QuantumSphere Newsletter, April 2005

Welcome!
 QuantumSphere is excited to share with you our inaugural edition of our e-newsletter. These correspondences will be your insight to how and where our metallic nanopowders are being used, advanced material applications and other industry news as they relate to QuantumSphere.

In this issue…

  • QuantumSphere, An Overview: Who We Are and What We Do
  • The Latest QuantumSphere Announcements:
       o QuantumSphere Unveils World?s First Pure Magnetic Nanopowder for Biomedical and       Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) Applications
  • QuantumSphere In the News:
       o Who?s Who In Fuel Cells, FCTN, March 2005
       o Spheres of Influence, Mechanical Engineering Magazine, April 2005
       o Nano World: Nanocatalysts for oil, drugs, UPI, March 2005
  • Industry Reports:
       o Nanotech Briefs
       o USFCC Applauds Introduction of New House, Senate Bills
       o Clean Edge Projects FC Market to Exceed $15 Billion by 2014
       o A New Nickel Catalyst for Fuel Cells
       o Fuel Cell Manufacturing Takes Off
  • Upcoming Events: QuantumSphere to present at NSTI Nanotech Conference,
        Anaheim, CA, May 8-12:
  • The Classroom: How a Fuel Cell Works
  • QuantumSphere is Hiring: Two Positions Posted
  • QuantumSphere Website Update: Applications and Partners Now Posted

    • QuantumSphere, An Overview:
    Who We Are and What We Do
    QuantumSphere is the leading manufacturer of metallic nanopowders for applications in the aerospace, defense, energy and other markets demanding advanced material applications. We are the only supplier of the world?s highest quality nanonickel (n-Ni). QSI-nano? nickel will replace platinum as the main catalyst in hydrogen fuel cells and other electrode assemblies and provide a renewable source of power to supply the world?s energy needs. QuantumSphere is leveraging its leadership position in the company’s current markets to expand into applications for water hydrolysis, bio-hazards and renewable energy. Our exclusive manufacturing process provides: consistent, narrow particle size distribution; low level of agglomeration and impurities; custom-tailored oxide
    QSI’s patent pending, porous nickel membranes
    shell thickness; and the highest purity metallic nanopowders on the market that are easier to transport and handle – no other company offers these performance advantages.

    QuantumSphere leveraged its leading market position to supply major domestic and international customers with nanonickel (n-Ni) applications for fuel cells, and other applications including additives for plastics and electromagnetic frequency shielding applications. The company manufactures the highest quality of metallic nanopowder in the industry without compromising its commitment to the environment. QuantumSphere markets served include: power for automobiles; remote, portable, and distributed power generation; residential, industrial and commercial power systems; heavy equipment; consumer electronics; and other government and military applications. For more information on QuantumSphere please visit     www.qsinano.com.

    The Latest QuantumSphere Announcements:
    QuantumSphere Unveils World?s First Pure Magnetic Nanopowder for Biomedical and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) Applications

    QSI-nanoTM nickel powder; compressed, porous membranes.     		QuantumSphere has unveiled the first pure magnetic nanopowder for biomedical applications. QuantumSphere produces, manufactures and sells magnetic nanopowder based on a material that is not harmful to the body. QuantumSphere?s magnetic nanopowder will be used to dramatically enhance Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) applications. MRI technology can be leveraged in conjunction with QuantumSphere?s magnetic nanoparticles to focus electromagnetic energy waves into the body to view internal organs better, such as the liver, to see damage, or investigate the functions of internal organs. QuantumSphere?s magnetic nanopowders offer orders-of-magnitude performance improvements when compared to existing imaging materials, such as gadolinium dies, and other standard materials used today. Entities such as General Electric, Walter Reed Army Medical Center, and leading academic institutions such as the Mayo Clinic can significantly benefit from this advance. Read full press release

    QuantumSphere In the News:
    Who?s Who In Fuel Cells
    Fuel Cell Technology News talked to Kevin Maloney, CEO, and Douglas Carpenter, Chief Scientific Officer and Director of R&D;, the co-founders of QuantumSphere, Inc. In the interview, FCTN focused on how QuantumSphere built a reactor for the production of nano-materials and that the first product, nano-nickel spheres, has proven to be an effective and low-cost alternative to platinum as a fuel cell catalyst. Check out the full story by clicking here.



    Above – Kevin Maloney, CEO of QuantumSphere at state-of-the-art facilities in Orange County, CA.

    Above – Dr. Doug Carpenter prepares for History Channel’s ?Modern Marvels? interview. Carpenter talks about how the startup company built a reactor for the production of nano-materials.

