NANOCENTRAL-NanoPerspective International Resource Guide 2012

172 Pages·2012·10.7 MB·English

NanoPerspective®

[the nanotechnology resource library]
the resource guide 2012

Contents
MCAINo OnFFtICaE cts Welcome - NanoCentral® – back to the future 5
NanoCentral
NanoCentral’s Nanomaterial Review of 2011 6
at The Centre for Process Innovation
Wilton Centre, Wilton, Redcar TS10 4RF UKIF - The UK Innovation Forum 10
T: [phone] NanoPerspective® - The definitive resource guide to
www.nanocentral.eu
nanotechnology and nanomaterials 13
ADVERTISING Primary Dispersions Ltd™ - Customised Nanodispersions 16
T: [phone]
ConCor Technology 17
E: [email protected]
Design Concepts 18
PRODUCTION & DESIGN
Light as Surface 20
Distinctive Publishing
8th floor, Aidan House, Sunderland Road, SapientSensors - Customised screening diagnostics 22
Gateshead, NE8 3HU
Pira International 23
T: [phone]
The Polymer Library 24
E: [email protected]
www.distinctivepublishing.co.uk Membership 2012 25
CP! - The Centre for Process Innovation
DISCLAIMER
Distinctive Publishing or NanoCentral cannot - From innovation to commercialisation 26
be held responsible for any inaccuracies that
may occur, individual products or services Key Sector Enablers 89
advertised or late entries. No part of this Academics - UK & World 115
publication may be reproduced or scanned
without prior written permission of the Nano Contacts A-Z 137
publishers and NanoCentral.
Notes 164
Check your details! 166
Who’s Who? 168
Advertisers Index 170
WITH THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS...
nanotechnology
The A to Z of Nanotechnology
NanoPerspective™ 3
Shaped by the past, creating the future
Few universities have
comparable research
strengths across the
Sciences, Social Sciences
and Arts and Humanities;
yet Durham is compact and
interactive enough to
develop new approaches,
questions and research
ideas that transcend
interdisciplinary boundaries.
Access our leading
edge research, facilities,
knowledge and academic
expertise through:
• Contract and Collaborative Research
• Knowledge Transfer Partnerships
• Consultancy
• Analytical Services
• Higher Skills and Employer Engagement
• IP Disclosure
• University Spinout Ventures
• Patents and Licensing
• Student Projects
• Continuing Professional Development
• Community and Cultural Initiatives
For further information email
Business and Innovation Services:
[email protected]
Shaped by the past, creating the future Welcome
NanoCentral® – back to the future
Few universities have
As you will know, NanoCentral® ceased to be funded by the Technology Strategy
comparable research
Board at the end of June 2011. It signed off its public sector existence in style at
strengths across the
NanoMaterials2011, hosted in association with IntertechPira.
Sciences, Social Sciences
and Arts and Humanities;
yet Durham is compact and
interactive enough to
develop new approaches,
questions and research
ideas that transcend
“Building on its unique
interdisciplinary boundaries.
expertise and extensive
marketing database
Access our leading of personal contacts,
NanoCentral® will
edge research, facilities,
continue to provide a
knowledge and academic
significant proportion of
expertise through:
its current public sector
service offer.”
• Contract and Collaborative Research
• Knowledge Transfer Partnerships This was the fifth business to business conference in the NanoMaterials These include:
series and, as well as plenary sessions covering “The Commercial
• Consultancy Exploitation of Nanotechnology and Nanomaterials” and “Achieving NANOPERSPECTIVE® RESOURCE GUIDE
NanoCentral® continues its partnership with Distinctive Publishing to
Success in Nanomaterials”, there were three parallel themes each day
• Analytical Services promote the first free on desk compendium of who is who in micro and
focusing on “Novel Applications for Nanotechnology”, “Innovations
nanotechnology. Once again in 2012, NanoPerspective® has increased
in the Production of Nanomaterials” and “Enablers of Successful
• Higher Skills and Employer Engagement its European coverage and will soon extend its coverage to the USA and
Commercialisation: Policy, Business and Finance”.
APAC.
