Quantum Dot Corporation
Founded in 1998, Quantum Dot Corporation (QDC) develops and markets novel solutions for biomolecular detection. QDC's products and services employ quantum dot (Qdot®) particles, tiny semiconductor crystals that emit light brightly in a range of sharp colors. These nanometer-sized Qdot particles have unique, highly desirable properties that make them a superior detection platform for biology. QDC has invested many years in perfecting the methods for synthesis of high quality, high brightness quantum dots for biology.
PlasmaChem GmbH
PlasmaChem GmbH was founded at 1993 and located in Mainz - the capital of Rheinland-Pfalz, nearby to Frankfurt / Main, which one of the biggest traffic centers in Europe.
The main area of company concerns to the nano-materials, detonation-, vacuum-, plasma- and ultra-thin film technologies and their biomedical and technical applications.
Evolved Nanomaterial Sciences Inc. (ENS)
ENS has exclusive access to a platform of advanced materials structures, processes and related technologies through licensing agreements with Tufts University. We continue to expand our intellectual property portfolio at our Cambridge, MA headquarters and have developed application-oriented materials to enhance chemical and pharmaceutical processing.
Quantiam Technologies
Quantiam is a Canadian high technology company with over 100 years of cumulative experience in the development and commercialization of disruptive, world-first new products in the fields of nanotechnology, advanced materials, catalysis, coatings and surfaces. We have innovative technology platforms, aggressive and ambitious R&D projects, a highly skilled workforce, and the most powerful nanomaterials and surface characterization tools within Canada's private sector.
Liquidia Technologies
Liquidia Technologies provides an enabling material platform: innovative fluoropolymers that are liquids at room temperature, but cure to crystal clear "PTFE-like" elastic solids when exposed to light for a few minutes. The resulting material combines the appealing properties of silicone elastomers and glass – outperforming each, individually – and makes revolutionary applications possible. Liquidia's products will be solvent- and chemically resistant microfluidics and high performance imprint lithographic materials and processes.
In addition, a process innovated by Liquidia Technologies and based on the Liquidia Material Platform enables the continuous fabrication of monodisperse and shape-specific isolated objects. This discovery promises to revolutionize the generation, efficacy and FDA regulation of nano- & micro-particles for drug delivery and discovery, as well as other markets including catalysts.
Ecology Coatings
Ecology Coatings is a world leader in the development of nano-engineered, ultra-violet curable coatings. Using a platform of integrated nano-material technologies, the company creates proprietary coatings with unique performance attributes. Ecology collaborates with industry leaders to develop revolutionary high-value, high-performance coatings for military, automotive, industrial, electronic and medical applications. Ecology Coatings is a privately held company based in Akron, Ohio.
SiGNa Chemistry
SiGNa Chemistry is an early stage company developing unique solutions to compelling chemistry problems through the power of interdisciplinary science. SiGNa™ products have been found to work as powerful reducing agents that work at room temperature and as convenient sources of clean molecular hydrogen. By capitalizing on the many powerful applications of SiGNa Chemistry's technologies, such as alkali metals absorbed into various oxide materials, SiGNa is positioned to develop and deliver a host of solutions to a wide range of scientific applications and industries. These advanced materials will deliver new products to academic and industrial markets as diverse as pharmaceutical synthesis, petroleum refining, organometallics, catalysis, and hydrogen energy.
Green Millennium
Founded in 2003, Green Millennium is a photo-catalyst material and solution provider in the domain of environmental coating services and business integration.
NanoMaterials, Ltd.
ApNano Materials is a private company incorporated in the US in 2002. The company was granted an exclusive license by Yeda Research and Development Co. Ltd., the commercial arm of the Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel, (www.weizmann.ac.il) to manufacture, commercialize and sell unique nanotechnology products based on a new class of inorganic nanostructures discovered by the Institute's Nanomaterials Synthesis Group, headed by Professor Reshef Tenne (www.weizmann.ac.il/materials/msg). Before the group's discovery it was thought that such particles, called fullerenes, could only be made with carbon atoms. The Weizmann group was the first to show that various inorganic compounds could also be synthesized into fullerene-like structures.
Thomas Swan & Co. Ltd.
The main activity of Thomas Swan & Co. Ltd. is the manufacture and sale of speciality chemicals for the performance and fine chemicals markets.
NEI Corporation
NEI Corporation develops, manufactures, and distributes nanoscale materials for a broad range of government and industrial customers around the world. Our products incorporate proprietary nanotechnology and advanced materials science to create significant performance improvements in high-volume manufactured goods.
Industrial Science & Technology Network, Inc. (ISTN)
Founded in 1997, Industrial Science & Technology Network, Inc. (ISTN) is a dynamic, innovative advanced technology company specializing in the development of nanotechnology-enabled products. These products rely on the control of material composition, form and structure at the sub-micron level to deliver a superior combination of cost-effectiveness and performance. The Company's proprietary technology platform, which is based on over 10 years of R&D in organic-inorganic nanostructures, can effectively address customer and end-user needs in a variety of large markets, including building products, chemicals, communications, defense, electronics, medical devices, pharmaceuticals and transportation.
Advanced NanoTechnology Ltd.
Advanced Nanotechnology Limited (Advanced Nano) is a leading innovator and manufacturer of advanced nanomaterials and nanomaterials products. We aim to continually build on our core competencies. Our ability to manufacture mono dispersed nanoparticles with controlled size, shape, surface and chemistry enables us to deliver them in true nano dispersed forms that enhance product value.
T/J Technologies, Inc.
T/J Technologies, Inc. designs, develops and manufactures advanced materials and devices for electrochemical energy storage and conversion. Presently our focus is on rechargeable batteries, ultracapacitors and fuel cells.
Our proprietary materials and associated processes offer significant advantages in applications where power, size and cost are at a premium. Other programs use related materials in catalytic, structural and gas sensing applications.
NanoEner Technologies
NanoEner, Inc., a subsidiary of Ener1, Inc., has developed a proprietary technology for the production of nanostructured, thin-film coatings. The company's proprietary process, called Vapor Deposition Solidification™ (VDS), offers the advantages of traditional vacuum technologies in controlling film structure at the atomic or "nano" level while providing for higher efficiencies (rates) of evaporation and deposition. When compared to conventional deposition methods the VDS enables: (1) The effective deposition of a variety of materials on a variety of substrates; (2) The elimination of the need for binders while maintaining outstanding adhesion; (3) The manufacture of a wide range of film thicknesses with fewer variations in thickness; (4) The creation of nanostructured thin films having a more uniform surface with fewer surface defects; and (5) a lower cost of production.
