National Academy of Engineering Elects Nanoptek CEO John M. Guerra
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE https://www.nae.edu/312025/NAENewClass2024
TUE, FEBRUARY 06, 2024
The National Academy of Engineering (NAE) has elected 114 new members and 21 international members, announced NAE President John L. Anderson today. This brings the total U.S. membership to 2,310 and the number of international members to 332.
Election to the National Academy of Engineering is among the highest professional distinctions accorded to an engineer. Academy membership honors those who have made outstanding contributions to “engineering research, practice, or education, including, where appropriate, significant contributions to the engineering literature” and to “the pioneering of new and developing fields of technology, making major advancements in traditional fields of engineering, or developing/implementing innovative approaches to engineering education.” Election of new NAE members is the culmination of a yearlong process. The ballot is set in December and the final vote for membership occurs during January.
Individuals in the newly elected class will be formally inducted during the NAE’s annual meeting on Sept. 29, 2024. A list of the new members and international members follows, with their primary affiliations at the time of election and a brief statement of their principal engineering accomplishments:
Guerra, John M., president and CEO, Nanoptek Corp., Concord, Mass. For inventing and commercializing nano-optics to advance super-resolution microscopy and produce hydrogen directly with sunlight.
Joseph P. Bartlett Joins Nanoptek’s Board of Directors
John Guerra, President and CEO, announced today (10/3/2022) that Joseph P. Bartlett has joined Nanoptek’s Board of Directors. “Joe is taking the Series A investors seat of David Gelbaum, who, to our continuing great sadness, passed away in 2018. Joe has been General Counsel for Quercus Trust, David’s investing instrument and Nanoptek’s Series A lead investor, since 2008. Joe has been an important advisor to me and integral to The Company’s successes; it was long overdue to formalize his de facto board membership, and I’m happy that he accepted.”
Joe has extensive experience in all aspects of business law, and advises investors and issuers in structuring, negotiating and executing public and private transactions including venture capital, acquisitions, mergers, joint ventures, licensing and employment agreements. He has extensive experience formulating and executing business as well as corporate governance strategies, and has served on the board of directors of dozens of public and private corporations. He has a J.D., magna cum laude (1985) from Hastings College of the Law, and his A.B. (1980) from University of California, Berkeley. As General Counsel to the Quercus Trust, Joe has negotiated over $800 million of private and public investments, primarily venture capital, and has overseen these investments from acquisition to disposition.
Lightfuel is a Partner in NYSERDA’s Northeast Hydrogen Hub
Click here to go to NYSERDA’s post on LinkedIn.
ENGIE and Nanoptek Reveal Development Agreement
Click here to go to ENGIE’s post on LinkedIn.
Nanoptek Celebrates 20 Years!
Click here to Nanoptek’s 20th Anniversary post on Linkedin.
Lightfuel Wins Appeal, U.S.P.T.O. Issues U.S. Pat. No. 10,916,674
U.S. Patent No. 10,916,674 is the third leg of our original patent applied for in 2002, which included photolytic, photocatalytic, and photovoltaic applications. The claims here are drawn to strain-engineering the bandgap of semiconductors such as silicon for higher photovoltaic efficiency in sunlight.
Toyota Motor Europe and ENGIE Partner with Lightfuel for SUN-to-X Project in EU
Lightfuel Hydrogen, MA, November 1, 2020 (For immediate release): Cordis Europa EU has made public https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/883264 the following information about the Sun-to-X Project: The Sun-toX Consortium is an EC-funded project
(Grant Agreement 883264 for approximately €3bn) in the EU’s Horizon2020 Program. Toyota Motor Europe (Belgium) is the Coordinator of the Consortium, which in addition to Lightfuel (the only U.S. member), includes global utility Engie (France), Commissariat a L’Energie Atomique et Aux Energies Alternatives (France), Stichting Nederlandse Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek Instituten (Netherlands), Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne (Switzerland), Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin fur Materialien und Energie GMBH (Germany), HySiLabs (France, and LGI Consulting (France).
The project officially began on September 1 and continues into February 2024. From Cordis: “While the concept of using solar energy to drive chemical reactions that make fuels has been around for decades, the technology still has some way to go before it can be cost-efficient and scalable for industrial applications. The EU-funded Sun-To-X project will firstly use solar energy and ambient humidity to produce hydrogen. Then, using concentrated solar energy, the hydrogen will be reacted to form a non-toxic, energy-dense liquid fuel called Hydrosil for direct use in the transport and energy sectors, with water as the only emission. Its breakthrough innovation has the potential to remove many barriers hindering the deployment of zero emission liquid fuels.”
Cordis continues: “The Sun-to-X project will contribute to European Commission targets for clean energy for all and circular economy by developing a system for the conversion of solar energy into storable chemical fuel. While the concept of solar-to-chemical fuels has been around for decades, the technology has been limited by the economic viability and scalability of the technology.
The Sun-to-X project focuses on using solar energy to produce a carbon-free, non-toxic, energy-dense, liquid fuel – Hydrosil, with very good long-term stability, which is applicable in the transport and energy sectors. We will firstly produce hydrogen as chemical intermediate through a photoelectrochemical device. This will then be converted to Hydrosil through a thermochemical reaction.”
John Guerra, CEO of Lightfuel Hydrogen, said, “We are very proud to be in such esteemed company; these are truly world-class organizations because of the researchers within them. Dr. Amol Chandekar, our V.P. of R&D, and I are privileged to be working alongside them.”
Lightfuel Signs MoU with Shandong SMT at Donying CleanTech Conference
Lightfuel Hydrogen, Concord, MA, November, 2019 (For immediate release).
U.S.-China CleanTech Center (UCCTC) Selects Lightfuel to Join CleanTech Business Delegation to China
https://nanoptek.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/LightFuel-Hydrogen-Press-Release.pdf
LightFuel Co., Concord, MA (October, 2019). LightFuel announced today
their selection by the U.S.-China Cleantech Center (UCCTC) to join the Cleantech Business Delegation to China this November. One of only 17 cleantech companies selected, LightFuel is just one of two in renewable hydrogen.
The delegation will visit cleantech projects in several cities in China, make presentations at five regional New Energy and New Materials Business and Investment Conferences, and will meet with hundreds of Chinese companies and investors.
UCCTC is a joint-partnership program between the Innovation Center for Energy and Transportation (a 501c3 non-profit) and the U.S. Department of Commerce – International Trade Administration dedicated to accelerating trade and investment in U.S. clean energy and environmental protection technologies and best practices to China. Founded by Executive Director Dr. Feng An in 2012, UCCTC has brought together important leaders from top companies and the sustainability field to network, conduct business,
promote (and seek out) new clean technologies, with an eye to shaping the future.
LightFuel’s solar-assisted LFG-80LH electrolyzer panel pairs their patented bandgap-engineered photoelectrode with an alkaline electrolyzer. In sunlight, this hybrid design produces hydrogen with 1/3 the electricity consumed by alkaline electrolysis. So, zero-carbon LightFuel Hydrogen is achieved with 1/3 the renewable electricity; with grid electricity, carbon is reduced to 1/3. Because electricity is the main cost of electrolytic hydrogen, LightFuel hydrogen costs less to produce. Further, LightFuel’s solar gain persists after sunset, approaching alkaline electrolysis efficiency typically just before sunrise. LightFuel’s LFG-80LH panels connect to scale incrementally, and are easily deployed for distributed onsite production. Electrical energy storage, as well as mobility decarbonization, will benefit from LightFuel hydrogen’s high electrical production efficiency, lower cost, and low-to-no carbon footprint.
