Quantum Materials Acquires Quantum Dot Patent Portfolio from Bayer

US quantum dots (QD) supplier Quantum Materials has boosted its technology portfolio with the purchase of a set of patent families from Bayer Technology Services. The patents cover volume production technology for heavy metal-free (HMF) QD and nanoparticles; increasing quantum yields for HMF QD; and hybrid organic QD solar cell production, among other capabilities.

Stephen Squires, Quantum Materials CEO and president, says of the purchase: 'We acquired these patents to not only expand our technology portfolio in HMF and QD solar cell production, but also to protect the advances we have made to date in the volume manufacturing of nanoparticles, including QD.

'Bayer is a research pioneer in the nanotech and QD fields, and these early filings were awarded with broad claims. It will be very difficult for competitors to produce materials in volume similar to ours without breaching our patents.'

Heavy metal-free
The capabilities in volume production of HMF QD and yields (in terms of brightness) for HMF QD will help Quantum Materials deliver commercially viable quantities of this product category. Consumer electronics firms looking to move to QD-based displays, but conscious of the effects of toxic heavy metals such as cadmium (restricted by RoHS legislation, which limits their use), for instance, may specify the use of HMF QD.

David Doderer, Quantum Materials vice president of R&D, states: 'The HMF organic nanomaterials expand our high-performance product offerings, and the automated processes will bring down their cost, so manufacturers can begin planning adoption into real products at price points that expand market penetration of QD technologies significantly.'

The solar-related patents describe the fundamental design of QD solar cells, and processes for optimising QD for solar and other printed electronics applications. The solar patents enhance Quantum Material's licensed patent on printing OLED and QD solar cells, and other printed electronic devices, by gravure or high-speed roll-to-roll.

Doderer adds: 'Combining the solar patents with our automated volume QD production process opens the door for us to establish joint ventures for QD solar cell pilot plants worldwide.'

Efficiency
Bayer Technology Services is a subsidiary of Germany-headquartered enterprise Bayer. Via its Bayer Material Science business, the company has explored a number of nanotechnologies. In March 2013 the company announced the divestment of its carbon nanotubes developments to German firm FutureCarbon.

Earlier in August, Quantum Materials announced that it had achieved a calculated 95% quantum yield for Green Tetrapod QD, manufactured using the company's proprietary automated mass-production system.

Atomwear Wearable Technology Development Kit Launched

An open source development kit for wrist-mounted devices has been launched on the crowd-sourcing website kickstarter.com.

The Atomwear platform has so far raised 48% of the $12,000 its Canadian designer Shuwen Lui needs to bring it to fruition.

Atomwear is based around a wristband with six sockets for 24 pin connections. These accept a series of standardised modules supplied with the kit. Two of these will be filled by a Bluetooth low energy chip made by Nordic Semiconductors, to connect to other devices, and a USB charger for the band's 40mA battery.

Other modules include an accelerometer, temperature sensor, gryroscope and blood pressure monitor. A visual output can be given on an OLED display module.

The first orders are scheduled to be shipped in November 2014. When this happens, members of the Atomwear design community will be given access to a demonstration Android app and application program interface (API) for the kit's software.

Sabic and Cima NanoTech announce polycarbonate touchscreen breakthrough

Saudi Arabia-headquartered chemicals firm Sabic has announced a breakthrough in the creation of polycarbonate conductive films, in its partnership with Cima NanoTech.

The polycarbonate film will be available for customer trials later this year.

Functionalised films

The breakthrough involves functionalising the polycarbonate without adding filler to the film itself, which can affect its mechanical properties. Cima NanoTech's nanoparticle solution, called Sante, is instead wet coated or transferred to Sabic's Lexan film.

The announcement is significant not only for the potential to enable applications of polycarbonate film, but also the role Sabic can play in bringing the transparent conductor to market, based on its global distribution channels and existing partnerships with various consumer electronics manufacturers.

ITO replacement

The announcement is also the latest in a series of progressive steps for developers of transparent conductors, looking to take market share from indium tin oxide (ITO) based on cost, flexibility and performance.

Philips to use UDC PHOLEDs in commercial lights

Universal Display (UDC) has announced that Philips will start using its phosphorescent OLED (PHOLED) technology in commercial lighting products.

Successful evaluation
This step is a confirmation of the efficacy of the PHOLED technology and materials developed by the New Jersey-based company. It started supplying these to Philips Lighting's R&D division in November 2013 as part of an evaluation programme.

UDC CEO, Steven Abramson says: 'We are excited to extend our working relationship with Philips, the global leader in lighting. This is an important next step for UDC. It demonstrates the continued acceptance of UDC's phosphorescent OLED technology and materials by the emerging OLED lighting industry for high performance, energy-efficient solid-state lighting.'

Philips has invested heavily $57 million in developing OLED lights under the brand Lumiblade.

Energy efficient
UDC reports its PHOLEDs are up to four times as efficient as competing OLED lighting technologies. They also give excellent colour quality, which is a key factor in domestic lighting.

