Natcore Technology’s Barron Named Finalist for World Technology Award

Rice University Professor, Natcore Co-Founder Recognized for Visionary Contribution to Science and Technology

Red Bank, N.J. — (September 21, 2011) — Prof. Andrew R. Barron, a scientific co-founder of Natcore Technology Inc. (TSX-V; NXT; NTCXV.PK), has been named a finalist for a prestigious World Technology Award presented by the World Technology Network in association with Time magazine, Fortune, CNN, Science/AAAS, and Technology Review.   Barron joins a roster of organizations and individuals from over 60 countries around the world deemed to be doing the most innovative and impactful work.

Prof. Barron is the Charles W. Duncan, Jr.-Welch Chair of Chemistry and Professor of Materials Science at Rice University, as well as a visiting Professor at the University of Wales. He is the author of numerous publications in the area of materials preparation via chemical pathways and more than 350 peer-reviewed scientific papers, with nearly 100 focusing on developments in nanotechnology. Professor Barron was also the first faculty member hired for the Smalley Institute for Nanotechnology.

Research in the Barron Research Group at Rice is currently aimed at the development of rational molecular design approach to materials synthesis, with an emphasis on the leap from synthesis to application of nano-based materials. Since 2002, the focus of research within the Barron Group has involved the functionalization of fullerenes and single walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs). Areas being investigated include: biological applications and interactions, catalysis and materials applications. Functionalization of fullerenes as amino acids allows for their inclusion into polypeptides for the development of new approaches to the treatment of flagrant diseases. The development of a catalytic approach for the amplification of SWNTs may be likened to the polymerase chain reaction for DNA and is aimed at the fabrication of specific nanotube structures for energy applications.

Professor Barron created the first educational programs at Rice to span the Schools of Science, Engineering and Management, and is a co-director of the Rice Alliance for Entrepreneurship. He is also actively involved with educational programs in collaboration with the Rice section of the Society of Automotive Engineers.

Before joining the Rice faculty in 1995, Dr. Barron received his undergraduate and doctorate degrees in chemistry from the Imperial College of Science and Technology in London, performed postdoctoral work at the University of Texas at Austin, and served on the faculty at Harvard University. He was the inaugural recipient of the prestigious Norman Hackerman Award in Chemical Research from the Welch foundation and is the first Prince of Wales Visiting Innovator.

Chuck Provini, Natcore’s president and CEO, says “We at Natcore congratulate our co-founder Andy Barron. His work on liquid phase deposition is at the heart of Natcore’s businesses, particularly in the photovoltaic area. It is the critical component in our program that aims to double the efficiency of solar cells and to halve their cost. ”

Prof. Barron is one of six finalists for the World Technology Awards. The winner is to be announced on October 26  at United Nations headquarters in New York City.

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