LightFuel’s CEO John Guerra noted, “China was an early proponent of renewable hydrogen as a tool to reduce global warming, climate change, and air pollution. Just one example: in 2017, China announced that all transportation for the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics will be hydrogen-powered. This delegation is a great opportunity for LightFuel to engage hundreds of like-minded strategic partners, manufacturers, investors, and customers to discuss the mutual and global-scale potential of moving forward together. My thanks to Ms. Rainning Bao, UCCTC China Business Development Director, for her exceptional organization of this trip.”
LightFuel has been developing technology to produce hydrogen from sunlight and water since 2002 with an international team of scientists, and has been funded by N.A.S.A., The U.S. Dept, of Energy, The Massachusetts Renewable Energy Trust Fund, and private investors that include The Quercus Trust.
LightFuel is the DBA name for Nanoptek www.nanoptek.com), a privately-held Delaware C corporation in Concord MA. LightFuel® is a U.S. Registered Trademark of Nanoptek.
Media Contact: John Guerra
(978) 460-7107
jguerra@lightfuelhydrogen.com
Lightfuel Announces Sector-Leading 25% Solar-to-Hydrogen (STH) Device Efficiency
Lightfuel Hydrogen, Concord, MA, November, 2019 (For immediate release). Lightfuel’s President and CEO John Guerra announced in China, as an invited member of the UCCTC CleanTech Business Delegation, that the Company had achieved a recorded 25% solar-to-hydrogen (STH) device efficiency on September 20 and 21 of this year with their Lightfuel Solar-Amplified cell and panel. “Our photoanode uses nearly the full spectrum of the sun, with the ultraviolet (UV) and high energy blue producing photovoltage and hydrogen, and the visible and near infra-red (NIR) producing photothermal heating of the electrolyte. The recorded 25% STH is on a diurnal basis, which is to say, over a 24 hour period. We actually recorded a peak of 28% STH.” He also pointed out that this was recorded at the Autumnal Equinox, which of course is not the strongest sunlight of the year. However, because the Autumnal Equinox solar irradiation is very close to the annual daily average for any given location, the 25% value can be safely applied to the annual total solar irradiation to obtain the expected solar hydrogen production. He continued, “It was fortuitous that we had a clear stretch of a few days on the Autumnal Equinox, with only a minor and brief interruption by a cloud pop-up after noon. This is rare in Concord (just outside of Boston, MA). We have been taking data with our LFG-80LH cell and panel for well over a year and have obtained instantaneous STH efficiencies of this magnitude, but to have the weather cooperate such that we obtain a solid diurnal value is very important.”
Solar-to-hydrogen efficiency is simply the ratio of the energy value of the total hydrogen produced by the device and the total solar irradiation received by the device, with both expressed in kilo-watt-hours (kWh), over a time period, which in this case was a 24 hour diurnal period. As reference, the STH efficiency of a photovoltaic panel (20%) powering an alkaline electrolyzer (75%) is 15%. And photo-electro-chemical (PEC) devices in development have been reported in the 5% to 10% range, but often with severely short lifetimes.
Guerra presented these results in 5 conferences around China. Response by audience participants at “meet and greet” sessions after each presentation was very enthusiastic.
CEO John Guerra is Invited Speaker at U.S. Hydrogen and Fuel Cells Conference (Boston, MA)
Lightfuel Hydrogen, Concord, MA, July, 2019 (For immediate release).
The Solar Impulse Foundation World Alliance for Efficient Solutions Accepts Lightfuel as Member
Lightfuel Hydrogen, Concord, MA, September 4, 2016 (For immediate release): https://solarimpulse.com/companies/nanoptek-corp-dba-lightfuel-co
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EPO Grants EU Patent No. 2289108 to Nanoptek
CONCORD, Mass., May 10, 2017 /PRNewswire/ — The European Patent Office today issued European Patent No. 2289108 to Nanoptek Corp., doing business as LightFuel Co., for their “Bandgap-shifted Semiconductor Surface and Apparatus.”
The invention allows sunlight to directly produce hydrogen fuel from water. It can also use sunlight to assist hydrogen production through electrolysis of water. In that mode, only half to a third of the electrical power required by state-of-the-art alkaline or PEM electrolysis, respectively, is used. So the cost to produce hydrogen fuel is lower, and there is less or no co-produced carbon. And because the hydrogen can be produced anywhere that there is sunlight and water, it is easily distributed and scaled.
The Company expects that their LightFuel™ Hydrogen will be used in Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles (FCEVs). In addition, LightFuel™ Generators will be used to convert intermittent electricity from renewable sources into the on-demand electricity that is required by utilities and consumers, by producing storable hydrogen for stationary fuel cells.
“The European Market is very important to us, and not only because of its enormous size,” said John Guerra, President and CEO of LightFuel. “Europe’s far-sighted and sustained support for renewable energy, particularly welcoming to hydrogen and FCEVs, is remarkably strong in both the public and private sectors; governments and industry are cooperating to bring forth new technologies that will mitigate global warming.”
About The Company: Nanoptek Corporation (www.nanoptek.com), doing business as LightFuel Co., is a privately-held C corporation incorporated in Delaware, U.S.A. Established in 2002 in Concord, MA, Nanoptek has won competitive grants from N.A.S.A. and the U.S. Dept. of Energy for development of their semiconductor photoanodes, in which nano-structures induce high local stress to engineer the bandgap of the semiconductor for more efficient production of hydrogen from water with sunlight.
Media Contact information: John M. Guerra, 978-460-7107, 158875@email4pr.com
Forward-looking statement:The statements contained herein may include prospects, statements of future expectations and other forward-looking statements that are based on management’s current views and assumptions and involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties. Actual results, performance or events may differ materially from those expressed or implied in such forward-looking statements.
SOURCE Nanoptek Corporation
Dr. Amol Chandekar Joins LightFuel as Vice President of R&D
Lightfuel Hydrogen, Concord, MA, September 4, 2016 (For immediate release). The Company is happy to announce that Dr. Amol Chandekar has joined LightFuel (formerly Nanoptek) as Vice President of R&D and R&D Fellow. Dr. Chandekar is reprising the last position he held at Nanoptek in 2013. He most recently was Senior Research Engineer at French multi-national giant Saint Gobain S.A. Dr. Chandekar first joined Nanoptek in 2007 after completing a Post Doctoral Fellowship at the University of Massachusetts at Lowell, where he was also awarded his PhD. in chemistry with honors. For his undergraduate work, he attended Laxminarayan Institute of Technology, University of Nagpur, India, where he earned his B. Technology in Chemical Engineering. Dr. Chandekar is responsible for the development of Nanoptek’s UV-Blue™ photoanode used in our solar hydrogen generators that is unique in its ability to absorb over the entire ultraviolet spectrum and into visible blue light as well, and with we believe to be a record-breaking conversion efficiency. Dr. Chandekar has eleven publications to his credit, many in the area of nano-scale patterning of materials, as well as 4 patents issued and pending, both U.S. and international. John Guerra, Nanoptek’s President and CEO, said “We are very excited that Amol is rejoining our company, now named LightFuel, to accelerate our efforts to commercialize our technology that we know will be a vital part of the effort to control and hopefully reverse global warming and climate change.”
