Featured Opportunities

Sandia has developed a heat transfer fluid (HTF) for use at elevated temperatures that has a lower freezing point than any molten salt mixture available commercially. This allows the HTF to be used in applications in which the expensive parasitic energy costs necessary for freeze protection can be significantly reduced....

Many applications require detection of both very small and very large signals. High gain detector amplifiers provide low noise but are easily swamped by large signals. Logarithmic amplifiers provide a wide range but contributing to distortion. Auto-ranging circuits lose data when switching between low and high gain. Detecting over a...

Sandia has developed a cheap, efficient, and accurate method of measuring the irradiance from solar reflections using a digital camera. Measurements of reflected solar irradiance is of great importance to industry, military, and government agencies to assess potential impacts of glint and glare from growing numbers of solar power installations...

The first phase of this project is capture and encapsulation which is achieved by using nanoporous alumina to confine gaseous iodine, for example, from fission or waste processing. The captured iodine is then reacted with silver or copper to form precipitates inside the nanopores of the material (the fixation). The...

This innovative technology uses a water treatment coagulant, or reagent, to facilitate the process of water purification. By inserting a single gallium atom in the center of an aluminum oxide cluster, the stability and efficacy of the reagent is greatly improved. This stability also provides a longer shelf life, increased...

Sandia researchers have developed a technology that could potentially turn agricultural waste, weeds, and other plant products that are typically discarded or destroyed into fuel. The idea is to create a consolidated biorefinery process inside plant cells. Thisresearch seeks to embed into the plant cells synthetic genetic circuits constructed using...

Sandia National Laboratories has created a method and apparatus for measuring the position of an object. It relies on the attenuation of fluorescence light carried inside a fluorescent optical fiber to determine the position of an object. As show in the figure, a small excitation source, such as a laser...

NanoCoralTM produces platinum nanomaterials which can significantly reduce costs and improve the efficiency and durability of hydrogen fuel cells and other renewable energy technologies. NanoCoralTM is an innovative nanotechnology for producing platinum catalysts and offers unique control over the shape, size, porosity, composition, stability, and other functional properties of platinum...

Sandia National Laboratories has developed a side-emitting fiber optic position sensor and method of determining an unknown position of an object by using the sensor.Non-electrical position sensors like the one developed by Sandia are desirable for use in hazardous environment, e.g., for measuring the liquid level in gasoline or jet...

Sandia has developed red-emitting phosphors that will help to transform the cold blue of many current light-emitting diodes (LEDs) into the warm white that is preferred for general lighting. This advance could help move solid-state lighting (SSL) into broader applications and market spaces. This class of rare-earth doped tantalates has...

Sandia has developed an advanced electrical wiring diagnostic capable of detecting insulation defects in complex wiring systems. The portable diagnostic system detects and accurately locates hard to find insulation defects such as breached insulation, chaffing, and insulation cracks. PASD could greatly reduce the time required to track down wiring defects,...

The Theoretical Overlay Photographic Heliostat Alignment Technique (TOPHAT) is a unique method which helps to accurately and effectively concentrate solar energy onto a receiver. By utilizing a camera/target fixture placed in front of the heliostat TOPHAT aligns and focuses the mirrors on a heliostat. It uses the photographs taken by...

With the increasing demand for new energy distribution methods including increased efficiency and alternative sources, Intelligent Grid technologies are on the cutting edge of demand. The significance is taking the current energy infrastructure to the next level of sustainability, utility, and compatibility with recent advances in the energy field. As...

Semipermeable silicon nitride membranes developed using an etch process for co-manufacture on a micromachined silicon surface There is a need for a co-fabricated filtration system for enhancement of reliability and functionality in micro fluidic devices.Common polymer-based and metal based membranes are often incompatible with micromachining methods and requirements for packaging...

Sandia National Laboratories has developed a disruptive new crystal growth technology, called Electrochemical Solution Growth (ESG). This technology has a high potential for producing the high-quality, large-area, and economical bulk gallium nitride (GaN) substrates needed to meet the performance requirements of high-efficiency LED and high-power transistors. Substrates are the bulk...