Electronic chemicals
34 June 2009 Speciality Chemicals Magazine
www.specchemonline.com
energy-efficiency. According to one study by the US
Department of Energy, going over to SSL over the
course of 20 years would mean energy savings
equivalent to closing 250 power stations.
By making materials intrinsically light-emissive,
SSL frees architects from having to think about light
sources. PolyPhotonix is developing lighting devices
for architectural applications and some of these are
near to market. An example is in place at London's
Heathrow airport where an EL technology is used
and the light sources is mounted on glass to create
a memorable effect.
The technology can be printed onto any ITO-
sputtered substrate. Currently, flexible substrates do
not have the right barrier properties but PolyPhonix
CEO Richard Kirk is confident that this will come
and it will create the opportunity for flexible lighting
that is thousands of candelas bright.
"PETEC made embedding ourselves here very
attractive. We get access to the management teams
and it gives us credibility to raise finance," he says.
So far, about 3.5 million has been raised to invest
in the pilot line and PolyPhotonix will continue to
have access to the equipment at PETEC.
"This will help to accelerate the early development
of the company in terms of testing and prototyping, as
well as accessing the large kit that we need," adds Kirk.
The third target market is organic photovoltaics
(OPV), another area that is of big and growing inter-
ests to the speciality chemicals sector, with compa-
nies like DuPont and Evonik making major invest-
ments. OPV, Ogier says, is really SSL in reverse;
instead of putting electricity in and getting light out,
you put light in and electricity comes out. OPVs
offer low-cost power generation from light, thin
materials with very short payback times.
Dedicated OPV equipment will go into another
of the vacant areas at Sedgefield at some point after
the end of 2009. Once OPVs become market prod-
ucts, Ogier believes, PETEC could be well positioned
to make significant developments in device process-
ing, supported by scientists in the CPI's Advanced
Processing and Low Energy disciplines and its
NanoCentral spin-off.
In April, the CPI secured an extra 2.3 million in
investment from the EDRF to install advanced equip-
ment in the cleanroom. The so-called Large Area
Coating Equipment (LACE) project, which business
minister and former European Commissioner Peter
Mandelson officially opened, will aid further develop-
ment and prototyping in the two key areas of OPV
and SSL. CPI claimed that it would create 40 new
jobs, assist 20 specialist businesses and provide uni-
versity training courses in SSL and OPV.
The third vacant area at Sedgefield will be an
incubator for other SMEs who follow the example of
PolyPhotonix. A second company has been active
have since August 2008, making a new type of
semiconductor for energy management. Others are
using the PETEC's facilities to qualify new materials
for OEMs. Thus PETEC seeks to connect people
within a notoriously long and complex supply chain.
"Providing facilities that SMEs can access is part of
our remit," Ogier says. "We have equipment and
process experience available here for small compa-
nies to use on a paid-for basis rather than make their
own capital expenditure. Demonstration in new
technology areas is often prohibitively capital-inten-
sive. PETC can help to spread these costs among
many companies."
PETEC
Dr Simon Ogier
NETPark
Thomas Wright Way
Sedgefield
TS21 3FD
UK
Tel: +44 1642 442475
E-mail: simon.oger@uk-cpi.com
Website: www.ukpetec.com
PolyPhotonix
Richard Kirk
NETPark
Thomas Wright Way
Sedgefield
TS21 3FD
UK
Tel: +44 1740 625700
E-mail: richard.kirk@uk-cpi.com
Website: www.polyphotonix.com
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