The Laboratory's Industrial Business Development Program Office recently signed the exclusive six-month license option agreement with Manhattan Scientifics Inc., to further develop nanoporous polymer water filtering technology for home consumer use. Manhattan Scientifics, whose research headquarters is in Los Alamos, has the option to renew the license for an additional year.
The technology, commonly called a nanosponge, is a polymer-based material that forms pores about one-billionth of a meter in size that absorb and trap organic contaminants in water, reducing their concentrations to parts-per-trillion levels. In addition, nanosponges can be fabricated into granular solids, powders and optical-quality thin films, enabling users to customize the polymer for multiple applications and formats. A simple alcohol rinsing releases the collected contaminants from the polymer, which then can be reused.
DeQuan Li and Min Ma of Los Alamos' Bioscience and Biotechnology Group developed the nanosponge technology.
"This water filtering technology is very versatile and holds great promise for the home consumer and industrial markets. I look forward to seeing the nanosponge reach its full potential in the coming years," said Li.
Los Alamos National Laboratory, a multidisciplinary research institution engaged in strategic science on behalf of national security, is operated by Los Alamos National Security, LLC, a team composed of Bechtel National, the University of California, The Babcock & Wilcox Company, and the Washington Division of URS for the Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration.
Los Alamos enhances national security by ensuring the safety and reliability of the U.S. nuclear stockpile, developing technologies to reduce threats from weapons of mass destruction, and solving problems related to energy, environment, infrastructure, health, and global security concerns.