Tag Archives: Japan

‘Virtual sorting nanomachines’ use electron beams to manipulate graphene oxide

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Caption: Overview of dynamic graphene oxide sorting: (a) The system uses electron beams on silicon nitride membranes to create electric field patterns that generate opposing forces on graphene oxide sheets. (b) Starting state with graphene oxide sheets in a solution. (c) Middle step showing sheets pulled toward the pattern by electroosmotic flow. (d) Final stage where different-sized sheets move away from the pattern at different speeds due to electrophoretic repulsion forces. Smaller sheets move faster because of their higher surface charge-to-mass ratio. Credit: Sasaki and Hoshino, 2025

A May 21, 2025 Nagoya University press release (also on EurekAlert but published May 20, 2025) describes research that could have implications for environmental remediation and more, Note: Links have been removed,

Researchers at Nagoya University in Japan have developed an interface that creates “virtual sorting nanomachines” without the need to manufacture actual devices. By projecting electron beams onto thin silicon nitride membranes, they generated programmable electric fields that function like microfluidic devices—systems that move very small amounts of fluids through microscopic channels. This allows them to move and sort nanomaterials by size at any desired location and time. The findings were published in the journal Colloids and Surfaces A: Physicochemical and Engineering.

The scientists used graphene oxide (GO), a carbon material just one atom thick. Its properties and cellular interactions vary by sheet size, making size-sorting methods important. Traditional methods need complex prefabricated microfluidic devices with fixed structures. The new method removes this limitation by creating temporary, programmable electric field patterns that can be instantly moved or reconfigured. This enables precise sorting of GO sheets, which can then capture pollutants, solvents, and biomolecules based on their size-dependent properties. 

When electric field patterns are projected onto a solution with GO sheets, two forces work simultaneously but in opposite directions: an electroosmotic flow pulls the sheets toward the pattern, and an electrophoretic repulsion force pushes them away. This movement occurs because of the difference in the ratio of surface charge to mass between GO sheets of different sizes.  

Smaller GO sheets have less total charge, but they also have significantly less mass and volume. This gives them a higher surface charge-to-mass ratio, causing them to move faster when repelled by the electric field. The researchers measured the speeds of different sized GO sheets (5-50 μm2) and found that as sheet size decreases, repulsion speed increases proportionally. This allowed them to separate the sheets by size at specific locations and create virtual sorting nanomachines that appear on demand and do not require complex prefabricated microfluidic devices.

The researchers were able to improve control over the graphene sheets by changing the electric field patterns. For example, they made different ring patterns that periodically change to improve the separation of various-sized sheets and created moving semi-circle patterns to push the sheets in different directions in the solution. (View the videos here: Ring patterns and semi-circle patterns emitted by electric fields to sort graphene oxide sheets. Credit: Sasaki and Hoshino, 2025) 

“This research represents a paradigm shift in nanomaterial processing,” PhD student and lead author Ken Sasaki commented. “Instead of building complex microfluidic devices, we can now program virtual nanomachines that appear and function on demand. This allows material-free manufacturing where mechanical work is performed by programmable force fields.” 

Professor Takayuki Hoshino from the Department of Micro-Nano Mechanical Science and Engineering at Nagoya University highlighted that this technology has significant potential for environmental remediation and healthcare applications. “For example, if an industrial spill occurs, this technology could be developed for on-site deployment to sort GO sheets for optimal removal of contaminants, rather than transporting materials to a facility first,” he explained.

Here’s a link to and a citation for the paper,

Size fractionation of graphene oxide sheets by electron beam-addressing localized electrophoresis by Ken Sasaki, Takayuki Hoshino . Colloids and Surfaces A: Physicochemical and Engineering Aspects Volume 720, 5 September 2025, 137056 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.colsurfa.2025.137056 Creative Commons Licence: CC BY 4.0 Attribution 4.0 International Deed

This paper is open access.

Breakthrough in energy storage and environmental sustainability with new nanomaterial

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Very nice image Distinguished Professor Kim! (This reminds me of snakes.)

Caption: This study reveals a promising strategy for fabricating ultrafine bi(tri)-metallic molybdates on N-, B-, and F-doped hollow-core carbon nanofibers for energy and environmental applications. Credit: Distinguished Professor Ick Soo Kim from Shinshu University, Japan

A May 21, 2025 Shinshu University press release (also on EurekAlert) describes a breakthrough in energy storage and environmental sustainability, Note: Links have been removed,

Researchers from Shinshu University developed a low-cost nanocomposite by embedding bimetallic and trimetallic molybdates into nitrogen-, boron-, and fluorine-doped hollow carbon nanofibers. This material demonstrated excellent electrochemical performance for supercapacitors, with high capacitance and long-term stability, as well as strong catalytic efficiency in degrading 4-nitrophenol, a common industrial pollutant. The composite offers promising dual functionality for energy storage and environmental remediation, providing a scalable and efficient solution to address pressing global energy and pollution challenges.

The world faces mounting challenges in energy and environmental sustainability. Rapid growth of population, urbanization, and industrial activity—especially in developing countries—has driven up global energy consumption and intensified water pollution. These dual pressures have spurred a wave of research into multifunctional nanostructured materials capable of addressing both energy storage and environmental concerns. Bimetallic and ternary metal molybdates are among the most promising candidates, offering strong catalytic and electrochemical properties.

However, existing approaches to synthesizing these nanocomposites often come with major drawbacks. Many rely on high-cost carbon materials like graphene or carbon nanotubes. Others require excessive amounts of metals—often exceeding 50% by weight—or involve synthesis methods that are complex, time-consuming, and environmentally unfriendly. These limitations make many lab-scale solutions impractical for real-world use, particularly in the regions that need them most.

Recognizing this gap, a research team from Shinshu University, Japan, led by Distinguished Professor Ick Soo Kim from the Nano Fusion Technology Research Lab, including Dr. Gopiraman Mayakrishnan, Dr. Azeem Ullah from the same university, and Dr. Ramkumar Vanraj from Yeungnam University, created a new type of nanocomposite that could deliver high performance at a much lower cost. The study was published online in the journal Advanced Fiber Materials  on April 2, 2025.

The researchers anchored ultrafine bimetallic (FeMo) and ternary (NiCoMo) molybdates onto hollow-core carbon nanofibers that have been ‘doped’ with nitrogen, boron, and fluorine. These dopants enhance the conductivity and chemical reactivity of the carbon scaffold, while the hollow structure maximizes the surface area available for reactions.

“We’ve created a multifunctional platform that is not only scalable and cost-efficient but also delivers exceptional performance in energy storage,” said Prof. Kim. “Our approach reduces the reliance on expensive metals, and the doping of the carbon nanofibers enhances their properties, allowing us to create a material that can serve both energy and environmental needs.”

The new nanocomposite material was primarily tested for its ability to enhance energy storage. It demonstrated a specific capacitance of 1,419.2 F/g, which is significantly higher than many other materials currently used for energy storage. In addition, the material maintained 86% of its initial capacity after 10,000 charge-discharge cycles, a crucial factor for the long-term reliability of energy storage systems.

Beyond its energy storage capabilities, the nanocomposite also showed significant promise in environmental applications. The material was tested for its ability to catalyze the reduction of 4-nitrophenol, a toxic compound commonly found in industrial wastewater. The results showed that the material was highly efficient in breaking down this pollutant, suggesting its potential for use in water purification and pollution control technologies.

The new nanocomposite also has a relatively low cost of production. Traditional nanomaterials often rely on expensive components like graphene or large amounts of metals, which can drive up the cost of production. In contrast, the new material uses a smaller quantity of metal and a simpler synthesis process, making it more affordable for large-scale applications.

This new nanocomposite offers a promising combination of high performance, cost-effectiveness, and scalability, making it a strong candidate for use in a wide range of applications. It is a significant step forward in the development of sustainable nanotechnologies for global challenges. But further research and development will be necessary before bringing this innovative material to market.

“The next step is to refine the production process and test the material in more diverse conditions,” concludes Prof. Kim. “We also plan to explore its potential in other environmental applications, such as the removal of different types of pollutants.”

…

About Shinshu University

Shinshu University is a national university founded in 1949 and located nestling under the Japanese Alps in Nagano known for its stunning natural landscapes.

