Allied Minds, an innovative U.S. science and technology development and commercialization company, announced the formation of a new subsidiary, Vatic Materials, Inc., which has entered into an exclusive option to license certain proprietary technology from The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State). 

Vatic Materials plans to focus on developing materials and fabrication processes for advanced transparent conducting thin films that will enable conductive surfaces that are potentially thinner and more cost effective than current approaches. Transparent conducting thin films are ubiquitous in modern electronics, enabling high performance touchscreens, lighting, photovoltaics, and more. 

The proprietary technology, developed in the laboratory of Penn State Materials Science Professor Roman Engel-Herbert, could be used to serve a wide range of applications across several industries, including consumer electronics, photovoltaics, advanced building materials, and solid-state lighting.

“We are enthusiastic to be working with Penn State to develop this promising technology,” said Chris Silva, Chief Executive Officer of Allied Minds. “Transparent conductive materials play an integral role in modern electronic devices; their contribution to touchscreens alone have made these materials a necessity for our smartphones, tablets, and wearables. The materials developed by Dr. Engel-Herbert and his team have the potential to empower further advances in this area and enable applications that were previously cost-prohibitive.”