The Coretec Group Inc. in Ann Arbor has filed a provisional patent for its “efficient and scalable” way of making silicon quantum dots, which meet the requirements of LED manufacturers along with silicon anodes for next-generation batteries, drug delivery, and medical diagnostics.
The market currently lacks methods to make SiQDs efficiently, which has impeded market adoption, according to The Coretec Group, which says it has leveraged its existing intellectual property, targeted routes, and unique chemistries.
Most quantum dots on the market today contain toxic metals that severely limit their market reach as well as can be harmful to the environment,” Coretec Group says. SiQDs are metal-free QDs that possess the favorable properties of their toxic metal-containing counterparts with the added benefits of elemental abundance, biological compatibility, and optical properties.
“Quantum dots and quantum silicon materials have many applications from LEDs and batteries to medical imaging and quantum computing,” says Matthew Kappers, CEO of The Coretec Group. “This patent is part of our larger intellectual property portfolio and business strategy to pursue these emerging markets and its technology needed to support global growth.”
With this patent application, The Coretec Group says it demonstrates that nanoparticles or quantum dots or nanocrystals, take on unique properties due to quantum confinement. Furthermore, the result from three-dimensional confinement of electrons and holes that make silicon quantum dots have properties distinct from bulk silicon. In general, when considerations of strong confinement are desired, production of amorphous silicon quantum dots are superior.
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