- CEO
- Liam Frederick Gray
- Full Time Employees
- 47
- Sector
- Technology
- Industry
- Semiconductors
- Address
- Science Centre Runcorn United Kingdom WA7 4QX
- IPO Date
- Aug 16, 2017
- Business
- Nanoco Group plc is a United Kingdom-based company specializing in the research, development, manufacture, and licensing of novel nanomaterials, primarily focusing on patented cadmium-free quantum dots (CFQD) and other semiconductor nanoparticles. Its product portfolio includes CFQD quantum dots, which emit light across the visible and infrared spectrum for display and lighting applications, and HEATWAVE quantum dots tuned for near-infrared absorption used in cameras, image sensors, and sensing technologies. Nanoco serves markets in electronics, displays, lighting, solar, and biological imaging, generating significant revenue from joint development agreements and product sales. The company operates globally with key markets in South Korea, Taiwan, France, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Japan. Founded in 2001 and headquartered in Runcorn, England, Nanoco maintains a research and manufacturing facility that includes a state-of-the-art wafer device facility (Fab) launched in 2024 to accelerate product development by coating quantum dot materials and conductive layers on silicon wafers in-house.
Recent major developments include Nanoco's strategic expansion in Asia through a joint development agreement signed in 2025 with a leading Asian chemical company to optimize lead-free nanomaterials for global electronics applications, targeting industrial-scale production by 2027. This deal is poised to enhance the company’s financial performance and expand its market reach following the termination of a European partnership in 2024. Additionally, Nanoco continues a joint development agreement with STMicroelectronics focusing on the optimization of second-generation sensing materials for electronics applications. The launch of the wafer device Fab at its Runcorn headquarters positions Nanoco to improve prototyping, testing speed, and demonstrate performance benefits of its nanomaterials, sustaining its leadership in commercial nanotechnology. The company has reorganized its research and development efforts and invested in new technology resources to support strategic growth, underlining a clear focus on expanding its product offerings and commercial partnerships in the evolving quantum dot sector.
Nanoco Group plc conducts its operations through subsidiaries and holds a strong intellectual property portfolio in cadmium-free quantum dot technology, ensuring competitive advantages in advanced material systems across various wavelengths for electronics sensing, displays, and industrial uses. Its broad customer base includes global electronics supply chain participants, with ongoing development programs and commercial contacts in both industrial and defense applications where lead sulfide-based quantum dots are utilized. The company employs a skilled workforce with a significant number of PhDs and inventors, emphasizing innovation in nanomaterial production relevant for high-volume consumer electronics and sensing technologies. Nanoco was established as a spin-out from the University of Manchester and has since grown its footprint in the North-West UK as a significant science-based enterprise. Its continued focus on sustainable, heavy-metal-free nanomaterials places it at the forefront of next-generation semiconductor materials globally.