Seems like more and more is interested in smps technology now. It's a good phenomenon indeed!
Caesar,
Congrats, you're on the right path! Boost, step-up, flyback, sepic...and etc are the key word you can use to search for more information. There're many ICs designed for DC-DC conversion. Simple Switcher is the series of product from National Semiconductor, and lm2577 is one of them. This product has power transistor or mosfet integrated in the chip itself, so you don't need to put an external switch. By following the application examples provided in the datasheet, you can make it. The hardest part would be getting the correct inductor for it. Cytron doesn't have that kind of inductor for power conversion in stock. So you need to look from other source.