We have filed United Kingdom (GB) patent application to protect our method for aqueous phase synthesis of magnetic nanocomposite particles that can be used as magnetically-recyclable absorbents, e.g., in water remediation with adsorption of poisonous heavy-metal ions, and as carriers for catalytic particles. The magnetic nanocomposites particles are composed of magnetic particles, covered by pseudobohemite (?-AlOOH) and/or gamma-alumina (?-Al2O3) nanocrystals. They exhibit large surface area and large pore volumes based on narrowly distributed mesopores.
F.32 International patent
COBISS.SI-ID: 32193319Spin-out Company InoVine d.o.o. was established in the year 2015 to market a technology of magnetic separation of microorganisms in food industry. The technology was developed at Department for Materials Synthesis of Jožef Stefan Institute in cooperation with Faculty for Chemistry and Chemical Technology. With bonding magnetic nanoparticles onto yeast cells in sparkling wine in a combination with magnetic separation the time needed for separation of the used yeast biomass can be shortened from several weeks to approximately 30 minutes. The company InoVine was selected among 5 finalists of the Start Up Slovenia 2015 (35th Conference Podim) competition and was granted with the start-up project. The company was also granted European »SME instrument phase 1« project in 2016. Currently, the company employs two researchers. In the framework of the project »Initiatives for Research and Development 2« they develop an automated sparkling wine production line based on the new technology.
F.19 Knowledge that leads to a company spin off
The method for magnetic separation of yeast biomass from sparkling wines was patented in first Slovenia. Internationally, the patent application succeeded through the official examination performed under Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) (World Intellectual Property. The method is based on the adsorption of the magnetic nanoparticles at the yeast cells followed by magnetic separation of the biomass from the wine We received award at 4th International Conference of Technology Transfer in Ljubljana for this innovation. Based on this papent, the spin-out company InoVine was establiched.
F.09 Development of a new technological process or technology
COBISS.SI-ID: 32246311The structure and the magnetic properties the hexaferrite nanoplatelets, as well as the synthesis and the magnetic properties of the composite nanoplatelets was presented in the invited lecture at the Materials Research Society Meeting 2018. Barium hexaferrite (HF) nanoplatelets display a high uniaxial magnetocrystalline anisotropy with an easy axis that is perpendicular to the platelet (not observed in eny other nanoparticles). This unique property gives them tremendous potential in innovative applications, for example, in the magneto-mechanical eradication of cancer cells. As the nanoplatelets adopt a distinct structure and composition, which are significantly different to the bulk, they can be considered as novel structural variations of hexaferrite stabilized on the nanoscale. The weak point of the HF nanoplatelets is their modest saturation magnetization, Ms. The Ms can be effectively increased by coating them with a shell of soft-magnetic maghemite (gamma-Fe2O3 - M). Given the specific structure of nanoplatelets, layers of M can be easily grown epitaxially, forming a sandwiched M/HF/M platelet structure. As the two phases are magnetically exchange-coupled the formed composite nanoplatelet homogeneously magnetizes like a single-phase particle.
B.04 Guest lecture
COBISS.SI-ID: 32038183