TechLink : : 6,673,246 - Selectively Absorbent and Robust Materials

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6,673,246 - Selectively Absorbent and Robust Materials

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The US Navy seeks to commercialize through patent licensing two novel nanoporous materials for selectively absorbing chemical agents in vapor or fluid. Chemical agents, once absorbed, can be desorbed and the material can be reused.

The Technology

The US Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) has developed in-house expertise and intellectual property for production of environmentally stable materials capable of selectively absorbing chemical agents. Techniques include, alone or in combination, the use of surfactant templates and molecular imprinting to produce porous polysilsesquioxanes and nanoporous organisilicas. These materials have been shown to be effective at absorbing phenolic compounds and TNT, and are known to participate in the binding and hydrolysis of peptides and a variety of esters and amides in water and organic solvents. Other applications may be feasible.

Background

The US Navy is developing two technologies in this area, supported by several patents. The first technology pertains to the removal of chemical agents with an arylene-bridged (and derivatives thereof) polysilsesquioxane adsorbent, with engineered porosity, and the regeneration of the loaded adsorbent. The second relates to a molecularly imprinted material made by template-directed synthesis. Template directed molecular imprinting results in selective, homogeneous adsorption sites that are specifically positioned. Combining these two technologies results in highly stable materials with enhanced adsorption selectivity and capacity.

Issued patents are 6,673,246, on polysilsesquioxane adsorbents, and 6,310,110; 6,583,191; 6,660,780; and 6,713,416 on molecularly-imprinted materials.

The Opportunity

Ongoing research program, potential for collaborative research, patents available for licensing

Benefits