Current mil-spec oxidation-corrosion and high temperature deposition tests do not adequately differentiate between the performance characteristics that mil-spec lubricants experience in operational engines. a rapid simple and novel tga test method coupled with dsc and chemiluminescence tests are… More

A novel hybrid solid-liquid lubrication concept for 600 degrees c-1000 degrees c engine operation is proposed based on the potential synergistic interactions between thermally stable transition metal chloride intercalated graphites (tmcigs) and organophorphorous liquids. research will focus on (a)… More

The use of ceramic components in advanced energy conversion systems provides improved efficiency by allowing higher operating temperatures. ceramic heat exchanger tubes are critical components in many systems that use combined cycles to achieve higher efficiency with reduced air pollution. this… More

We seek the development of a series of reusable medical products using heat storage devices to deliver heat on demand when activated. specific aims are to design and evaluate consumer/physician based devices to deliver heat primarily to the hands and neck/shoulders for patients afflicted with… More

Many of the performance driven demands of future air force weapon systems are dependent on the availability of advanced semiconductor, bandgap engineered devices and components. molecular beam epitaxy (mbe) is the preferred method for creating these. but in order to reach the required goal of high… More

We will research the fabrication and testing of advanced ceramic blades for microsurgical cutting shears used in ophthalmic neurologic, plastic and otologic procedures. Current stainless steel blades wear rapidly in use and further when subjected to an autoclave environment for sterilization.… More

The objective of this phase i sbir project is to demonstrate that a monolithic ceramic core-composite skin structure has significantly increased fracture toughness as compared to the core material, while substantially maintaining its flexural strength. the core material is reaction bonded silicon… More

The Naval Weapons Station Seal Beach, California, is the custodian of what is believed to be the free world's supply of napalm. Beginning late in FY93, the Navy expects to accomplish the removal and disposal of the napalm and the aluminum canisters. When this task is completed, all that will remain… More

This research will develop and demonstrate a new gripping tool for microsurgery that exhibitssuperior performance and extended life over current state-of-the-art stainless steel microsurgical forceps.Current stainless steel forceps rely on the alignment of gripping teeth to achieve high gripping… More

Tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) is a by-product generated in small amounts during the manufacture of chlorinated compounds used in herbicides, insecticides and wood preservatives. Waste that contains concentrations of TCDD above 1 part per billion (ppb) is federally regulated as acutely… More

The federal mandated fuel economy and emission requiremens are deiving diesel engine designs, materials and manufacturing practices to the limits of their existing capabilities. The use of ceramic monolithics and improved high temperature tribology coatings are under intense investigation worldwide.… More

Environmentally friendly coating substitutes for electroplated Cr and CD parts is a continuing need for government and industrial manufacturing operations. TA&T proposes a new approach CLOSED FIELD UNBALANCED MAGNETRON BARREL CO-SPUTTERING - that promises high density, adherent and corrosion… More

Increased wear life of bushings and gears in a high-pressure Navy gear pump will result in increased pump reliability and reduced refurbishment costs. Wear of silver-impregnated carbon (C/graphite (Gr) bushings against stellite gears results in reduced pump performance, generation of wear debris,… More

The objectives of the proposed effort are to develop two novel sensors for measuring the product of the film stress with the film thickness, and for measuring the film thickness in situ and in real time during magnetron sputter deposition of thin films. The novel features of these sensors are that… More

Environmentally friendly coating substitutes for electroplated Al, Cr ad Cd parts is a continuing need for government and industrialmanufacturing operations. TA&T proposes a new approach CLOSED FIELD UNBALANCED MAGNETRON SPUTTERING that promises high density, high adhesion, and corrosion resistant… More

The objectives of the proposed effort are to develop two novel sensors for measuring the product of the film stress with the film thickness, and for measuring the film thickness in situ and in real time during magnetron sputter deposition of thin films. The novel features of these sensors are that… More

Intelligent materials processing requires sensors that can assess materials properties in situ and in real time at the microscopic level. Data from these sensors would be used to control processing in near real time, to accelerate development of new materials systems, and to enable the development… More

Not Available The next generation of military energy storage capacitors will necessitate improvements in materials efficiency, energy density, and temperature reliability over existing devices. Similar performance issues are driving the consumer electronics market towards the development of high… More

The proposed research effort focuses on developing a hot-press/HIP fabrication approach for transparent spinel armor plates up to 15 inches square and 0.5 inches thick. A processing protocol will be established that results in transmission in the visiblerange of >80% with a low scatter. … More

