Demodulation, Inc.

Alfred University

Borgwarner Inc.

William C LaCourse

Howard Horst Liebermann

James E O'Keefe, Jr

Alexis G Clare

Wesley A King

Steve T Lin

Alan H Goldstein

Terence J Clark

Maysood Akhtar

Thirukumar Vethanyagam

A metallic glass-coated microwire has controllable surface porosity. The porosity is achieved by etching the metallic glass-coated microwire or other shapes of glass-coated bodies with acid after annealing to produce a multi-phase glass coating. Porous metallic glass-coated microwires are found to make superior PCR machines, which find use in a variety of in vivo, biochemical, and chemical sensors. Advantageously, the PCR apparatus is smaller, less expensive to construct than conventional units. It readily carries out in vivo passive or active operations.

Polymerase chain reaction using metallic glass-coated microwire

A metallic glass-coated wire is formed by drawing a hollow glass fiber from a container in which molten alloy is entrained and solidified. Interference stresses extant between the glass coating and the alloy core of the wire are produced by systematically controlling thickness and mechanical elastic properties of the glass. The interference stress is tailored by selection of glass thickness and chemistry to optimize wire drawing process conditions, such as drawing temperature and strain rate. In addition, the interference stress is especially tailored to assure physical integrity of the glass-alloy composite wire product. Local property variations along the wire length are minimized, facilitating production of discrete wire segments especially suited for use in EAS applications.

Engineered glasses for metallic glass-coated wire

A glass-coated amorphous metallic microwire is encoded with multi-bit digital information. Encoding is achieved magnetically, optically or through a combination of magnetic and optical encoding processes. Magnetic encoding is carried out by modifying the constituent magnetic domain structure through selective relief of interfacial stress between the glass coating and the amorphous metallic alloy core. It is also achieved by selective surface crystallization of the amorphous metallic core in order to produce a controlled magnetic bias field. Optical encoding is associated with the glass coating. It is readily achieved by fluorescent element deposition, patterned removal of fluorescent element coating, Bragg grating, and thermally activated pattern deposition. The magnetic and optical multi-bit encoding approaches for glass-coated amorphous metallic microwire can be used individually or collectively in either a redundant or a complementary manner. Encoded microwire of the instant invention can be assembled into tags for electronic article surveillance and into numerous other structures as well.

Multi-bit encoded glass-coated microwire and articles composed thereof

A drawn glass-coated metallic member has a thermal contraction coefficient differential such that the thermal contraction coefficient of the glass is less than that of the metallic member. The thermal contraction coefficient differential is maintained within a predetermined range during drawing. Drawn glass is placed under residual compression, interfacial bonding between said glass and said wire is substantially uniform, and surface cracking and bond breaks between metal and glass are substantially prevented. Optical properties of the glass coated microwire provide a basis for enabling multi-bit encoding capability. Advantageously data encoding is achieved optically, magneto-optically or using a combined magnetic and optical encoding mechanism. The duplex material constitution of the glass coated microwire permits imparting of data thereon by selection and processing of the glass. Data implantation is readily achieved in-line, during an initial drawing operation, or as a separate post-draw process. Reading of data on optically encoded glass coated microwire is readily accomplished by optical or magnetic methodology, or a combination thereof.

Optically encoded glass-coated microwire

A process for preparing an improved durable glass composition is described. In the first step of the process, a glass batch containing from 40 to 80 mole percent of phosphorous and from 3 to 40 mole percent of iron is provided. In the second step of the process, the glass batch is melted under an enriched oxygen atmosphere.

Process for preparing a durable glass composition

There is disclosed a process for strengthening a glass article. This process comprises the steps of: 1. providing a glass article comprised of from about 1 to about 30 weight percent of at least one compound of a first monovalent exchangable cation, 2. coating the surface of said glass article with a source of a second exchangable cation which has an atomic radius larger than that of the first exchangable cation, and thereafter 3. subjecting said coated glass article to a source of microwave radiation at a frequency of from about 0.9 to about 22.1 Gigaherz.

Process for strengthening glass

A lead-free, fiberizable glass composition. The glass is characterized by a relatively low hardness rating and is accordingly useful in preparing friction surfaces. Its composition includes, on a weight basis, from about 45% to about 75% of silicon dioxide, from about 15% to about 30% of potassium oxide and from about 2% to about 10% of magnesium oxide.

Growing community of inventors

Alfred, NY, United States of America

William C LaCourse