Nano-engineered Hazardous Metal-free Electronic Components

Electronic components (resistors, capacitors, inductors, batteries, and piezoelectric components) based on nickel, cobalt, lead, and other hazardous materials account for more than 50 percent of electronic components consumption in the United States and worldwide. The exceptional and ongoing growth of the electronic components industry suggests that this trend will increase in the future, and that this will increasingly lead to an important route for heavy metal-based chemicals commerce. A technology that can provide a cost-effective, nonpolluting alternative to materials with nonhazardous formulation while maintaining performance would make a major impact in preventing pollution. This program will enable such a technology. The effort aims to develop nano-engineered powders that offer desirable performance from nanoscale grain-sized confinement effects instead of the presence of undesirable hazardous elements. The Phase I objective is to establish the proof-of-concept of hazardous metal-free electronic components technology. The Phase I effort and Nanomaterials Research Corporation's approach already have the interest of a leading commercial manufacturer. This project will address the environmental concerns of one of the fastest-growing industries worldwide. It is expected that this effort will dramatically reduce nickel, cobalt, lead, and other metals in components such as resistors, capacitors, inductors, piezoelectric speakers, battery electrodes, and related products. All of these products are widely used, and by Electronic Industries Alliance estimates, broadly impact more than $300 billion per year in commerce in the United States alone.