Nanocyl S.A.
Nanocyl was established in 2002 as the first European company with the goal of manufacturing carbon nanotubes in commercial quantities. The foundation of Nanocyl stems from the research work of Professor Janos B. Nagy of the University of Namur, and Professor Jean-Paul Pirard of the University of Liege.
Nanothinx
Nanothinx (NTX) is a spin-off enterprise located in Rio-Patras, Greece, and founded by Professor Stratis V. Sotirchos. The activities of Nanothinx mainly lie on the development of methods for the large-scale, high-yield and low-cost production of carbon nanotubes (CNT), using novel nanostructured catalysts on suitable supports. The proprietary methods of nanotubes production used by NTX are based on the catalytic chemical vapor deposition of carbon (CCVD or CVD) from hydrocarbon feeds using metallic catalysts on suitable supports.
nGimat
nGimat Co. is an intellectual property company and a manufacturer of engineered nanomaterials in the following areas: nanopowders, thin film coatings, and devices. nGimat's CCVD and NanoSpraySM Processes along with its Nanomiser® Device enable synthesis of nanoparticles and thin films. These processes are easily scalable, thereby enabling low-cost production of engineering materials with controlled composition, size, and morphology.
InMat
InMat®, Inc., headquartered in Hillsborough, New Jersey, U.S.A. is a leading company in the field of nanocomposite coatings that dramatically improve the barrier properties of polymers and elastomers.
Founded in 1999, and selling commercially since 2001, InMat develops, markets and manufactures nanocomposite coatings.
These coatings use InMat's proprietary and patented Nanolok™ technology platform, and have been marketed under the brand name Air D-Fense™ and Nanolok™. These products will enable significant advancements in industries including flexible and rigid packaging, automotive, medical, protective apparel and sports equipment.
NanoDynamics
NanoDynamics, Inc is a leading company in the rapidly growing field of nanotechnology. The Company is a leading manufacturer of superior nanomaterials that will dramatically improve the form, function and performance of a wide range of both industrial and consumer products.
NanoHorizons
Our Mission: develop and produce state of the art nanotechnology products and processes for near term biotechnology, pharmaceutical, chemical and microelectronic applications.
The industries that nanotechnology will likely have a disruptive effect on in the near term include the following:
(Amounts are Billions of US Dollars)
U.S. Chemical
Hospitality / Restaurant
Corrosion Removal
Fluorescent Tagging
Figures are from:
The Next Big Thing Is Really Small: How Nanotechnology Will Change the Future of Your Business. J Uldrich & D Newberry. March 2003
The Superswarm Interview
The Superswarm Option
Nanoveau - This column will cover the science, the speculation, and (occasionally) the politics of nanotechnology and related topics. If you want to know what nanotech is about, and how and why it will change everything we know-Nanoveau is for you.
Got Nanotechnology?
If not, read this:
Our Molecular Future: How Nanotechnology, Robotics, Genetics, and Artificial Intelligence Will Transform Our World.
Douglas Mulhall, March 2002
Nanotechnology Now Recommends:
Research Applications and Markets in Nanotechnology in the UK 2005
"The application of nanotechnology to cancer research could not come at a more opportune time given the recent exponential increase in our understanding of the process of how cancer develops," says Andrew von Eschenbach, M.D., director of the National Cancer Institute. "It is my belief that nanomaterials and nanodevices will play a critical and unique role in turning that knowledge into clinically useful advances that detect and interact with the cancer cell and its surroundings early in this process. By doing so, we will change for the better the way we diagnose, treat, and ultimately prevent cancer."
One of the exciting yet challenging aspects of nanotechnology investing is the rich variety of opportunities -- from new tools that are essential to some aspect of getting a nanotechnology to market in the near term; to materials that disrupt the economics of a market that is large today; to the really cool science that may have a commercial application some day. —David Aslin, a West Coast partner at 3i link
Called a nanoporous coordination solid, some materials of this type boast 4,500 square meters of surface area per gram, meaning it has the potential to store a lot of hydrogen. link
"If nanotechnology ... at maturity achieves even a fraction of its promise, it will force the reassessment of global markets and economies and industries on a scale never experienced before in human history. Imagine the emergence of a nanochip that tomorrow would deliver over 50 gigahertz of speed with the processing power of ten supercomputers for the price of a quartz watch and smaller than a key chain. What might the economic impact on the computer industry be overnight? Imagine a super strong and inexpensive material to be used for pipe insulation, construction and manufacturing that would eliminate the market for steel and plastic. How might that influence the economy?" —Dr. James Canton, CEO & Chairman, Institute for Global Futures
"Nanotechnology has a mortal lock on being tomorrow's gold mine. It will produce trillions of dollars in new wealth over the next century. It's sure to reshape every industry it touches -- computing, materials, health care and so on." —Rich Karlgaard, Publisher, Forbes
"Nanocrystals of various metals have been shown to be 100 percent, 200 percent and even as much as 300 percent harder than the same materials in bulk form." —Srinivasan Chandrasekar
Nanomaterials News - September 2005
UW-Madison nanoscale research receives big boost
University of Wisconsin-Madison September 30, 2005 The National Science Foundation (NSF) has awarded the University of Wisconsin-Madison Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (MRSEC) nearly $14.8 million over the next six years to continue its leading-edge research on the interfaces of materials at the nanoscale.
$42 million for active nanostructures and nanosystems
nanodot September 30, 2005 Christine Peterson: Foresight Participating Member Mark Sims of Nanorex brings our attention to this NSF solicitation on Active Nanostuctures and Nanosystems, with proposals due November 29.
Wyden, Smith Securing Funds For Oregon Defense Projects
jackson-county-news.com September 30, 2005 U.S. Senators Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Gordon Smith (R-Ore.) today announced that the Senate Appropriations Committee has approved at least $109 million in funding for defense-related projects in Oregon, including significant funding for a number of Oregon nanotechnology projects.
sp3 to Provide Diamond Film Deposition at MEMS Exchange
prnewswire September 28, 2005 sp3 Diamond Technologies, Inc., a leading supplier of diamond film services, equipment and products, has been awarded a DARPA contract to introduce its nanoparticle diamond thin film deposition process into the MEMS Exchange.
