Chain Reaction Innovations: Polsky Offers Special I-Corps Training to Argonne Teams

In May, the Polsky Center ran a special four-week program for Argonne’s Chain Reaction Innovations (CRI) accelerator. Six teams participated in this virtual I-Corps program, which included researchers from other institutions:

• Axion Technologies has developed a novel mechanism for leveraging optical phenomena to introduce true randomness for encryption and security applications. Team member: Carol Scarlett, associate professor of particle physics at Florida A&M University.
• Light and Charge Solutions is developing high- efficiency, long-lifetime, single-layer, flexible organic light emitting diodes that can enable roll-to-roll printing of large-area displays. Team member: Margaret Kocherga, PhD candidate in nanoscale science at the University of North Carolina.
• QDIR is developing infrared photodetector arrays that can leverage solution processing and economies of scale to reduce manufacturing costs. Team member: Matthew Ackerman, PhD in physical chemistry at the University of Chicago.
• RenewCO2 has developed a novel electrocatalytic pathway for converting carbon dioxide into value added chemicals, with a first focus on monoethylene glycol for plastics production. Team member: Karin Calvinho, PhD candidate in inorganic chemistry at Rutgers University.
• SiMat Technologies has developed a novel silicon carbide nanomaterial architecture for use as a high-performance anode material in lithium-ion batteries. Team member: Christopher Passolano, PhD candidate in materials science and engineering at the Illinois Institute of Technology.
• Super.tech is developing quantum algorithms for current-generation quantum computers to enable attainment of quantum speedups for practical tasks such as smart grid optimization, molecular simulation for materials science, and machine learning. Team members: Pranav Gokhale, PhD student in the Physical Sciences Division at the University of Chicago.