• IP Disclosure
NanoMaterials2011 was the most international event in the series yet
UKIF REWARDS
• University Spinout Ventures staged with 38 speakers featured, of which six were from the US, nine NanoCentral® is supporting the UK Innovation Forum (UKIF), a
from Europe and one each from Japan and Australia.
membership forum that is dedicated to supporting collaboration within
• Patents and Licensing
Keynote addresses were provided by Dr Hilary Lackritz of Lockheed the UK innovation community, in the successful commercialisation
• Student Projects Martin, Doug Jamison of Harris and Harris Group, Kate Le Strange of the of intellectual property via “Rewards”, a web based open innovation
OECD, Russell Maguire of Boeing and Prof Robert Falkner of the London platform which puts organisations seeking solutions to technical problems
• Continuing Professional Development School of Economics - all in all an event to remember. in contact with solution providers.
• Community and Cultural Initiatives However, as promised last year this is not the end of the road. WEBSITE E-COMMERCE
NanoCentral® will continue its mission to promote the safe and beneficial NanoCentral® continues to offer targeted advertising, nanomaterial sales
commercialisation of nanomaterials in the United Kingdom albeit at and e-marketing via its upgraded web platform
a lower key. Building on its unique expertise and extensive marketing CONSULTANCY
database of personal contacts, NanoCentral® will continue to provide a NanoCentral® offers technical services, training and interim management
significant proportion of its current public sector service offer including via its extensive and unique network of contacts.
marketing of core and associate provider capablities, stimulation of the
UK nanotechnology and nanomaterial markets and development of the As you will see from the above, we are realising the ambitious plans we
UK nanomaterial supply chain. began to outline last year. As always, we look forward to working with you
and continuing to deliver valued services.
For further information email In addition, NanoCentral® will also offer an integrated group of value-
Business and Innovation Services: added services to the nanotechnology and nanomaterials communities. Stephen Cash,CEO NanoCentral®
[email protected]
NanoPerspective™ 5
NanoCentral’s Nanomaterial
The most significant recent developments in nanomaterials must be those related
to graphene, a new class of two-dimensional material with unique properties.
Graphene can turn materials into conductors of electricity, make them In May, IBM opened the Binnig and Rohrer Nanotechnology Centre located
more heat resistant and make them more mechanically robust. Within on the campus of IBM Research in Zurich. This $90M facility is based on
electronics, graphene transistors are predicted to be substantially faster the premise of open collaboration between IBM scientists and external
than silicon transistors, enabling more efficient computers. In recognition partners. Its centerpiece is a 10-year strategic partnership in nanoscience
of the importance of graphene, Konstantin Novoselov and Andre Geim between IBM and ETH Zurich.
of the University of Manchester won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2010
In May, Rusnano was again in the news, announcing another joint venture,
for isolating and measuring its properties. In October this year, the
this time with Crocus Technology, a leading developer of MRAM technology.
UK government signalled its belief in the commercial importance of
Rusnano agreed to contribute $140M of a total investment of $300M to
graphene by announcing a £50M investment to fund a Global Research
form Crocus Nano Electronics (CNE). CNE will build an advanced MRAM
and Technology Hub at the University of Manchester to accelerate its
facility in Russia, capable of manufacturing medium to high density MRAM
commercialisation.
products based on Crocus’ Thermal Assisted Switching (TAS) MRAM
Earlier in the year, in January, Rusnano’s announced a $700M investment technology initially at 90nm and 65nm lithographies. Subsequently, an
in Plastic Logic to create the latter’s second volume production facility for upgrade to 45nm lithography is planned.
its next-generation nano-enabled plastic electronic displays and establish a
Within the Aerospace sector, EasyJet, the UK’s largest airline, announced in
plastic electronics industry in Russia.
February that it was to be the first commercial airline to trial a revolutionary
Also within the Electronics sector, Omni-Lite in February reported its ultra thin TripleO coating coating on its aircraft aimed at reducing the build
first order for a nano-crystalline battery programme from a hybrid up of debris on the aircraft’s structure, leading edge and other surfaces.
battery manufacturer. Omni-Lite’s batteries are based on a propriety Reducing this build up reduces drag, thereby increasing fuel efficiency.
