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At least 145 records · Page 8

Alumina Encapsulated Strain Gage Not Mechanically Attached To The Substrate, Used to Temperature Compensate an Active High Temperature Gage In A Half-Bridge Configuration

A temperature compensation element for a high-temperature strain gage and the method of fabricating the same. Preferably, the element is a "dummy" strain gage not mechanically attached to the substrate. The element is encapsulated in an insulative material and used to compensate an active high-temperature strain gage and wired in a half-bridge configuration. The temperature compensation element and high-temperature strain gage are fabricated using the method of the present invention. This method includes temporarily adhering the element to a heat sink, encapsulated in an insulative material and then removed from the heat sink. Next, the element is either stacked or placed near the active gage. Ideally, the element and the active gage have substantially similar heat transfer and electrical properties.

Anthony Piazza

Microbial characterization of the Mars Odyssey spacecraft and its encapsulation facility

Microbial characterization of the Mars Odyssey spacecraft and the Kennedy Space Center Spacecraft Assembly and Encapsulation Facility II (SAEF-II) was carried out by both culture-based and molecular methods. The most dominant cultivable microbes were species of Bacillus, with comamonads, microbacteria and actinomycetales also represented. Several spore-forming isolates were resistant to gamma-radiation, UV, H2O2 and desiccation, and one Acinetobacter radioresistens isolate and several Aureobasidium, isolated directly from the spacecraft, survived various conditions. Sequences arising in clone libraries were fairly consistent between the spacecraft and facility; predominant genera included Variovorax, Ralstonia and Aquaspirillum. This study improves our understanding of the microbial community structure, diversity and survival capabilities of microbes in an encapsulation facility and physically associated with colocated spacecraft.

Spacecraft

Possible prebiotic significance of polyamines in the condensation, protection, encapsulation, and biological properties of DNA

Some properties of DNA condensed with spermidine have been compared with the properties of DNA condensed with Co3+(NH3)6 to determine whether condensation of DNA with these trivalent cations protects DNA against the action of DNase I and increases transcription and encapsulation of DNA into liposomes. It was shown that DNA condensed with Co3+(NH3)6 was resistant to the action of the endonuclease DNase I such as DNA condensed with spermidine was. However, DNA condensed with Co3+(NH3)6 was significantly less active in transcription with the E. coli RNA polymerase than DNA-spermidine condensed forms. In addition, it was demonstrated that both compacted forms of DNA were more efficiently encapsulated into neutral liposomes; however, negatively, charged liposomes were scarcely formed in the presence of DNA condensed with Co3+(NH3)6. These experiments and the well documented properties of polyamines increasing the resistance to radiations and hydrolysis of nucleic acids, as well as their biological activities, such as replication, transcription, and translation, together with the low concentration of Co3+ in the environment, lead us to propose spermidine as a plausible prebiotic DNA condensing agent rather than Co3+ and the basic proteins proposed by other authors. Then, we consider the possible role and relevance of the polyamine-nucleic acids complexes in the evolution of life.

NASA Discipline Exobiology

Assessment of Composite Delamination Self-Healing Via Micro-Encapsulation

Composite skin/stringer flange debond specimens manufactured from composite prepreg containing interleaf layers with a polymer based healing agent encapsulated in thin walled spheres were tested. As a crack develops and grows in the base polymer, the spheres fracture releasing the healing agent. The agent reacts with catalyst and polymerizes healing the crack. In addition, through-thickness reinforcement, in the form of pultruded carbon z-pins were included near the flange tips to improve the resistance to debonding. Specimens were manufactured with 14 plies in the skin and 10 plies in the stiffener flange. Three-point bend tests were performed to measure the skin/stiffener debonding strength and the recovered strength after healing. The first three tests performed indicated no healing following unloading and reloading. Micrographs showed that delaminations could migrate to the top of the interleaf layer due to the asymmetric loading, and hence, bypass most of the embedded capsules. For two subsequent tests, specimens were clamped in reverse bending before reloading. In one case, healing was observed as evidenced by healing agent that leaked to the specimen edge forming a visible "scar". The residual strength measured upon reloading was 96% of the original strength indicating healing had occurred. Hence, self-healing is possible in fiber reinforced composite material under controlled conditions, i.e., given enough time and contact with pressure on the crack surfaces. The micro-encapsulation technique may prove more robust when capsule sizes can be produced that are small enough to be embedded in the matrix resin without the need for using an interleaf layer. However, in either configuration, the amount of healing that can occur may be limited to the volume of healing agent available relative to the crack volume that must be filled.