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project will develop low friction, wear resistant coatings of the Al-Cu-Fe quasicrystalline (QC) phase. QC coatings appear to be especially suited for anti-seize, anti-fretting applications for both fixed interfaces subjected to vibration or… More

60879 Semiconductor plants are currently in need of ultrapure water with

60879 Semiconductor plants are currently in need of ultrapure water with

There are presently three materials (sapphire, ALON and spinel) which are considered suitable for IR windows in severe hypervelocity environments. Of these materials spinel is presently the least developed, but offers optical performance advantages and asignificantly lower fabrication cost than… More

"Corrosion costs the Navy 26 man-years per year per ship in maintenance, or about 6500 man years per year ($975 million) for its entire 221 surface ship battle force. This includes maintaining coatings of superstructures and catwalks, interior bulkheadsand decks, flightdecks and topside decks,… More

Due to force restructuring to air expeditionary units, aging aircraft are having to play an increasingly important role. Maintenance becomes an major readiness and operational issue. Annual costs of maintenance of corrosion-induce degradation alreadytops $800M per year. Landing gears are… More

This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project addresses the need for compact, low cost thermal packaging to cool high power and high-density electronics. This project will develop an automated freeform fabrication process based on stereolithography to fabricate the high performance… More

TA&T, in collaboration with Swales Aerospace, proposes to develop a novel modular, spot-cooling (two-phase) miniature loop heat pipe (mini-LHP) thermal transport system consisting of distributed flat-plate ceramic evaporator modules tied to a centralcondenser system. The use of a two-phase mini-LHP… More

This proposal addresses the need for compact, lightweight packaging to cool high heat producing electronics. Technology Assessment & Transfer, Inc. (TA&T) proposes to develop three dimensional (3D) packages consisting of stacked AlN substrates with integral microstructured flow-through heat… More

During the proposed Phase II effort, quasicrystalline (QC) thin films will be applied by PVD and HVOF methods to landing gear (LG) components and assemblies to inhibit corrosion. Specifically, Technology Assessment & Transfer will achieve six objectives: 1. elucidate the basic physics and… More

The common missile is being developed for operation from a wide range of air, sea and ground platforms. Predicted production costs are driving much of the development direction at this time and spinel is the only durable, dual-band, electro-optical dome material capable of meeting these cost… More

Technology Assessment and Transfer demonstrated the feasibility of a pressureless sintering approach for fabricating transparent, hemispherical dome blanks for the Joint Common Missile (JCM) during the Phase 1 SBIR program. Pressureless sintering is the most attractive method for achieving the low… More

Current IR window materials, while offering good optical properties are often structurally inadequate in their ability to perform in ever more increasingly hostile environments. Optically transparent, hard ceramic materials such as spinel, ALON and sapphire while expensive to fabricate and finish… More

Aspherical domes provide lower drag and radar signatures than hemispherical window designs but conventional finishing technologies have not been able to provide adequate optical surfaces. The fabrication of aspherical windows therefore remains a relatively under-developed technology for E/O windows… More

boron nitride, clutch plates, C/C, composite, joint strike fighter, STOVL, lift fan, COF

While aspherical dome geometries provide enhanced aerodynamics versus hemispherical domes, they have been problematic to manufacture due to inadequate finishing techniques. However, recent advances in finishing technology have made their production possible. Magnesium aluminate spinel is a hard,… More

The project goal is to demonstrate feasibility of fabricating aluminum nitride (AlN) microelectronic package substrates with integral microchannel heat transfer structure. A novel fabrication approach was demonstrated in Phase I called ceramic stereolithography (CSL), which enables monolithic… More

This proposal targets development of a LED light activated photocatalytic water polishing system that enables reduction of organic impurities (TOC and microorganisms) in the processed water to levels less than 0.25 ppm for NASA?s future long duration mission. The proposed photocatalytic oxidation… More

TA&T, Inc. proposes an enabling fabrication process for high voltage isolators required in high power solar electric and nuclear electric propulsion (SEP and NEP, respectively). State-of-the-art propellant voltage isolators have sufficient performance for existing ion and Hall thruster engines with… More

75832-Magnesium aluminate spinel is a promising structural and radio frequency (RF) window material for nuclear reactors, due to its remarkable neutron and ion radiation resistance at high temperatures. However, little, if any, effort has been expended in optimizing the strength, creep, toughness,… More

