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Ron Averill (inset) is
co-founder of a firm
that specializes in
design automation and
optimization technology.
Trumpie Photography
Averill and Goodman’s continued
research has led to applications
for new MSU patents that
have been licensed to Red Cedar
Technology, adding even greater
capabilities to its industry-leading
HEEDS software package while
supporting MSU research.
The company was recognized in
2009 by the Lansing Economic
Area Partnership (Leap Inc.) and
MSU as a “Community Builder”
for its collaboration with the
university to advance economic
development and quality of life in
mid-Michigan.
Tiny Particles
with a Big Impact
While software available from
Red Cedar Technology may
result in improved designs for
cars and planes, the work at XG
Sciences (www.xgsciences.com)
involves much smaller objects—
stacks of graphite less than 10
nanometers thick. (There are
more than 25 million nanometers
in one inch.)
The material was discovered
and developed by Lawrence T.
Drzal, University Distinguished
Professor in the department
of chemical engineering and
materials science, director of
MSU’s Composite Materials
and Structures Center, and
chief scientist at XG Sciences,
Inc., a spinoff company based in
East Lansing. Drzal has been
conducting research since 2000
on a material that can be used
to strengthen the properties of
natural graphite. His former
students, now partners, Hiroyuki
Fukushima and Inhwan Do,
earned their doctoral degrees
while working on these graphene
nanoplatelets. Drzal thought
the material had potential to be
a multifunctional additive for a
variety of materials and energy
applications and wanted to insure
that this laboratory development
could be commercialized.
“We went to the university and
said, ‘Here’s an opportunity for
us to take something developed
at MSU and start a company that
would create jobs in Michigan,’”
Drzal explains.
Initial funding and support
for graphene nanoplatelet
MSU research in biometrics and
pattern recognition can help law
enforcement and corrections agencies
in making our streets safer.
research was provided by MSU
and a grant from the Michigan
Economic Development
Corporation’s 21st Century
Jobs Fund. Graphene nanoparticles
developed at the College
of Engineering’ s Composite
Materials and Structures Center
were licensed to the start-up
company formed in 2006 to
commercialize the unique properties
of the material. Many of
XG Sciences’ patents are under
license from MSU.
XG Sciences produces a form
of this multifunctional material
called xGnP ® Graphene Nanoplatelets,
essentially a nanoplatelet
form of graphite created
by separating the nanoscopic
graphene sheets that makes up
graphite. The key to the material’s
capabilities is a fast and
inexpensive process for separating
layers of graphite (graphene)
into stacks less than 10 nanometers
in thickness but with lateral
dimensions anywhere from 100
nm to several microns, coupled
with the ability to tailor the particle
surface chemistry to make
it compatible with water, resin or
plastic systems.
Adding xGnP ® graphene
nanoplatelets to polymers at
low concentrations results in
nanocomposites that possess an
array of enhanced properties—
including improved strength and
significantly increased electrical
and thermal conductivity—leading
to new and expanded applications.
For example, xGnP ®
Page 44
Spring 2011 MSU Alumni Magazine