When it comes to nanotechnology research, Gino Palumbo has a simple philosophy: the crazier the better.

The President and co-founder of Integran Technologies Inc. has valuable experience to back his thinking; the self-described “pie-in-the-sky” research he completed during his PhD studies in U of T’s Engineering Faculty just translated into several major R&D contracts with the U.S. Air Force and NASA. “The technology had been sitting on the shelf for years,” he laughs. “At the time, I thought it had no practical application whatsoever.”

A three-time U of T Engineering grad (MSE 8T3; MASc 8T5; PhD 8T9), Palumbo spent the better part of the 1980s analyzing and testing the properties of materials in the hopes of improving control of elements that impact performance — like strength, hardness and resistance to corrosion. Only recently have the potential benefits of the technology for jet engine components been recognized.

“By changing the internal structure of engines’ materials, we can potentially increase performance and durability, and decrease overhaul and repair costs,” he says.

The Air Force and NASA contracts are only the latest in a string of research wins for Palumbo and Toronto-based Integran, a leading supplier of nanotechnology-enabled metallurgical products and processes. The company holds one of the first U.S. patents issued in nanotechnology. It’s also among the first in the world to develop a large-scale industrial application for nano materials: the Electrosleeve™ process for repairing nuclear reactors was conceived in the early 1990s while Palumbo was at Ontario Hydro and with help from Professor Uwe Erb, who is Palumbo’s former research colleague, now a U of T Materials Science and Engineering faculty member, as well as Professor Doug Perovic. More than $12 million was spent developing the technology over two years, making it one of Canada’s then-largest research and development efforts.

“It just goes to show that some of the craziest pursuits can pay off in the long run,” says Palumbo.

To this day, Palumbo remains a big fan of U of T’s Materials Science and Engineering group. A full one-quarter of Integran’s 50 Canadian employees (another 50 or more are employed at four spin-off companies throughout the U.S. and a production facility in Mexico) are U of T alumni; a handful of projects are underway in collaboration with Erb, Perovic, Professor Glenn Hibbard and Palumbo’s former PhD supervisor, Professor Emeritus Karl Aust; and the company has a steady stream of undergraduate students completing their Professional Experience Year.

It all adds up to a culture ripe for discovery. In 2007, Integran was recognized as Innovative Business of the Year by the Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters Association, an honour Palumbo credits in large part to his alma mater.

“This is exactly why we maintain such close ties with U of T,” says Palumbo. “It’s the only place and time in which you can think completely outside the box. We’re all at our most creative during our university years. Taking advantage of that is something Integran has done reasonably well.”

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