Award Data

Devices with non-reciprocal functionalities are crucial for wireless communications, radar/imaging systems and for the growing field of quantum computing. Traditionally, these functionalities are achieved using ferrite materials biased by an external magnetic field. Unfortunately, such materials face significant challenges: they are scarcely available, and they are not compatible with existing sem ...

Emrgy, Inc., a pioneer in commercializing hydrokinetic power systems, is teaming with Premier Energy Holdings, Stanford University and University of Tennessee, Knoxville to develop a highly innovative solution to low-cost, riverine and tidal-based clean energy power generation. The project will implement “dynamic tuning” of the hydrokinetic turbine system to optimize performance across variabl ...

Nanohmics Inc. (Austin, TX), in collaboration with Prof. Dimitrios Sounas at Wayne State University (Detroit, MI), propose to continue the development of a new form of time-modulated circulators, with low loss, broad bandwidth, high isolation, and the additional advantage of full autonomy. In Phase I of the program, we explored two approaches for the design of magnet-less circulators. The first on ...

This project intends to develop a sensor system that allows in-situ measurement of concrete’s pore solution resistivity, to supplement existing procedures for durability assessment. The innovation includes one or more sensors that are embedded inside concrete and a mobile measuring device to interrogate the sensor.Phase I project will explore candidate body materials for the sensor, manufacturin ...

Naturally occurring protein polymers are limited by the chemistry of the canonical genetic code. By incorporating non-canonical amino acids (ncAA) monomers into proteins, the catalytic, sensing, and physical properties of proteins can be engineered to generate novel reagents and materials. To address this synthetic biology need, Fabrico Technology and Professor Andrew Ellington at the University o ...

Additional passenger fatalities and injuries can occur in rollover-type derailment accidents due to failures of glazing retention mechanisms on passenger railcars. In recent accidents, a key failure mode is shearing off the external rubber gasket that secures the glazing panes as the side of the railcar drags along the ground. Once the gasket fails, the glazing pane is pushed inside, leaving an op ...

Emrgy, Inc., a pioneer in commercializing hydrokinetic power systems, is teaming with Premier Energy Holdings, Stanford University and University of Tennessee, Knoxville to develop a highly innovative solution to low-cost, riverine and tidal-based clean energy power generation. The project will implement “dynamic tuning” of the hydrokinetic turbine system to optimize performance across variabl ...

Devices with non-reciprocal functionalities are common in wireless communications, quantum computing and radar/imaging systems. Traditionally, these functionalities are achieved using ferrite materials biased by an external magnetic field. Unfortunately, such materials face significant challenges: they are scarcely available, and they are not compatible with existing semiconductor manufacturing pr ...

This proposal will explore the design and fabrication of tunable nonreciprocal devices for isolation, full-duplex operation, and incorporation in topological insulators. The topologies will be based on time-modulated Wheatstone bridges of varactors connected through filters. We will explore using dual-mode filters that provide independent control over the common and differential modes of the circu ...

This proposal investigates nonlinear metasurface technology that exploits sharp Fano-resonances to engineer energy and size efficient photonic devices that perform better than the state-of-the art isolators, switches, and modulators. To circumvent the fundamental bounds of performance with single Fano-resonator isolators, this work will demonstrate novel isolators comprising of two stacked Fano-me ...