99--TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER OPPORTUNITY HIGH PERFORMANCE ALL-ORGANIC ELECTROACTIVE DEVICE USING NOVEL SINGLE-WALL CARBON NANOTUBE FILM ELECTRODES: LAR-17455

NASA Langley Research Center in Hampton, VA solicits inquiries from companies interested in obtaining license rights to commercialize, manufacture and market the following technology. License rights may be issued on an exclusive or nonexclusive basis and may include specific fields of use. NASA provides no funding in conjunction with these potential licenses. THE TECHNOLOGY: Scientists at NASA Langley Research Center have developed a novel all-organic actuator with Single Walled Carbon Nano Tube (SWCNT) film electrode. Commonly used metal electrodes such as silver and gold tend to undesirably constrain displacement (elongation or contraction) of an electroactive polymer at the interface. The actual output strain of the metal devices is smaller than what they can intrinsically provide. Many alternative electrode materials that could relieve the strain of movement, such as conducting polymers, have been proposed, but they are usually not thermally stable enough for most applications. The innovation is the new method for creating the all-organic flexible SWCNT film electrode, which has high conductivity and good thermal stability. SWCNTs are first dispersed into a solution and then filtered onto the surface of a porous anodized alumina membrane to form a SWCNT film. The SWCNT film is separated by breaking the brittle alumina membrane and delaminating the film. Adjusting the concentration and quantity of SWCNT solution used allows for a wide range of width and thickness for SWCNT films. The SWCNT film has the potential to be made thin enough to be transparent. The SWCNT film is then used to form the all-organic electroactive device system that can be used as an actuator. An electroactive polymer (LaRC-EAP) sandwiched by the SWCNT electrodes is fabricated by pressing the layers together at 600, 3000, and 6000 psi. By controlling the fabrication pressure, the level of physical properties, which can match with the electroactive polymers, can be adjusted and tailored appropriately. To express interest in this opportunity, please respond to [email protected] with the title of this Technology Transfer Opportunity as listed in this FBO notice and your preferred contact information. Please also provide the nature of your interest in the technology along with a brief background of your company. For more information about licensing other NASA-developed technologies, please visit the NASA Technology Transfer Portal at http://technology.nasa.gov/ . These responses are provided to members of NASA Langleys Office of Strategic Analysis and Business Development OSACB for the purpose of promoting public awareness of NASA-developed technology products, and conducting preliminary market research to determine public interest in and potential for future licensing opportunities. If direct licensing interest results from this posting, OSACB will follow the required formal licensing process of posting in the Federal Register. No follow-on procurement is expected to result from responses to this Notice.