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MAY 2011 issue n°112 THE DISRUPTIVE SEMICONDUCTOR TECHNOLOGIES MAGAZINE NANOTECHNOLOGY Nanostart launches nanotechnology fund in Russia From page 1 In addition to the shareholding, as fund manager Nanostart receives a carried interest of up to 25 percent as well as an annual management fee totaling 3 percent of fund volume. For Nanostart, the fund marks a prelude to business activities in Russia. Nanostart found ideal conditions for the fund in Perm. Governor Oleg Chirkunov is developing the region into a technology pioneer. The emphasis is on development, commercialization, and application of nanotechnology products. According to RBC Daily, Perm is among the Top 10 most innovative regions of Russia. The fund is part of an initiative by the Russian government to develop into a high-tech nation. The goal is to be one of the most important countries in the world for the production of nanotechnology-based products. This progress is mainly driven by the Russian company RUSNANO. The former government holding has been a stock corporation since March 2011. It promotes the commercialization of nanotechnological innovation and the development of necessary infrastructure to support projects. The equivalent of nearly 10 billion dollars has been made available. Nanostart was selected from among several renowned international competitors during the fund application process. This cooperation with distinguished Russian partners is further proof that Nanostart AG has established itself as a leading and sought-after expert for nanotech investment. Through the fund, which should last up to 10 years, Nanostart will benefit from the growth potential of nanotechnology in Perm and Russia. Russia has set a goal to become a leading producer of nanotechnology products by 2015. The Kama Fund First is named after the Kama River, which flows through the region. www.nanostart.de Limit to nanotechnology mass-production? A leading nanotechnology scientist has raised questions over a billion dollar industry by boldly claiming that there is a limit to how small nanotechnology materials can be mass produced. In a paper published on April 21, in IOP Publishing's journal Nanotechnology, Professor Mike Kelly, Centre for Advanced Photonics and Electronics, University of Cambridge, stated that you cannot mass produce structures with a diameter of three nanometres or less using a top-down approach. This statement raises a major question concerning the billions of dollars that are poured into nanotechnology each year in the hope that the latest technology developed in the lab can make the transition to a manufactured product on the market. Nanotechnology is built on the ability to control and manipulate matter at the atomic and molecular level and has far reaching applications including the delivery of drugs into the body, increasing the efficiency of solar panels and improving methods of food packaging. The overall goal when entering nanotechnologies into the market is low-cost, high-volume manufacturability, but at the same time, the materials' properties must be highly reproducible within a pre-specified limit, which Kelly states cannot happen below the 3nm limit when trying to make arrays. The top-down approach to manufacturing, which Kelly states is limited, uses external tools to cut and shape large materials to contain many smaller features. Its alternative, the bottom-up approach, involves piecing together small units, usually molecules, to construct whole materials -- much like a jigsaw puzzle -- however this process is too unpredictable for defect -- free mass production of arrays. Kelly used statistical evaluation of vertical nanopillars -- that have been suggested for uses in sensors and displays -- as an example to demonstrate his theory. He states that the proof comes in two stages. The first is due to the fact that when materials are mass produced on such a small scale there will be a lot of variation in the size of different components. As a result of this variation, the properties of the material will vary to an extent where the material cannot function to full capacity within an array. Professor Kelly says, "If I am wrong, and a counterexample to my theorem is provided, many scientists would be more secure in their continued working, and that is good for science. www.iop.org Copyrights © Yole Développement SA. All rights reserved - Recycled paper New continuous flow process for separating and sorting carbon nanomaterials Archimedes Polymer Technologies and Brunel University, London have secured Technology Strategy Board Funding (TSB) to develop a new continuous flow process for separating and sorting commercially available carbon nanotubes and carbon nanomaterials. Developing an effective process for the separating and sorting of carbon nanomaterials will offer industry new costeffective manufacturing techniques, high value-added materials and end-user products. Carbon nanomaterials are one of the most commercially relevant classes of nanomaterials, potentially having the broadest range of applications from composites to consumer mass electronics, energy storage, membranes, healthcare and toxicity assessments. For high-value applications, high-purity and uniform carbon nanotubes are essential. This project aims to prove the concept and efficiency of a flow process for separation and sorting of carbon nanotube products using a variable force field generated by a novel centrifuge, providing continuous parameter controlled, highly efficient mixing, separation and extraction. New method to improve the electrical conductivity of polymeric composites wwwfr.uni.lu Polymeric composites consist of two or more materials and are used for example to shield off electrostatics in airplanes. By introducing additives into polymeric composites, favorable properties can be achieved. For instance, they develop favorable electrical properties when reinforced with carbon nanotubes. Such composites are used to make flat-panel displays and solar cells more efficient. The researchers in Luxembourg, in cooperation with scientists from the Netherlands, have studied the electrical percolation of carbon nanotubes in a polymer matrix and shown the percolation threshold - the point at which the polymer composite becomes conductive - can be considerably lowered if small quantities of a conductive polymer latex are added. The simulations were done in Luxembourg, while the experiments took place at Eindhoven University. By mixing finely dispersed particles, so-called colloidal particles, of differing shapes and sizes in the medium, system-spanning networks form: the prerequisite for electrically conductive composites. www.brunel.ac.uk 20
