New Delhi, October 29 (IANS) A team of Indian scientists and graduate students has developed a process for large-scale manufacturing of nanomaterials (silver nanowires), which can reduce the cost to less than one-tenth of the market price. Friday Said in an official statement.

It is technically challenging to synthesize one-dimensional nanomaterials such as nanowires and nanotubes in large quantities, making it an expensive material. Secondly, it is necessary to obtain a uniform range of nanowire diameters with little change in length because it helps to achieve uniform coatings for touch screens or other conductive coating applications.

The process developed by Dr. Amol A. Kulkarni of CSIR National Chemical Laboratory in Pune can produce 500 grams of silver nanowires per day at a cost of US$20/gram, and the market price is US$250/gram to US$400/gram. A statement said.

It said that this is an economic process of large-scale continuous flow manufacturing of functional nanomaterials with the support of the department's advanced manufacturing technology plan.

The manufactured products consist of silver nanowires with excellent conductivity, which can be used to manufacture conductive inks and coatings for display technology and flexible electronic products. The new process has also applied for a total of five national and international patents.

Compared with the existing batch manufacturing solutions, this process is a simple, economical and scalable synthesis route, and can even produce a large number of nanoparticles in suspension, which are not easily separated from the nanowires. The developed process has been tested in the CSIR-NCL characterization facility and is in the eighth stage of technical preparation.

CSIR-NCL has licensed the process technology to Nanorbital Advanced Materials LLP (Ahmedabad) in November 2020, and signed material transfer agreements with three other industries in 2021. Kulkarni plans to further test the developed nanomaterials in different display devices to achieve transparent conductive applications and printed flexible electronic products, including wearable electrodes.

The press release added that this technology could enable Indian industry to enter the niche area of ​​electronic chemicals and eventually open up new jobs.