The contract is to develop a consistent system for the separation of single-walled carbon nanotubes based on their electrical properties. The work will develop the processes to a stage where the client can license and further commercialise the technology.

BNC said it won the contract on the basis of intellectual property developed at its partner institutions of Imperial College and the London Centre for Nanotechnology.

“Given our traditional focus on the pharmaceutical, medical and bio-tech industries, we are delighted to have signed our second contract looking at advancing electronic technologies.” said David Sarphie, CEO of BNC.

The separation of single-walled nanotubes with well-defined chirality is a key objective of nanotube science, and the development of better manufacturing and process techniques is vital to the future of carbon nanotechnology.

Possible applications for metallic nantubes are indium tin oxide replacement, electromagnetic interference shielding, electrodes, field emission devices and transmission cables. Meanwhile, semiconducting nanotubes could be used in applications such as nanoelectronics, sensors, non-linear optical devices, active components in photovoltaics, organic electronics, printed electronics and thin film transistors.