Status: Available for Licensing and/or Research Collaboration

Background

Clean water and air demand technologies capable of removing nitrates, organic pollutants, and microbial contaminants. Nanoscale photocatalysts are well-suited for this task, but conventional approaches rely on slurry reactors that suffer from degradation, low reusability, and limited efficiency. Although electrospinning can boost surface area in the system, most systems treat polymers as disposable scaffolds — missing the opportunity to harness them as active catalytic components.

Technology Overview

This invention introduces a layered core–shell catalytic system in which the polymer is retained and actively participates in photocatalysis. A semiconducting polymer core (e.g., P3HT) absorbs sunlight and transfers electrons to catalytic nanoparticles (e.g., ZrO₂) embedded in a porous polymer shell. The shell serves as both a protective barrier and a conductive pathway, preserving the stability of the core while enabling efficient charge transfer.

The system can be fabricated as nanofiber mats via electrospinning or as thin films via spin coating, making it adaptable for filters, coatings, and device integration. Proof-of-concept studies demonstrated nitrate reduction (22% conversion), validating electron transfer and pollutant remediation potential. By adjusting the core polymer or catalytic nanoparticles, the architecture can be customized for applications such as antimicrobial activity or organic contaminant breakdown.

Benefits

  • Active polymer catalyst: polymer is functional, not discarded or inert
  • Customizable design: core and catalyst combinations tuned for specific chemistries
  • High efficiency: nanofiber mats maximize surface area for reactions
  • Scalable methods: compatible with electrospinning and spin coating

Applications

  • Agricultural runoff treatment (nitrate reduction, demonstrated)
  • Municipal and rural water purification
  • Air purification systems
  • Antimicrobial coatings for medical or consumer products
  • Environmental sensors for chemical or biological detection

Opportunity

Available for exclusive license: material architecture, fabrication methods, and supporting performance data. This is an opportunity to integrate a patent-pending photocatalytic system into existing purification, filtration, or sensing platforms. Collaboration is welcomed to scale production and validate real-world performance.

IP Status

Provisional patent application filed. Available for licensing and/or collaboration.

Contact

Tess Kirkpatrick

(406) 994-7775

tesskirkpatrick@montana.edu