    “Nanotechnology,” – Spheres of Influence
    Minuscule balls of nickel may well help power cars and usher in the hydrogen economy. Check out the full story by clicking here.

    Nano World: Nanocatalysts for oil, drugs
    New York, NY, Mar. 25 (UPI) — The catalysts on which more than 20 percent of world industrial production is based — including the expensive platinum employed to scrub clean the exhausts of millions of vehicles and the molecules pharmaceutical giants use to manufacture drugs — soon could be replaced in large part by more effective nanotechnology upgrades, experts told UPI’s Nano World. Check out the full story by     clicking here.

    Industry Reports:

    QSI’s nano powder reactor and process design Nanotech Briefs
    Keeping readers updated on all that?s new and noteworthy in the realm of nanotechnology, Nanotech Briefs provides timely news about current nanotechnologies, applications, and business. QuantumSphere feels Nanotech Briefs is an excellents source of industry news for our newsletter readers, and wanted to share the latest issue with you. This issue features tech notes and nano news on patents, grants, and industry partnerships; current advances in nanostructured materials that are impacting the commercial marketplace; and the latest on sensors, manufacturing/fabrication, materials, electronics, MEMS, bio/medical and optics/photonics. Read the full issue

    USFCC Applauds Introduction of New House, Senate Bills
    The U.S. Fuel Cell Council (USFCC) recently applauded the introduction of three new bills introduced in both the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate last week in support of the effort to create a hydrogen and fuel cell energy infrastructure. According to USFCC, the Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Act of 2005, introduced by Senators Byron Dorgan (D-ND) and Lindsay Graham (R-SC), is a comprehensive, 10-year initiative aimed at accelerating programs that will lead to the widespread commercialization and adoption of hydrogen and fuel cell technology.

    USFCC noted that the Dorgan/Graham bill, which would authorize $4.2 billion over a five-year period, advocates a balanced mix of research and development spending, demonstration programs, and programs to establish codes and standards. “If enacted, this legislation will not only help us realize the commercialization of fuel cell
    vehicles sooner, it will help Americans power their homes and businesses more efficiently, and help us to better utilize currently imported fuels,” said USFCC executive director Robert Rose.

    “The adoption of these technologies will also hasten the movement to produce hydrogen from renewable energy resources like wind, solar and a variety of biofuels.” Complimenting the Dorgan/Graham bill are two tax incentive bills, introduced in both the House and Senate by Congresswoman Nancy Johnson (R-CT) and Senator Olympia Snowe (R-ME). USFCC said these five-year investment tax credit bills would lower the procurement of non-vehicle fuel cells, providing a 30-percent tax credit, capped at $1,000 per kilowatt, for the purchase of a fuel cell unit. “Fuel cells have matured enough to necessitate an incentive program for those who would like to use the technology to provide power for their homes and businesses,” said Rose. “Enacting these tax credit bills will broaden existing clean energy credits, and give early adopters the incentive to adopt clean, quiet and reliable energy generation units.”

    Clean Edge Projects FC Market to Exceed $15 Billion by 2014
    San Francisco, CA-based research and publishing firm Clean Edge, Inc. recently announced the release of a new report, titled “Clean Energy Trends 2005,” which projects that the market for fuel cells and distributed hydrogen will grow from $900 million to $15.1 Billion over the next decade. According to Clean Edge, the report, which is available for free download from its website at     http://www.cleanedge.com, examines factors that are influencing clean-energy markets. “This year’s report demonstrates once again that a range of innovative companies, governments and investors are playing a central role in driving clean-energy growth,” said Clean Edge co-founder Ron Pernick. “Our annual report highlights how mainstream many clean-energy technologies have become and the role that they can play in creating new business and investment opportunities.”

    A New Nickel Catalyst for Fuel Cells
    A nickel catalyst has been developed and adopted for the dedicated challenges of small fuel processors used in the steam-reforming of natural gas. The catalyst provides high activity (even after thousands of start-ups and shut-downs), a low de-activation rate, and resistance to changes in the atmosphere. This development shows that catalysts can be used with nickel as the active component not only for hydrogen generation on an industrial scale but for small-scale fuel processors. The excellent performance of the new catalysts, in combination with the low price, is a big step forward in the commercialization of fuel cell systems for the combined generation of heat and electricity in households. This technological advance highlights the mysterious catalytic quality of nickel, one of the more intriguing and valuable properties of this truly amazing metallic element. To read the entire article featured in the March 2005 issue of Nickel Magazine please click here.

