GENERAL COMPANY NEWS
• American Elements announced the formation of a new product group to manage the production, sales and marketing of its quantum dot nanopowder production facilities. The new division was spun off from the Nanometals™ Group and will operate under the tradename AE Quantum Dots™.
American Elements is a manufacturer and supplier specializing in producing quantum dots from several semiconductor materials with well-defined peak emission frequencies between wavelengths of about 470 to 730 nm.
The spin off of this AE Quantum Dots™ group will consolidate sales and customer support of these materials and combine production capabilities where possible for better efficiency. The spin off will not result in any worker or staffing reductions.
• AlwaysReady, Inc, a new subsidiary of mPhase Technologies, Inc has said that it is making good progress in its efforts to develop a prototype of its Smart Nanobattery based on lithium chemistry that is compatible with silicon-based processing steps.
The new prototype, based on lithium and manganese dioxide chemistry, would retain all of the beneficial properties of the first generation of the Smart Nanobattery's earlier design, which can remain dormant for long periods of time, leading to a shelf life of decades and can be activated on demand. Various battery designs based on this technology may deliver a new and unique component for system design in many applications, including powering RFID sensors, as well as in defence, industrial and consumer electronics devices.
• Platypus Technologies, LLC a life sciences nanotechnology company has been awarded a $2.3 million contract with the Edgewood Chemical and Biological Center in Maryland. The funds will be used to advance the development of liquid crystal-based sensors utilizing the company's proprietary technology and the sensors will find use in many military and civilian applications. Platypus Technologies has received over $15.5 million in federal funding to develop nanotechnology products for the physical and life sciences.
• Holographix LLC has opened two new laboratories and has therefore expanded its micro and nano-replication production capacity by 50%. The company produces cost-effective tools for use in imprint lithography as well as various other micro and nano-moulding processes. The expansion will allow Holographix to accommodate increasing demand for replicated nano and micro-structured templates. These high-fidelity templates, which are UV-cured replicas produced from an original quartz or silicon master, promise excellent mechanical properties, good chemical resistance to a wide spectrum of organic and inorganic solvents and temperature resistance of up to 200 °C.
PATENTS
• Unidym Inc, a manufacturer of CNTs and subsidiary of Arrowhead Research Corporation has had a patent issued for its nanotube-based transparent electrodes. With respect to transparent conductive films, Clemson University has exclusively licensed this patent to Unidym.
The company, which recently merged with Carbon Nanotechnologies, Inc, possesses a foundational patent portfolio that covers nearly every aspect of carbon nanotube manufacturing and processing. "The issued patent covers products that Unidym is currently developing for the touch screen, flat panel display, solar cell and solid-state lighting markets," stated Art Swift, Unidym's president and CEO.
SAFETY
• Fears were expressed about the safety of some cosmetics at the BA Festival of Science in York, UK, last week. The products contain buckyballs – or fullerenes – whose safety in cosmetics was questioned by chemistry professor Tony Ryan from the University of Sheffield.
Sircuit® Cosmeceuticals Inc's website advertises skin nutrient products containing fullerenes as being for sale throughout the US. Zelens Fullerene C60 Day Cream, which is no longer on sale in the UK, is sold in Asia, where it will be replaced by another range of Zelens products early next year. The day cream costs £135 for 30 ml. Tony Ryan questioned the safety of carbon nanoparticles in cosmetics. "I wouldn’t put buckyballs anywhere near my face," he said. However, the Zelens website says that its formulas "have been extensively tested at the most prestigious international university laboratories."
PARTNERSHIPS
• Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute has signed a new partnership with Sandia National Laboratories and a select group of leading universities and corporations.
Rensselaer and the other institutions signed a memorandum of understanding in August to establish the National Institute for Nano-Engineering, or NINE. The partnership was driven by concerns over the state of America's science and engineering education and capacity for innovation.
"This partnership allows Rensselaer to strengthen existing ties and forge new relationships with global technology leaders in industry, academia and government," said Rensselaer president Shirley Ann Jackson. "NINE is a shining example of how our government can reach out to academia and industry for the purpose of energizing and educating young people in the sciences and engineering and in helping our nation maintain its leadership role in the world economy."