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N.A.S.A. Selects Nanoptek for its 2016 SPINOFF Publication
Nanoptek Corporation, Concord, MA, January 6, 2016 (For immediate 
release). Nanoptek is proud to announce that NASA has selected our solar hydrogen technology to be featured in SPINOFF 2016, NASA’s premier annual book publication. The Company’s solar hydrogen technology is one of only 9 Environment and Energy technologies and one of only 52 technologies, in total, to be showcased. Winning highly competitive Phase I and II NASA SBIRs in 2002 and 2003 provided our first major funding for developing our technology for splitting hydrogen from water with sunlight. SPINOFF focuses on technologies that will help us here on Earth as well as in future colonization of, for example, Mars, as popularized in the recently acclaimed movie The Martian. We predict that Nanoptek’s solar hydrogen technology will someday provide hydrogen for rocket fuel and solar energy storage and oxygen for Martian pioneers to breathe, all from the new-found water on that planet. Although Mars is much farther from the sun than Earth is, the part of the solar spectrum that our technology uses is of nearly the same intensity. You can read the full article beginning on page 122 or order a free copy of SPINOFF at: https://spinoff.nasa.gov.
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Nanoptek Announces Name Change to LightFuel
Nanoptek Corporation, Concord, MA, July 4, 2015 (For immediate release). 
Nanoptek’s Board of Directors approved LightFuel Co. as their new “Doing business as” name effective July 4, 2015. Certification DBA papers were filed accordingly in Concord, MA. John M. Guerra, P.E., President and CEO, said “LightFuel™ unequivocally declares and differentiates our product, our business, our markets, and our mission, which is producing hydrogen fuel from sunlight and water.” In addition, LightFuel™ is the brand name of the hydrogen so produced, and the Company’s proprietary photoelectrocatalytic equipment for producing the hydrogen will be branded LightFuel™ Generators. Nanoptek Corp. will continue as the legal corporate entity and as the DBA name for non-hydrogen technology owned by The Company.
Related article in Gasworld: https://www.gasworld.com/nanoptek-awarded-new-patent-changes-name-to-lightfuel/2009820.article
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Second Patent Awarded to Nanoptek by The Republic of South Africa
Nanoptek Corp., Concord, MA, May 27, 2015 (For immediate release). Nanoptek Corp. announced today that they have been awarded their second patent in the Republic of South Africa. Patent No. 2013/09549 broadly covers Nanoptek’s titanium dioxide modification process that results in either superior photocatalytic activity in sunlight for cleaning water and air of organic pollutants, or in a high performance yellow pigment that does not employ heavy metals or other toxic elements. This award brings Nanoptek’s patent total to nine overall, with three international and six in the U.S.
U.S.P.T.O. Notice of Allowance to Nanoptek for “LightFuel” Registered Trademark
Nanoptek Corp., Concord, MA, May 19, 2015 (For immediate release). The United States Patent and Trademark Office issued a Notice of Allowance today to Nanoptek Corp. for their registered trademark application for “LightFuel”. The Company has been using LightFuel™ for over a year in presentations and business negotiations to brand their “hydrogen from sunlight” and their proprietary photoelectrocatalytic devices used to generate the hydrogen.
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BASF Ovonics and Nanoptek Submit Joint Concept Paper to ARPA-E Open Funding Solicitation
Nanoptek Corp., Concord, MA, February 2015 (For immediate release).
Praxair and Nanoptek Submit Joint Concept Paper to ARPA-E Open Funding Solicitation
Nanoptek Corp., Concord, MA, February 2015 (For immediate release).
The People’s Republic of China Awards Patent No. 200980131092.4 to Nanoptek Corp.
Nanoptek Corp., Concord, MA, December 9, 2014 (For immediate release)
Nanoptek CEO Test Drives Hyundai Tucson Fuel Cell Vehicle 
Nanoptek Corp., Concord, MA, September, 2014 (For immediate release).
Global Energy Company Verifies Nanoptek Technology
Nanoptek Corp., Shirley MA, July 2014 (For immediate release).
Nanoptek is Bronze Sponsor of ASME Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Conference in Boston
Nanoptek Corp., Concord, MA, June 2014 (For immediate release)
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U.S.P.T.O. Awards Patent No. 8,673,399 to Nanoptek
Nanoptek Corporation, Concord, MA, March 25, 2014 (For immediate release). The U. S. Patent and Trademark Office issued Patent No. 8,673,399 to Nanoptek Corp. on March 18. The patent is for a “Bandgap-Shifted Semiconductor Surface and Method for Making Same, and Apparatus for Using Same” and adds protection for the key invention driving Nanoptek’s solar hydrogen technology, namely the photoanode that uses sunlight to split water into hydrogen and oxygen and the process for producing it.
Nanoptek President and C.E.O. John Guerra said, “Our LightFuel™ Solar Hybrid Electrolyzer efficiently and economically stores sunlight chemically as hydrogen, which may then be used directly for manufacturing or for transport fueling. Alternatively, a fuel cell can convert the hydrogen into electricity at any time to power telecom stations or for distributed grid storage. This patent, together with those issued earlier as well as our continuing filings, provide a sustainable market advantage as we enter our commercialization phase.”
Nanoptek Corporation is a privately held Delaware C corporation in Massachusetts developing bandgap-shifted photocatalytic technology based products that address markets for carbon-free, low-cost, locally produced hydrogen, and to detoxify and disinfect water. The Company’s website is www.nanoptek.com.
Nanoptek is Semifinalist in USAID Securing Water for Food Competition
Nanoptek Corp., Concord MA, March 21, 2014 (For immediate release). Nanoptek is proud to announce that USAID has chosen them as one of only 83 semifinalists out of over 580 global competitors to submit a full proposal for their Securing Water for Food Competition. Nanoptek and their partners will now prepare the full proposal to hopefully achieve finalist status this year. Nanoptek’s proposal employs their patented titanium dioxide photocatalytic powder to clean water in holding pools for use in agriculture, using only sunlight. They partnered with Mr. Fadi Kassir of Geyser Pump (Seattle, Washington) and Dr. Emeka Okengwu (Ant Hill Concepts, Abuja, Nigeria), and in addition secured a Letter of Intent from the Governor of Zamfara State in Nigeria to supply the site for installation and testing.
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Lockheed-Martin Looks to Nanoptek for Antarctic Hydrogen
Nanoptek Corp., Concord, MA. December 2013 (For immediate release). Lockheed-Martin, having won the support contract for operations in Antarctica, seeks to replace the diesel fuel relied upon there. Supply of the diesel fuel is dangerous, and pollution from consumption interferes with scientific experiments. So, they want to replace that fuel with onsite production of hydrogen from sunlight. And they have turned to Nanoptek for our Lightfuel technology.
