Monday, April 7, 2008

Xtalic extols virtue of its metal nanocoating

By Efrain Viscarolasaga

Chrome may give metals a shiny coat, but it also emits poisonous gasses when applied. MIT researchers applied nanotechnology to the problem, and the result is a new kind of alloy coating process that not only can shine bumpers, but also can provide greater strength and durability to metals for other uses.

Xtalic Corp., founded in 2005 by MIT researchers Christopher Schuh and CTO Alan Lund, has developed a new way to shrink metal crystals to make safer and stronger alloy coatings. To help build the business, the company and its investors have hired a new CEO: Tom Clay, formerly CEO of another MIT spinout, Z Corp. in Burlington, which makes 3-D printing and scanning technologies. Xtalic has also recently moved from Bedford to Marlborough, increasing the firm's lab and office space by a factor of 10, Clay said.

The momentum driving Xtalic is being financed by a $5.7 million Series A round of funding from Waltham-based Matrix Partners and North Bridge Venture Partners, which the 13-person company closed on last summer.

Executives would not disclose the names of its customers, but said the product is in trials with a handful of "multibillion-dollar companies," and Xtalic hopes to have its first products hit the market late this year.

Xtalic isn't the only local company developing metallic nanostructures. Providence, R.I., is home to both The NanoSteel Co. and Solaris Nanosciences Corp., which are working with steel and gold, respectively. In Wakefield, Agion Technologies Inc. uses silver to make an array of anti-bacterial coatings.

Xtalic's coating is essentially a replacement for chrome, both in aesthetic and function. Xtalic's process uses new methods of electroplating to control atomic elements such as nickel and tungsten to "grow" alloy crystals on a nanoscale level (one billionth of a meter).

In decorative applications, the material provides an alternative to hexavalent chromium, traditionally used to make chrome coatings on products such as car bumpers or tailpipes. While an industry standard, hexavalent chromium is recognized as a carcinogen and manufacturers using the compound must take considerable safety measures to protect workers.

In addition, for practical applications, the nanoparticle formation of the crystals adds increased strength, durability and corrosion resistance, opening applications where metal meets metal, such as in ball bearings, the company says.

Xtalic's first alloy is a combination of nickel and tungsten, but Clay said the process is applicable to other metals -- a platform technology, he said.

While nanotech has been a buzzword for the past couple of years, Stan Reiss, a general partner at investor Matrix Partners, said the breadth of possible applications is what drew the firm to Xtalic, rather than its pure research.

"Unfortunately, a lot of nanotechnologies out there can be 'nano' for materials' sake, but not necessarily for practical applications," said Reiss.