DSIAC collects and publishes articles related to our technical focus areas on the web to share with the DoD community.
Baratunde Cola would like to put sand into your computer. Not beach sand, but silicon dioxide nanoparticles coated with a high dielectric constant polymer to inexpensively provide improved cooling for increasingly power-hungry electronic devices. The silicon dioxide doesn”t do the cooling itself. Instead, the unique surface properties of the coated nanoscale material conduct the heat
The same researchers who pioneered the use of a quantum mechanical effect to convert heat into electricity have figured out how to make their technique work in a form more suitable to industry. In Nature Communications, engineers from The Ohio State University describe how they used magnetism on a composite of nickel and platinum to
A new collaborative effort that connects Navy technical experts with academia is helping to create partnerships that generate real innovation. As a catalyst for developing the Navy’s future workforce, professors and students at universities nationwide are conducting research and development on naval-relevant topics at their campus laboratories. The research takes place through the Naval Engineering
Researchers have made significant strides in new energy generation technologies. Yet, before renewable sources can make a significant contribution to our energy supply, similar strides will be needed in energy storage, making it the new holy grail. “When it comes to renewable energy sources, there can be a mismatch between when power is available and
Energetic materials and munitions are used across DoD in mission critical applications such as rockets, missiles, ammunition, and pyrotechnic devices. In these applications, energetic materials and munitions must perform as designed to ensure success in both training and combat operations. There are, however, potential environmental, occupational safety and health risks associated with these materials. Mitigating
For three decades, the symbol of the U.S. space program was the mighty Space Shuttle, an 86-ton reusable spacecraft that hauled astronauts, equipment, and supplies into orbit 135 times before being retired in 2011. Among candidates for the next symbol might be the shiny aluminum box located on a clean room assembly bench in Georgia
Even by the standards of a military installation, Naval Surface Warfare Center Indian Head can be a dangerous place. The center on the Potomac River in Southern Maryland is where the Navy”s bomb makers come up with new ways to blow things up. Once explosives and rockets are packed up and sent out to the
New system from MIT can identify how much power is being used by each device in a household. If you want to save on your monthly electric bill and reduce your greenhouse gas emissions at the same time, you might buy a new, energy-efficient refrigerator. Or water heater. Or clothes dryer. But if you can
Wearable electronics fabricated on lightweight and flexible substrate are believed to have great potential for portable devices, but their applications are limited by the life span of their batteries. We propose a hybridized self-charging power textile system with the aim of simultaneously collecting outdoor sunshine and random body motion energies and then storing them in
Scientists have demonstrated a highly efficient method for wirelessly transferring power to a drone while it is flying. The breakthrough could in theory allow flying drones to stay airborne indefinitely by simply hovering over a ground support vehicle to recharge opening up new potential industrial applications. The technology uses inductive coupling, a concept initially demonstrated
The U.S. Navy has approved the use of buoyancy gliders by all of its destroyers. These unmanned underwater vehicles use wave energy to propel themselves at sea. The Navy probably will use them to locate enemy submarines. Buoyancy gliders were originally developed by the scientific community to provide low-cost, autonomous drones capable of spending long
Boosting the fuel efficiency of motor vehicles by “harvesting” the energy generated by their shock absorbers and feeding it back into batteries or electrical systems such as air conditioning has become a major goal in automotive engineering. Now, a University of Huddersfield researcher has made a breakthrough by designing a new system and constructing a