Strategic Polymer Sciences’ Receives $1 Million from the Department of Energy to Advance High Performance Energy Storage for Electric Vehicles

STATE COLLEGE, PA., (September 22, 2010) — Strategic Polymer Sciences, Inc. (SPS), an innovator in electroactive polymer (EAP) technology, received a $1 million award from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). U.S. Secretary of Energy Steven Chu made the announcement. SPS is one of 33 companies across the nation funded as part of the Department of Energy's (DOE's) Small Business Phase III Xlerator program. These Phase III Xlerator awards are a first for DOE and build on the Department's existing efforts under the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and the Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Programs. DOE awarded the funds to SPS to advance the development of SPS High Performance Energy Storage DC Bus film capacitors using SPS proprietary high temperature EAP compositions.

“DC bus capacitors are a key component in the power managing electronics of hybrid and plug-in electric drive vehicles,” said SPS Director of Engineering and Project Leader, Dr. Shihai Zhang. “SPS EAP film capacitor technology will improve device reliability and reduce cost and size.”

DC capacitors are a critical component to power invertors, the technology that converts direct current to alternating current in electric drive vehicles (EDV). Today’s capacitors can occupy up to 35% of inverter volume, contribute to up 23% of the weight and add up to 25% on to cost. In addition to these handicaps, current commercial polypropylene (PP) film DC capacitors cannot reliably operate above 105ºC. EDV engine radiator coolant temperature can go up to 125ºC so a secondary cooling system is required. SPS EAP film has high temperature stability of greater than 140ºC. The commercialization of SPS EAP film technology eliminates the need for a secondary system, reduces material costs and enhances inverter reliability and performance.

The power inverter market is experiencing phenomenal growth. The market for DC bus film capacitors for hybrid and electric drive vehicle power inverters is projected to be over $1.6 billion by 2015. Due to compact size, competitive cost and high reliability SPS High Performance EAP film capacitors can be used in power inverters for wind turbine generators, grid-tied photovoltaics, and smart grids. Other commercial applications include pulsed power capacitors for medical cardiovascular defibrillators such as implantable and external automatic defibrillators, and capacitor banks for proton radiation systems that treat cancer.

“Nationally, the development of advanced high-temperature high energy density capacitors has been an active target,” said Ralph Russo, co-founder and CEO of SPS. “Our success will have broad impact on our country’s renewable energy industry. With this technology we’ll stay competitive and meet market demand.”

Please contact Dr. Shihai Zhang for further information on this project: szhang@strategicpolymers.com 

Department of Energy Funds Strategic Polymer Sciences' Innovative Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Technology Based on Giant Electrocaloric Effect in Polar-Fluoropolymers

STATE COLLEGE, PA., (August 24, 2010) — Strategic Polymer Sciences, Inc. (SPS), an innovator in electroactive polymer (EAP) technology, today announced it has received a $1 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). The DOE, under a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Phase II Recovery Act Program, awarded the grant to SPS for research and development based on recent breakthroughs in electrocaloric effect (ECE).

Project leader, Dr. Ailan Cheng said, “The grant will enable SPS to optimize its proprietary ECE material and develop proof-of-concept prototypes of early-stage refrigeration devices. Should SPS be able to fully commercialize the technology, it would represent a major paradigm shift in the landscape of the refrigeration industry.” 

Most conventional air conditioners and refrigerators achieve cooling through a mechanical vapor compression cycle (VCC) and hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) refrigerants. These systems suffer low efficiency and emit strong greenhouse gases. The electrocaloric effect is the change in the entropy and temperature in a dielectric material induced by an applied voltage. Dr. Q. M. Zhang, SPS co-founder and Penn State University Distinguished Professor of Electrical Engineering, observed that certain polymer dielectrics exhibit giant ECE. The results of these experiments were published in Science magazine in August 2008. Since that time, his research team has made further development to the ECE materials that exhibit giant ECE at room temperature.

The SBIR/STTR grant demonstrates the significant promise of the ECE material in commercially viable, high-efficiency cooling devices that will be less harmful to the environment. It supplements a previous grant to SPS from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and shows the government’s commitment to new alternative approaches to energy efficiency that will lead to lower overall energy usage and the reduction of U.S. reliance on foreign energy sources.

“The commercial application of the ECE material covers a wide range of markets and applications, including building and automotive air conditioning, commercial and home refrigerators, and electronics cooling,” said Ralph Russo, co-founder and CEO of SPS.  With rising energy prices and ever-increasing concern for the environment, new technology such as higher-efficiency and environmentally friendly solid state cooling becomes a natural choice for future alternative energy solutions.”

