UNIVERSITYPrincetonUniversity

RESEARCH/INNOVATION Devising a process to stabilize alkali metals; new chemistry for hydrogen fuel.

Michael Lefenfeld’s sojourn into the world of nanotech and business started with the goal of creating a better bathroom deodorizer for his grandfather. At the age of 23, he put his materials engineering degree to work.

Two years later, the 25-year-old chemist has founded startup SiGNa Chemistry, released three materials onto the market, and lured major customers like Pfizer, Shell Chemical, and BASF.

After his grandfather’s request, Mr. Lefenfeld started out with fragrant oils, and then added alkali metals that would react with water and generate heat, releasing the oil into the air. Researchers have long known that alkali metals have huge potential in many fields, from pharmaceuticals to portable power generation. Immersed in liquid, the metals produce a useful chemical reaction.

But they are also volatile. When exposed to air or moisture, they can burst into flame—a property that has so far limited their use in industrial applications. So Mr. Lefenfeld, who had also worked as a scientist at Bell Labs and DuPont—set out to find a way to stabilize the alkali metals for his purposes. The turning point came as he browsed research on the Internet and found experiments by James Dye, a retired professor at MichiganStateUniversity.

When Mr. Lefenfeld met Mr. Dye at an American Chemical Society meeting, Mr. Dye doubted the possibility of making a stable alkali gel. But he worked on the idea in his lab space at MSU, and it soon became apparent that the idea would work. Mr. Dye is now vice president of R&D at SiGNa, which is based in New York City.

Eventually, the pair devised a way to combine an alkali metal with silica gel and yield a stable powder. The powder can be easily and cheaply stored, transported, and handled. It can be used at room temperature without a catalyst. Mixed with water, it produces cheap, clean hydrogen gas, and is especially valuable for analysis in the pharmaceutical and food industries.

This powdered approach overcomes one of the big problems of transporting gas in tanks, which is both expensive and dangerous. Beyond the $80-billion chemistry market, the powder can be used in drug making and oil refining, where it should save money and time. SiGNa also plans to pursue the $10-billion portable-power market, and produce hydrogen as an alternative energy source. Mr. Lefenfeld says lab tests show that 0.9 milligrams of the company’s powder can produce 20 milliliters of hydrogen gas.

What’s the secret to his success? “It is always good to be the least smart person at the table,” he says. “To know what you don’t know and have a support team to know what you don’t know.”