Shinshu University was selected for the Forming Japan’s Peak Research Universities (J-PEAKS) Program by the Japanese government. This initiative seeks to promote the formation of university consortia that will enhance research capabilities across Japan.

Our motto, “Powered by Nature – strengthening our network with society and applying nature to create innovative solutions for a better tomorrow” reflects the mission of fostering promising creative professionals and deepening the collaborative relationship with local communities, which leads to our contribution to regional development by innovation in various fields. We’re working on providing solutions for building a sustainable society through interdisciplinary research fields: material science (carbon, fiber and composites), biomedical science (for intractable diseases and preventive medicine) and mountain science, and aiming to boost research and innovation capability through collaborative projects with distinguished researchers from the world. For more information visit https://www.shinshu-u.ac.jp/english/ or follow us on X (Twitter) @ShinshuUni for our latest news.

Here’s a link to and a citation for the paper,

Inner–Outer Surface Anchoring of Ultrafine Bi(Tri)-Metallic Molybdates on N-, B-, and F-Doped Hollow-Core Carbon Nanofibers: Cost-Effective Nanocomposites with Low-Metal Loading for Energy and Environmental Applications by Gopiraman Mayakrishnan, Ramkumar Vanaraj, Muhammad Nauman Sarwar, Yuki Machida, Yuki Machida, Muhammad Farooq, Azeem Ullah, Seong Cheol Kim, and Ick Soo Kim. Adv. Fiber Mater. (2025). DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s42765-025-00528-7 Published: 02 April 2025

This paper is open access.

World’s largest and most powerful pulsed magnet system completed—ITER and fusion energy + local fusion news

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Before launching into the news, I have a few explanatory bits, which can be easily skipped.

Fusion energy

There’s a lot of interest in fusion energy, a form of nuclear energy, that promises to be sustainable and ‘clean’. Adam Stein’s May 29, 2024 article “Nuclear fusion: the true, the false and the uncertain” for Polytechique insights (Institut polytechnique de Paris) tempers some of the enthusiasm/hype about fusion energy. In this excerpt, he examines claims about ‘clean’ energy, Note: A link has been removed,

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#2 Fusion will become a source of clean, limitless energy

TRUE — Fusion is generally seen as “clean” energy.

It produces substantially less radioactive “waste” than fission – though it is possible that with emerging technologies, waste from fusion and fission could be reused. Still, like other nuclear fission, fusion will require appropriate and comprehensive oversight. One concern is that the reaction could be used to generate fissile materials usable in weapons. Fusion machines and related reactions do not directly produce material useful for weapons. The reaction does, however, create an enormous amount of neutrons.

On the bright side, these neutrons could help generate more fuel for the fusion reaction — many designs plan to incorporate a “breeding blanket,” a layer of materials that acts as heat insulation, but is also lined with materials that can capture the neutrons to create more tritium. Uranium or thorium could also be placed in some breeding blanket designs. The concern is that these materials, once irradiated, could generate uranium-235 that can be used in nuclear weapons. Physical ways to deter this process exist, such as requiring the use of lithium‑6 in the blanket modules. The IAEA [International Atomic Energy Agency] will be important in ensuring non-proliferation safeguards and oversight.

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ITER

The International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) is (from its Wikipedia entry), Note: Links have been removed,

ITER (initially the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor, iter meaning “the way” or “the path” in Latin)[4][5][6] is an international nuclear fusion research and engineering megaproject aimed at creating energy through a fusion process similar to that of the Sun. It is being built next to the Cadarache facility in southern France.[7][8] Upon completion of the main reactor and first plasma, planned for 2033–2034,[9][10] ITER will be the largest of more than 100 fusion reactors built since the 1950s, with six times the plasma volume of JT-60SA in Japan, the largest tokamak operating today.[11][12][13]

The long-term goal of fusion research is to generate electricity; ITER’s stated purpose is scientific research, and technological demonstration of a large fusion reactor, without electricity generation.[14][11] ITER’s goals are to achieve enough fusion to produce 10 times as much thermal output power as thermal power absorbed by the plasma for short time periods; to demonstrate and test technologies that would be needed to operate a fusion power plant including cryogenics, heating, control and diagnostics systems, and remote maintenance; to achieve and learn from a burning plasma; to test tritium breeding; and to demonstrate the safety of a fusion plant.[12][8]

ITER is funded and operated by seven member parties: China, the European Union, India, Japan, Russia, South Korea and the United States. In the immediate aftermath of Brexit, the United Kingdom continued to participate in ITER through the EU’s Fusion for Energy (F4E) program until September 2023.[15][1][2] Switzerland participated through Euratom and F4E until 2021,[16] though it is poised to rejoin in 2026 following subsequent negotiations with the EU.[17][18] ITER also has cooperation agreements with Australia, Canada, Kazakhstan and Thailand.[19]

Construction of the ITER complex in France started in 2013,[20] and assembly of the tokamak began in 2020.[21] The initial budget was close to €6 billion, but the total price of construction and operations is projected to be from €18 to €22 billion;[22][23] other estimates place the total cost between $45 billion and $65 billion, though these figures are disputed by ITER.[24][25] Regardless of the final cost, ITER has already been described as the most expensive science experiment of all time,[26] the most complicated engineering project in human history,[27] and one of the most ambitious human collaborations since the development of the International Space Station (€100 billion or $150 billion budget) and the Large Hadron Collider (€7.5 billion budget).[note 1][28][29]

ITER’s planned successor, the EUROfusion-led DEMO, is expected to be one of the first fusion reactors to produce electricity in an experimental environment.[30]

…

Tokamak

As this comes up again in the next section, here’s more about the tokamak from its Wikipedia entry, Note: Links have been removed,

A tokamak (/ˈtoʊkəmæk/; Russian: токамáк) is a device which uses a powerful magnetic field generated by external magnets to confine plasma in the shape of an axially symmetrical torus.[1] The tokamak is one of several types of magnetic confinement devices being developed to produce controlled thermonuclear fusion power. The tokamak concept is currently one of the leading candidates for a practical fusion reactor for providing minimally polluting electrical power.[2]

…

Now, the ITER news

An April 30, 2025 news item on phys.org announces a new development at ITER,

In a landmark achievement for fusion energy, ITER has completed all components for the world’s largest, most powerful pulsed superconducting electromagnet system.

ITER is an international collaboration of more than 30 countries to demonstrate the viability of fusion—the power of the sun and stars—as an abundant, safe, carbon-free energy source for the planet.

…

An April 30, 2025 ITER press release on EurekAlert, which originated the news item, provides more details about the achievement,

The final component was the sixth module of the Central Solenoid, built and tested in the United States. When it is assembled at the ITER site in Southern France, the Central Solenoid will be the system’s most powerful magnet, strong enough to lift an aircraft carrier.

The Central Solenoid will work in tandem with six ring-shaped Poloidal Field (PF) magnets, built and delivered by Russia, Europe, and China.

The fully assembled pulsed magnet system will weigh nearly 3,000 tons. It will function as the electromagnetic heart of ITER’s donut-shaped reactor, called a Tokamak.

How does this pulsed superconducting electromagnet system work?

Step 1. A few grams of hydrogen fuel—deuterium and tritium gas—are injected into ITER’s gigantic Tokamak chamber.

Step 2. The pulsed magnet system sends an electrical current to ionize the hydrogen gas, creating a plasma, a cloud of charged particles.

Step 3. The magnets create an “invisible cage” that confines and shapes the ionized plasma.

Step 4. External heating systems raise the plasma temperature to 150 million degrees Celsius, ten times hotter than the core of the sun. 

Step 5. At this temperature, the atomic nuclei of plasma particles combine and fuse, releasing massive heat energy.

A tenfold energy gain

At full operation, ITER is expected to produce 500 megawatts of fusion power from only 50 megawatts of input heating power, a tenfold gain. At this level of efficiency, the fusion reaction largely self-heats, becoming a “burning plasma.”

By integrating all the systems needed for fusion at industrial scale, ITER is serving as a massive, complex research laboratory for its 30-plus member countries, providing the knowledge and data needed to optimize commercial fusion power.

A global model

ITER’s geopolitical achievement is also remarkable: the sustained collaboration of ITER’s seven members—China, Europe, India, Japan, Korea, Russia, and the United States. Thousands of scientists and engineers have contributed components from hundreds of factories on three continents to build a single machine. 