NSF Centers Will Use Nano-Interface Control
NSF September 28, 2005 The National Science Foundation (NSF) has established two new Materials Research Science and Engineering Centers (MRSECs) at Yale University and the University of Washington, with a combined NSF investment of up to $14 million over the next six years. The centers will also receive substantial support from the participating academic institutions, state governments and industry.
Penn Theorists to Create Optical Circuit Elements
University of Pennsylvania September 28, 2005 Technology could have innumerable applications for consumer products, advanced instrumentation and even medicine
Solid Has The Most Spacious Pores
C&EN September 28, 2005 One could say that mil-101 is mostly nothing, but that's saying a lot: MIL-101 is a new, unusually porous material whose unit cell has an unprecedented volume of about 702,000 Å3.
Férey is interested in using the pores of materials like MIL-101 as nanoreservoirs and nanoreactors. By introducing "nano-objects" into the pores, one could make a variety of nanomaterials consisting of uniform particles 2 to 3 nm in size. Larger species could be segregated in the large cages; smaller species, in the small cages. This approach could lead to new types of multifunctional nanomaterials.
Virus Battery
sciencentral.com September 28, 2005 Copying how red abalone build their shells, Belcher and her team are developing a way to actually "grow" rechargeable batteries with the help of viruses — tiny microbes that multiply by infecting living cells. Their technique would take a matter of weeks, rather than the 15 years the red abalone needs to assemble a full-sized shell. (with video)
Altair Nanotechnologies Expands Battery Initiative
marketwire September 28, 2005 Altair Nanotechnologies Inc. today announced that it has expanded its research, product development, manufacturing and marketing groups with the addition of eleven highly qualified advanced battery scientists, engineers, manufacturing and marketing specialists.
How nanotechnology promises to change everything
statesman.com September 27, 2005 This summer, Texans took part in a landmark national study conducted in three U.S. cities by the Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies, a Wilson Center program created in partnership with The Pew Charitable Trusts. The aim was to learn more about what Americans know about nanotechnology. What nano applications or products do people think are most important? Whom do Americans trust most to manage nanotechnology's potential benefits and risks? What particular concerns, if any, do citizens have about nanotechnology's use?
Faraday Plastics Urges Industry/Academe Partnership
pandct.com September 27, 2005 Richard Simpson, Director of Faraday Plastics, the UK's leading resource and coordinator for polymer-based research, has called for a revitalisation of the UK academe/industrial relations in polymer science and technology.
Groundbreaking Ceremony for New Nanocenter at BNL
Brookhaven National Laboratory September 27, 2005 Congressman Tim Bishop, First District of New York, and Dr. Patricia Dehmer, Associate Director for the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Office of Basic Energy Sciences, will be among the dignitaries participating in a groundbreaking ceremony for the Center for Functional Nanomaterials at Brookhaven National Laboratory.
One of science's brightest minds unveils findings
newswire.ca September 27, 2005 A world-renowned expert in biochemistry, materials science, catalysis and physical organic chemistry, Professor George M. Whitesides of Harvard University will shed light on the emerging area of nanotechnology - a growing field of interest for scientists around the globe, including Xerox.
Major Industry Partners Fuel QuantumSphere's Growth
QuantumSphere September 26, 2005 A new manufacturing facility and relocation of the firm's national headquarters
Nanotech firm prepares for funding, human tests
WBJ September 26, 2005 Neil Adler: Development of a cancer-fighting drug based on nanotech research is no small potatoes for Rockville-based CytImmune, which is close to securing $5 million in venture capital to fund human trials.
Testing could begin as early as next year. That puts the company in a select group of just a few researchers worldwide currently testing nanotech drugs on humans.
Real World Applications of Nanotechnologies
TNTlog September 26, 2005 Our current swing through Asia has thrown up a few interesting nanoproducts for anyone tired of nanopants to cite. Here are a few of our favourites.
(Ed.'s note: nanotech products? Hmmmm, maybe. Nanoscale materials used? More likely.)
Optimizing Nanoparticle-Cell Interactions Using Microfluidics
nano.cancer.gov September 26, 2005 Thanks to work from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard Medical School, researchers now have a new tool that will enable them to rapidly assess how well a given set of nanoparticles interact with a selected type of cell. Such data should enable researchers to better select the optimal nanoparticle for a given application before conducting in vivo experiments.
Self-Assembling Nanoparticles Deliver Poorly Soluble Drugs
nano.cancer.gov September 26, 2005 Adding to (the) nanoparticle toolbox is a team of investigators at Rutgers University, which has developed a biocompatible polymer system that entraps poorly soluble drugs as it self-assembles into nanoparticles.
Micro tech creates big hopes for manufacturers
theage.com.au September 25, 2005 Nanotechnology will offer many manufacturers the opportunity to seize a competitive advantage, but people worried that millions or billions of "nanobots" will end up ruling the world can rest easy.
The ability to manipulate materials at the atomic level has already opened up new markets or allowed companies to seize established markets, according to Peter Binks, chief executive of Nanotechnology Victoria.
Democrats' document shows promise
news-leader.com September 24, 2005 The statement also calls for a "New Manhattan Project" to speed up breakthroughs in hydrogen fuel, composite materials and nanotechnology to make automobiles lighter, stronger and more fuel efficient. If portrayed as a way to free ourselves from the clutches of the oil-producing nations that hate us, this issue could work well for Democrats.
Freshly-funded UK firm to pursue diagnostic imaging market
smalltimes September 23, 2005 University spin-out Durham Scientific Crystals (DSC) is looking to double the size of its operational team after securing backing from an American venture capitalist.
Europe pitches $90 billion R&D budget
EETimes September 23, 2005 The European Commission set out on Wednesday (Sept. 21) further details of its proposal for the Seventh Framework Program (FP7) of collaborative R&D in Europe for the period 2007 to 2013, including its proposed budget of more than 74.53 billion euros (about $90 billion).
At the same time nanosciences, nanotechnologies, materials and production technologies, get their own thematic area of research and a propose budget of 4.27 billion euro (about $5.18 billion).
