The present invention relates to a method of making highly dispersed nanotube based polymer nanocomposites. This new method allows the development of super-strong and ultra lightweight fibers and bulk nanocomposites of nylon, polyester and other high–performance based polymers. These new nanocomposites are biocompatible and biodegradable while possessing enhanced mechanical properties.

Cube textured Ni over layers has been developed for the production of long-length RABiTS - based coated conductor tapes. Using a low cost, non-vacuum and easily scalable technique of electroplating, smooth, crack-free and continuous electroplated Ni were plated on cube textured Cu substrate without any intermediate layers. Sharp cube textured Sm-doped CeO2 buffer have been grown on Ni plated Cu substrate using pulsed laser deposition with in-plane FWHM values of 6.5 and 5.25 degrees, respectively. This electroplating process promises a route for manufacturing of Cu based HTS coated conductors.

The invention relates to an automated and autonomous bench top cell culture bioreactor connected to a fluid handling system for the preparation, long term (co-)culturing, and selective harvesting of cells and tissues. This new device allows versatile studies of cell behaviors to various growth factors, healing chemicals, drugs, and mechanical stress. A prototype with a bioreactor size of 1 mL has been fabricated and proof-of-concept studies have been successful. This new automated bench top bioreactor is expected to greatly facilitate the process of reliably culturing and monitoring cells behavior in remote sites or in harsh and toxic environments.

Miniature microsensors that can be integrated within well-developed VLSI fabrication processes. The microsensor should exhibit high thermal and mechanical strengths. The field emitter is able to operate in atmospheric and harsh environments.

The invention continuously deposits materials used to grow a thin film onto a moving tape. The invention preferably uses a payout reel and take-up reel to respectively dispense and spool the tape substrate at a constant rate. The invention preferably uses a series of stages to form the thin film on the tape, and includes at least one reactor or reaction chamber to deposit one or more materials onto the tape substrate that is used to form the superconductor layer, and one or more chambers to deposit buffer layers between the film and the metal tape substrate or between layers of film, as well as for the deposition of coating layers. The invention also preferably uses transition chambers between the stages to isolate each stage from the other stages.

The invention continuously deposits materials used to grow a superconductor layer onto a moving tape. The invention preferably uses a payout reel and take-up reel to respectively dispense and spool the tape substrate at a constant rate. The invention preferably uses a series of stages to form superconductor layer on the tape, and includes at least one reactor or reaction chamber to deposit one or more materials onto the tape substrate that is used to form the superconductor layer, one or more chambers to deposit buffer layers between superconductor and the metal tape substrate or between layers of superconductor, as well as for the deposition of coating layers. The invention also preferably uses transition chambers between the stages to isolate each stage from the other stages.

The invention is a method of preparing superconducting wires with a solid or hollow cross section in undetermined lengths, with specified electrical and mechanical characteristics. The process described here is termed the plastic extrusion process. It consists of four major steps: (i) paste preparation (ii) extrusion, (iii) drying and binder removal and (iv) sintering and annealing.

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A systematic doping study on HgBa 2Ca2Cu3O8+& has been carried out. We found that the addition of slight amounts of Hg-halogenide and Re-oxide shortens the final reaction time and promotes the grain-growth of HgBa2Ca2Cu3O8+&, in addition to the reported benefits of promoting the growth and stability of the compound at ambient by ReO2-doping alone.

A method is provided for determining etching characteristics during gas phase etching of thin film materials such as semiconductors during manufacture of devices. Etch end point, rate of etching, uniformity of etching and uniformity of growth of thin films can be determined. Isotopically enriched materials are deposited in layers which may be only a few nanometers thick at selected locations during growth of the thin films. The isotopes are removed during gas phase etching, carried by gas into an analysis chamber, condensed on a surface, and analyzed for isotopical composition. Mass spectroscopy of recoiled ions is a preferred detection technique.

This invention specifically refers to a methodology of on-line detection of defects in wire (both single and multistrand) manufacturing. At the heart of the methodology is a simple principle of current injection and detection of resulting magnetic fields (and anomalies in it) using a very sensitive sensor. Specifically, fine Al and Au wires are used in wire-bonding contacts to semiconductor chips. A typical manufacturer produces about 100 million feet of these wires a month. While these wires are being drawn from initial large diameters to very fine diameters useful for wire bonding, they tend to break once every 10,000 feet due to impurity inclusions. Currently there is no technique that can locate these inclusions as the wires are being drawn. Our technique can, in principle (depending upon the investment a wire manufacturer is willing to make), detect these inclusions while the wire diameter is still significantly greater than that of the inclusions. The ability to do so would improve quality control and minimize downtime. A different problem occurs in the manufacture of composite superconducting wires, most typically multifilament NbTi in a Cu matrix. These wires are used in the construction of accelerator and MRI/NMR magnets. For this case the challenge is to devise a nondestructive method at room temperature for determining the integrity and quality of the NbTi filaments during or immediately after the fabrication process.

A method for switching properties of perovskite thin film materials, including the colossal magnetoresistive (CMR) and high temperature superconducting (HTSC) materials, is provided. Short electrical pulses are applied to the materials in thin films to change both reversibly and non-reversibly the electrical, thermal, mechanical and magnetic properties of the material. Reversible resistance changes of over a factor of 10 are induced in CMR materials at room temperature and in zero external magnetic fields by electrical pulsing. Applications of the method and materials to form memory devices, resistors in electronic circuits which can be varied in resistance and other applications are disclosed.