SBIR Phase II: Purification of Metallic Nitride Nanomaterials by Chemical Separation

这个小企业创新研究（SBIR）二期项目将涉及生产和纯化一种强大的磁共振成像（MRI）造影剂，该造影剂基于一种新发现的纳米材料（Trimetasphere），由富勒烯型笼内的金属氮化纳米团簇组成。最近，三metmetsphere的松驰性比目前使用的MRI造影剂提高了21倍。该项目将包括设计和建造一个粉末进料连续反应器，包括大棒能力，开发基于化学的分离技术，并优化化学分离的Trimetaspherses混合物的热处理。这些三metasphere纳米材料的纳米生产和化学分离技术将为大规模生产基于三metasphere的MRI造影剂提供基础。在商业上，这些三天球有巨大的医疗应用，通过改进诊断、新药和同步诊断和治疗试剂，以目前成本的一小部分，使美国公民受益于更好的医疗保健。更灵敏的造影剂的发展，如果转化为更小、更便宜的MRI仪器，将为设备制造商打开全新的市场。

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project will involve production and purification of a powerful Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) contrast agent based on a newly discovered nanomaterial (Trimetasphere), consisting of a metallic nitride nanocluster inside a fullerene type cage. Trimetaspheres recently demonstrated a factor of 21 times improved relaxivity over currently used MRI contrast agents. The project will involve designing and building a powder-feed continuous reactor, including large rod capability, developing chemically-based separations techniques and optimizing heat treatment of the chemically separated Trimetaspherses mixtures. The nanoproduction and chemical-based separations techniques for these Trimetasphere nanomaterials will provide the basis for the large-scale production of the Trimetasphere based MRI contrast agents.Commercially, these Trimetaspheres have tremendous medical applications that will benefit US citizens with better medical care through improved diagnostics, new pharmaceuticals, and simultaneous diagnostic and treatment reagents, at a fraction of current cost. The development of more sensitive contrast agents, if translated into smaller, less expensive MRI instruments, will open entirely new markets for the equipment manufacturers.