The 20,000-square-foot space enables the cleantech startup to hire additional team members, tackle larger projects and revolutionize the carbon management industry
Louisville, Tenn. (March 20, 2024) – SkyNano, a science-based technology company focused on commercializing a free-market solution to carbon pollution, celebrated its move into a 20,000-square-foot facility in Louisville, Tennessee, at a ribbon-cutting ceremony on March 20.
This state-of-the-art facility marks a significant expansion for SkyNano as it continues to make strides in carbon management and sustainable technology. It will enable SkyNano to hire additional team members, increase its production capacity, further develop its groundbreaking technology, and meet the growing demand for carbon-negative materials.
“I am thrilled to move into our new facility in Louisville, Tennessee. SkyNano is a Tennessee-grown company, so it brings me tremendous personal and professional satisfaction to take this next step in our backyard,” said Anna Douglas, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of SkyNano. “This move would not have been possible without the hard work and innovative thinking of the SkyNano team. I am grateful for every team member and look forward to reaching new heights in the carbon management industry in 2024 and beyond.”
Since its creation in 2017, SkyNano has been located at Vanderbilt University, Innovation Crossroads at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and the Spark Innovation Center at the University of Tennessee Research Park. In 2022, it moved into its first location at Suite 3 at 4028 Papermill Drive, Knoxville, and quickly outgrew this location.
“The past seven years have been a whirlwind of growth for SkyNano,” said Cary Pint, Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer of SkyNano. “This larger, customized facility is the natural next step for SkyNano. We continue to be committed to reshaping and revolutionizing the carbon management industry.”
At the ribbon-cutting ceremony, SkyNano offered facility tours, project demonstrations and speaker remarks from several key partners, including:
- Tom Rogers, President and CEO, University of Tennessee Research Park
- Lindsey Cox, CEO, Launch Tennessee
- Deborah Crawford, Vice Chancellor of Research, University of Tennessee
- Joe Hoagland, Vice President of Enterprise Relations and Innovation, Tennessee Valley Authority
- Susan Hubbard, Deputy Laboratory Director for Science and Technology, Oak Ridge National Laboratory
- Chris Saldaña, Director of the Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Technologies Office, United States Department of Energy
At the event, SkyNano showcased its technology scale-up with its Generation 3 device – 200 gram-multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) per hour and continuous operation for carbon emission uptake. Additionally, the startup highlighted several demonstration projects, including:
- Low-embodied carbon building materials: SkyNano, Endeavor Composites and the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, are working to develop a low-embodied carbon building material panel for use in non-structural building material applications.
- High-performance lithium-ion batteries: SkyNano and Eonix are developing a high-performance MWCNT/silicon-based electrode structure for long-lifetime lithium-ion battery anodes. Paired with Eonix’s novel electrolyte screening technology, we’ve demonstrated significant improvement in cycle life compared to silicon anodes without MWCNTs and stabilized electrolytes.
- Low-embodied carbon cementitious composites: SkyNano, in partnership with Dr. Hongyu Nick Zhou’s laboratory at UTK, is developing a novel cementitious composite for defense applications in 3D-printed concrete. The ability to 3D print a structure in extreme or dangerous environments helps improve warfighter capabilities and safety. With SkyNano MWCNTs, we’re working towards in-situ defect detection to improve the quality of prints and the functional strength and properties such as EMI shielding, lightning strike protection, etc.
- High-performance, low-embodied carbon composites: The Navy is invested in lowering its operational and embodied carbon across all defense activities. SkyNano, Endeavor Composites and UTK are partnering to develop sustainable, low-embodied carbon composites that don’t sacrifice the high performance required by naval applications. These are anticipated to be excellent material candidates for mass-sensitive applications such as drones and UAVs.
The new facility is at 3255 Wrights Ferry Road in Louisville, Tennessee.
Media Contact: Crystal Bentley
crystal @piper-communications.com I 865-329-0553
About SkyNano
SkyNano is a science-based technology company focused on commercializing a free-market solution to carbon pollution. It specifically develops a novel electrochemical manufacturing technology for capturing and converting CO2 from various industrial sources into valuable carbon-based materials, including its flagship product, carbon nanotubes. SkyNano’s technology has been featured in many peer-reviewed scientific papers, received recognition from a 2020 R&D 100 award, a 2021 TechConnect Innovation Award, the 2022 Governor’s Environmental Stewardship Award, the 2023 Knoxville Traction Award, and was recognized with a Forbes 30 Under 30 award to our Co-Founder and CEO Dr. Anna Douglas. In fact, both SkyNano founders are Forbes 30 Under 30 innovators, as Prof. Cary Pint was recognized in the inaugural year of the awards. To learn more, visit https://www.skynanotechnologies.com/.