Please contact Dr. Ailan Cheng for further information on this project: acheng@strategicpolymers.com 

Media Contact: pr@strategicpolymers.com

Strategic Polymers visited by famous Robert X. Cringely and TV crew

Robert X. Cringely and his family arrived in the State College area on Sunday, July 11, 2010.  On Monday morning, the famous technology journalist arrived at Strategic Polymer Sciences, Inc. (SPS) with a TV crew in hand to begin filming a segment of his upcoming reality internet and TV show, currently titled, "Cringely's (NOT in Silicon Valley) Startup Tour".   SPS was one of 24 companies selected out of 374 total to participate in his planned TV show.  During the competition SPS was highlighted as the highest ranked Advanced Materials companies out of 29 listed.  "Cringely's (NOT in Silicon Valley) Startup Tour" is a program sponsored by author Robert X. Cringely and the Kauffman Foundation of Entrepreneurship in Kansas City to find the "Top Start-Up Companies Outside of Silicon Valley" and highlight innovation across the United States.  It is also already sponsored by Research in Motion (makers of Blackberry phones), and Flip Video with many more to come.  

Bob Cringely is famous for his technology blogs and used to be a columnist in Silicon Valley.  Although he lives in Charleston, SC, he still has many connections in CA and across the country with the technology industry and venture capital community.  He came up with the idea of doing a search for startups "outside" of Silicon Valley and will feature 24 of them in his 12-hour TV show.

SPS is hoping that it's breakthrough electroactive polymer (EAP) technology and the applications its helping to commercialize will be highlighted in the TV show along with the Centre County innovation ecosystem which SPS has greatly benefited from (e.g. Penn State University, Ben Franklin Technology Partners, Life Sciences Greenhouse of Central PA, and the CBICC).  SPS' focus on advanced polymer manufacturing, EAP component fabrication, and medical device production should be a boon in creating jobs in the State College area.

More detail about the motivation of Bob's quest can be found here: The Cringely 2010 (Not in Silicon Valley) Startup Tour.

NIH Grant Award Highlighted in Local Newspaper

State College's local newspaper the Centre Daily Times (CDT) highlighted the $2.2M NIH BRDG-SPAN grant that was recently awarded to Strategic Polymer Sciences, Inc. (SPS) to further the development of electroactive polymer (EAP) based actuators for cardiac mapping and atrial defibrillation catheters. 

Read more: http://www.centredaily.com/2010/06/24/2057105/in-brief.html

NIH Funds Strategic Polymers' Innovative Electroactive Polymer Based Steerable Catheter Technology for the Treatment of Atrial Fibrillation

STATE COLLEGE, PA., (June 17, 2010) -- Strategic Polymer Sciences, Inc. (SPS), an innovator in advanced medical devices based on its proprietary electroactive polymer (EAP) technology, today announced it has received a $2.2 million grant from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The SPS grant is one of only ten awarded nationwide by the NIH under a Recovery Act Limited Competition called The Biomedical Research, Development, and Growth to Spur the Acceleration of New Technologies (BRDG-SPAN) Pilot Program. These grants are designed to “bridge” the gap between R&D and commercialization for promising new medical technologies.

The grant will support the design and commercialization of SPS's revolutionary steerable cardiac mapping and ablation catheter technology, which is at the 'core' of the SPS cardiac ablation catheter. Mapping and ablation catheters are used to treat atrial fibrillation. This disease affects millions of people each year and given the costs associated with some of the more advanced robotic procedures, millions go untreated. The precise movement or micro-steerability of the SPS catheter uses computer-controlled precision to locate the catheter tip. This type of precision ensures greater success rates, reduces physician fatigue, and decreases procedure time. Current mechanical catheter technologies have a number of disadvantages that can be significantly improved by utilizing EAP technology.

“The BRDG-SPAN project fits our corporate mission of creating enabling technology to improve the quality of living,” said Ralph Russo, co-founder, president, and CEO of SPS. “The NIH financing will enable us to speed the commercialization of micro-steerable cardiac ablation and related catheters that will make life-saving medical procedures less expensive, less risky, and more accessible. The grant has opened the door for EAP technology to be used in a number of other catheter procedures, such as OB-GYN, G.I., and cranial applications, as well as enable advanced micro- steerability, reduced procedure times, and advanced automation capabilities.” SPS is collaborating with Hershey Medical Center to develop a fully commercial demonstration of an advanced electric micro-steerable mapping and ablation catheter using a new class of proprietary EAPs.

Please contact Dr. Dean Anderson for further information on this project: danderson@strategicpolymers.com