World's smallest universal material testing system
Northwestern University September 23, 2005 Micromachine makes possible the investigation of nanomechanics phenomena in real time
Taiwan exhibits nanotechnology prowess
etaiwannews.com September 22, 2005 The government yesterday kicked off a five-day nanotechnology marathon in a bid to drive innovation in Taiwan's nanoscience research efforts and jumpstart a manufacturing revolution that capitalizes on advanced or new materials.
The Ministry of Economic Affairs, one of the lead organizers of Taiwan Nanotech 2005, also conferred yesterday the Outstanding Nanotech Award - the first in Taiwan's history - to industry pioneers Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. and Professor Lin Jiang-jen for their innovations and achievements in nanotechnology research and development.
New Developments at Techtextil 2005
businesswire September 22, 2005 The trade fair Techtextil is the most important platform for developments in technical textiles. At the June 2005 event, the impact of developments in nanotechnology was clearly demonstrated - from the latest advances in carbon nanotube fibre spinning through to the commercial employment of nanofibres in advanced filtration materials.
Aspen Aerogels Opens New R&D Lab
prnewswire September 22, 2005 Aspen Aerogels, Inc. announced today that it has opened its new research and development lab at its headquarters in Northborough, MA. The 10,000 square foot lab facility is focused on delivering more of the world's best insulation performance in a ready-to-use blanket format, a patented nanotechnology developed by Aspen.
mPhase Technologies' Battery Featured in NJBIZ
businesswire September 22, 2005 NJBIZ, a weekly business publication covering New Jersey companies, recently highlighted mPhase Technologies, which is developing a new "smart" battery based on microscopic nanostructures.
Quantum-dot syntheses developed
University at Buffalo September 22, 2005 Efficient and highly scalable new chemical synthesis methods developed at UB's Institute for Lasers, Photonics and Biophotonics have the potential to revolutionize the production of quantum dots for bioimaging and photovoltaic applications.
A patent has been filed on the methods, which were described last month in papers in the Journal of the American Chemical Society and Applied Physics Letters.
The new synthesis methods are truly scalable and can be used to produce large quantities of quantum dots, according to Paras N. Prasad.
Pacific Fuel Cell Corp. Completes Prototype
tmcnet.com September 22, 2005 Pacific Fuel Cell Corp. is pleased to announce that it has completed the prototype of its proprietary nanostructured Membrane Electrode Assembly (nanoMEA), and is currently looking for partners for the nanoMEA production.
ACBJ September 22, 2005 Celia Lamb: Ruxandra Vidu dreams of building solar energy panels using wires smaller than a strand of DNA.
The Romanian immigrant, who moved to the United States by way of Japan in May 2000, has co-founded a company called Q1 NanoSystems Corp. to develop the panels. She created the tiny wires, called nanocables, while working as a post-doctorate researcher at a University of California Davis materials science laboratory.
Analyst defines 'successful' nano play
etaiwannews.com September 22, 2005 Venture capitalists shopping for potentially lucrative nanotech businesses should keep a close eye on startups that are manipulating molecules and atoms to improve existing products rather than creating new ones, a top industry analyst said yesterday.
"What makes a successful nanotech investment? One is not to introduce completely new products but to decisively introduce existing ones," said Matthew Nordan, vice president of U.S.-based Lux Research.
Nanomaterials to benefit flat panel industry
digitimes.com September 22, 2005 Nanotechnology has already added and will add more value to flat panel displays (FPDs) by lowering costs and producing improvements and breakthroughs in functionality, but companies should be careful applying novel nanomaterials, Eastman Kodak director of optical display films Robert Cournoyer said at the recent Taiwan Business Alliance Forum.
First Nanotechnology Conference Exploring Materials and Processes
e-composites.com September 21, 2005 As part of SAMPE's Fall Technical Conference, SAMPE will present the first nanotechnology conference focusing on materials and processes, at the Washington State Convention Center in Seattle.
Nature gives a lesson in armor design
MIT September 21, 2005 Eve Downing, Institute for Soldier Nanotechnologies: The ocean is a perilous environment for a soft-bodied creature like a sea snail, so nature gives it an advanced nanostructured armor system that is stiff and strong yet lightweight. It's called a shell.
Understanding the fundamental design principles of natural armor systems like shells may help engineers design improved body armor systems for humans in perilous situations, like soldiers and police officers. At MIT's Institute for Soldier Nanotechnologies, researchers are studying the structure and mechanics of the tough inner layer of mollusc shells, called "nacre" or mother-of-pearl, at extremely small, nanometer-length scales.
ALD NanoSolutions Awarded patent/grant
ALD NanoSolutions September 20, 2005 Precision NanoCoating for NanoParticles
Ultraportable Power Charges Ahead
businessweek.com September 20, 2005 ... thanks to recent advances in nanotechnology and materials science, engineers have been able to develop portable energy sources that pack a powerful punch in a tiny package -- and at a price that's attracting consumer interest. These new products can charge devices much more electricity-thirsty than a calculator, such as cell phones, personal digital assistants, and even laptops.
Startup Konarka, based in Lowell, Mass., uses nano-engineered materials to create flexible plastic solar cells that can be sprayed or printed onto a surface. That allows for a myriad of new applications. Konarka has already developed a solar charger about the size of a deck of cards that can unfold and charge laptops even from indoor lighting.
AlphaRx Completes Formulation Development of Vansolin(TM)
arrivenet.com September 20, 2005 AlphaRx Inc. today announced that it has completed the formulation development of a novel antibiotic formulation using its patent pending solid lipid nanoparticle delivery platform. According to published research papers, in vitro the uptake of Vancomycin nanoparticles by white blood cells is 20 times more than free drug.
Cornell tapped for regional Sun Grant
Cornell University September 20, 2005 Awarded more than $8.2 million in federal funding over four years through the recent signing of the federal Transportation Bill, Cornell has been tapped by the federal government as one of five Sun Grant Centers of Excellence -- regional hubs that will take the lead in researching the use of plant biomass in energy and chemical production; for education and outreach activities; and for soliciting and funding proposals that focus on using renewable agricultural resources to produce heat, electricity, biofuels, natural products, such as biopesticides and bioherbicides, and industrial chemicals.
