March 13, 2008 — Unidym Inc., a majority-owned subsidiary of Arrowhead Research, has entered into a joint development agreement with Nippon Kayaku, a Japanese chemical company, to integrate Unidym’s printable transparent electrodes into Nippon Kayaku’s thin film solar cells.

According to Solarbuzz, an international solar energy research and consulting company, thin-film photovoltaic technologies hold great promise in the solar market and could contribute strongly to the industry’s expected growth from $10.6 billion in 2006 to $18.5 billion by 2011.

Thin film solar cells require a transparent electrode material for optimal efficiency, and Unidym’s carbon nanotube-based electrodes could offer substantial benefits over the materials currently in use, such as indium tin oxide (ITO).

“Unidym’s products provide several advantages over ITO for solar cell manufacturers, including compatibility with high-volume, roll-to-roll manufacturing techniques, lower materials cost, and enhanced flexibility,” claims Art Swift, Unidym’s CEO and president. “We expect our printable electrodes to significantly improve production economics for innovative solar companies like Nippon Kayaku and accelerate widespread adoption of solar power.”