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A NEW HERMETIC SEALING CERAMIC MATERIAL DERIVED AT LOW TEMPERATURE FROM A SOIL GEL

Award Information
Agency: National Science Foundation
Branch: N/A
Contract: N/A
Agency Tracking Number: 14421
Amount: $50,000.00
Phase: Phase I
Program: SBIR
Solicitation Topic Code: N/A
Solicitation Number: N/A
Timeline
Solicitation Year: N/A
Award Year: 1991
Award Start Date (Proposal Award Date): N/A
Award End Date (Contract End Date): N/A
Small Business Information
100 Via Florence
Newport Beach, CA 92663
United States
DUNS: N/A
HUBZone Owned: No
Woman Owned: No
Socially and Economically Disadvantaged: No
Principal Investigator
 Dr. Larry A. Harrah
 Chief Scientist
 () -
Business Contact
Phone: () -
Research Institution
N/A
Abstract

RESEARCHERS AT THE NSF-SPONSORED CENTER FOR MICRO-ENGINEEREDCERAMICS/UNIVERSITY OF NEW MEXICO HAVE DISCOVERED A LOW DENSITY, ANOMALOUSLY LOW SURFACE AREA, SOL-GEL DERIVED ALUMINA-SILICATE COMPOSITION. THEIR EFFORTS ARE FOCUSED ON UNDERSTANDING THE MOLECULAR PROCESSES BY WHICH THIS UNIQUE CHARACTERISTIC IS OBTAINED. THE DEVELOPMENT OF A LOWSURFACE AREA STRUCTURE AT LOW TEMPERATURES (100 DEGREES CENTIGRADE) SUGGESTS APPLICATION OF THIS MATERIAL AS A HERMETIC COATING IN A RANGE OF APPLICATIONS THAT CANNOT TOLERATE THE HIGH TEMPERATURES REQUIRED TO DENSIFY CONVENTIONAL FILMS. PROPOSED IS A MATERIALS DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM. PRIOR TO THE EXPLOITATION OF THIS MATERIAL, ITS TRANSPORT (I.E., HERMETIC) PROPERTIES MUST BE QUANTIFIED TO ENABLE ITS TARGETING FOR SPECIFIC ENGINEERING APPLICATIONS. THE PROGRAM RESULT WILL BE THE NECESSARY PROCESS-MICROSTRUCTURE-TRANSPORT PROPERTY UNDERSTANDING TO DIRECT THIS MATERIAL TO SPECIFIC ENGINEERING APPLICATIONS. AN EXISTING VACUUM SYSTEM WILL BE MODIFIED FOR PERMEATION STUDIES. ALUMINASILICATE FILMS OF VARIOUS THICKNESSES WILL BE CAST BY VARIOUS TECHNIQUES, THERMALLY TREATED, AND DIFFUSION PROPERTIES MEASURED. MICROSTRUCTURAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE COATINGS WILL BE CORRELATED WITH DIFFUSION PROPERTIES. ITERATIVE STUDIES OF DIFFUSION PROPERTIES AS A FUNCTION OF SOL-GEL PROCESSING CONDITIONS WILL BE CONDUCTED.

* Information listed above is at the time of submission. *

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