SBIR Phase I: A Novel Technique for Polymer Encapsulation of Nanopowders

这个小型企业创新研究(SBIR)第一阶段项目计划开发一种用于纳米粉末聚合物封装的新技术。纳米粒子，由于其独特的性质和优势，正在迅速获得行业所有部门的接受。目前，纳米颗粒的使用受到其不可获得性或缺乏加工技术的限制。一种这样的技术是用聚合物材料包覆纳米粉末。聚合物包覆的铁纳米粒子(尺寸范围为5-15 nm)由于其超顺磁性，在生物分离、水中毒素检测、免疫分析、DNA探针和磁共振成像等领域有着广泛的应用。这些珠子的超顺磁性意味着它们的分离需要较低的磁场(大约1/10到1/20)，这意味着大大降低了成本。应该强调的是，目前还没有用聚合物包覆纳米粉末的技术。在第一阶段的工作中，将开发一种用聚合物聚苯乙烯包覆纳米铁粉的新技术。

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project plans to develop a novel technology for polymer encapsulation of nanopowders. Nanoparticles, because of their unique properties and advantages, are fast gaining acceptance by all sectors of the industry. Currently, the use of nanoparticles is restricted by either its unavailability or lack of technology for its processing. One such technology is for the coating of nanopowders with a polymeric material. Polymer coated iron nanoparticles (size range of 5-15 nm), because of their super-paramagnetic properties, have extensive applications in the area of bio-separation, detection of toxins in water, immunoassays, DNA probes, and magnetic resonance imaging. The super-paramagnetic nature of these beads means a lower magnetic field (about 1/10 to 1/20) is required for their separation and this translates to significant cost reduction. It should be emphasized that currently there is no technique for coating nanopowders with a polymer. During this Phase I effort, a novel technology for coating of iron nanopowders with a polymer-polystyrene will be developed.