Category Archives: Energy Storage

June 22, 2009: Researchers from the U. of Georgia have developed a method to grow molecular polymer chains into miniature fuel cells that can conduct electrical charges, with potential use in devices including pacemakers, cochlear implants, and prosthetic limbs.

The polymer chains are grown as an ultrathin (5-50nm) film from the surface in a “grafting” approach, in which a single layer of thiophene is laid down as an initial coating, followed by built-up chains of more thiophene or benzene using a controlled polymerization technique. The structure is said to resemble toothbrush bristles. Thiophene is an insulator, “but by linking many thiophene molecules together in a controlled fashion, the polymers have conducting properties,” notes Jason Locklin, UGA chemist and lead of the paper which appeared in the June issue of the journal Chemical Communications.

The technique enables systematic control to vary the polymer architecture, which opens up application in devices such as sensors, transistors, and diodes. Fuel sources within the body are difficult to harness, he pointed out, and those that are good at chemical-electrical energy conversion (e.g. enzymes) don’t transmit the electricity well due to insulating layers. “Hopefully our molecular wires will provide a better conduit for charges to flow.”

Next step in the research is to pinpoint specific applications — e.g., interfacing the polymer brush directly with living tissue as a biochemical sensor, prosthetic limb, pacemaker, or bionic ears. Other possible applications include transistors (think organic semiconductors) or photovoltaic devices.

The work was funded by the Petroleum Research Foundation.


AFM image of a 42nm PPh film prepared via SI-KCTP. (Source: Chemical Communications)

June 18, 2009 — Carbon Nanotubes (CNTs) and graphene exhibit extraordinary electrical properties for organic materials, and have a huge potential in electrical and electronic applications such as sensors, semiconductor devices, displays, conductors and energy conversion devices (e.g., fuel cells, harvesters and batteries). A new report from IDTechEx brings all of this together, covering the latest work from 78 organizations around the World to details of the latest progress applying the technologies.

Depending on their chemical structure, carbon nanotubes (CNTs) can be used as an alternative to organic or inorganic semiconductors as well as conductors, but the cost is currently the greatest restraint. However, that has the ability to rapidly fall as new, cheaper mass production processes are established, states the report.

In electronics, other than electromagnetic shielding, one of the first large applications for CNTs will be conductors. In addition to their high conductance, they can be transparent, flexible and even stretchable. Here, applications are for displays, replacing ITO; touch screens, photovoltaics and display bus bars and beyond.

In addition, interest is high as CNTs have demonstrated mobilities which are magnitudes higher than silicon, meaning that fast switching transistors can be fabricated. In addition, CNTs can be solution processed, i.e. printed. In other words, CNTs will be able to provide high performing devices which can ultimately be made in low cost manufacturing processes such as printing, over large areas.

They have application to supercapacitors, which bridge the gap between batteries and capacitors, leveraging the energy density of batteries with the power density of capacitors and transistors. Challenges are material purity, device fabrication, and the need for other device materials such as suitable dielectrics. However, the opportunity is large, given the high performance, flexibility, transparency and printability. Companies that IDTechEx surveyed report growth rates as high as 300% over the next five years.

While manufacturers in North America focus more on single wall CNTs (SWCNTs); Asia and Europe, with Japan on top and China second, are leading the production of multi wall CNTS (MWCNTs) with Showa Denko, Mitsui and Hodogaya Chemical being among the largest suppliers. The split of number of organizations working on the topic by territory is shown.

A number of companies are already selling CNTs with metallic and semiconducting properties grown by several techniques in a commercial scale but mostly as raw material and in limited quantities. However, the selective and uniform production of CNTs with specific diameter, length and electrical properties is yet to be achieved in commercial scale. A significant limitation for the use of CNTs in electronic applications is the coexistence of semiconducting and metallic CNTs after synthesis in the same batch. Several separation methods have been discovered over the last few years which are covered in the report, as is the need for purification.

