National Science Foundation Awards UbiQD Phase II SBIR Grant

Funding will accelerate development of its quantum dot solar glass technology
March 12, 2018
team members measure the electrical output of a window prototype

UbiQD team members measure the electrical output of a window prototype a short walk from the company’s headquarters in Los Alamos, NM. Credit: UbiQD, Inc.

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LOS ALAMOS, N.M., March 12, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- UbiQD, Inc., a New Mexico-based nanotechnology development company, announced today that it was recently awarded a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II grant by the National Science Foundation (NSF). The grant will provide $750,000 in funding over two years for UbiQD's continued research and development of quantum dot-tinted glass luminescent solar concentrator technology for electricity-generating windows.

The company was previously awarded a $225,000 Phase I SBIR grant in July 2016, the results of which were published in ACS Energy Letters in January 2018. The publication highlights UbiQD's novel quantum dot laminated glass concept and the first-ever third-party certified solar window efficiency.

"With NSF's support we demonstrated a novel, high-performance sunlight-harvesting window concept in Phase I," said Dr. Hunter McDaniel, Founder and CEO of UbiQD. "Now with continued funding in Phase II, we plan to optimize for a higher performance-to-cost ratio, scale-up product prototypes, and deploy our windows in pilot installations."

To further accelerate glazing market exploration, UbiQD has hired Jeffrey Granato as an Advisory Board Member. Granato, who worked for DuPont for more than three decades, is a highly energetic leader with proven experience in developing new and growing markets, and has deep knowledge of the window industry.

"I am excited to be back in the glass industry and working with UbiQD," said Granato. "Quantum dot technology has the potential to be a game-changer by turning curtain walls into solar collectors without sacrificing optical quality."

About UbiQD, Inc.
UbiQD is a nanotechnology company based in Los Alamos, New Mexico that manufactures high-performance cadmium-free quantum dots and composite materials. While the company's primary focus is on sunlight-harvesting applications, UbiQD also currently sells its materials for R&D purposes and provides materials technology development services. Spun out of technology developed at Los Alamos National Laboratory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, The University of Washington, and Western Washington University, UbiQD envisions a future where quantum dots are ubiquitous in a wide spectrum of applications. For more information visit UbiQD.com.