Brewer Science spreads out, settles in for nanotechnology research

There’s only a numeral five. Missing is any mention of the mind-bending microelectronics research being conducted by Rolla-based Brewer Science, which now occupies the entire floor.

“We are the fifth floor,” said Kevin Edwards, director of carbon nanotechnologies for Brewer Science.

The company’s nanotechnology work at JVIC deals primarily with carbon nanotubes, or single atomic layers of graphite – known as graphene – that have been fashioned into super-small tubular structures, Edwards explained. Nanotubes are better energy conductors than metal, and Brewer Science is exploring how those properties could be harnessed for memory devices, sensors and displays, he added.

“You can theoretically make devices smaller than current devices,” Edwards said. “(Carbon nanotechnology) has the potential for a whole new generation of electronics. … There’s a lot more research to go. With carbon nanotubes, we’ve just scratched the surface.”

Brewer Science recently moved its local research operations into JVIC, where the space is three or four times the size of its cramped lab in Kemper Hall on the Missouri State University campus.

Members of the public who toured the company’s JVIC laboratory during a June 30 open house learned about a pair of top-of-the-line clean rooms, one of which limits the number of dust particles in a cubic foot of air to no more than 100.

“We have to use a clean room because dust and pollen particles or even a hair could destroy our research,” said Dan Janzen, a senior process engineer with Brewer Science who was sporting safety glasses and a royal blue lab coat. “It’s not so much that we have to protect us from the research, but that we have to protect our research from people.”

In addition to its roomier digs and high-tech lab, Brewer Science also has easy access to shared equipment and other corporate partner companies conducting research at JVIC, 524 Boonville Ave., Edwards said.

Brewer Science is one of seven senior corporate affiliates at the research facility, which is owned by MSU. Edwards said Brewer Science has worked closely with Massachusetts-based Nantero, another corporate affiliate that is developing nanotech memory devices that are faster and use less power than flash memory drives.

“It’s a worldwide race, and there’s more competition than ever,” Edwards said of nanotech research. “Other countries aren’t holding back, and we shouldn’t either.”

MSU charges its senior corporate affiliates an annual membership fee of $61,000 and those that lease space at JVIC pay $16 per square foot, said Jim Baker, the university’s vice president of research and economic development.

Baker said MSU has attracted quality corporate affiliates to JVIC by implementing a unique intellectual property policy. MSU forgoes ownership rights to IP developed at the center in exchange for royalties and licensing revenue on products brought to market.

Edwards said the innovative arrangement allows Brewer Science and other affiliates to expedite research on products with the most promise for the global marketplace. Mike Stroder, operations manager of the Brewer Science laboratory at JVIC, said faster computers and improved solar-cell technology could be closer than many people realize.

As research at Brewer Science moves forward, the JVIC build-out is likewise progressing, Baker said.

In 2004, MSU purchased the abandoned mill complex at Boonville Avenue and Phelps Street from the city for $1. The first phase of renovations to the five-building complex began in late 2005, and JVIC officially opened its doors May 30, 2007. The second phase of renovations to the three-story structure east of the main tower are under way, with an estimated completion of early 2009.

Baker said the additional space at JVIC is needed to accommodate the needs of corporate affiliates, who already are expressing interest in expanding their operations at the center.

“We have an opportunity to bring a lot of money into this region with these companies,” he added.

JVIC: Investment versus Impact

City of Springfield’s investment: $100,000

Missouri State University’s investment: $1

Amount spent on construction and renovation to date: $22 million

Amount spent on equipment and machinery to date: $6 million

Number of jobs created: 60

Average salary: $60,000

Source: Missouri State University

A New IDEA

In a two-part guest column, Missouri State University President Michael Nietzel reveals his vision for a high-tech research campus – dubbed IDEA Commons – radiating from Jordan Valley Innovation Center. The first installment is available here.[[In-content Ad]]