Our Services
NanoSpire, Inc.
NanoSpire, Inc. was founded in December, 2001 to commercialize a new generation of cavitation reentrant jet-based high shear nanotechnology tools and processes. NanoSpire provides the first nanotechnology tools capable of low nanometer, high-shear particle milling by harnessing and directing the energy of cavitation microjets. NanoSpire technology can be used for a wide range of nanofabrication applications. NanoSpire’s team has been invited to present at numerous nanotechnology conferences. NanoSpire won the prestigious Innovation Technology Award at the Nanotech 2003 + Future Conference in Tokyo. Using a NICOMP 370 particle size analyzer, we have consistently shown that the NanoSpire ultra-high shear cavitation jet mixer can produce dispersions of virtually any material and emulsions well into the low nanometer range with unprecedented efficiency and uniformity compared to ultrasound, high pressure homogenizers and other methods. NanoSpire is pursuing licensing and forming joint ventures with strategic partners using our disruptive technology.
Value Proposition
NanoSpire’s high-shear cavitation mixers enable manufacturers in their respect spaces to significantly reduce nanophase material manufacturing expenses while providing value-added performance features that have typically demanded a premium or have been otherwise unavailable. NanoSpire high-shear cavitation mixers will serve potentially thousands of industries, promising strong growth and diversifying NanoSpire’s product and service mix. NanoSpire will quickly gain traction in all markets as word spreads of the unique disruptiveness of harnessed cavitation reentrant jet technology.
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Applications
- Nano and Micro Particle Dispersion
- Emulsification
- Cell Rupture
- Homogenization
- High Shear Mixing
- Microencapsulation
- Wet Milling
- Nanomaterials Synthesis
Meet the Team
Mark L. LeClair -CEO & Founder
Mark is the inventor of NanoSpire's core technology and has over 30 yrs of expertise in cavitation. Mark is a former Trident II underwater launch hydrodynamicist at Lockheed Missiles & Space Co. Mark graduated from Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) in mechanical engineering (1988 MSME, 1983 BSME w/honors) with a concentration in fluid dynamics, heat transfer, thermodynamics, CFD, physics and nuclear engineering.
Patents:
LeClair, M. L., Method and Apparatus for the Controlled Formation of Cavitation Bubbles. US Patent 7,517,430, Apr. 14, 2009
LeClair, M. L., Method and Apparatus for the Controlled Formation of Cavitation Bubbles, US Patent 7,297,288, Nov. 20, 2007
LeClair, M. L., Method and Apparatus for the Controlled Formation of Cavitation Bubbles Using Target Bubbles, US Patent 6,960,307, Nov. 1, 2005
LeClair, M. L., Method and Apparatus for the Controlled Formation of Cavitation Bubbles Using Target Bubbles, US Patent 6,932,914, Aug. 23, 2005
NanoSpire Advisors:
Prof. Christopher Brennen - Professor Emeritus, Mechanical Engineering, California Institute of Technology. Author of Cavitation and Bubble Dynamics.
Capt. Edmond Pope (US Navy Intelligence Officer, ret.) - Coauthor of Torpedoed
Serge Lebid, President & Co-Founder
Former VP and founder of another cavitation-based nanophase materials company, Serge has extensive experience in sales of cavitation processing equipment both domestically and internationally.
Applications
Graphite Processing
Graphite has been processed with unprecendented results by NanoSpire high-shear cavitation reentrant jet milling technology. Flake graphite with 140 um particle size was reduced to 9 microns in one pass. 5 micron graphite was reduced to 0.5 um in one pass. The 0.5 um graphite was then processed into the low nanometer range. Compare to high pressure homogenizers which require 100 passes to reduce graphite from 9 microns to 3 microns. Low nanometer graphite using our proprietary process control was transformed into spheres ranging from 10 nanometers up to 100 nanometers, including 24.7 microns in size, the ideal diameter for coating electric car battery anodes.
High Shear Processing Advantages:
- 4X Greater Shear Rates
- 16 X Greater Impact Energy
- Lower Equipment Cost/Throughput
- Energy Consumption 100X Less than other Current High Shear Technology
- Ultra High Repeatability, Control and Reliable Scale-up
- Smaller Footprint & Less Weight
- Achieve Low Nanometer Particle Size Distributions with any Material
- Less Wear, Lower Maintenance, Easier Cleanup
Stable Nano-Emulsions w/o Surfactants
Stable emulsions can be produced by NanoSpire ultra-high shear technology, without the need for surfactants. Oil drop size is reduced down to the low nanometer range where Brownian motion prevents the bouyant drops from rising. Canola Oil emulsions are still stable 45 months after processing with no surfactants.
Heavy fuel oil Bunker C was processed by NanoSpire high-shear cavitation reentrant jet milling technology. The fuel oil was heated to 150 deg C and mixed 50/50 with water by weight. The resulting clear emulsion (2.4 nm oil drop size) is still unseparated 45 months later with no surfactants.
Algae Oil Extraction
The current bottleneck in competitive utilization of algae for biofuel is cost effective oil extraction. Traditional methods such as ultrasound and high shear homogenizers can extract oil from algae cells, but emulsify the oil as quickly as it is extracted from the cells with the surrounding water. The over-processed, emulsified algae oil/water mixtures are rendered difficult and expensive to separate.
Nanospire cavitation jet processing technology can be tuned to cost effectively extract the oil from algae cells without emulsifying the extracted oil. Cells are impacted at a firing rate using tiny jets that pierce the cells and release the oil, but do not over-process and emulsify the resulting oil/water/membrane mixture.
Our results show oil floating to the top and cell membranes sinking to the bottom after processing (left). This is accomplished at a fraction of the energy and price per gallon required by other high-shear technologies. Similarly, the firing rate and jet size can be increased to instead cause emulsification, for water/fuel emulsification. NanoSpire technology is positioned to dominate the high shear processing market in algae oil extraction and water fuel emulsions.