Award Data

NextGen Aeronautics in collaboration with Virginia Tech plan to build on our Phase I work and propose to further develop our concepts and designs for a scalable, fast and easy to use optical strain measurement system. Our proposed Phase II effort will focus on the development of a dual level optical camera system which uses one set of cameras to measure strains over the entire test specimen and a ...

We are proposing to develop a process for large area fabrication of metamaterial films with electromagnetic responses that can be manipulated in the infrared region to enable tailored reflectivity and emissivity. Because the approach is based on metamaterials, this technique can readily be scaled to higher or lower frequencies.

The theory of compressive sensing (CS) will be extended to the design of arrays for underwater systems. The underlying theory is applicable to arbitrary sensor arrays, but the focus will be placed on synthetic aperture sonar (SAS). The proposed research will integrate CS with the closely related and evolving field of matrix completion. Concerning the latter, it is assumed that a matrix of noisy da ...

New material systems are required as a result of advanced performance criteria for the next generation destroyer program and other Navy ships. As a part of these requirements there is high demand for high strength structural composites. The objective of the STTR Phase II project is to develop high strength and light weight structural composites utilizing functionalized single-walled carbon nanotub ...

Research Proposed: The continued development of an innovative and comprehensive energy management technology that could lead to revolutionary improvements in Combat Reach Capabilities (CRC)and significant increases in a force multiplier.The goal is to optimize energy sources of untethered unmanned vehicles and unattended sensors in order to significantly improve the overall mission capabilities of ...

The expected life of satellite Li-Ion batteries is determined by many factors, including thermal considerations, electrode chemistries, orbit and mission life, DOD, and pulse power requirements. First-principles battery model literature pertains primarily to orbital cycling at moderate DOD under isothermal conditions without variable power loads. Knowledge must be extended to encompass wider life ...

Lithium-air battery consists of a lithium anode electrochemically coupled to atmospheric oxygen through an air cathode. The major advantages of lithium air batteries are that air cathode active material, oxygen, is not stored internal to cell system and lithium anode being extremely lightweight metal with a highest theoretical specific energy density. This energy density is well comparable with t ...

Hi-Z Technology, Inc. (Hi-Z) and the University of California San Diego propose to adapt Hi-Z’s innovative Quantum Well (QW) thermoelectric (TE) technology to develop a TE cooler for the Army’s base camp tents. The cooler is to be embedded in the flexible tent materials and powered by electricity generated by photovoltaics. Hi-Z has developed nanocomposite QW TE materials that have high Figur ...

Inlustra Technologies and the University of Notre Dame propose a Phase I STTR program that, combined with a subsequent Phase II effort, will result in methods for the scalable production of semi-insulating non-polar GaN substrates. These substrates will be utilized in the fabrication of high-power/high-frequency AlGaN-GaN electronic devices capable of reliable operation under high thermal load. ...

DOLCE Technologies, LLC, in collaboration with Professor Rick Averitt’s research group at Boston University and Eric Shaner’s group at Sandia National Laboratories, will develop and deliver a high performance room-temperature Terahertz detector array solution based on metamaterial absorbers integrated with bi-material cantilevers. The metamaterial approach is frequency scalable and can operat ...