August 2006

BENSALEM, PA: Faster, cheaper, better. In today's world of electronics, manufacturers either rise to this customer expectation—or go the way of the vinyl record album.

PChem Associates has developed a silver "nanopowder" that has a wide range of possible applications. Here Walter Waurick, production manager (L), and Gregory Jablonski, president, test conductive inks that use the technology.

"We are aware of this reality and cater to that kind of thinking," says Gregory Jablonski, president of Bensalem-based PChem Associates. "We have developed a silver nanomaterial technology for printed electronics that delivers dramatically superior conductivity at a lower cost and can be used at lower manufacturing temperatures."

PChem's ideal customer is a manufacturer that needs inexpensive electronic printing such as a small display on a credit card, an RFID (radio frequency identification) tag, an electronic device or circuit board.

PChem's technology can also be used in micro sensors for food packaging, security monitoring and any area where an inexpensive feedback device can be used to monitor conditions.

Answering the Tough Questions
Due to the highly advanced nature of its nanotechnology, PChem faces some tough challenges. "When we started, we didn't want to manufacture the conductive inks themselves," Jablonski says. "But we realized quickly that for our customers to learn how to use our nanoparticles, we had to provide a product they could understand and use. Now, we make the particles and also formulate them into inks."

But PChem doesn't stop there. "Our job is to teach our customers how to use our inks to make money," Jablonski says. "Education will be a key focus for the next couple of years."

In May, PChem received a $100,000 investment from BFTP, but not before taking several key steps. PChem worked closely with BFTP’s Technology Commercialization Group, which funded two projects and conducted detailed technical reviews to identify validation tests to help prove PChem’s proposed chemical reaction would perform as expected. These steps helped prepare the company for BFTP funding.

"It is an invaluable vetting process," Jablonski says. "It was a validation for a young company like ours. Can this be done? Is the business model sound? They gave us a lot of tips and pointers. And since the money came in, they have been great, providing critical feedback to aid decision making."

Moving the Company into Pennsylvania
As a result of BFTP assistance and the positive economic and research environment in the Commonwealth, the company moved from New Jersey to Pennsylvania.

According to Jablonski, the BFTP money also served as an endorsement, helping open doors for more follow-on financing. "The fact is, the BFTP program has a good reputation. If you get through their rigorous processes, then in the eyes of other investors, you've been thoroughly checked out."

PChem acknowledges the competition in its space is tough, but says its processes—which BFTP funding will help further enhance—give it a unique advantage. "A lot of people can make silver particles small. The key task is stabilizing the particles so they maintain their unique properties," Jablonski says. "The other aspect is being able to make enough material. We literally make kilograms at a time, quicker than the competition."

PChem has its sights set on markets far beyond printed circuits and electronics. Silver has long been known to have excellent antimicrobial properties, and the company has begun to create silver nanoparticle formulations to support the development of antimicrobial uses for its technology. "There are many areas where antimicrobial products are appropriate—kitchen items, clothing, medical devices, you name it," Jablonski says. "Imagination is the only limiting factor."

Good Prospects for Rapid Growth
The two-year-old company also sees tremendous potential in the $1-billion RFID market. Currently, most product RFID tags are at the crate, box or pallet level in large part because they are too large and too expensive to tag at the individual product level.

"The item level is where the big numbers come in—and the only way that will happen is if the cost gets low enough to around a penny a tag," he says. "Our material can get us there, which in turn could turn RFID into a $50-billion market."

With so many areas to pursue, Jablonski is grateful for BFTP's continued assistance. "It's hard not to get caught up in all the possibilities, so it's a tremendous benefit to have BFTP helping us stay focused. At this point in our company's development, we need to know what we are not doing right."