NIRT: Synthesis and Application of Magnetic Nano- and Nano-Composite Particles

Washington University, Saint Louis MO

Investigators

Abstract

PROJECT ABSTRACT CTS-0304649 Magnetic nanoparticles/nano-composites (ferromagnetic, ferrimagnetic and antiferromagnetic materials) have many promising industrial and biomedical applications such as catalysis, magnetocooling, optical and recording devices, purification of enzymes and other biological materials, and water purification devices; however, there are key issues that need to be carefully researched for their wider scale applicability. The first is the ability to synthesize desired magnetic nanostructures for specific applications with tailored sizes, compositions and morphologies; the second is to scale up processes for production of larger volumes of these nanomaterials; and the third is the understanding of the size dependent magnetic properties, the interaction of nanoparticles in high gradient magnetic fields, and incorporation of these dynamic interactions in predicting the transport characteristics in different media. The overall objectives of this project are: (1) the laboratory scale synthesis of magnetic particles and nano-composites with tailored size, composition and morphologies; (2) the development of systems for on-line measurement of high concentration nanoparticles in high temperature environments; (3) the demonstration of synthesized particles for novel applications, in data storage, recording, and biomedical applications such as in embolics; (4) addressing issues of scale up for processing large volumes of such nanoparticles. This NIRT team consists of researchers from the Departments of Chemical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, and Electrical Engineering in Washington University in St. Louis, with expertise in nanoparticle/nano-composite synthesis processes, nanoparticle measurement and characterization, and testing for industrial and biomedical applications.