Technology Category/Market
Technology: Zinc Oxide branched superstructures
Industry: Chemical, Renewable energy, Pharmaceutical
Applications: Catalysis, Sensing, Electronics
Market: The global nano zinc oxide market was valued at $0.3 billion in 2021, projected to reach $1.1 billion by 2031, growing at a CAGR of 13.2% from 2022 to 2031.
Targeted Industries
Watermarking IP design,
Electronic circuits
Image Gallery
Problem Statement
- In the prior arts, patent and non patent literature, there are few processes discussed for production of zinc oxide superstructures which incur high initial equipment cost & requires modifiers, seed layers, or surface directing agents which can compromise the purity of the developed nanostructures.
- Further, the above prior art techniques require variety of organic or inorganic ingredients with time-consuming processing steps, including heat treatment. Hence, there is a requirement of a simple process to address the above issues efficiently.
Technology
Present Patent talks about a process for preparation of zinc oxide (ZnO) superstructures by coupling Anodic Aluminum Oxide (AAO) template-assisted synthesis with alkali etching, wherein the process comprises a step of:
- Electro polishing ultrasonicallycleaned aluminum strips.
- Conducting first anodizationfor 1 hour;
- Oxide etching at 60ºC for 1 hour.
- Conducting second anodization for 2 hours.
- Thinning the alumina dielectric barrier layer by sequentially reducing the anodization voltage.
- Etching the sample in 5 wt. % phosphoric acids at 20°C for 45 min to widen the pores.
- Electrochemical deposition of zinc oxide (ZnO) nanowires within the AAO nanochannels.
- Hydroxide etching of ZnO nanowires embedded in the AAO template to obtain ZnO superstructures.
Further, it talks about various features for obtaining ZnO superstructure as shown:Â
- The Electro-polishing step is done at 20V DC, at 100C for 60s including a mixture of perchloric acid & ethanol in 1:4 v/v ratio.
- First & second anodization steps are conducted in an electrolyte of 0.3M oxalic acid solution at 20°C with a constant voltage of 45V DC.
- In the hydroxide etching step, the nanowires are etched further for a period of 0 to 60 minutes under concentration range of 0.5 to 2M NaOH at a Temp. between 5 to 50°C.
In this instant, the process of obtaining ZnO superstructure along with outcomes are depicted in the figures.
Key Features/Value Proposition
Technical Perspective:
Claimed Patent provides simple fabrication process to develop zinc oxide (ZnO) superstructures, by coupling anodic aluminum oxide template-assisted synthesis with alkali etching.
Industrial Perspective:Â
Patented Process is cost-effective, less time taking, scalable technique to grow zinc oxide (ZnO) SSs with file tunable morphologies and modifier/catalysts/seed layers free.
Questions about this Technology?
Contact for Licensing
Research lab
Prof. Lakshman Neelakantan,
Prof. Parasuraman Swaminathan
Department of Metallurgical & Materials Engineering
Intellectual Property
IITM IDF Ref. 2249.
IN Patent No: 421576 (Granted)
Technology Readiness Level
TRL- 3/4
Proof of Concept Ready & tested and validated in Laboratory stage. Â