SBIR Phase I: Virion Capsulated Nanopowders for Dielectric Applications

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project is for a novel methodology to produce nanodimensional formulation additives for use in the passive components industry. Presently available materials are rapidly reaching the point of diminishing return in terms of fired grain sizes, microstructural control and electrical performance. Given the ever-increasing demands of the electronics industry, novel solutions enabling next generation passive components must be developed. Of particular interest to this work are dielectric formulations for the multi-billion dollar multi-layered capacitor industry. The utilization of a novel virion encapsulated nanopowder production technology to produce formulation additives for this marketplace is proposed. Virion encapsulation uses self-assembling protein cages as scaffolding for nanoparticle production. Anticipated benefits of the research include the development of a method to produce nanodimensional multi-metal oxides, development of a novel nanodimensional dielectric system and definition of the processing window for nanodimensional passive component production. The technology being developed in this proposal is a direct application of nanotechnology. Nanotechnology impacts the fundamental nature of the products it enables. Objects become smaller, faster, stronger, lighter, possessing entirely new properties and even combinations of properties not otherwise available. The application of nanotechnology permits both the production of novel products and entirely new manufacturing paradigms.