Dow Chemical Co. here in my home state recently announced that President and COO Andrew Liveris will take over as CEO this November. As Chemical & Engineering News reported in January, nano is on Liveris' mind. "Maybe an investment in nanotechnology would help Dow continue to grow, Liveris suggests," wrote journalist Marc S. Reish.
Dow, of course, is no stranger to nanotechnology. As of 2002, the company had collected 322 nanotechnology-related patents, the 20th-highest in all the nanoland (IBM was number one). Dow gave birth to the dendrimer and, more recently, spent a bundle on a failed attempt to make cars out of super-duper nano-enhanced plastic.
Also, Dow subsidiary Filmtec is trying to give Perrier a run for its money in France with a nanofiltration technology and Dow was involved in drawing up an industrywide nanomaterials roadmap.
Liveris, of course, is aware of all this nano-trial and nano-error as he contemplates future investments in nanotechnology. One would hope that he is also cognizant of the fact that better chemistry does not always equate with better living.
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