PFI:AIR-TT: Scalable Hydrothermal Flow Manufacturing of High Value-Added Precision Nanoparticles

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This PFI: AIR Technology Translation project focuses on translating a continuous flow hydrothermal reactor technology to address industry needs for scalable high precision production of nanomaterials. The hydrothermal reactor technology will be applied to the production of nanomaterials for use in water quality testing sensors. Current production of nanomaterials is dominated by batch synthesis techniques, which lack reproducibility, are often poorly scalable, and are inefficient. These limitations present a barrier to industrial production and use of nanomaterials. The continuous flow hydrothermal reactor technology can address these limitations by providing a system capable of rapid scalable production of nanomaterials with high precision, significantly reduced waste relative to conventional batch processes, reduction or elimination of harmful organic solvents, and fully integrated one-step production. One of the most important resources of a healthy civilization and environment is the availability of clean water. Trace water testing represents a significant societal benefit by allowing water quality issues to be understood and correctly addressed before public health is affected. However, existing trace water quality testing typically relies on slow and expensive analysis methods, which decreases the availability of routine testing. Sensors based on surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) have the potential to provide a rapid and inexpensive test for trace level contaminants, making testing of potable, natural, and industrial process waters much more available. The effectiveness of these chemical sensors is critically dependent on the quality and reproducibility of the nanomaterials used in their manufacture. This project will apply the advantages of the continuous flow hydrothermal reactor technology to the manufacture of various nanomaterials for water quality testing sensors in order to increase particle quality and reproducibility, improve production efficiency (by reducing cost, waste, and synthesis time), and improve sensor performance. At the conclusion of this project, a fully integrated scalable pilot reactor system will be constructed and optimized for the production of various sensor nanomaterials. This PFI : AIR TT project addresses technology gaps related to the scalable reactor design, optimized synthesis chemistry, and inline coating as the technology translates from research discovery toward commercial application. Based on industry requirements and the unique capabilities of the continuous flow hydrothermal reactor technology, the synthesis chemistry and reactor materials will be tailored to maximize the precision, quality, and size range of the product particles. Studies on the growth kinetics, reactor design criteria, and reactor construction will be conducted to determine optimal reactor design parameters for scalability and production of the particles of interest. Optimization of the online particle characterization and determination of process control parameters will occur. Finally, the inline surface modification system will be developed to complete the fully integrated reactor system and allow for single step production of sensor particles. In collaboration with OndaVia Technologies, a company with expertise in water quality sensing and SERS sensor technology, nanomaterials will be incorporated into sensor cartridges for evaluation. Personnel involved in this project, including one graduate student and at least three undergraduate students, will gain innovation, technology transfer, and entrepreneurship experiences through interactions with OndaVia Technologies and the UF Entrepreneurship & Innovation Center, and participation in the research activities.