US Patent 8066831 - Power generation using nanoenergetic material

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/8066831.html

Explosive materials are conventionally not thought to be useful for producing electrical power due to the byproduct of uncontrolled thermal and mechanical forces. This patent from the University of Missouri teaches how nanomaterials might change this perception by producing smaller, controllable explosive reactions during power generation. Claim 1 reads:

1. A method of generating power comprising:

igniting nanoenergetic material that is on a substrate, the nanoenergetic material comprising a mixture of oxidizer and fuel nanostructures;

receiving, with a transducer, energy from a shockwave generated by combustion of the nanoenergetic; and

using the transducer to convert the energy from the shockwave into electrical energy.

US Patent 7907809 - Ultra-low refractive index nanoparticle films

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7907809.html

This patent from the University of Missouri includes some basic claims to a transparent nanoporous films useful to bioassays and optical applications. Claim 1 reads:

1. A nanoporous film comprising:

organosilica nanoparticles having a particle size from about 2 to about 5 nm and having a mean particle size of less than about 25 nanometers and a mean pore size of less than 10 nanometers;

wherein the film has a surface area of at least 500 m2/g and a porosity of at least about 50% by volume.