May 2 2013
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Oklahoma, situated in the South Central region, spans a total area of 181,195 km2. The state had a population of 3,814,820 as of 2012.
Oklahoma has one of the fastest-growing economies in the United States with Tulsa and Oklahoma City being the major economic centers in the state. The GDP of the state rose from $131.9 billion in 2006 to $154.97 billion in 2011. Manufacturing and mining are the key contributors to the local economy, with sectors such as aviation, and oil and natural gas being very crucial. Other core economically significant industries in Oklahoma include energy, electronics, telecommunications, and food processing.
Oklahoma is said to be a business-friendly state in the U.S. and is home to six Fortune 1000 companies and four Fortune 500 companies.
Nanotechnology Organizations
A short introduction to the important nanotechnology-related organizations in Oklahoma is provided below.
Oklahoma Nano Technology Initiative
It aims to create awareness of the quickly growing nanotechnology industry in Oklahoma and also works as an informational hub for business, academic, financial, and industrial fields.
Oklahoma Center for the Advancement of Science and Technology
The center provides the Oklahoma Nanotechnology Applications Project (ONAP) to companies keen on updating their present products, or creating new products by incorporating nanotechnology. Through this project, the center hopes to apply nanotechnology to all its research undertakings.
Nanotechnology Companies
A brief introduction to the key nanotechnology-related company in Oklahoma is given below:
SouthWest NanoTechnologies Inc. (SWeNT)
The company creates carbon nanotubes using the patented CoMoCAT® catalytic technique in fluidized bed reactors. This leads to selective synthesis of single-wall carbon nanotubes and extraordinary control of chirality, diameter, and purity.
SWeNT was set up in April 2001 to market nanotube technology created by Professor Daniel Resasco at the University of Oklahoma. The CoMoCAT® brand is popularly known for quality and scalability.
SWeNT’s mission is to be the top manufacturer of high-quality single-wall carbon nanotubes and to be an innovative partner in the continued development and application of carbon nanotubes.
Nanotechnology Research and Education
Some of the top academic institutions in Oklahoma offering courses and research programs in nanotechnology and nanoscience are mentioned below.
Center for Semiconductor Physics in Nanostructures
The center focuses on:
- Exploring the individual and collective dynamics of these structures
- Creating ways to develop and examine structures on the nanometer scale
- Examining the many applications of these structures in next generation electronic, optical, and chemical systems
Oklahoma State University
It provides a program on Nanoscientific Instrumentation that aims to give students comprehensive knowledge regarding the fundamentals of nanotechnology, characterization of nanostructures, nanofabrication, nanoscale systems and devices, and nanomaterials.
Recent Developments
Scientists from the University of Oklahoma and North Carolina State University have discovered a new method to accelerate the synthesizing process for transition metal oxide nanostructures. They invented a method for developing 3D and 1D TMOs that have efficient electronic and mechanical characteristics.
In the new method, enormous quantities of transition materials are exposed to parts of an extremely hot oxygen-enriched flame. This exposure results in the synthesis of nanorods, transition metal-oxide nanostructures, platelets, hollow channels, and hybrid nanowires.
Oklahoma scientists were also awarded a patent for unique polymerization catalysts for olefins based on nano-linked heterodinuclear metallocene compounds. This patent was given to Chevron Phillips Chemical Company. In the meantime, the University of Oklahoma was awarded a patent for anionic lipids and lipid nanostructures and techniques for their production.
While SWeNT is quite busy in the nanotechnology arena, and regardless of the fact that there is some promising nanotechnology research happening in Oklahoma, it is improbable that this state will become a big player in the field. However, they could become a target market with mining and aviation being areas that could gain from nanotech innovations.