Nanocrystals Light Up Early Cervical Cancer
nano.cancer.gov September 20, 2005 A research team has developed a water soluble formulation of fluorescent quantum dots that they were able to label with a monoclonal antibody that binds to epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), which is found in excess of normal amounts on the surface of several types of cancer.
Nanocrystals Provide Dual Imaging of Cancer Cells
nano.cancer.gov September 20, 2005 Magnetic nanocrystals have shown promise as tools for detecting cancer using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Now, new research from a team of investigators led by Jeon-Soo Shin, M.D., Ph.D., and Jinwoo Cheon, Ph.D., both of Yonsei University in Seoul, South Korea, demonstrates that antibody-labeled magnetic nanocrystals used with MRI can rapidly detect breast cancer cells in a living animal.
Competitive Technologies Licenses Nanotechnology Bone Biomaterial
businesswire September 20, 2005 Competitive Technologies, Inc. today announced that it has granted Soteira, Inc., of Dedham, MA, an exclusive license to manufacture, use and sell products using CTT's patented nanotechnology bone biomaterial for applications related to the human spine.
Double-edged potential of nanoscience
news.ft.com September 19, 2005 Helmut Kaiser concluded that "the potentials are immense, and the risks too". Innovest says that companies that do not manage both the actual risks and the perceived ones could suffer public backlash and considerable brand impairment.
... some scientists argue that nanotechnology should not be treated in isolation. Mark Welland, head of the Nanoscience Centre at the University of Cambridge, says: "Ideas that a taskforce or new regulator are necessary are misplaced. If the US Food and Drug Administration is giving approval for a new drug, it would just need to look at the nanotechnology aspect in addition to what it always does."
Minuscule magic makes fabric more than its seams
ACBJ September 19, 2005 One of the most unique nanotech companies around is Nano-Tex Inc. The privately held Emeryville company designs chemical treatments that make fabrics perform better.
Its most popular treatment makes clothes - even cotton ones - resist spills. But Nano-Tex also can make synthetic-fiber or wrinkle-free cotton garments more breathable and able to wick away sweat or prevent the buildup of static electricity.
A Different Index
TNTlog September 19, 2005 A rather different kind of Nanotechnology index was launched by Innovest this week, looking at the benefits and potential risks.
Innovest is an interesting company, focussing on rating companies for environmental, social, and strategic governance issues. While this may be of little concern to the average small investors looking to make a quick buck, or more accurately a buck one day out of nanotech, more and more large pension fund managers, from Calpers in the US to ABP in the Netherlands are basing their investments on environmental and social issues, and the opinions of companies such as Innovest are of increasing importance to them.
Swiss Minister for Home Affairs Visits ApNano Materials
ApNano Materials September 19, 2005 Pascal Couchepin reviewed ApNano's revolutionary commercial nanotechnology-based solid lubricant
Nano-cards sound better than snake oil
nationmultimedia.com September 18, 2005 Developed by Singapore's Equation NanoTech Pte Ltd, the so-called "nano-power cards" are made of several layers of materials coated with plastic, with diverse applications ranging from relief of pain and insomnia to restoring male vitality and eliminating unpleasant smells.
The cards contain organic material processed into nano-scale particles, equal to one-billionth of one metre, or 10 nanometres. Here how it works: these undisclosed organic materials, the size of human DNA, emit Far Infrared Rays (FIRs) when activated by body heat or rising temperatures.
(Ed.'s note: I think the closing line says it all "People should be sceptical until they're fully informed of scientific evidence that such products really work.")
Nano World: Slashing quantum-dot costs
wpherald.com September 17, 2005 Charles Q. Choi: Nanotech devices known as quantum dots are growing ever more popular in the electronics and biotech industries, but typically cost more than $2,000 per gram, limiting their large-scale use. Now scientists have developed a new method that could cut quantum-dot costs by 80 percent, experts told UPI's Nano World.
Nanotechnology brings risk, benefits
mndaily.com September 16, 2005 The Nanotechnology-Biology Interface conference at Cowles Auditorium on Thursday looked at how these bleeding-edge technologies affect everything from health and safety hazards to government regulation and the insurance industry.
Ken Keller, director of the Center for Science, Technology and Public Policy, said the goal of the conference was to anticipate some of the consequences of developing and using nanotechnology.
OLED shipments rise 82 percent
EETimes September 16, 2005 Shipments of Organic Light Emitting Diode (OLED) displays rose 82 percent year-over-year to 14.2 million units the second quarter of 2005.
Free public database on nanoparticle safety
nanodot September 16, 2005 Christine Peterson: Tired of garbled news articles on nanoparticle safety? I certainly am. Now, the International Council on Nanotechnology has published the first public database of peer-reviewed journal articles examining environmental, health, and safety issues arising from both engineered and incidental nanoparticles.
NMSU creating plastic coatings that give planes special powers
lcsun-news.com September 15, 2005 Plastic is rising to new heights. Literally. Since April, a New Mexico State University physicist has been leading a team of graduate students and post-doctoral scholars to make aircraft harder to see or reduce static, corrosion or heat. To do these things, they are developing thin plastic aircraft coatings with nanotechnology, which involves working on an atomic or molecular level. The products could have military and commercial applications and extend beyond the aircraft field. For instance, telecommunications could use the anti-static coating.
Scanning for solutions beyond the bar code
smalltimes September 15, 2005 David Forman: You probably haven't eaten them, says Jim Rittenburg, but odds are you've put them in your car.
Taggants – trace amounts of special materials put in products to track them – are being inconspicuously embedded in everything from pharmaceuticals to petroleum products. They are used to combat counterfeiting and theft, to make sure that the pills you buy at the drug store are what they say they are, and that the gasoline for which you pony up the extra bucks really has the additives the station advertises.
smalltimes September 15, 2005 Candace Stuart: Stephen Barry knows a lot about nanoparticles, or at least one kind of nanoparticle. For eight years he's focused his career on making nanoscale hydrogel shells that ferry drugs into cells. Alnis BioSciences, where he is president, has gotten so good at designing what it calls NanoGels that it received $2.7 million last year from the National Cancer Institute. The goal is to add a metal core to create a magnetic nanoparticle for detecting and killing tumor cells.