Pietro Barabaschi, ITER Director-General, says, “What makes ITER unique is not only its technical complexity but the framework of international cooperation that has sustained it through changing political landscapes.”

“This achievement proves that when humanity faces existential challenges like climate change and energy security, we can overcome national differences to advance solutions.” 

“The ITER Project is the embodiment of hope. With ITER, we show that a sustainable energy future and a peaceful path forward are possible.” 

Major progress

In 2024, ITER reached 100 percent of its construction targets. With most of the major components delivered, the ITER Tokamak is now in assembly phase. In April 2025, the first vacuum vessel sector module was inserted into the Tokamak Pit, about 3 weeks ahead of schedule.

Extending collaboration to the private sector

The past five years have witnessed a surge in private sector investment in fusion energy R&D. In November 2023, the ITER Council recognized the value and opportunity represented by this trend. 

They encouraged the ITER Organization and its Domestic Agencies to actively engage with the private sector, to transfer ITER’s accumulated knowledge to accelerate progress toward making fusion a reality.

In 2024, ITER launched a private sector fusion engagement project, with multiple channels for sharing knowledge, documentation, data, and expertise, as well as collaboration on R&D. This tech transfer initiative includes sharing information on ITER’s global fusion supply chain, another way to return value to Member governments and their companies.

In April 2025, ITER hosted a public-private workshop to collaborate on the best technological innovation to solve fusion’s remaining challenges.

The ITER experiment under construction in southern France. The tokamak building is the mirrored structure at center. Courtesy ITER Organization/EJF Riche.


How have ITER’s Members contributed to this achievement?

Under the ITER Agreement, Members contribute most of the cost of building ITER in the form of building and supplying components. This arrangement means that financing from each Member goes primarily to their own companies, to manufacture ITER’s challenging technology. In doing so, these companies also drive innovation and gain expertise, creating a global fusion supply chain.

Europe, as the Host Member, contributes 45 percent of the cost of the ITER Tokamak and its support systems. China, India, Japan, Korea, Russia, and the United States each contribute 9 percent, but all Members get access to 100 percent of the intellectual property.

United States

The United States has built the Central Solenoid, made of six modules, plus a spare. 

The U.S. has also delivered to ITER the “exoskeleton” support structure that will enable the Central Solenoid to withstand the extreme forces it will generate. The exoskeleton is comprised of more than 9,000 individual parts, manufactured by eight U.S. suppliers.

Additionally, the U.S. has fabricated about 8 percent of the Niobium-Tin (Nb3Sn) superconductors used in ITER’s Toroidal Field magnets.

Russia

Russia has delivered the 9-meter-diameter ring-shaped Poloidal Field magnet that will crown the top of the ITER Tokamak.

Working closely with Europe, Russia has also produced approximately 120 tonnes of Niobium-Titanium (NbTi) superconductors, comprising about 40 percent of the total required for ITER’s Poloidal Field magnets.

Additionally, Russia has produced about 20 percent of the Niobium-Tin (Nb3Sn) superconductors for ITER’s Toroidal Field magnets.

And Russia has manufactured the giant busbars that will deliver power to the magnets at the required voltage and amperage, as well as the upper port plugs for ITER’s vacuum vessel sectors.

Europe

Europe has manufactured four of the ring-shaped Poloidal Field magnets onsite in France, ranging from 17 to 24 meters in diameter. 

Europe has worked closely with Russia to manufacture the Niobium-Titanium (NbTi) superconductors used in PF magnets 1 and 6. 

Europe has also delivered 10 of ITER’s Toroidal Field magnets and has produced a substantial portion of the Niobium-Tin (Nb3Sn) superconductors used in these TF magnets. 

And Europe is creating five of the nine sectors of the Tokamak vacuum vessel, the donut-shaped chamber where fusion will take place.

China

China, under an arrangement with Europe, has manufactured a 10-metre Poloidal Field magnet. It has already been installed at the bottom of the partially assembled ITER Tokamak. 

China has also contributed the Niobium-Titanium (NbTi) superconductors for PF magnets 2, 3, 4, and 5, about 65 percent of the PF magnet total—plus about 8 percent of the Toroidal Field magnet superconductors. 

Additionally, China is contributing 18 superconducting Correction Coil magnets, positioned around the Tokamak to fine-tune the plasma reactions. 

China has delivered the 31 magnet feeders, the multi-lane thruways that will deliver the electricity to power ITER’s electromagnets as well as the liquid helium to cool the magnets to -269 degrees Celsius, the temperature needed for superconductivity.

Japan

Japan has produced and sent to the United States the 43 kilometers of Niobium-Tin (Nb3Sn) superconductor strand that was used to create the Central Solenoid modules.

Japan has also produced 8 of the 18 Toroidal Field (TF) magnets, plus a spare—as well as all the casing structures for the TF magnets.

Japan also produced 25 percent of the Niobium-Tin (Nb3Sn) superconductors that went into the Toroidal Field magnets.

Korea

Korea has produced the tooling used to pre-assemble ITER’s largest components, enabling ITER to fit the Toroidal Field coils and thermal shields to the vacuum vessel sectors with millimetric precision. 

Korea has also manufactured 20 percent of the Niobium-Tin (Nb3Sn) superconductors for the Toroidal Field magnets.

Additionally, Korea has manufactured the thermal shields that provide a physical barrier between the ultra-hot fusion plasma and the ultra-cold magnets. 

And Korea has delivered four of the nine sectors of the Tokamak vacuum vessel.

India

India has fabricated the ITER Cryostat, the 30-metre high, 30-metre diameter thermos that houses the entire ITER Tokamak.

India has also provided the cryolines that distribute the liquid helium to cool ITER’s magnets. 

Additionally, India has been responsible for delivering ITER’s cooling water system, the in-wall shielding of the Tokamak, and multiple parts of the external plasma heating systems.

In total, ITER’s magnet systems will comprise 10,000 tons of superconducting magnets, with a combined stored magnetic energy of 51 Gigajoules. The raw material to fabricate these magnets consisted of more than 100,000 kilometers of superconducting strand, fabricated in 9 factories in six countries.

* * *

What are the technical specifications for each of ITER’s magnet systems?

Central Solenoid (cylindrical magnet)

Height: 18 meters (59 feet)
Diameter: 4.25 meters (14 feet)
Weight: ~1,000 tonnes
Magnetic field strength: 13 Tesla (280,000 times stronger than the Earth’s magnetic field)
Stored magnetic energy: 6.4 Gigajoules
Will initiate and sustain a plasma current of 15 MA for 300-500 second pulses
Fabricated in the United States
Material: Niobium-tin (Nb₃Sn) superconducting strand produced in Japan
Cooling: operated at 4.5 Kelvin (-269°C) using liquid helium cryogenics to maintain superconductivity
Structure (exoskeleton): built to withstand 100 MN (meganewtons) of force—equivalent to twice the thrust of a space shuttle launch.

Poloidal Field Magnets (ring-shaped magnets)

Diameters: varying in range from 9 meters (PF1) to 10 meters (PF6) to 17 meters (PF2, PF5) to 25 meters (PF3, PF4)
Weight: from 160 to 400 tonnes
Fabricated in Russia, Europe (France) and China
Material: niobium-titanium (NbTi) superconducting strand produced in Europe, China, and Russia
Cooling: operated at 4.5 Kelvin (-269°C) using liquid helium cryogenics to maintain superconductivity

Toroidal Field Coils (D-shaped magnets, completed in late 2023)

Each coil: 17 meters high × 9 meters wide
Weight: ~360 tonnes each
Fabricated in Europe (Italy) and Japan
Material: niobium-tin (Nb3Sn) superconducting strand produced in Europe, Korea, Russia, and the United States
Cooling: operated at 4.5 Kelvin (-269°C) using liquid helium to maintain superconductivity

Correction Coils and Magnet Feeders

Correction Coils: manufactured by China; critical for fine plasma stability adjustments.
Magnet Feeders: deliver cryogenics, electrical power, and instrumentation signals to the magnets; also produced by China

Vancouver’s (Canada) General Fusion news

Recently, there have been some big ups and downs for General Fusion as this May 5, 2025 General Fusion news release written as an open letter from the company’s Chief Executive Office (CEO), Greg Twinney

General Fusion has been at the forefront of fusion technology development for more than 20 years. Today, we stand as a world leader on the cusp of our most exciting technical milestone yet—and one of the most challenging financial moments in our history. We are closer than ever to delivering practical fusion, but success depends on securing the right financing partners to carry this breakthrough forward. 

