Why working with nanomaterials is exciting

Conversations with entrepreneurs, technologists, and researchers on emerging technologies and what students need to know.

The next in the series featuring conversations with entrepreneurs, technologists and researchers about emerging technologies and what students need to know about these fields.

What do you do?

I am Founder and CEO of NoPo Nanotechnologies, a nanomaterials company. We make an advanced material called single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNT). Besides leading the company, I specifically direct the R&D around SWCNT and its applications. I have an Electronics and Communications degreefrom BMS College of Engineering, Bengaluru, and Master’s in Nanotechnology from Louisiana Tech University, the U.S.

Why is your work important?

SWCNT are very small; about two lakh times smaller than a single hair strand but are also one of the strongest materials known to mankind. They are highly conductive, exhibit semi-conductor properties, and can transfer both heat and electrons rapidly. They find applications in electric vehicle battery technologies to increase the battery capacity and also to make them cheaper. They are also used in advanced electronics to shrink the size of transistors and improve energy efficiency.

What is exciting about your work?

With increased adoption of AI globally, demand for energy is growing. On the other hand, electric vehicles that are replacing fossil fuel-based technologies require smaller, more efficient and cheaper batteries. We are one of the few companies who have developed the technology to produce carbon nanotubes with such small diameters and very high precision. To work from India on advanced technologies like SWCNT — which can solve long-standing global problems such as cleaner water, smaller electronics, better energy storage, greener energy — is exciting for all of us at NoPo.