Definitive Contract NNL08AA17C by National Aeronautics And Space Administration with International Scientific Technologies Incorporated, Mod 3

SAP PURCHASE REQUISITION: 4200228113 SBIR PHASE II AWARD ENTITLED MULTIFUNCTIONAL POLYMERS INCORPORATING HIGH-Z NEUTRON-CAPTURE NANOPARTICLES TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 2000 CHARACTERS, APPROXIMATELY 200 WORDS) NASA HAS IDENTIFIED THE NEED TO DEVELOP LIGHTWEIGHT STRUCTURES TO SUPPORT LUNAR LANDER AND LUNAR HABITAT PROGRAMS AND FOR THE TRANSFER OF RELEVANT TECHNOLOGY TO THE CREW EXPLORATION VEHICLE AND CREW LAUNCH VEHICLE PROGRAMS. FURTHER, NASA CALLED FOR REVOLUTIONARY ADVANCES IN RADIATION SHIELDING MATERIALS TO PROTECT HUMANS FROM RADIATION HAZARDS DURING NASA MISSIONS. TO ADDRESS THIS NEED, INTERNATIONAL SCIENTIFIC TECHNOLOGIES, INC., IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE COLLEGE OF WILLIAM AND MARY, DEVELOPED LIGHTWEIGHT, MULTIFUNCTIONAL POLYMERS INCORPORATING NANOPARTICLES CONSISTING OF HIGH ATOMIC-NUMBER (Z) ELEMENTS HAVING LARGE NEUTRON-CAPTURE CROSS SECTIONS. THE PHASE I PROGRAM PROVED THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THESE POLYMERIC NANOCOMPOSITES IN SHIELDING AGAINST BOTH NEUTRON AND X-RAY RADIATION. THE FEASIBILITY DEMONSTRATED IN PHASE I WILL BE REALIZED IN PHASE II THROUGH A RESEARCH PROGRAM HAVING FOUR TECHNICAL OBJECTIVES, INCLUDING INCORPORATION OF METALLIC NANOPARTICLE AND ORGANOMETALLIC ADDITIVES INTO POLYMERIC MATERIALS, FABRICATION OF VARIOUS POLYMERIC MATERIALS OF DIFFERENT GEOMETRIES, MEASUREMENT AND TEST OF COMPOSITE MATERIALS FOR RADIATION SHIELDING EFFECTIVENESS, AS WELL AS THERMO-MECHANICAL AND ELECTRICAL PROPERTIES, AND OPTIMIZATION OF PROTOTYPE MULTIFUNCTIONAL NANOCOMPOSITES FOR NASA APPLICATIONS. THE POLYMER NANOCOMPOSITES IN PHASE II WILL PROVIDE SHIELDING AGAINST GALACTIC COSMIC RADIATION, NEUTRON AND ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION IN RIGID AND FLEXIBLE STRUCTURE HABITANTS IN DEEP SPACE AND LUNAR MISSIONS. POTENTIAL NASA COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS (LIMIT 1500 CHARACTERS, APPROXIMATELY 150 WORDS) LIGHTWEIGHT MULTIFUNCTIONAL RADIATION SHIELDING WILL FIND APPLICATION IN THE COMMERCIAL (E.G., HOSPITALS AND NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS) AND DEFENSE (E.G., NUCLEAR-POWERED SHIPS AND SURVEILLANCE SATELLITES) SECTORS. THE SHIELDS WILL PROVIDE PROTECTION FOR HOMELAND SECURITY FIRST RESPONDERS EMPLOYED BY LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES, FIRE DEPARTMENTS AND HOSPITALS. IT IS ALSO EXPECTED THAT THE SHIELDING CAN BE FABRICATED INTO TEMPORARY SHELTERS USED BY DEFENSE PERSONNEL AND CONSIDERED FOR USE IN THE PROTECTION OF INDIVIDUALS IN CASE OF A NUCLEAR OR RADIOLOGICAL EVENT. THE RADIATION-SHIELDING MATERIAL WILL BE SUITABLE FOR FABRICATION INTO PROTECTIVE CLOTHING FOR HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS INVOLVED IN X-RAY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE. POTENTIAL NON-NASA COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS (LIMIT 1500 CHARACTERS, APPROXIMATELY 150 WORDS) THE PROPOSED MULTIFUNCTIONAL NANOCOMPOSITES WILL FIND APPLICATION IN THE EXPLORATION SYSTEMS MISSION IN PROTECTING ASTRONAUTS AND SENSITIVE OPTICAL, ELECTRONIC, THERMAL AND ACOUSTIC COMPONENTS FROM ENVIRONMENTAL HAZARDS INCLUDING RADIATION, DUST AND THERMAL TRANSIENTS WHILE, AT THE SAME TIME, PROVIDING LIGHTWEIGHT STRUCTURAL FUNCTIONS. IT IS EXPECTED THAT NANOCOMPOSITE SYSTEMS WILL PROVIDE A HIGH-PERFORMANCE-TO-WEIGHT RADIATION SHIELD THAT CAN BE USED WITHIN HUMAN HABITATS, SPACECRAFT AND PROTECTIVE APPAREL. OTHER MISSIONS SUPPORTED BY NASA COULD ALSO MAKE USE OF THE NANOCOMPOSITE MATERIALS IN LOW EARTH ORBIT OR IN OTHER ORBITAL PATHS TRAVERSING HIGH RADIATION REGIONS OF SPACE. NASA'S TECHNOLOGY TAXONOMY HAS BEEN DEVELOPED BY THE SBIR-STTR PROGRAM TO DISSEMINATE AWARENESS OF PROPOSED AND AWARDED R/R&D IN THE AGENCY. IT IS A LISTING OF OVER 100 TECHNOLOGIES, SORTED INTO BROAD CATEGORIES, OF INTEREST TO NASA.