By 2019 it is estimated that the world production for OLEDs will be 40 million panels.According to Nanomarkets, this market will equate to a $1.4 billion (€1.05 billion) - with domestic lighting applications will being worth $400 million and office lights $380 million.

Material demand
On 7 August, UDC published its results for Q2 of 2014. These reported revenues of $64.1 million - a 30% increase on the same period in 2013, with much of the increase being attributed to a 32% rise in income from material sales,

PPG Industries is one industry that produces UDC's PHOLEDs. It anticipating a rise in the market when it invested over $9 million (€6.6 million) to scale up the output of its PHOLED production facility in Barbeton, Ohio in November 2013.

Beyond lighting
Diversification through the deal with Philips is significant as the majority of UDC's revenue -estimated at 85% - now comes via a licencing agreement with Samsung Display. Samsung use these to make screens for smartphones, tablets and wearable devices like smartwatches.

UDC is engaging with other partners looking to establish themselves in the consumer AMOLED screen market. In July 2014, UDC announced it was starting to send PHOLED materials to China's BOE Technologies as part of another evaluation agreement.

The Beijing-based company is trialling the materials for use in consumer displays - initially intended for the local smartphones - at its fabrication site in Hefei. It is pushing to be one of the first Chinese companies to have a commercial OLED production line. 

New Japanese OLED development company formed by Sony, Panasonic and Japan Display

Three of the biggest names in Japanese electronics have announced they will cooperate to reinvigorate research into OLED screen production in the country.

JOLED

The new initiative is being coordinated by the Innovation Network Corporation of Japan (INCJ) - a public-private investment fund.

Cooperation will be through a new company JOLED which will be launched officially on 1 January 2015. It will pool the previous R&D experience of Sony, Panasonic and Japan Display in designing and cost-effectively manufacturing OLED screens for consumer devices.

INCJ will control 75% of voting rights in JOLED, with Japan Display holding 15%, and the other two partners 5% each.

Once development work on production technologies has reached a suitable level, Japan Display and INCJ will provide a fresh influx of funding to pay for a pilot manufacturing plant.

Consumer focus
JOLED will have a particular focus on making medium-size displays which can be fitted to tablets, lap-top computers and wearable electronic devices.

This move represents a resurrection of interest in OLED development in Japan. Sony and Panasonic had previously collaborated on producing large OLED panels for television screens, but dissolved the accord in early in 2014 when they realised they could not compete with improving production techniques being developed in Korea by Samsung and particularly LG.

In the interim, Sony has maintained an interest in OLEDs, but for professional broadcasting and medical equipment, rather than consumer devices. 

Miranda Lambert Brings Novalia Conductive Ink Posters to US for First Time

Interactive posters which use graphene ink to play music are being used in the US for the first time to support a tour by country singer Miranda Lambert.

Novalia
The conductive ink posters employ software and printed graphene ink circuitry developed by a UK firm, Novalia. The circuits are laid down with screen or offset or flexo lithography on the reverse side of the poster, which remains fully flexible.

Fans visiting one of the venues for Lambert's 30 city North American Platinum tour will have the chance to interact with the posters. By touching a 'platinum' disc on the poster they can select and hear music from the Texan singer's latest album - also named Platinum.

Evolving market
Posters and other media with a sonic output are an exciting new medium for advertisers and marketing professionals - and its potential for promoting music events is not being ignored. A similar poster was used by Beck's during its sponsorship of New Zealand Music Month in May 2014.

Despite having found a good match with the music industry, a number of challenges remain before Novalia's technology reaches more mainstream applications like packaging or in-store promotion.

First glimpse of Apple iTime smartwatch platform given by patent

A tantalising glance of Apple's first model of smartwatch has been given through the publication of a patent granted to the company.

Patent number 8,787,006 was issued on 22 July 2014 and describes the platform, components and points towards some of its technical functions. The smartwatch is due to be launched commercially later in 2014.

Technical specifications
The capacities for a smartphone-tethered wristband laid out in the patent will be familiar to existing smartwatch or fitness band users. These include sensors for movement and other biological functions, haptic feedback and a screen.

Connection to an Apple iOS operating system smartphone or tablet will be via Bluetooth, NFC or Wi-Fi modules.

iTime
One interesting revelation has been the name of the smartwatch, long dubbed the 'iWatch' in the technology press. One of the graphics accompanying the patent has an alternative name 'iTime' written on the centre of the wristband's screen.

Standout functions
Whatever the name, Apple is likely to follow its existing strategy and price the iTime towards the premium end of the market around $300-$350 (€224-€260),

To justify this and achieve the prestigious sales some pundits are predicting it will have to offer some unique standout features above those of a standard smartwatch.

Given its design pedigree the iTime is likely to constitute a step up in the smartwatch market. Though whether its extra features will be enough to convert large numbers of loyal iPhone owners into users of wearables and prove truly disruptive remains to be seen.