Open Competition 1 - Chemistry and Materials

Template Synthesis Platform for Nanostructured Materials

Sponsor: General Electric Company

• Project Performance Period: 11/1/2002 - 12/31/2005
• Total project (est.): $5,783,668.00
• Requested ATP funds: $2,833,996.00

Despite intensive research underway on nanostructured materials, commercial applications remain limited. To accelerate the introduction of nanotechnology into high-end commercial products, General Electric and Molecular Nanosystems (Palo Alto, Calif.) plan a three-year project to develop and demonstrate the use of a "template synthesis platform" for growing large arrays of aligned nanorods made of a broad spectrum of materials. The joint venture will attempt various strategies for achieving precise control over material, alignment, size, and distribution -- so that the growth process is scalable, leading to low-cost manufacturing. Prototype materials will be fabricated, characterized, and integrated into demonstration devices for application in products such as CT medical imagers, fluorescent lamps, and flat-panel displays. Although the proposed technology is largely unproven and risky, the ATP funding will catalyze the joint venture, bringing together two companies with complementary expertise. If successful, the project will provide a technology platform for major advances in several classes of commercial products and will give the United States the means to maintain, regain, and increase its share in competitive global markets. The initial prototype applications alone -- medical imaging systems, fluorescent lighting, and flat-panel displays -- represent a combined market exceeding $35 billion. Benefits to society could include earlier detection of cardiovascular disease and breast cancer and substantial reductions in energy usage and greenhouse gas emissions.

For project information:

Jim Healy, (518) 387-6284
healyj@research.ge.com

Active Project Participants

• Molecular Nanosystems, Inc. (Palo Alto, CA)
  [Original, Active Member]
  

ATP Project Manager

H. Felix Wu, (301) 975-4685
felix.wu@nist.gov