Nano Goes Magnetic to Attract Big Business

About this technology

Overview

In 1999, Inframat Corporation received funding and technical support from Glenn Research Center in the form of Phase I and Phase II Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contracts, to fabricate high-frequency, soft magnetic/ceramic nanocomposites for advanced magnetic performance of the Space Agency's electronic, power-generating equipment. While the technology did not come to fruition during the NASA SBIR effort, Inframat was able to make the most out of what it had learned during this entire experience, as well as the funding it received, to later resolve some outstanding technical issues and create an enabling technology for commercial applications. This nanocomposite technology, branded M-Power, can, according to the company, maintain high permeability with extremely low core loss (loss caused by a magnetization of the core and its resistance to magnetic flux) and excellent electrical properties, even at high frequencies extending into the gigahertz range. Device use for M-power materials include: power converters, antennae, broadband filters, sensors, digital packing converters, radiofrequency switches, microwave and millimeter wave circulators, sound-suppressors, hybrid integrated circuits, and semiconductor wafers. These applications cover a broad spectrum of commercial markets, such as telecommunications, computers, consumer electronics, automotives, aerospace, defense, power generation, and industrial operations.