May 11 2008 / by juldrich
Category: Business & Work Year: General Rating: 9 Hot
By Jack Uldrich
Cross-posted from www.jumpthecurve.net
There is an informative article in Technology Review on
the topic of advance materials. To many, the subject
undoubtedly sounds boring but I’d like to suggest otherwise and
express the opionion that unless you keep with advances in the
field you could soon find yourself out of business. 
Without going into great detail, the gist of the article is that
due to near exponential advances in scientists’ ability to program
the self-assembly of nanoparticles, researchers are now poised to
assemble new materials with novel optical, electronic and magnetic
properties. More importantly, as savvy businesspeople begin to
figure out how to exploit these properties they could soon be
developing some very cool – as well as very efficient and effective
– new products.
For example, I have written before about solar power’s potential. Due to
advances in self-assembly, however, it is quite possible that
photovoltaics could soon capture a broader range of the solar
spectrum. And this, in turn, could mean that new solar cells will
be efficient enough to work even in cloudy environments.
(cont.)
Another example is occurring in the field of fuel cell
technology. This recent article discussing the possibility of cheap hydrogen is a perfect case-in-point.
Researchers have now shown that by tweaking the atomic structure of
titania they can more efficiently produce hydrogen. If hydrogen
becomes easier and cheaper to produce this means that not only
might fuel cell vehicles arrive sooner than expected, it is also
possible that hydrogen can be used as a means to store solar energy
(which would be generated during the day) and then used (in the
form of hydrogen) in the evening.
Scores of other opportunities also await. I have written before
about how new materials are already effecting both the
semiconductor industry and the oil and gas industry; and new
materials will also transform the building and manufacturing
industries.
The bottom-line is this: If your business has anything to do
with materials – and this is most businesses – it would behoove you
to begin paying attention to the advances in the world of material
science and nanotechnology.
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