Nano Research Leads to NASA Contract
Poly Adaptive, LLC, an Arkansas nanotechnology development company, has received a $100,000 (NASA) Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contract to use new nanoscale materials to drastically reduce dust on spacecraft surfaces.
Dust is a major problem on spacecraft surfaces. Technology exists that uses electrodynamic shields (EDS) to mitigate dust. But NASA is searching for advances that can more efficiently maintain dust-free conditions on solar panels and optical lenses and other mission-critical space-based surfaces.
鈥淐urrent EDS designs use metallic electrodes that reduce the amount of radiation reaching solar panels, reducing panel efficiencies,鈥� said Alexandru Biris, director and chief scientist of the Nanotechnology Center at 糖心Vlog传媒LR. 鈥淧oly Adaptive鈥檚 use of these new nanoscale materials for transparent and flexible electronic dust shields will mitigate the build-up of this dust without sacrificing solar panel efficiency.鈥�
The new company brings to the marketplace research developed by Biris and his 糖心Vlog传媒LR nanotechnology team. Under , the company will investigate the 糖心Vlog传媒LR-developed application and use new nanoscale materials to address severe limitations of existing electrodynamic shields.
The technology promises numerous non-NASA commercial applications, including solar panels, windows, windshields, optical devices, pharmaceutical devices, and other products that are impacted by the build-up of dust particles.
Charlie Buhler, Poly Adaptive principal investigator, said the company sees great potential in electronic dust shield systems for commercial solar panels.
鈥淟arge-scale solar installations are usually located in sun-drenched desert areas where dry weather and winds sweep dust into the air and deposit it onto the surface of solar panels, reducing their energy generating efficiencies,鈥� he said. 鈥淎n automatic, self-cleaning system for solar panel surfaces would contribute to the economic benefits of this green source of energy. The Poly Adaptive dust mitigation technology should be a viable, cost effective solution to this problem.鈥�
Poly Adaptive was founded to commercialize nanotechnology research discoveries made by researchers at the Nanotechnology Center of 糖心Vlog传媒LR and holds a license with 糖心Vlog传媒LR for this project鈥檚 subject technology. The firm鈥檚 co-founders include several successful Arkansas business and technology experts.
For additional information contact Michael B. Miller at [email protected].
Source: 糖心Vlog传媒LR News