General company news
• Nano-Terra has teamed up with 3M to develop advanced materials and devices. The licensing agreement is designed to bring to market nanotechnology-based products and solutions made possible by Nano-Terra's expertise in soft lithography and molecular self-assembly.
• Molecular printing developer BioForce Nanosciences has reported record revenues of $358,755 (€266,000) for the first quarter of 2007 compared with $201,376 for the same period last year. The firm revealed that market acceptance of its Nano eNabler has reached a new level with sales in the US, Ireland and Italy.
• Nanocyl, Belgium, has appointed Koichi Sakakibara to co-ordinate the supply of carbon nanotubes to its Japanese customers. Sakakibara served as president of SanApro, a joint venture between Sanyo Chemicals and Air Products, from 1990 to 1996 and then became director of Taisei Chemical where he directed developments in nano-dispersing technology.
• Third-Order Nanotechnologies' CEO Hal Bennett has told shareholders that the firm's low-cost polymer modulator could help to drive a "new wave of fibre-optic communications" offering HDTV-quality video conferencing and multi-player gaming. He believes that the company's organic polymer know-how could bring down the cost of a modulator for ultrahigh-speed long-distance fibre-optic networks by a factor of 50 in the next three years.
• Nanotechnology is used in almost 500 everyday products according to the Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies. Around half of the items come from the US, with East Asia now boasting 123 products – a 58% increase on last year's figures.
Reports
• NanoMarkets plans to release a report on silver powders and inks for printable electronics next month. The company is also examining opportunities for nanocrystalline silicon and silicon inks in electronics and aims to publish its findings in the third quarter of 2007.
• Defra has commissioned a study to identify and examine nanotechnology applications that could contribute to a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. Compiled by Oakdene Hollins and dubbed Environmentally Beneficial Nanotechnologies: Barriers and Opportunities, the report covers photovoltaics, insulation, electricity storage, engine efficiency and hydrogen use.
• Nanotechnology could be a catalyst for the revitalization of the US Environmental Protection Agency, says J Clarence (Terry) Davies in a new report available from the Wilson Center. Dubbed "EPA and nanotechnology: oversight for the 21st century", the document proposes a number of action steps for government, industry and other stakeholders.