Briefs: Materials
Carbon-Nanotube-Carpet Heat-Transfer Pads
Microscopic thermal-contact pads that include carpetlike arrays of carbon nanotubes have been invented for dissipating heat generated in integrated circuits and similarly sized single electronic...
Briefs: Materials
Wholly Aromatic Ether-Imides as n-Type Semiconductors
Some wholly aromatic ether-imides consisting of rod-shaped, relatively-low-mass molecules that can form liquid crystals have been investigated for potential utility as electron-donor-type...
Briefs: Manufacturing & Prototyping
Techniques for Connecting Superconducting Thin Films
Several improved techniques for connecting superconducting thin films on substrates have been developed. The techniques afford some versatility for tailoring the electronic and mechanical characteristics of junctions between superconductors in experimental electronic devices. The techniques...
Briefs: Manufacturing & Prototyping
Versatile Friction Stir Welding/Friction Plug Welding System
A proposed system of tooling, machinery, and control equipment would be capable of performing any of several friction stir welding (FSW) and friction plug welding (FPW) operations. These operations would include the following:
Briefs: Materials
Making Activated Carbon by Wet Pressurized Pyrolysis
A wet pressurized pyrolysis (wet carbonization) process has been invented as a means of producing activated carbon from a wide variety of inedible biomass consisting principally of plant wastes. The principal intended use of this activated carbon is room-temperature adsorption of pollutant...
Briefs: Materials
Composite Solid Electrolyte Containing Li+- Conducting Fibers
Improved composite solid polymer electrolytes (CSPEs) are being developed for use in lithium-ion power cells. The matrix components of these composites, like those of some prior CSPEs, are highmolecular- weight dielectric polymers [generally based on polyethylene oxide (PEO)]. The...
Briefs: Materials
Electrically Conductive Anodized Aluminum Surfaces
Anodized aluminum components can be treated to make them sufficiently electrically conductive to suppress discharges of static electricity. The treatment was conceived as a means of preventing static electric discharges on exterior satin-anodized aluminum (SAA) surfaces of spacecraft without...
Briefs: Manufacturing & Prototyping
Tool for Two Types of Friction Stir Welding
A tool that would be useable in both conventional and self-reacting friction stir welding (FSW) has been proposed. The tool would embody both a prior tooling concept for self-reacting FSW and an...
Briefs: Manufacturing & Prototyping
Improved Oxygen-Beam Texturing of Glucose-Monitoring Optics
Briefs: Materials
SiC Composite Turbine Vanes
Turbine inlet guide vanes have been fabricated from composites of silicon carbide fibers in silicon carbide matrices. A unique design for a cloth made from SiC fibers makes it possible to realize the geometric...
Briefs: Materials
Thermoelectric Inhomogeneities in (Ag1-SbTe2)x(PbTe)1-x
A document presents a study of why materials of composition (Ag1–ySbTe2)0.05 (PbTe)0.95 [0=y=1] were previously reported to have values of the thermoelectric figure of merit [ZT (where Z = a2/??, a is the Seebeck coefficient, ? is electrical resistivity, ? is thermal conductivity, and T...
Briefs: Materials
Oxygen-Permeable, Hydrophobic Membranes of Silanized α-Al2O3
Membranes made of silanized alumina have been prepared and tested as prototypes of derivatized ceramic membranes that are both highly permeable to oxygen and hydrophobic. Improved...
Briefs: Manufacturing & Prototyping
Solving Complex Engineering Challenges of Large Composite Aerostructures
Composites are becoming the material of choice for the manufacture of large, complex aerostructures. The aft section of the jumbo Airbus A380 and the wings of the...
Briefs: Manufacturing & Prototyping
Covering a Crucible With Metal Containing Channels
In a procedure that partly resembles the lost-wax casting process, a crucible made of a brittle material (ceramic, quartz, or glass) is covered with a layer of metal containing channels. The...
