Hans Tech is a company that received a STTR PHASE I grant for a project entitled: Fabrication of Aluminum Matrix Nanocomposites. Their project will develop a reliable and effective processing technique to produce a next-generation metal matrix composite comprised of aluminum oxide or silicon carbide nanoparticles dispersed in an aluminum alloy metal matrix. The proposed technology combines the merits of the traditional stirring method and the latest high-intensity ultrasonic processing technology. The use of an impeller stirrer creates a vortex to efficiently pull the lighter nanoparticles into the melt. The use of high-intensity ultrasonic vibration breaks up the nanoparticles clusters and disperses the nanoparticles into the melt. The successful completion of the Phase I project will lead to a breakthrough technology for the processing of metal matrix nanocomposite materials and for the utilization of lightweight materials for applications at elevated temperatures and critical conditions. The technology can be used to reinforce aluminum, magnesium, or other lightweight materials for replacing iron, steel, or titanium components for automotive, power transmission, aviation, and defense applications, leading to significant energy savings, cost savings, and environmental benefits. The U.S. transportation industry continues to focus on the increased use of lightweight alloys for weight and energy savings. Hans Tech is a company that received a SBIR Phase I grant for a project entitled: Reinforcement of Lightweight Material Castings with Dissimilar Metals. Their project aims to advance the cast-on technology for the metal casting industry to produce lightweight metal composite castings. Cast-on method is a cost effective method for the reinforcement of casting with dissimilar metals but suffers from defect formation such as de-bond, oxidation, and porosity at the casting/reinforcement interface. The project combines the merits of the cast-on method and the latest high-intensity ultrasonic processing. The use of high-intensity ultrasonic vibration technique in the cast-on process detaches oxides and bubbles at the surfaces of the insert, drives them away from the reinforcement/casting interface, and enhances the metallurgical interaction of the castings with the reinforcement metal. Furthermore, the grain size in the casting adjacent to the bond is reduced significantly. As a result, a strong and defect-free metallurgical bond is produced between the reinforcement insert and the casting. The boarder impact/commercial potential of this project will be a breakthrough technology for the cast-on process and will increase the competitiveness of the U.S. metal casting, automotive, and defense industries in the global market, retaining or creating new jobs. This technology can be used to reinforce aluminum castings, magnesium castings, or castings of other lightweight materials for replacing heavy metal components for automotive, aviation, and defense applications, leading to significant energy savings, cost savings, and improved emission control. The U.S. transportation industry continues to focus on the increased use of lightweight alloys for weight reduction and energy savings. According to the data from the United States Automotive Materials Partnership (USAMP), a 15% weight reduction due to the use of lightweight components improves fuel efficiency by at least 10%. Decreasing fuel consumption by 10% reduces gasoline consumption in the United States by 10 billion gallons per year. This would translate into energy savings of 1,150 trillion Btu/year, a reduction of CO2 emissions by 200 billion lbs/year, and cost savings of $25 billion/year at current pump prices of $2.50/gallon. Hans Tech is a company that received a STTR Phase I grant for a project entitled: Reinforcement of Lightweight Material Castings with Dissimilar Metals. Their project will utlize ultrasonic vibrations during pouring of molten metal around a reinforcement insert placed in a mold and during solidification of the composite casting. The proposed processing route will help develop a defect-free metallurgical bond between two dissimilar metals. The proposed technology can be applied to reinforcing lightweight castings including aluminum and magnesium; thereby replacing iron and steel components for automotive, aviation, and defense applications. The use of this technology, therefore, has the potential to contribute to significant energy savings, cost savings, and emission control.

Catalytic Materials is a company focused on the medical equipment manufacturing and service sector. The company's main offerings include the development, production, and sale of medical diagnostic equipment, specifically devices for in vitro diagnosis and point-of-care testing. The company primarily serves the healthcare industry. It is based in Pittsboro, North Carolina.

Xtalic is a company focused on the development of advanced material technologies, specifically nanostructured metal alloys, within the materials science industry. The company's main offerings include the design and production of sustainable, high-performance nanostructured metal alloys that enhance the performance of various products, from waterproof smartphones to electric vehicles. Xtalic primarily serves sectors such as the electronics industry, the automotive industry, and the data communications industry. It was founded in 2005 and is based in Marlborough, Massachusetts.

