[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 45 (Monday, March 8, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Page 10677]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-5166]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Institute of Standards and Technology


Notice of Jointly Owned Invention Available for Licensing

AGENCY: National Institute of Standards and Technology, Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of jointly owned invention available for licensing.

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SUMMARY: The invention listed below is jointly owned by the U.S. 
Government, as represented by the Department of Commerce, and the 
University of Maryland. The Department of Commerce's interest in the 
invention is available for licensing in accordance with 35 U.S.C. 207 
and 37 CFR part 404 to achieve expeditious commercialization of results 
of federally funded research and development.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Technical and licensing information on 
this invention may be obtained by writing to: National Institute of 
Standards and Technology, Office of Technology Partnerships, Attn: Mary 
Clague, Building 820, Room 213, Gaithersburg, MD 20899. Information is 
also available via telephone: 301-975-4188 , fax 301-869-2751, or e-
mail: [email protected]. Any request for information should include 
the NIST Docket number and title for the invention as indicated below.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: NIST may enter into a Cooperative Research 
and Development Agreement (``CRADA'') with the licensee to perform 
further research on the invention for purposes of commercialization. 
The invention available for licensing is:

NIST Docket Number: 01-004.

    Title: Method For Producing Metal Particles by Spray Pyrolysis 
Using a Co-solvent and Apparatus Therefore.
    Abstract: Gas-to-particle conversion processes have been used to 
produce various micro and nanoscale metal powders because of their 
convenient process characteristics. Recently, hydrogen gas approaches 
for reducing metal oxides made from metal precursor aerosols in gas-to-
particle conversion processes were developed by several research 
groups. However, aerosol decomposition reactions may be very dangerous 
at high temperatures due to the explosive potential of hydrogen at high 
concentrations in the presence of oxygen. This invention is a novel 
process based on the use of a co-solvent for preparing pure metal 
nanoparticles under safe conditions in a high-temperature aerosol 
decomposition reactor. The resulting copper nanoparticles prepared from 
copper nitrate using a nitrogen carrier gas at 600 C 
with a 3.3 second resident time are pure. X-ray diffraction is used for 
measuring particle composition and a transmission electron microscope 
(TEM) is used for imaging to determine particle morphology.

    Dated: March 1, 2004.
Hratch G. Semerjian,
Deputy Director.
[FR Doc. 04-5166 Filed 3-5-04; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-13-P