It is the middle of summer and I hope it is turning out to be a glorious one for all of you (it has been a very wet one in this part of the world)!  Thanks for all the comments and feedback we received on the three reports we released last quarter.

This quarter we attended TechConnect 2010 in Anaheim where IE Singapore hosted a delegation of seven nanotechnology companies from Singapore including BilCare Technologies, Pasteur Pharma and Biomers. The Industry Liaison Office of National University of Singapore  and A*Star Exploit Technologies were also present to discuss several promising technologies from their institutions at the conference. While the overall turnout at the conference was less than expected, it was interesting to learn about the centralized perspective on renewable energy in the US as compared to the distributed perspective prevalent in this part of the world.  

This quarter, we have also continued to work on our custom news service and have now opened email subscription to our news streams on nanotechnology developments in Singapore and Asia and nanosafety to the public. If you are interested in receiving these weekly updates, click here.

I hope you enjoy this newsletter. I look forward to your feedback on how we can make this more relevant to your needs.

Hiran Vedam

Netscribes is a ten year old, 200 person Intellectual Property/Business/Market research firm with four research centers located in India. Netscribes has completed over 6,000 research projects for over 500 customers, including over 50 of the Fortune 1000. Led by executives from The Economic Times, McKinsey, AT Kearney, ZS Associates, Ness Technologies and AC Nielsen, Netscribes provides support to companies, investors, academic institutions, licensing executives, corporate and outside counsel, IP Counsel, and Business Development executives in Electronics & Communications, IT, Semiconductors, Nanotechnology, Chemical, Polymers, Medical Devices and Life Sciences Typical projects include market sizing, in- and out- licensing target analysis, new technology identification, competitive intelligence, company profiles, patent landscaping, and portfolio analysis. Netscribes' online products 'Research on India' & 'Research on China' has made it one of the best sources of information on business and IP in Asia. Netscribes has completed over 700 patentability searches, 100 patent landscapes, over 80 patent portfolio analyses, 200 commercialization studies, and over 250 claim charts and evidence of use charts. We will be happy to partner with companies, investors and institutions to help them navigate through the thicket of patents and technology information. For more information on our services or samples please feel free to contact Mr. Navendu Agarwal

The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) from India is seeking industry partner(s) to commercialize a new dye-removal technology. The product consists of a nano-composite having a "core-shell" structure with the core made up of a magnetic ceramic particle and the shell made up of a dye-adsorbing material in the form of nanotubes. Such structure of a dye-removal material has both the dye-adsorption and magnetic properties. It removes an organic textile-dye (both cationic and anionic) from an aqueous solution (textile-effluent) via surface-adsorption mechanism. When the catalyst is dispersed and stirred in an aqueous dye solution for sufficient amount of time, under the dark-condition, it completely adsorbs the dye on the surface and settles at the bottom under the gravity. Due to its magnetic nature, an external magnetic field is also effective in settling and separating the catalyst from the treated effluent. The catalyst with the surface-adsorbed dye can be surface-cleaned in another aqueous solution, under the dark-condition, to decompose the dye for reusing the catalyst for the next-cycles of dye-adsorption. The dye-adsorption and dye-decomposition can also be combined in one aqueous solution. No costly, hazardous chemicals are involved in the process, which can occur in a minimum amount of time due to its high specific surface area. It is cheaper, faster and more efficient than conventional magnetic photocatalyst.

The new magnetic dye-adsorbent catalyst comprises (1) the core of a magnetic ceramic particle selected from the group consisting CoFe2O4, MnFe2O4, NiFe2O4, BaFe2O4, Fe2O3, Fe3O4, and their mixture; (2) the nanotubes shell (~5-50 wt.%) of a material selected from the group consisting TiO2, SnO2, ZnO, ZnS, CdS, and any other semiconductor material such as titanates; and (3) an insulating layer (~5-35 wt.%) in between the magnetic ceramic core and the nanotubes shell, selected from the group consisting SiO2 and organic polymer having ether, amine, or hydroxyl group. For more information, please contact Dr. Satyajit Shukla

• Processing time - Up to 90% reduction in processing time, fast product turnaround time.
• No need for specialized equipment - Eliminates the need for specialized equipment and pressure vessels reducing the capital cost.
• Low temperature synthesis - Allows heat sensitive material synthesis at low temperature when compared to conventional synthesis.
• Energy efficiency - High energy efficiency, lesser operation cost and carbon foot prints.
• Versatility - Can be used for different Nanomaterial synthesis.
• Control - Use of a microwave radiation source for heating also allows better control of the size, shape and uniformity in composition of the particles being synthesized as compared to conventional methods of convective heating.

• Lower cost of manufacturing
• Environmental friendly process
• Less energy consumption
• Drastic reduction in synthesis/processing time
• Better uniformity of size, shape and composition of product (product with improved quality)
• Largest microwave based synthesis facility in the world

The thinnest, smoothest metallic lines in the world helps speed up miniaturisation of electronic devices
The ability to create super-thin, high integrity, distinct and continuous metal lines and patterns on a sub-10 nm scale level is essential in the further miniaturisation of electronic components. Rough, undefined patterns and lines results in poorly made, energy-inefficient devices. The process has to be very delicate and precise because of the scale at which the work is done.

