Award Data

It is proposed to develop a space propulsion concept based on the physics of pseudospark discharges. The device will be based on a multi-gap pseudospark device with a closed anode. The pseudospark is characterized by a transient phase, where high-intensityare created, and a "super-dense" glow discharge phase when the steady state is achieved. This phase produces very high plasma densities with min ...

"Energetic thermite composites are composed of a metal fuel (e.g. Al) and an oxidizer (e.g. Fe2O3). Thermite composites have a much higher reaction enthalpy per cm3 than conventional explosives such as TNT. However, current thermite composites do notyield a higher reactive power because of the large diffusion distance between the metal fuel and oxidizer in thermite powders. To minimize the diff ...

Nomadics has teamed with the University of Rhode Island to propose a sensor payload to be carried by a REMUS unmanned underwater vehicle in order to patrol coastal regions and the areas around deployed ships for protection against attack. The system willbe able to patrol large areas autonomously and detect threats from radiological, chemical, and biological weapons of mass destruction. Further, ...

"The Missile Defense Agency (MDA) has future missions that require space-based surveillance and interceptor platforms to support the National Missile Defense effort. Rapid, affordable deployment and validation of these platforms is a necessary step towardoperational architectures. However this will require lightweight, low-cost solutions to providing power generation and storage on-board these sa ...

"Astralux, Inc. proposes to develop a novel and enabling p-type doping technology for the III-V nitrides with significant applications in the electronic and optoelectronic device arenas. Specifically, we will use molecular doping of magnesium (Mg) andoxygen (O) by ion implantation to improve upon the existing p-type doping technology, with the goal of significantly enhancing the dopant solubility ...

"The quality of semiconductor thin-film grown by vapor phase epitaxy is strongly dependent on the growth conditions. The diffusion of adatoms on the flat surface is largely responsible for the quality of the film. The diffusion rate is directly related tothe bond energy of adatoms. Recent experiments have demonstrated that application of an external field can lead to a change in the microstruct ...

In this Phase I STTR, Nomadics has teamed with the Keck Graduate Institute to develop a new form of highly sensitive biological filter intended for the protection of water supplies. In light of the growing concern about bioterrorism, an early warningsystem for the presence of biological agents in potable water would be desirable. The proposed system will be capable of supplying real-time data in ...

We propose to provide both frequency domain and time domain capabilities for the modeling of electromagnetic (EM) waves in dielectric media with the goal of accurate modeling of omnidirectional reflectors. Omnidirectional reflectors, constructed withlayers of dielectrics, reflect electromagnetic radiation is 100% efficiency for all incident angles and polarizations. The Phase I effort will carry ...

"Specially engineered self-assembling ferroelectric liquid crystal (FLCs) structures are capable of photonic bandgap functions, light emission, GHz electro-optic modulation, and second harmonic generation. Furthermore, we have demonstrated the ability tointegrate FLCs with silicon integrated circuits for both experimental applications (e.g. smart pixels, optical processing) and commercial applica ...

"FlesSys Inc. and the University of Michigan propose to develop and validate the performance of an active mechanical flow control device based on advanced complaint strictures technology. During STTR Phase I, PlexSys Inc (dba Mechnanical Compliance Inc.)has successfully developed a Gigh-Frequency Mechanical Vortex Generator by combining a compliant displacement-amplifier with a coice-coil generato ...