SBIR Phase II: Automotive Nanocomposites

这项小企业创新研究（SBIR）的第二阶段提案旨在将一种新型介孔硅酸盐纳米颗粒商业化，用于增强热塑性聚合物，用于美国汽车和轻型卡车的制造。虽然纳米颗粒通常可以提供一些聚合物增强的好处，但它们通常缺乏提供强度和刚度的能力。此外，它们通常需要广泛的有机表面改性以分散在聚合物基体中。有机改性剂限制了纳米颗粒的热稳定性，并损害了其通过低成本的熔体加工方法制造纳米复合材料的适用性。该项目计划的纯无机介孔硅酸盐，通过提供表面极性、介孔尺寸、表面积和孔隙体积的独特组合，规避了有机改性引起的所有限制，从而优化了颗粒与聚合物基体之间的界面相互作用，从而实现有效的分散和增强。除了在颗粒载荷下提供刚度外，介孔硅酸盐还提供强度，这使得生产汽车部件所需的聚合物数量与增加的强度成比例地减少。仅聚合物的节省就可以使用户在不增加成本的情况下减轻车辆重量，实现刚度并提高燃油经济性。汽车纳米复合材料的广泛影响/商业潜力可以直接影响美国的能源经济，以及环境质量。减少车辆重量和提高燃油经济性的结合转化为石油消耗和温室气体排放的减少。生产介孔硅酸盐纳米颗粒的工艺既不耗能也不对环境有害。基于水溶胶-凝胶化学，这个项目的纳米颗粒是在温度为80℃的情况下生产的，不会向环境释放有害废物。

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II proposal aims to commercialize a new mesoporous silicate nanoparticles for the reinforcement of thermoplastic polymers used in the manufacture of U.S. cars and light trucks. Whereas nanoparticles, in general, provide some polymer reinforcement benefits, they typically lack the ability to provide strength as well as stiffness. Also, they normally require extensive organic surface modification for dispersion in the polymer matrix. Organic modifiers limit nanoparticles thermal stability and compromise their suitability for nanocomposite manufacturing through cost-effective melt processing methods. The purely inorganic mesoporous silicates this project plans, circumvent all of the limitations caused by organic modifies by providing a unique combination of surface polarity, mesopore size, surface area, and pore volume which optimizes interfacial interactions between the particles and the polymer matrix for effective dispersion and reinforcement. In addition to providing stiffness at particle loadings, the mesoporous silicates provide strength, which allows the amount of polymer needed to produce an automotive part to be reduced in proportion to the added strength. The polymer savings alone allow users of the technology to reduce the weight of the vehicle, achieve stiffness, and improve fuel economy at no added cost. The broader impact/commercial potential of automotive nanocomposites can directly impact the US energy economy, as well as environmental quality. The combination of reduced vehicle weight and increased fuel economy translates into a reduction in petroleum consumption and green house gas emissions. The process for producing mesoporous silicate nanoparticles is neither energy-intensive nor environmentally harmful. Based on aqueous sol-gel chemistry, this project's nanoparticles are manufactured in yields at a temperature of with no harmful waste released to the environment.