Organization
NASA Ames Research Center
Project Leader
Harry Partridge
Summary
The Advanced Aerospace Materials and Devices (AAMD) conducts applied research
in support of NASA missions, those of other federal agencies and industry. In addition to NASA, AAMD scientists have supported, or are
supporting, the Department of Homeland Security, the United States Army and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. Current AAMD
research is focused on carbon-nanotube growth, carbon-nanotube field emission, lunar-dust characterization, chemical-sensor development,
nanowire growth, thin-film solar cells, thermal-interface materials, batteries, magnetometers, and mid-infrared quantum detectors.
Project Description
One important way in which AAMD is contributing to the overall
strategy of the ASL is by serving as the primary link between the nanoscience and nanotechnology activities of ASL affiliates and the
singular mission-related requirements unique to NASA. The AAMD is also committed to working in a collaborative environment that fosters the
exchange of students and expertise and that encourages appropriate sharing of specialized equipment.
Specific examples of on-going AAMD activity include:
- investigating aligned-carbon nanotube growth for field-emission sources;
- fabricating nanoelectromechanical systems based on aligned-carbon nanofibers;
- electrospinning of aligned-carbon nanotube bundles for wiring applications;
- investigating the impacts of trace amounts of water on amorphous carbon in the chemical vapor deposition of
carbon nanotubes;
- metallorganic chemical vapor deposition of bismuth telluride/antimony telluride superlattice films as
thermoelectric materials for human-implantable, biomedical power sources;
- Raman spectroscopy characterization of carbonaceous materials;
- surface-characterization techniques for biological and space samples with nanometer-scale precision using
scanning-probe microscopy with carbon-nanotube tips modified for high-resolution imaging;
- imaging biological samples in fluid using carbon-nanotube tips modified by hydrophilic treatments, enabling
visualization of topography and mapping of chemical functionalities; and
- use of carbon-nanotube tips modified for magnetic force microscopy by coating with magnetic materials,
enabling the capture of images showing the distribution of magnetic domains on the surfaces of cosmic or lunar dust particles, crucial
for understanding adhesion, aggregation, toxicity and other properties and behaviors.
Sponsored by NASA Ames Research Center, the center for Advanced Aerospace Materials and Devices is
led by Harry Partridge.
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