NANOTECHNOLOGY
Analytical chemist characterising nanomaterials at Cerion ’ s in-house analytical facility in Rochester
‣ Universities can be a cost-effective option for creating custom materials , though , again , they are usually best suited to blue-sky basic research . Due to the academic year and the use of student researchers , a more flexible timeline and approach works best here . This may or may not be aligned with your commercial priorities . Typically , lab-scale materials are made by researchers who do not have experience designing materials with scale-up , manufacturing or production costs in mind . This is perfectly fine for basic research , but you will need to find a commercial company who can produce the material later . Plan for additional investment in time and resources accordingly . In the best-case scenario , the university researcher ’ s process will require modifications to its formula and process conditions to make the material cost-effective for manufacturing . The median case scenario will require a completely new synthetic method to make scale-up and manufacturing possible . The worst-case scenario is that the transition from lab to manufacturing is neither practical nor cost-effective . These scenarios all can impact your product development roadmap timeline and budget .
Commercial providers
There are two types of commercial nanomaterial providers who represent the fastest and least expensive pathway to sourcing your present and future needs . Your specific product development goals will inform which makes the most commercial sense . Commercially off-the-shelf manufacturers are already making a specific nanomaterial in bulk either as a tolling service , or to solve a specific industrial challenge ( e . g . nano-zinc oxide for sunscreen ). In either case , these firms tend to want to ‘ sell a SKU ’ to the widest audience possible . Customisations are not usually a priority for them . Custom nanomaterial manufacturers are fewer , but they typically represent your best opportunity to access the material you desire with the exact specifications required for your product . They will have some or all the technical , engineering and manufacturing expertise in-house to design and manufacture nanomaterials . The best will have a comprehensive and repeatable processes for meeting the ongoing needs of their customers .
What to look for
The nanomaterials industry is still relatively young . While these materials have been explored for decades in the lab , their use in commercial products only began to accelerate within the last decade . Within the industry , this has resulted in a broad distribution of company models , technical and production sophistication , as well as financial maturity . Prior to selecting a nanomaterial provider , good due-diligence is required – typically with an eye for evaluating the breadth , depth and maturity of the provider . There are a few key things to consider , beginning with commercial relevance . A quick way to screen potential providers is to understand the companies they currently support and in what capacity ( lab work , manufacturing or both ). Technical and production capability are also vital . Since commercialisation is the goal , you will want to ensure that your provider can meet your current and future design , scale-up and manufacturing goals – as it will have a big impact on the critical path towards getting to market . Among the key practical issues here are :
• Experience with a specific material , class or classes of materials ( e . g . metals , metal oxides , ceramics )
• The number of synthetic routes in-house to manufacture a material they use and their experience working with these routes
• Level of precision and degree of control over a variety of both size-and non-size-related material attributes
• Existing pilot , lowvolume and high-volume manufacturing capability Finally , the firm should have financial maturity . Given the youthful nature of the industry , many companies currently run financial losses and depend on investor capital as they seek to monetise their technology . Product development is a multi-year effort and you need to be assured that your nanomaterial provider will be there to support you in the future .
38 SPECIALITY CHEMICALS MAGAZINE ESTABLISHED 1981