Nanomaterials laboratory tries to remove obstacles
smalltimes September 15, 2005 Candace Stuart: Scott McNeil had no problem equipping the facility when he took the reins of the Nanomaterials Characterization Laboratory last year. The National Cancer Institute selected McNeil and his company, SAIC-Frederick, to oversee the lab and its operations. The NCI's Alliance for Nanotechnology in Cancer added the lab to its five-year initiative to provide support for companies and researchers using nanomaterials in cancer treatments and diagnostics.
Nanodiamonds prove magnetic
nanotechweb September 15, 2005 Researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, SUNY Albany, NASA Ames Research Center and Philip Morris, all in the US, have created magnetic nanodiamonds by bombarding the particles with carbon or nitrogen ions. The nanodiamonds became ferromagnetic at room temperature.
Helping Out a High-Temperature Superconductor
Brookhaven National Laboratory September 15, 2005 An important step in the drive to create superconductor-based electric and power-delivery devices, such as power transmission lines, motors, and generators
Rensselaer Researchers Awarded NSF Grant
RPI September 15, 2005 Possibilities include much more efficient light emitters and solar cells, extremely sensitive chemical and biological sensors, and super-high-density three-dimensional magnetic memory
NanoIreland International Symposium
irishdev.com September 15, 2005 Minister Michael Martin addressed the NanoIreland International Symposium today to discuss the rapidly changing nature of nanoscience and nanotechnology.
He said "The conquest of nanotech is one of the scientific and societal challenges which excites all of us who have any engagement with it."
(Ed.'s note: much greater detail on an ealier article. Worth a read.)
Nano-Research Forms Basis of "Artificial Skin Layer"
NSTI September 15, 2005 Vance McCarthy: Nano World News spoke with Proctor & Gamble engineer Patrick Spicer, a specialist in complex fluids research, to learn more of the story of these oil-and-water-based nanoparticles, called cubosomes.
"So unlike Vaseline, which forms a protective barrier layer over your skin, cubosomes can both protect skin from outside elements AND at the same time let the skin 'breathe' and exchange moisture with its environment," Spicer told NWN.
Learning from the experts
independent.co.uk September 14, 2005 Scientists are following poets in taking inspiration from nature - lotus leaves and geckos' feet have led to ground-breaking inventions. Peter Forbes investigates
Raymor Receives an Order From EADS Composites
ccnmatthews.com September 14, 2005 Raymor Industries Inc. is proud to announce that its wholly-owned subsidiary, AP&C Advanced Powders and Coatings Inc. (AP&C) has received an order to deliver single-walled carbon nanotubes (C-SWNT) from EADS Composites Atlantic Ltd., a company from the EADS Group.
Rice Researchers Gain New Insight Into Nanoscale Optics
Rice University September 14, 2005 Findings May Lead To Advances In On-chip Data Transmission
Nanotech, Biochem sensors among UH research projects
Universtiy of Houston September 14, 2005 From applications in sonar and computers to gas grills and cigarette lighters, one University of Houston chemist is on his way to creating a 'recipe' for making 'better' material.
Currently, engineers take materials that someone else has made and improve them through processing techniques. P. Shiv Halasyamani, associate professor of chemistry at UH, is creating new compounds to better understand structural nuances that result in superior materials behavior. Halasyamani has been invited to present his research – "Structure-property relationships in new oxide materials: piezoelectric, ferroelectric, and second-harmonic generating characterization" – at the American Chemical Society (ACS) 230th National Meeting and Exposition in Washington, D.C., Aug. 28 to Sept. 1. More than 12,000 scientists are expected to attend the national meeting.
Hygienic surfaces, biocidal and self-cleaning coatings
basqueresearch.com September 13, 2005 Microbian evolution on a wide variety of surfaces can produce phenomena such as corrosion, dirt, smells and even serious hygiene and health problems. Achieving these properties on a surface is possible by means of coatings and treatments on specific surfaces, and in which nanotechnology plays a key role.
$400K fund to promote nanotech in Tompkins
theithacajournal.com September 13, 2005 Representatives from Cornell University, Tompkins County Area Development and other organizations announced on Monday an initiative for the next three to five years to attract nanotechnology and materials science industry to the area.
ESRF tests hardest and least compressive material in the world
eurekalert September 13, 2005 Nanorods of many materials are proving very successful, and their properties often exceed that of nanotubes, making them excellent candidates for industrial applications. Theoretical calculations predicted that diamond nanorods too would have properties superior to that of carbon nanotubes.
The next small thing
theage.com.au September 12, 2005 In his blue-sky dreaming, Dr Terry Turney, director of CSIRO's Nanotechnology Centre in Clayton, sees an ultra-thin polymer membrane studded with billions of aquaporins.
On one side is seawater, on the other, fresh. Each square metre of the biosynthetic membrane transforms 260,000 litres of seawater a day into fresh water - orders of magnitude more than any current desalination technology.
Nanotech material toxicity debated
sfgate.com September 12, 2005 Are the materials used in nanotechnology entirely new substances? A growing number of environmentalists think so and are urging more regulation in the production and use of nanomaterials.
(Matthew Nordan, vice president of research at the nanotechnology analysis firm Lux Research) believes that some of the areas of potential environmental hazards suggested by advocacy groups are real problems -- but also says that not all nanomaterials have the same properties or pose similar toxic risks. Most of the particles in nanomaterials are fixed or sealed into products, which make exposure unlikely, he said.
QinetiQ Nanomaterials' Breakthrough in hybrid aluminium powders
QinetiQ Nanomaterials September 12, 2005 New pyrotechnic and explosive applications possible with Tesimorph® EAB-80
Researchers Create Tiny Magnetic Diamonds on the Nanoscale
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute September 12, 2005 Tiny diamond magnets could find use in fields ranging from medicine to information technology
Nanotech's Promise Hits the Pedal
fool.com September 12, 2005 Jack Uldrich: Accelrys announced last week that it had added seven new members to its nanotechnology consortium. Two in particular caught my attention: Millennium Chemical, a wholly owned subsidiary of America's third-largest chemical company, Lyondell; and PPG Industries, which supplies coatings, glass, fiberglass, and chemicals. The news that these major chemical companies have climbed onboard offers additional support to Accelrys' claims that the consortium is creating software tools to speed up the design of new nanomaterials and devices.
