Nanostructured Ferrite for High Frequency Low Loss Power Converters

The Air Force seeks innovative processes for fabricating new ferrite materials exhibiting soft magnetic properties superior to conventional ferrites in high frequency DC-to-DC power converter applications. Ferrites have been used extensively as softmagnetic materials for five decades without major innovation despite significant power loss at elevated frequencies - the key factor limiting the miniaturization of electronic devices. Inframat Corporation proposes to demonstrate the feasibility ofexploiting novel ferrite/Fe nanocomposite materials for significantly improved performance in power converter applications. High electric-resistive ferrite and Fe nanoparticles will be chemically synthesized using Inframat's economically viable aqueoussolution method. The synthesized ferrite/Fe nanocomposite will be consolidated into desired magnetic components, tested, and compared with conventional ferrites. The design of the ferrite/Fe nanocomposite is based on exchange coupling, a quantum effecttaking place between neighboring nanoparticles. The ferrite/Fe nanocomposite is expected to possess higher saturation magnetization, higher permeability, higher electrical resistivity, higher Curie temperature, and lower power loss at elevated frequenciesthan conventional ferrite materials. This advancement will be very important for the design of high power density DC converters. The proposed program is highly useful for developing a series of magnetic nanomaterials, which are expected to have a majorimpact on the electronics industry.Commercial applications of the proposed technology include: Power converters, microwave antenna or rectennas, high frequency electronic parts made by ferrites, such as inductors, chokes, sensors, core-shape transformers,ultra high radio frequency telecommunications, planar transformers, and hybrid circuits. Other applications include telecommunications, industrial electronics, computers, Entertainment, automotive, and multimedia equipment.