Award Data

This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project will investigate mesoporous silicate nanoparticles specifically functionalized to act as char-forming fire retardants (FR) for structural plastics. The particles provide substantial improvements over conventional FR agents that are environmentally undesirable (e.g., halogenated hydrocarbons), cost intensive (e.g., molybdenum oxide), toxic (e. ...

This SBIR Phase I project will develop an automated in-line biosensor to monitor pathogens in treated wastewater. It is intended for farms and other small facilities. The focus is to include the sensor in package wastewater treatment systems developed by Spiralcat of Maryland for treating swine and duck farms, dairies, and other small scale applications. The broader/commercial impact of the proj ...

This SBIR Phase I project will develop novel nematicides using proprietary chemical design and screening methods. The project will first design, prioritize, and synthesize a set of entirely novel molecules. The project will then evaluate compounds for activity in multiple biological assays with parasitic nematodes and plants. Promising scaffolds will be prioritized for further development in Ph ...

This SBIR Phase I project will develop a novel microfiltration system which uses cross-flow filtration, swirl flow patterns, oscillated and periodically interrupted flow, periodic back-flush, and particle recuperation to deal with the treatment of paint sludges generated from spray paint booths. It is aimed primarily at the automotive industry, but could be equally successfully applied to any lar ...

This Small Business Innovation Research Phase II project addresses the deteriorating situation with respect to our nation?s infrastructure system, particularly bridges. A solution is critically needed to monitor the structural integrity of such systems in order to identify potential failures ? such as the Minneapolis I-35W Bridge collapse ? before they occur. Existing solutions for structural st ...

Optimization of generator performance and maximization of output power are difficult to attain in the generation of hydro-power. This is due to the changing water conditions and corresponding changes in the form of available energy. ESL proposes to use self-tuning controls in combination with a suitably chosen and optimized generator driven by hydro-energy and condition it for distribution to then ...

This SBIR Phase I project will develop a process for direct synthesis of silane utilizing silicon, hydrogen and a plasma arc. The broader/commercial impact of the project will include the potential elimination of shipping of hazardous silane gas, and decreased production cost for silane gas. Both of these outcomes will have broad impact across the manufacturing of a wide variety of electronic equ ...

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project is directed at developing a real time process control system for improving manufacturing of thin film products such as thin film solar panels, solid state lighting, touch screen displays, optics and telecommunications. Photovoltaics are a vital component of the renewable energy mix but they need to be more efficient to be competitive ...

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project aims to develop an effectively-thick coating (ETC) technology for machine tool applications. This technology will provide an effective thickness that is 5-20 times thicker than that of traditional coating while abating delamination issues that currently limit thickness. The approach is to micromachine the cutting tool to form a speci ...

This SBIR Phase II project will develop and commercialize a new energy efficient long-lifed cutting attachment for chipping cellulosic biomass into bio-fuel feedstock while achieving reduced specific energy, significantly longer knife-change intervals, and controllably-fine chips needed by various bio-fuel applications. The innovation involves an adaptation of advanced metal-cutting technology to ...