Cheshire-based, LSE-listed Nanoco Group plc, a world leader in the development and manufacture of cadmium-free quantum dots and other specific nanomaterials emanating from its technology platform, has been awarded a new grant from Innovate UK for the development of a semiconductor quantum dot ink for one-step coating of image sensors.
The six month project will build on Nanoco’s core quantum dot materials and will pursue the development of an ink which will enable single step deposition of lead sulphide (“PbS”) nanomaterials, improving processing efficiency.
The project is forecast to cost £0.1m, of which 70% funded by Innovate UK.
READ MORE: be.EV promises public EV charging “cheaper than petrol or diesel”
Dmitry Shashkov, Nanoco’s CEO, said: “A one step ink formulation will enable our customers to apply PbS nanomaterials to their sensors faster and at a lower cost, and to test Nanoco’s industry leading materials in their products and production processes. This initiative should lead to further downstream revenues of our production ready PbS material, as well as overall acceleration of this young and dynamic industry – Quantum Dot based sensors. We thank Innovate UK for their support with this development.”
Nanoco hit the headlines in 2023 when it won a “transformative” legal settlement over use of its IP against Korean tech giant Samsung. The “no fault’ settlement followed a long running patent dispute with the tech giant just hours before they were due to meet in court, and the $150m cash sum for the alleged IP infringement was paid in two equal parts in 2023 and 2024, with Nanoco retaining more than $90m of the award, following costs.
The deal also meant the developer of nano materials for electronics won “full freedom to operate in all markets, territories, products and material types.”
Earlier this year, Nanoco launched a further, similar legal action against another Korean tech giant, LG Technologies, claiming that the global electronics leader had “wilfully infringed on a number of its patents related to the use of its cadmium free quantum dots in its televisions.”