A high-strength low-cost alternative to single-crystal sapphire is required to meet the increased performance demands of the Navy's next-generation E/O applications. Technology Assessment & Transfer is the leading supplier of polycrystalline transparent spinel ceramics. Spinel, with a hardness that… More

Technology Assessment and Transfer Inc. (TA&T) proposes fabricating high power magnetic cores with integrated fluidic cooling channels to meet the requirements of emerging inductors and transformers for power electronics applications. TA&T has developed processes for fabricating monolithic ceramic… More

Conventional forced-air cooling (fans + finned heat sinks) of computer/network electronics is no longer adequate in the submarine ship environment. This Phase II SBIR project will develop a novel ceramic flat plate evaporator as the key component of a loop heat pipe-based rack cooling system for… More

Technology Assessment and Transfer will fabricate a low cost targeting pod window from two pieces of polycrystalline transparent spinel optically bonded at a polished interface. Several commercially available bonding technologies will be evaluated on the basis of strength, optical transparency, and… More

The ORCLE program is a hybrid high-bandwith communication design based on laser, infrared and radio transmissions between aircraft and other communication points. The communications terminals that protrude into the air stream around the aircraft require a protective cover that can reduce drag and… More

TA&T, Inc. proposes an enabling fabrication process for high voltage isolators required in high power solar electric and nuclear electric propulsion (SEP and NEP, respectively). Future high thrust, high specific impulse engines will have to support beam voltages up to 10kV to meet performance… More

79411S Lasers perform a critical role in injectors of high quality (low emittance and high phase-space brightness) electron beams to linear accelerators. Radio frequency (RF) photoinjectors (in which electrons packed tightly in phase-space are produced from a photocathode surface properly embedded… More

Technology Assessment and Transfer will develop a novel process for applying a well aligned, uniform, moisture resistant BN fiber interface (debond) coating for three dimensional (3-D) SiC fiber reinforced ceramic matrix composites (CMCs). SiCf CMCs are bill of material (BOM) for selected sections… More

Development of high-temperature, high-efficiency, and high-density power electronic component technologies as part of the more electric aircraft (MEA) effort offers opportunities for passive, compact, and lightweight thermal management systems for aircraft actuation systems. The next-generation… More

The U.S. Navy is seeking improved durability, increased life and reduced maintenance for aircraft, particularly rotorcraft, by increasing the hardness of gears and bushings. They have suggested that the incorporation of nano-sized materials to create a functionally graded surface may provide this… More

The goal of this SBIR project is to demonstrate fabrication of advanced cooling solutions to achieve high power density magnetic components for the next generation of power electronic systems. These novel methods of cooling will allow more than two times the power density of existing magnetic… More

Although PET imaging, a technology used in medicine, has advanced rapidly in recent decades, further advances will depend on improvements in the scintillator materials. New materials have been identified, but they are unstable under the conditions used for single crystal growth, leading frequently… More

To achieve the Operationally Responsive Space (ORS) goal of a "six-day" satellite, the traditional flight thermal design paradigm must be fundamentally changed. A drastically simpler paradigm must emerge that uses elemental (COTS-like) thermal control modules that can be rapidly and reliably linked… More

In previous work supported by the DoD SBIR program TA&T demonstrated an effective manufacturing route for spinel dome blanks. As discussed in the previous section, however, creating an effective process for the surface conditioning of the dome is essential to manufacturing them on a large scale. … More

TA&T has demonstrated the capability to produce 7" diameter, hemispherical domes of transparent spinel by cold isostatic pressing (CIP) of spinel powder, followed by sintering without application of pressure, and finally followed by hot isostatic pressing (HIP). TA&T has exercised its dome… More

For hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) applications, the Department of Energy (DOE) is directing an aggressive program to achieve rapid progress in permanent magnet (PM) machine development. To achieve DOE goals, PM motors must operate at twice the frequency of current electric motors used in… More

NASA will return to the IIS by 2014 and the moon by 2020. To accomplish these missions, NASA will exploit to the maximum degree possible the Apollo architecture and especially the lessons learned and technological advances that have occurred over the intervening 40 years in building robust, cost… More

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The overall purpose of this project is to help improve the resolution and lower the cost of PET instrumentation for both research and diagnostics applications. Single crystal scintillators, currently used in PET Imaging systems, are expensive and difficult to… More

