SBIR-STTR Award

Recent developments in the field of nanotechnology are providing principally innovative ways to fabricate fluorescent tags. Near infrared (IR) fluorescent tags, which are visible when using existing infrared imaging devices, such as night vision goggles available for soldiers, are of direct interest for fast and secure tagging of objects. For example, visual remote and rapid identification of pre-labeled military objects makes IR fluorescent tags suitable for military missions and will help decrease casualties by identifying friends or foe, detection of breaking perimeters, etc. NanoScience Solutions LLC (NSS), and Clarkson University (Clarkson) (together, “NSS Team”) propose developing unique IR fluorescent colloids that meet the specific requirements of the present Air Force solicitation; Topic AF11-BT24. The outcome of this work will be non-toxic, environmentally stable and optically efficient nanoparticles that absorb and emit in the infrared and lack any visible light emissions. The NSS team proposes to encapsulate IR dyes inside of nano porous silica particles to create ultra-bright IR tags that will satisfy the Air Force’s requirements.

Benefit:
The proposed material has several viable and practical applications for both government and industry. The two initial areas of commercialization will address the in vivo imaging market and security market. Due to the low toxicity of the nanoparticles the NSS team will produce, they can be used in biomedical imagining inside of living organisms. Another market for the IR nanoparticles team NSS will develop will be anti-counterfeiting applications. This market is particularly well suited for the IR characteristics of the nanoparticles developed by Team NSS as tracking counterfeit assets is a process best done in a covert manner.

Keywords:
nanotechnology,infrared,tracking,fluorescent tags,nanoparticles,down-converting

This Phase II proposal will capitalize on the success of Phase I to further develop stable and optically efficient fluorescent particles that absorb and emit light in the infrared part of the spectrum and lack any visible light emissions. The specific goals of Phase II will be to further research infrared nanoparticles to increase their brightness with an emphasis on production scalability, environmental stability, and safety.

Benefit:
The proposed research will be used in by the military and in the intelligence community and to covertly tag and track assets, identify friend or foe, visualize disturbed soil in perimeter security, etc. The commercial utilization of the nanoparticles are biomedical applications including in-vivo labeling and imaging.

Keywords:
Near infrared fluorescent tags, silica nanoparticles, fluorescent tagging, biomedical imaging