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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 37 records · Page 2
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1988

Acrolein Microspheres Are Bonded To Large-Area Substrates

Reactive cross-linked microspheres produced under influence of ionizing radiation in aqueous solutions of unsaturated aldehydes, such as acrolein, with sodium dodecyl sulfate. Diameters of spheres depend on concentrations of ingredients. If polystyrene, polymethylmethacrylate, or polypropylene object immersed in solution during irradiation, microspheres become attached to surface. Resulting modified surface has grainy coating with reactivity similar to free microspheres. Aldehyde-substituted-functional microspheres react under mild conditions with number of organic reagents and with most proteins. Microsphere-coated macrospheres or films used to immobilize high concentrations of proteins, enzymes, hormones, viruses, cells, and large number of organic compounds. Applications include separation techniques, clinical diagnostic tests, catalytic processes, and battery separators.

Rembaum, Alan↗
NASA NTRS1989

Integrated Cryogenic Experiment (ICE) microsphere investigation

The main objective is to determine the performance of microsphere insulation in a 0-g environment and compare its performance to reference insulations such as multilayer insulation. The Lockheed Helium Extended-Life Dewar (HELD) is used to provide superfluid-helium cold sink for the experiment. The use of HELD allows the low-g dynamic properties of Passive Orbital Disconnect Struts (PODS) to be characterized and provides a flight demonstration of the PODS system. The thermal performance of microspheres in 1 and 0 g was predicted, a flight experiment was designed to determine microsphere thermal performance, and the interface was also designed between the experimental package and the shuttle through HELD and the Hitchhiker-M carrier. A single test cell was designed and fabricated. The cell was filled with uncoated glass microspheres and tested with a liquid-nitrogen cold sink. The data were found to agree with predictions of microsphere performance in 1 g.

Spradley, I.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Microspheres

Vital information on a person's physical condition can be obtained by identifying and counting the population of T-cells and B-cells, lymphocytes of the same shape and size that help the immune system protect the body from the invasion of disease. The late Dr. Alan Rembaum developed a method for identifying the cells. The method involved tagging the T-cells and B-cells with microspheres of different fluorescent color. Microspheres, which have fluorescent dye embedded in them, are chemically treated so that they can link with antibodies. With the help of a complex antibody/antigen reaction, the microspheres bind themselves to specific 'targets,' in this case the T-cells or B-cells. Each group of cells can then be analyzed by a photoelectronic instrument at different wavelengths emitted by the fluorescent dyes. Same concept was applied to the separation of cancer cells from normal cells. Microspheres were also used to conduct many other research projects. Under a patent license Magsphere, Inc. is producing a wide spectrum of microspheres on a large scale and selling them worldwide for various applications.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS2002

Modeling the Formation of Polyimide Microspheres

High temperature polyimide microspheres have been developed from polyimide solid residuum by a simple inflation process. Microspheres have been fabricated from several polyimide precursors through the use of a circulating air oven. Microsphere formation and final physical property characterization have been limited to simple mechanical and thermal testing. The present paper focuses on developing an understanding of microsphere formation through simple geometric rules for an incompressible polymeric material and microscopic observations of precursor residuum inflation. Inflation kinematics of the hollow polyimide microspheres as a function of time and temperature is discussed.

Pipes, R. B.↗
NASA NTRS1979

Metal containing polymeric functional microspheres

Polymeric functional microspheres containing metal or metal compounds are formed by addition polymerization of a covalently bondable olefinic monomer such as hydroxyethylmethacrylate in the presence of finely divided metal or metal oxide particles, such as iron, gold, platinum or magnetite, which are embedded in the resulting microspheres. The microspheres can be covalently bonded to chemotherapeutic agents, antibodies, or other proteins providing a means for labeling or separating labeled cells. Labeled cells or microspheres can be concentrated at a specific body location such as in the vicinity of a malignant tumor by applying a magnetic field to the location and then introducing the magnetically attractable microspheres or cells into the circulatory system of the subject. Labeled cells can be separated from a cell mixture by applying a predetermined magnetic field to a tube in which the mixture is flowing. After collection of the labeled cells, the magnetic field is discontinued and the labeled sub-cell population recovered.