A two-phase loop cooling system will be developed for thermal management of high heat laser diode arrays on satellites. To achieve the high heat flux capacity necessary for this application (700 W/cm2) and the tight temperature control, a novel flat plate, high flux evaporator will be developed. … More

This Phase I SBIR project will develop a tool-less direct core fabrication technology based on ceramic stereolithography. The technology will eliminate the high cost and long lead time associated with injection molding tooling and will reduce prototyping costs for advanced cored airfoils by > 50%. … More

Multimode seekers for missiles require protective domes that are transparent over a range of wavelengths, including MWIR. Technology Assessment and Transfer, Inc. (TA&T) has successfully manufactured such protective domes from its transparent spinel ceramic material. The most common method of… More

Soft lithography is an inexpensive and fast method for applying micropatterned structures to both flat and nonplanar substrates. A vacuum-assisted Micromolding in Capillaries (MIMIC) technique will be developed to print a fine electromagnetic interference (EMI) grid on the inner surface of… More

Described is a highly compact two-phase microchannel condenser concept based on a two-phase loop evaporator design developed for cooling high performance servers in racks on Navy ships/submarines, a novel design that has demonstrated open-air evaporative heat transfer coefficients with water of… More

Multimode seekers for missiles are becoming a reality with multiple technology development efforts underway across the services. Such seekers require protection from severe environments. The Joint Air to Ground Missile and the Small Diameter Bomb are two potential candidates for this technology.… More

The Operationally Responsive Space (ORS) goal of a "six-day" satellite is not achievable using the traditional flight thermal design paradigm. A drastically simpler paradigm must emerge that uses elemental (COTS-like) thermal control modules that can be rapidly and reliably linked to enable a wide… More

Two-phase loops have significant flight heritage having demonstrated high reliability and long life in the space environment. However, a shortfall of existing aerospace-grade two-phase loops is their relatively low heat flux capacity in the range of tens of watts/cm2. This program applies a new… More

In the ITER, an international fusion experiment, a magnetically confined cloud of super hot plasma maintains the fusion of tritium and dueterium. The water-cooled diverter cartridge, which removes the charged species generated by the fusion reaction, experiences a harsh environment of rapidly… More

Soft lithography is an inexpensive and fast method for applying micropatterned structures to both flat and nonplanar substrates. TA&T leverages multiple soft lithographic processing steps to pattern co-fireable refractory metal grid on spinel dome windows for electromagnetic interference (EMI)… More

Methods to mitigate contributions of conventional grinding and polishing procedures to transmitted wavefront error that were identified in Phase I will will be applied to full scale JAGM domes. A special emphasis is placed on the development and optimization of deterministic ion beam figuring of… More

The conversion of carbon-containing feedstocks to hydrogen and syngas will play important roles in the 21st century in the form of large plants for converting natural gas to liquids, hydrocarbons to chemicals, biomass to fuels and chemicals, and small units for powering fuel cells. Advancements in… More

This phase I research proposes an efficient approach to develop a reliable chemical vapor infiltration (CVI) process for HfB2-HfC-SiC matrices for carbon fiber composites and chemical vapor deposition (CVD) processes for depositing coatings for the same compositions, and; second, to design,… More

Technology Assessment and Transfer, Inc. of Millersville, MD proposes an innovative technique for creating a high strength, high toughness mid-wave infrared transparent material based on their highly successful spinel product. This material is being designed for use in the distributed aperture… More

This proposal describes a freeze-tolerant water loop heat pipe (LHP) as the solution to the spacecraft high temperature electronics thermal removal and transportation problem when operating between 100oC-200oC. Water LHPs -- owing to their many favorable system attributes that include high… More

This SBIR Phase I project will development of a novel hot side heat exchanger, which, combined with innovations in high temperature thermoelectric generator (TEG) materials under parallel programs, will provide a path to achieving TEG efficiency of 20%. The focus of this SBIR effort will be TEG… More

Technology Assessment & Transfer, Inc. (TA&T), with subcontractor Cima Nanotech (St. Paul, MN) and technical support from Texstars, Inc. (Grand Prarie, TX), propose an inexpensive, durable integrated coating system for aircraft canopies which possesses radio signature, erosion resistant, and… More

Technology Assessment & Transfer (TA&T) proposes to apply advanced cooling and packaging technology to substantially reduce thermal resistance between the heat producing components in aircraft power converter units and the polyalpha olefin (PAO) or fuel coolant. The proposal addresses the thermal… More

