Its an exciting time for Brampton, Ont.-based Hy-Power Nano, a startup in the growing nanotechnology space, and theres a lot more to come, said Joseph Grzyb, the companys chief executive.
This summer the one-year-old company launched its first nanotechnology enabled product, the Hy-Power Clear Liquid Solar Blocker. The products infra-red blocking properties keep heat out in the summer and in during the winter. It is the first in what Hy-Power Nano envisions as a series of proprietary technologies and products it will be developing.
The company was able to fast-track the development and commercialization of the solar blocker because of its relationship with Hadi Mahabadi, who received the Order of Canada in June 2012 for his internationally recognized innovations in the field of polymer science and his commitment to promoting scientific development in Canada. For many years he was vice-president and director of the Xerox Research Centre of Canada, where he was responsible for spearheading innovations and bringing them to market.
He joined Hy-Power Nano as chief operating officer this past summer.
But how he ended up at the company is a complex story.
Hy-Power Nano is a subsidiary of Hy-Power Coatings and is focused on providing innovative nano-enabled industrial coatings, Mr. Grzyb said. Its the next generation of Hy-Power Coatings, which has been in business since 1967 and built its reputation as a pioneer of onsite electro-static refinishing and a leader in electrostatic powder coating in Canada.
Powder coating is a way of applying protective and decorative finish to a range of materials used in industrial and consumer applications. Electrostatic spraying provides a charge to the powder (finely ground particles of pigment and resin) as it is being applied. The finish is slick, durable and uniform.
We started thinking about how we could improve, knowing that if we entered the nanotechnology space we could develop products that would offer solar, thermal and a number of other energy saving properties in the coating field.
Nanotechnology is going to be huge for coatings for the application process, Mr. Grzyb said. We decided to create Hy-Power Nano as a separate subsidiary because we want to move beyond coatings into electronics.
There are people who believe that in the next 20 years technology will mean nanotechnology because of the power of nanotechnology, Mr. Mahabadi said, pointing to the fact that about $20-billion a year is invested in nanotechnology by industry worldwide.
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Star power helps fast track nanotechnology invention
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