Nano & Cleantech Blog : Nanotechnology Lawyers & Attorneys : Foley & Lardner Law Firm : Clean Technology, Green Energy

We wanted to review a case which we can call the case of the "self-serving" NDA.  Let me explain:

One critical application of nanotechnology is in sensing, whether used for medical diagnostics or cleantech. For example, the NNI has recently produced a fifty page report on nanotech sensing at www.nano.gov (“Report of the National Nanotechnology Initiative Workshop, May 5-7, 2009”). When a sector of nanotechnology, such as sensing, becomes the subject of patent and/or trade secret litigation, this signals that the market for the technology has arrived. 

One recent IP litigation has been focused on commercial products for nanotech sensing for glucose monitoring, and an important decision was just rendered. In reading these developments, lessons can be learned with respect to non-disclosure agreements, patent filings, and joint development. Many companies, of course, need to pursue joint development strategies in the real world, and the risks associated with joint development must be managed wisely. 

To Read More about the Case of the Self-Serving NDA:

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Scientists have been looking for a better battery technology for years, be it a better material or a more efficient energy delivery.  It seems a team at MIT might have found an answer.

A recent CNN article reports that a team of scientists at MIT discovered a microscopic energy source based on carbon nanotubes.  The team, led by MIT professor Dr. Strano, reported that energy can be generated from these nanotubes, whose size allows a much smaller battery to be made but with the same energy output.  A battery made of these tiny tubes have another advantage over the conventional battery - they are non-toxic!

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Since the accidental discovery of metal-like doped polyacetylene in the 1970s, polymer battery research has been driven by the potential of low-cost and environmentally friendly power alternatives to lead-acid batteries. More recent discoveries of new conductive organic materials with higher power densities have also accelerated the the development of flexible "plastic" batteries. 

When it comes to batteries of the future, Professor Yi Cui of Stanford University may soon have us asking, "Paper or Plastic?"

Cui's research group has recently demonstrated a highly conductive storage device formed by coating a sheet of commercially available paper with ink made of carbon nanotubes and silver nanowires.  Like ink absorbs into paper, the nanotube ink is similarly absorbed due to the small diameters of the solution processible nanomaterials.

With the potential of lasting through 40,000 charge-discharge cycles, these paper batteries may also offer a much longer lifetime than lithium batteries. 

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New progress has been made in the development of carbon nanotube assembly structure. As reported by Katherine Bourzac in her The Technology Review article entitled, Making Carbon Nanotubes into Long Fibers, a team at Rice University has developed a way to arrange carbon nanotubes into large structures, including fibers hundreds of meters long, by dissolving them in a "superacid."

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Carbon nanotubes are a promising material for making display control circuits because they're more efficient than silicon and can be arrayed on flexible surfaces. Until recently, though, making nanotubes into transistors has been a painstaking process. As The Technology Review recently pointed out, researchers at the University of Southern California have now demonstrated large, functional arrays of transistors made using simple methods from batches of carbon nanotubes that are relatively impure. 

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In 1987, Eastman Kodak researchers Dr. Ching W. Tang and Steven VanSlyke opened the gates to a flurry of innovations related to organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs). More than 20 years later, Kodak announced today that it will sell substantially all the assets associated with its OLED business to a group of LG companies. 

With Tang and VanSlyke's novel two-layer structure (with separate hole and electron transporting layers) as a starting point, researchers have steadily continued to make patentable advancements in this relatively new field. From new device architectures incopororating nanoscaled charge carrier transport promoters, to new and stable organic semiconductors capable of emitting and absorbing at various wavelengths, OLED technology has been incorporated into solid-state lighting products and displays applications such as screens for mobile phones, digital cameras, and televisions. The technology has also spurred innovations related to flexible electronics, flexible displays, and even contributed to knowledge for photovoltaics applications. 

In addition to selling their OLED business, Kodak has entered into a technology cross-license agreement with LG, bringing an end to patent litigation related to their imaging technologies, and a push to end the U.S. International Trade Commission's investigations following complaints by both companies.

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Graphene has become a new darling in the electronic application. As also noted by ScienceDaily, a team in the Kansas State University has developed 24-carat gold "snowflakes" to improve graphene's electrical properties. 

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Continuing what seems to be the theme of this week's post, we would like to share with the readers another development in the novel battery front.  The recent issue of the Technology Review reports that Dr. D. Sadoway of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology has reported a battery with both the electrodes and electrolyte in the form of molten metal.  This battery might be the solution to a problem the current solar cells are encountering -- there is no good way to store the energy in the solar cell harnessed from the sun, resulting the solar cell being almost useless at night.

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