John Guerra, President and CEO of Nanoptek, said “This is quite a challenge, but we are up to it. Although the solar angle is extremely low there, that is offset by the near total absence of water in the atmosphere. That means
that the transmission of solar ultraviolet through the atmosphere is very high, and that benefits our technology. The low solar angle though also means that self-shadowing will be an issue. Another problem of course is the extreme cold. Our first award was from NASA, and it was to develop photocatalysts for use on the Moon to split the water there (scarce as it is and quite frozen of course) into hydrogen for fuel. So we have developed ways to cope with such cold, such as the encapsulated optical concentrator pictured here.”
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Nanoptek Names Jarada as Exclusive Representative in Korea
Nanoptek Corp., Concord, MA, December 2013 (For immediate release). Nanoptek Corp. has agreed to Jarada’s request to exclusively represent The Company in the territory of the Republic of Korea for a one year term to expire at end of 2014 unless both parties agree to an extension.
Nanoptek Concept Paper Selected by EERE for Full Submission
Nanoptek Corp., Concord, MA, November, 2013 (For immediate release). Nanoptek President and CEO John M. Guerra announced today that a concept paper submitted by The Company to the Dept. of Energy EERE has been accepted. This means that their proposal can continue into the next stage with a full proposal application. “We are grateful to Praxair Corp. and in particular Dr. Dante Bonaquist, Senior Corporate Fellow, for agreeing to write a Letter of Support for inclusion into the next phase, which we believe will help us greatly in this most competitive process,” said John Guerra, Nanoptek’s President and CEO. In addition, Nanoptek has received additional support for the proposal from the Harvard University Center for Nanoscale Systems. Further, Nanoptek will enter into a CRADA with ERDC-CERL (Illinois) should the proposal be funded.
SureEnergies Wins Tender in Libya
Nanoptek Corp., Concord, MA, August 2013 (For immediate release). SureEnergies, AG in Germany has won a tender from the Libyan government for a Power-to-Gas project in Libya. The second phase of the project will install several hectares of Nanoptek’s SeaFern solar hydrogen generators in the Libyan desert, where they will efficiently convert sunlight into hydrogen. The hydrogen will be piped to Italy with existing undersea pipelines now used for natural gas. The National Oil Company (NOC) of Libya is a partner.
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Nanoptek Relocates
Nanoptek Corp., June, 2013, Maynard, MA (For immediate release). Nanoptek Corp. is relocating to Phoenix Park industrial center in Shirley, MA. The Company’s solar hydrogen testing units will remain installed on the roof of their former premises at Millpond Square, 63 Great Road, in Maynard. Nanoptek has also established an office in Concord MA in part for receiving mail and deliveries. Nanoptek President and CEO John M. Guerra said, “We are happy that our new location is another of the terrific properties of our present landlord, Eric Shapiro, who is very supportive of renewable energy activities and in fact has installed several large PV farms at Phoenix Park. So the space is new and yet there is great continuity.”
Nanoptek Promotes Dr. Amol Chandekar to Vice President of R&D
Nanoptek Corp., Maynard, MA. January 30, 2013, for immediate release. Nanoptek’s President and CEO, John M. Guerra p.e., today announced with pleasure that The Company has named Dr. Amol Chandekar, Ph.D. as their new and first Vice President of Research and Development. Dr. Chandekar is largely responsible for developing the superior durable low-cost and efficient titanium dioxide photocatalyst that Nanoptek employs in numerous device platforms for producing hydrogen efficiently from sunlight and water. He has numerous publications and patents to his credit, and has been employed with Nanoptek Corp. since 2003.
DoE Invites Nanoptek’s President and CEO John Guerra to Present to the Inter-Agency Working Group in Washington D.C.
Nanoptek Corp., Maynard, MA, August, 2012 (For immediate release).
Eni S.p.A. Places Order for SHG300
Nanoptek Corp., Maynard, MA, March, 2012 (For immediate release). Multinational oil and gas giant Eni S.p.A. (Milan, IT) placed an order today for Nanoptek’s SHG300 Solar Hydrogen Generator. The order was placed following a visit to Nanoptek’s facility and inspection of the SHG300 by a contingent of scientists and engineers from the R&D arm of Eni.
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U.S. Dept. of Energy (D.o.E) Selects Nanoptek for 2012 ARPA-E Energy Innovation Summit Technology Showcase
Nanoptek Corp., Maynard, MA, February 2012. Blog Post: Nanoptek’s John Guerra and Andrei Ursache brought and displayed Nanoptek’s SHG-300 panel. A precursor to today’s LFG-80LH panel, while the SHG-300 was a hybrid, having a conventional anode as well as a photoanode, it was not the solar-amplified architecture of the LFG-80LH. It produced 300 sccm, or 18Nl/hour, in all-solar mode, using an onboard dedicated custom 1V PV panel to provide a bias which allowed use of inexpensive stainless-steel foil cathode.
In addition, they displayed and made available 4 Zero Bias hand-held units. These units demonstrated that Nanoptek’s photoanode produces hydrogen from water with only light and NO electricity when the cathode is a graphite plate. In other words, with Zero Bias. Further, they supplied laser diode pens that operated at 450nm, with no radiation in the ultraviolet (400nm and below). Using these to illuminate the units showed strong photocurrent. So both zero bias AND visible light response were demonstrated, with a photoanode that has a lifetime measured in decades rather than minutes. Visitors to the booth were free to determine this for themselves with the hand-held units, and were even allowed to take them outside. Secretary Moniz was at ARPA-E but unfortunately did not visit our booth.
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The Republic of South Africa Grants Patent No. 2010/08555 to Nanoptek Corporation
Nanoptek Corporation, Maynard, MA, January 12, 2012 (For immediate release). Nanoptek received its first foreign patent today. Republic of South Africa Patent No. 2010/08555, “Bandgap-Shifted Semiconductor Surface and Apparatus,” contains a total of 43 claims that protect key inventions incorporated into Nanoptek’s solar hydrogen generation technology, from processes for manufacture of The Company’s proprietary stress-induced bandgap-shifted photoanodes, to the solar hydrogen generator apparatus which they drive.
Nanoptek now has 6 broad patents, of which 5 are U.S. Patents, with 8 more pending and/or applied for, including three more foreign filings. In addition, Nanoptek has license to 9 supporting patents, and a U.S. Registered Trademark.
Nanoptek President and C.E.O. John Guerra said, “We intend to be a world player in order to bring the benefits of our technology to every part of the Globe. The Republic of South Africa will be an important market for us, as well as all of Africa, which is why we filed for patent there. We’ve had considerable interest from several forward-looking parties in South Africa — the sunlight that they receive favors any solar technology, and their geography and population distribution favors, sometimes even requires, distributed technology such as ours. Our SHG300 Solar Hydrogen Generators™ efficiently and economically store sunlight chemically as hydrogen, which may then be used directly for manufacturing or for transport fueling, or converted into electricity at will and at any time to power telecomm stations or municipalities. I want to add that Nanoptek is fortunate to have co-inventors Chief Scientist Luke Thulin and Senior Principal Scientist Dr. Amol Chandekar on the team.”
Nanoptek Corporation, a privately held Delaware corporation located in Maynard, Massachusetts, is a clean-tech and renewable energy company developing bandgap-shifted photocatalytic technology based products to reduce global warming by addressing markets for carbon-free, locally produced hydrogen, and to detoxify and disinfect air and water. The Company’s website is www.nanoptek.com.
