Jun 14 2013
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Vermont is a state situated in the New England region of the United States. It spans a total area of 24,923 km2, and had a population of 626,011 as of 2012.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis report, the state’s GDP was $25.9 billion in 2011. Some of the key (non-government) contributors to the economy of Vermont are healthcare and manufacturing. The local economy is full of diverse innovation, and serviced by a world-class workforce. They are a leading producer of composite materials and creator of green jobs.
Vermont is dedicated to encouraging the entrepreneurial spirit. Several smaller biotech, environmental engineering, bioscience, and high-tech companies are drawn to Vermont by their lively venture capital network and available funding for startups. Vermont is ranked 8th in entrepreneurial-ism as of 2011.
Nanotechnology Companies
Given below is a short description of the leading nanotechnology company in Vermont.
Seldon Technologies
Its mission is to explore, develop, refine, and apply the unique material properties of carbon nanotubes (CNTs): large surface area, immense strength, lightweight, rapid heat transport, and high electrical conductivity.
Seldon Technologies solves customer (end-user) problems in fluid filtration, purification, and separation using Nanomesh™ breakthrough and patented CNT composite technology. Nanomesh turns contaminated water into purified drinking water. The company has designed a product series using this technology that combines ease of use with safety and reliability.
Nanotechnology Research and Education
The academic institution offering courses and research programs in nanotechnology and nanoscience in Vermont is mentioned below:
University of Vermont
The university has about 500 teaching and research laboratories. Research openings in the field of nanotechnology are also offered. To ensure their labs are safe while using dangerous materials such as nanomaterials, the Environmental Safety office partners with UVM’s laboratory workers to encourage safe and healthy use of these materials. They achieve this by providing safety training, emergency response, chemical waste disposal, and laboratory oversight services.
Recent Developments
A scientist from the University of Vermont has revealed the properties of ultrathin gold nanowires. These materials have failure strengths of 3.12 GPa, very close to the ideal limit predicted theoretically and 50 times that of bulk gold used in analogous applications. This discovery is crucial to applications such as electronics, medicine, and nanowires used in solar cells and foldable touchscreens.
However, regardless of the latest developments in Vermont, nanotechnology-related activity seems to be very low and the state may be far from being a major player in the field.