Applications & Products

To demonstrate the commercial application and usefulness of the nanotemplates, as well as the wide range of possible products, CHN is developing two practical devices. In both cases, the center is working closely with partner companies, a step CHN considers vital to manufacturing success and product realization. The first testbed is a single-wall carbon nanotube memory chip, a nonvolatile memory device with extremely higher density than silicon chips. Currently, carbon nanotube (CNT) switches must made from belts of nanotubes. Manufacture via template will allow the fabrication of a single CNT electromechanical switch. The potential market for this product is estimated to be $100 billion. The center's partner in this endeavor is Nantero, the first company to manufacture CNT computer memory chips.

CHN's second testbed is a biosensor for rapid (under 5 minutes) detection of antibody molecules, requiring only a small sample. The nanotemplate, a functionalized nanopatterned polymer surface, would create a sensor that would bind with specific amino acid sequences, forcing the antibody to face upwards from the surface. Triton Systems, now conducting FDA tests on nanoparticles to locate and destroy cancer tumors, is the center's collaborator on the biosensor project.