ARC International Places Order for Nanoptek SHG300 Solar Hydrogen Generators
Nanoptek Corporation, Maynard, MA, December 22, 2011. Nanoptek is pleased to announce that The Company received a purchase order today 
from the International Advanced Research Center for Powder Metallurgy and New Materials (ARC International) for Nanoptek’s SHG300 Solar Hydrogen Generators. An autonomous Research and Development Center of the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India, ARC International is located in Balapur, Hyderabad. The units are scheduled for shipment in March of 2012 to Dr. Pramod H. Borse.
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U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Issues Two Patents to Nanoptek Corporation
Nanoptek Corporation, Maynard, MA, August 9, 2011. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office today issued two patents to Nanoptek Corporation (“Nanoptek” or “The Company”). The Company now has five U.S. Patents, including U.S. Patent No. 7,947,221 that issued in May, and nine patents pending or applied for, including four international. All are directed to Nanoptek’s core technology and business— products incorporating semiconductor photocatalysts that are nano-engineered (or “bandgap-shifted”) to work more efficiently with sunlight to produce hydrogen from water, or to detoxify and disinfect air and water.
Nanoptek President and C.E.O. John Guerra said, “The breadth and depth of The Company’s core technology are indicated by the two seemingly disparate patents issued today. U.S. Patent No. 7,992,528 directs Nanoptek’s semiconductor bandgap-shifting technology to an apparatus for hydrogen-fueled vehicles, while U.S. Patent No. 7,995,871 directs a dynamic form of our technology to an electromagnetic tuning and modulating device and process that could allow more information transfer in the increasingly crowded telecommunications bandwidth. As we continue to focus on our core business applications and begin to roll out products, these patents both enhance our already strong position in the field of nano-engineered or band-gap shifted semiconductors and, we expect, will provide licensing opportunities as well.”
Nanoptek Corporation, a privately held Delaware corporation located in Maynard, Massachusetts, is a clean-tech and renewable energy company developing bandgap-shifted photocatalytic technology based products to reduce global warming by addressing markets for carbon-free, locally produced hydrogen, and to detoxify and disinfect air and water. The Company’s website is www.nanoptek.com.
Contact
John M. Guerra
President and CEO
jguerra@nanoptek.com
Nanoptek CEO on TieCon East 2011 Technology and Fuels of the Future Panel
The IndUS Entrepreneurs (TiE) has invited John Guerra to be a panelist discussing Fuels of the Future.
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Nanoptek Nominated for 2011 World Technology Award
Nanoptek to Exhibit at Clean Technology Conference and Expo.
Maynard, MA. June 2, 2011. Nanoptek Corporation will be at Booth 712 at the Clean Technology Conference and Expo at the Hynes Auditorium in Boston Massachusetts June 14 and 15, 2011. Follow this link to see the floor plan. We look forward to seeing you there!
UPDATE: Thanks to all who came by to visit our booth.
Third U.S. Patent for Nanoptek Corporation
Maynard, MA. May 31, 2011. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has issued U.S. Patent No. 7,947,221 to Nanoptek Corporation for an apparatus utilizing stress-induced bandgap shifted photocatalysts for disinfection and detoxification of air, water, and surfaces. The patent issued May 24, 2011. In addition to the three issued patents, Nanoptek has eleven U.S. and international patents pending and/or applied for, and nine licensed patents.
Nanoptek Corporation Launches New Website
Maynard, MA. February 11, 2011. Nanoptek Corporation launches their new website tonight. While maintaining some style elements of the old site for continuity, the new site is entirely rebuilt and designed for streamlined browsing and faster access to all pages. All information is completely updated and reflects the up-to-the-minute status of the Company as it transitions from Pre-Production to Commercialization this year. John Guerra, President and CEO, said “We had many compliments on the previous site, and it had served us well since 2002; several improvements to its functionality and appearance in early 2008 kept it going until now. But with the internet and browsers changing so much, as well as changes in our Company, it was time for a completely new site. We are very happy with how site designer MVG Designs captured the spirit of Nanoptek for presentation to the online community; the crisp look and smooth, logical functionality make this site a winner.”
Nanoptek Corporation Announces it is Taking Pre-Orders for SHG300
Nanoptek Corp. Article in Cryogas International Journal Feb. 10, 2011
Follow this link to the article “Efficient Hybrid Solar Generator” by John M. Guerra. It was originally published in the February 2011 issue of Cryogas International (Vol. 49, No. 2) and this PDF is provided with their permission.
Nanoptek Board Member and Investor David Gelbaum Wins Prestigious Award
Maynard, MA. November 20, 2010. David Gelbaum, Nanoptek Corp. Board Member, Chairman of The Quercus Trust, and CEO of Entech Solar, was presented with the coveted 2010 Civilian Service Award by Admiral Mike Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, for Mr. Gelbaum’s generous contributions and support to veterans and their families. The IAVA Civilian Service Award is presented to an individual who has demonstrated unwavering support for America’s newest generation of heroes. IAVA is the nation’s first and largest nonprofit, nonpartisan group representing the troops and veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Nanoptek Corporation Files International Patent Application
Nanoptek’s First Installation of Solar Hydrogen Generators at Mill Pond in Maynard, Massachusetts (2009)
Massachusetts Hydrogen Coalition Presents Award for Outstanding Achievement to Nanoptek President
Maynard, MA. February 13, 2008. Donald “Brad” Bradshaw, President of the Massachusetts Hydrogen Coalition (MHC), together with Treasurer Radha Jalan, CEO of Electrochem, presented an award during the MHC meeting to John Guerra, President and CEO of Nanoptek Corp., “for his outstanding leadership and dedication to expanding the frontiers of the Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Industry.”
The award continues:
“In recognition of Outstanding Achievement in technology innovation, global vision of the hydrogen economy and in marshalling the resources and partnerships necessary to accelerate the transition to the hydrogen economy, John has been a constant champion of the hydrogen and fuel cell industry. He is also recognized for his passionate commitment to helping the world realize renewable solar hydrogen production, bringing his technical prowess in optics and nano technology to bear on the hydrogen and fuel cell industry at Nanoptek.”
A surprised John and his wife Suzanne accepted the award gratefully. Click to enlarge:
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Nanoptek Corporation Awarded Second U.S. Patent
Maynard, MA. December, 2009. Nanoptek Corp. has received their second patent. U.S. Patent 7,628,928 is for the method of disinfection and detoxification of air, water, and surfaces with stress-induced bandgap shifted photocatalysts.
Nanoptek Corporation Awarded U.S. Patent
Maynard, MA, March 2009- Nanoptek Corporation has been awarded U.S. Patent No. 7,485,799 “Stress-Induced Bandgap-Shifted Semiconductor Photoelectrolytic, Photocatalytic, Photovoltaic Surface and Method for Making Same” for a more efficient way of making hydrogen from water and sunlight using Nanoptek’s improved photocatalyst and photoelectrolytic cell.
Nanoptek’s patented technology for producing hydrogen, unlike the way most hydrogen is produced, is completely carbon-free and renewable. Nanoptek envisions that this innovation will promote the use of hydrogen for producing “green” electricity and even powering fuel cell vehicles, in addition to providing hydrogen for use as an important chemical feedstock for manufacturing, especially in remote off-grid and off-pipeline regions in the U.S and around the world.
