Mar 26 2008
The Pennsylvania NanoMaterials Commercialization Center concluded its third round of funding for companies using nanotechnology to develop new products and processes.
After a competitive review of submitted proposals, the Center's technical advisory committee and governing board have approved funding for the following companies:
Pittsburgh-based NanoLambda Inc. was awarded $258,238 in Ben Franklin Technology Development Authority (BFTDA) funding to develop a Spectrum Sensor(TM) chip using cost efficient nano-imprint lithography. The company also is providing $151,825 in matching funds.
Philadelphia-based Y-Carbon Inc. was awarded $243,835 in BF TDA funding to develop and commercialize supercapacitors using tunable nanoporous carbon electrodes. The company is providing $78,000 in matching funds.
Plextronics Inc., also located in Pittsburgh, was awarded $250,000 in Air Force Research Laboratories funding to develop semi-continuous processing technology for organic photovoltaic devices. The company is providing $250,000 in matching funds.
These three new projects are in addition to six projects that previously have been funded by the center. All nine projects represent a combined investment of state and federal funding of $2,002,073, which has been matched by $1,201,970 in funding by the companies. These projects support the commercialization of advanced nanomaterials technologies to achieve enhanced performance in a wide range of products in both the defense and commercial industries. Some examples of these products include: more efficient and lower- cost fuel cells, enhanced-performance batteries, lower-cost solar cells, more efficient heat dissipation devices for computer chips and stronger, lighter- weight wiring for more fuel efficient aircraft.
Dr. Alan Brown, the Center's executive director said, "The addition of the three new companies to the Center's project portfolio further demonstrated the broad application of nanomaterials to a wide range of products and industries, including energy, electronics, polymers and metals."
The Center also recently announced a new partnership with Lehigh University, which joins Carnegie Mellon University, the University of Pittsburgh and The Pennsylvania State University as official university partners of the Center. All four universities work closely with the Center to create industry-university partnerships leading to the commercialization of advanced nanomaterials for the defense and commercial markets.
The Center also recently received $1 million in funding from the BFTDA to continue its work in commercializing advanced materials technologies in Pennsylvania. The grant was one of several announced by Governor Rendell as part of the Commonwealth's Pennsylvania Initiative in Nanotechnology program.
The new grant is in addition to $1.2 million in state funding that the Center already has been awarded over the past two years. The state funding, in turn, is in addition to $2 million that the Center has received from the Department of Defense through the Air Force Research Laboratories in Dayton, Ohio.
The mission of the Pennsylvania NanoMaterials Commercialization Center is to promote and support the commercialization of nanomaterials research for new and enhanced products critical to the U.S. economy and manufacturing base. The Center builds upon Pennsylvania's excellence in advanced materials research, development and manufacturing, and it acts as a new model for a public-private partnership among government, universities, entrepreneurs, small and large companies to accelerate the transition from nanomaterials invention and innovation to new products and new companies.