Porous Nanostructures and Methods of Fabrication
Need:
A porous structure may be a selective barrier comprised of inorganic and/or organic materials with varying dimensions and pore sizes. The global demand for some of the subject structures was estimated to be approximately USD$ 18.4 billion in 2014. Driven by the new developments and innovations in materials science and process technologies, the market and demand for new methods are expected to grow.
Solution:
Researchers at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo have developed methods of fabricating porous structures and the resulting structures. Specifically, methods that use precision optics to cure a slurry made from one or more powder mixed with photopolymers. Pore size control is achieved by controlling the powder size and powder loading in the slurry. As the disclosed methods are based on optics to control the thickness preferably without any mechanical movements, extreme tight thickness tolerance, as well as control of the profile structure, may be achieved.
Applications:
- Gas separation
- Liquid separation
- Printed electronics properties substrates
- Solid oxide fuel cells
- Lithium batteries
Advantages:
- Highly-cost effective with shorter manufacturing cycle time compared to conventional methods
- Strong enough to be free-standing
- Shorter manufacturing cycle time
IP Status:
US 10,661,476 issued 05/26/2020
Licensing Status:
Available - please contact us for more information.