SBIR-STTR Award

This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project is aimed at producing high-value metal/metal oxide composite powders (Ag, Pd, Au, Pt) by spray pyrolysis. These powders are used extensively in the electronics industry for manufacture of circuit boards and capacitors. Current methods of powder synthesis cannot adequately control the size distribution of the powders, nor give controlled phase and elemental composition and in the case of Palladium give useful oxidation resistance. Nanochem Inc. proposes to develop novel chemical routes to form composite particles containing the metal and an inexpensive filler materials such as metal oxide. The proposed research will result in a process for the generation of metal powders with high purity, narrow size distribution, smaller particle size, and controlled elemental and phase composition at a cost less than is possible with the current manufacturing process. The Phase I effort will prove the feasibility of this approach by using currently available aerosol techniques to produce Ag, Pd, Au and Pt particles with vastly improved properties relative to existing materials. In addition, there will be a significant cost reduction associated with the manufacture of these composite powders due to the replacement of the metal with the inexpensive filler material.

This Small Business Innovation Research, Phase II project builds on the successful results obtained in the synthesis of high-value precious metal/metal oxide composite powders (Ag, Pd. Au, Pt) by spray pyrolysis carried out in Phase I. Powders containing precious metals are used extensively in the electronics industry for manufacture of circuit boards and capacitors. Current methods of powder synthesis cannot adequately control the size distribution of the powders, nor give controlled phase and elemental composition and in the case of Palladium provide useful oxidation resistance. The Phase I feasibility study has demonstrated that Pd and Pd/metal oxide composite powders produced by spray pyrolysis have enhanced properties over commercially available powders made by existing techniques. Pd-containing powders have been prepared with better control over size, size distribution and crystallinity which also results in the added value of improved oxidation resistance. The Phase II effort is aimed at determining whether the added value imparted to these powders can be maintained at higher production scales. This will be achieved by the design, construction, testing and refinement of a works prototype spray pyrolysis reactor capable of producing sufficient (kg) quantities of these powders to be incorporated into pastes and tested in electronic components such as multi-layer ceramic capacitors, MLCCs. This requires the development of a novel aerosol generation and classification system and powder collection unit as part of Phase II research. The powders produced by this research will have applications in the electronics industry as the base powder used in making screen printed circuit boards and as the metallization of MLCCs. Successful completion of Phase II research will result in a strong advantage over traditional metal powders in the MLCC market due to better oxidation resistance and a cost reduction from inert filler material