O'Brien, T. Kevin

Characterization of Encapsulated Corrosion Inhibitors for Environmentally Friendly Smart Coatings

Research efforts are under way to replace current corrosion inhibitors with more environmentally friendly alternatives. However, problems with corrosion inhibition efficiency, coating compatibility and solubility have hindered the use of many of these materials as simple pigment additives.This paper will present technical details on how the Corrosion Technology Lab at NASAs Kennedy Space Center (KSC) has addressed these issues by encapsulating environmentally friendly inhibitors into organic and inorganic microparticles and microcapsules. The synthetic process for polymer particles was characterized and post-synthesis analysis was performed to determine the interactions between the inhibitors and the encapsulation material. The pH-controlled release of inhibitors from various particle formulations in aqueous base was monitored and compared to both electrochemical and salt immersion accelerated corrosion experiment. Furthermore, synergistic corrosion inhibition effects observed during the corrosion testing of several inhibitor combinations will be presented.

Environmentally Friendly

FTIR analysis of unaged encapsulants

Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FITR) analysis (in ATR mode) of unaged encapsulants (EVA, POE, EPE) from a commercial source.

characterization

Plastic Encapsulated Microcircuits (PEMs) Reliability Guide

It is reported by some users and has been demonstrated by others via testing and qualification that the quality and reliability of plastic-encapsulated microcircuits (PEMs) manufactured today are excellent in commercial applications and closely equivalent, and in some cases superior to their hemetic counterparts.

plastic encapsulated microcircuits reliability gui

Oxygen Distribution and Segregation at Grain Boundaries in Nb and Ta-Encapsulated Nb Thin Films for Superconducting Qubits

We report on atomic-scale analyses of oxygen distribution and segregation at grain boundaries (GBs) of Nb and Ta-encapsulated Nb (Ta/Nb) thin films for superconducting qubits using atom probe tomography (APT) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). We observe oxygen segregation at grain boundaries (GBs) relative to the oxygen concentration within the grains for both Nb and Ta-capped Nb thin films and find that a higher oxygen concentration in the interior of Nb grains leads to greater oxygen segregation levels at GBs. This finding reveals that the formation of a local equilibrium of oxygen concentration between GBs and grain interiors of Nb is the primary driving force of the oxygen segregation behaviors in Nb and Ta-capped Nb. The enrichment factors (CGB/Cgrain) for oxygen segregation at GBs in Nb and Ta-capped Nb range from 2.4 ± 0.3 to 2.7 ± 0.4. The current results also highlight that controlling oxygen impurities in Nb during film deposition and fabrication processing is important to concomitantly reducing the level of oxygen segregation at GBs in Nb. Finally, we find that increases in the oxygen concentration in both Nb grains and GBs correlate with a suppression in the critical temperature for superconductivity (Tc). Together, our comparative chemical and charge transport property analyses provide atomic-scale insights into a potential mechanism, contributing to the decoherence in superconducting qubits.

Lee, Jaeyel [Fermilab] (ORCID:0000000185429612)

Tuning the free energy of host–guest encapsulation by cosolvent

Experimental and theoretical study of [Ga 4 L 6 ] 12− and [In 4 L 6 ] 12− investigating guest encapsulation. Our study reveals that solvent composition, crucially affects entropy and guest binding, opening the door for tuning host–guest interactions.

Nolten, Melinda [Department of Physical Chemistry

Terahertz magneto-nanoscopy of encapsulated monolayer graphene

This study investigates the nanoscale conductivity of encapsulated monolayer graphene at temperatures down to 5 K and magnetic fields of up to 1 T. We use the scattering-type scanning near-field optical microscopy technique to probe magnetic-field-dependent responses from graphene close to charge neutrality in the terahertz spectral region. We observe the near-perfect high-q reflector behavior of graphene but with subtle changes by the presence of magnetic fields. Measurements align with calculations of the magneto-optical conductivity and the near-field spectroscopic contrast that describes the field-tunable cyclotron resonance of Dirac fermions. Our result provides an initial step toward understanding temperature and magnetic field effects on nanoscale terahertz transport in two-dimensional quantum materials.

Kim, Richard H. J. [Ames Laboratory (AMES), Ames,

TDI-Free Polyurethane Encapsulants: Alternatives to EN-7/EN-8

This report documents a cross-site effort to identify and evaluate materials that are suitable replacements for the polyurethanes known as EN-7 and EN-8. EN-7 and EN-8 are commercial formulations that contain free toluene diisocyanate (TDI) and which are used as adhesives and as encapsulants in many weapon applications. TDI is an OSHA-regulated volatile diisocyanate and has been targeted for elimination from future weapons use, prompting the need for a TDI-free replacement material.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE