Most of us probably won’t get as excited about quantum dots – the nanoparticles of a semiconductor material, about 80,000 times thinner than human hair – as Michael Edelman or Nigel Pickett, but we will all benefit from the work these two scientists have been doing in Manchester, England.
Semiconductors are the cornerstone of modern electronics. Quantum dots’ conducting characteristics are closely linked to the size and shape of the individual crystal; as they are so small they display unique optical and electrical properties. This means that backlit LCD displays in computer screens – go on, feel how hot your screen is now -television sets and phones can be far more efficient and save energy; in lighting, quantum dots allow the colour of the light from a source to be precisely controlled. Last September, Nanoco signed a joint development deal with a major television manufacturer, and Edelman says the first enhanced models should enter production next year.
With legislation to reduce power consumption stalking the globe, quantum dots could suddenly be very big indeed.
In fact, in order to meet growing demand, Edelman says that around three tonnes of quantum dots will be needed each year by 2012. Having cracked mass production for these little beauties, Nanoco is sitting pretty. What’s more, quantum dots have traditionally been made with metals such as cadmium, which is now banned in consumer products; Nanoco has devised ways to produce cadmium-free quantum dots.
The potential uses for the technology are exploding too. Edelman says quantum dots can also be used in photovoltaic (PV) panels to make solar power more efficient: “It’s all about costs. The energy produced now for solar costs $2.4 per watt compared to 60 cents from a wall socket.“ In June, Nanoco struck its first commercial solar deal, signing an agreement with Tokyo Electron to develop a solar PV nanomaterial film for solar cell manufacturing equipment.
Quantum dots could also build quantum computers, which work in a fundamentally different way to traditional ones; while the potential in various fields of medicine is also massive, with quantum dots being used with fibre-optic probes to distinguish between good and bad tissues.
In its last financial year, Nanoco received a $2m as part of a $10m agreement with a major Japanese manufacturer, which produces LEDs for the general lighting and LCD backlight market. Nanoco expects to get the remaining $8m by the end of 2010.
“We’re experts on materials, not devices, so we strike strategic partnerships. The business model is working closely with partners who pay towards development cost, then again at the licence agreement stage and then a small royalty on products sold that contains our patented technology”.
Nanoco’s broker Zeus Capital forecasts that for 2010 and 2011, the company will generate €6m and €12m of revenues before a dazzling leap to €95m in 2012.
Source: CNBC website, accessed 1 July 2010
http://www.cnbcmagazine.com/story/europeas-25-most-creative-companies/1182/1/
