Nanothinx S.A. focuses on Carbon Nanotubes (CNTs) and carbon based nanomaterials production, nanocomposites and nanotechnology applications development. The company has spun-off from the Institute of Chemical Engineering Sciences, FORTH/ICE-HT, Hellas. Nanothinx has the ability to produce Multi-Walled CNTs (MWCNTs) at low production costs and very high purity, up to 98.5% over catalyst. This is achieved by exploiting the patented proprietary production method and catalysts, specially developed in house by the research team of the company. After having developed a basic array of carbon nanotube products, the company produces nanotubes on demand based on the characteristics requested by the clients. Among the various applications where Nanothinx concentrates its research efforts are, biomedical applications, coatings and CNTs-based inks, membranes and structural materials.
Dr. Katerina Kouravelou is a chemical engineer and the R&D manager of Nanothinx. She holds a Diploma and a PhD in Chemical Engineering from the University of Patras and a Master on “Materials Science and Technology”. She possesses 14 years’ experience in Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) systems (oxides and nanostructures). She has deep knowledge on the production technology, purification and functionalization of carbon nanostructures and their potential applications, through the development and production of composite materials. She has extensively worked on the characterization of the nanostructures using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and EDX, Raman spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and X-ray diffraction techniques (XRD). She is responsible for the study of Life cycle, Risk Assessment and Health and Safety issues of Carbon nanotubes. Katerina is the scientific representative and project management of several national and EU funded projects and she has ten publications in scientific journals and more than 25 participations in scientific conferences.
Theodoros Karachalios is a Chemical Engineer and the Production Manager of Nanothinx. He has extended experience in reaction engineering, process development and optimization. His work in the company includes catalyst development and characterization, chemical vapor deposition of thin films and nanostructures, production, characterization, functionalization and processing of CNTs and nanocomposites, towards the realization of several nanotechnology applications. He is the scientific representative of Nanothinx in several national and EU funded research projects. Theodoros has 11 publications in refereed journals and more than 25 participations in national and international conferences.
- Non Invasive Nanotransducer for In Vivo Gene Therapy (NINIVE), FP6-STRP 033378, (2006 – 2010).
- Development of CNTs enhanced membrane systems for water purification (BioNexGen), FP7 246039 (2010 – 2014).
- Life cycle approach and human risk impact assessment, product stewardship and stakeholder risk/benefit communication of nanomaterials (LICARA), FP7 315494 (2012 – 2014).
- Compact X-ray computed tomography system for non destructive characterization of nano materials (NanoXCT), FP7 280987-2 (2012 – 2015).
- Raffa V. et al., “Can the properties of carbon nanotubes influence their internalization by living cells?”, Carbon 46, 2008, 1600-161.
- Nitodas S.F. and Karachalios T.K., “Low-cost Production and Applications of High Purity Carbon Nanotubes”, International Journal of Nanomanufacturing, 6, 2010, 111-124.
- Nunes A. et al., “Hybrid Polymer-Grafted MWCNTs for In vitro Gene Delivery”, Small 6, (20), 2010, 2281 2291.
- Vittorio O. et al., “Influence of purity and surface oxidation on cytotoxicity of MWCNTs with human neuroblastoma cells”, Nanomedicine: Nanotechnology, Biology, and Medicine 5, 2009, 424–431.
- Sweeney, S. et al., “Multi-walled carbon nanotube length as a critical determinant of bioreactivity with primary human pulmonary alveolar cells”, Carbon 78, 2014, 26-37.
- Koromilas N.D., Lainioti G.Ch., Gialeli Ch., Barbouri D., Kouravelou K.B., Karamanos N.K., Voyiatzis G.A., Kallitsis J.K., “Preparation and Toxicological Assessment of Functionalized Carbon Nanotube-Polymer Hybrids”, PLoS ONE 9(9), 2014.