Materials and Compositions Technology Overview
The discovery and development of materials with useful properties such as conductivity, nonlinear optics, chirality, sensing, thermal stability, and mechanical resistance are essential for technological progress in our society. The challenge today is to envision and devise materials, which abandon the cradle to grave design and instead be considered of resources running out and a more and more polluted environment. Ecological design challenges to find new, revolutionary solutions like biodegradable plastics and make materials that can be perpetually circulated in closed loops.
Composite materials are formed by combining two or more materials with different properties, without dissolving or blending them into each other. Composites will never totally replace traditional materials like steel, but in many cases they are just what we need. And no doubt new uses will be found as the technology evolves.
sources: science.org, reciprocalnet.org
INVENTOR • Arijit Bose, Indrani Chakraborty
ABSTRACT
APPLICATION
FEATURES & BENEFITS
Methods of Facilitating the Bioconversion of Crude Biodiesel-Derived Glycerol by Microorganisms
INVENTORS • Geoffrey Bothun, Keerthi Venkataramanan
ABSTRACT
The present disclosure generally pertains to a method of facilitating the bioconversion of glycerol by microorganisms. In one embodiment, biodiesel derived crude glycerol is purified by removing fatty acids through acid precipitation. The fatty acid-free crude glycerol is then utilized as a carbon source for the culture of microorganisms and the production of value-added substances. Additionally, the unsaturated fatty acids within the biodiesel-derived crude glycerol are converted to saturated fatty acids, allowing for fermentation behavior similar to that of pure glycerol. Both the cultured microorganisms and the culture media containing the purified crude glycerol may be analyzed for crude glycerol bioconversion products. The disclosure also relates to a method of increasing product yield through the addition of a second carbon source to the microorganism culture media.
APPLICATION
This invention is directed to a modified freeze fracture imaging of a viscous surfactant mesophase.
FEATURES AND BENEFITS
A modified freeze fracture direct imaging method wherein an environmental chamber having a controlled temperature and solvent partial pressure is used to control the environment in which the sample is being tested. A caliper/forceps is used to bring the copper planchettes together but at a controlled speed to minimize shearing. A liquid nitrogen cooled knife is used to fracture the sample between the copper planchettes and the grid.
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY |
Patent Number | Issue Date | Type | Country of Filing |
---|---|---|---|
US20150037832 | None | Divisional | United States |
Novel Process for Electroless Plating of Gold on a Surface
INVENTOR • Jason Dwyer |
ABSTRACT
A method is disclosed for electroless plating of thin metal film directly onto a substrate. The method includes the steps of: cleaning the substrate to remove organic material; etching a surface of the substrate to remove an oxygen-containing surface layer; soaking and rinsing the substrate in a plurality of baths following etching; and electroless plating the metal onto the substrate. |
APPLICATION |
The ability to create conformally gold-coated nanoporous filters with SERS sensing capability
FEATURES AND BENEFITS |
Thin-walled nanofluidic sample cells – for rapid, high sensitivity and resolution screening by a host of complementary techniques, including in-liquid transmission electron microscopy.
Size- and surface-chemistry tuned ~1-1000nm-diameter pores in ~10-1000nm-thick films.
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY |
Patent Number | Issue Date | Type | Country of Filing |
---|---|---|---|
US20170130338 | None | Provisional | United States |
Particle Templated Flexible Composites with Tunable Properties
INVENTORS • Nicholas Heeder and Arun Shukla
ABSTRACT
A flexible conductive composite that has been co-optimized for both electrical and mechanical properties has been created.
APPLICATION
Application areas include electronics, energy storage, thermal management, shielding, smart coatings and sensors. Can be easily created using already existing industrial processes without a large outlay of new equipment or expense.
FEATURES & BENEFITS
Simple process. Cost effective. Amendable to many polymers and filler materials. Enhances polymer functionality (i.e. thermal conductivity, electrical conductivity). Commercially viable. Highly tunable for a specific app
PATENT STATUS
Applied
AVAILABILITY
Technology is available for licensing
Highly Ordered TiO2 and Pt/TiO2 Nanocomposites for Advanced Catalytic Applications
INVENTORS • Arijit Bose, Ganapahiraman Ramanth
ABSTRACT
The present teachings are directed toward hexagonally patterned porous titania synthesized from a titanium isopropoxide precursor using a viscous template of surface-active agents separating nanoscopic bicontinuous channels of water and isooctane. Subsequent catalyst metal salt reduction in the aqueous nanochannels deposits well-separated catalyst metal nanoparticles on the pore surfaces. |
APPLICATION |
This catalyst composite can be used in a catalytic converter system.
FEATURES AND BENEFITS |
These nanocomposites exhibit significantly higher carbon monoxide oxidation efficiency than that obtained with known supports with higher specific surface area; efficiency is believed to be due to decreased mass transfer resistance provided the presently disclosed support material.
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY |
Patent Number | Issue Date | Type | Country of Filing |
---|---|---|---|
8,003,567 | None | Provisional | United States |
Fixed Angle Rotary Shear: A New Method for Tailoring Composite Materials
INVENTORS • Nicholas Heeder and Arun Shukla
ABSTRACT
APPLICATION
FEATURES & BENEFITS
A Method for Obtaining Highly Conductive Graphene-Based Composites
INVENTORS • Nicholas Heeder, Fei Guo, Arun Shukla, Robert Hurt, Arijit Bose
ABSTRACT
APPLICATION
FEATURES & BENEFITS
Applied