Yen, Shiao-Ping S.↗
NASA NTRS2011

Solvent/Non-Solvent Sintering To Make Microsphere Scaffolds

A solvent/non-solvent sintering technique has been devised for joining polymeric microspheres to make porous matrices for use as drug-delivery devices or scaffolds that could be seeded with cells for growing tissues. Unlike traditional sintering at elevated temperature and pressure, this technique is practiced at room temperature and pressure and, therefore, does not cause thermal degradation of any drug, protein, or other biochemical with which the microspheres might be loaded to impart properties desired in a specific application. Also, properties of scaffolds made by this technique are more reproducible than are properties of comparable scaffolds made by traditional sintering. The technique involves the use of two miscible organic liquids: one that is and one that is not a solvent for the affected polymer. The polymeric microspheres are placed in a mold having the size and shape of the desired scaffold, then the solvent/non-solvent mixture is poured into the mold to fill the void volume between the microspheres, then the liquid mixture is allowed to evaporate. Some of the properties of the resulting scaffold can be tailored through choice of the proportions of the liquids and the diameter of the microspheres.

Laurencin, Cato T.↗
NASA NTRS2016

Polarization Dependent Whispering Gallery Modes in Microspheres

A tunable resonant system is provided and includes a microsphere that receives an incident portion of a light beam generated via a light source, the light beam having a fundamental mode, a waveguide medium that transmits the light beam from the light source to the microsphere, and a polarizer disposed in a path of the waveguide between the light source and the microsphere. The incident portion of the light beam creates a fundamental resonance inside the microsphere. A change in a normalized frequency of the wavelength creates a secondary mode in the waveguide and the secondary mode creates a secondary resonance inside the microsphere.

Adamovsky, Grigory↗
NASA NTRS2021

Microsphere Plutonium-238 Oxide Fuel to Revolutionize New Radioisotope Power Systems and Heat Sources for Planetary Exploration

Microsphere 238PuO2 fuels have potential to provide performance and safety enhancements for future radioisotope heat and power systems (RPS) as well as enable more flexible and compact RPS designs. Improvements in RPS specific power and more flexible geometries were recently investigated by JPL and PNNL as part of a study on cryobot devices for exploring Ocean Worlds. Missions to penetrate ice and explore oceans, such as on Europa, will require RPS with high specific power within the vehicle to provide both heat and power. Such missions will be mass-constrained, and the energy required to penetrate the ice is highly dependent on cryobot size. Therefore, compact RPS geometries are needed to maximize heat and power while minimizing 238Pu inventory. Microsphere-based heat sources are an attractive way to obtain flexible geometries and high volumetric power loadings because they can fill a region of any size and shape provided fuel temperatures are kept below a threshold and launch/re-entry safety are not compromised. The sol-gel technique to produce 238PuO2 microsphere particles for heat sources has the benefit of preventing dust generation, as opposed to the current 238PuO2 powder/pellet processing method, reducing hazards in the fuel fabrication line. Microspheres can also be individually coated to enhance thermal conductivity, and/or reduce the likelihood of 238PuO2 fuel dispersal in an accident. Although PNNL has produced 238PuO2 microspheres using the sol-gel method, the application of coatings and their integrity over time has yet to be investigated. Continued R&D could demonstrate the feasibility of advanced, microspherebased heat sources and provide baseline data for planning future missions requiring new RPS with different heat source configurations.

Fleurial, Jean-Pierre↗
DOE OSTI2021

Key properties of mixed cerium and zirconium microspheres prepared by the internal gelation process with previously boiled HMTA and urea

The internal gelation process using previously boiled hexamethylenetetramine-urea was used in exploratory study to produce CeO 2 –ZrO 2 microspheres, which can serve as a simulant for ceramic transuranic fuel particles and as a viable three-way catalyst. The calcined CeO 2 and ZrO 2 microspheres with Barrett–Joyner–Halenda (BJH) pore size and volumes of 8–10 nm and 0.19–0.20 mL/g, respectively, had many more surface cracks than their relatively smooth CeO 2 –ZrO 2 counterparts even though the BJH pore sizes and volumes of mixed oxide spheres were lower at 3 nm and 0.11–0.12 mL/g, respectively. The Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) surface areas for the CeO 2 and ZrO 2 microspheres were 74 and 93 m2/g, respectively, and the BET surface areas for the mixed oxides were much greater at 155–158 m 2 /g, which should improve catalytic performance. Overall, the catalytic activity of each microsphere composition was confirmed through the oxidation of carbon monoxide.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2022

