US – Page 227 – TechConnect Briefs

Super-hydrophobic and/or Super-hydrophilic Surfaces Made by Plasma Process

Chen L., Henein G., Liddle J.A., National Institute of Standards and Technology, US

Superhydrophobic and superhydrophilic surfaces are generally made by modifying the surface with chemistry and introducing roughness or patterns on surfaces. The processes are generally complex and time-consuming. In this paper, we introduce a simple and [...]

PVDF based polymer nanocomposite coatings for large area applications

Tiwari M.K., Bayer I.S., Megaridis C.M., University of Illinois at Chicago, US

A class of polymer nanocomposites consisting of all biocompatible components has been developed for large area coating applications. The coatings are made possible by solution blending of poly (vinylidine fluoride) (PVDF) with polymerized ethyl cyanoacrylate. [...]

Hierarchical Superhydrophobic Surfaces Resist Water Droplet Impact

Varanasi K.K., Deng T., Hsu M., Bhate N., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, US

In this paper, we present static and dynamic wetting interactions of water droplets on a variety of superhydrophobic surfaces. For sessile droplets, wetting states were determined by measuring contact angles and comparing them to that [...]

Nanostructured and Self-Assembled Superhydrophilic Bipolar Plate Coatings for Fuel Cell Water Management

Dadheech G., Abd Elhamid M., Blunk R., General Motors Corporation, US

A stably superhydrophilic coating is required on composite and metal bipolar plates to manage byproduct liquid water and, in turn, to enable good PEM fuel cell performace under low power vehicle operating conditions. Silica-based coatings, [...]

Effects of Surface Texture and Chemistry on Surface Hydrophobicity and Oleophobicity

Law K-Y, Zhao H., Sambhy V., Xerox Corporation, US

The effects of surface texture and chemical modification on the hydrophobicity and oleophobicity of the resulting surfaces have been systematically investigated. The surface textures were created by the conventional photolithographic technique on Silicon wafer. This [...]

A Solar-Driven System for Industrial Dehumidification and Steam Generation

Maxwell J., D’Antonio M., Henkel E.T., Rigos V., May K., Creamer K., ERS, US

This paper introduces a solar thermal system that can be used for industrial applications to generate low pressure steam, to drive an absorption chiller, or both. Steinway & Sons is installing thirty-eight tracking parabolic trough [...]

Johnson Space Center’s Solar and Wind-based Renewable Energy System

Vasquez A., Ewert M., Rowlands J., Post K., NASA Johnson Space Center, US

This paper will present performance data and comparisons from a 32 kW solar and wind based renewable enery system installed at the NASA Johnson Space Center. The system provides a web-based performance and weather data [...]

Parallel Integrated Solar Cell Circuits for Split Solar Spectrum Light Source

Li Y., Shi F., Texas A&M University, US

Among the various solar energy application technologies, the photovoltaic technology is, in particular, the most desirable technology for large-scale applications due to the fact that the solar energy in optical form is directly transformed into [...]

Hydrogen-Steel Compatibility Research at NIST-Boulder

Siewert T.A., Slifka A.J., McColskey J.D., Lasseigne A.N., Nanninga N.E., Levi Y., NIST, US

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is establishing a new national test facility in Boulder, Colorado to evaluate the mechanical properties of materials proposed to store, transport, and distribute hydrogen fuels. Many of [...]

Silica Nanosprings – A Novel Nanostructured Material for Hydrogen Storage

Norton M.G., McIlroy D.N., Corti G., Miller M.A., Washington State University, US

Hydrogen storage for transportation applications remains a challenge. Current approaches are still short of published goals, in particular in being able to operate at acceptable temperatures. Physisorption, or non-dissociative approaches, where the hydrogen is stored [...]