On April 29th [2025], we achieved a transformative milestone at our Vancouver, B.C., headquarters in Canada—we successfully compressed a large-scale magnetized plasma with lithium using our world-first LM26 fusion demonstration machine. The full, integrated system and diagnostics operated safely and as designed, and an early review of the data indicates we saw ion temperature and density increase, and our lithium liner successfully trapped the magnetic field. This was an incredible success for our first shot! What does this mean? From a technology perspective, we’re one step closer to bringing zero-carbon fusion energy to the electricity grid using our unique, home-grown Canadian technology that global industry leaders recognize as one of the most practical for commercialization.   

Our incredible, innovative, and nimble team achieved these results about a year and a half after we launched the LM26 fusion demonstration program—designing, building, commissioning, optimizing, and operating on a rapid timeline with constrained capital. LM26 is the only machine of its kind in the world, designed and built to achieve the technical results required to scale a fusion technology to a practical power plant. It is backed by peer-reviewed scientific results published in 2024 and 2025 issues of Nuclear Fusion, making us one of only four private fusion companies in the world to have achieved and published meaningful fusion results on the path to scientific breakeven. We are also the only one with the machine already built to get there. Truly, there has never been a more promising time to be at—or invest in—General Fusion.  

General Fusion has been around the block. We’ve proven a lot with a lean budget. We’re not a shiny new start-up with a drawing and a dream; we are experienced fusioneers with a clear view of the path to success and the machine to prove it. We’ve built a global network of partners and early adopters focused on a fusion technology—Magnetized Target Fusion—that is durable, cost-effective, fuel-sustainable, and practical. We are ready to execute our plan but are caught in an economic and geopolitical environment that is forcing us to wait.  

Keeping a fusion company funded in today’s world requires more than just meaningful capital. It takes ambition, steadfast patience, a bold national vision aligned with the opportunity, and constant refreshing of the investor base as timelines stretch beyond typical fund horizons. Our mission has historically been supported financially by a mix of strong private investors and the Canadian federal government. We have been competing against aggressive nationally funded fusion programs around the world. We have risen to global leadership by charting a distinct course—founded on entrepreneurship and commercial focus—while others follow government-led or academic pathways. However, today’s funding landscape is more challenging than ever as investors and governments navigate a rapidly shifting and uncertain political and market climate.  

This rapidly shifting environment has directly and immediately impacted our funding. Therefore, as a result of unexpected and urgent financing constraints, we are taking action now to protect our future with our game-changing technology and IP—including reducing both the size of our team and LM26 operations—while we navigate this difficult environment. We’re doing what resilient teams do and what we have done before: refocus, protect what matters, and keep building. 

While this is a challenging time for General Fusion, it is also an attractive opportunity for those with the financial means to transform the world. Everything is in place—the technology, science, LM26, and the know-how and passion. All we need now is the capital to finish the job. We are opening our doors and actively seeking strategic options with investors, buyers, governments, and others who share our vision. Reach out now and become part of the future of energy. 

Greg Twinney

Chief Executive Officer
General Fusion, Inc.

Twinney also gave a May 8, 2025 radio interview(approximately 7 mins.) to Stephen Quinn of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation’s (CBC) Early Edition.

May 8, 2025

General Fusion CEO, Greg Twinney tells Stephen Quinn how his company has made big breakthroughs in fusion energy – and how market chaos caused by President Trump has made it hard to find investors.

The interview provides an introduction to fusion energy and the company while this May 5, 2025 article by John Fingas for Betakit fills in some details, Note: Links have been removed,

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In a statement, General Fusion told BetaKit it was looking for $125 million USD (about $172.7 million CAD) to fulfill its goals. While the company didn’t share the scope of the layoffs, The Globe and Mail reported that the company let go of a quarter of staff.

General Fusion created its first magnetized plasma, which is needed for its fusion reactions, at its LM26 demonstration facility in March [2025], and conducted a large-scale test on April 29. It still plans to create plasma at a hotter 10 million C within months, and eventually to reach the 100-million-degree mark needed to achieve a “scientific breakeven equivalent” where LM26 could generate more energy than required for the reaction.

…

The company ultimately hopes to deploy reactors based on its Magnetized Target Fusion technology, which creates fusion conditions in short pulses, by the mid-2030s. The technique theoretically costs less than the lasers or superconducting magnets used in designs like Tokamak reactors, and could be used in facilities close to the cities they serve. One 300-megawatt electrical plant powered by fusion could provide enough continuous power for 150,000 Canadian homes, the company claims.

The company has raised about $440 million CAD so far, including $69 million from the Government of Canada. Some of its private investors include Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, Shopify founder Tobi Lütke, and engineering consultancy Hatch. Bob Smith, the former CEO of Bezos’s spaceflight company Blue Origin, became a strategic advisor for General Fusion in early April [2025].

…

“We’re not a shiny new startup with a drawing and a dream; we are experienced fusioneers with a clear view of the path to success and the machine to prove it,” he [Greg Twinney, General Fusion CEO] said.

It seems logical to follow with this:

Business investments and fusion energy

First, here’s more about the agency, which released a 2025 report on investments in fusion energy. The European Union (EU) has created an organization known as Fusion for Energy (F4E), from its Wikipedia entry, Note: Links have been removed,

Fusion for Energy (F4E) is a joint undertaking of the European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom) that is responsible for the EU’s contribution to the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER), the world’s largest scientific partnership aiming to demonstrate fusion as a viable and sustainable source of energy. The organisation is officially named European Joint Undertaking for ITER and the Development of Fusion Energy and was created under article 45 of the Treaty establishing the European Atomic Energy Community by the decision of the Council of the European Union on 27 March 2007 for a period of 35 years.[1]

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F4E recently released a report “Global investment in fusion private sector, 1st edition, Cutoff: 10 June 2025,” from the June 12, 2025 F4E press release,

The F4E Fusion Observatory has published its first-ever report, an analysis of global investment in the fusion private sector. Based on a collection of all available data, the analysis provides a picture of who is investing and where, showing rapid growth and significant geographical differences.

The figures reveal a sharp increase in investments in fusion start-ups in recent years. The total amount has grown from just over 1.5 billion EUR in 2020 to an estimated 9.9 billion EUR at present (June 2025), doubling in the last two years alone [emphasis mine]. The investment remains concentrated in the US, host of most private companies (38 out of 67), absorbing 60% of global funding. China comes second at 25%, with fewer projects (6) backed by large public funds [emphasis mine].

Meanwhile, Europe takes a smaller share of investment (5%) [emphasis mine], with Germany leading the continent at 460 M EUR million,  just above the UK, at 416 M EUR. Among the EU’s seven private companies, the largest sums are received by Marvel Fusion and Focused Energy. F4E can support these emerging players by leveraging on its experience in large projects and knowledge of the market. For this purpose, F4E has an ongoing call inviting EU-based private fusion initiatives to collaborate.

The analysis goes on to present the origin and profile of the investors. While US funding is largely led by venture capital firms or big tech, those in the EU show a more even distribution between public and private investors.

As for the kinds of fusion concepts, magnetic confinement takes the lion’s share of global investment, at €6,1 billion, predominantly for Tokamaks (doughnut-shaped devices, similar to ITER). However, in Europe, inertial confinement technologies are the most funded in the private sector.

By contrast, when considering the public funding used for the in-kind contributions to ITER, the geographic distribution is rebalanced. The €6.8 billion invested by F4E in the EU supply chain is larger than other regions due to the EU’s larger share of the ITER project. This contribution has shaped a strong European industry, capable of delivering complex technologies for fusion. That said, investment in the supply chain, while substantial, has a different impact than equity in a fast-scaling fusion company.

The findings of the report will be discussed at the F4E Roundtable, a key stakeholder forum hosted this week by F4E in Barcelona. With these data-based insights, the F4E Observatory aims to support the policy conversation and help steer it towards the future EU fusion strategy.

Download the report here

It seems that Canadian fusion efforts are not on the EU’s radar.

Wrapping up

To state the obvious, it’s an exciting and volatile time. In addition to this latest breakthrough at ITER, my April 11, 2025 posting “The nuclear fusion energy race” covers some of what were then the latest international technical breakthroughs along with some coverage of how President Donald Trump’s tariffs were creating uncertainty for investors and, also, Bob Smith’s, former CEO of Jeff Bezos’ spaceflight company Blue Origin, recent appointment as a strategic advisor for General Fusion.

I wish General Fusion good luck in finding new investors and, while it’s not a perfect energy solution, I wish all the researchers the best as they race to find ways to produce energy more sustainably.

One last comment, it’s easy to forget in a time when Russia is conducting a war with Ukraine and Israel is conducting an ever evolving action against Palestine, Iran, and more that cooperation amongst ‘enemies’ is possible. The list of ITER full members (United States, Russia, Europe, China, Japan, Korea, India, Note: There are other member categories) is a reminder that even countries that often work at cross purposes can work together.

Complex finger movements made possible with rolls of tendonlike human muscle tissue (a biohybrid hand)

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This February 12, 2025 news item on ScienceDaily describes work where lab-grown ‘living’ tissue is integrated with nonliving material,

A biohybrid hand which can move objects and do a scissor gesture has been built by a team at the University of Tokyo and Waseda University in Japan. The researchers used thin strings of lab-grown muscle tissue bundled into sushilike rolls to give the fingers enough strength to contract. These multiple muscle tissue actuators (MuMuTAs), created by the researchers, are a major development towards building larger biohybrid limbs. While currently limited to the lab environment, MuMuTAs have the potential to advance future biohybrid prosthetics, aid drug testing on muscle tissue and broaden the potential of biohybrid robotics to mimic real-life forms.

“Rock, paper, scissors” is a classic schoolyard game or quick-fire way to make decisions for the indecisive. But choose paper and you are going to lose to this robot hand, which has mastered the art of the scissor gesture. And while it might seem like a simple motion, in the realm of biohybrids and prosthetic limbs, this is a leap forward towards new levels of realism and usability.

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Rock, paper, scissors. The complex combination of movements required for this simple scissor gesture is a big step up from the capabilities of previous biohybrid robots. © X. Ren, Y. Morimoto and S. Takeuchi, 2025/ Science Robotics

A February 13, 2025 University of Tokyo press release (also on EurekAlert but published February 12, 2025) provides more detail about the work,

The hand is made of a 3D-printed plastic base, with tendons of human muscle tissue which move the fingers. Until now, biohybrid devices have typically been on a much smaller scale (about 1-centimeter long) or limited to simpler or single-joint movements. By contrast, the biohybrid hand is 18 cm in length and has multijointed fingers, which can be moved individually to make gestures or in combination to manipulate objects. 

“Our key achievement was developing the MuMuTAs. These are thin strands of muscle tissue grown in a culture medium and then rolled up into a bundle like a sushi roll to make each tendon,” explained Professor Shoji Takeuchi from the University of Tokyo. “Creating the MuMuTAs enabled us to overcome our biggest challenge, which was to ensure enough contractile force and length in the muscles to drive the hand’s large structure.”

Thick muscle tissue which is needed to move larger limbs is difficult to grow in the lab, as it suffers from necrosis. This is when insufficient nutrients reach the center of the muscle, resulting in tissue loss. However, by using multiple thin muscle tissues bundled together to act as one larger muscle, the team was able to create tendons with enough strength.

The MuMuTAs are stimulated using electrical currents, delivered through waterproof cables. To test the abilities of the hand, the team manipulated the fingers to form a scissor gesture by contracting the little finger, ring finger and thumb. They also used the fingers to grasp and move the tip of a pipette. This demonstrated the hand’s ability to mimic a range of actions, as the multijointed fingers can be flexed either separately or at the same time, an impressive feat.

Using real muscle tissue does however come with some downsides, as anyone who has been to the gym may know. “While not entirely surprising, it was interesting that the contractile force of the tissues decreased and showed signs of fatigue after 10 minutes of electrical stimulation, yet recovered within just one hour of rest. Observing such a recovery response, similar to that of living tissues, in engineered muscle tissues was a remarkable and fascinating outcome,” said Takeuchi. 

Currently the hand must be suspended in liquid so that the “anchors,” or ties, which connect the muscles to the hand can float without friction, allowing the fingers to move smoothly. However, the team believes that with further development, it will be possible to build a free-moving hand.

Another further challenge with the current design is that the fingers cannot be intentionally returned to their straight starting position but do so by floating into place. Adding an elastic material to snap them back into position, or more MuMuTAs on the back of the fingers which contract in the opposite direction, would enable more control over finger movement.

“A major goal of biohybrid robotics is to mimic biological systems, which necessitates scaling up their size.  Our development of the MuMuTAs is an important milestone for achieving this,” said Takeuchi. “The field of biohybrid robotics is still in its infancy, with many foundational challenges to overcome. Once these basic hurdles are addressed, this technology could be used in advanced prosthetics, and could also serve as a tool for understanding how muscle tissues function in biological systems, to test surgical procedures or drugs targeting muscle tissues.” 

Here’s a link to and a citation for the paper,

Biohybrid hand actuated by multiple human muscle tissues by Xinzhu Ren, Yuya Morimoto, and Shoji Takeuchi. Science Robotics 12 Feb 2025 Vol 10, Issue 99 DOI: 10.1126/scirobotics.adr5512

This paper is behind a paywall.

Apatite nanoparticles advance biocompatibility of implanted biodevices

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Should you ever need need or already have a joint (knee, hip, etc.) replacement, an implant (brain, pacemeker, etc.) or other biomedical device in your body, this work from Japan is likely to be of special interest.

Caption: Researchers from Nagaoka University of Technology, Japan develop highly biocompatible apatite nanoparticles by manipulating surface properties through pH changes. Credit: Motohiro Tagaya from Nagaoka University of Technology, Japan

Before moving onto the press release, bravo to whoever wrote it! Thank you for clear, thoughtful explanations. Here’s the January 30, 2025 Nagaoka University of Technology press release (also on EurekAlert but published on February 4, 2025), Note: A link has been removed,

Medical implants have transformed healthcare, offering innovative solutions with advanced materials and technologies. However, many biomedical devices face challenges like insufficient cell adhesion, leading to inflammatory responses after their implantation in the body. Apatite coatings, particularly hydroxyapatite (HA)—a naturally occurring form of apatite found in bones, have been shown to promote better integration with surrounding tissues. However, the biocompatibility of artificially synthesized apatite nanoparticles often falls short of expectations, primarily due to the nanoparticles’ limited ability to bind effectively with biological tissues.

To overcome this challenge, researchers at Nagaoka University of Technology, Japan have developed a method for synthesizing surface-modified apatite nanoparticles that results in improved cell adhesion, offering new possibilities for the next generation of biocompatible medical implants. Led by Dr. Motohiro Tagaya, Associate Professor at the Department of Materials Science and Bioengineering at Nagaoka University of Technology, Japan, this research aims to enhance the performance of apatite coatings and advance the field of biocompatible materials for medical devices. The findings of this study were published online in ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, on January 13, 2025, and in Volume 17, Issue 4 of the journal on January 29, 2025”. Along with Dr. Tagaya, Mr. Kazuto Sugimoto from Nagaoka University of Technology, Dr. Tania Guadalupe Peñaflor Galindo from Sophia University, and Mr. Ryota Akutsu from Nagaoka University of Technology were also a part of this research team.

Apatites are a class of calcium-phosphorus-based inorganic compounds, with hydroxyapatite—a naturally occurring form found in bones. These compounds are known for their high biocompatibility. Recent studies have foundthat coating artificial joints and implants with apatite nanoparticles is a plausible solution for improving the biocompatibility of these biodevices. However, the artificially synthesized nanoparticles often show reduced binding affinity to biological tissues in vitro. According to Dr. Tagaya and his team, this difference could be linked to the nanoscale surface layer of the apatite nanoparticles.

Dr. Tagaya’s research was driven by a desire to unravel the complexities of biocompatible materials, leading his team to develop an interdisciplinary framework that controls the intricate interactions between apatite and biological systems. “The properties of the nanoscale surface layer of apatite nanoparticles are crucial when considered for medical coatings,” adds Dr. Tagaya. Adding further, he says, “In this study, we successfully controlled the nanoscale surface layers of apatite nanoparticles, paving the way for advanced surface coating technologies for biodevices.”

The team synthesized hydroxyapatite nanoparticles by mixing aqueous solutions of calcium and phosphate ions. The pH of the solution was controlled using three different bases, which included tetramethylammonium hydroxide (TMAOH), sodium hydroxide (NaOH), and potassium hydroxide (KOH). The precipitated nanoparticles were then evaluated for their surface layer characteristics and were further used for coating via electrophoretic deposition.

The results revealed that pH was a key factor during synthesis, since it affected the crystalline phases, surface properties, and electrophoretic deposition. On analyzing the crystalline phases of the nanoparticles, it was observed that the choice of pH influenced the formation of different calcium phosphate phases like calcium-deficient hydroxyapatite (CDHA) and carbonate-containing hydroxyapatite (CHA). Higher pH favored the formation of CHA, leading to better crystallinity, and a higher calcium to phosphorus (Ca/P) molar ratio.

The surface of the apatite nanoparticles shows three different layers. The inner apatite layer/core is characterized by the presence of the crystalline structure of the apatite. Above the apatite layer is the non-apatitic layer, which is rich in ions like phosphate ions and carbonate ions. This layer reacts with water molecules and forms the hydration layer. Analyzing the surface characteristics of these layers revealed that pH adjustments facilitated the formation of the non-apatitic layer rich in reactive ions, enhancing hydration properties, which was confirmed.

Importantly, the study revealed that while higher pH facilitates the formation of the non-apatitic layer, the presence of Na+ ions reduces the concentration of phosphate ions, leading to decreased reactivity of the layer. The introduction of substantial ions by NaOH also affected the uniformity of electrophoretic deposition, as observed in scanning probe microscope studies. This effect was not observed with KOH, indicating that KOH was more suitable than NaOH for forming the non-apatitic layer and ensuring uniform coating.

Emphasizing the significance of the study, Dr. Tagaya says, “This study focuses on the critical interfacesbetween bioceramics and biological systems and could inspire designs of biocompatible surfaces with preferential cell adhesion.” These findings can be potentially useful for surface coating of a wide range of biodevices that are implanted in the human body, including artificial joints and implants.

Going ahead, the team intends to push the boundaries of nanobiomaterials, paving the way for groundbreaking innovations in medical materials and devices that could revolutionize healthcare and improve patient outcomes.

Here’s a link to and a citation for the paper,

Surface State Control of Apatite Nanoparticles by pH Adjusters for Highly Biocompatible Coatings by Kazuto Sugimoto, Ryota Akutsu, Shota Yamada, Tania Guadalupe Peñaflor Galindo, Motohiro Tagaya. ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces 2025, 17, 4, 7131–7141 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1021/acsami.4c18645 Published January 13, 2025 Copyright © 2025 American Chemical Society

This paper is behind a paywall.

Ancient 3D paper art (kirigami) and modern wireless technology

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The first nanokirigami (or nano-kirigami) story featured here was in a January 29, 2019 posting (Manipulating light at the nanoscale with kirigami-inspired technique). This latest story features a two-dimensional material and the kirigami technique, also, some researchers from the University of British Columbia (Canada).

An October 14, 2024 news item on ScienceDaily announces that the newly applied (ancient) technique could change wireless technology,

The future of wireless technology — from charging devices to boosting communication signals — relies on the antennas that transmit electromagnetic waves becoming increasingly versatile, durable and easy to manufacture. Researchers at Drexel University [Pennsylvania, US] and the University of British Columbia [UBC; Canada] believe kirigami, the ancient Japanese art of cutting and folding paper to create intricate three-dimensional designs, could provide a model for manufacturing the next generation of antennas.

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An October 14, 2024 Drexel University news release (also on EurekAlert), which originated the news item, provides more information (Note: Links have been removed),

Recently published in the journal Nature Communications, research from the Drexel-UBC team showed how kirigami — a variation of origami — can transform a single sheet of acetate coated with conductive MXene ink into a flexible 3D microwave antenna whose transmission frequency can be adjusted simply by pulling or squeezing to slightly shift its shape.

The proof of concept is significant, according to the researchers, because it represents a new way to quickly and cost-effectively manufacture an antenna by simply coating aqueous MXene ink onto a clear elastic polymer substrate material.

“For wireless technology to support advancements in fields like soft robotics and aerospace, antennas need to be designed for tunable performance and with ease of fabrication,” said Yury Gogotsi, PhD, Distinguished University and Bach Professor in Drexel’s College of Engineering, and a co-author of  the research. “Kirigami is a natural model for a manufacturing process, due to the simplicity with which complex 3D forms can be created from a single 2D piece of material.”

Standard microwave antennas can be reconfigured either electronically or by altering their physical shape. However, adding the necessary circuitry to control an antenna electronically can increase its complexity, making the antenna bulkier, more vulnerable to malfunction and more expensive to manufacture. By contrast, the process demonstrated in this joint work leverages physical shape change and can create antennas in a variety of intricate shapes and forms. These antennas are flexible, lightweight and durable, which are crucial factors for their survivability on movable robotics and aerospace components.

To create the test antennas, the researchers first coated a sheet of acetate with a special conductive ink, composed of a titanium carbide MXene, to create frequency-selective patterns. MXene ink is particularly useful in this application because its chemical composition allows it to adhere strongly to the substrate for a durable antenna and can be adjusted to reconfigure the transmission specifications of the antenna.

MXenes are a family of two-dimensional nanomaterials discovered by Drexel researchers in 2011 whose physical and electrochemical properties can be adjusted by slightly altering their chemical composition. MXenes have been widely used in the last decade for applications that require materials with precise physiochemical behavior, such as electromagnetic shielding, biofiltration and energy storage. They have also been explored for telecommunications applications for many years due to their efficiency in transmitting radio waves and their ability to be adjusted to selectively block and allow transmission of electromagnetic waves.

Using kirigami techniques, originally developed in Japan the 4th and 5th centuries A.D., the researchers made a series of parallel cuts in the MXene-coated surface. Pulling at the edges of the sheet triggered an array of square-shaped resonator antennas to spring from its two-dimensional surface. Varying the tension caused the angle of the array to shift — a capability that could be deployed to quickly adjust the communications configuration of the antennas. 

The researchers assembled two kirigami antenna arrays for testing. They also created a prototype of a co-planar resonator — a component used in sensors that naturally produces waves of a certain frequency — to showcase the versatility of the approach. In addition to communication applications, resonators and reconfigurable antennas could also be used for strain-sensing, according to the team.

“Frequency selective surfaces, like these antennas, are periodic structures that selectively transmit, reflect, or absorb electromagnetic waves at specific frequencies,” said Mohammad Zarifi, principal research chair, an associate professor at UBC, who helped  lead the research. “They have active and/or passive structures and are commonly used in applications such as antennas, radomes, and reflectors to control wave propagation direction in wireless communication at 5G and beyond platforms.”

The kirigami antennas proved effective at transmitting signals in three commonly used microwave frequency bands: 2-4 GHz, 4-8 GHz and 8-12 GHz. Additionally, the team found that shifting the geometry and direction of the substrate could redirect the waves from each resonator.

The frequency produced by the resonator shifted by 400 MHz as its shape was deformed under strain conditions – demonstrating that it could perform effectively as a strain sensor for monitoring the condition of infrastructure and buildings.

According to the team, these findings are the first step toward integrating the components on relevant structures and wireless devices. With kirigami’s myriad forms as their inspiration, the team will now seek to optimize the performance of the antennas by exploring new shapes, substrates and movements.

 “Our goal here was to simultaneously improve the adjustability of antenna performance as well as create a simple manufacturing process for new microwave components by incorporating a versatile MXene nanomaterial with kirigami-inspired designs,” said Omid Niksan, PhD, from [the] University of British Columbia, who was an author of the paper. “The next phase of this research will explore new materials and geometries for the antennas.”

Here’s a link to and a citation for the paper,

MXene-based kirigami designs: showcasing reconfigurable frequency selectivity in microwave regime by Omid Niksan, Lingyi Bi, Yury Gogotsi & Mohammad H. Zarifi. Nature Communications volume 15, Article number: 7793 (2024) DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-51853-1 Published: 06 September 2024

This paper is open access.