nanotechnology. This order was for the engineering, tooling and product The use of such nano-enabled coatings, cross-linked to the aeroplane’s
development aspects of a programme due to culminate in production at the painted surface, is not new however. They have been used on US military
start of Q3 2011. aircraft for at least 25 years. Whilst only adding ca 120g to the weight of
6 success through nanomaterials
NanoCentral’s Nanomaterial Review of 2011
the aeroplane, it is estimated that drag can be reduced by 39%, enabling Rusnano has also been active in the Coatings sector, creating a joint
Easyjet’s overall fuel consumption to be reduced by 1–2 per cent. venture with Alcoa in June. The joint venture will produce a broad range of
products including anti-icing, nano-structured coatings for ground cables,
Also within Aerospace, the long awaited “Dreamliner” from Boeing,
wires and other components of power transmission lines. The project will
finally went into service in October. It is reported to use ca. 20% less fuel
also produce next-generation wires and cables with improved conductivity
as a result of significant effort put into reducing the overall weight of the
and anti-icing properties.
aeroplane. A major part of the means by which this has been achieved has
been via the use of substantial quantities of nano composites. Also in June, Frost and Sullivan awarded its New Product Innovation
Award to Nanopool for its liquid glass technology. Nanopool’s application
In the Construction sector, ItN Nanovation completed a major project in
Saudi Arabia in March installing its CFM Systems® nanoceramic-based of silicon dioxide at the nanometre scale as an antimicrobial coating
yields high disinfectant properties, previously achieved only by silver
filtration system for water purification. The CFM Systems® filter units are
nanocoatings. However, while the toxicity of silver has been an area of
used to pre-treat water from deep wells so that it can be subsequently
concern, liquid glass has been subjected to several clinical tests and found
purified into clean drinking water using reverse osmosis. Tests have shown
that pre-filtration with CFM Systems® provides significant advantages to be completely biocompatible. In addition, the nanocoating product is
claimed to offer other benefits: it is repellent to water and dirt, making
over conventional polymer-based hollow fibre membranes and sand-
coated surfaces easy to clean and maintain. The coating is transparent
based filtration, even at high temperatures and high iron and manganese
concentrations. The CFM Systems® filter units also last considerably longer rendering it almost invisible and maintaining the aesthetic appeal of the
original surface. It is also resistant to heat and cold, functioning at a wide
than conventional polymer membranes for pre-filtration. In addition,
range of temperatures (-150 to +4500C). This enables it to be used in
their use extends the operating life of the downstream reverse osmosis
appliances such as ovens and air conditioners. It is highly durable: the
membranes. It is claimed that drinking water throughput is increased
by some 20 percent using CFM Systems® filter units which is of great coating can protect a surface for more than ten years, thereby minimising
maintenance costs. Nanopools’ liquid glass finds application in a diverse
importance given the relatively high cost of reverse osmosis plants for water
range of market sectors including agriculture, aerospace, building &
purification.
construction, automotive, packaging and retail.
Also in Construction, Rusnano in June signed a Memorandum of
Understanding with Lafarge to develop innovative and sustainable P2i, in October, won an international award at the 2011 International
construction materials. These will include high performance mineral Business Awards for being the ‘Most Innovative Company in Europe’.
additives and fillers supplying energy efficiency, durability and This followed the announcement in February, that it had built its first
environmental safety. high-capacity processing machine, the Aridion™ 400, to apply invisible
NanoPerspective™ 7
nanoscopic polymer protective coatings. Such coatings dramatically announced that it had raised £25 million in new funding via a private
lower the surface energy of a substrate, so that when liquids come placement of ordinary shares in the Company. In July, IOTA Nanosolutions
into contact with it, they form beads and simply roll off. The result is a announced that it had completed a financing round, in which the Qatar
dramatic reduction in corrosion and electrochemical migration, even after Islamic Bank had joined Unilever Ventures in supporting the development
shower, salt-fog and water submersion testing. The Aridion™ protection of their proprietary nanodispersion formulation technology. However, in
technology is targeted at applications in consumer electronics devices the same month Nanoco, a UK producer of quantum dots indicated that
such as smartphones and MP3 players. However, P2i’s consumer product if more public cash was not forthcoming, there was a significant possibility
equivalent of Aridion™, ion-mask™, has also found increasing application, that its first commercial production operations could be located in Japan or
being adopted by Scott Sports (a provider of equipment and apparel for Singapore.
bikes, wintersport, motorsport and running) and Teva® (the manufacturer of
In the US, the financial picture has been more positive. Harris & Harris
Links mountain bike shoes).