Synthesis of U 3 O 8 and UO 2 microspheres using microfluidics

Uranium-bearing microspheres below 50µm with a narrow size distribution allows for a wider variety of fuel forms. To accommodate the smaller size, gel microspheres with a composition of UO 3 ∙nH 2 O∙mNH 3 were synthesized using microfluidics and subsequently converted to U 3 O 8 and UO 2 . To accommodate the slower flow rates required by microfluidics, a more stable broth was established. Additionally, the gelation studies resulted in a broth that was stable for more than two days at 0°C and for close to 3 h at room temperature while still gelling within 25 s. Synthesis of gel microspheres with a narrow size distribution lasted for 5 h and produced ~0.5 g of air-dried material. The gelled microspheres were converted to U 3 O 8 and UO 2 and with sizes of 50 and 40 µm in diameter, respectively.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
NASA NTRS1999

Validation of fluorescent-labeled microspheres for measurement of relative blood flow in severely injured lungs

The aim of the study was to validate a nonradioactive method for relative blood flow measurements in severely injured lungs that avoids labor-intensive tissue processing. The use of fluorescent-labeled microspheres was compared with the standard radiolabeled-microsphere method. In seven sheep, lung injury was established by using oleic acid. Five pairs of radio- and fluorescent-labeled microspheres were injected before and after established lung injury. Across all animals, 175 pieces were selected randomly. The radioactivity of each piece was determined by using a scintillation counter. The fluorescent dye was extracted from each piece with a solvent without digestion or filtering. The fluorescence was determined with an automated fluorescent spectrophotometer. Perfusion was calculated for each piece from both the radioactivity and fluorescence and volume normalized. Correlations between flow determined by the two methods were in the range from 0.987 +/- 0.007 (SD) to 0.991 +/- 0.002 (SD) after 9 days of soaking. Thus the fluorescent microsphere technique is a valuable tool for investigating regional perfusion in severely injured lungs and can replace radioactivity.

Non-NASA Center↗
DOE OSTI2020

Frequency comb generation in WGM microsphere based generators for telecommunication applications

We review the frequency comb generation process, main microresonator parameters such as free spectral range (FSR) and Q-factor, previously used optical frequency comb (OFC) generator parameters and resulting frequency combs, as well as the implementation of OFC for optical data transmission. An optical frequency comb is produced in a setup based on a tapered fibre and a SiO{sub 2} microsphere. The generated frequency comb has a frequency spacing of 2 nm or 257 GHz. During the fabrication of a tapered fibre from SMF28, use is made of the transmission signal to control the taper pulling process. The final measured tapered fibre transmission is ∼96%. A microsphere whispering gallery-mode resonator (WGMR), exhibiting a Q-factor of at least 2 × 10{sup 7}, is fabricated from an optical fibre with a thicker core than SSMF. Moreover, for future experiments, a frequency comb generator based on a free-space setup consisting of lenses, a prism, and a microsphere is developed, and the Q-factor dependence on different distances between the prism and the microsphere is investigated. (optical components of fibre-optic communication lines)

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2024

Metallic Coating of Cerium Oxide Microspheres

The ability to remove heat is paramount to nuclear fuel performance and longevity. Retaining fission product and separating fuel from reactor coolant and the environment is also necessary to prevent radiological contamination. Conventional nuclear fuel for commercial light water reactors and radioisotope power systems (RPS) is composed of oxide powders pressed into a pellet (cm-scale) and then sealed into a metal cladding to confine the fuel. What typical fuels lack is a method to surround each particle of nuclear fuel in metal, thus providing a more intimate protection layer for accident tolerance and boosting the thermal extraction from the fuel element. In such a way, metal-coated fuel particles increase heat extraction efficiency over clad-pellet designs while increasing the accident tolerance of the fuel. Metal oxide microspheres have wide-ranging applications, including the realm of fuels for nuclear reactors and RPS. Microspheres of uranium oxide/uranium carbide, mixed uranium/plutonium oxides, transuranics, and thorium fuels have been extensively studied. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory has also demonstrated the production of 238 PuO 2 microspheres for RPS applications. Metal-coated oxide microsphere fuels may also be attractive for other applications such as nuclear thermal rockets, future nuclear reactor designs, and catalysts.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
NASA NTRS1976

Melanoidin and aldocyanoin microspheres - Implications for chemical evolution and early Precambrian micropaleontology