Briefs: Materials
Lower-Conductivity Ceramic Materials for Thermal-Barrier Coatings
Doped pyrochlore oxides of a type described below are under consideration as alternative materials for high temperature thermal barrier coatings (TBCs). In comparison with...
Briefs: Materials
Improving Thermomechanical Properties of SiC/SiC Composites
Today, a major thrust toward improving the thermomechanical properties of engine components lies in the development of fiber-reinforced silicon carbide matrix composite materials,...
Briefs: Materials
Patches for Repairing Ceramics and Ceramic Matrix Composites
Patches consisting mostly of ceramic fabrics impregnated with partially cured polymers and ceramic particles are being developed as means of repairing ceramics and ceramic-matrix composites (CMCs) that must withstand temperatures above the melting points of refractory metal alloys....
Briefs: Materials
4-Vinyl-1,3-Dioxolane-2-One as an Additive for Li-Ion Cells
Electrolyte additive 4-vinyl-1, 3-dioxolane-2-one has been found to be promising for rechargeable lithium-ion electrochemical cells. This and other additives, along with advanced...
Briefs: Materials
Aerogel/Particle Composites for Thermoelectric Devices
Optimizing solution chemistry and the addition of titania and fumed silica powder reduces shrinkage. These materials would serve to increase thermal efficiency by providing thermal...
Briefs: Manufacturing & Prototyping
Improved Fabrication of Lithium Films Having Micron Features
An improved method has been devised for fabricating micron-dimension Li features. This approach is intended for application in the fabrication of lithium-based microelectrochemical...
Briefs: Manufacturing & Prototyping
Manufacture of Regularly Shaped Sol-Gel Pellets
An extrusion batch process for manufacturing regularly shaped sol-gel pellets has been devised as an improved alternative to a spray process that yields irregularly shaped pellets. The aspect ratio of regularly shaped pellets can be controlled more easily, while regularly shaped pellets pack more...
Briefs: Materials
Vaporizable Scaffolds for Fabricating Thermoelectric Modules
A process for fabricating thermoelectric modules with vacuum gaps separating the thermoelectric legs has been conceived, and the feasibility of some essential parts of the process...
Briefs: Materials
Stability Enhancement of Polymeric Sensing Films Using Fillers
Experiments have shown the stability enhancement of polymeric sensing films on mixing the polymer with colloidal filler particles (submicron-sized) of carbon black, silver,...
Briefs: Materials
Nanotube Dispersions Made With Charged Surfactant
Dispersions (including monodispersions) of nanotubes in water at relatively high concentrations have been formulated as prototypes of reagents for use in making fibers, films, and membranes based on single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs). Other than water, the ingredients of a dispersion of this...
Briefs: Materials
Aerogels for Thermal Insulation of Thermoelectric Devices
Silica aerogels have been shown to be attractive for use as thermal insulation materials for thermoelectric devices. It is desirable to thermally insulate the legs of thermoelectric devices to suppress lateral heat leaks that degrade thermal efficiency. Aerogels offer not only high...
Briefs: Materials
Low-Density, Creep Resistant Single Crystal Superalloys
Several recently formulated nickelbase superalloys have been developed with excellent high-temperature creep resistance, at lower densities than those of currently used nickel-base...
Briefs: Materials
Wire-Mesh-Based Sorber for Removing Contaminants From Air
A paper discusses an experimental regenerable sorber for removing CO2 and trace components — principally, volatile organic compounds, halocarbons, and NH3 — from spacecraft cabin air. This regenerable sorber is a prototype of what is intended to be a lightweight...
Briefs: Manufacturing & Prototyping
Measuring Vapors To Monitor the State of Cure of a Resin
A proposed noninvasive method of monitoring the cure path and the state of cure of an epoxy or other resin involves measurement of the concentration(s) of one or more compound(s) in...
Briefs: Manufacturing & Prototyping
Templates for Fabricating Nanowire/Nanoconduit-Based Devices
An effort is underway to develop processes for making templates that could be used as deposition molds and etching masks in the fabrication of devices containing arrays of...
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