JumpStart has invested $250,000 in ADAP Nanotech, an Akron, Ohio-based company developing and producing carbon nanotube-based coatings and adhesives.
ADAP Nanotech, located in the Akron Global Business Accelerator, is the 62nd firm in the portfolio of JumpStart. It has synthesized a highly conductive carbon nanotube-based adhesive, which is more efficient when compared to existing ‘gap fillers’ or thermal interface material (TIM).
ADAP Nanotech’s proprietary material, NanoTIM’s structure is based on natural adhesives, especially the tiny hairs that form the sticky footpad of a gecko. It adheres to surfaces without the help of glue or any other substances that may spoil sensitive electronic components. ADAP Nanotech grows nanoscopic-aligned carbon nanotubes over a silica substrate and then integrates them with a thin polymer layer to create a freestanding pad.
ADAP Nanotech intends to utilize JumpStart's investment in part to manufacture samples, which can be utilized for testing by prospective customers. According to ADAP Nanotech’s part owner, Sunny Sethi, the company wants to prove that its thermal pads are efficient and can be produced at a lower cost. The two-person startup company is willing to begin the manufacture of NanoTIM in quantities it can sell.
JumpStart’s venture partner, Lee Poseidon commented that these remarkable materials demonstrate the spreadability and flow of a liquid and stability and thermal conductivity of a metal. Independent tests corroborate design and pilot scale manufacturing of ADAP Nanotech, revealing that NanoTIM’s heat transfer properties are three folds better than that of traditional polymer-based thermal gap filler materials.