Scientists from Singapore A*STAR's Institute of Materials Research and Engineering (IMRE), University of Cambridge (UK) and Sungkyunkwan University (South Korea) have created metallic lines so thin and smooth that they have line widths of just 7 nm, and more importantly, line width roughness of only 2.9 nm, a value which is below the 2010 target of 3.2 nm and closer to 2011's target line width roughness of 2.8 nm indicated in the International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors.

The novelty of the method was in the material and the technique that was used. The current "lift-off" approach for making metal lines at this scale requires more steps, uses more materials and results in rough, and quite often broken lines on a sub-10 nm scale. The researchers used an organometallic material which is made up of a metallic and an organic component. Using a combination of electron beam lithography and subsequent gas treatment, the researchers were able to easily chip away the organic portions in a uniform manner, leaving the desired metallic patterns, in this case, thin metal lines. Using the new technique, researcher can possibly make continuous metallic lines as small as 4 nm.

The research on the metal lines were featured on the inside front cover of Issue 14 (July 2010) of the Advanced Functional Materials journal.

For more information, contact Dr. MSM Saifullah

Body armour and protective sports padding made from cornstarch solution?
Based on the shear thickening fluid phenomenon that governs the behaviour of how a cornstarch solution hardens on impact, Singapore researchers from the Agency for Science, Technology and Research's (A*STAR) Institute of Materials Research and Engineering (IMRE) and the National University of Singapore have used the same scientific principles to invent a new made-in-Singapore lightweight, flexible, and simple to make composite material capable of dissipating high impact energy.

The "smart" material is soft, can conform to the shape of irregular surfaces and offers a high degree of comfort and mobility to wearers but instantly stiffens upon impact to protect the person from knocks and falls, shrapnel from explosives, or injuries from weapons such as clubs. Tests have shown that the new composite material is more effective than commercially available protective foams (used in sports) of greater thickness and could be used to replace the thick, heavy steel plates that are worn beneath Kevlar armour, thus improving mobility and comfort for the wearer.

The material is a composite which consists of a polymer and a combination of other materials engineered through a patented method developed in Singapore. It works based on the concept of shear thickening, meaning the material is soft and fluid at rest but becomes rigid upon impact, just like a cornstarch solution. The secret to the new IMRE-NUS material lies in how it is made - with a patented method that not only allows it to be more flexible and soft without the need for foam encapsulation, but also helps the material spread out high-impact force much more effectively and quickly than other products. The technology can be applied to a number of areas, including body armour, sports protective equipment, surgical garments, and even aerospace energy absorbent materials. IMRE is now looking for industry partners to help evaluate and scale-up the technology.

For more information, contact Dr. Davy Cheong

Nanomechanics: A switch with a twist

Angel Investor Tax Deduction Scheme (AITD)
This long awaited upgrade to the tax incentive for angel investors was first announced in February in Budget 2010. Under the scheme administered by SPRING Singapore, an individual investor who invests between S$100K - S$500K in startups shall enjoy a tax deduction at the end of a 2-year holding period based on 50% of his investment costs. This scheme is in general good news for nanotech entrepreneurs, as angel investors typically impose less stringent terms through liquidation and control rights, compared to a venture capitalist. If the entrepreneur is careful in choosing the angel investor, the investor can also bring domain expertise, industry insight, and business networks to the startup which can help translate R&D into a marketable product. More information on the scheme and restrictions posed can be obtained at the AITD website

Initiatives to raise productivity
Singapore Institute of Manufacturing Technology (SIMTech) and Workforce Development Agency (WDA) each introduce a new initiative recently to support the broader national push to raise productivity.

SIMTech's initiative called SME Manufacturing Excellence (S.M.E) Programme aims to train managers in Operations Management Innovation (OMNI). OMNI - a methodology created by SIMTech - uses new innovative ways to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of the companies' operations. In addition to attending classes, trainees can apply what they learnt in their own companies under the mentorship of SIMTech's trainers. 70% of the course fees are funded by WDA. SIMTech remarked that their methodology is able to improve productivity by at least 5% within one year of implementation.

WDA's initiative is called Productivity Initiatives in Services and Manufacturing (PRISM). It represents a group of master classes, seminars and training courses catered specially to managers and supervisors. These courses are applicable across sectors and selected industries. Attendees will acquire skills like 6 Sigma, Lean management, TQM, process reengineering, innovation, and other service strategies. They can then use these skills to enhance productivity in their companies.

For the R&D focused nanotech companies, these productivity initiatives may not have a huge impact them. However, for those who are aiming to start small scale manufacturing, or looking to streamline operations in their pilot plant, these courses are a good way to equip the team with the basic knowledge in manufacturing operations.

NanoConsulting provides market intelligence, strategic assistance, fund raising, business development and match making services to nanotechnology based companies.

The company provides strategic and fund raising support to commercialize promising technologies from around the world in Singapore.

The company also works with governments and universities to consolidate their nanotechnology capability and provide analysis services to identify and package their key strengths.