Corporate venture capital (CVC) and the nanotechnology market plus 2023’s top 10 countries’ nanotechnolgy patents

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I have two brief nanotechnology commercialization stories from the same publication.

Corporate venture capital (CVC) and the nano market

From a March 23, 2024 article on statnano.com, Note: Links have been removed,

Nanotechnology’s enormous potential across various sectors has long attracted the eye of investors, keen to capitalise on its commercial potency.

Yet the initial propulsion provided by traditional venture capital avenues was reined back when the reality of long development timelines, regulatory hurdles, and difficulty in translating scientific advances into commercially viable products became apparent.

While the initial flurry of activity declined in the early part of the 21st century, a new kid on the investing block has proved an enticing option beyond traditional funding methods.

Corporate venture capital has, over the last 10 years emerged as a key plank in turning ideas into commercial reality.

Simply put, corporate venture capital (CVC) has seen large corporations, recognising the strategic value of nanotechnology, establish their own VC arms to invest in promising start-ups.

The likes of Samsung, Johnson & Johnson and BASF have all sought to get an edge on their competition by sinking money into start-ups in nano and other technologies, which could deliver benefits to them in the long term.

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Unlike traditional VC firms, CVCs invest with a strategic lens, aligning their investments with their core business goals. For instance, BASF’s venture capital arm, BASF Venture Capital, focuses on nanomaterials with applications in coatings, chemicals, and construction.

It has an evergreen EUR 250 million fund available and will consider everything from seed to Series B investment opportunities.

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Samsung Ventures takes a similar approach, explaining: “Our major investment areas are in semiconductors, telecommunication, software, internet, bioengineering and the medical industry from start-ups to established companies that are about to be listed on the stock market.

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While historically concentrated in North America and Europe, CVC activity in nanotechnology is expanding to Asia, with China being a major player.

China has, perhaps not surprisingly, seen considerable growth over the last decade in nano and few will bet against it being the primary driver of innovation over the next 10 years.

As ever, the long development cycles of emerging nano breakthroughs can frequently deter some CVCs with shorter investment horizons.

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2023 Nanotechnology patent applications: which countries top the list?

A March 28, 2024 article from statnano.com provides interesting data concerning patent applications,

In 2023, a total of 18,526 nanotechnology patent applications were published at the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) and the European Patent Office (EPO). The United States accounted for approximately 40% of these nanotechnology patent publications, followed by China, South Korea, and Japan in the next positions.

According to a statistical analysis conducted by StatNano using data from the Orbit database, the USPTO published 84% of the 18,526 nanotechnology patent applications in 2023, which is more than five times the number published by the EPO. However, the EPO saw a nearly 17% increase in nanotechnology patent publications compared to the previous year, while the USPTO’s growth was around 4%.

Nanotechnology patents are defined based on the ISO/TS 18110 standard as those having at least one claim related to nanotechnology orpatents classified with an IPC classification code related to nanotechnology such as B82.

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From the March 28, 2024 article,

Top 10 Countries Based on Published Patent Applications in the Field of Nanotechnology in USPTO in 2023

Rank1CountryNumber of nanotechnology published patent applications in USPTONumber of nanotechnology published patent applications in EPOGrowth rate in USPTOGrowth rate in EPO
1United States6,9264923.20%17.40%
2South Korea1,71547613.40%8.40%
3China1,6275694.20%47.40%
4Taiwan1,118615.00%-12.90%
5Japan1,113445-1.20%9.30%
6Germany484229-10.20%15.70%
7England331505.10%16.30%
8France323145-8.00%17.90%
9Canada290125.10%-14.30%
10Saudi Arabia268322.40%0.00%
1- Ranking based on the number of nanotechnology patent applications at the USPTO

If you have a bit of time and interest, I suggest reading the March 28, 2024 article in its entirety.

Japan inaugurates world’s biggest experimental operating nuclear fusion reactor

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Andrew Paul’s December 4, 2023 article for Popular Science attempts to give readers a sense of the scale and this is one of those times when words are better than pictures, Note: Links have been removed,

Japan and the European Union have officially inaugurated testing at the world’s largest experimental nuclear fusion plant. Located roughly 85 miles north of Tokyo, the six-story, JT-60SA “tokamak” facility heats plasma to 200 million degrees Celsius (around 360 million Fahrenheit) within its circular, magnetically insulated reactor. Although JT-60SA first powered up during a test run back in October [2023], the partner governments’ December 1 announcement marks the official start of operations at the world’s biggest fusion center, reaffirming a “long-standing cooperation in the field of fusion energy.”

The tokamak—an acronym of the Russian-language designation of “toroidal chamber with magnetic coils”—has led researchers’ push towards achieving the “Holy Grail” of sustainable green energy production for decades. …

Speaking at the inauguration event, EU energy commissioner Kadri Simson referred to the JT-60SA as “the most advanced tokamak in the world,” representing “a milestone for fusion history.”

…

But even if such a revolutionary milestone is crossed, it likely won’t be at JT-60SA. Along with its still-in-construction sibling, the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) in Europe, the projects are intended solely to demonstrate scalable fusion’s feasibility. Current hopes estimate ITER’s operational start for sometime in 2025, although the undertaking has been fraught with financial, logistical, and construction issues since its groundbreaking back in 2011.

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See what I mean about a picture not really conveying the scale,

Until ITER turns on, Japan’s JT-60SA fusion reactor will be the largest in the world.National Institutes for Quantum Science and Technology

Dennis Normile’s October 31, 2023 article for Science magazine describes the facility’s (Japan’s JT-60SA fusion reactor) test run and future implications for the EU’s ITER project,

The long trek toward practical fusion energy passed a milestone last week when the world’s newest and largest fusion reactor fired up. Japan’s JT-60SA uses magnetic fields from superconducting coils to contain a blazingly hot cloud of ionized gas, or plasma, within a doughnut-shaped vacuum vessel, in hope of coaxing hydrogen nuclei to fuse and release energy. The four-story-high machine is designed to hold a plasma heated to 200 million degrees Celsius for about 100 seconds, far longer than previous large tokamaks.

Last week’s achievement “proves to the world that the machine fulfills its basic function,” says Sam Davis, a project manager at Fusion for Energy, an EU organization working with Japan’s National Institutes for Quantum Science and Technology (QST) on JT-60SA and related programs. It will take another 2 years before JT-60SA produces the long-lasting plasmas needed for meaningful physics experiments, says Hiroshi Shirai, leader of the project for QST.

JT-60SA will also help ITER, the mammoth international fusion reactor under construction in France that’s intended to demonstrate how fusion can generate more energy than goes into producing it. ITER will rely on technologies and operating know-how that JT-60SA will test.

Japan got to host JT-60SA and two other small fusion research facilities as a consolation prize for agreeing to let ITER go to France. …

As Normile notes, the ITER project has had a long and rocky road so far.

The Canadians

As it turns out, there’s a company in British Columbia, Canada that is also on the road to fusion energy. Not so imaginatively, it’s called General Fusion but it has a different approach to developing this ‘clean energy’. (See my October 28, 2022 posting, “Overview of fusion energy scene,” which includes information about the international scene and some of the approaches, including General Fusion’s, to developing the technology and my October 11, 2023 posting offers an update to the General Fusion situation.) Since my October 2023 posting, there have been a few developments at General Fusion.

This December 4, 2023 General Fusion news release celebrates a new infusion of cash from the Canadian government and take special note of the first item in the ‘Quick Facts’ of the advantage this technology offers,

Today [December 4, 2023], General Fusion announced that Canada’s Strategic Innovation Fund (SIF) has awarded CA$5 million to support research and development to advance the company’s Magnetized Target Fusion (MTF) demonstration at its Richmond headquarters. Called LM26, this ground-breaking machine will progress major technical milestones required to commercialize zero-carbon fusion power by the early to mid-2030s. The funds are an addition to the existing contribution agreement with SIF, to support the development of General Fusion’s transformational technology.

