Award Data

A high sensitivity laser-induced incandescence system is proposed for the detailed characterization of environmental soot. Specifically, innovative approaches have been proposed to (1) reduce the lower detection limit of soot volume fraction and increase the overall measurement range by an order of magnitude from what is currently achievable, and (2) provide PM particle size and number density mea ...

A method to take three polymers with varying viscosities and mixing those polymers together at the point of interest or more specifically through a micro dispensing nozzle, is being proposed. An active mixing scheme to ensure proper mixing at the pen tip is a feasible approach to this problem. The materials being mixed will not only range in viscosity but also in particle loading, which will be ha ...

Parallax Research, Inc. proposes to build an Ultra-High Vacuum compatible Wavelength Dispersive X-ray Spectrometer (WDS) that can be used on small spot Auger, XPS, TEM and FESEM analytical instruments for elemental analysis. The effort draws upon Parallax's experience in designing WDS systems for Scanning Electron Microscopes (SEM) and for XRF. This new type of x-ray spectrometer will eliminate th ...

One of the standard analytical tools on almost all electron microscopes (EM) is an energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDS) detector used for chemical analysis. However, there are many limitations with the current generation of EDS detectors for EM. The best potential for achieving larger detector active areas, superb energy resolution and an order of magnitude higher count rate compared with co ...

his proposal focuses on developing Distributed Automatic Reconfigurable Trasponder (DART) system that is capable of achieving distributed multi-nodal voice/data communication for firefighters. Specifically, Williams-Pyro, Inc. proposes to develop an enhanced prototype of distributed Automated Reconfigurable Intelligent Radios, which consists of a series of distributed nodes that will relay voice t ...

Sepax Technologies, Inc. has identified a new type of anoin-exchange resin which separates single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) with >80% recovery yield and resolves in a single pass the chiral tubes of (6,5) well from commercial SWCNT starting materials by Chromatography. Improvement and scale up of the targeted resin production will facilitate the separation of chiral nanotubes for the academic ...

Using a novel concept for humidity control, based on a proprietary saturated air source, MAC will construct and evaluate a prototype of an environmental chamber for use with NIST’s SPHERE UV source, in weathering or other UV degradation studies. The chamber will interface to the exit ports of the SPHERE, maintaining the material coupons, mounted in a standardized sample holder, at a programmed t ...

Trusted biometric validation of individual identities has never been more important. Several contributing factors are the increase in global terrorism, identity theft and the increase in legislation which are driving the accelerated adoption of biometric technology. Unfortunately, the biometrics industry has not actively responded to the changing market conditions being driven by the explosion in ...

With the growing demand for more efficient fingerprinting techniques, live scans are rapidly displacing traditional ink-based methods. Despite improvements in detector and processing technology for capturing and digitizing fingerprints, current equipment falls well short of NIST’s goal of a small, tamper-resistant, battery-powered, handheld scanner. Incumbent equipment suppliers have little comm ...

This project is devoted to development of a manufacturing technique of slow neutron Germanium mosaic monochromators with reflectivity exceeding reflectivity of pyrolytic graphite crystals. The manufacturing technique utilizes optimized high temperature plastic deformation of large single Germanium crystals to produce mosaic monochromators. Preliminary test on 70 mm diameter Ge samples with 111 ori ...