STTR Phase I: Highly Conductive Transparent Coating via Nanostructured Colloidal Sol-Gel Process

Chemat Technology Inc, Northridge CA

Investigators

Abstract

This Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Phase I project will support the current trend in developing nanophase materials. This is spirited by an increasing need for nanometer-scale structures in a variety of applications. It is clear that to achieve unique mechanical, physical, chemical, and biomedical properties, it is necessary to develop novel synthesis routes by which an entirely new nanostructure can be developed. When the thickness of the metal down to nano-meters, the metal/dielectric multilayer coating exhibits metallic conductivity and dielectric transparency. The periodic nature of the metal/dielectric lattice causes the light to propagate through the metal layers with extremely low loss. The most unique feature of the metallic optical filter is the ability to have a single pass band and block all other radiation from static fields to soft X-rays. This remarkable property is a result of the highly dispersive nature of metals. This research program will develop a nano-engineered powder: bilayer coated nanopowder. This powder composses three functionalities: highly transparent, highly conductive and a broad band radiation blocking from static fields to soft X-rays. Development of such unique nanostructures would not only benefit the specific industrial applications, such as panel displace and anti-static/anti-reflection (ASAR) coating for lenses and CRT, but also the electronic industry, in general.