The Israeli nanotechnology company ApNano Materials said that its chief scientific advisor, Prof. Rashef Tana, won the prestigious medal of the American Materials Research Society
Prof. Reshef Tana
The Israeli nanotechnology company ApNano Materials said that its chief scientific advisor, Prof. Rashef Tana, won the prestigious medal of the American Materials Research Society for "recognizing that layered materials such as molybdenum sulfide and tungsten sulfide can fold into a hollow cage-like structure, similar to carbon in the Griffith building. These structures, known as inorganic polars, created a new group of materials with new and exciting properties."
The medal of the American Association for Materials Science is awarded for a notable discovery that has a significant impact on fields related to materials.
Professor Rashef Tana is the head of the Materials and Surfaces Department at the Weizmann Institute of Science, the head of the Helen and Martin Kimmel Center for Nanoscience Research, the head of the Minerva Center named after Prof. Gerhad M.Y. Schmidt for Supramolecular Architecture and Head of the Drake Family Nanotechnology Chair.
ApNano Materials received from "Yeda Research and Development Ltd.", the commercial arm of the Weizmann Institute, an exclusive license for the production, transfer to commercial lines and sale of the new nanotechnological materials based on inorganic compounds discovered by the group headed by Prof. Tana. Dr. Menachem Ganot, currently CEO of ApNano Materials, was a researcher in the group and the one who synthesized the new material for the first time within the research group.
"It is a great honor for me to receive the medal of the American Materials Research Association and to join the distinguished list of my predecessors who won the medal" said Prof. Tana. "This is recognition of my colleagues and my team members and I am grateful for the opportunity that fell to me to contribute to materials science."
"It is a great honor for us that the company's chief scientific advisor, Prof. Rashef Tana, won the medal of the American Association for Materials Research" said Dr. Menachem Ganot, CEO of ApNano Materials. "Our first commercial material based on inorganic fullerenes that we discovered at the Weizmann Institute is NanoLub - the world's first dry lubricant based on nanotechnology. The material significantly reduces friction and wear, better than conventional lubricants, especially in extreme situations such as very high load. NanoLub is used as an additive to lubricants, as an anti-wear coating and can also be absorbed into metal parts."
"The scientific breakthrough of Professor Tana and his group aroused great interest among investors who invested in ApNano Materials as a company at the forefront of nanotechnology" said Aaron Feuerstein, chairman of ApNano Materials. "This is an example of how an Israeli scientific vision can lead to foreign investments in the hi-tech industry in Israel."
ApNano's nanoparticles have recently been recognized as one of the strongest protective materials in the world. The experiments were carried out by a research team led by Prof. Yan Qiu Zhu from the Department of Mechanics, Materials and Production Engineering of the University of Nottingham in England.
The special properties of the inorganic fullerenes arouse great interest in industry around the world. To date, the company has already created the material at its facility in the Weizmann Science Park in Nes Ziona. Today, the company is before the construction of a semi-industrial facility that will produce between 100 and 200 kg per day. After that, an industrial facility will be built that will produce tons of the material every day." The company received letters of intent from global manufacturers of lubricants to supply thousands of tons of the material per year.
ApNano Materials was recently selected by Red Herring magazine as one of the 100 most innovative and promising companies.
ApNano Materials (www.apnano.com) is a private company founded in 2002 by Dr. Menachem Gnot, who serves as the company's CEO and Mr. Aharon Feuerstein, who serves as the chairman of the board and chief financial officer. The company was incorporated in the USA and its development center - Nanomaterials Ltd. - is located in the science park in Ness Ziona. The company received from "Yida Research and Development Ltd", the commercial arm of the Weizmann Institute, an exclusive license for the production, transfer to commercial channels and sale of the new nanotechnological materials. The Israeli subsidiary - Nanomaterials Ltd. is fully owned by the parent company. The shareholders of ApNano Materials, besides the founders, are the venture capital fund Newton Technology Ventures, Yeda Research and Development Ltd. - the commercial arm of the Weizmann Institute, and AYYT Technological Applications and Date Update - the commercial arm of the Technological Academic Institute in Holon and private investors.
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