Award Data

A nondestructive test system is under development for thorough, rapid and economical evaluation of the structure and properties of polymer-inorganic interfaces during curing and in service. The system is capable of in-situ, real-time and spatially resolved monitoring of the molecular structure and properties. It employs (single-sided) NMR relaxometry principles to detect and quantify defects and d ...

Predicting the emission signature and radar cross-section of rocket exhaust plumes is of vital interest to the Missile Defense Agency and U.S. Army to protect the U.S. homeland and our forces abroad.  The current STTR Phase II project has shown that a single-conditioned Premixed Conditional Moment Closure (PCMC) can employ detailed chemical kinetic mechanisms while efficiently modeling combustion ...

Solid oxide fuel cells have long suffered from degradation due to impurities in the fuel and complexities associated with dissimilar materials and high operating temperatures. This degradation lowers the usable cell power output and requires ancillary equipment for fuel sulfur removal and reformation. A unique microstructure for a tubular anode-supported SOFC is being developed using a novel freez ...

In resource limited settings, rapid and accurate diagnosis of infections is critical for managing potential exposures to highly virulent pathogens, whether occurring from an act of bioterrorism or a natural event. This is especially important for hard to detect intracellular bacterial and alphavirus infections, that overlap symptomatically and often treated empirically due to a lack of reliable an ...

High-average current and high-brightness electron beams are needed in advance applications such as ultra-high power Free-Electron Lasers (FELs) and electron accelerators. The technologically important material properties of diamond are of significant interest for development of electron emission, detector, and wide-bandgap semiconductor applications, including radiation-hard devices. A diamond amp ...

In this SBIR project, a mathematical and numerical framework with efficient conforming methods for the design, analysis, and optimization of the performance of mobility system components will be developed. Phase I effort will focus on the development of automated isogeometric mesh generation to enable the dynamic simulations of surface deformation or relative motion encountered in applications suc ...

Epigenetic changes in DNA methylation pattern can result due to aging, diseases, or environmental changes and have been identified as biomarkers for several neuropsychiatric and neurodegenerative disorders, cancer, traumatic brain injury (TBI) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). As a result, DNA methylation signatures are being explored to assist with disease diagnosis, monitoring disease p ...

Precision Combustion, Inc. (PCI) together with University of Michigan (UMich) proposes a system to use solar energy to convert water to ultra-high purity compressed hydrogen suitable for PEM fuel cells. We will combine UMich’s high efficiency photocatalytic water splitting approach with PCI’s integrated hydrogen separator/compressor. The proposed effort will confirm the avoidance of external e ...

Until now,much of theresearch usingfunctional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) has focused on tailoringasystem to detect onlyafew cognitivestatesand theapplication of theseapproaches outsidethe laboratory is not well tested. This solution provides severely limited coverage of thespacethat this technology could beapplied to,and is notarealistic path for developing neuroimagingasan operational ass ...

To address the needs laid out in the solicitation, “Disablement of Vehicles and/or Remote Weapon Stations in an Urban Environment”, IS4S is developing a weapon system that allows for the disablement of critical components in electronic systems. Current soldier delivered weapons fail to meet the requirements of low collateral damage engagement in civilian populated areas. The solutions consider ...