Award Data

Touchstone Research Laboratory and Aspen Aerogels have teamed to create a new carbon composite material comprised of Touchstone’s carbon foam (CFOAM) and carbon aerogel. Phase I demonstrated the feasibility of manufacturing on a laboratory scale and included foam and aerogel compositional optimization, as well as preliminary thermal and mechanical characterization. The results were that carbon ...

Compact arrays of ultra-high-speed analog laser sources or lasers integrated with modulators are needed for LADAR sensors and scene generation. Multiplex, Inc., UC Berkeley and UCSD propose a novel Monolithic Injection-Locked Analog Transmitter Array (MILATA) for wide frequency range (>2GHz) operation with 60 dB to 72 dB optical extinction ratio. MILATA is a versatile technology platform that is b ...

SBIR Phase-I program investigation into a Wide Band Gap (WBG) technology and its ability to meet the Air Force specifications for a High Power Amplifier (HPA) demonstrated unequivocally the feasibility of meeting/exceeding this objective with GaN HEMT devices. The 50W power achievable over a multi-octave bandwidth of [200MHz-1,000MHz] and [1,000MHz-4,000MHz] with efficiencies [PAE] exceeding 40%, ...

The current approach to providing thermal protection to aero-vehicles is to use a parasitic thermal protection system (TPS) that protects the primary structure while transferring the aerodynamic loads to the same primary structure. This approach increases the complexity of the vehicle system that, in turn, complicates fabrication and inspection of the structure. In addition, this approach also i ...

The higher Mach number flight capability required in future missile systems has necessitated the development of advanced materials capable of surviving the increased thermal loads expected in these systems. Although previous research has indicated that titanium matrix composites (TMCs) are a potential solution to this problem, the high cost of these materials has severely hindered their considerat ...

Detection and identification of similar class military targets can be extremely difficult, especially at extended ranges. The wide variety of deployment scenarios further complicate this effort. In reality, the sensitivity of an imaging system and the contrast of targets can be strongly reduced. There have been several approaches (hardware solutions) to overcome the problem of optical image degra ...

The energy density and rate capabilities of Li-ion batteries can be enhanced by ultizing nanostructured electode materials with “newly developed” chemsitries. The proposed program focuses on developing high power and fast charge rate Li-ion batteries based on nanostructured electrodes (cathode and anode). In Phase I, through innovations in the structure and synthesis methodology of nanophase ...

High performance military gas turbine engines are often equipped with augmenters also known as afterburners, to provide increased levels of thrust for relatively short periods of time. The level of thrust desired is determined by the requirement for specific excess power for maneuver. However, the augmentation level, which can be supplied by engines, is limited by the oxygen in the air after the ...

Directed Energy weapon systems are being developed for both ground and airborne applications. Typically, they consist of microwave or laser powered guns. Both the microwave application and the diode based laser applications require significant amount of power. Application of power is a transient phenomenon that takes time and its effects ripple through the whole system. In this case, the large ap ...

There is the need for new diagnostic instrumentation capable of detailed hypersonic flow field characterization with spatial resolution of order 1 mm3 and temporal bandwidth of order MHz. In this proposal Princeton Scientific Instruments, in collaboration with the Ohio State University Gas Dynamics and Turbulence Laboratory, offers a novel solution based on PSI's recently developed Ultra High Fra ...