Physics鈥� Shay Curran Discusses Integricote, the First UH Nanotech Company
Physics Professor Shay Curran of the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics used nanotechnology to create a water and stain repellant coating for wood, masonry and concrete. The idea became , the first UH nanotech company.
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鈥� KUHF. 鈥淕oing from a benchtop, good scientific idea to something where people are saying,
鈥榶es, I鈥檓 going to spend my hard earned cash dollars on it,鈥� is a huge, huge valley,鈥�
Curran said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 the typical valley of death for startup companies.鈥�
The coating is used by contractors in Texas and is distributed by Binford Supply. Commercializing nanotechnology is a national effort, but getting good research ideas out of the lab is a journey.
鈥淎 lot of big companies don鈥檛 have the scope or the research mandate to go and make new discoveries. In Universities, we鈥檙e given a blank slate and we鈥檙e told go discover, see how far you can push technology,鈥� he said. 鈥淯niversities provide the skilled talent, not only the scientists and the engineers, but also the skilled business people.鈥�
Integricote is housed at the UH Energy Research Park, where vats churn all the ingredients to make the water and stain repellant鈥攈eating it up, then cooling it down鈥攎aking about 200 gallons in about three hours. Orders are coming in, requiring more staff, marketing and sales people.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a significant journey,鈥� Curran said. 鈥淭here鈥檚 a difference between having a good idea to something that is fantastic and out in the marketplace. Takes an awful lot of effort.鈥�
Commercialized Research is part of what鈥檚 happening at the 葫芦影业.
- Marisa Ramirez, University Media Relations