Award Data

There are two main objectives that this proposal addresses. The first is to determine the alloy compound ratio, such as Si, Al, Fe, Sn, Mn etc. at what ratio our alloy provides the best performance to cost benefit for the Air Force. We will partner with the Air Force to perform anode testing to determine if the concept works. The anode will also be tested at SDSM&T for capacity and number of circl ...

Electrically insulating aircraft materials and coatings increase the likelihood of dangerous charge buildup due to static electricity accumulation and are also not able to protect from lightning strikes.  Aircraft performance is critical for the proper support and maintenance of aircraft. We will eliminate the need for a separate coating, by producing an electrically conductive rain erosion resis ...

A Si-based alloy anode for rechargeable Li-ion batteries will be created using “cold spray”, a solid-state materials deposition technique. In this process inert driver gas is used to accelerate powdered feedstock particles to supersonic speeds. No melting occurs, instead deposits form as a result of severe deformation. This allows deposition of Si, a material prone to oxidation otherwise. Init ...

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) project is to provide software service to correct Earth observation satellite (EOS) data to at-ground reflectance. EOS must look through the Earth?s atmosphere that induces systematic error in measuring the actual reflectance of ground targets through scatter and attenuation of light. Atmospherically-induced ...

Long-term disposal of nuclear waste continues to be an issue of national and international importance. A 2012 Blue Ribbon Commission report to the Secretary of Energy states, .“..this nation’s failure to come to grips with the nuclear waste issue has already proved damaging and costly and it will be more damaging and more costly the longer it continues….” The proposed thermal salt sealing ...

The U.S. depends on its fleet of nuclear facilities for the clean and reliable generation of electricity. With much uncertainty facing long term, geologic storage facilities, long duration on-site waste storage is being considered. VRC Metal Systems, in collaboration with our academic research partner, the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology (SDSM&T), and our robotics system developer, Rob ...

The problem being addressed is that electrical generation capacity is expected to fall short in the near future for two reasons. One is that many coal-fired power plants are reaching the end of their life, and the other is that demand for electrical power is expected to increase steadily through year 2050. From emissions concerns, new coal-fired power plants are less likely to be built. While natu ...

Marine life entanglement is one of the critical permitting issues that is currently constraining the growth of domestic offshore aquaculture. Synthetik Applied Technologies is proposing to develop a low-cost entanglement detection system for offshore aquaculture operators. The system will use a combination of near real-time satellite imagery, intelligent on-site cameras (both above and below the w ...

We propose to develop effective robust rechargeable and economic antimicrobial coatings tofight cross-contamination in food manufacturing and improve food safety. The severeconsequences of microbiological contamination (e.g. foodborne illnesses food recalls branddamage and economic losses) demand food industry to re-examine the current food safetycontrol strategies and introduce novel technologies ...

Across the US nearly all business sectors have enthusiastically adopted new technology.In direct contrast the crop insurance industry has been slow to adopt spatial technology -Earth observation satellite-based remote sensing image analysis GIS and digital recordkeeping. Spatial technology holds great promise to enhance accuracy efficiencyproductivity and profits for the crop insurance industry.Th ...