From specialty fillers to space elevators
compositesworld.com September 12, 2005 Nancy Pottish: At this stage, many nanomaterials are expensive and not yet well understood, but considerable research, in progress in university, government and private laboratories, promises not only a better understanding of existing materials but new materials as well, together with more efficient, cost-effective processing techniques and methods for using their unique properties in practical applications.
Nanocluster catalysts aim to clean up fossil fuels
IoP September 12, 2005 Scientists from the University of Aarhus, Denmark, have developed a technique that could improve the commercial processes used to remove environmentally harmful sulphur from fossil fuels. This is currently done using a catalyst, which binds the harmful sulphur molecules to it, in much the same way as a car's catalytic converter works.
PPG Industries, INL Continue Collaboration
businesswire September 09, 2005 PPG Industries and the Idaho National Laboratory have agreed to extend their cooperative research-and-development effort by one year. They will continue developing low-cost "nanoparticles" that could be used in a wide range of applications, such as stronger, light-weight body armor for soldiers, and improved scratch resistance, brighter colors and improved corrosion resistance for paints.
Worldchanging Nanotechnology
worldchanging.com September 08, 2005 Jamais Cascio: "Nanotechnology" gets a great deal of attention these days, including here at WorldChanging, and for good reason. The ability to create materials and operate machines that have useful properties at the nano-scale (about a billionth of a meter, or roughly the size of molecules) has the potential for dramatic changes in realms as diverse as energy production, medical science, and even adhesives, among many others. Increasingly, governments, companies and NGOs around the world recognize the possibilities arising from these new technologies, and many have noted the particular applicability of nanotechnologies to the needs of the developing world -- including leaders in the developing nations themselves.
Nano-Proprietary and Sporting Goods Manufacturer Agreement
arrivenet.com September 08, 2005 Nano-Proprietary, Inc. announced that its subsidiary, Applied Nanotech, Inc. and one of the most advanced sporting goods companies in the world agreed to cooperate to develop nanocomposites to be utilized in the manufacturer's sporting equipment.
ApNano' Particles - Ultra-Strong Shock Absorbing Material
ApNano Materials September 07, 2005 Company's proprietary nanoparticles are excellent shock absorbing materials and among the most impact resistant substances known in the world today
TIAX to Identify and Develop Materials for NASA
businesswire September 07, 2005 TIAX today announced that it is collaborating with ILC Dover and Johnson Space Center to identify, develop and test new materials for building inflatable structures in space. They also will use nanotechnology for assisting in radiation protection and reducing permeation of the flexible materials for enhanced crew safety.
Nanotechnology Innovation Enables Recovery and Reuse of Spilled Oil
prnewswire September 07, 2005 Interface Sciences Corporation announced that in response to oil spill problems stemming from the current Hurricane Katrina disaster and oil crises, the company is launching its proprietary oil remediation and recovery application.
Independent Phosphor Partnerships Accelerate
businesswire September 06, 2005 Material discovery and phosphor experts, Intematix Corporation of Fremont, California, today announced that it will provide its White Lightning Y450/Y460(TM) brand of Phosphor to Taiwan's Edison Opto for use in a variety of applications for the white LED and solid state lighting markets.
ACS symposium highlights nano cosmetic progress
cosmeticsdesign.com September 06, 2005 A two-day symposium held at the American Chemical Society's annual national meeting last week has unveiled a series of commercially important ingredients and delivery technologies featuring nanotechnology – evidence of the growing importance of this area for future cosmetic formulations.
Libraries of gold nanoparticles
University of Oregon September 06, 2005 University of Oregon work appears on cover of Inorganic Chemistry
Polymer Nanoparticles Provide pH-Sensitive Tumor Targeting
nano.cancer.gov September 06, 2005 Using a novel class of biodegradable polymers, researchers at Northeastern University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have created pH-sensitive nanoparticles that boost delivery of the anticancer drug paclitaxel to tumor cells.
Buckyball-Paclitaxel Combination for Aerosolized Drug Delivery
nano.cancer.gov September 06, 2005 Nanoscale liposomes have shown promise for delivering anticancer drugs to the lungs, but the effectiveness of such formulations is limited by the rapid clearance of liposomes—and the drugs they contain—from lung tissue. To slow this clearance, a research team led by Lon Wilson, Ph.D., of Rice University, has hooked the nanoparticulate form of molecular carbon, known as fullerenes or buckyballs, to paclitaxel, and incorporated this construct into nanoscale liposomes. Preliminary in vitro data were promising enough that this formulation is now being tested in animal-based tumor models.
Multifunctional Nano Device Delivers Silencing RNAs to Cells
nano.cancer.gov September 06, 2005 Using a multifunctional, hollow nanoparticle, a research team at Hokkaido University in Japan has developed a means of delivering small interfering RNA molecules (siRNAs) to cells, blocking the production of a targeted protein. This new nanoscale delivery device could provide a boost to efforts aimed at using siRNAs to shut down cancer-causing genes.
Gold Nanoparticles Help Study Cancer Drug Resistance Pump
nano.cancer.gov September 06, 2005 A team of investigators at Nanjing University in China and the University of South Florida has used gold nanoparticles to develop a quick and sensitive method for identifying P-glycoprotein on the surfaces of cancer cells. Having a quick and easy assay to determine if tumor cells have P-glycoprotein on their surfaces could provide clinicians with crucial information to help refine how they treat cancer patients.
GETI Hosts Micro/Nanotechnology Mission to China
GETI September 06, 2005
Molecular Manufacturing Review
Responsible Nanotechnology September 06, 2005 Chris Phoenix: Nanopowders are small, relatively simple structures made by relatively large machines. Molecular manufacturing uses small machines (in fact, nanoscale machines) under computer control to make intricate products via molecular additive techniques. The range of products includes small machines, and it turns out that you can scale up production fairly quickly, due to scaling law advantages of small machines.
P2i extends coverage of super-repellent coatings
laboratorytalk.com September 05, 2005 P2i is planning to launch its range of super-repellent nano-coatings to the international Medical Device and consumables sector at ComPaMed, Dusseldorf, Germany, on 16-18 November 2005.
Diamond-nanotube composite material
ANL September 05, 2005 Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory have combined the world's hardest known material – diamond – with the world's strongest structural form – carbon nanotubes. This new process for "growing" diamond and carbon nanotubes together opens the way for its use in a number of energy-related applications.
