Small Business Innovation Research/Small Business Tech Transfer
Nanostructured Super-Black Optical Materials, Phase II
Project Description
Need: NASA faces challenges in imaging and characterizing faint astrophysical objects within the glare of brighter stellar sources. Achieving a very low background requires control of both scattered and diffracted light. Significance of the Innovation: Aligned arrays of carbon nanotubes have recently been recognized as having world-leading optical absorption, far above competing state of the art materials. The nanotube array's diffuse reflectance (10-7) was demonstrated at two orders of magnitude lower than commercially available low reflectance carbons (10-5). The integrated total reflectance 0.045%, bested the field of competing materials, which are typically >1% at optical wavelengths. However, these arrays were produced on silicon, so they have limited utility for aerospace applications. NanoLab identified the potential to grow these arrays on flexible substrates, and proposed a Phase I effort to explore their properties.
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Anticipated Benefits
The need for stray light control is pervasive, throughout multiple NASA missions. Among the applications we have considered for the aligned arrays, some are 'Aerospace only." These include: IR detector cold shields, coronagraph baffles, space-borne optical systems, spectro-radiometers, cryogenic radiometers, occulters, sharp edged diaphragms & blades, and passive thermal control coatings w/ tailored absorptance/emittance. We expect that these coatings, once advanced to a sufficient TRL, will be able to provide significant enhancements to a number of missions. The Wide Field Infrared Survey Telescope (WFIRST) and New Worlds Technology Development Program (NWTP) are two target programs where we recognize the coating could have a dramatic impact on the performance of the optical train. The Non-NASA, optical applications we have identified for the coating includes: black layer for contrast enhancement in displays and LED modules, solar energy absorbers,thermal radiation detectors (bolometers), laser energy sensors, black body sources and calibrators, and optical packaging for cameras, telescopes, & microscopes. Non-optical applications are also possible using a variant of this technology. These include: High performance supercapacitors, battery electrodes, chemical sensors /detectors, field emission cathodes (xray sources, electric propulsion, microscopy), thermal interface materials thermoacoustic loudspeakers, nanotube yarns, super-hydrophobic coatings, and gecko foot adhesives.
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Primary U.S. Work Locations and Key Partners
| Organizations Performing Work | Role | Type | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nanolab, Inc | Lead Organization | Industry | Waltham, Massachusetts |
| Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) | Supporting Organization | FFRDC/UARC | Pasadena, California |
Primary U.S. Work Locations
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California
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Massachusetts
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