Award Data

There is a growing demand for power electronics that can operate under the high temperature and high power conditions that will be encountered in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (HEV). As the coolant temperature used to dissipate heat from electronics increases, the operation of power semiconductor devices such as Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistors (IGBTs) becomes severely limited in order that the safe ...

New solid-state photomultipliers (SSPMs) need compact integrated circuitry for readout if such photodetectors are going to be implemented in high-energy physics, nuclear physics, or nuclear medical imaging applications. The aim of this work is to significantly improve the bandwidth in reading out arrays of SSPMs by developing a custom ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit). This ASIC will ...

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR/STTR) project targets the development of a novel technology for CO2 capture and separation from combustion-derived flue gas. In the US, coal-fired power plants represent about 50% of the electricity generated but contribute about 80% of the CO2 emissions. CO2 emissions are responsible for climate change. The Department of Energy is supporting developme ...

Accurate measurement of consumption profiles for utility services like electricity, water, and gas consumed in their buildings is essential to understand and optimize energy consumption, detect and solve equipment failures and problems, and facilitate predictive maintenance of various utility loads. Currently, multiple sensors and wiring and extensive tracking and monitoring is required to obtain ...

Future magnets for Fusion Energy Systems require superconducting cables with improved high critical current carrying capacity at high magnetic fields, 20 Kelvin operation, low AC losses and lower cost. A new method of fabricating a high current cable with 2G HTS tapes has been developed that will improve the engineering current density achievable. Commercial Applications and Other Benefits: Fut ...

This Phase I proposal addresses DOE STTR Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Subtopic 8d under the heading of New Electrolytes for Lithium-ion Cells, and describes the marriage of high voltage stability, non-flammable electrolytes, under development at Versatile Dynamics, Inc. with the lithium battery manufacturing capabilities of Tracer Technologies, Inc. This partnership promises t ...

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This STTR (Phase 1) project begins the translation of untapped scientific findings into an improved software tool for teaching children with autism spectrum disorders and other disabilities. The project evaluates a package to train teachers to use software called the Pivotal Skills Trainer and examines whether doing so improves preschoolers' functional communic ...

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): PowerPoint(R) multimedia software is ubiquitous in our schools but its capacity for teaching children with autism spectrum and related disorders barely has been realized. This STTR (Phase I) project will begin to change this state of affairs by researching and developing empirically derived multimedia teaching tools. Encouraged by early-stage feasibility work, ...

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The ability to culture human embryonic stem cells generated a great deal of excitement about their vast potential for treating a variety of human diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, neurological, retinal and skin disorders to name a few. Unlike adult stem cells, embryonic stem cells have indefinite growth potential and the potential to develop into any t ...

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): There is a growing body of evidence that implicates the protein kinase Pim-1 as a major driver of prostate cancer progression, and perhaps response to chemotherapy. Pim-1 is overexpressed in early prostate intraepithelial neoplasia and metastatic prostate cancer, and its levels predict response to therapy. Pim-1-overexpressing mouse prostate stem cells demonstr ...