Alan Rae - VP of Market & Business Development, NanoDynamics, USA

Nanoparticles: it's not what they ARE, it's what they DO

Many companies take pride in the fact that they can produce many types of nanoparticles.  Unfortunately most potential customers for nanomaterials don't have the resources or inclination to develop new applications.  Yes there are advantages in functionality or processability and even cost reduction, but the onus falls on the materials manufacturer to spot the potential winners and develop a solution for customers that requires the minimum amount of development work on their part.  A golden rule that drives this alternate approach is that the infrastructure rules - customers don't want to alter their well-tuned processes.

NanoDynamics Inc. has taken the second road, developing nanomaterials which address known market needs and then modifying them to meet these needs directly.  Metal powders such as silver pre-dispersed for easy use in inks and adhesives, copper flakes coated in silver to increase performance and reduce costs over silver flakes in adhesives and sealants;  boron nitride with a nm thick layer of alumina to increase its processability in thermal conductors; controlled release structures for use in biocides and agriculture and novel gel casting processes to create new highly efficient fuel cell structures.

This presentation will outline the approach and give a number of practical examples and success stories using this approach.

Dr. Alan Rae has been VP of Market & Business Development with NanoDynamics Inc. since 2004 and has many years of experience in technology commercialization and international business. While with Cookson Group plc he was instrumental in ensuring the success of startup and developed businesses including structural ceramics, flame retardants, refractories, electronic ceramics and wafer plating systems. From 1999 to 2004 he was VP of Technology for Cookson Electronics, deeply involved in developing business opportunities for materials systems and equipment in silicon wafer fabrication, packaging, circuit board manufacture, circuit board assembly and recycling as well as managing the transition to lead-free and compatible systems in laminates, packaging, surface finishes and solders. He is Director of Research for iNEMI Inc. (the International Electronics Manufacturing Initiative), a member of the Industrial Advisory Board of SMTA (the Surface Mount Technology Association), a member of the ANSI-ISO TC229 Nanotechnologies Committee and the IEEE Nanotechnology Standards Roadmapping initiative. He is a past chair of the JISSO North America Committee and past secretary of the PDMA Foundation. Dr. Rae holds a Bachelor's Degree from the University of Aberdeen and a Ph.D. and M.B.A. from the University of Newcastle upon Tyne.

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