Award Data

The pressing need exists within industry to accurately measure high aspect ratio microscale structures. For example, diesel injector nozzles are manufactured with microscale holes ranging from 50-200 micrometers in diameter and 3-5 mm depths. One fundamental challenge is to nondestrucvely measure these features in order to validate models, enhance manufacturing processes, and reduce fuel emissions ...

Manning Applied Technology proposes to develop a handheld infrared spectrometer, ideally suited to detection of airborne chemical agents at and below permissible exposure limits. This approach offers unmatched sensitivity and specificity for detection of all types of chemical vapors. The instrument is modular, rugged, compact and highly sensitive. Volume pricing will be less than $1000 each. ...

Vesicants have been used as chemical warfare agents since World War I and are still considered a major class of chemical threat agents both for the military and for homeland security. There are four different vesicating agents: impure sulfur mustard, distilled sulfur mustard, phosgene oxime, and lewisite. Among them, mustard is the most important militarily. The organs most commonly affected by ...

APDs offer tremendous potential for the numerous applications in which photon densities are extremely low and the ability to count single photons is essential. Researchers have recently found that the optimization of InP-based APDs for counting photons may require innovative design approaches that are quite distinct from those shown to optimize APD linear mode performance. For this program, we pro ...

Application of NIR photon counting technology is impeded by the marginal performance of available detectors. We will develop new InGaAs/InP APD designs optimized for Geiger mode photon counting, delivering ten re-designed APDs, having detection probability greater than 50% and dark count rate less than ten thousand per second. During Phase II we will develop a new computer model of the Geiger mode ...

Sablefish (black cod) is a promising species for marine aquaculture in Washington State because of strong demand, high prices, ease of culture from juvenile stage on, availability of large areas for commercial grow out and interest from commercial, tribal and fisheries cooperatives. But the physiological ecology of sablefish is only partially known, which hampers commercialization and the ability ...

The main objective will be to develop a high-performance flexible composite barrier that provides protection from Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear (CBRN) agents and Toxic Industrial Materials (TIMs). UDC will develop a thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) coated fabric to provide CBRN agent resistant tents. Fire retardant capability will be achieved by the addition of fire retardant fi ...

MCNC PROPOSES A FEASIBILITY STUDY AND EVALUATION OF THREE PROMISING APPROACHES TO THE FABRICATION OF SURFACE TEST STRUCTURES ON SILICON. SURFACE FEATURES ON THE FIRST STRUCTURE WILL BE PRODUCED BY CONTROLLABLY ETCHING THERMALLYGROWN OXIDES. FEATURES ON THE SECOND WILL BE MADE BY ETCHING PIEZOELECTRIC THIN FILMS. USING THE PIEZOELECTRIC FILM AS PART OF A CAPACITOR, STEP-HEIGHT CAN BE VARIED AND PRO ...

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SURPLUS OFFSHORE OIL PLATFORMS AND SIMILAR STRUCTURES HAVE POTENTIAL AS BASES FOR THE SUPPORT OF OFFSHORE AQUACULTURE OPERATIONS. ONE CONCEPT DEVELOPED AT NET SYSTEMS ENVISIONS A PLATFORM SURROUNDED BY, AND HELPING TO SUPPORT, A RINGSHAPED ARRANGEMENT OF FLOATING FISH PENS. HOWEVER, BEFORE SUCH STRUCTURES CAN BE INCORPORATED INTO AQUACULTURE SYSTEMS, WE NEED TO BE ABLE TO PREDICT THEIR RESPONSE TO ...