The United States of America As Represented by the United States

Ut-battelle, Inc.

Agiltron Corporation

Sarcon Microsystems, Inc.

Pellissippi International

Scott Robert Hunter

Loucas G Christophorou

John T Simpson

Gregory Simelgor

Ilia N Ivanov

Panagiotis George Datskos

George S Hurst

Harvel A Wright

Shankar Radhakrishnan

Dennis L McCorkle

James G Carter

Steve R McNeany

Robert N Hamm

Thomas V Dinsmore

James E Turner

Disclosed are examples of apparatuses for evaporative purification of a contaminated liquid. In each example, there is a vessel for storing the contaminated fluid. The vessel includes a surface coated with a layer of superhydrophobic material and the surface is at least partially in contact with the contaminated liquid. The contaminants do not adhere to the surface as the purified liquid evaporates, thus allowing the contaminants to be harvested.

Harvesting contaminants from liquid

Superhydrophobic paints and epoxies comprising superoleophilic particles and surfaces and methods of making the same are described. The superoleophilic particles can include porous particles having a hydrophobic coating layer deposited thereon. superoleophilic particles.

Method of making superhydrophobic/superoleophilic paints, epoxies, and composites

Disclosed are examples of apparatuses for evaporative purification of a contaminated liquid. In each example, there is a first vessel for storing the contaminated fluid. The first vessel includes a surface coated with a layer of superhydrophobic material and the surface is at least partially in contact with the contaminated liquid. The contaminants do not adhere to the surface as the purified liquid evaporates, thus simplifying maintenance of the apparatus.

Superhydrophobic coated apparatus for liquid purification by evaporative condensation

A pyroelectric thermal energy harvesting apparatus for generating an electric current includes a cantilevered layered pyroelectric capacitor extending between a first surface and a second surface, where the first surface includes a temperature difference from the second surface. The layered pyroelectric capacitor includes a conductive, bimetal top electrode layer, an intermediate pyroelectric dielectric layer and a conductive bottom electrode layer. In addition, a pair of proof masses is affixed at a distal end of the layered pyroelectric capacitor to face the first surface and the second surface, wherein the proof masses oscillate between the first surface and the second surface such that a pyroelectric current is generated in the pyroelectric capacitor due to temperature cycling when the proof masses alternately contact the first surface and the second surface.

MEMS based pyroelectric thermal energy harvester

A waveband imager includes an imaging pixel that utilizes photon tunneling with a thermally actuated bimorph structure to convert infrared radiation to visible radiation. Infrared radiation passes through a transparent substrate and is absorbed by a bimorph structure formed with a pixel plate. The absorption generates heat which deflects the bimorph structure and pixel plate towards the substrate and into an evanescent electric field generated by light propagating through the substrate. Penetration of the bimorph structure and pixel plate into the evanescent electric field allows a portion of the visible wavelengths propagating through the substrate to tunnel through the substrate, bimorph structure, and/or pixel plate as visible radiation that is proportional to the intensity of the incident infrared radiation. This converted visible radiation may be superimposed over visible wavelengths passed through the imaging pixel.

Variable waveband infrared imager

An electromagnetic radiation sensor that exhibits improved performance by virtue of an ability to tune its sensitivity is disclosed. The electromagnetic radiation sensor incorporates thermal actuators that act in opposition to one another, but which have a slight difference in responsivity. A temperature controller is used to tune the sensitivity of the electromagnetic radiation sensor by controlling the temperature of the substrate on which the sensor is formed.

Tunable microcantilever infrared sensor

A radiation sensor array that exhibits improved fill factor is disclosed. The radiation sensor array incorporates sensors having support arms that are nested in vertical fashion with the support arms of neighboring sensors. This vertically-nested structure enables the radiation-sensing portions of the sensors to be more closely-packed.

