TECHNOLOGY LICENSING OPPORTUNITY Electrochemical Deposition of Aluminum from Ionic Liquids A new process for the deposition of aluminum and its alloys using ionic liquids that operates at lower temperatures, lowering costs and tuning product properties. Opportunity: Idaho National Laboratory (INL), managed and operated by Battelle Energy Alliance, LLC (BEA), is offering the opportunity to enter into a license and/or collaborative research agreement to commercialize the electrochemical deposition of aluminum technology. Overview: Aluminum (Al) is the most widely used non-ferrous metal. Al, its alloys, and their derived ceramics are a class of promising coating materials for traditional and advanced reactor applications. They have been studied for improving the resistance of several different nuclear components to corrosive media and aggressive fission products, as well as their direct use in fuel elements. Compared to current state-of-the-art technologies, this technology has the potential to operate at lower temperatures, down to room temperature, facilitate the control of the process chemistry and material handling, and allow the deposition of traditional metal coatings. Description: This technology focuses on a special class of ionic liquids (imidazolium-based tetrachloroaluminates) with functional additives for the electrodeposition of Al. Using these new ionic liquids allows the process control to be simplified and makes it possible to deposit Al at lower temperatures. Since ionic liquids are a unique class of non-aqueous ion conducting liquid electrolyte with excellent chemical and electrochemical stability, and high solvation capability for Al-salt precursors, they allow the deposition of Al at relatively lower temperatures compared to molten salts due to lower melting points. The lower melting points facilitate better process control. Based on current findings, these ionic liquids can be employed for developing the deposition of other metal coatings. Benefits: Process benefits: Lower melting points allows lower operating temperatures, down to room temperature Easier process control for tuning product properties Lowers costs Applications: Nuclear Reactor structural material for fuel cladding and other purposes Aluminum coating Energy storage Building and construction Machinery Electronics Transportation Development Status: TRL 3. Undergoing proof-of-concept validation in laboratory environment. IP Status: US Provisional Patent Application No. 63/037,190, “Electrochemical Deposition of Al from Ionic Liquids Based on Alkyl Methulimidazolium Tetrachloroaluminates,” BEA Docket No. BA-1114. INL is seeking to license the above intellectual property to a company with a demonstrated ability to bring such inventions to the market. Exclusive rights in defined fields of use may be available. Please visit Technology Deployment’s website at https://inl.gov/inl-initiatives/technology-deployment for more information on working with INL and the industrial partnering and technology transfer process. Companies interested in learning more about this licensing opportunity should contact Kala Majeti at
[email protected].