TECHNOLOGY/BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY Plasmonics-Enhanced Photocatalysis for Water Decontamination

Opportunity: Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), operated by the Lawrence Livermore National Security (LLNS), LLC under contract no. DE-AC52-07NA27344 (Contract 44) with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), is offering the opportunity to enter into a licensing agreement to commercialize its methodology for enhancing photocatalytic degradation of organic contaminants in water through the incorporation of patterned plasmonic metal nanostructures with photocatalysts.Background: The goal in most water purification technologies is to completely remove contaminants from the feed water. That is, it is preferable not to just collect and concentrate the contaminants into a waste stream. In the case of organic contaminants, this can be accomplished by breaking these types of compounds down into carbon dioxide and other innocuous substances. Such reactions can be sped up by adding catalytic compounds such as titanium dioxide that facilitate oxidation of the organic pollutants.

However, these reactions are still currently too slow to be commercially viable in general, and therefore their widespread industrial use is hindered by limited efficiency. Existing water purification technologies are often limited in their range of treatable contaminants, especially with regard to organic molecules which include toxic man-made chemicals such as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). Purification requires large equipment and are often energy-intensive and costly. What is needed are less energy intensive methods to speed up the decontamination reaction rate, thus the treatment process, of a wide range of polluted water sources. Description: LLNL researchers have developed a method for enhancing the photocatalytic degradation of organic contaminants in water through the incorporation of patterned plasmonic metal nanostructures with TiO2 photocatalysts. The multi-step process to incorporate UV plasmonic metal nanostructures with the photocatalyst can be briefly summarized below:Nanosphere lithography step on photocatalytic substrate.Etch negative space in deposited nanobead network.Electron-beam evaporation of plasmonic materialNanobead liftoff to leave behind patterned plasmonic nanostructuresAdvantages/Benefits: This approach has the potential to:significantly improve the efficiency of the water purification processes,drive down the cost,enable the decontamination of many prevalent toxic pollutants (such as PFAS) that can be challenging to remove via other techniques.Potential Applications: Water purification, wastewater treatment.Development Status: Current stage of technology development: TRL 2LLNL has patent(s) on this invention.U.S. Patent No. 11358880 Water Purification published 6/14/2022LLNL is seeking industry partners with a demonstrated ability to bring such inventions to the market. Moving critical technology beyond the Laboratory to the commercial world helps our licensees gain a competitive edge in the marketplace. All licensing activities are conducted under policies relating to the strict nondisclosure of company proprietary information. Please visit the IPO website at https://ipo.llnl.gov/resources for more information on working with LLNL and the industrial partnering and technology transfer process.Note: THIS IS NOT A PROCUREMENT. Companies interested in commercializing LLNL's Plasmonics-Enhanced Photocatalysis for Water Decontamination should provide an electronic OR written statement of interest, which includes the following:Company Name and address.The name, address, and telephone number of a point of contact.A description of corporate expertise and/or facilities relevant to commercializing this technology.Please provide a complete electronic OR written statement to ensure consideration of your interest in LLNL's Plasmonics-Enhanced Photocatalysis for Water Decontamination.The subject heading in an email response should include the Notice ID and/or the title of LLNL’s Technology/Business Opportunity and directed to the Primary and Secondary Point of Contacts listed below.Written responses should be directed to:Lawrence Livermore National LaboratoryInnovation and Partnerships OfficeP.O. Box 808, L-779Livermore, CA 94551-0808Attention: IL-13456