Opportunities for Carbon Nanotube device manufacture

There are still some hurdles to overcome when using printing for the fabrication of thin carbon nanotube films. There is relatively poor quality of the nanotube starting material, which mostly shows a low crystallinity, low purity and high bundling. Subsequently, purifying the raw material without significantly degrading the quality is difficult. Furthermore there is also the issue to achieve good dispersions in solution and to remove the deployed surfactants from the deposited films, according to the report.

by Bob Haavind, Editor-at-large, Solid State Technology

June 9, 2009 – In the US, some 27 states and Washington DC have renewable energy portfolios and mandates, but not the federal government. Meanwhile, countries like Germany, Spain, and Japan have spurred far more alternate energy installations. That may soon change, based on reports from an array of speakers at PV America, held this week (June 7-12, 2009) in Philadelphia, in association with the 34th IEEE PV Specialists conference.

“The states have a Governator,” quipped Rhone Resch, president/CEO of the Solar Energy Industries Assn (SEIA), which organized the first PV America exhibit and conference, “And now we have a Cabinet filled with clean energy leaders.”

The new approach is apparent in the huge economic stimulus bill, which has 19 provisions supporting solar, Resch explained. He also pointed out that solar has potential far beyond sun-bathed regions like California and Arizona. In fact, he pointed out, policy initiatives have pushed NJ into 2nd place in the US in solar behind California.

To emphasize his point, he said that Germany, a world leader in solar installations, has a solar profile like Alaska, but it has 5× the solar installations of the US, while Spain, with a solar profile like Idaho, has 30×.

“Political leaders put in policies,” he said, “and innovators create new industries.”

NJ has a mandate for 22% renewable energy by 2022, while PA is mandating 18% by 2020, with 0.5% of its electricity from photovoltaics. Resch said many states in the north-Atlantic region, as well as the Midwest, have solar set-aside programs with ambitious targets for the next decade or so, totaling 5077MW-7077MW [see table — note that PA is still negotiating a final goal].


State solar set-aside program goals.

Gov. Edward G. Rendell of PA said that his state, in 2004, was the 24th to pass renewable energy legislation in the absence of any federal program. State tax credit could provide up to $0.30/kWh for solar. The recent stimulus bill now has provided a $650M energy fund to PA, and $180M of that will go to solar, he said, $100M to homeowners and small businesses, and $80M to foster solar industries.

“The race is on for who can create the most resourceful, innovative, alternative energy,” he said, citing work in solar, wind, and geothermal technology as well as fuel cells and batteries for electric cars.

The US needs to catch up with countries like Germany, he believes, while renewable energy industries are in a formative stage.

“We want the US to be the dominant solar manufacturer in the world, and to become a leading exporter,” he added.


Pennsylvania Governor Edward G. Rendell

To foster innovation in his state, Pennsylvania Energy Development Authority (PEDA) grants are offered, with $20M available in the latest round, about $10M of that from the federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and more than 300 applications have been received. Already, Plextronics, a western-PA company making thin-film solar devices, has received three PEDA grants, he said, growing to 70 employees and aiming for large-scale production.

He explained that PA, like a number of other states, now has a net metering program where solar facilities can get credit from the local utility for feeding excess electricity back into the grid. But each state has its own quirks in the rules and limits, so a federal standard would help provide some uniformity. Rendell said that federal tax credits for renewable energy (RE) need to be made permanent, and a federal mandate for future RE targets, setting the bar even higher than the scattered state goals, is needed to nurture new industries.

“We need to focus with laser-like dedication,” Rendell said, urging attendees to become advocates pushing Congress to quick action on renewable energy programs. For the US to achieve a strong economic turnaround, he believes two major programs are needed. One is a massive, 5-10 year infrastructure effort on roads and bridges as well as a smart electric grid, the other is green energy.

The innovators are eager to get to work, he suggested. Energy secretary Steven Chu recently told him that Washington has been flooded by renewable energy grant applications just like the PEDA program in his state.

