For immediate release                          For more information, contact:
July 30, 2008                                          Debra Levy Martinelli
                                                            (405) 809-6202 (direct)
                                                            (405) 226-0076 (cell)
                                                            dlmartinelli@swentnano.com
                                                                               

NORMAN, Okla. – The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) will use SouthWest NanoTechnologies Inc.’s SWeNT^® SG65 single-wall carbon nanotubes, manufactured by the CoMoCAT^® process, as the starting material for a Standard Reference Material. 

NIST certifies and provides SRMs that exhibit well-characterized and consistent composition and properties. SRMs are used to perform instrument calibrations, verify the accuracy of specific measurements and support the development of new measurement methods.  Industry, academia and government use NIST SRMs to facilitate commerce and trade and to advance research and development. 

NIST supplies more than 1,300 reference materials of the highest quality and metrological value. “We are pleased to be able to provide SWeNT^® SG65 as the high-quality starting material needed for NIST to develop its single-wall carbon nanotube SRM," said SWeNT CEO David Arthur.  “This represents for us an additional confirmation that our efforts in the area of product quality and consistency have paid off.  We enthusiastically support NIST’s work to create a much-needed SRM for single-wall carbon nanotubes.”

SWeNT is a leading manufacturer of single-wall carbon nanotubes located in Norman, Okla.  Single-wall carbon nanotubes consist of a hollow cylinder of carbon with a diameter equal to approximately one nanometer – a billionth of a meter.  Due to their unusual structure, they exhibit extraordinary optical and electronic properties, tremendous strength and flexibility, and high thermal and chemical stability.  These remarkable properties make them suitable for a wide range of applications in the automotive, aeronautics, electronics, displays, energy and healthcare markets.

In June, SWeNT moved into a new manufacturing facility, where its single-wall carbon nanotube production capability has increased 100-fold at one-tenth the cost.   The scalable, low-cost CoMoCAT^® process ensures consistent high quality and the flexibility to provide tailored products.

SWeNT also maintains an applications and business development center in the Route 128/Boston, Massachusetts area to help customers integrate SWeNT nanotubes into their applications.