Two new classes of organic microspheres are described. One of them (melanoidin) is synthesized from amino acids and sugars in heated aqueous solutions. The other (aldocyanoin) is formed in aqueous solutions of ammonium cyanide and formaldehyde at room temperature. The general properties of these microspheres, including conditions of synthesis, size and shape, mechanical and pH stability, and solubility, are compared with corresponding properties of other protocell model systems. It is concluded that melanoidin and aldocyanoin microspheres are plausible candidates for precellular units in the primitive hydrosphere. Since the bulk of the organic carbon in early Precambrian sediments is insoluble kerogen-melanoidin, it is suggested that some Precambrian microfossils may be abiotic melanoidin microspheres.

Kenyon, D. H.↗
NASA NTRS1977

Properties and applications of a pitch carbon microsphere composite

Some properties and applications of a pitch carbon microsphere composite are described. The small hollow microspheres are made from the pitch which is usually a wasted by-product of petroleum refining. In contrast to high density composites or syntactic foams in which microspheres are inclusions within a continuous matrix, this composite is an aggregate of microspheres bonded together by a small amount of thermosetting polymer which does not form a continuous matrix. The result is a composite with low density and thermal expansion, modest strength and rigidity, and high porosity and carbon content. Mechanical, thermal, and sorption properties have been measured. Applications of the composite include honeycomb filler for high temperature or ionizing radiation fields and a wicking absorber for solar-powered stills.

Price, H. L.↗
NASA NTRS2000

Coupling Light from a High-Q Microsphere Resonator Using a UV-induced Surface Grating

High-Q microspheres with whispering-gallery modes have very narrow resonances that can be used for fiber-optic filters, ultra-compact narrow-linewidth lasers and optical/microwave oscillators. Whispering-gallery modes were previously excited in microspheres using evanescent optical fields. The necessary phase synchronism was obtained by adjusting the incident angle of input light beam (prism coupler) or adjustment of the waveguide propagation constant (fiber taper coupler). For many applications, however, bulky near-field couplers are undesirable. They compromise the symmetry and generate stray fields. Also, the control of coupling is crucial for the performance of microsphere resonators: in analogy with radio frequency circuits, the loading Q-factor should be less than the intrinsic Q-factor, Q(sub L) less than or equal to Q(sub O). Ideally one should combine a stable coupling element and a resonator into a single microsphere component.

Ilchenko, V. S.↗
NASA NTRS2006

Microspheres in Plasma Display Panels

Filling small bubbles of molten glass with gases is just as difficult as it sounds, but the technical staff at NASA is not known to shy away from a difficult task. When Microsphere Systems, Inc. (MSI), of Ypsilanti, Michigan, and Imaging Systems Technology, Inc. (IST), of Toledo, Ohio, were trying to push the limits of plasma displays but were having difficulty with the designs, NASA s Glenn Garrett Morgan Commercialization Initiative (GMCI) assembled key personnel at Glenn Research Center and Ohio State University for a brainstorming session to come up with a solution for the companies. They needed a system that could produce hollow, glass micro-sized spheres (microspheres) that could be filled with a variety of gasses. But the extremely high temperature required to force the micro-sized glass bubbles to form at the tip of a metal nozzle resulted in severe discoloration of the microspheres. After countless experiments on various glass-metal combinations, they had turned to the GMCI for help. NASA experts in advanced metals, ceramics, and glass concluded that a new design approach was necessary. The team determined that what was needed was a phosphate glass composition that would remain transparent, and they went to work on a solution. Six weeks later, using the design tips from the NASA team, Tim Henderson, president of MSI, had designed a new system in which all surfaces in contact with the molten glass would be ceramic instead of metal. Meanwhile, IST was able to complete a Phase I Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and supply a potential customer with samples of the microspheres for evaluation as filler materials for high-performance insulations.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS2002

Coupling system to a microsphere cavity

A system of coupling optical energy in a waveguide mode, into a resonator that operates in a whispering gallery mode. A first part of the operation uses a fiber in its waveguide mode to couple information into a resonator e.g. a microsphere. The fiber is cleaved at an angle .PHI. which causes total internal reflection within the fiber. The energy in the fiber then forms an evanescent field and a microsphere is placed in the area of the evanescent field. If the microsphere resonance is resonant with energy in the fiber, then the information in the fiber is effectively transferred to the microsphere.

Iltchenko, Vladimir↗