Titania (titanium dioxide), when illuminated with ultraviolet light, is a photocatalyst in that it reduces the voltage required to dissociate water into hydrogen and oxygen. However, the scarcity of ultraviolet light in sunlight here on earth severely limits titania’s efficiency. Nanoptek’s innovation allows titania to absorb and be activated by more of the light in the solar spectrum, not just ultraviolet, in a process known as “bandgap shifting.”
Nanoptek’s scientists achieve this bandgap shift by growing titania films onto nanostructures that are essentially very small arches. Conceptually, these arches force each successive layer of titania molecules to stretch in order to “line up” with the previous layer during growth of the film. As the titania is stretched, electrons in the titania molecules are less tightly bound, and so are more easily excited by light with lower energy than ultraviolet light, in this case some of the more abundant visible light. The excited electrons drive a process known as photoelectrolysis, the end result of which is dissociation of water into hydrogen and oxygen gases.
“In the nearly seven years since this invention, we have continuously built on and vigorously moved the technology toward commercialization,” Nanoptek president and CEO John M. Guerra said. “This patent protection of Nanoptek’s key technology further strengthens our commercialization position going forward.”
The Company has seven additional patents pending, all claiming the benefit of this issued patent.
Nanoptek Corporation (www.nanoptek.com), a privately held Delaware C corporation founded in 2002, is developing technology and products for producing hydrogen from water and sunlight.
Nanoptek Corp. Leases 6,050 Sq. Ft. at Mill Pond Square in Maynard, MA.
Released by Nanoptek Corp., Maynard, MA, June 20, 2008. Nanoptek Corporation, a company developing technology that produces hydrogen from water and sunlight, announced today that it is moving to Mill Pond Square, 63 Great Road, in Maynard Massachusett. 
Mill Pond Square has both the charms of an old mill building as well as completely modern updates, including large column-less floor expanses. It is situated on the beautiful Mill Pond, and being at the intersection of Routes 117 and 62, it is easily located and accessible to visitors, and provides ample adjacent parking.
John Guerra, President and CEO, said “The new facility is a perfect fit for this next stage in our corporate growth and identity, as it provides the space and functionality our growing team requires to meet our ambitious technical and business goals over the next few years.”
The lease with 63 Great Road Partners LLC, a Massachusetts company in Concord, was brokered by The Stubblebine Company and O’Brien Commercial. “63 Great Road Partners LLC, our landlord, has been very accommodating and welcoming. And we are looking forward to meeting our neighbors from the exciting R&D companies already in the building,” said Guerra.
The new location has a large open floor plan that will accommodate Nanoptek’s expanding R&D labs, as well as ample room for product development and pilot manufacturing. The facility, which faces south for best solar exposure, includes a unique testing bay for pre-production prototypes of Nanoptek’s solar hydrogen generator, as well as a roof deck for long term testing of prototypes.
“We especially like the fact that we are still in Maynard, and only a few minutes walking distance from the amenities and our friends in downtown businesses,” added Guerra.
The move is expected to be complete in early July, 2008.
Nanoptek Corporation Secures $4.7M in Series A Round
MAYNARD, MA–(Marketwire – January 16, 2008). Nanoptek Corporation, a
renewable energy company that produces hydrogen directly from water using sunlight and its proprietary photocatalyst, today announced it has closed a $4.7M Series A equity financing round, led by The Quercus Trust, a California fund with multiple investments in clean technology and renewable energy. Ardour Capital Investments, LLC served as financial advisor in the transaction. Series A investors also included the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative (MTC) and private investors. With this investment, Nanoptek expects to complete the development of its field-deployable Solar Hydrogen Generator, develop pilot manufacturing capability, and install the first pilot plant for producing carbon-free hydrogen.
Most hydrogen today is produced by steam methane reformation (SMR) of natural gas feedstock. In addition to consuming natural gas, the SMR process releases carbon dioxide, a major greenhouse gas, into the atmosphere. Some hydrogen is produced by electrolysis of water, but this too results in carbon dioxide production unless the electricity used is from wind or solar.
Nanoptek’s Solar Hydrogen Generator (SHG) produces hydrogen directly from water using only sunlight and its proprietary photocatalyst in a process known as photoelectrochemical (PEC) water dissociation, or photolysis. No carbon dioxide is produced. Nanoptek has improved the
PEC process by developing a titania photocatalyst that absorbs significantly more sunlight than normal titania. Nanoptek’s patent pending technology achieves this with nano-structures that stress the titania. Developed over 5 years with funding from NASA, DOE Office of Basic Energy Sciences, and a SEED loan from MTC through the Renewable Energy Trust totaling over $1.3M, this “bandgap engineering” results in more efficient and lower-cost production of hydrogen from sunlight.
Nanoptek expects to sell the carbon-free locally produced hydrogen to customers with high value industrial applications, and plans to also make it available for applications including transportation, backup power, “green” electricity for municipalities, and off-grid off-pipe power generation.
About Nanoptek Corporation
Nanoptek Corporation, a Delaware corporation with headquarters in Maynard, Massachusetts, is a renewable energy company developing technology to reduce global warming by addressing markets for carbon-free, low-cost, locally produced hydrogen. The Company’s website is www.nanoptek.com.
Contact
John M. Guerra
President and CEO
(978) 461-0472
Department of Energy Renews Award to Nanoptek Corp. for FY2008.
(Released by Nanoptek Corp., June 18, 2007, Maynard, MA.). Nanoptek Corp. learned today that the Office of Basic Energy Sciences, Dept. of Energy, has renewed funding for FY 2008. Renewal is based on acceptance by the D.O.E. of Nanoptek’s annual technical progress and reporting.
Nanoptek Reincorporates in Delaware
(Released by Nanoptek Corp., April 19, 2007. Maynard, MA.). Nanoptek Corp., formerly incorporated in Massachusetts on Sept. 9, 2002, has reincorporated as a Delaware corporation in preparation for a Series A fundraising.
Department of Energy Announces Award to Nanoptek Corp.
(Released by Nanoptek Corp., May 25, 2005, Maynard, MA.). Nanoptek Corporation announced today that the Department of Energy (DOE) has chosen the Massachusetts corporation to perform basic research on its proprietary nano-structured titania thin film photocatalysts. The research funding will begin in FY2005, with a duration of three years.
The award is one of 70 research and development projects announced today by Secretary of Energy Samuel W. Bodman. The awards, totaling $64 million, are aimed at making hydrogen fuel cell vehicles and refueling stations available, practical and affordable for American consumers by 2020. The projects that were selected focus on fundamental science and enable revolutionary breakthroughs in hydrogen production, and storage in addition to new fuel cell technologies. Participants in the projects include more than 50 research organizations in 25 states.
“Since President Bush first laid out his vision for a hydrogen economy, we’ve witnessed incredible innovation and tremendous advancement,” Secretary of Energy Samuel Bodman said. “We hope that through our ingenuity, investment and effort, hydrogen vehicles will someday be as commonplace as the cars we drive today.”
John M. Guerra, President and CEO of Nanoptek, said, “This award is very important to Nanoptek, as it will enable new research as well as accelerate our ongoing research to improve the efficiency of our unique photocatalyst, thereby helping us to achieve our product and business goals. We are also pleased that Nanoptek was the only industry company selected for an award; all the other 69 awards went to prestigious government research labs and universities.”
