Search results for physical+sciences

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Infinite-dimensional integrated digital image correlation (IDIC)
Background Digital image correlation (DIC) methods are common in laboratory experi­ments. Often termed two-dimensional digital image correlation (2D-DIC), the method uses a camera to acquire images of a planar object that is deforming nominally within the specimen surface plane that is being imaged. DIC algorithms typically perform the image registration...
Rare earth metal extraction from ash
Background Rare earth elements (REEs), such as lanthanides, yttrium, and scandium, are critical components in numerous advanced technologies, including electronics, energy storage systems, and medicine. Currently, the majority of REEs are sourced from a limited number of mining operations, which poses substantial risks to geopolitical tensions, supply...
Autorotative precision payload delivery device
Problem Dr. Jayant Sirohi and his team have developed an autorotative payload decelerator device that can be dropped from any type of aircraft at high speeds. Dr. Sirohi is the M.J. Thompson Regents Professorship in Aerospace Engineering & Engineering Mechanics and the Principal Investigator of the Vertical Lift Research Center of Excellence funded...
Coated separator for improved battery performance
Background Dr. David Mitlin and his team have developed a multifunctional separator that allows for the stable cycling of anodes and secondary batteries, including metal anodes and metal batteries (MB). Dr. Mitlin is a David Allen Cockrell Endowed Professor at the Walker Department of Mechanical Engineering at UT Austin, with studies focused on energy...
Negative enthalpy collector coatings to enhance stability of metal anodes
Problem Anodeless or anode-free liquid, solid and hybrid liquid-solid batteries hold tremendous promise, offering lower cost in parallel to over 50% higher energy by weight and by volume. However, because of the poor Coulombic efficiency (CE)—which leads to poor cathode utilization, rapid capacity fade during cycling, an unstable solid electrolyte...
Functionalized kapok fiber filter for oil and bacteria removal
Problem statement Contaminated water from the produced water industry must be treated prior to discharge, reuse, or recycling. Advanced treatment is often necessary to meet increasingly strict regulations, leading to membrane filtration use in produced water treatment. These membranes are susceptible to different forms of fouling, especially when organics...
Closed loop well designs and control for extraction of subsurface geothermal power
Background Dr. Eric van Oort and his team have developed a deep, closed-loop geothermal well design to improve upon traditional enhanced geothermal systems (EGS). Dr. van Oort is the Joe J. King Chair of Engineering No. 2 and B. J. Lancaster Professorship in Petroleum Engineering and a professor at UT Austin, with primary interests in drilling/completion...
Synchronous ripple filter for switch-mode systems
Problem statement Switch-mode systems such as power converters usually generate significant electromagnetic interference (EMI) in the form of high-frequency current at their input (e.g., the grid) and/or output (e.g., processor supply voltages), which must be filtered to meet product specifications and/or regulations. This is typically accomplished...
Novel test system for replicating cylindrical battery thermal runaway
Background Simulating real-world battery internal failures in a battery system is crucial to test and examine the performance of the designed protective mechanisms that enhance battery safety. The invention is created to be incorporated into a battery system to simulate battery internal failures. Other similar existing tools such as nail penetration...
Observing single nanoparticle collisions at ultramicroelectrodes
Technology description Metal nanoparticles (NPs) have been of interest in many fields, often because of their large surface-to-volume ratio and size dependent optical properties. Most research on NPs has focused on ensemble-averaged properties, but there have been investigations of the electrochemical behavior of an immobilized single NP, despite the...