Magic nanotubes, smart cities and synthetic sapphires are the projects Rusnano state corp has great expectations for in 2019, Executive Director of Rusnano Management Company Boris Podolsky said at a news briefing on Tuesday, February 26.
“In 2019, Rusnano will be working on a number of new interesting projects. We are interested in Smart City projects and are carefully studying these technologies and planning to implement them in the future through our foundations. We will also continue to develop several promising projects in the oil industry,” Boris Podolsky said.
One of the top projects, which will remain Rosnano’s priority in 2019, is Monocrystal.
“The company grows synthetic sapphires of large and extra-large diameters. They are used in the manufacture of touchscreens for smartphones, for example. This technology is successful, and most of the company’s products are exported,” he added.
OCSiAl (Rusnano’s Portfolio Company), a manufacturer of carbon nanotubes, is another promising Rusnano project.
“The company makes single wall carbon nanotubes enhancing the material properties. For example, mixing nanotubes into concrete enhances the composite’s strength thereby reducing its usage to one-third during construction. Using nanotubes in the production of rolled steel also improves its characteristics. It is practically a magic modifier, which, if properly used, can improve the properties of many basic materials,” Podolsky said.
In 2018, Rusnano withdrew from Prepreg-ACM, one of Russia’s largest manufacturers of carbon fiber fabrics and prepregs – one of the state corporation’s notable deals, according to Podolsky. The portfolio company was bought by Rosatom. Under Rusnano’s management, Prepreg-ACM had developed a world-class range of composite materials that enjoy demand from major players in the automotive and shipbuilding industries. For example, these materials are used in Lamborghini sports cars, he added.