Group Inc. in February invested $750,000 in Nano-Terra Inc. in receipt
Still in Coatings, Nanogate in October reported that it had obtained a of warrants. Nano Terra is a nano- and micro-technology development
multi-million pound three year contract to supply headlight lenses with an company that builds new business value by applying its interdisciplinary
innovative sustainable de-mist coating to Jaguar and Land Rover. expertise, nano- and micro-technology toolset and know-how to the
commercial problems of customers. In August, Harris & Harris Group
Within the inks market, Intrinsiq Nanomaterials launched in April a, stable,
Inc invested $1,666,667 million in HzO, Inc., as part of a $7 million
cost effective, high solids copper screen print ink formulation designed
financing. HO, Inc. manufactures nanoscale, industrial coatings that
for photonic curing at room temperature in air. The conductivities and 2
protect electronics against damage caused by exposure to water, the major
performance of its product, Intrinsiq CP001, are typically comparable with
cause of lost functionality in electronics. The coating is transparent and can
commercially available silver pastes. Although the initial product is designed
be applied to a variety of surfaces including plastic, metal and glass. In
for use on paper substrates, products optimised for use on other substrates
addition to being water repellent, the coating can also repel oils, synthetic
are to follow.
fluids, hazardous materials, dust and dirt. HO Inc. is planning to launch
2
As the volume of nanomaterials traded increases, impetus for the its first coated consumer electronic devices with its partner ZAGG Inc. in
development of trading specifications is also increasing, not least with the the near term and intends to target a diverse range of markets including
advent of the Integrated Nano-Science & Commodity Exchange (INSCX™). automotive, military devices and vehicles and solar energy.
This trading platform became live in November 2010 and has already
From the preceding, you will see that the number of nano-enabled products
achieved a multi £million monthly turnover. Significantly, INSCX™ is
continues to increase and their applications are becoming more and
seeing substantial demand for nanomaterials from the low carbon sector,
more mainstream. As this trend accelerates, structures well known in more
particularly for minerals and oxides associated with battery manufacture.
established markets, such as trading exchanges will develop. With the
Of equal interest is the number of companies from the far-east and Russia
development of physical exchanges, there will be a drive to standardised
seeking to sell primary nanomaterials.
material specifications and hence multi-sourcing. Also, considerations of
Of course significant interest in the trade of nanomaterials for batteries and, the safety of nanomaterials and nano-enabled products will become more
in particular rare earth minerals, is not without issues. China is the origin of prominent within the public’s mind. It is therefore opportune that this year
a large percentage of such materials and has been widely reported to be has seen the merger of AssuredNano® and nanoTox™ to create a global
taking a “strategic” view to their export. force in the provision of Occupational, Environmental, Health & Safety
(OEHS) for nanomaterials and nano-enabled products.
Financial support for nanomaterials in the UK has proved a mixed picture.
In April, Oxford Nanopore Technologies Ltd., the UK-based developers of Nano-enabled products are now rapidly taking off and NanoCentral
nanopore technology for the direct, electronic analysis of single molecules, continues to assist their safe, benefical commercialisation.
8 success through nanomaterials
Intertek MSG
Meeting all your materials characterisation needs
Intertek MSG is playing a major role in the NanoCentral network as the core
provider of characterisation and measurement, bringing to the collaboration
many years of experience in the analysis of nanomaterials..
Developments in nanotechnology are concerned with two issues - the - and the more welcome its absence! Several modes of operation of the
design and manufacture of small particles, and the incorporation of these new instrument circumvent this issue. In addition, beam deceleration
particles in a controlled manner into a liquid or solid carrier matrix. Of emphasises very fine surface detail at the expense of unwanted sub-
course the purpose is to produce materials where the inclusion of the surface interactions. The presence of scanning transmission electron
nanoparticles leads to an improvement of the physical properties of the detectors (STEM) allows us to form images using electrons passing
final materials. Intertek MSG can contribute, through the provision of through a thin sample, and the WetSTEM system means that we can now
detailed analysis, to both areas. image truly wet samples (relative humidity conditions up to 100%), and
materials otherwise inaccessible by conventional electron microscopy
NANOPARTICLES
– for example giving us access to in-situ studies of aggregation of
Intertek MSG has a comprehensive array of tools for the measurement of
nanoparticles within a dispersion during a drying process.
