PROCESS/PROTOTYPING S
Multi-mode elpasolite scintillator — CLLBC High-performance neutron and gamma-ray detectors are essential for the search and identification of SNMs (Special Nuclear Materials). However, current techniques and instruments used for neutron and gamma-ray detection and spectroscopy are often expensive and difficult to handle, or do not offer much needed neutron/gamma PSD. CLLBC, multi-mode elpasolite scintillator, from Radiation Monitoring Devices, combines the advantage of state-of-the-art gamma-ray spectroscopy with thermal and fast neutron detection to produce a first of its kind technology capable of identifying SNMs by both their neutron and gammaray signature. Apart from nuclear nonproliferation and security, other potential applications include high-energy particle physics research, well-logging, nuclear waste characterization, industrial nondestructive evaluation, biological and materials research, astronomy, and health physics.
Manufacturing process for extracting high-quality cellulose nanocrystals from biomass Cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs), which come from renewable resources, have many promising applications in materials synthesis, green catalysis, biosensing and more. However, the high cost of producing CNCs at a large scale, and the relatively poor quality of the product impede commercial development. University of Chicago researchers discovered a way to extract CNCs from grass pulp and investigated superior properties of the material. The initial process performed on a bench lab scale was not suitable for large-scale manufacturing. Building on the work of the University of Chicago, Argonne scientists invented an optimized process and have scaled it up to an economical manufacturing level. The process, known as Bio2Nano, converts noninvasive, abundant elephant grass into high-quality CNCs by combining the generation of a bleaching agent, bleaching and hydrolysis into a single step.
Targeted Acoustic Laser Communication Using a laser tuned to interact with water vapor in the air, TALC (Targeted Acoustic Laser Communication) creates sounds in a localized spot near a listener’s ear that are loud enough to be picked up by human hearing. Developed at MIT Lincoln Laboratory, the principal application of the technology is to direct audio to specific, targeted individuals who lack any receivers other than their ears. Possible uses of the TALC system include allowing an individual to listen to a television show without disturbing a reader sitting nearby. Different audio streams could be directed to different passengers in a vehicle. The laser can also be aimed at infants or others who struggle with earphones. Similar concepts are enabled within the entertainment industry or for national security applications, such as in hail and warn systems in which a targeting laser is used to warn an individual not to enter or leave a restricted area.
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