SBIR Phase II: High Performance Nano-Fe/SiO2 Soft Magnetic Cores Based on Exchange Coupling

这个小型企业创新第二阶段项目旨在优化和扩大用于高性能软磁应用的交换耦合铁/陶瓷纳米复合材料的制备。在第一阶段，Infrmat公司采取了开创性的步骤来开发Fe/陶瓷磁性纳米复合材料，这导致了与微米级铁氧体相比的显著改善，包括更高的饱和磁化强度和更低的功率损耗。Fe/陶瓷纳米复合材料的设计是基于相邻纳米颗粒之间的交换耦合效应，其中Fe纳米颗粒均匀分布在绝缘陶瓷基质中。第一阶段的成功工作为第二阶段磁性纳米复合材料技术的进一步发展提供了科学和技术基础。拟议的第二阶段计划扩大了第一阶段进行的铁/陶瓷纳米复合材料技术，重点是纳米复合材料磁芯的快速商业化。第二阶段的关键里程碑包括(1)将所演示的化学合成扩大到中试生产，(2)通过交换耦合展示具有理想磁性的原型核心，以及(3)展示使用交换耦合磁性纳米复合材料核心的高性能DC-DC转换器原型。第二阶段的参与者包括陶瓷磁性公司、康涅狄格州大学、维拉诺瓦大学、佐治亚理工学院和转换器专家威廉·麦克莱曼上校。陶瓷磁性公司已承诺为第二阶段提供7.5万美元的成本份额，并将提供25万美元的后续资金。

This Small Business Innovation Phase II project is directed toward optimizing and scaling up fabrication of exchange coupled Fe/ceramic nanocomposites for high performance soft magnetic applications. In Phase I, Inframat Corporation took pioneering steps to develop Fe/ceramic magnetic nanocomposites, which resulted in significant improvements over microsized ferrites including higher saturation magnetization and lower power loss. The design of the Fe/ceramic nanocomposite is based on an exchange coupling effect between neighboring nanoparticles, where Fe nanoparticles are uniformly distributed within an insulating ceramic matrix. Successful Phase I efforts have provided the scientific and technological groundwork for further magnetic nanocomposite technology advancement in Phase II. The proposed Phase II program scales-up the Fe/ceramic nanocomposite technology performed in Phase I. Emphasis is on rapid commercialization of nanocomposite cores. Key Phase II milestones include (1) scale-up of the demonstrated chemical synthesis into pilot-scale production, (2) demonstration of prototype cores having desirable magnetic properties through exchange coupling, and (3) demonstration of high performance prototype DC-to-DC converters using the exchange coupled magnetic nanocomposite cores.Phase II participants include Ceramic Magnetics, UConn, Villanova Univ., Georgia Tech, and a converter specialist, Colonel William McLyman. Ceramic Magnetics has pledged $75,000 cost share to the Phase II and will carry a $250,000 follow-on funding.