Shareholding of Fraunhofer
Fraunhofer Venture
SmartMembranes GmbH
The Company
SmartMembranes GmbH manufactures highly structured nano and macro porous membranes of aluminum oxide and silicon whose pore diameter may be configured with nanometer precision. These membranes can be used for special filtering of water, air, or other substances. Applications in industry and research are almost unlimited.
The idea behind SmartMembranes GmbH was created at the Nano-Entrepreneurship-Academy (NEnA), an ideas competition for female scientists with a nanotechnology background. In 2007, the team won the competition. With the subsequent support of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, the team was able to further develop the idea and create a business plan. In 2009, SmartMembranes GmbH moved into the weinberg campus technology park in Halle.
The Products
Customer Benefits and Services
- Highly ordered honeycomb structure
- Narrow pore radius distribution
- Defined parameters of the pore structure:
- Pore size
- Lattice constant
- Membrane porosity
- Membrane thickness
- Surface modification by silanization
- Accurate adjustment of the pores' hydrophobicity
- Surface modification by ALD (atomic layer deposition)
- Deposition of metals and metal oxides on the pore walls
- Coating with polymers
- Manufacture of nano tubes with desired polymers
Potential Applications
- Ultra and nano filtration
- Membranes for gas filtration
- Protective membranes against contamination (dust, bacteria, viruses)
- Sensor systems
- Diagnostics (lab-on-the-chip systems)
- Micro reactors
- Catalysts
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