Award Data

The incorporation of carbon nanotubes into host matrices or the assembly of them into devices is today’s technical challenge and opportunity. Carbon fibers are widely used in a variety of applications including aerospace, military and commercial. These applications are limited by the trade-offs that must be made between structural and conductivity properties. A new area of interest is the nanota ...

This Phase I SBIR proposal involves the design and development of a military-use visor that provides laser eye protection using plasmon resonant particles (PRPs).  The near-infrared protection is provided by embedding optically tunable nanoparticles within the polycarbonate matrix of the visor.  These PRPs may be selected to provide extinction of high-intensity near-infrared radiation while allo ...

As described in our Phase I proposal: the overall goal is to develop a complete system for micro-anastomosis of blood vessels. This involves (1) a unique laser system that uses water as the absorbing chromophore, (2) a clinically useful handpiece that is appropriate for microsurgery, (3) a novel albumin stent to support the vessel during anastomosis, (4) in vitro testing of the device to assess th ...

Nano-photonics, defined by the fusion of nano-technology and photonics, is an emerging frontier providing challenges for fundamental research and opportunities for new engineering technologies. Due to the rapid advancement of functional polymers exploiting Pockel effect from large hyperpolarizability chromophores, nano-photononics on electro-optic (E-O) polymers is anticipated to play a significan ...

Operational Technologies Corporation proposes to further develop a novel Combinatorial DNA Array Recognition Surface (CARS) published by OpTechs senior scientist in IEEE Sensors Journal (7:1609-1616, 2007) for eventual universal sensing of any analyte including chem-bio and explosives in a handheld format.  In Phase I, OpTech will investigate electrical conduction through the CARS DNA array as a ...

The major requirements for this program include the modeling of optical switching fabric technologies appropriate to space-borne systems at very high speed. Specifically, this program will evaluate two OptiComp candidate optical transceiver technologies against a Serial Rapid IO switching fabric. A down-selection to one optical transceiver technology will be made. Then, a simulation of that Serial ...

The major requirements for this program include the modeling of optical routing technologies appropriate to space-borne systems at very high speed. This program will investigate optical routing at speeds to from 3.125 ro 10 Gbps per channel, with a wavelength/channel density from 4 to 16 wavelengths. Models will be constructed for these regimes, and an experimental demonstration of an 8-wavelength ...

The proposed program will develop OptiComp''s coarse WDM transceiver manufacturing technology.  This WDM optical transceiver technology is highly novel, emphasizing manufacturability, ruggedization, modularity, ease of upgrade and qualification, extensive built-in diagnostic monitoring and test capabilities, as well as superior performance with reduced manfacturing complexity.  The modular desig ...

Orbital Technologies Corporation and Penn State University propose to examine and characterize novel energetic formulations in solid fuels to replace conventional, low-energy, binders such as HTPB. The proposed solid fuels will provide higher enthalpy, higher density, and improved rocket engine performance. In Phase I, we will calculate theoretical rocket performance of selected materials, chara ...

Orbital Technologies Corporation (ORBITEC) proposes to develop a monopropellant Self-Pressurizing Gas Generator (SPGG) warm gas pressurization system for satellite propulsion system applications.  The SPGG system will utilize a novel method to pressurize the propellant.  The proposed system offers significant advantages over the traditional helium gas pressurization system.  The SPGG will provi ...