Sam Baldwin, chief technology officer for the DoE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, cited President Obama’s May 27 announcement that $117.6M will be available for solar energy projects, including $51.5M for development and $40.5M for deployment.

Meanwhile, two renewable energy bills are making their way through the US House and Senate. But SEIA CEO Resch suggested some important points that should be included. One is renewable energy grants making up to 30% of installation cost for those who can’t take advantage of tax credits. Another is an RE loan guarantee program that jointly covers manufacturers and installers. He also urged a 30% tax credit for new RE manufacturing investment, similar to what Germany and Japan have had for several years. Penalties should be removed where federal grants overlap state and municipal benefits.

Resch also called for a $3.1B for states to use for renewable energy and energy efficiency grants. This could create 110,000 new jobs over the next two years. The renewable energy portfolio should designate 2% for distributed generation installations for private dwellings and businesses, which would still leave the major share for utilities, he added.

Resch also called for a national standard on net metering, as well as uniform national standards for interconnecting to the grid. It doesn’t make sense, for example, to require a 4-prong plug in PA, while MD allows a 2-prong plug, he said.


Rhone Resch, president/CEO, Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA)

Another program urged by several speakers is a clean energy bank (CEB), providing lines of credit, low-interest loans, loan guarantees, and other benefits for renewable energy and energy efficiency projects.

Lower interest rates can greatly speed the march of solar technology to grid parity, Resch stated. If rates are pushed from 6% down to 2%, he suggested, over 80% of the US would quickly reach grid parity.

The availability and cost of capital are two factors that could hold back solar even if grid parity is reached, according to John Byrne, director of the Center for Energy and Environmental Policy at the U. Delaware. He proposed that a tax-exempt bond process be established for renewable energy. He pointed out that in the 20th century, this is how the US was able to build up its transportation system and housing.

The migration of the solar industry toward commercialization is evidenced by the change in the nature of the IEEE’s PV Specialist conference. Years ago, this was the venue for detailed reports on materials and device developments in photovoltaics. While these topics are still covered, it is often by means of poster sessions for those interested in technology specifics. Meanwhile, many of the oral sessions deal with broader system-level issues, including government policies, markets, and lessons to be learned from other countries across Europe and Asia. Many of the engineers and scientists who have come to this meeting for years — or even decades — are now either starting companies or are involved in innovative new ventures. Solar is moving onto a new track. — B.H.

by Michael A. Fury, Techcet Group

May 27, 2009 – The Spring 2009 meeting of The Electrochemical Society kicked off on Memorial Day, May 25 at the San Francisco Hilton with an official attendance 1629, about half of normal — yet another testament to the depth of the current global economic downturn. The number of last-minute presentation cancellations seemed to this observer to be greater than at the MRS meeting last month — since ECS is a smaller organization than MRS, the perceived impact is huge. By mid-afternoon, many symposia were running ahead of schedule due to cancellations, and rooms that were set up for 300 people drew 30, though there were some notable exceptions.

CMP Symposium

The one-day CMP symposium opened with a review from yours truly of significant milestones in the first quarter-century of CMP. (Old people do these sorts of things from experience; youngsters just look them up on the Internet.) For the first time in the history of CMP consumables market statistics, the Techcet Group is forecasting a decrease in CMP slurry and pad revenues in 2009. In previous downturns, CMP revenues slowed in growth rate but continued to climb nonetheless as CMP expanded throughout semiconductor manufacturing. The revenue decline along with other process material sectors is a clear indicator of market saturation and maturity.

C. Hsu of Feng Chia University in Taiwan presented some Cu CMP work using nano-polystyrene particles as the abrasive in a citric acid/H2O2 slurry. Acceptable removal rates were achieved with fewer Cu scratches on blanket wafers. Follow-up work needs to include patterned wafers to characterize dishing and erosion effects.

