Award Data

Phase I results showed that two surface treatments, oxidative plasma and reactive finishes, are effective means of modifying the surface chemistry of exfoliated graphite nanoflakes. The surface modifications provide a more compatible surface energy for dispersion in polymers and create well-bonded interfaces with the polymer matrix. In order to be cost effective for NASA and commercial applicati ...

NASA has numerous requirements for in-space repair capabilities to aid future missions beyond earth orbit. A subset of these requirements is adhesive patch materials that provide permanent or temporary repair of a wide variety of surfaces with minimal surface preparation. Prior work on light (UV and visible) curing composite matrix resins for rigidizing inflatable spacecraft shows that there is ...

Advanced Cooling Technologies, Inc. (ACT), supported by Hamilton Sundstrand, proposes to develop a heat pipe heat exchanger that is low mass and provides two levels of isolation between fluid streams. It has potential applications in thermal control of manned spacecraft and a number of military and commercial equipment and processes. Phase I has successfully demonstrated the feasibility of the hea ...

This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project will develop titanium Loop Heat Pipes (LHPs) that can be used in low-mass space nuclear radiators, such as the radiators currently being designed for Project Prometheus, as well as radiators for the lunar and Mars surfaces. LHPs are two phase heat transfer devices that can be embedded in radiator panels. Advanced Cooling Technologies, Inc. ...

This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project will develop heat pipe and loop heat pipe (LHP) working fluids for what is known as the intermediate temperature range, from roughly 500 K to 700 K. Currently, there are no working fluids in this range that can be used in NASA applications, due in part to unknown physical properties and insufficient life test data. The overall objective of ...

Applied Technology Associates (ATA) proposes to develop a new inertial sensor by combining two sensing phenomena in a single device. ATA has patented an advanced inertial sensing technology based on magnetohydrodynamics (MHD). Numerous researchers have patented and developed micro-electromechanical sensors (MEMS) that measures inertial angular motions. We believe that a composite sensor based o ...

In Phase I of this project, APEI, Inc. proved the feasibility of creating ultra-lightweight power converters (utilizing now emerging silicon carbide [SiC] power switching technologies) through the successful demonstration of power switch operation up to 500 oC. The goal of Phase II will be to design, fabricate, and fully test SiC based DC/DC converters that can achieve high power density and ultr ...

This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project seeks to prove the feasibility of creating high-temperature silicon-carbide (SiC) based motor drives for extreme environment exploratory robotic missions (such as Venus landers). SiC digital control ICs will be developed for controlling power electronics systems (such as motor drives) and integrated with SiC power switches into a multichip po ...

This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project seeks to investigate and prove the feasibility of developing ultra-wide temperature (-230 oC to +130 oC) motor drives utilizing Silicon-Germanium (SiGe) asynchronous logic digital control electronics. Asynchronous circuits remove the concept of a global clock by incorporating handshaking protocols to control the circuit. The handshaking pro ...

In Phase I, APEI, Inc. proved the feasibility of developing a modular, expandable and fault tolerant SiC-based power system through the successful demonstration of a four-module SiC-based power system capable of dynamic reconfiguration allowing the system to continue delivering power to the load without interruption in the event of a module failure. These results show the feasibility of developin ...