American Nanofluidics

The Gold Standard for Organic Aqueous Environments

Dr. Hyoung Jin Cho was the Principle Investigator (PI) on a previous NSF project that discovered nanoporous gold to have excellent anti-biofouling characteristics when used as an electrode in an organic aqueous environment. American Nanofluids is now taking this research one step further. The team is poised to develop and characterize an electrode material which operates well in organic aqueous environments. The product would be a “value added material” enabling new technologies in biochemical sensing, wastewater treatment, and bio-batteries.

Chris Hughes, M.S. in Materials Science and Engineering and currently pursuing Ph.D. degree in Mechanical Engineering, is the Entrepreneurial Team Lead. According to Hughes, the I-Corps program provided valuable resources and guidance.

“I-Corps gave us the skills and access to experienced entrepreneurs we needed to develop a commercialization strategy for our technology,” explains Hughes.

Dr. Hyoung Jin Cho, professor in the UCF Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Department and Academic Team Lead concurs with Hughes.

“I-Corp workshops provided market knowledge and business insight that I cannot obtain in my daily routine as engineering professor.”

Currently, there are no off-the-shelf solutions available for electrodes operating in organic aqueous environments. The proposed product would consist of a nanoporous gold electrode along with associated material properties and operation parameters. The end result could benefit researchers in any field in which an electrode contacts an organic solution and companies developing products requiring anti-biofouling electrodes.

Mikhael Soliman is also a team participant, while Craig Nelson and Greg Fraser serve as mentors.