Rob Rhoades of Entrepix presented work in collaboration with Medtronic on CMP for direct wafer bonding of hermetically sealed structures for implantable medical devices. Engineers accustomed to working with demanding semiconductor specifications still find reasons to cringe when adding FDA requirements to their repertoire. Excellent bonding was obtained with several different silicon and glass substrates and combinations thereof.

F. Liu at Applied Materials presented a framework for CMP of phase-change memory materials, demonstrated on PVD Ge2Sb2Te5. This material is softer and more fragile than Cu, and is prone to delamination if subjected to an inappropriate chemical environment. A commercial slurry and PCMP cleaning solution were used to demonstrate a viable process window, though the suppliers of these materials were not disclosed.

Y. Chen of Applied Materials revisited the process alternatives for PCMP cleaning of Cu features in a hydrophobic low-k dielectric environment. The different propensities for the Cu and the low-k surfaces toward particle adhesion require that an integrated approach be used in defining the details of the clean-rinse-dry sequence. A combination of brush cleaning and Marangoni IPA drying, with careful attention to maintaining wafer wetness during the transfer step between the two, was found to be optimum.

E. Shalyt of ECI Technology demonstrated the use of near-infrared monitoring for both slurry and PCMP solutions in real time, taking advantage of the NIR transparency of the industry-standard Teflon distribution plumbing.

R. Nagarajan of IIT Madras revisited the use of ultrasonics for PCMP cleaning of low-k dielectric surfaces. Frequencies <80kHz are still avoided for fear of ultrasonic cavitation device damage, but the acoustic streaming associated with megasonics >200kHz lack the mechanical aggressiveness needed for removing the smallest slurry particles that may have been negligible at 65nm, but not at 32nm. The Taguchi DOE work identified a process window in the 100-200kHz range that provided a mild cavitation boost to the megasonics that was effective in meeting the target specifications.

G. Banerjee of Air Products reviewed the PCMP challenges for nodes beyond 45nm. The materials being evaluated for Cu barriers at 45nm (Ta/TaN), 32nm (Ru, Ag) and 22nm (Ru, Mn, Co) each present unique challenges for tuning the PCMP chemistry so that there is no significant galvanic current at the interface of the barrier with the Cu. While thermodynamics provides the traditional guideline, in practice the ability to retard the corrosion kinetics enables formulators to open some process windows that are thermodynamically ill-advised.

CNTs, fuel cells, batteries

The non-CMP world was also well-represented on this opening day. The University of Notre Dame sent a pair of papers on combinatorial materials discovery methods for methanol fuel cell catalysts. Y. Zhang presented work on a quaternary Pt-Co-V-Cr system that screened concurrently for methanol oxidation activity, oxygen reduction activity, and corrosion resistance; the researchers observed best overall performance in compositions that tended not to form crystalline intermetallics. M. Jeon presented similar work on a ternary Pt-Ni-Cr system.

M. Steiner at IBM Watson Research presented a body of work on the optical properties of carbon nanotubes for integration into nano-photonic devices. The huge variability in individual CNTs’ properties can be reduced in practice by placing the emitting CNT in a micro-cavity between two reflecting mirrors, which results in spectral narrowing and greater consistency between devices — opening the door to resolving some volume manufacturing considerations.

M. Fuhrer at the U. of Maryland fabricated high-frequency electronic devices with a single CNT element across the Pt/Au and Cr/Au electrodes. Several theoretical predictions were elegantly confirmed, but the fabrication method needs a bit more work. Placing a catalyst site near the electrodes, growing the CNTs, and hoping one and only one of them will lay properly across the electrodes is better suited for Las Vegas than for Silicon Valley.

M. Bockrath at CalTech, in collaboration with startup Tangidyne Corp., showed a nanomechanical resonator fabricated from a single CNT suspended across a gap. Such a device is capable of detecting the presence of a single atom landing on the CNT, provided that the atom does not land on a stationary vibration node.

