May 23, 2011
ALD NanoSolutions, Inc. has announced the award of a $150,000 Phase I Small Business Innovation and Research (SBIR) grant from the Department of Energy for “Extended Lifetime Supported Nanocatalysts for Energy Improvements in Commodity Chemical Manufacturing.” The award, effective June 17, 2011 – March 17, 2012, will be used to develop a platform technology that can dramatically improve the stability and lifetime of nearly any supported metal catalyst particles. ALD NanoSolutions has demonstrated the ability to deposit porous ceramic layers on high surface area supports with sub-nanometer thickness control. These coatings have prevented the sintering/deactivation of platinum nanoclusters up to 800°C. The cost of these nanoscale coatings, which is driven by the cost of the chemical used to produce the films, has hindered adoption by commodity chemical manufacturers in the past. ALD NanoSolutions has identified several low-cost chemicals that can be used to produce similar nanoscale stabilizing films. The objective of this proposal is to develop low-cost processing routes for porous nanoscale film formation that demonstrate identical generational gains to the lifetime, stability and efficiency of supported metal catalysts.
ALD NanoSolutions is using nanotechnology-enabled solutions to help the U.S. meet the objective of reducing our dependence on foreign oil. Energy consumption for industrial processes comprises 22% of petroleum used today, and more than half of that is used during petroleum reforming and commodity chemical manufacturing. Novel catalytic materials with longer life cycles can help to reduce this demand further. ALD NanoSolutions is aggressively pursuing methods to demonstrate this performance improvement at reduced costs to entice catalyst manufacturers to expedite the adoption of this technology.
The patented process of depositing ALD films on particles will allow the company to improve the stability and lifetime of catalyst powders in a cost-effective manner. The composition and thickness of the ALD films can also be customized to functionalize particle surfaces for other benefits such as improved dispersion, reduced precious metal usage and reduced aggregation during fabrication. The research, done in partnership with the University of Colorado at Boulder, is an important part in the company’s continuing effort to demonstrate the value of atomic layer deposition for custom designed composite materials.
About ALD NanoSolutions
As the leader in digital coating solutions for composite materials, ALD NanoSolutions (ALDN) is dedicated to bringing next generation performance to materials used across a wide range of industries. ALDN’s mission is to accelerate the commercial success of its customers by delivering superior materials solutions based on its proprietary atomic layer deposition platform. The ALDN web site is www.aldnanosolutions.com.