Nickel and cobalt are strategic metals that play a vital role in united states industry and defense. current production comes largely from a dwindling supply of non-domestic sulfide ore deposits. oxide ores such as laterites and, in the future, manganese ocean nodules are more plentiful and will… More

Electrowinning is a prime method for the recovery of metals from hydrometallurgical operations. in many cases the ability of electrowinning is limited by the lack of highly specific, low resistance separators to isolate the anodic and cathodic processes. we propose to apply the supported liquid… More

Thermally activated lithium alloy - iron pyrite batteries are used in a variety of military applications. these batteries exhibit abnormally high voltages during the first several minutes of discharge. the voltage transient has been associated with the physical and chemical properties of the… More

Metal matrix composites are fabricated from high strength fiber or particle reinforcements and a suitable matrix alloy. aluminum composites have shown high strength and stability and are well suited to advanced military and civil design concepts. reinforcing fibers often react with the matrix alloy… More

Advanced aerospace engines and structural components require materials capable of operating in oxidizing environments at 3000 deg - 40000 deg f (1650 deg - 2200 deg c). to achieve this objective will require developing advanced composite structures and protecting them with novel coating systems.… More

Novel battery configurations with microelectrodes are described. these batteries should exhibit very low internal cell resistance, greatly reduced concentration polarization ease of activation in the reserve mode and extremely rapid discharge. theoretical considerations provide the basis for… More

New methods of critically evaluating the potential risks of emerging materials and technologies are needed to control the sources of environmental hazards at the points of origin. recycle and reprocessing options minimize the environmental exposure to potentially harmful materials by offering an… More

Recent advances in high temperature superconductivity brought a new excitement to physical scientists throughout the world. this excitement has been tempered by the realization that difficult problems need to be solved beforeextensive practical use can be made of these revolutionary discoveries.… More

The research effort described in this proposal is directed at developing a novel coating system for carbon-carbon composites (ccc) for use at temperatures up to 2000c. the outer erosion/corrosion resistant layer is plasma sprayed lanthanum hafnate. the inner coating is a highly adherent noble metal… More