Unions say nano-loopholes may hurt workers
abc.net.au September 04, 2005 Unions say thousands of Australian workers could be being exposed to potentially dangerous nanoparticles. They are calling for urgent regulation and say they could even press for nanoparticle production to stop, if needed.
Doubt over L'Oréal growth
timesonline.co.uk September 03, 2005 Its stable of brands, which includes Garnier shampoos and Lancôme cosmetics, can be found in nine out of ten homes in Britain.
However, L'Oréal has recently encountered a host of problems. The use of nano particles, which can be found in a range of its new skin products, is being investigated by an EU committee over safety concerns. The committee, which advises the EU on policy, is due to release its report later this year.
Nano World: Energy from nanotech chips
wpherald.com September 02, 2005 Charles Q. Choi: Power generators based on nanotechnology that can fit on a microchip could help drive military and medical devices or cell phones and laptops in the future, experts told UPI's Nano World.
"This technology is considerably less expensive than existing chemical and physical processes," said researcher Shubhra Gangopadhyay, a physicist at the University of Missouri at Columbia. "The possibilities are endless in terms of what this energy can do."
Gel on Command
Angewandte Chemie September 02, 2005 Switching between liquid and gel: counterion-dependent conformational change in molecular aggregates
Fracture of Polymers, Composites and Adhesives
netcomposites.com September 01, 2005 This will be the fourth International Conference in the series organized by the European Structural Integrity Society - Technical Committee 4 on Fracture Mechanics related to Polymers, Polymeric Composites and Adhesives.
'Miracle' plastic
bangkokpost.com September 01, 2005 Jiti Nukeaw, a physicist at the King Mongkut's Institute of Technology Lad Krabang, led a team of six researchers to Rajabhat University to show off an exciting discovery - a plastic that can conduct electricity.
Jiti's "new plastic" could, he said, lead to the making of an "invisible" radio antenna, low-cost solar cells, and, some time in the future, a flat computer display that could be rolled up and stored inside a pen.
(Ed.'s note: where it states "This coating is done at the nano level (around 100 billion times smaller than the width of a human hair)" is incorrect. Nanotechnology Now Readers know that the nano-level is "less than 100 nanometers" and corresponds loosely to ~1/10,000th the width of a human hair.)
Inexpensive oxidation catalyst could reduce diesel emissions
innovations-report.de September 01, 2005 Researchers at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory have developed an inexpensive method of synthesizing nano-sized silver hollandite and have found the material has unique catalytic properties that can completely oxidize nitrogens of oxide, carbon monoxide and hydrocarbons.
Raymor Begins Thermal Spray Coatings Contracts
ccnmatthews.com September 01, 2005 Raymor Industries Inc. is proud to announce that its wholly-owned subsidiary, AP&C Advanced Powders and Coatings Inc. (AP&C) has begun fulfilling contracts with SIEMENS Power Generation (PG) for the application of thermal spray coatings onto turbine components used in power generation.
'Nanospheres' that block pain of sensitive teeth
Institute of Physics September 01, 2005
Phasing in nanocrystals
nanotechweb September 01, 2005 Researchers at Tsinghua University, China, and the National Center for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology of China have come up with a "general strategy" for creating nanocrystals. The phase transfer and separation technique can produce nanocrystals of noble metal, semiconductor and conducting polymer, as well as nanocrystals that are magnetic/dielectric, fluorescent and have optoelectronic or biomedical properties.
Controlling Nanoparticle Size
Georgia Institute of Technology September 01, 2005 New mechanism by which polymer materials used in nanocomposites control the growth of particles
From Our Molecular Future: How Nanotechnology, Robotics, Genetics, and Artificial Intelligence Will Transform Our World, by Douglas Mulhall:
What happens to the monetary system when everyone is able to satisfy his own basic material needs at very low cost?
How would we use cash when digital manufacturing makes it impossible to differentiate a counterfeit bill or coin from the real thing?
What happens to fiscal policy when digital information, moving at light speed, is the major commodity?
How fast will monetary cycles move compared to, say, the ten- or twenty-year cycles of the late twentieth century, when products and patents go out of date in a matter of months instead of years?
What happens when we don't have to worry about trade or social services for our basic needs, because most of what we need is provided locally with digital manufacturing, and the biggest trade is in information?
How do we control the excesses of the ultrarich, the overabundance of the molecular assembler economy, and the challenge to intellectual property laws created by intelligent, inventive machines?
What happens if half of all jobs are made redundant every decade?
What happens to the War on Drugs when there's no import, export, or transport of contraband because drugs can be manufactured in a desktop machine using pirated software downloaded from the Internet?
What happens to democratic controls when individuals can get as rich as small governments in a year or so?
What's the relevance of insurance if many things are replaceable at very low capital cost, but liabilities from software are potentially unlimited?
How should organized labor react when molecular assemblers and intelligent robots eliminate most manufacturing jobs?
What is the nature of work going to be?
What happens to land prices when an individual can build a tropical farm under a bubble in North Dakota, and get there from New York in an hour?
What happens when everyone can go everywhere, whenever they want, and work from wherever they want?
The best links in this report are found in the questionnaire.
Issue #29 will cover Possible Futures. It will land in your mailbox November 7th, 2005.
Infamous Quotes:
"This 'telephone' has too many shortcomings to be seriously considered as a means of communication. The device is inherently of no value to us." Western Union internal memo, 1876
"Heavier-than-air flying machines are impossible." - Physicist and mathematician Lord Kelvin, President of the British Royal Society, 1895
"Everything that can be invented has been invented." - Charles H. Duell, Director of U.S. Patent Office, 1899
"There is no likelihood man can ever tap the power of the atom." - Robert Milikan, Nobel Laureate in Physics, 1923
"Theoretically, television may be feasible, but I consider it an impossibility-a development which we should waste little time dreaming about." - Lee de Forest, inventor of the cathode ray tube, 1926
"I think there is a world market for maybe five computers." IBM's Thomas Watson, 1943
"Landing and moving around on the moon offer so many serious problems for human beings that it may take science another 200 years to lick them." - Science Digest, August 1948
"Computers in the future may weigh no more than 1.5 tons." Popular Mechanics, 1949
"There is no reason anyone would want a computer in their home." Ken Olsen, Digital Equipment Corp, 1977
And the lesson is? It's a tough game to call.
Need advice? Check out NanoStrategies
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