About Us
Our TeamAbout Us
A fullerene-producing flame.
Core Technology
At Nano-C's core is an energy and environmentally efficient combustion-based process technology invented at MIT by Nano-C Founder and MIT Professor Emeritus, Jack B. Howard. Nano-C is the exclusive developer and owner of the advanced II-G technology which has enabled Nano-C to be a leader in the efficient production of high-quality fullerenic materials including C60, C70, C84 and fullerene black. Nano-C's II-G technology offers an order-of-magnitude improvement in performance when compared to its 1st-generation technology licensed to a Japanese company in 2001. With this same uniquely scalable combustion technology, Nano-C is ramping up the production of high-quality single-walled carbon nanotubes.
Beyond Combustion
Beyond the fundamental competitive cost advantage of our combustion based technology, we also have a great deal of control over our processes that enables us to offer an array of unique products, tailored to specific applications. We highlight some of these below by product category, and welcome you to explore further in related sections of our web-site.
Fullerenes and Fullerene Derivatives
Nano-C manufactures a full range of fullerenes, including fullerene black, C60, C70, C76/78, C84 and higher fullerenes. Our core combustion process gives us a degree of control on how much of each we make. We also tailor these to specific applications via chemical derivatization. For example, the PCBM derivative is the current derivative of choice for organic photovoltaics. For solar and other polymer electronics, we are now producing a broader range of derivatives that are enabling our customers to explore a full range of electronic properties and morphologies. Our range of derivatives also includes water and lipid soluble that we are now producing for applications in health care.
Single and Multi-Wall Carbon Nanotubes (SWCNT and MWCNT)
As is true in our fullerene process, our nanotube system is exothermic which provides for a substantially lower cost approach than CVD or high pressure CO-based systems. Nano-C's process affords our customers an unparalleled level of control over properties through control of process variables. Unique variables that influence the characteristics of CNTs include:
- operating temperature and pressure
- type & particle size of catalyst
- fuel type and fuel-oxygen ratio
- dilution with inert gas
- cold gas velocity
- in-situ processing of substrates
- use of electric fields to achieve greater degrees of alignment
For example, we have demonstrated that higher operating pressures result in longer nanotubes, and higher throughputs; catalyst choice quantitatively determines production of SWCNTs or MWCNTs. By working closely with our customers' product development teams, we comprehensively investigate these variables and correlate them with product characteristics, e.g., diameter, length, conductivity and other performance measures deemed critical for a specific application.
Our system affords the possibility of capturing the as-produced SWCNTs in water or other liquids (a 'pre-dispersion') to enable easier processing into devices. We are working on the functionalization and dispersion of nanotubes for particular electronic applications. For one polymer electronics application we are "cutting" SWCNTs to shorter lengths and following that with chemical functionalization to aid dispersion. For another application area we are producing longer nanotubes and exploring alternative dispersion methods to aid in processing using lithographic techniques.
Nanostructured Carbon: Materials that Power our World
We hope that this brief highlight demonstrates the range of possibilities that Nano-C can offer. We are committed to work closely with our partners and customers to provide a complete solution based on the products and capabilities within our portfolio. The Company holds 10 patents and has 16 pending patent applications. Patents are generally applied for in the US & certain PCT countries (EU, Japan, India, China, others).
Nano-C is a privately held company located in Westwood, Massachusetts.