Firm looks to assemble profits
with stronger thin-film process

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Aug. 12, 2002 — NanoSonic Inc. of Christiansburg, Va., thinks it may have pushed back the frontier of molecular self-assembly.

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The 4-year-old company has patented a process for producing thin-film materials that have uniform molecular structure, enabling their properties to be precisely controlled at the nanoscale level. NanoSonic says the process, known as modified electrostatic self-assembly (MESA), results in new materials whose molecular bonds possess superior piezoelectric, electrical, optical and other properties.

NanoSonic researchers, armed with a slew of research grants, are trying to manufacture new thin films for use in making inkjet cartridges, optical components, sensors, and special coatings and adhesives.

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Here’s how it works. NanoSonic researchers begin by giving a charge to a base material, or substrate. Next, the substrate is dipped alternately into two water-based solutions: one containing negatively charged ions and another containing positively charged ions. The oppositely charged nanoparticles attract and stick to one another, and repeated dipping builds nanometer-thick layers of film.

The synthesis occurs at room temperature, doesn’t require costly special equipment or clean rooms and can be applied to virtually any base material. Company founder Rick Claus said it could be an enabling technology for manufacturers, especially those using costlier bulk materials such as copper and aluminum.

“Our research focuses on two things for manufacturers: lowering cost or improving performance,” said Claus, an electrical engineering professor at Virginia Tech in nearby Blacksburg.

NanoSonic is not alone in experimenting with molecular self-assembly, but it’s scrambling to be the first company to develop a commercially viable application. A new optical sensor for testing oil wells may be its gateway to the commercial market. The device is designed to help oil-services companies do online monitoring of flow rate, temperature and pressure — factors that influence the production capacity of a well. Claus said two large companies in the oil and gas industry, which he declined to name, are testing the device and providing feedback to work out any bugs.

“The idea is that with better analysis of the material you’re producing, you probably could produce things more efficiently. Globally we don’t produce that much oil in the U.S. But if what we do produce we can produce more efficiently and the cost is lower, we could reduce our dependence on Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Iran. That’s one of the main focuses we have,” Claus said.

The 20-person company also is heavily pursuing optics research.

“I like their chances for success,” said Nancy Vorona, head of advanced materials for Virginia’s Center for Innovative Technology, a state-supported technology facilitator. “They’ve been very successful at attracting federal money for research and development, and I think it’s because its technology can support a wide variety of advanced-materials applications.”

Claus said the company plans to make money by manufacturing some materials, through joint ventures with industry partners and by licensing its technology.


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Company file: NanoSonic Inc.
(last updated Aug. 12, 2002)

Company
NanoSonic Inc.

Headquarters
1425 South Main Street SE
Blacksburg, Va. 24060

History
In the mid-’90s, Virginia Tech graduate student Yanjing Liu began working with Rick Claus thin films and coatings. NanoSonic was launched by Claus and Liu in 1998, as a spinoff based on research at Virginia Tech. Liu left the firm in January 2001. NanoSonic has patented its the MESA — modified electrostatic self-assembly — manufacturing process for producing ultra-thin films used in consumer products.

Industries

  • Advanced materials (thin films, nanopowders)
  • Fiber optics
  • Small tech-related products and services
    Besides its thin films library and assembly system, NanoSonic has developed a sensor for the online monitoring of flow, temperature and pressure in oil wells. The company’s thin films are being tested for use in inkjet cartridges, optical equipment and corrosion-resistant aircraft coatings. NanoSonic expects to begin selling selected thin films between 2003 and 2007, eventually selling a full line of films and processing equipment. Using a Department of Energy Phase I contract, NanoSonic has also developed a student-appropriate nanotech prototype kit, which they hope to offer to school science classes at a cost of roughly $100. The company is seeking Phase II funding in order to meet this goal.

    Management
    Richard O. Claus: president
    Marten deVries: vice president of business development
    Linda Duncan: chief financial officer

    Employees
    20

    Investment history
    An undisclosed amount of funding has come from NanoSonic’s management and angel investors. The company has received Small Business Innovation Research grants from government organizations including the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, U.S. Air Force, NASA and the National Institute of Standards and Technology.

    Selected strategic partners
    NanoSonic is closely involved with government projects. It also maintains a relationship with Virginia Tech’s Fiber and Electro Optic Research Center.

    Barriers to market
    The market for thin film-based sensors remains fragmented and poorly defined. NanoSonic, located in rural Blacksburg, Va., has limited access to investment capital.

    Competitors

  • Molecular Electronics Corp.
  • California Molecular Electronics Corp.
  • MicroCoating Technologies
  • What keeps them up at night?
    “There is always somebody out there who’s better and smarter,” says Rick Claus, company president.

    Relevant patents
    NanoSonic has exclusively licensed nine Virginia Tech patents and also has intellectual property of its own. Key patents include:

  • Transparent abrasion-resistant coatings
  • Patterned molecular self-assembly
  • Split-spectrum self-referenced fiber optic sensor
  • Contact
    URL: www.nanosonic.com
    Phone: 540-953-1785
    Fax: 540-953-5022
    E-mail: [email protected]

    Recent news
    Virginia company to bring nanotech to students
    Virginia nanotechnology firm works on energy alternatives

    Research by Gretchen McNeely

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