NASA SBIR 2004 Solicitation

SMALL BUSINESS CONCERN (Name, E-mail, Mail Address, City/State/Zip, Phone)
Nanocomposix, Inc.
4326 Proctor Pl.
San Diego, CA 92116-1060
(619)890-0704

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR/PROJECT MANAGER (Name, E-mail, Mail Address, City/State/Zip, Phone)
Steven Oldenburg
Steven.Oldenburg@nanocomposix.com
4326 Proctor Pl.
San Diego, CA 92116-1060
(619)890-0704

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
Future NASA instrumentation will require increasingly sophisticated thermal control technology. We propose a next-generation nanofluid that consists of precisely manufactured nanoparticles that are added to existing coolant liquids. Even at very low loading levels, the nanoparticles dramatically increase the thermal conductivity and the critical heat flux of the fluid. Due to their small size, settling, abrasion, and clogging issues are eliminated, enabling the nanofluid to be immediately incorporated into existing thermal management systems.

POTENTIAL NASA COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS (LIMIT 100 WORDS)
For instrumentation that requires tight temperature control, a highly conductive fluid will allow for more efficient and even heat transfer from the fluid to the instrument. Liquid cooling systems that have both high heat capacity and high thermal conductivity will allow for precise temperature control of high heat flux applications. The nanofluids will also reduce the quantity of required coolant resulting in a weight reduction of ground and space based instrumentation.

POTENTIAL NON-NASA COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS (LIMIT 100 WORDS)
The nanoparticles will be prepared as an additive that will provide large performance increases in critical heat flux cooling applications without requiring any process or tooling modifications. The nanofluid will also improve the thermal performance of miniaturized heat transport devices that are designed for applications such as cooling small sensors and devices.