Editorial

by Dr. Dan Coy

What are Nanocrystalline Materials?

• Many properties can depend on particle size:
        chemical, optical, mechanical
        melting point, crystal structures

• The ratio of surface atoms and grain boundaries to interior atoms causes these changes in behavior

• The properties can also depend on the synthesis technique

• Nanoparticles are the building blocks used in nanotechnology

The Grand Challenges of Nanotechnology

The goal of Nanophase Technologies Corporation is to quickly commercialize nanoparticles into a thriving industrial market.

The Grand Challenges to commercializing nanoparticles fall into two main categories:

• Satisfying market demands -- New nanoparticle technologies must deliver a complete solution to be commercially successful. nanoparticles develop increasing functionality and value as their surfaces are modified through coating and dispersed into formulations that optimize the desired characteristics.

• Responding to technical needs -- Successful commercialization of nanoparticle technology over the next 10 years will require satisfying manufacturing needs:
  • Process and product co-development
  • Robust manufacturing processes and products
  • Sophisticated quality assurance and SPC [****????***]

• particle size distribution
• compositional uniformity
• surface chemistry
• morphology

As these new techniques becomew available we may secure

• improved ability to develop property-performance relationships for unmodified and surface modified nanoparticles

• improved ability to design a particle and surface treatment for a specific application from first principles

• improved ability to design robust manufacturing processes and to monitor those processes to assure uniformly high quality products

• improved on-line instruments that will allow real-time monitoring of manufacturing processes to further increase product uniformity and quality.

• Introducing students to the application of nanoparticles at the undergraduate level so that the potential for these materials is more broadly recognized.

• Applied research to develop standards for handling of nanoparticles to facilitate their economical and safe manufacture, storage, transportation, and use. This is particularly applicable to non-oxides, which can be highly reactive with moisture and air due to their high surface areas.

Nanophase Technologies Uses Metal Vapor Condensation

to Make Several Differentiated Nanomaterials

with Properties Critical for Valuable Products

Discrete Particle Encapsulation

Encapsulation passivates particles so that reactivity to reduce degradation of either the particle or the matrix that surrounds it.

A coated nanoparticle

The encapsulating coating may be functionalized to facilitate dispersion into organic or aqueous liquid systems. Surface treatment with functional groups enables direct interaction between nanoparticles and resins. Typical functional groups are
          Acrylate
          Epoxide
          Amine
          Vinyl
          Isocyanate
These are indicated by the letter F in the diagrams below.

For example, nanoparticles of alumina encapsulated in a functionalized coating disperse readily in an aqueous solution of melamine-formaldehyde. This dispersion forms a film that is both clear and scratch-resistant.

Production Facilities at
Nanophase Technologies Corp.

Dr. Dan Coy Dan Coy is the Director of Engineering at Nanophase Technologies Corporation. He received his Ph. D. in Chemical Engineering from Iowa State University in 1993. Dan has 12 years of industrial experience in chemical process research, development, production, and management.