Fusion energy is the ultimate clean energy solution. It is what powers the sun and stars. It’s the process by which two light nuclei merge to form a heavier one, emitting a massive amount of energy. By 2100, the production and export of the Canadian industry’s fusion energy technology could provide up to $1.26 trillion in economic benefits to Canada. Additionally, fusion could completely offset 600 MT CO2-e emissions, the equivalent of over 160 coal-fired power plants for a single year. When commercialized, a single General Fusion power plant will be designed to provide zero-carbon power to approximately 150,000 Canadian homes, with the ability to be placed close to energy demand at a cost competitive with other energy sources such as coal and natural gas.1

Quotes:

“For more than 20 years, General Fusion has advanced its uniquely practical Magnetized Target Fusion technology and IP at its Canadian headquarters. LM26 will significantly de-risk our commercialization program and puts us on track to bring our game-changing, zero-emissions energy solution to Canada, and the world, in the next decade,” said Greg Twinney, CEO, General Fusion.

“Fusion technology has the potential to completely revolutionize the energy sector by giving us access to an affordable unlimited renewable power source. Since General Fusion is at the forefront of this technology, our decision to keep supporting the company will give us the tools we need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and reach our climate goals. Our government is proud to invest in this innovative project to drive the creation of hundreds of middle-class jobs and position Canada as a world leader in fusion energy technology,” said The Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry.

“British Columbia has a thriving innovation economy. In August, the B.C. Government announced CA$5 million in provincial support for General Fusion’s homegrown technology, and we’re pleased to see the Federal government has now provided funds to support General Fusion. These investments will help General Fusion as they continue to develop their core technology right here in B.C.,” said Brenda Bailey, B.C. Minister of Jobs, Economic Development and Innovation.

Quick Facts:

*Magnetized Target Fusion uniquely sidesteps challenges to commercialization that other technologies face. The game-changer is a proprietary liquid metal liner in the commercial fusion machine that is mechanically compressed by high-powered pistons. This enables fusion conditions to be created in short pulses rather than creating a sustained reaction. General Fusion’s design does not require large superconducting magnets or an expensive array of lasers.

*LM26 aims to achieve two of the most significant technical milestones required to commercialize fusion energy, targeting fusion conditions of over 100 million degrees Celsius by 2025, and progressing toward scientific breakeven equivalent by 2026.

*LM26’s plasmas will be approximately 50 per cent scale of a commercial fusion machine. It aims to achieve deuterium-tritium breakeven equivalent using deuterium fuel.

*The Canadian government is investing an additional CA$5 million for a total of CA$54.3 million to support the development of General Fusion’s energy technology through the Strategic Innovation Fund program.

*As a result of the government’s ongoing support, General Fusion has advanced its technology, building more than 24 plasma prototypes, filing over 170 patents, and conducting more than 200,000 experiments at its Canadian labs.

This January 11, 2024 General Fusion news release highlights some of the company’s latest research,

General Fusion has published new, peer-reviewed scientific results that validate the company has achieved the smooth, rapid, and symmetric compression of a liquid cavity that is key to the design of a commercial Magnetized Target Fusion power plant. The results, published in one of the foremost scientific journals in fusion, Fusion Engineering and Design [open access paper], validate the performance of General Fusion’s proprietary liquid compression technology for Magnetized Target Fusion and are scalable to a commercial machine.

General Fusion’s Magnetized Target Fusion technology uses mechanical compression of a plasma to achieve fusion conditions. High-speed drivers rapidly power a precisely shaped, symmetrical collapse of a liquid metal cavity that envelopes the plasma. In three years, General Fusion commissioned a prototype of its liquid compression system and completed over 1,000 shots, validating the compression technology. In addition, this scale model of General Fusion’s commercial compression system verified the company’s open-source computational fluid dynamics simulation. The paper confirms General Fusion’s concept for the compression system of a commercial machine.

“General Fusion has proven success scaling individual technologies, creating the pathway to integrate, deploy, and commercialize practical fusion energy,” said Greg Twinney, CEO, General Fusion. “The publication of these results demonstrates General Fusion has the science and engineering capabilities to progress the design of our proprietary liquid compression system to commercialization.”

General Fusion’s approach to compressing plasma to create fusion energy is unique. Its Magnetized Target Fusion technology is designed to address the barriers to commercialization that other fusion technologies still face. The game-changer is the proprietary liquid metal liner in the fusion vessel that is mechanically compressed by high-powered pistons. This allows General Fusion to create fusion conditions in short pulses, rather than creating a sustained reaction, while protecting the machine’s vessel, extracting heat, and re-breeding fuel.

Today [January 11, 2024] at its Canadian labs, General Fusion is building a ground-breaking Magnetized Target Fusion demonstration called Lawson Machine 26 (LM26). Designed to reach fusion conditions of over 100 million degrees Celsius by 2025 and progress towards scientific breakeven equivalent by 2026, LM26 fast-tracks General Fusion’s technical progress to provide commercial fusion energy to the grid by the early to mid-2030s.

Exciting times for us all and I wish good luck to all of the clean energy efforts wherever they are being pursued.

Memristive spintronic neurons

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A December 6, 2021 news item on Nanowerk on memristive spintronic neurons (Note: A link has been removed),

Researchers at Tohoku University and the University of Gothenburg have established a new spintronic technology for brain-inspired computing.

Their achievement was published in the journal Nature Materials (“Memristive control of mutual SHNO synchronization for neuromorphic computing”).

Sophisticated cognitive tasks, such as image and speech recognition, have seen recent breakthroughs thanks to deep learning. Even so, the human brain still executes these tasks without exerting much energy and with greater efficiency than any computer. The development of energy-efficient artificial neurons capable of emulating brain-inspired processes has therefore been a major research goal for decades.

…

A November 29, 2021 Tohoku University press release (also on EurekAlert but published November 30, 2021), which originated the news release, provides more technical detail,

Researchers demonstrated the first integration of a cognitive computing nano-element – the memristor – into another – a spintronic oscillator. Arrays of these memristor-controlled oscillators combine the non-volatile local storage of the memristor function with the microwave frequency computation of the nano-oscillator networks and can closely imitate the non-linear oscillatory neural networks of the human brain.

Resistance of the memristor changed with the voltage hysteresis applied to the top Ti/Cu electrode. Upon voltage application to the electrode, an electric field was applied at the high-resistance state, compared to electric current flows for the low-resistance state. The effects of electric field and current on the oscillator differed from each other, offering various controls of oscillation and synchronization properties.

Professor Johan Åkerman of the University of Gothenburg and leader of the study expressed his hopes for the future and the significance of the finding. “We are particularly interested in emerging quantum-inspired computing schemes, such as Ising Machines. The results also highlight the productive collaboration that we have established in neuromorphic spintronics between the University of Gothenburg and Tohoku University, something that is also part of the Sweden-Japan collaborative network MIRAI 2.0.”

“So far, artificial neurons and synapses have been developed separately in many fields; this work marks an important milestone: two functional elements have been combined into one,” said professor Shunsuke Fukami, who led the project on the Tohoku University side. Dr. Mohammad Zahedinejad of the University of Gothenburg and first author of the study adds, “Using the memristor-controlled spintronic oscillator arrays, we could tune the synaptic interactions between adjacent neurons and program them into mutually different and partially synchronized states.”

To put into practice their discovery, the researchers examined the operation of a test device comprising one oscillator and one memristor. The constricted region of W/CoFeB stack served as an oscillator, i.e., the neuron, whereas the MgO/AlOx/SiNx stack acted as a memristor, i.e., the synapse.

Resistance of the memristor changed with the voltage hysteresis applied to the top Ti/Cu electrode. Upon voltage application to the electrode, an electric field was applied at the high-resistance state, compared to electric current flows for the low-resistance state. The effects of electric field and current on the oscillator differed from each other, offering various controls of oscillation and synchronization properties.

Professor Johan Åkerman of the University of Gothenburg and leader of the study expressed his hopes for the future and the significance of the finding. “We are particularly interested in emerging quantum-inspired computing schemes, such as Ising Machines. The results also highlight the productive collaboration that we have established in neuromorphic spintronics between the University of Gothenburg and Tohoku University, something that is also part of the Sweden-Japan collaborative network MIRAI 2.0.” [sic]

Here’s a link to and a citation for the paper,

Memristive control of mutual spin Hall nano-oscillator synchronization for neuromorphic computing by Mohammad Zahedinejad, Himanshu Fulara, Roman Khymyn, Afshin Houshang, Mykola Dvornik, Shunsuke Fukami, Shun Kanai, Hideo Ohno & Johan Åkerman. Nature Materials (2021) DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41563-021-01153-6 Published 29 November 2021

This paper is behind a paywall.