NASA SBIR 2009 Solicitation

SMALL BUSINESS CONCERN (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip, Phone)
Advanced Materials Technology, Inc.
9324 Mandrake Court
Tampa, FL 33647 - 3289
(813) 994-6360

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR/PROJECT MANAGER (Name, E-mail, Mail Address, City/State/Zip, Phone)
Akbar Ghaneh-Fard
advancedmaterialstech@gmail.com
9324 Mandrake Court
Tampa, FL 33647 - 3289
(813) 994-6360

Estimated Technology Readiness Level (TRL) at beginning and end of contract:
Begin: 4
End: 7

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (Limit 2000 characters, approximately 200 words)
Advanced Materials Technology, Inc (AMTI) responds to the NASA SBIR solicitation X8 "Space Cryogenic Systems" under subtopic X8.01, "Cryogenic Fluid Transfer and Handling". The proposed Phase II SBIR program is aimed at developing new cryogenic insulations for passive thermal control, resulting in zero boil-off storage of cryogens. The passive thermal control will serve to limit the heat leak into the cryogenic storage system. The proposed technology is expected to increase reliability, increase cryogenic system performance, and is capable of being made flight qualified for the flight systems and to meet Exploration Systems mission requirements. We will continue to use the technical approaches that have shown tremendous potential during the successful Phase I effort. Our key approach will be based on the development, fabrication, and characterization of organic-inorganic hybrid nanocomposite microfoams. In the Phase I program, we successfully demonstrated the feasibility of fabrication of these new foams with significantly improved morphology and thermo-mechanical properties. The proposed approach will utilize environmentally friendly blowing agents. The closed cell structure of these novel foams will prevent the occurrence of cryopumping. The proposed effort will further enhance and optimize the novel microfoams, scale up the optimized materials, and culminate in the fabrication of prototype materials to demonstrate the readiness and maturity of our techniques.

POTENTIAL NASA COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS (Limit 1500 characters, approximately 150 words)
The ability of the proposed hybrid microfoams to remain flexible and resilient at cryogenic temperatures makes them an ideal choice for lightweight insulation in space applications. Some examples of NASA applications include cryogenic insulation of storage tanks, vessels, pumps, and transfer lines on major rocket propulsion systems. Our materials will provide NASA with robust cryogenic solutions and, therefore, will significantly decrease space mission failures.

POTENTIAL NON-NASA COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS (Limit 1500 characters, approximately 150 words)
The innovative technology proposed in this program will provide excellent thermal and electrical insulation capabilities. The technology is ideal for numerous applications. For instance, it can be used in military or commercial aircraft, and in the hulls of ships. In addition, these novel microfoams can be used as laminates for circuit boards or in other electronics. In automobiles, the foam can be used for the firewall behind the engine or in brake pads, trim, molded plastic parts, and other care elements. They also can be used in a variety of construction applications or in recreational equipment. Other attributes of these materials are their excellent chemical resistance, low outgassing, superior radiation resistance, and excellent wear performance. In addition, the novel cellular material is an ideal core material for composite structures in aircraft industry such as luggage bins, galleys and lower wall panels. We anticipate that parts made from these materials will be excellent replacements for metals, ceramics, and other engineering polymers.

TECHNOLOGY TAXONOMY MAPPING (NASA's technology taxonomy has been developed by the SBIR-STTR program to disseminate awareness of proposed and awarded R/R&D in the agency. It is a listing of over 100 technologies, sorted into broad categories, of interest to NASA.)

Composites Fluid Storage and Handling Organics/Bio-Materials Propellant Storage Thermal Insulating Materials