An invited presentation by E. Takeuchi of U Buffalo entitled “Broad-Based Challenges in Battery Implementation” drew an overflow crowd of several hundred people — more were listening in the hallway than were present in many of the other sessions! This overflow condition persisted through three additional talks (all invited) in a session about “Grand Challenges & Opportunities in Energy Conversion and Storage — Energy Storage in Batteries.”

Michael A. Fury, Ph.D, is senior technology analyst at Techcet Group, LLC, P.O. Box 29, Del Mar, CA 92014; email [email protected].

A technical session titled “Think Outside the Chip: MEMS-Based Systems Solutions” will be held at the Sensors Expo Chicago 2009. In the all-day session on Monday June 8, industry analyst (and Small Times contributing editor) Roger Grace will be joined by more than 20 other world recognized leaders in the microelectromechanical (MEMS) area representing North America, Asia and Europe. The group will present information on the partitioning, integrating and creating of MEMS- based systems and their applications. Grace will also make a presentation which will premier his annual MEMS Industry Report Card and will focus on MEMS design for manufacturing, assembly and test. The exhibition and technical conference will take place at the Donald E. Stephens Conference Center in Rosemont, Illinois from June 8-10, 2009.

“I created this all-day session to encourage MEMS developers and users to think outside the chip… i.e. not about the MEMS device(s) exclusively but rather about the system solution which can be enabled by MEMS devices,” Grace said. “It is well documented and well known that the typical MEMS device constitutes approximately 25-35% of the total solution cost of a MEMS-based system. The major cost factors are the other electronic components which make up the system, the packaging and test. The object of the session will be to inform the technical, technical management, and business community about the critical importance of MEMS system integration issues and tradeoffs as well as the numerous examples of their far reaching applications from both a current and future perspective.”

Grace said attendees will be provided with an overview of the issues in creating MEMS-based system solutions especially the tradeoffs on selecting signal conditioning circuits, embedded software, power generation and energy storage, network communications, interconnects, packaging and testing functions. “We expect the attendee to emerge from the session with a broad and excellent knowledge of the important factors associated with the effective selection of system elements and the integration and creation of a MEMS-based system solution to optimally fulfill their application,” he said.

Two internationally recognized experts on the “think outside the chip” philosophy of MEMS system integration will keynote the session. The morning keynote entitled,” Smart System Integration through Micro and Nanotechnologies” will be given by Dr. Thomas Gessner, Director of the Fraunhofer Research Institution for Electronic Nano Systems (ENS) of Chemnitz Germany The afternoon keynote entitled, “Integration Issues and Tradeoffs for Microsystems: Strategies and Applications” will be given by Professor Khalil Najafi who is the Assistant Director of the University of Michigan’s Wireless Integrated Microsystems Research Center (WIMS). “Chip” Spangler of Aspen Technologies will give an invited presentation entitled, “Packaging and Assembly Issues for MEMS, Microsystems and Sensors”. A panel discussion of industry pundits will address the topic of “MEMS Design for Manufacturing, Assembly and Test” will conclude the session.

The Sensors Expo Technical Conference will take place from June 8-10. The three-day conference will offer three intensive full-day tutorials, 18 tracks encompassing 55 conference sessions. Topics include energy harvesting, environmental monitoring, wireless sensor networks, low-power sensing, fiber optics, smart materials, biodetection and applications. The two day technical exhibition runs June 10 and 11.

May 21, 2009: Engineeers from Powercast Corp. and CAP-XX Ltd., which which develops nanostructured supercapacitors have introduced a wireless energy-harvester reference design that creates a battery-free power source for wireless sensors commonly used in security, environmental and condition-monitoring systems.

In operation, the design creates a perpetual power supply for fixed or mobile wireless sensor nodes deployed throughout a building or local area, eliminating the need for batteries or wired power.

The module integrates a power receiving antenna, a Powercast Powerharvester to convert radio waves into low DC power, and a CAP-XX supercapacitor. The supercapacitor stores the harvested energy and provides the peak transmission power a wireless sensor needs to transmit data over wireless networks.