The photocatalyst that Nanoptek is developing is used to split water into hydrogen fuel and oxygen, using only sunlight. By coating a thin film of titania semiconductor onto a plastic nano-structured surface, the film is changed at the nano-level such that it absorbs more of the visible sunlight than it otherwise would, for very good efficiency in converting sunlight into hydrogen.
Nanoptek has developed a manufacturing process that is compatible with today’s vast CD/DVD manufacturing infrastructure, so that the photocatalyst can be made abundantly and cheaply. The solar hydrogen generators that will use Nanoptek’s photocatalyst will supply hydrogen fuel on-site for use in home heating, internal combustion vehicles, and fuel cell vehicles. On-site production reduces or eliminates transport and storage issues. When Nanoptek’s solar hydrogen generators are coupled with fuel cells from other companies, clean electrical energy is produced, with the only byproduct being clean water.
Nanoptek Corp. is a privately-held Massachusetts C corporation currently funded with a NASA Phase II SBIR award, in addition to SEED funding from the Massachusetts Renewable Energy Trust. Nanoptek is located at 8 Clock Tower Place, Suite 120, Maynard, MA. 01754.
Clean Energy Companies Get Seed Funding From State
September 15, 2004. (Adapted from Boston Business Journal, Mass Hight Tech): Nanoptek is one of only 8 Clean Energy companies in Massachusetts to win competitve SEED (Sustainable Energy Economic Development) funding, announced today by the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative.
With the help of the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative (MTC), four local envirotech companies recently cleared that hurdle, landing a total of $1.66 million in funding to help develop and commercialize their alternative energy and environmental technologies.
“The program is aimed at funding companies and technologies in the early stage of commercialization,” said Karina Funk, emerging-technologies manager for MTC’s Renewable Energy Trust. “This is the kind of money that is the hardest for these kinds of companies to raise – the first $100,000 or so.”
The program, called the Sustainable Energy Economic Development (SEED) initiative and funded by the collaborative’s trust, is designed to help finance alternative-energy and related companies through the commercialization stage. This month, the group is finalizing its contracts with the four award recipients from the program’s second round and preparing for its next solicitation for proposals, which is scheduled for October.
Round-two award recipients are focused primarily on fuel cell technologies, with BTU International Inc. of North Billerica, CTP Hydrogen Corp. of Westborough and Safe Hydrogen LLC of Lexington developing different aspects of fuel cell manufacturing and storage. The final participant, Canton’s Ze-Gen Inc., is developing a biomass-gasification system for synthetic fuel generation.
Round one, said Funk, was more focused on solar technologies and involved three companies: Nanoptek Inc. of Wayland, SolarOne Solutions of Wellesley and Solectria Corp. of Woburn, which was purchased in January by Toronto’s Azure Dynamics for about $18 million in stock.
The SEED award amounts vary between $50,000 and $500,000.
Sigmar Tullmann, chief executive officer of Safe Hydrogen and co-founder of the Massachusetts Hydrogen Coalition is a proponent of the SEED program and feels it plays a key role in developing the envirotech community in the area. “In an area with strong sectors like software and medical technology, the energy segment is often overlooked and considered irrelevant until the products come to commercialization,” he said.
The initiative is open to any entrepreneurs working on sustainable energy technologies in Massachusetts, and it is getting proposals from both the business and academic communities. “There is a lot of technology like this coming out of universities,” Funk said. “But we are also starting to see some experienced entrepreneurs in materials science and other sectors bring in technologies.”
The primary goal of the initiative is to generate working capital for companies in the envirotech industry, but, according to Chris Kealey, spokesman for MTC, there is a secondary motive, as well. “We are working with companies that will create jobs and help build a clean-energy cluster around the state,” he said.
Nanoptek Corp. Moves to Clock Tower Place in Maynard, Massachusetts
Nanoptek Corporation moved into 8 Clock Tower Place, Suite 120, in Maynard, Massachusetts on March 1, 2004 (http://www.clocktowerplace.com/). The larger and newly refurbished facility provides Nanoptek the space necessary for completing the Phase II SBIR contract with NASA. Clock Tower Place has a rich manufacturing and R&D history dating back to 1846, with Building 8 constructed in 1870. It has been the home to Raytheon and Digital Equipment Corporation, where the first minicomputers were developed and manufactured, and now is home to Monster.com as well as over 100 other companies in 1.1 million square feet. Maynard is a richly diverse town with numerous pubs (the Sit ‘n Bull features live music by many well-known artists, for example) and restaurants, shops, Commonwealth Ballet, and a movie theater, with easy access to major highways (Rt. 2 and Rt. 495), and proximity to Logan and Worcester Airports. A shuttle runs regularly from Clock Tower Place to the West Acton Train Station, providing public transportation to Cambridge and Boston. In addition to its own rich manufacturing history, Maynard is proximal to historic Concord and Lexington, and is 30 minutes from Mt. Wachusett for excellent skiing.
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NASA Awards Phase II SBIR Contract to Nanoptek Corporation.
(Released by Nanoptek Corp., Nov. 28, 2003, Concord, MA.). N.A.S.A. (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) has awarded Nanoptek Corporation a Phase II S.B.I.R. (Small Business Innovative Research) contract to continue development of their clean hydrogen fuel generation technology, the company announced today. Only companies who successfully completed an earlier Phase I contract were eligible to compete for the Phase II award. The value of the contract is $600,000 and the project is expected to require two years.
Nanoptek’s hydrogen generation technology evolves hydrogen gas from water using only sunlight and their proprietary photolytic electrodes. Their unique technology promises higher efficiency, longer lifetime, and lower cost than competing technologies for hydrogen generation. Further, Nanoptek’s “point-of-use” hydrogen generation reduces the problems of hydrogen transport and storage.
The goal is to produce clean, abundant, and low cost hydrogen fuel to supply hydrogen cars using internal combustion engines. Major automotive companies have shown near-production-ready versions of such hydrogen cars, with some planning production models as early as 2005.
Water purification is another important application, where Nanoptek’s technology could evolve hydrogen from contaminated water to fuel others’ commercially available fuel cells. Fuel cells create electricity by recombining hydrogen with oxygen, producing clean water as a by-product. Such systems could be located anywhere in the world where there is sunlight and water, for production of both clean electricity and clean water.
John Guerra, President and C.E.O. of Nanoptek, said, “We’re extremely excited and proud that N.A.S.A. has chosen us as one of only 145 companies nation-wide for a Phase II award. This is a strong indicator of the need for and strengths of our technology, for both space and ground-based applications. N.A.S.A.’s support will help us to play a significant, and hopefully even enabling, role in making the Hydrogen Economy happen sooner rather than later.”
Nanoptek Corporation (www.nanoptek.com) is a privately held technology company located in Concord MA. Inquiries can be directed to JGuerra”at”nanoptek.com.
Nanoptek Booth at Microscopy and Microanalysis 2003
Nanoptek Corporation displayed their Digital Photon Tunneling Microscope™ as well as their Trident™ hand-held backscattered photon tunneling microscope at the Microscopy and Microanalysis show in San 
Antonio, Texas, this August. Although attendance was reportedly not as high as in recent years, the traffic at the Nanoptek booth was robust. Demonstrations of the PTM were pre-arranged with attendee’s samples, and were scheduled hourly over the week-long exhibit. Despite the over 100° weather, San Antonio provided a beautiful, historic, and friendly venue for the show.