nanoparticle properties, including:
Complementary techniques, such as x-ray diffraction and spectroscopic
n Analysis of particle size and morphology using electron microscopy,
methods can provide additional information on the composite
x-ray diffraction, photon cross-correlation spectroscopy and a Disc
morphology, and quantify aspects of homogeneity or orientation. In
Centrifuge – allowing quantitative analysis of particles as small as a few
particular, MSG’s extensive capabilities in ‘Chemical Imaging’ allow us to
nanometres.
study, and display, the variation in chemical composition of materials with
n Application of image analysis to generate quantitative information on
sub-micron resolution.
size and shape distributions.
n Carbon nanotubes analysis using raman spectroscopy to monitor tube PHYSICAL PROPERTIES AND PRODUCT PERFORMANCE
diameter and sample purity, and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and Intertek MSG can characterise a wide range of physical properties, in
elemental analysis to provide information on sample purity or catalyst order to assess the impact of the incorporation of nanoparticles in a
residue content. matrix. Capabilities include:
n Coating analysis using spectroscopic techniques, or by surface analysis.
n Mechanical properties (e.g. toughness, scratch resistance or impact
NANODISPERSIONS strength)
The particle sizing techniques mentioned above can equally be applied n Optical performance (clarity, reflectance, refractive index)
to dispersions of particles – although for the PCCS and disc centrifuge n Electrical properties (conductivity, charge dissipation).
methods it will in general be necessary to generate dilute solutions before
Intertek MSG’s expertise stretches well beyond the nanomaterials arena,
reproducible results can be obtained.
and through our own scientists and those of the wider Intertek group of
In order to directly assess concentrated dispersions new electron laboratories, we can service all your materials testing, characterisation
microscopy instrumentation, combining low-vacuum imaging with a wet- and certification requirements. For more details contact us on:
STEM stage, has been recently introduced at MSG. The smaller the size
Email: [email protected]
of a particle or feature, the more intrusive and misleading the presence
Tel: [phone]
of the conductive coating that is required for conventional SEM analysis
NanoPerspective™ 9
UKIF
The UK Innovation Forum
Only in its second year, the UK Innovation Forum (UKIF) has signed up 27
institutional members and created meaningful relationships with the UK Science
Park Association, the Knowledge Transfer Networks of the Technology Strategy
Board and many others. By working with Shaping Tomorrow, a global network
that identifies emerging opportunities and risks, UKIF helps its members to keep
track of technology and business trends. It now has more than 3,000 business
members.
This very practical approach to technology commercialisation is laboratories that produce world-class innovative technology. It supports
complemented by brokerage events where universities and other research collaboration within a focused and managed innovation community,
institutes can showcase their expertise to industry and a job board for enabling effective commercialisation of IP. The Forum’s activities link
those seeking staff for technology-intensive roles. high-calibre, commercially-minded individuals to those with solutions to
specific technological challenges. We were created with, and enjoy the
This crucial link – research to business to individual business person - is
on-going the support of, the Science and Technology Facilities Counci
endorsed by UKIF corporate member, James Dyson, “Research is the
(STFC): www.stfc.ac.uk.
basic starting point for technological innovation. But we need to capitalise
on academia’s expertise. Collaboration, not competition, between It has never been a better time to engage with the Forum and use it to
universities and companies is the key.” help find answers to business challenges associated with innovation,
collaboration and the commercialisation of emerging technologies.
If you’re looking for your next opportunity, why not take a look at the UKIF
Membership benefits include:
website www.uk-if.org. As Chief Executive Gerald Law explains, “It’s
quite simple – if you match a really good technology idea with the right n Networking opportunities within a growing community that truly
business expertise, you can create successful business opportunities”. represents the UK innovation sector as a whole
n Business services, such as legal and IP assistance, targeted job boards
GET INVOLVED WITH THE UK’S FASTEST GROWING
and recruitment
INNOVATION COMMUNITY
n Regional brokerage events
Bringing People Together, Bringing New Technologies to Market n Access to a library of over 60,000 articles on technology and business
trends
The UK Innovation Forum (UKIF) was formed 18 months ago. With n Access to a growing panel of industry experts.
over 3,000 members it is now one of the UK’s leading communities for
individuals and organisations involved in the commercialisation of IP. So, act now
The Forum exists to bring together business people who want to turn n Log on: http://uk-if.org
technological innovations into commercial success with British universities, n Complete you personal profile to apply for membership
research institutions, research councils and government-funded science n Participate in the fastest growing UK innovation community.
10 success through nanomaterials