US – Page 72 – TechConnect Briefs

Designing Ultrathin Film Composite Membranes: Importance of a Gutter Layer

Ponnuru K., Kattula M., Karampelas I., Wang T., Zhu L., Jia W., Lin H., Furlani E.P., SUNY-Buffalo, US

Membrane technology has been widely adopted for water purification and gas separation. Industrial membranes are often thin film composites comprised of a thin, dense skin layer (100 nm or below) performing molecular separation and a [...]

Measurement of O-phthallaldehyde (OPA) by High Pressure Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) with Post Column Derivatization

Watkins A.E., Butler T., Dees D., NASA - Stennis Space Center, US

O-phthaldehyde (OPA) is commonly used as a disinfectant that demonstrates microbicidal activity against a range of microorganisms. The Internal Active Thermal Control System (IATCS) is a water based system that helps facilitate heat transfer aboard [...]

Carbon Nanotube Immobilized Membranes for Next Generation Desalination

Roy S., Bhadra M., Mitra S., New Jersey Institute of Technology, US

The objective of this project is to utilize carbon nanotubes (CNTs) to create breakthrough membrane properties for the generation of pure water via membrane distillation (MD). This fundamentally new approach will reduce the cost and [...]

Conical, Floating Piston Isolation Valve

Farner B.R., NASA - Stennis Space Center, US

This valve consists of a hollow, moveable floating piston pressed against a stationary solid seat, and can use the working fluid or an external pressure source to seal the valve. This open/closed valve has a [...]

Thin-shell Concrete Structures for Low Embodied and Operating Energy and Durability

Leighty B., Alaska Applied Sciences, Inc., US

Thin-shell concrete structures offer: 1. Low construction and life-cycle cost 2. Low embodied and operating energy 3. Durability 4. Earth-sheltering compatibility 5. Seismic, storm, and flood endurance 6. Minimum materials volume 7. Rapid shell construction [...]

Intelligent Energy Management and Power Distribution Panel

Chen H., Duli Technology LLC, US

Current solar photovoltaic (PV) systems for residential homes have several drawbacks. Grid tied PV systems with energy storage are very expensive, whereas grid tied PV systems without energy storage may cause unstable and unpredictable power [...]

A Self-Sufficient Weather Sensor Network for Microgrid Stabilization

Luong K., Chong C., Dorman Z., Hara S., Luong K., Obatake C., Pham A., Walser R., Kuh A., Renewable Island Energy Sustainability, US

To get environmental data we have created a self-sufficient environmental weather sensor network consisting of sensor network nodes that each get environmental data.. Powered by a 15,600 mAh lithium ion battery pack, a 3.7W solar [...]

Potential of Water‐Responsive Materials to Harvest Energy from Evaporation

Cavusoglu A.‐H., Chen X., Sahin O., Columbia University, US

Water-responsive materials swell and shrink in response to changes in relative humidity (RH) and can be potentially used to harvest energy from evaporating water. Here, we investigated the potential of harvesting energy from naturally evaporating [...]

Light Trapping in Solar Cells Using Nanostructured Reflectors: A Responsivity-Based Model Applied to Waveguide Mode Matching

Shahriad T., Shepard S.R., Louisiana Tech University, US

Although theoretically predicted that periodic photonic nanostructures can outperform the pseudo random structures in light trapping in solar cells, still the disputation regarding this topic is at the top. To enlighten the world about the [...]

Novel Applications for Flexible CIGS-based Photovoltaics for Solar Power Generation, Management and Storage

Armstrong J.H., Retureta S.P., Lee I., Ascent Solar Technologies, Inc., US

Converting solar energy into electrical power has been an attractive alternative to fossil fuels for many years, and with the advent of lightweight, flexible, efficient photovoltaic (PV) blankets, many applications have been envisioned where off-grid [...]