ADA Technologies is a manufacturing company focused on the development and production of innovative products in the advanced materials sector. The company's main offerings include advanced energy storage solutions, electro-mechanical solutions, and high-performance materials. ADA Technologies primarily serves advanced market customers requiring customized product solutions. It is based in Englewood, Colorado.

Q-Flo Ltd was spun out of Cambridge University in mid 2004 to commercialise research findings in the areas of advanced nano-enabled materials, specifically in the area of carbon nanotube materials and their applications. The company was financed initially by its founders Prof Alan Windle and Dr Martin Pick. Operationally the company is embedded within the Department of Materials Science and Metallurgy and has negotiated a 'soft' pipeline intellectual property agreement with the University. With a portfolio approach to the market place the company is active globally in developing its intellectual property base. At present the focus remains sharply on the area of carbon nanotube enabled materials.n

Supercon is a company that received a SBIR Phase II grant for a project entitled: A New Production Method for Ta Fibers for Use in Electrolytic Capacitors with Improved Performance and Packaging Options. Their project is intended to develop a new process for manufacturing tantalum (Ta) metal fibers for use in producing tantalum capacitors, and advance this process to the stage of commercialization. This technology, which has been demonstrated in Phase I, could lead to capacitor products having higher performance and greater volumetric efficiency than any currently available. The use of fibers in place of metal powder allows the production of thin anode bodies leading to improved packing options and component performance. The innovation underlying the technology is bundle drawing of Ta filaments in a copper matrix. A composite consisting of Ta filaments in a copper matrix is drawn is a series of reduction steps until the filaments are less than about 10 microns in diameter. The drawn wire is rolled to produce ribbon-type filaments that are 1 micron or less in thickness. The copper composite matrix is chemically dissolved without attacking the Ta to produce metallic Ta high surface area, ribbon-fibers. The fibers are formed into thin mats, which are sintered to produce porous metal strips from which high surface area capacitor anodes are made. A significant aspect of this approach is that fiber morphology can be varied over a wide of fiber thicknesses unlike powder. This allows the morphology of the fibers to be optimized for the particular voltage rating and use requirements in order to maximize the performance of the capacitor. Commercially, nearly all medical, automotive, military and many consumer electronic devices utilize Ta electrolytic capacitors due to their outstanding performance, reliability and volumetric efficiency. Solid electrolytic capacitors are currently made from Ta metal powder. Several million pounds per year of Ta powder are consumed in manufacturing Ta capacitors for these applications. The trend in electronics is toward high powder components and increased miniaturization. Combined with the need to lower materials and manufacturing costs, these considerations have created an opportunity for new method of producing solid electrolytic capacitors. Fiber metal technology has the potential to both lower manufacturing costs, improve capacitor performance, and improve packaging options, which could enable the development of new product that are either currently very difficult or very expensive to make using current technology base on metal powder. Supercon is a company that received a SBIR Phase I grant for a project entitled: A New Production Method for Ta Fibers for Use in Electrolytic Capacitors with Improved Performance and Packaging Options. Their project is intended to demonstrate a new process for manufacturing valve metal fibers for use in producing capacitors. The technology is applicable to all valve metals used for making solid electrolytic capacitors. If successful, this technology could lead to capacitor products having higher performance and greater volumetric efficiency than are currently available. The use of fibers in place of the standard powder compacts allows the production of thin anode bodies leading to improved packaging options and component performance. The innovation underlying the technology is bundle drawing of valve metal filaments contained in copper matrix. A composite consisting of valve metal filaments in a copper matrix is drawn in series of reduction steps until the filaments are less than 10 microns. The drawn wire is rolled to produce submicron thick ribbon type filaments. The copper composite matrix is chemically dissolved to produce metallic thin fibers. The fibers are formed into thin mats, which are sintered to produce porous metal strips from which high surface area capacitor anodes can be made. A significant aspect of this approach is that fiber morphology can be varied within a wide range of thickness and widths unlike powders. This allows the morphology of the fibers to be optimized in order to maximize the properties of the capacitor. Commercially, nearly all medical, automotive and consumer electronic devices all utilize solid electrolytic capacitors due to their performance, volumetric efficiency, and high reliability. Several million pounds per year of powder are consumed in the manufacture of capacitors for these applications. The trend towards higher power components, and miniaturization, combined with the need to lower materials and manufacturing costs have created an opportunity for new methods of producing solid electrolytic capacitors. Fiber metal technology has the potential to both lower manufacturing costs, improve capacitor performance, and improve packaging options which could lead to new products that are either very difficult or very expensive to make using current methods.