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

这个PFI: AIR技术翻译项目的重点是翻译一种连续流水热反应器技术，以满足工业对可扩展的高精度纳米材料生产的需求。水热反应器技术将应用于生产用于水质检测传感器的纳米材料。目前纳米材料的生产主要由间歇合成技术主导，这种技术缺乏可重复性，通常缺乏可扩展性，而且效率低下。这些限制对纳米材料的工业生产和使用构成了障碍。连续流水热反应器技术可以通过提供一个系统来解决这些限制，该系统能够以高精度快速扩展生产纳米材料，相对于传统的批处理工艺显著减少浪费，减少或消除有害有机溶剂，并完全集成一步生产。一个健康的文明和环境最重要的资源之一是清洁的水的可用性。痕量水检测具有重大的社会效益，可以在公共卫生受到影响之前了解和正确解决水质问题。然而，现有的痕量水质检测通常依赖于缓慢而昂贵的分析方法，这降低了常规检测的可用性。基于表面增强拉曼光谱（SERS）的传感器有可能为痕量污染物提供快速和廉价的测试，使饮用水，天然和工业过程水的测试更加可行。这些化学传感器的有效性严重依赖于其制造中使用的纳米材料的质量和可重复性。本项目将利用连续流水热反应器技术的优势，制造各种用于水质检测传感器的纳米材料，以提高颗粒质量和可重复性，提高生产效率（通过减少成本、浪费和合成时间），提高传感器性能。在该项目结束时，将构建并优化一个完全集成的可扩展中试反应器系统，用于生产各种传感器纳米材料。随着技术从研究发现向商业应用的转变，PFI: AIR TT项目解决了与可扩展反应器设计、优化合成化学和在线涂层相关的技术差距。根据行业需求和连续流水热反应器技术的独特功能，将量身定制合成化学和反应器材料，以最大限度地提高产品颗粒的精度，质量和尺寸范围。对生长动力学、反应堆设计标准和反应堆结构的研究将进行，以确定可扩展性和生产感兴趣的粒子的最佳反应堆设计参数。在线颗粒表征的优化和过程控制参数的确定将发生。最后，将开发在线表面改性系统，以完成完全集成的反应器系统，并允许单步生产传感器颗粒。与OndaVia Technologies合作，一家在水质传感和SERS传感器技术方面具有专业知识的公司，纳米材料将被纳入传感器墨盒中进行评估。参与该项目的人员，包括一名研究生和至少三名本科生，将通过与OndaVia Technologies和佛罗里达大学创业与创新中心的互动，以及参与研究活动，获得创新、技术转让和创业经验。

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.