By Shiri Epstein, NoCamels -
An Israeli company has developed a nanomaterial (a substance made of minuscule components) from carbon that is fireproof, lightweight and sustainable — making it an ideal component for enhancing the properties of plastics used in planes, trains, and yes even automobiles.
The proprietary carbon nanotubes (CNTs) developed by Petah Tikva-based Nemo Nanomaterials can be mass produced in order to supplement a large range of parts, including those that conduct electricity.
The name of the company stems from the concept of Nano Enhanced Material Of the future, which the founders abbreviated to Nemo.
VP Business Development Jonathan Antebi says he and co-founder and CEO Alexander Zinigrad began to develop the tubes after realizing the potential of existing nanotechnology to enhance various kinds of plastics, among them the polyethylene used in wires and cables.
Antebi tells NoCamels that there had been a buzz about CNTs for around 30 years, but with the exception of lithium battery production (a “totally different vertical,” according to Antebi), no one had ever tried to use them on an industrial scale.
And so in 2018, Antebi, a veteran of the plastic industry, and Zinigrad, a material engineer, began working on commercializing carbon nanotubes.
“We established Nemo to take the promise of nanocarbons and bring it into industrial reality,” Antebi says.
What they came up with was a product called NemoBLEND – tiny nanocarbon tubes that the company sells in buckets by the weight, with a minimum of 20 kilos.
This NemoBLEND can be used in three different types of industrial solution, Antebi says.
The first is electrical conductivity, for despite not mustering the strength of metal as conductors, the tubes are still powerful. They can be used with low levels of electricity, primarily to eliminate the need for a metal layer used as a conductor in many products.
The second is electromagnetic interference. The tubes are embedded into different types of plastics to prevent a disruption in the normal operation of electronic devices, something usually caused by electromagnetic signals.
These devices include sensitive products such as radar systems or radios, which are particularly vulnerable to these signals.
Lastly, the tubes can be used in items that must have some level of flame resistance, such as modes of transportation whose performance relies on flammable materials like gasoline.
“We enable EMI shielding [preventing electromagnetic disruption] to be embedded in the plastic, plus electrical conductivity, plus the ability to have a flame retardant and still maintain mechanical properties,” Antebi says.
He compares the combination of the plastic and tubes to separate food ingredients that are cooked together to create an appetizing meal.
And while many similar products only are available in black, the tubes can be mixed with other dark hues to create colored plastic.
Nemo jointly won the startup category of the recent Climate Solution Prize, sharing a $1.3 million award with six other nascent Israeli companies as part of an initiative to encourage innovation in this field.
The competition called Nemo a “game changer” in the environmental impact of manufacturing, in particular with regards to metalwork.
The tubes are extremely versatile and can be used in the production of almost any item that includes plastic, explains Antebi. He says Nemo tubes are used by the manufacturers of both electric and fuel cars, electronic goods, medical devices, airplanes and locomotives.
Furthermore, he says, Nemo tubes are cost effective for manufacturers as they reduce the amounts of plastic required and bring down production prices. They are also easy to store and maintain their integrity until they are needed.
The startup has received funding from the Israel Innovation Authority (the government branch dedicated to promoting the country’s high-tech sector), as well as private investors. It has also started to market the tubes in the United States and in Europe, including a project with an Italian gas company to “significantly improve” its pipe installation process and in a more sustainable manner.
Antebi envisions a future for the company in which NemoBLEND is used in every industry, becoming a regular component for multiple manufacturers and credits his colleagues for making a dream into a sustainable reality.
“A team of experts – of engineering, mechanical plastics, chemistry – enabled us to take an idea and convert it into actual up-and-running technology,” he says.
“It enabled us to make a difference.”
