XG Sciences, a Michigan State University spinout that makes graphene nanoplatelets that can be used as additives in a number of products to give them special properties, received $1 million today in a deal with Korean conglomerate Hanwha Group. XG’s technology involves a fast and inexpensive process of separating layers of graphene into nanometer-size stacks. When tailored with special surface chemistry, the graphene can give polymers improved strength or increased electrical and thermal conductivity. Initial funding for XG came from MSU and the Michigan Economic Development Corporation’s 21st Century Jobs Fund. Hanwha produces chemicals, munitions, plastics, and similar materials for aerospace, automotive and consumer goods industries.
Author: Howard Lovy
Howard Lovy is a veteran journalist who has focused primarily on technology, science and innovation during the past decade.
In 2001, he helped launch Small Times Magazine, a nanotech publication based in Ann Arbor, MI, where he built the freelance team and worked closely with writers to set the tone and style for an emerging sector that had never before been covered from a business perspective. Lovy's work at Small Times, and on one of the first nanotechnology-themed blogs, helped him earn a reputation for making complex subjects understandable, interesting, and even entertaining for a broad audience. It also earned him the 2004 Prize in Communication from the Foresight Institute, a nanotech think tank.
In his freelance work, Lovy covers nanotechnology in addition to technological innovation in Michigan with an emphasis on efforts to survive and retool in the state's post-automotive age. Lovy's work has appeared in many publications, including Wired News, Salon.com, the Wall Street Journal, The Detroit News, The Scientist, the Forbes/Wolfe Nanotech Report, Michigan Messenger, and the Ann Arbor Chronicle.
View all posts by Howard Lovy