Chemical and Engineering Processes

Fluorescent Dyes

Our clients tap the expertise of SRI biologists, chemists, physicists, and engineers focused on biosensors, bioassays, energy-related materials and airbag compounds as well as advances in process engineering, carbon materials, and environmental fuel processing. We offer clients the technical expertise and business insights needed for moving forward.

Discover more about our: Innovative Technologies, Facilities, and IP Portfolio.

Innovative Technologies

We have spearheaded development of a wide range of innovative new technologies and techniques:

• Airbag Technology: Our patented, environmentally benign igniter compound, containing only CHNO, can replace the heavy metal or zinc-based igniters used in most of today's airbags or inflators. SRI also patented a new class of oxidizers for use in airbag production that will boost performance of inexpensive ingredients such as ammonium nitrate. When used independently in the presence of a fuel, it provides both performance and manufacturing benefits. (US Patent No. 5,889,161)
• Biosensor Technology: Our coating and functional protocols use a proprietary SRI luminescent reporter. The result, lower nonspecific binding and high specific binding for use in a variety of biosensor formats.
• Low Sulfur Fuels: Our methods for reducing sulfur levels are drawing interest for their low-cost, efficient approach to create sulfur content gasoline (<10 ppm).
• Energetic Materials: Our team has invented new ingredients for use in energetic materials, including dinitramide salts and new oxyamine-based oxidizers that are environmentally benign and can improve the performance of all types of solid and monopropellant formulations.
• Biomorphic Materials: Our functional groups of biomorphic materials are capable of mimicking phosphates (antiviral, antibiotic, and metabolic interruptors) to affect profoundly the treatment of disease and biochemically induced disorders.
• Dinitramide Salts (ADN plus other salts): These energetic materials promise higher-powered, yet environmentally benign explosives, fuels, and oxidizers.
• Recycling Fluorine during Semiconductor Manufacturing: Our proprietary scheme allows fluorine to be recycled to reduce production costs and meet envrionmental concerns.

Facilities

To produce state-of-the art results, we rely on the talent of our team and the quality of our facilities:

• FIMS and GC-FIMS: Field ionization is a soft ionization method that extracts one electron from each molecule without fragmenting it, providing a true molecular weight profile (fingerprint) of the sample. Samples can be introduced either directly through a heated probe (FIMS) or through a gas chromatography system (GC-FIMS), which is particularly useful in analyzing complex mixtures.
• Pressurized Radiant Coal Flow Reactor: The reactor allows for detailed study of products resulting from the pyrolysis of coal and other fuels at pressures up to 10 atmospheres. Our data on the primary and secondary pyrolysis reactions of coal under continuous feed conditions provide detailed information on reaction pathways for more accurate prediction of behavior in larger reactors.
• Gasification Radiant Coal Flow Reactor: We use this reactor for detailed study of products resulting from the gasification of coals and other fuels under continuous feed conditions. Pressures of up to 20 atmospheres can be studied with mass spectrometric determination of the vapor phase products, collection of the ash, and on-line determination of all gases.
• PERMIX Reactor: This innovative chemical reactor is based on the progressive addition of one reactant permeating the reactor tubes and mixing in the entire volume of the reactor, allowing us to produce bulk or fine chemicals at a lower cost and with less process waste. Progressive addition of one reactant minimizes (or, in some cases, eliminates) local high concentration gradients and hot spots. Mass transport rate is improved by a factor of 10² for gas phase reactions and 10⁵ for liquid phase reactions. Undesirable side products are reduced to minimize the need for product clean-up and waste disposal.
• Multiflow Chromatography: We use a precolumn device to separate materials that have a higher affinity for the stationary phase than the displacing agent. Significant cost savings are possible. The stationary phase can be reduced by a factor of 10 and the mobile phase by a factor of 100, allowing for the use of smaller columns.
• Low Sulfur Fuel Production: This low capital cost process can be used as an end-of-the line treatment, compatible with many existing gasoline processes.
• Optical Detection Systems: We are developing prototypes of optical detection systems for biological assay formats, including microtiter plates, microsphere- and wick-based assays. Our protocols are designed for assessing functional group and biological probe densities on surfaces using high sensitivity analytical systems such as confocal laser microscopes and flow cytometers.
• Fine Particle Synthesis: Our jet-milling, particle size analysis, microscopy, and surface analysis enable pharmaceutical and medical device companies to create clinical trial dosages and samples.

Our IP Portfolio

SRI has patented many of its novel approaches.

• Monopropellants: SRI invented a group of monopropellants that can replace the current hazardous monopropellants in today's spacecraft, offering added environmental safety and improved performance.
• Chromophores: SRI chemists synthesized a new class of dyes based on an SRI-proprietary composition. The synthesized compounds have improved fluorescent behavior and color-generating absorption. We can create other derivative dyes based on your spectral and physical property requirements, including visibility, UV, infrared, and the addition of fluorescent dyes in NLO materials.
• Biocidal Coatings: New coatings developed by SRI display biorepellancy, biocidal control, and anchorage resistance. These coatings, derived from marine organisms, can be licensed and used for protecting various environments from biofouling.
• Fullerene Materials: SRI holds several fullerene materials patents, including one for an integrated process for producing and separating fullerenes (US Patent No. 5,304,366); two patents covering the catalytic properties of fullerenes (US Patent Nos. 5,336,828, 5,420,371), and a composition of matter patent for the class of materials called nanoencapsulates (US Patent No. 5,547,748). All are available for licensing.
• Luminescent Taggants: Our patented process for synthesizing submicron luminescent taggants can be used to confirm and identify secure documents. These taggants are stable, chemically inert, available in multiple colors, and can be formulated into a variety of products including ink-jet inks. (US Patent No. 5,889,161)
• Associative Thickeners: SRI's team recently invented a novel class of associative thickeners for use in gelling of solutions.
• SHERPA: Our patented hollow fiber contactor uses a short gas flow path and small adsorbent particles to reduce the resistance to mass transport found in conventional pressure swing absorption (PSA) systems. The patented design can achieve the performance of conventional PSA with 100 times less adsorbent.

Contact Us

For more information about SRI's Chemical Science and Technology Laboratory, contact:

Robert Wilson
650-859-5954
e-mail: robert.b.wilson@sri.com