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Nanoptek Corporation and Scientific Systems Sales Corp. Announce Exclusive Distribution Agreement for North America
(February, 2003) Nanoptek Corporation and Scientific Systems Sales Corp. (SSSC) announced today that they have signed a contract designating SSSC as the exclusive distributor for Nanoptek’s photon tunneling products in North America.
John Guerra, President and CEO of Nanoptek, said, “I’m excited to have SSSC as our exclusive North American distributor. Having purchased products from them in the past, I know firsthand their commitment and dedication to the customer, integrity, and technical excellence. I wanted a distributor for our products that shared Nanoptek’s values and dedication to the customer. SSSC’s product lines are known for their quality, value, and cutting-edge technology, and I am proud to have our PTM along side them.”
Arthur Posner, President of SSSC, said “We were convinced, after seeing the PTM for the first time, that this represents a significant breakthrough in surface characterization.”
SSSC’s principals include Matec Instruments (Scanning Acoustic Microscope), Princeton Gamma-Tech (Energy Dispersive X-ray Analysis and Imaging Systems), Quesant (Atomic Force Microscopes), SensIR (FT-IR Microscopes), and Witec Instruments Corp. (Scanning Near Field Optical Microscope (SNOM) and Confocal Raman Microscopes). With the addition of Nanoptek’s photon tunneling microscope, customer’s have a one-stop shop at SSSC for their surface analysis needs.
Nanoptek Corporation is a privately held Massachusetts corporation developing applications of their nano and near-field optical technology for the microscopy and energy markets.
Scientific Systems Sales Corp. is a privately held Massachusetts corporation with over 40 years of dedication to serving and advancing the microscopy and materials characterization community. SSSC takes pride in professionalism and commitment to total customer satisfaction. Their main office is located in Great Barrington, MA and they can be reached at 413-528-8030 or at sssc”at”bcn.net.
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NASA Awards Phase 1 SBIR to Nanoptek Corporation
(December, 2002) NANOPTEK Corporation is one of only 270 companies selected for a 2002 Phase I contract under NASA’s Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program. NASA received 2,283 SBIR and STTR proposals submitted by small, high technology businesses from 48 states and the District of Columbia.
NANOPTEK Corporation’s winning proposal, “Stress-induced bandgap-shifted titania photocatalyst for hydrogen generation,” involves NANOPTEKs’ proprietary (patent pending) nano-engineered titania optics in a novel approach for hydrogen generation from light and water.
John M. Guerra, president and chief executive of Nanoptek Corporation, said “We are very proud and excited to have won this contract from NASA. The SBIR funding will allow us to pursue a technology that we believe will be important to the future growth of our business, but more importantly will ultimately be one of the solutions to the global need for clean energy from hydrogen, as well as an enabling technology for extended manned spaceflight.”
SBIR goals are to stimulate technical innovation, increase the use of small business in meeting federal research and development needs, and increase private sector commercialization of results of federally funded research.
The nine NASA field centers reviewed proposals for technical merit and feasibility and relevance to NASA research and technology requirements.
Companies that successfully complete Phase I activities are eligible to compete for Phase II selection the following year. The Phase II award allows for a two-year, fixed-price contract in the amount up to $600,000.
The NASA SBIR/STTR Program Management Office is located at the Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD, with executive oversight by NASA’s Office of Aerospace Technology, NASA Headquarters, Washington DC.
Nanoptek Corporation is located in Concord, MA.
Avon Products Purchases Digital PTM
(November, 2002) NANOPTEK Corporation is pleased to announce that it has delivered a Digital Photon Tunneling Microscope upgrade to Avon Products Corporation in Suffern, NY.
John M. Guerra, President and CEO of NANOPTEK, said “With our sale of a PTM to CMC Magnetics last month, this delivery to Avon illustrates the breadth of application of our PTM. Dr. Gopi Menon, a respected researcher in dermatology, purchased the PTM based on results obtained with the older analog version. The new Digital PTM offers superior calibration and metrology, with a full array of image processing functions.”
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CMC Magnetics Purchases Digital PTM
(October, 2002) NANOPTEK Corporation is pleased to announce that it has 
delivered a Digital Photon Tunneling Microscope upgrade to CMC Magnetics Corporation in Taiwan, R.O.C.
John M. Guerra, President and CEO of NANOPTEK, said “CMC Magnetics Corporation is one of the largest manufacturers of CD-R, CD-RW, DVD-R, and DVD-RW optical media in the world. Their quality, innovation, and manufacturing strengths are renowned. We are honored that they chose our PTM.”
Dr. Donyau Chang, Vice President of Engineering at CMC Magnetics, was impressed with a demonstration of the PTM that he was given. After further evaluation of samples from CMC with the PTM, the order was placed.
CMC Magnetics Corporation is one of the world’s largest optical disc manufacturers. CMC’s DVD+RW media has recently been certified by Philips, making CMC the first among the Taiwanese manufacturers.
CMC will use the PTM to inspect masters, stampers, substrates, and coatings
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Nanoptek Corporation Secures License to Polaroid Corp. Patents
(October, 2002) Nanoptek Corporation announces that it has secured license to 9 patents belonging to Polaroid Corp. Together, the patents comprise 248 broad and deep claims to nano-optic and near-field optical inventions, including the photon tunneling microscope, flexible near-field transducer probes, the Trident dark-field photon tunneling microscope, near-field lithography, phase-shifted evanescent field microscope, diffractive near-field optics, and near-field flying height metrology. The scope of the license includes international patents.
John M. Guerra, President and CEO of Nanoptek Corporation, said, “These important patents, together with our proprietary know-how and patents pending, provide Nanoptek Corporation with a strong technology platform and product pipeline to fuel our growth well into the next decade and beyond.”
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Nanoptek Incorporates
(September, 2002) Nanoptek announces that it has incorporated under the laws of Massachusetts as Nanoptek Corporation, Concord, MA, on Sept. 9, 2002.
Near-field Optics Pioneer Founds NANOPTEK to Commercialize Nano and Near-field Optical Technology and Instrumentation
(June, 2002) John M. Guerra, P.E., the inventor of photon tunneling microscopy (PTM) and other near-field optical technology, has founded 
NANOPTEK in Concord, Massachusetts (USA), to develop and commercialize nano- and near-field optical technology and instrumentation. Guerra, who is CEO and President, is joined by Dr. Dmitri Vezenov, also an innovator in near-field and nano-optic technology. Dr. Vezenov is Vice President of Technology. Guerra and Vezenov first joined forces while at Polaroid Corporation, and continued their work in near-field optical data storage and microscopy as the “East Coast” near-field lab of Calimetrics, Inc., an R&D technology startup in California.
NANOPTEK’s “out of the box” product family includes an all-new Digital PTM, the Trident PTM for rougher industrial surfaces, NanOptic nano-optic substrate engineering samples, and NFNow! rigorous near-field optical modeling software.
NANOPTEK also provides PTM and modeling services, and consulting in near-field and nano-optics for such near-field applications as lithography, optical disc mastering, and bio-assay.