In Canada, Bioindustrial Innovation Canada (BIC) has announced that it has made an investment in 3E Nano Inc., through the Centre for Commercialization of Sustainable Chemistry Innovation (COMM SCI) program. 3E Nano Inc., a Kitchener, Ontario, based company has developed and is commercializing a low- cost, thermally- and optically-smart, Sapphire-Like Coating (SLC). This nano-thin film applied to glass, plastic and other media is targeted toward windows, windshields, greenhouses, and blinds.
In 2016, BIC established COMM SCI, which acts as a hub for the commercialization of sustainable chemistry and bio-based innovation. Bio-based start-ups and sustainable chemistry companies can participate in this program to remove barriers to commercialization and investments.
In December 2018, BIC closed the first tranche of its investment in 3E Nano Inc.
We are pleased to have BIC as a partner in our company. BIC has been a strong supporter of our work not only as an investor but as an advisor because of their depth of knowledge in advanced materials, said Nicholas Komarnycky, co-founder of 3E Nano Inc.
Carbon-based solar coatings
Window designs typically include transparent optical coatings, known as solar control coatings, which are designed to reflect infrared radiation and reduce heat loss. Traditional coatings, however, are comprised of high-cost and functionally inflexible materials such as transition metal and rare earth oxides.
3E Nano and researchers at the University of Toronto have developed a low-cost carbon-based platform of highly tunable high-efficiency solar control coatings. The range of tunability allows for the development of unique solar control coatings that can be designed for specific climates and applied in niche applications such as coatings for greenhouses and urban farming.
The nano-thin DLC based coatings are scalable and can be produced using low-cost industry standard plasma enhanced chemical vapour deposition processes on large area flexible substrates. Optimized DLC structures have the potential of achieving extremely high visible light transmissivity (VLT) while concurrently providing very high total solar energy rejection (TSER).
3E Nano Inc. brings significant advancements in the field of coating technology for glazing applications. In addition, the experienced management team provides depth to bring the technology to commercialization, said BIC Portfolio Manager, Wayne Maddever.
