LB one question I believe according to the following the patent was still pending in Feb 2007 did it finalize?
From a 2007 news release
GS Carbon Corporation (GSCR) today announced its acquisition of several patent-pending technologies involving the synthesis of specialty metal-doped catalysts made out of carbon aerogel and other nanostructured composites from Aerogel Composite, Inc. (“ACI”).
Carbon Aerogel Technology
Carbon aerogel has many useful properties, such as very low densities, continuous porosities, very high surface areas, and high electrical conductivity. These properties arise from their microstructure, which comprised of a network of interconnected primary particles with diameters ranging from 3 to 25 nanometers, pore diameters ranging from 2 to 50 nanometers, and extremely high surface areas ranging from 400 to 1000 square meters per gram.
The distinct advantages of carbon aerogel supported catalysts lie in performance and price characteristics that are vast improvements over current industry standards. The unique nanostructure of the company’s carbon aerogels offer higher electrochemical surface areas, better mass transport, reduced or eliminated ionic contamination and price competitiveness. This translates into both lower cost and higher performance.
Aerogel based electro-catalyst products achieve equivalent catalytic performance at one half to one tenth the precious metal loading commonly achieved by current technology. These catalysts are key cost drivers in the key markets that this technology addresses. For example, GS Carbon’s aerogel technology directly addresses the cost of fuel cell systems by lowering the platinum cost in the membrane electrode assembly (“MEA”), and in catalytic emissions control systems, the technology reduces precious metal loading and therefore cost.
Applications for carbon aerogel supported catalysts include hydrogen powered stationary and mobile PEM fuel cells, direct methanol fuel cells (“DMFC”) for portable electronic devices such as laptop computers and cell phones, and other metal oxide aerogel-supported catalysts for catalytic converters for gasoline and diesel powered vehicles and other internal combustion engines. Other potential applications of the technology include fuel reforming, ultra-capacitors, battery electrodes, energy storage, environmental sensors, and desalinization of water.
ACI had historically sold aerogel based catalyst samples to research and development clients. GS Carbon intends to expand these offerings while it focuses on product development and the formation of key strategic relationships with commercialization partners.
Hiroaki Hara, the founder of ACI and primary developer of the aerogel technologies acquired by GS Carbon, has joined GS Carbon’s wholly-owned General Carbonics subsidiary as its president. Mr. Hara will spearhead the continued research, development and commercialization of the technology for General Carbonics.
Prior to founding ACI, Mr. Hara previously founded and operated International Component Advantage, Inc., a trading company of technology components, primarily laser printer cartridge components. Prior to founding ICA, Mr. Hara held several sales positions of increasing responsibility, including Chief Operating Officer for Seitz International, Inc., in Torrington, Connecticut, a manufacturing concern with proprietary technology in the printer industry. As a Sales and Marketing Executive for an international logistics service company, he developed a business division in Japan. Mr. Hara started his career at Hitachi, Ltd., in Japan as an International Procurement Agent. Mr. Hara holds an MBA from The George Washington University where he focused on technology transfer and R&D management, and a B.A. in Economics from the University of Tokyo.
Under the terms of the acquisition agreement with ACI, GS Carbon acquired the aerogel technologies predominantly with stock in GS Carbon. As part of the agreement, GS Carbon also agreed to provide the necessary resources to commercialize the aerogel technologies.