The Powercast RF Energy Harvesting Module, front and back closup of components. (Photos courtesy of CAP-XX)

This reference design uses the 915 MHz band, but can be adapted for other frequencies, or set to harvest environmental radio waves from TV, radio or mobile phone networks.

The companies presented a collaborative paper, “Harvesting RF Energy and Powering a Wireless Sensor Node Using a Supercapacitor,” on May 18 at the Darnell nanoPower Forum in San Jose, Calif.


The complete module, cncluding power receiving antenna. (Photos courtesy of CAP-XX)

May 18, 2009: Altair Nanotechnologies Inc. (Altairnano), a provider of energy storage systems for clean, efficient power and energy management, and Amperex Technology Ltd. (ATL), which designs and manufactures of lithium-ion battery cells for mobile devices, have entered into a joint development agreement to accelerate the commercialization of next-generation high-performance lithium-titanate battery cells.

Under terms of the agreement, Altairnano and ATL will provide respective technical resources to focus on the engineering, design and testing of the next-generation of rechargeable cells, according to a news release.

The cells are the core technology supporting Altairnano’s energy storage and battery systems designed for electrical grid stability, renewable energy integration, and transportation applications.

The joint development agreement is an integral component of Altairnano’s product roadmap and accelerated commercialization strategy for the company’s advanced energy storage solutions. This initiative seeks to improve cell performance by increasing cell energy and power density.
Increased density, coupled with Altairnano’s distinctive performance capabilities, will further enhance the value and market adoption of the company’s energy storage systems, the company said.

“ATL, utilizing world-class manufacturing techniques and industry-leading expertise in battery cell development, views its association with Altairnano as furthering its goal of working with key companies in the energy storage system market to take advantage of the resulting synergies,”
said Dr. Robin Zeng, president and CEO at ATL, in a prepared statement.

“We are very pleased to be working with Altairnano to accelerate commercialization of next-generation lithium-titanate batteries. The association with Altairnano will provide additional inroads to the global market in energy storage.”

Initial availability of these cells and advanced energy storage systems and batteries featuring the company’s next generation of advanced lithium-titanate cells is anticipated by the end of 2009.

“We’re excited to partner with a recognized world leader in advanced cell design and manufacturing,” said Dr. Terry Copeland, president and CEO, Altairnano, in a prepared statement. “Strategic alignment with ATL strengthens Altairnano’s position to meet growing global market demands for utility-scale energy storage systems and for EV, HEV and PHEV battery applications.”

May 11, 2009 ZettaCore Inc., a developer of molecular materials and technology for current and next-generation semiconductor products, has completed raising $21 million in a Series C financing that will allow the company to bring its technology to market, according to a company news release.

New investors Globis Capital Partners, Itochu Technology Ventures, Yasuda Enterprise Development, Epic Ventures, and Panasonic Ventures joined all previous investors: Draper Fisher Jurvetson, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, Radius Ventures, Oxford Biosciences, Access Ventures, Garrett Capital, and Stanford University.

“ZettaCore’s molecular technology has the potential for broad use in the electronics industry. We were impressed with the technology’s ability to further scale system level interconnect, enable high energy/power density storage in electronics and to advance Moore’s law in semiconductor memory,” said Satoshi Kabasawa, councilor in the Technology Strategy Group of the Corporate R&D Strategy Office of Panasonic Corp.

“We believe that ZettaCore’s molecular technology can be an important element in our success,” added Dilip Sampath, venture partner with Panasonic Ventures, Panasonic’s U.S.-based venture capital arm. “We look forward to working with ZettaCore to find ways to integrate the technology in Panasonic’s products.”

“We are pleased with the progress ZettaCore has made towards commercialization of its technology. The investments from Panasonic Ventures as well as the other Japanese investors are a very good endorsement of the value of ZettaCore’s technology,” said Steve Jurvetson, of Draper Fisher Jurvetson, an investor in the company from its founding.

