Posts Tagged ‘air planes’

Integran’s nano-enabled electroplating process takes to the air

Monday, March 26th, 2012

A Toronto-based (Canada) company has licensed its nano-enabled cobalt electroplating process to Pratt & Whitney Canada. From the March 26, 2012 news item on Nanowerk,

Toronto-based Integran Technologies, Inc. (Integran) today announced that it has licensed its nano Cobalt electroplating process (Nanovate™ CoP) to Montreal-based Pratt & Whitney Canada Corp. (PWCC) for deployment as an alternative to hard chromium electroplating in gas turbine power plant applications for aerospace use.

Integran’s nanotechnology can be used to replace existing hard chromium plating processes known to cause adverse health effects ranging from lung cancer to skin ulcerations. The highly efficient Nanovate™ CoP coating process avoids these health issues and furthermore reduces greenhouse gas emissions and water pollution.

Here’s a little more about Integran Technologies from their About Integran page,

Integran is a world leader in revolutionary metallurgical nano-technologies, pushing the boundaries of “lighter, better, cheaper” with products based on our “Nanovate” nanocrystalline metal platform. Integran and its predecessor organizations have been at the forefront of metallurgical nano-technology development for over twenty years. From the first large scale structural application for nano-structured materials in (the award-winning Electrosleeve process for nuclear steam generator repair) and one of the earliest issued US patents in the field of nanotechnology, Integran has established an international reputation for excellence in materials technology development and commercialization.

From Integran’s About Nanovate™? page (Note: I have removed some links),

Integran is a world leader in development and manufacturing of revolutionary electrodeposited (plated) nanocrystalline “Nanovate™” metals.   Our nanotechnology enabled metals take
advantage of the fine crystalline grain structure to achieve superior performance at reduced weight vs conventional material solutions.  Our technology platform consists primarily of Nickel, Iron, Cobalt and Copper alloys that we use to create high performance parts that are:

  • Lighter, stronger, harder and cheaper than Aluminum
  • Corrosion and wear resistant
  • Shielded against low frequency magnetic interference
  • Efficiently absorb energy and noise

Here’s a diagram (full size available on the Integran Technologies website) illustrating the differences,

From the About Nanovate™ page on the Integran Technologies website

As for Pratt & Whitney Canada (PWC), here’s more from the About PWC page,

Every second, a Pratt & Whitney Canada powered aircraft takes off or lands somewhere in the world.

We power the largest fleet of business and regional aircraft and helicopters – more than 45,000 engines around the world.

We boast 10,000+ operators and 700+ airlines in more than 195 countries.

PWC’s boasts make one wonder just how much revenue this contract will generate for Integran? There’s no mention of money in Integran’s press release.

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Posted in coatings, nanotechnology | 2 Comments »

Detecting dangerous liquids in airline luggage with a Josephson junction; NANOvember in Albany, New York; nano haiku for November

Monday, November 9th, 2009

To be free of those clear plastic bags which hold all your bottles of liquids when you go through airport security with your luggage! That is a very worthwhile nanotechnology promise. From the news item on Nanowerk,

Restrictions on liquids in carry-on bags on commercial airliners could become a thing of the past thanks to a revolutionary nano-electric device which detects potentially hazardous liquids in luggage in a fraction of a second, according to a team of German scientists. Writing in the journal Superconductor Science and Technology, the researchers at the Forschungszentrum Juelich in western Germany claim that they have been able to do this using an optical approach that detects all existing and future harmful liquids within one fifth of a second.

Since the paper has been published, the researchers have been approached by industrial partners about producing a prototype. (sigh) Most likely this means they hope it will be about five years before we see the devices in airports. The device itself is known as a Josephson junction and you can read more about it on the Azonano site too.

I am happy to see that the College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering (CNSE) at the University of Albany (New York, US) has held a remarkably successful nano event, Community Day, during NANOvember  attracting about 1000 people.  From the news item on Nanowerk,

NANOvember is part of “NEXSTEP,” or “Nanotechnology Explorations for Science, Training and Education Promotion,” a partnership between CNSE and KeyBank. Spearheaded by CNSE’s Nanoeconomics Constellation, the initiative features a variety of educational programs designed to promote greater understanding of the changing economic and business environment in the Capital Region and New York State being driven by nanotechnology. “As nanotechnology increasingly shapes the educational and economic landscapes of the Capital Region, NANOvember offers a platform through which the community can better understand the impact and opportunities driven by this emerging science,” said Jeffrey Stone, president, Capital Region, KeyBank N.A.

I’m impressed they attracted that large a crowd in a city with a population of about 100,000 (Albany county has a population of about 300,000) according the 2000 census statistics. By contrast, the city of Vancouver (Canada) has a population of about 600,000 with a regional population of approximately 2 million (from the City of Vancouver website on November 9, 2009) and I’m hard pressed to recall either of our local universities claiming a similar success for one of their community days.

One other point about Albany and nanotechnology, in a July 2008 posting I noted a $1.5B investment for a research centre  in Albany, NY, being made by IBM. So this nanotechnology communication/education event seems to dovetail very nicely with past occurrences and suggests an overall strategy is at work.

Some haiku from NISEnet’s (Nanoscale Informal Science Education Network) newsletter,

After you read this
Your finger nail will have grown
a nanometer
by Troy Dassler

We struggle to show
The size of a molecule.
Kids wait patiently.

by Mike Falvo

You can check out the organization’s The Nano Bite blog here.

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Posted in nanotechnology, poetry, science communication | No Comments »