Advantages of the new method

• Expensive equipment is not required - the basic infrastructure in every chemical lab is enough
• The organic precursors are cheap and easily available, even from the supermarked
• One, two, three or more types of particles may be obtained in a single sol-gel process. Thus only one calcination process may be enough to obtain a complex final products reducing calcination process.
• The new precursors have proven to yield a superior product to some of the traditional ones (less agglomerated product, smaller particles)
• Sucrose and pectin act as an efficient internal fuel, thus further reducing the energy requirement for the calcination process.

Possible applications:
Nanoparticles are widely used in industry, for inststance cosmetics and coatings, commercial potential in the fuel cell industry

The technology:

The sol-gel method is one of the most used chemical methods for obtaining nanoparticles. This is so called Òsoft chemistryÓ because non-aggressice, dilute solutions are used at low tempratures. The research and development of this new variant of the sol-gel method has led to chemically pure nanosized powders with narrow particle size distributions. Through this method nanoparticles of AI₂0₃, Ti0₂, Zr0₂, 8%Y₂0₃-92%Zr0₂ (8YSZ) and Gd0₂-Ce0₂ have been obtained with very good reproducibility.The sol-gel method involves the use of two diluted solutions: the frist one containing the precursor salts and the second one containing some organic precursor, traditionally ethylene glycol, glycerin or citric acid. The new sol-gel method uses sucrose and pectin as organic precursors. Addition of sucrose and pectin to the solution of precursor salts form a polymer matrix in which the metal cation(s) are distributed through the polymer structure. The whole composition is slowly dried at about 100^oC to form first an sol and then a gel. By subsequent calcination, nanopowders with the desired chemical composition and crystal structure are obtained.

The new organic precursors are both ubiquitous and environmentally friendly. Sucrose (C₆H₁₂O₆) constitutes about 99% of table sugar, and pectin is an important constituent in ripe fruits and some vegetables, both are widely used in the food and health industries.

Interested in this technology?
Patent has been filed in the United States and Norway, Interested investors or partners may contact Bergen Techtrans Office (BTO) for details:
Trond Thomassen - Business Associate
Tel: +47 55 58 30 53
Cell: +47 952 25 058
www.bergento.no
trond.thomassen@bergento.no
or:
Dr Crina S. Ilea (Suciu) - Research Fellow
Prototech and the University of Bergen
Tel: +47 55 57 41 01
crina.suciu@ift.uib.no