Microcantilever infrared sensor array

An optical switching device routes optical signals, completely within optical media, from an arbitrary number of N input optical fibers to a different set of M output optical fibers. The switching device uses a thermal microcantilever bimorph optical switch to redirect optical radiation emitted by a laser light source, or from the end of an optical fiber, to an input end of another optical fiber. The modulated optical radiation containing signals from the input fiber optic bundle or laser light source is collimated into parallel beams and projected in free space across the tops of an array of the microcantilever bimorph optical switches. When selected, a particular switch is activated, pops up, intercepts, and reflects the optical radiation down into a cavity and then into a short section of parallel waveguide. The radiation is directed into a transverse waveguide and then to an output optical coupler. This radiation is then coupled into the selected output optical fiber.

Optical switching system

An improvement to the gas mixture used in diffuse glow discharge closing switches is disclosed which includes binary and ternary gas mixtures which are formulated to exhibit decreasing electron attachment with increasing temperature. This increases the efficiency of the conductance of the glow discharge and further inhibits the formation of an arc.

Binary and ternary gas mixtures with temperature enhanced diffuse glow

An optical ionizing radiation detector system (10) for determining the three-dimensional spatial distribution of all of the secondary electrons produced by the passage of ionizing radiation through a selected gas is provided. The detector system (10) can be used over a wide range of particle energies and gas pressures. The ionizing radiation passing through the gas produces prompt fluorescence and secondary electrons. A coincidence detector (30) recognizes coincident events of prompt fluorescence in the gas contained within that chamber to initialize the system cycle. At that time, an AC electric field is generated by an R.F. pulse generator (40) to localize the secondary electrons proximate their respective positions of production. Cameras (42) and 42'), preferably of a digital type, produce an image of the localized electrons to determine their three-dimensional spatial positions. After such positions are determined, a unidirectional electric field is generated by clearing power supply (36) for clearing all charges from the gas chamber.

Ionizing radiation detector system

Highly efficient binary and ternary gas mixtures for use in diffuse glow discharge closing switches are disclosed. The binary mixtures are combinations of helium or neon and selected perfluorides. The ternary mixtures are combinations of helium, neon, or argon, a selected perfluoride, and a small amount of gas that exhibits enhanced ionization characteristics. These mixtures are shown to be the optimum choices for use in diffuse glow discharge closing switches by virtue of the combined physio-electric properties of the mixture components.

Binary and ternary gas mixtures for use in glow discharge closing

Gas mixtures for use in spark gap closing switches comprised of fluorocarbons and low molecular weight, inert buffer gases. To this can be added a third gas having a low ionization potential relative to the buffer gas. The gas mixtures presented possess properties that optimized the efficiency spark gap closing switches.

Gas mixtures for spark gap closing switches

A new diffuse discharge gas switch wherein a mixture of gases is used to take advantage of desirable properties of the respective gases. There is a conducting gas, an insulating gas, and a third gas that has low ionization energy resulting in a net increase in the number of electrons available to produce a current.

Ternary gas mixture for diffuse discharge switch

The invention is a gas mixture for a diffuse discharge switch which is capable of changing from a conducting state to an insulating state in the presence of electrons upon the introduction of laser light. The mixture is composed of a buffer gas such as nitrogen or argon and an electron attaching gas such as C.sub.6 H.sub.5 SH, C.sub.6 H.sub.5 SCH.sub.3, CH.sub.3 CHO and CF.sub.3 CHO wherein the electron attachment is brought on by indirect excitation of molecules to long-lived states by exposure to laser light.

Laser activated diffuse discharge switch

Gaseous medium in a diffuse-discharge switch of a high-energy pulse generator is formed of argon combined with a compound selected from the group consisting of CF.sub.4, C.sub.2 F.sub.6, C.sub.3 F.sub.8, n-C.sub.4 F.sub.10, WF.sub.6, (CF.sub.3).sub.2 S and (CF.sub.3).sub.2 O.

Growing community of inventors

Oak Ridge, TN, United States of America

Scott Robert Hunter