Award Data

Objectives and Intellectual Merit: The infrastructure of modern civilization is a set of complex systems1 that dynamically interact across multiple layers of abstraction. Researchers from many disciplines2 are designing analytical tools for predicting the global and local behaviors of these complicated, multi-layer networks. Easily usable, available (open source) and inter-operated tools are neede ...

Terrorist use of radioactive nuclear materials via nuclear and/or radiological dispersion devices (dirty bombs) is a serious threat. Therefore, it is critical to detect the proliferation of nuclear material. Critical challenges facing this objective include: (a) high sensitivity detection of signature emissions (e.g., gamma rays) from common radioactive isotopes behind shielding, and (b) cost-effe ...

A tab or label for shipping containers containing four proximity sensors will be developed which will detect and record the time and a signature of visitors. The thin-film sensors are on surface of a flexible strip (30 cm x 3 cm) which is affixed to the container side. The four sensors are passive infrared (PIR), E-field, capacitance and RF/microwave which can detect the presence of people in the ...

Combustion Research and Flow Technology, Inc. (CRAFT Tech) and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) have teamed up to provide DTRA with an innovative approach to develop new combined effects explosives (CEX) formulations. CEX represent a class of recently-developed aluminized explosives seeking to provide the performance of both (i) high-energy explosives and (ii) high-blast explo ...

This Phase 1 project will develop a scalable manufacturing process for the production of kilogram quantities of encapsulated HI3O8 with a particle size of approximately 2 m. This project addresses the need to develop manufacturing processes and build a production capability for the manufacture of HI3O8 a halogen-containing chemical reagent for use in biocidal thermite mixtures. Akita Innovations ...

The Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) has been supporting research of energetic materials and incendiaries as payloads for weapons to defeat targets containing chemical and biological agents. Several universities and Navy labs have been involved in this research, and have narrowed down on a few material formulations that are efficient biocides. These formulations contain a chemical ingredient ...

The primary goal of the preceding Phase I program was to demonstrate the feasibility of developing commercially viable products from our technological innovation that enables unprecedentedly high energy efficiency generation of super-intense EUV-x-ray beams via Metastable Innershell Molecular State. We have successfully met the Phase I goal by demonstrating the feasibility, and are now ready for f ...

The overall objective of this Phase I effort is to determine the feasibility of defeating CBW production facilities via an X-ray source that would fit within the volume constraints of a munition platform. First, Battelle will conduct a system trade study focused on determining the key performance requirements of an X-ray source suitable for use against CBW and C4 complexes, identify the input requ ...

A drop-in 3He-tube replacement technology for thermal neutron detection does not exist today. It is critical for homeland security and nuclear safeguards applications. In this program, Triton Systems proposes to develop a light-weight, large-area, high efficiency portable neutron detector for passive interrogation using an innovative gas detector structure. The resulting 3He-free thermal neutron d ...

Agiltron will develop a new class of chemical vapor analyzer by leveraging Agiltrons development and production of micro-electrical-mechanical systems (MEMS) products and expertise with surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) analysis and film fabrication. Our approach capitalizes on integration of these separate technologies to generate a unique and novel functionality that fully addresses all r ...