December 23, 2009 – A new $6.5M award from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) will support efforts from Brewer Science and Southwest Nanotechnologies (SWeNT) to improve production of high-purity, high-quality metallic and semiconducting carbon nanotube (CNT) inks.

Under the funding, part of NIST’s Technology Innovation Program aimed to support "high-risk, high-reward research in areas of critical need," the two firms will research and develop cost-effective commercial-scale production of the CNTs and inks for a variety of potential uses in various electronics applications: optical devices, photovoltaic cells, batteries, supercapacitors, lighting, flexible electronic devices, and sensors. The work will combine SWeNT’s single-wall carbon nanotube technology and production capabilities with Brewer Science’s background in CNTs purification, separation, and dispersion.

"CNT inks and films are poised to enable several important new technologies that address national needs, and we are very pleased to have our development efforts supported and recognized," stated Terry Brewer, president/CEO of Brewer Science.