    Fuel Cell Manufacturing Takes Off
    Parts of the world with high electricity costs are welcoming fuel cells made of nickel and stainless steel as an alternative to traditional power generation. Connecticut-based FuelCell Energy Inc., which delivered its first commercial unit of the nickel-bearing fuel cells at the beginning of 2003, has already installed 35 power plants in various countries, including Germany, Japan, Spain and the United States. And the market is broadening. The company?s Direct FuelCells (DFC), so-called because they do not require external hydrogen generation but operate directly on available fuels such as natural gas, are high-temperature, high-efficiency molten carbonate fuel cells designed for applications where the generator is stationary. The DFCs consist of a ceramic-based matrix layer sandwiched between an anode made of porous nickel strip and a cathode made of a nickel material alloyed with chromium or aluminum. A hydrocarbon, such as natural gas, is fed to the anode while air is fed to the cathode. In a process called “reforming,” hydrogen is extracted from the fuel and reacts with the air inside the fuel cell to produce electricity, heat and water. Nickel is used to make the anodes and cathodes because it is a good conductor of heat and electricity and is resistant to corrosion. To read the entire article featured in the November 2004 issue of Nickel Magazine click here.

    UPCOMING EVENTS:
    QuantumSphere to present at NSTI Nanotech Conference, Anaheim, CA, May 8-12

    NSTI LINK:     http://www.nsti.org/Nanotech2005/

    The Classroom:
    How a Fuel Cell Works
     The following animation, courtesy of Schatz Energy Research Center, shows the process that goes on inside an individual fuel cell. The red Hs represent hydrogen molecules (H2) from a hydrogen storage tank. The orange H+ represents a hydrogen ion after its electron is removed. The yellow e- represents an electron moving through a circuit to do work (like lighting a light bulb or powering a car). The green Os represent an oxygen molecule (O2) from the air, and the blue drops at the end are for pure water- the only byproduct of hydrogen power.

    Please go to the following link to see the animation.

    QuantumSphere is Hiring:
    Two Positions Posted

    Sr. Chemistry Specialist, 2005-04
    Chemistry Specialist, 2005-04

    Position Type: Full Time; Relocation Provided: No

    Candidate Profile/Criteria:
  • Professional and academic background broad enough to include surface chemistry, chemical engineering and inorganic chemistry.
  • Can work in demanding start-up environment and has fabrication, proto-type design and applications development background
  • Prior success in scaling up to commercial production
  • Applications background in corrosion, solar & fuel cells, gas separation and/or surface chemistry.
  • Commitment – requires 60 to 80 hours per week
  • Strong technical driver – communicate insights and hands-on results to team and help drive execution of goals
  • Able to rapidly digest results and feedback into process
  • Proven ability to work with small teams in multi-tasking environment
  • Prefer good communication skills with upper management, peers, team
  • Prefer experience with small company or small team in larger company
  • Ph.D. in Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, or associated disciplines
  • Motivated to build successful company
  • Salary commensurate with experience
  • Candidates must be U.S. citizen
    • Company stock options and standard benefits package available

    For application consideration please email cover letter and resume to:
    Kevin D. Maloney, CEO
    [email protected]
    QuantumSphere, Inc.
    1041 W. 18th Street, Suite B-102
    Costa Mesa, CA 92627

    Web Site Update:
     QuantumSphere has updated their web site to include a list of applications as well as partners. Please view by clicking here or the image below.


    Reader Feedback:.
    We value your comments. Please send us your ideas and suggested topics to: [email protected].

    QuantumSphere is the leading manufacturer of metallic nanopowders for applications in the aerospace, defense, energy, biomedical and other markets demanding advanced material applications. QuantumSphere?s exclusive manufacturing process provides: consistent, narrow particle size distribution; low level of agglomeration and impurities; custom-tailored oxide shell thickness; and the highest purity metallic nanopowders on the market that are easier to transport and handle. The company manufactures the highest quality of metallic nanopowder in the industry without compromising its commitment to the environment. No other company offers these performance advantages. QuantumSphere is the only supplier of the world?s highest quality nanonickel (n-Ni). This will replace platinum as the main catalyst in hydrogen fuel cells and provide a renewable source of power to supply the world?s energy needs. The company is leveraging its leading market position in nanonickel (n-Ni) to manufacture and ship product for applications in fuel cells, magnetic medical products (e.g., contrast agent that is orders-of-magnitude more sensitive than existing materials for MRI detection of disease and organ function), and other applications including additives for plastics and electromagnetic frequency shielding applications.

    QuantumSphere
    1041 West 18th Street, Suite B102
    Costa Mesa, CA 92627
    Phone: 714-545-NANO (6266)
    Fax: 949-574-3010
    www.qsinano.com

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