Jul 26 2007
Third-Order Nanotechnologies, Inc. announced that it has developed an innovative process for manufacturing its electro-optic polymers. The process reduces the manufacturing process from five synthesis operations to two. Should Third-Order develop a commercially viable product, this innovation could impact Third-Order's business in three ways:
- Reduce the cost of manufacturing its materials.
- Reduce the cost and complexity of tailoring the material to specific customer requirements.
- Further bolster the company's intellectual property portfolio.
The recent innovation harnesses techniques from dendritic chemistry to reduce the number of synthesis steps to produce a chromophore suitable for encapsulation in a host polymer. Dendritic (from the Greek meaning 'tree-like') molecular systems are one of the most versatile chemical systems known; having tree-like branching structures, these systems can be "grown" to almost any size necessary for any specific application. Leaf-like capping groups located at the termini of the dendrimers can be altered for chemical compatibility with a broad range of materials for different applications.
Synthesis steps are similar to steps in a recipe, requiring the addition of ingredients, heating and various other manipulations. Typically, the cost of producing a particular material is proportional to the number of synthesis steps required to produce it. Not only does the dendritic chemistry that Third-Order has developed reduce the number of synthesis steps required to produce the material, it may also make it much easier to vary the properties of the material to meet specific customer requirements.
Third-Order's scientific team has invented two dendritic nano-structures that could be uniquely suited for integration with the Company's groundbreaking chromophore to produce a commercially viable electro-optic polymer. The scientific team is in the process of proving the efficacy of these nano-structures. If these structures are viable, then the next step will be to build a demonstration electro-optic modulator incorporating the new material. David Eaton, Third-Order’s Chief Technology Officer, added: "This advance by our scientific team adds versatility and efficiency to our synthetic effort. It has the potential to reduce our time to market.”
Third-Order believes that the materials it has developed are unique and that they are a major contribution to the field of electro-optic polymers. As such, it intends to pursue patent protection for the newly developed processes.