Los Alamos National Security, LLC

Triad National Security, LLC

Igor Olegovich Usov

Paul N Arendt

Yuntian Theodore Zhu

Liliana Stan

Quanxi Jia

Stephen R Foltyn

Haiyan Wang

Milan Sykora

Raymond F DePaula

Xiefei Zhang

Brian M Patterson

Miles Frank Beaux, Ii

Ramond F DePaula

Air-buoyant structures, and vehicles incorporating air-buoyant structures, are provided. Hollow, air-buoyant structures may include a shell of ultra-low density aerogel material, foam material, or vapor-expanded material that is strong and stiff enough to withstand atmospheric pressure and lightweight enough to achieve buoyancy in air under evacuation. The shell may be reinforced with a suitable reinforcing material, such as helical nanofibers. The air-buoyant structures may also include vacuum pumps and valves operably connected to or integrated with the hollow shell. The vacuum pumps and valves may be configured to pump air out of the hollow shell and allow air back into the hollow shell to control buoyancy.

Air-buoyant structures and vehicles

Photodiodes and nuclear batteries may utilize actinide oxides, such a uranium oxide. An actinide oxide photodiode may include a first actinide oxide layer and a second actinide oxide layer deposited on the first actinide oxide layer. The first actinide oxide layer may be n-doped or p-doped. The second actinide oxide layer may be p-doped when the first actinide oxide layer is n-doped, and the second actinide oxide layer may be n-doped when the first actinide oxide layer is p-doped. The first actinide oxide layer and the second actinide oxide layer may form a p/n junction therebetween. Photodiodes including actinide oxides are better light absorbers, can be used in thinner films, and are more thermally stable than silicon, germanium, and gallium arsenide.

Actinide oxide photodiode and nuclear battery

A spun fiber of carbon nanotubes is exposed to ion irradiation. The irradiation exposure increases the specific strength of the spun fiber.

Increasing the specific strength of spun carbon nanotube fibers

An array of carbon nanotubes is prepared by exposing a catalyst structure to a carbon nanotube precursor. Embodiment catalyst structures include one or more trenches, channels, or a combination of trenches and channels. A system for preparing the array includes a heated surface for heating the catalyst structure and a cooling portion that cools gas above the catalyst structure. The system heats the catalyst structure so that the interaction between the precursor and the catalyst structure results in the formation of an array of carbon nanotubes on the catalyst structure, and cools the gas near the catalyst structure and also cools any carbon nanotubes that form on the catalyst structure to prevent or at least minimize the formation of amorphous carbon. Arrays thus formed may be used for spinning fibers of carbon nanotubes.

Preparation of array of long carbon nanotubes and fibers therefrom

The present invention relates to a thin film structure based on an epitaxial (111)-oriented rare earth-Group IVB oxide on the cubic (001) MgO terminated surface and the ion-beam-assisted deposition ('IBAD') techniques that are amendable to be over coated by semiconductors with hexagonal crystal structures. The IBAD magnesium oxide ('MgO') technology, in conjunction with certain template materials, is used to fabricate the desired thin film array. Similarly, IBAD MgO with appropriate template layers can be used for semiconductors with cubic type crystal structures.

Wide band gap semiconductor templates

Articles are provided including a base substrate having a layer of an IBAD oriented material thereon, and, a layer of barium-containing material selected from the group consisting of barium zirconate, barium hafnate, barium titanate, barium strontium titanate, barium dysprosium zirconate, barium neodymium zirconate and barium samarium zirconate, or a cubic metal oxide material selected from the group consisting of rare earth zirconates and rare earth hafnates upon the layer of an IBAD oriented material. Such articles can further include thin films of high temperature superconductive oxides such as YBCO upon the layer of barium-containing material selected from the group consisting of barium zirconate, barium hafnate, barium titanate, barium strontium titanate, barium dysprosium zirconate, barium neodymium zirconate and barium samarium zirconate, or a cubic metal oxide material selected from the group consisting of rare earth zirconates and rare earth hafnates.

Coated conductors

A method that combines alternate low/medium ion dose implantation with rapid thermal annealing at relatively low temperatures. At least one dopant is implanted in one of a single crystal and an epitaxial film of the wide band gap compound by a plurality of implantation cycles. The number of implantation cycles is sufficient to implant a predetermined concentration of the dopant in one of the single crystal and the epitaxial film. Each of the implantation cycles includes the steps of: implanting a portion of the predetermined concentration of the one dopant in one of the single crystal and the epitaxial film; annealing one of the single crystal and the epitaxial film and implanted portion at a predetermined temperature for a predetermined time to repair damage to one of the single crystal and the epitaxial film caused by implantation and activates the implanted dopant; and cooling the annealed single crystal and implanted portion to a temperature of less than about 100&#xb0; C. This combination produces high concentrations of dopants, while minimizing the defect concentration.

Growing community of inventors

Los Alamos, NM, United States of America

Igor Olegovich Usov