To capitalize on the growing interest in cadmium-free quantum dot (CFQD) technology within the lighting industry, Nanoco Group announced the formation of a new division dedicated to furthering CFQD® Quantum Dot technology in the lighting industry. The new division is part of the company’s business expansion strategy to accelerate commercialization and further development in its four key target markets – electronic display, LED lighting, biological imaging and solar power. Nanoco’s Torsten Schanze will lead the division as its General Manager.
“We are focused on advancing the commercialization of our technology in key markets and the formation of a distinct business division for the lighting industry allows us to do just that. It positions the company to both drive new innovation and deliver - with our customers - novel lighting products,” said Michael Edelman, CEO, Nanoco. “This is an important step in the company’s evolution, one that demonstrates the role of CFQD® Quantum Dots as a true platform technology and furthers our ambition to be a leading global materials science business.”
The applications for CFQD® Quantum Dot technology are numerous in the lighting industry and include:
Retail and Specialty: Nanoco’s CFQD® Quantum Dot technology is designed to provide outstanding color performance without sacrificing efficiency. Applications where color quality is an absolute must include high-end retail store lighting where consumers can determine precise colors of clothing and high-value goods, surgical lights that enable accurate diagnosis and fluid operations, supermarkets to showcase the freshness and quality of meat and produce, and in professional photography and video solutions where maintaining true-to-life color representations maximizes user experience and value.
Agricultural Applications: LEDs provide many benefits to the grow-light and horticultural lighting industry because, unlike traditional lighting fixtures, they can be customized to encourage chlorophyll absorption and promote healthy growing, consume far less energy, and cast less heat making it easier to control growing environments. Quantum dots expand upon these benefits and allow for additional, precise tuning to further enhance chlorophyll absorption peaks and ensure healthier, higher-yielding plants.
Architectural Applications (Home and Office): Quantum dots open up additional potential for LED lighting – LED’s currently lack the quality of light while targeting the same warmth and color performance of an incandescent bulb – quantum dot’s have the capacity to appeal to a new set of buyers who want the efficiency, quality and economy of the LED, as well as the “effect” of natural light. To date, the use of quantum dots in lighting was hindered by the fact that the technology contained cadmium, a highly-regulated and toxic heavy metal. Nanoco’s technology, made without cadmium or any heavy metal, offers a sustainable solution.
Nanoco has already made significant strides bringing CFQD® Quantum Dots to market. In March, the company announced a partnership with Marl International, a pioneer of the LED lighting industry. Together, the two companies have introduced the world’s first CFQD® Quantum Dot technology lighting product, a high-efficiency LED light with outstanding color performance that meets a new set of technical and commercial demands without compromising product safety.
In tandem with the new division, Nanoco also introduced Deep-Red CFQD® Quantum Dot Film, a new product designed for use in plant growth applications. The film can be easily incorporated into various LED lighting formats to assist in the propagation and vegetative stage of plant growth, as well as for supplemental lighting in green houses to stimulate greater chlorophyll absorption – important for crops such as basil and lettuce – by working with nature to increase yields and quality. The first production units of the Deep-Red CFQD® Quantum Dot Film will be available by September 2015 and volume production will start within Q4 2015.
