News Article
Tetrapod quantum dots in mass production
Researchers and manufacturers can now incorporate tetrapod cadmium selenide quantum dots into new state-of-the-art electronics products that require industrial scale amounts of material.
Quantum Materials Corporation (QMC) and the Access2Flow consortium of the Netherlands have jointly developed a new microreactor and software controlled continuous flow process which can mass produce quantum dots.
Access2Flow's microreactors manufacture tetrapod quantum dots. Being able to supply large scale quantities with superior characteristics is a 'disruptive game changer', enabling quantum dot projects ready for commercialisation to be brought to fruition today.
While QMC expects CdSe tetrapods to be its flagship product, the firm says its latest technologies are capable of producing a range of other inorganic hybrid tetrapods and other shapes for specific purposes in niche industries and to third party developers of quantum dot products.
The new quantum dot production process replaces batch synthesis and QMC says it has potential for high improvement in both yield and conversion. Tetrapod quantum dots are used in a variety of emerging applications including solid state lighting, QLED displays, nanobio applications and for QMC's subsidiary, Solterra Renewable Technologies' solar cells and solar panels. They are claimed to have superior performance characteristics and surpass spherical nanoparticles.
Tetrapod Quantum Dot
The inherent design of the microreactor allows for commercial-scale 0 parallel modules to achieve large production rates in a regulated, optimised system. This production process is claimed to enable both the low cost, high volume production of quantum dots, and also provides flexibility in the choice of materials used to produce the quantum dots including heavy metal free (cadmium free) quantum dots and other biologically inert materials.
Quantum dots have been widely recognised for their potential in next generation display technologies, solar cells, LEDs, OLEDs, computer memory, printed electronics and a vast array of security, biomedical and energy storage applications.
According to research group BCC Research, the 2010 global market for quantum dots was estimated at $67 million in revenues, and is projected to grow quickly over the next 5 years at greater than 50% per year reaching almost $670 million by 2015.
QMC is now trying to encourage manufacturers to test the advantages of quantum dots over conventional solutions; the firm says its new technologies offer higher performance benchmarks across a number of industries and product applications.
In the past, improving the quality and uniformity of quantum dots has been an expensive process and hampered progress in the field. According to QMC, the current average cost of quantum dots is between $2500 and $6000/gram.
QMC says its new technology removes the roadblock from widespread adoption of the quantum dot as a basic building block of technology and services much like the silicon chip that has ubiquitously advanced corporate function and consumer lifestyles worldwide.
"Our goal from the onset has been to achieve a production rate of 100kg per day with a 95% or greater yield," said Stephen Squires, Founder and CEO of Quantum Materials Corporation. He added that "with this breakthrough QMC has coupled two disruptive technologies resulting in the potential to now achieve that goal."
QMC's Chief Technical Officer, Bob Glass concluded, "Besides the scalability indicated, in my opinion, the truly remarkable accomplishment in this breakthrough is its adaptability to other inorganic metals and elements, including cadmium-free quantum dots."
