1. mPhase Technologies has announced that it is creating a version of its Smart Nanobattery optimized for use in active RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) applications. RFID is a radio transmitter sensor technology used for security and tracking systems in which active tags are used to keep track of high value inventory items and capital assets, such as shipping containers, medical equipment and automobiles. The new Smart Nanobattery architecture promises an energy source that can be packaged in various configurations with a decades-long shelf life, yet one that can be activated almost immediately on demand. The battery might also be made environmentally friendly.
2. BioForce Nanosciences Holdings, Inc. has made it into the "Class of 2006" list of nanotech stocks to watch. Found on Forbes.com, the list is an update of a scorecard that the Forbes/Wolfe Nanotech Report developed some years ago. It names BioForce among 20 nano-related companies to keep an eye on, while cautioning that inclusion in the list is not a recommendation. The Forbes/Wolfe report states that 2006 wasn't a banner year for nanotechnology stocks, but assures that for the patient investor, rewards are on the horizon for nanotech and nano-related stocks.
3. Nano Chemical Systems Holdings, Inc. has announced that it has filed a US Patent application on a breakthrough material that exhibits light in the absence of heat. This nano-enhanced material sets a new standard for high efficiency and for increased brightness. "We are very pleased to have filed this patent on what we believe to be a major scientific breakthrough," stated Mathew Zuckerman, CEO of Nano Chemical. "The commercial applications for our planned products using this technology are very significant and we believe this to be the first of many significant patents we will seek in the year ahead." The company plans to announce the introduction of the first commercial product based on this technology very soon.
4. Nanogen, Inc., developer of advanced diagnostic products, presented results demonstrating nanofabrication applications of the company's NanoChip technology at the LabAutomation 2007 conference in Palm Springs, CA. The presentation described the use of Nanogen's proprietary electronic "pick and place" technology to direct the assembly of nanoparticles in a rapid, cost-effective manner. The research team, led by Michael Heller, a co-founder of Nanogen, used Nanogen's NanoChips and NC400 instrument to build multi-layered structures of nanoparticles by electronically directing the components to targeted positions on a microarray template. "Completed structures can later be 'popped off' the template by several simple procedures," said Heller. "It’s a unique approach to the assembly of nanoparticles into more complex structures and potential applications include the production of microscale biosensors that may ultimately be used in the body to monitor diseases."