Chevron MolecularDiamond
Technologies (MDT) and Stanford University today announced a nanotechnology
research program to further the development and application of a new class
of nanomaterials derived from petroleum.
The Stanford-Chevron Program for Diamondoid Nanoscience will build upon
recent discoveries by researchers at MDT and leverage the world-class
research capabilities of Stanford. The four-year research program will
foster development of diamondoids, a diamond-like molecule that has
potential applications in a variety of industries.
"Chevron's collaboration with Stanford and its research teams will
significantly accelerate our knowledge of diamondoids and help to unlock
their potential," said Don Paul, vice president and chief technology
officer, Chevron Corporation. MDT is a unit of Chevron Technology Ventures
LLC, which is a wholly owned subsidiary of Chevron Corporation.
"Nanoscience and nanotechnology are important new research areas that
attract national attention, as reflected in the federal nanoscience
initiative," says Arthur Bienenstock, Stanford's vice provost and dean of
research and graduate policy. "The collaboration between Stanford and
Chevron is an example of a university-industry partnership to advance this
research."
Diamondoids: An Innovative, High-Tech Use for Petroleum
Diamondoids, each less than a billionth of a billionth of a carat in
size, offer distinct advantages as a new class of nanomaterials, said Dr.
Frederick Lam, business development director for MDT.
"Diamondoids derived from petroleum have the potential to affect
multiple industries such as energy, electronics, biopharmaceuticals, even
consumer goods. And because MolecularDiamond Technologies is a part of a
major petroleum company we have the advantage of a more reliable, higher
quality supply compared to traditional sources of nanomaterials," Lam said.
"Diamondoids are exciting materials as they have the novelty of both
diamond and nanostructures," said Zhi-Xun Shen, director of Geballe
Laboratory for Advanced Materials and professor of physics at Stanford.
"The breakthrough by researchers at MolecularDiamond Technologies in
isolating diamondoids in large quantities from petroleum makes it possible
for in-depth scientific exploration and large-scale applications. The
materials, expertise and the funding from Chevron will greatly accelerate
the progress of our research and the development of this emerging field."
Research Efforts to Facilitate Near- and Long-term Commercial
Applications
Since 2003, scientists at MDT have scaled up production of diamondoids
to create a sufficient quantity for advanced application research and
development.
"The Stanford-Chevron program will significantly facilitate our goals
to better understand diamondoids and may help over the longer term to
develop commercial applications, particularly in the opto-electronic area.
We are looking forward to leveraging the world-class research expertise and
facilities at Stanford," said Dana Flanders, president of Chevron
Technology Ventures LLC.
Stanford-Chevron Program Focus
The Stanford-Chevron research program will be led by Stanford
professors Shen and Nick Melosh from the Materials Science Department and
assistant professor Hari Manoharan from the Physics Department. The
research program will initially focus on several efforts:
- Understanding the fundamental electronic properties of diamondoids,
which could eventually lead to their use in electronic applications for the
computer industry.
- Imaging individual diamondoid molecules and probing them
electronically with scanning electron microscopy technology.
- Creating a variety of self-assembled monolayers and other methods to
grow oriented crystals on top of monolayers.
