SBIR Phase II: One-Step Environmentally-Friendly Synthesis of Novel Organic/Inorganic Hybrid Pigments

The Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project will support the commercialization of a novel line of high-performance Mayacrom pigments using a lower cost, solid-state, environmentally friendly one-step manufacturing process. The Mayacrom pigments exhibit superior properties compared with many commercially available pigments and may replace environmentally detrimental pigments such as cobalt and cadmium based colorants. The intellectual merit of the proposed work includes the advancement of knowledge of solid-state reactions in the fields of materials science and engineering. Environmentally, aspects of the proposal include creating a production process that is solvent free, consumes only a modest amount of energy, and releases only water during manufacturing, resulting in no negative ecological impacts. Broader effects include the fundamental understanding of the solid-state thermodynamics and reaction kinetics that affect the physical and chemical properties of the pigments. Results of the influence of mixing intensity on reaction kinetics will also expand the knowledge for other industrial processes. Other broader impacts include continued collaborative research activities at the minority-based University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) to expand the scientific understanding of these hybrid pigments and publish significant findings. If successfully commercialized, the one-step manufacturing process will create jobs in the United States and in the under-utilized El Paso, Texas border region.