It was interesting to see a name more usually associated with sample preparation for electron microscopy being floated as a nanotechnology company. To be fair, that side of the business was sold off in the mid 80’s, and I spent time both working with Polaron products at VG Instruments, and later buying their products while being photographed at the European Space Agency.
The Polaron that was left still dabbles in Ultra High Vacuum systems, as well as its 3 dimensional atom probes which it acquired with Oxford Nanoscience Ltd. A word of warning to anyone thinking of buying an atom probe – sample preparation may be a problem. Atom probes require the sample to be shaped into a sharp needle, so anyone looking for nanobots in a flat sheet of grey goo is likely to be disappointed.
In perhaps an odd coincidence, or maybe not, Polarons announcement comes just after the other 3-D atom probe manufacturer raised a $5m second round.