Particular, a nanotech start-up from Hannover (Germany), crushes material down to the nano-scale using a laser ablation process. On November 1, Particular will publish their “universal“ nanoparticle catalogue: for the first time, a nanotechnology company offers any solid matter in the form of dispersed nanoparticles.
The introductory catalogue contains list prices of relevant metals for nanotechnology applications (e.g. gold, platinum). Special feature: customers can send their own materials (simple metals, ceramics, alloys) as foils, blocks or powders. Particular crushes these down to nanoparticles using laser pulses as a “laser mill“. Safely dispersed in a liquid, the product is shipped back to the customer.
Nanoparticles have been applied for a long time to make products more viscous, antibacterial, conductible or scratch-resistant – generally: more effective in various ways. Now, Particular's universal method makes it much easier to take advantage of nanotechnology, especially in high-tech.
Particular started their business in July 2010. The start-up emerged as a spin-off company from Laser Zentrum Hannover e. V. and is the first company to employ laser ablation in liquids for the production of nanoparticles. The liquid dispersion media ensure high quality and good and secure processability.
According to Niko Bärsch, CEO of Particular, the company produces highly pure particles that have an average size around 50 nm and concentrations of up to 1 g/l that meet the high requirements of applications in medicine, biotechnology or energy conversion. But the generated nanoparticles can be even smaller: according to the catalogue, platinum or palladium at about 10 nm are available for less than 15 EUR per milliliter.