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Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Tech Watch
UNH chemistry breakthrough could lead to 'chameleon' camo and rollup TVs
By Lynette F. Cornell, Special to Mass High Tech
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Joining the race for nanotechnology discoveries, a research team at the University of New Hampshire in Durham has created the first stable derivative of nonacene, a new compound derivative that could be the key to flexible screens, high-efficiency solar panels and chameleon military camouflage outfits.
The discovery came after UNH organic chemistry professor Glen Miller and his team spent a year trying to prepare a stabilized nonacene. Nonacene is part of a family of organic semiconductors called “acenes.” Its smaller cousin, pentacene, is already widely used in organic light-emitting diodes (OLED), which appear in devices such as television screens and cell phones. The more unstable, acene compounds have remained mostly unexplored.
Until this recent discovery, said Miller, attempts at isolating a nonacene derivative had failed because the derivative would oxidize within seconds of creation. When isolated, the compound reacts to both singlet and triplet forms of oxygen, rapidly shortening its lifespan. In a computation study of the compound, Miller and his team discovered how to synthesize a nonacene that would remain stable when exposed to oxygen while also being soluble, an attribute that enhances its usefulness.
The initial process was labor intensive while the researchers modified the compound, precisely adding additional atom collections to the backbone of the compound’s structure. The added atom groups protected the derivative from reacting with oxygen and further stabilized the compound by converting it into a closed shell structure. “In layman’s terms, it is a bit like building a large structure from small Legos,” said Miller.
Although the process was tedious, Miller said it could be scaled up to mass production, similar to what pharmaceutical companies do for drug compounds. For the creation of flexible organic electronic devices, he said, the compound would need to be applied to a material such as cloth or plastic, as a coating in a low-cost process that would be easy to implement in a manufacturing setting.
Clothing materials coated in this compound could be designed to display their surroundings. Military uniforms, tents and vehicle covers could blend in with their surroundings, creating a dynamic camouflage, for example. Nonacene also holds potential for creating flexible screens, such a computer monitors or television screens, which could be hung on a wall and then rolled up for storage when not in use.
Before consumers will see these screens, someone will need to pony up the money for the implementation of technology into marketable products.
John Bashaw, a partner specializing in nanotechnology at law firm Day Pitney LLP in New Haven, Conn., said he expects the financing for market applications would come from federal sources. “At the end of the day, all these things have to be funded,” Bashaw said.
The financing for UNH’s acene research came from the National Science Foundation. The obstacle now, said Bashaw, is that money is tight for the companies looking to produce these technologies.
William Rogers Jr., a partner at Day Pitney’s Boston office, said the UNH discovery is creating the fundamental building blocks, but more research would need to be done before products such as the chameleon uniforms become a reality. “It is going to take a lot of research and developmental technology to make a very durable material,” said Rogers.
“Although our work is an important ‘first,’ there are still a few hurdles to overcome before commercially viable devices can be made,” said Miller.
Lynette F. Cornell is a freelance writer in Manchester, NH.
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