SBIR Phase II: Chemical Aerosol-flow Synthesis of Nanometals

This Small Business Innovation Research Phase II project will develop new scale up methods for the synthesis of surface stabilized metal nanoparticles from aerosol. The advantage of chemical aerosol-flow synthesis is in its simplicity in procedure and experimental setup, low cost and scalability. The method allows for the synthesis of high quality nanoparticles in continuous flow regimen. Phase I results proved feasibility of the method for the synthesis of high quality silver nanoparticles with high yield. This Phase II project will focus on increasing manufacturing capabilities to decrease the cost of nanoparticles significantly. Low cost, printed electrical conductors are expected to be a rapidly growing market for flexible electronics and solar cells. Reducing processing temperatures and material costs are key enablers to these growing applications. The low cost production of nanometals will contribute to these trends.