Jun 7 2013
By Quantum Materials Corporation – Since 1950, Kasha's Rule 1, a principle of photochemistry, held true that if a source of light excited a molecule enough, the molecule would fluoresce in a single color.
In 2011, the Alivasatos group at DOE's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, using tetrapod quantum dots, broke Kasha's rule2 by causing them to emit two separate colors instead of just one. This dual emission is possible because the tetrapod's core and arms can separately emit at different wavelengths, and this discovery finds potential in many new advances in optics and nanobio applications.
Quantum Materials Corp. (QMC) is delivering tetrapod quantum dots to a client studying dual emission effects in sensitive force sensing environments. Dual-emitting tetrapod QD sensors can measure very minute stresses such as those of a heartbeat by reading the changing variance of luminescence response emitted as the tetrapod quantum dots arms bend. Nano-probes of this type are poised to be a platform technology providing optical readout for many other biomechanical processes. This unique ability of the tetrapod quantum dot helps it to outshine the more common spherically shaped quantum dot.
QMC's patented synthesis allows precise control of tetrapod quantum dot composition, size of QD core, length of arms, and arm thickness. This ability to design the tetrapod characteristics allows optimization to control the tetrapod's reaction to stress and thereby tune the light emissions for different applications. QMC VP of R&D David Doderer remarked, "We are proud to stand out as the singular company that can provide industrial-scale quantities of tetrapod quantum dots, customized to our client's needs, with the uniformity and reliability necessary to feed the demands of large scale commercial operations."
Quantum Materials Corporation has established new offices at STAR Park in San Marcos. QMC President Mr. Stephen Squires is enthusiastic about the move: "The facilities are state-of-the-art and Texas State faculty and the STAR Park Leadership continue to offer us opportunities to discuss collaborative projects from a well-connected home base. Indeed, so soon after coming to STAR Park, we are already determining scheduled visits from global companies that have indicated strong interest in discussing business opportunities."
While currently marketing our tetrapod quantum dot technology to end users in the Printed Electronic, LED, and Solar markets, QMC is specifically focusing efforts on capturing a significant market share of the 2013 forecast estimated over $100MM by BCC Research for quantum dots in Bioscience applications. To accomplish this, QMC will demonstrate our tetrapod quantum dots' superiority over standard spherical quantum dots to our diverse customer base.
MarketsandMarkets 2012 Quantum Dot Global Forecast predicts total QD sales of $7.48 Billion by 2022 in a wide range of QD applications.
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kasha's_rule
- http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/07/110701150459.htm