“This investment in ZettaCore will enable us to grow our business,” said Subodh Toprani, ZettaCore chief executive officer. “With the new funds we will be expanding internationally, creating new product offerings and ramping commercial production of our technology.”

ZettaCore is a developer of molecular materials for use in electronics. ZettaCore’s technology is applicable in multiple markets: molecular interface, energy storage and semiconductor memory. Customers use ZettaCore’s chemistry to enable fine line/space and to mitigate skin effect losses in IC substrates and high-speed boards. ZettaCore’s technology allows customers to leverage their existing infrastructure and thereby optimizing their costs while improving performance.

May 7, 2009: The president and CEO of Altair Nanotechnologies Inc. (Nasdaq: ALTI) said that while first quarter revenues are down from last year’s he expects the company to benefit from stimulus money around the third quarter.

“We are applying for battery manufacturing grants, and we believe the Smart Grid program will accelerate the adoption of advanced energy storage systems such as ours,” Terry Copeland, Altairnano’s president and CEO, said in a prepared statement.

“However, given the grant timelines, and the fact that not all of the program specifics have been announced yet for the Smart Grid grants, we expect it will be at least late third quarter before we see any orders or cash grants associated with these opportunities.”

For the quarter ended March 31, 2009, the company reported revenues of $0.9 million, down from $1.1 million for the same period in 2008. The net loss was $6.4 million, or seven cents per share, compared to a net loss of $8.3 million, or 10 cents per share, for the first quarter of 2008.

Operating expenses of $7.4 million for the first quarter of 2009 were $2.4 million less than the operating expenses of $9.8 million for the first quarter of 2008. The decrease in operating expenses was primarily a result of lower research and development costs associated with the smaller number of grants on which the company was working in 2009, compared to 2008.

The company also reported slower order placements from various customers “as a result of the substantially deteriorated economic environment during 2008 and thus far in 2009,” Altairnano said in a news release. “Orders that the company had expected from the commercial sector have been deferred until later than we initially projected and the Company’s military business, while all still on track, is similarly experiencing delays.

A recording of a conference call to discuss its first quarter 2009 results is available on Altairnano’s Web site.

April 29, 2009: Scientists at Florida State University (FSU) will finally be able to clearly see what misoriented atoms are up to along the defects of the new materials that they are developing and how they relate to neighbors, when the school takes delivery of a new JEOL atomic resolution Scanning Transmission Electron Microscope (S/TEM) later this year.

FSU’s Applied Superconductivity Center, housed in the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory; the High Performance Materials Institute in Tallahassee, FL; scientists at FSU; and even more broadly throughout Florida, will soon have access to the highest resolution (80 picometers) of any commercially available S/TEM in its class, according to a news release.

The imaging and analytical resolution of the new JEOL 200kV S/TEM will make it possible to directly observe atomic position, chemical composition, and electronic bonding information that is crucial to development of novel materials with the highest performance. Typical materials are superconductors, lightweight high performance composites, semiconductors, biomaterials, catalyses, materials for fuel cells and high strength metallic materials.

“It’s great that multiple fine institutes and centers exist on this campus and can agree to collectively invest on behalf of a large number of people,” said Dr. David Larbalestier, one of the world’s foremost materials scientists and director of Florida State University’s Applied Superconductivity Center.

FSU’s National High Field Magnet Lab (NHFML) researches the properties of powerful new superconducting materials, such as YBCO, BSCCO, and the recently discovered pnictides. The NHFML is home to hybrid and high field magnets including one with the world’s highest magnetic field (45 tesla, nearly a million times that of the earth in its orbit). The High-Performance Materials Institute (HPMI) will utilize the TEM in its efforts toward developing multifunctional nanocomposites.

“This new JEOL STEM in full analytical mode will let us perform analysis at the single atom level that we dreamed of then, but which has been out of our grasp until now,” said Larbalestier. “The new machine is ideal for settling this type of problem. We should soon provide the capabilities to produce multifunctional materials that will make transportation more energy efficient, affordable, and safer.”