“Advanced materials businesses take a long time to get started,” said Fritts, a chemical engineer formerly with Harwick Chemical Manufacturing Co., near Akron.
Nanotechnology involves particles of substances, much smaller than human hair fibers, which can be introduced into existing materials to give them new properties, such as increased durability.
In one key production business, NanoSperse makes a compound for Springboro manufacturer Renegade Materials Corp. which uses it to produce a film that is later applied to General Electric Co. jet engine parts to protect against erosion. GE developed the technology and the University of Dayton Research Institute helped advance it, said Steve Mitchell, an engineer who guided the process at both GE and UDRI.
NanoSperse is among a group of startups housed in the National Composite Center, a Kettering-based institution that nurtures startup companies.
Fritts said he was able to concentrate on establishing the new company’s business without having to worry about acquiring a building. NanoSperse has seven employees and began production early in July.
The Dayton Development Coalition helped NanoSperse obtain federal, state and local funding to contribute to the region’s technology base, said Jim Leftwich, president and chief executive officer of the coalition. That included congressionally approved research funding support of $2 million in 2008 and $1.6 million in 2009, said U.S. Rep. Mike Turner, R-Centerville.
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