Israeli carbon nanotube startup emerges from stealth
Nemo Nanomaterials in Petah Tikva, Israel, has emerged from stealth mode with a carbon nanotube nanomaterial that can be added to plastic to provide conductivity.
The startup, founded in 2018, is already working with 10 large companies, and has started manufacturing tonnes of its products following commercial orders from customers.
The single walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNT) are 2nm in diameter and over 5microns long and can be added to plastics to provide conductivity for EMI shielding with an additive of just 0.01 to 0.1 percent, a small fraction of other carbon additive materials.
However, introducing bulk SWCNT into liquids, polymer melts or any other material usually results in non-uniform bulk as the nanomaterials have high surface area and tend to agglomerate. So Nemo developed a proprietary mixing and dispersing technology that enables the SWCNT nanoparticles and other high-end nanomaterials to be incorporated in plastics with a high level of homogeneity and without damaging the nanoparticles.
The difference in particles dimensions of various fillers affects the amount of each filler required in order to reach the same level of improvement. To reach volume resistivity of 104 Ω ·cm in Polyamide 6 (PA6), the final content of SWCNT while using Nemo masterbatch is only 0.2% percent. For the same value (104 Ω ·cm) the final active ingredient content of a multi-wall CNT is 2 percent, 10 times higher.
Secondary processes were developed to provide the nanoparticles in a preferred delivery form, whether liquid or solid, to be used in existing manufacturing lines. Different NemoBlend formulations are adjusted to deagglomerate, separate and stabilize nanomaterials and targeted to be compatible with different polymers, such as thermoplastics or thermoset materials.
The company has raised $7m in pre-seed and seed funding so far, with the bulk of which has come from the Cyprus-based GEM Capital. Beyond the automotive sector, Nemo Nanomaterials technology can be applied to electronics, textile, construction, telecom, energy, the aviation and aerospace sectors.
“To our knowledge, there is no existing technology that managed to reach optimal, stable & repeatable dispersion of SWCNT on industrial scale,” says the company. “Currently there are no SWCNT-based (or graphene-based) products available commercially for the relevant markets.”
“High-end carbon nanomaterials are known to mankind for decades. They recently were made available on a commercial scale. Many companies have made lots of promises in regard to making real industrial products out of them, but Nemo is unique in making them a reality,” said Jonathan Antebi, Co-founder and VP Business Development at Nemo Nanomaterials. “Nemo’s technology enables a revolution in nano-carbons. It solves many wide and acute industry challenges across a myriad of specifications while delivering ready-to-use additives that can be used by the industry utilizing existing machinery and procedures. Nemo Nanomaterials is going to provide materials that are required for the future of manufacturing,”
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