This proposal describes a novel idea to achieve a thermally stable panel (TSP) through the coupled use of: (1) a two dimensional evaporator array hybrid loop heat pipe system, which enables component or environment power transients to be spatially leveled via evaporator heat load sharing; (2) use of… More

Advanced Scientific Concept's (ASC) eye-safe 3D Flash LIDAR cameras provide a breakthrough in 6DOF computations for UAS control systems. This 3D array technology has allowed ASC to produce compact non-mechanical LIDAR cameras that collect full frame 3D point clouds in a single FLASH (Flash… More

Technology Assessment & Transfer, Inc. (TA&T) proposes a complete thermal management solution for high power capacitors in military vehicle converters/inverters and similar devices that addresses not only self-heating but also high temperature ambient conditions. The Armyf?Ts recent push to utilize… More

TA&T leads a world class team dedicated to the manufacture of large-area transparent spinel plates. The focus of process and product development has been transparent armor windows, as that market has the greatest potential value. Reconnaissance windows are a much more demanding application, in terms… More

Currently available lasers are inadequate for current and future anti-submarine warfare needs. The development of high output, blue lasers have the potential to enhance airborne platform's ability for submarine communications, detection of mines and other underwater targets. The Optical Ceramics… More

The Department of Energy and NREL are in an aggressive, ongoing effort to increase efficiency of next-generation hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs), with a key challenge in this effort being the thermal packaging of the electric propulsion system power electronics. Eliminating the secondary cooling… More

This proposal addresses the high cost and long leadtimes associated with developing advanced gas turbine engines IGCC power plants. The current processing method based on lost wax investment casting, is a significant barrier to turbine engine innovation. Streamlining the development process for… More

One of the great hurdles to further development and evaluation of nuclear thermal propulsion systems is the issue surrounding the release of radioactive material from the fuel during ground testing and its subsequent impact on test facility siting and operation. Therefore, the development of a… More

This proposal introduces advances in the performance and packaging of modular radiators for heat flow modulation on operationally responsive space (ORS) smallsats. The proposed concept is based on the loop heat pipe (LHP) thermal switching radiator. Two key advancements proposed are: 1) use of a… More

Technology Assessment & Transfer, Inc. (TA & T) proposes an inexpensive, flexible, and durable conductive coating that consists of carbon nanotubes dispersed in a UV-curable polymer. This coating need not be applied in a vacuum or clean room environment, and could in fact be applied in the… More

The Optical Ceramics Division of TA & T proposes to develop fine grained, high strength transparent magnesium aluminate (Spinel) windows for Navy airborne and ship electro-optical sensor hardware A systematic approach based on the latest scientific principles for selecting nano-particulate… More

This proposal introduces the multi-evaporator loop thermal storage (MELTS) system for increasing F-35 capability during extreme thermal missions where component failure is expected. The MELTS system comprises of a fuel and/or PAO primary loop with a two phase loop technology, phase change material… More

Technology Assessment & Transfer, Inc. (TA & T) proposes a novel fabrication process for producing fibrous network scaffolds suitable for connective tissue engineering. The process leverages microfabrication technologies that have matured for large volume production of micro- and nano-scale… More

ABSTRACT: The power converter units on military aircraft currently use relatively low performance aluminum cold plate technology and PAO or fuel coolant to cool the high heat producing components. The thermal resistance between the power electronic components and the coolant is relatively high in… More

Conventional transparent ceramics currently used for armor applications have good optical properties in the visible range, but still contain levels of porosity and impurities that make them unsuitable for laser gain media applications. As TA & T is the industry leader in the production of… More

Technology Assessment & Transfer proposes to develop a state-of-the-art terahertz imaging spectrometer capable of sub-wavelength resolution and high sensitivity to trace amounts of chemical and biological agents.

The damaging effects of age, poor framing and general wear and tear on traditional ship based transparent armor windows leads to delamination or other failures within the window. These failures compromise safety not only from ballistic threats but also by obstructing outward views. A new two-pane… More

ABSTRACT: Satellites that operate in low Earth orbit undergo significant transient and non-uniform environmental thermal loads. Further, the payloads on many satellites are also highly transient. Because of the combination of these two conditions, time varying thermal distortions are often… More

The Phase II SBIR program will address a need for durable, infra-red transmitting sensor windows of large area, eventually as large as 32"x 32"x 0.5". Two areas of study are planned. The first is to improve optical quality, particularly homogeneity of refractive index and absence of… More