NanoMaterials Commercialization
Our Project Portfolio
To date, the Center has invested in six companies developing products that use novel applications of nanotechnology. As you can see, each company is unique, as is the diversity of projects supported by the Center. Each of the companies obtained the support of the Center via submission of a winning proposal during one of the Center’s previous funding rounds.
The Pennsylvania NanoMaterials Commercialization Center is proud to support and to be affiliated with the following companies:
Crystalplex Corporation
The Center is supporting the
commercialization of an innovative new
quantum dot technology with Crystalplex
Corp. Quantum dots are nano-sized
semiconductor crystals that have unique
optical properties, and Crystalplex develops them for
optoelectronic, security and life science applications. This
project will use these nano-sized devices to improve the
efficiency, while reducing the costs of light emitting diodes
(LEDs) used in energy saving lighting and electronic displays.
HydroGen Corportion
The Center is funding HydroGen
Corporation to develop and manufacture
enhanced performance hydrogen fuel
cell electrodes. The new electrodes will
use novel carbon nanotubes to improve the performance and
lifetime of the electrodes, thereby
reducing overall costs for fuel cell operations. This project
will allow HydroGen to manufacture an improved fuel cell
electrode and expand its fuel cell business worldwide.
Illuminex Corporation
In partnership with Illuminex Corporation, the Center is funding the
commercialization of a new generation of heat pipes using nanowire arrays.
Nanowire arrays are the latest wicking components in pipes designed to remove heat from
microprocessor chips in computer servers and laptops. Compared to traditional heat pipes, these innovative devices
decrease thermal resistance and increase fluid flow. The improved efficiency will enable the computer industry to
remove higher heat loads generated by faster computer microprocessors.
Integran Technologies USA
In partnership with Integran
Technologies USA, the Center is funding
the commercialization of a new
nanomaterials coaxial wire technology.
This novel wire technology will increase
the durability of lightweight electrical wiring systems, and will
benefit weight reduction and energy efficiency initiatives in the
transportation sector. This project will help to establish the new
wire technology as a fully proven, mass production-ready
process and to create a new technology and market support
center in Pittsburgh to serve the wiring industry across the U.S.
Y-Carbon, Inc.
The Center is supporting the commercialization of Y-Carbon’s innovative nanoporous carbon technology for supercapacitors. Y-Carbon’s ground-breaking technology is based on the platform of making tunable nanoporous carbon. Its core mission is to develop and promote this award-winning (R&D 100 and NANO 50TM) technology for the production of novel nanostructured carbon materials with precisely defined structure, porosity, and surface chemistry. The ability to tailor the properties of porous carbon materials is unique to Y-Carbon, thus providing a quantum leap in performance when used as electrodes in supercapacitors. With collaborative effort from the Center, Y-Carbon will be develop and market high energy density and and high-power density supercapacitors for a variety of electrical energy storage and management applications, including electronics, automotive industry and backup power .
PlextronicsSM, Inc.
Project 1

In conjunction with PlextronicsSM, Inc.,
the Center is funding a new, highperforming
active layertechnology fororganicphotovoltaic solar cells known
Plexcore ™PV. This project will develop
a new generation of polymer-based inks that will increase solar
conversion efficiency and extendthe life of existingorganic
semiconductor devices. Improved performance organic solar
cells will enable rapid commercial expansion of zero emission
solar energy generation, thereby reducing reliance on fossil
fuels.
Project 2
During the course of this Pennsylvania Nanomaterials Commercialization Center (PANMCC) project, Plextronics, Inc. will evaluate the semi-continuous processing of flexible organic photovoltaic (OPV) devices which could lead to broadcommercialization of this new solar cell technology. With proven expertise in materials synthesis, ink formulation and OPV device fabrication - which has resulted in world-record device efficiency - Plextronics is poised to implement a successful program for low-cost processing of large area flexible OPV devices that can find applications in various fields in either military or commercial sector.
NanoLambda, Inc.
The Pennsylvania NanoMaterials Commercialization Center is funding a project with
NanoLambda Inc. to develop a very low cost fabrication process using nanoimprint lithography for high volume consumer applications. NanoLambda was founded in 2005 as a spin off company of the University of Pittsburgh. The company is developing Spectrum Sensor™, an ultra-compact, low-cost spectrometer-on-a-chip, based on novel plasmonic devices. Each pixel of the Spectrum SensorTM chip detects a predefined wavelength of light from an input source, yielding a spectral fingerprint for each material being imaged.