21 MAY 2011 issue n°112 THE DISRUPTIVE SEMICONDUCTOR TECHNOLOGIES MAGAZINE POWER ELECTRONICS IGBT module tops the competition in current density: 4.9 A/cm² for 3-level inverters Semikron presents its newest MiniSKiiP IGBT power semiconductor module, which is now also available in 3-level topology. The new module boasts a rated current of 4.9 A/ cm², the highest rated current per unit of area in comparison to competitor products, and one phase leg per module, enabling the development of compact inverters with output power of up to 85 kVA. The MiniSKiiP is characterised by the fast and easy single-screw assembly and therefore optimised for the efficient manufacture of 3-level solar inverters and UPS systems. The rated current per unit of area is up to twice that of other 3-level modules. Since no solid busbars are needed between the three phases/modules, more compact inverters can be made. The reverse voltage of the IGBTs and diodes used has been increased to 650 V to enable DC link voltages of 900 V for 480 V three-phase power applications typical in commercial or industrial settings in the United States. Each module has a 3-level phase leg with sufficient space for ten power semiconductors each. Across the world, more than 15 million MiniSKiiP modules are in use in drives and frequency converters. The success of this module platform continues in the new 3-level topology, which improves electrical efficiency and makes power converters more efficient. Thermal and electrical connection between the module and the heat sink and the driver board is established with a single screw or two screws for rated module currents of up to 150 A or 200 A, respectively. This means that solder equipment and time-consuming soldering processes are done away with in the assembly stage. For solar inverter output power of 60 kVA and above, i.e. for rated current of 150 A and higher, modules with screw connections were previously used for the busbars. Thanks to MiniSKiiP 200 A 3-level modules, the busbars can be replaced with cheaper PCBs in inverters with outputs of up to 85 kVA. Former complex 8-screw connections have been reduced to simple 2-screw-assembly solutions. “Owing to the efficiency gain, 3-level technology is set to become standard in solar inverters and UPS systems in the very near future,” comments Thomas Grasshoff, Head of International Product Management, referring to the trends on these markets. In the drives sector, MiniSKiiP modules have already gained a strong footing thanks to their fast and easy assembly. The 3-level product range from Semikron covers rated currents of 20 A to 600 A: featuring SEMITOP solder modules for up to 150 A, MiniSKiiP spring contact modules for up to 200 A and SKiM screw connection modules for up to 600 A. The new MiniSKiiP IGBT power semiconductor module (Courtesy of Semikron) www.powersystemsdesign.com Alpha Technologies debuts new UPS power solutions Alpha Technologies Ltd. introduced the new FXM 350 and Micro 350 Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) products The latest addition to Alpha’s FXM family of UPS products, the FXM 350 is engineered to address a broad range of applications requiring lower output power and smaller footprints than the existing FXM 650, 1100 and 2000 models. "The FXM 650, 1100 and 2000 have been stalwart performers for a variety of critical applications across many industries," said William Huang, AC Portfolio Product Manager at Alpha. "The new FXM 350 represents the leading ruggedized UPS in the Security market that supports both ac and dc loads. It simply offers the class leading performance our customers have come to expect from the larger FXM modules, but in a more compact and cost effective package." The new FXM 350 UPS Module features: flexible dual ac and dc output for multiple loads up to 350W; local or remote monitoring and control via USB and SNMP communication; small footprint for wall, rack or enclosure mounting; dependable operation in extreme operating environments; and powerful new firmware with enhanced features such as battery run time information. Also released is the Micro 350, Alpha’s latest outdoor UPS system that integrates the FXM 350 module in a NEMA 3R enclosure with batteries, an adaptor plate and an optional distribution panel. It provides reliable backup power for a wide range of applications, including security, access control, public utility and telecommunications. www.powerpulse.net Enecsys secures $41 million investment to accelerate its growth plan Enecsys has secured a further £25 million ($41 million) in equity financing to invest in its growth plan. Enecsys was founded in 2003 and its patented technology was originally developed at Cambridge University in the UK. Solar inverters convert the DC power produced by solar photovoltaic (PV) modules into AC power for supply to the electricity grid. Enecsys micro inverters are installed on the rail behind solar modules, either one inverter per solar module or one for every two modules. The Enecsys micro inverter represents a breakthrough in inverter design for residential and commercial solar PV installations as its technology has, for the first time, eliminated components that limit inverter life. Additionally the Enecsys micro inverter enables solar PV systems to harvest between 5% and 20% more energy; it makes planning and installation of PV systems easier and safer due to the elimination of high voltage DC wiring, and it enhances system optimization by monitoring the performance of each solar module. Enecsys has recently launched its products in Europe and North America and the latest financing has been arranged to facilitate substantial expected growth. Climate Change Capital Private Equity led this Series B equity financing with an investment of £11 million ($18 million). The balance, £14 million ($23 million), was secured from the existing Enecsys investors, Wellington Partners, NES Partners (formerly known as Bankinvest New Energy Solutions) and Good Energies, who together previously invested £8.5 million ($14.3 million) in Enecsys in a Series A financing in 2009. The latest financing round represents the largest private equity raise in the European cleantech sector so far this year. www.powersystemsdesign.com Copyrights © Yole Développement SA. All rights reserved - Recycled paper
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