Award Data

Small scale mechanical testing is often a bottleneck in micro and nanocomposite materials development. The proposed Psylotech system is a miniature universal test system that accommodates rigid materials and soft materials, such as biological tissues and rubber in the form of uniaxially loaded samples. The Psylotech nano/micro/milli Test System (nTS) is the evolution and integration of systems dev ...

In Phase I of this SBIR program, QuesTek successfully demonstrated a novel thermomechanical processing technique to enhance the bending fatigue resistance of Ferrium C64 steel. A systems-engineering approach was followed to identify key microstructure attributes (e.g., nonmetallic inclusions) that control the mean and minimum fatigue resistance of the aforementioned steel. Through carefully devise ...

This proposal addresses the Army"s need for rechargeable 18650-type lithium-ion cells with specific energy greater than 300 Wh/kg for Land Warrior applications. The proposed cells will allow a Soldier to drastically extend the mission run time and reduce the frequency of changing the batteries. The improvements in specific energy will be achieved by radical enhancements of the cell"s chemistry and ...

Detecting light at the single photon level is a fundamental measurement function that is useful in a wide variety of applications, including such diverse fields as biological spectroscopy, laser ranging, and quantum communications. Avalanche photodiode (APD) based single photon detectors (SPDs) are very convenient in that they are small solid state devices that don"t require cryogenic cooling. Si- ...

Bridger Photonics and the University of Arizona will develop a passive multi-band compressive sensor for imaging and object recognition applications. The Army has identified a need for multi-band imagery for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions among others. Multi-band systems offer enhanced discrimination capability and the ability to perform in adverse conditions (at night, smo ...

The objective of this project is to develop low cost composite microporous polyethylene based separator with oxidation-resistant and high permeability. Manufactured separators will be characterized for its physical, mechanical, electrochemical properties, performance, wettability, thickness, porosity. The new separators will be studied in lithium ion cells, optimized and qualified for better chara ...

The project aims to engage in design, modeling and simulation of a heavy fuel engine that meets the specific needs of the Army (300 500 Watts of rated mechanical power). Phase 1 tasks include definition of an engine that can meet the power needs, parametric design of the engine, engine modeling, variational performance analysis & optimization, prediction of engine performance, optimization of the ...

Rapid detection of chemical warfare agents (CWAs) in the field can provide critical contamination avoidance and reconnaissance. CWAs pose a serious threat to both civilian and military sectors, and present techniques rely on dangerous collection methods, active measurement through external IR sources, and/or are time-consuming. EPIR proposes to meet this need through the development of a passive s ...

A powerful team of researchers from Northwestern University and MKS Technology has been assembled to develop a portable ultratrace level sensitive sensor for chemical warfare agents. The SERS technology will be developed and evaluated at Northwestern University while the materials and portable instrumentation will be developed and manufactured at MKS Technology. Nanoparticles tuned to a specific ...

The overall goal of this proposed program (through Phase III) is to develop a chemical warfare agent analyzer capable of detecting vapor phase agents at 10-7g/m3 in less than 1 minute. This will be accomplished by developing a method to produce novel localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) nanostructures, supported by theory, that produce a minimum surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) enha ...