R&D 100 Awards
Innovations Move Materials, Energy, and Imaging Forward
September 12, 2012 10:18 am | Articles | CommentsThe R&D 100 Awards have a 50-year history of recognizing excellence in innovation, and the 2012 class of winners have continued this tradition. A better light bulb, breathable sportswear, neutron generators, and laser control systems illustrate a diversity of technology advances in established and emerging industry sectors.
2012 R & D 100 Awards Judges
September 12, 2012 10:14 am | Articles | CommentsExperts in high-technology R&D are invited to participate in the R&D 100 Awards judging process. We thank our panel of judges for the 2012 R&D 100 Awards.
R & D Traditions Past, Present, and Future
September 12, 2012 10:01 am | Articles | CommentsEvery year, R&D Magazine ’s annual R&D 100 Awards issue is a special project for the editorial team as we recognize the top technology innovations of the previous year. This year, "special" takes on extra meaning, as we mark the 50th anniversary of the awards program.
3D X-ray microscope breaks submicron barrier
August 22, 2012 8:22 am | Award WinnersXradia Inc.'s new 3D imaging system, the VersaXRM-500 X-Ray Microscope, offers non-destructive tomography with high contrast, sample flexibility, and a spatial resolution under 0.7 ?m.
First instant hyperspectral camera for live samples
August 22, 2012 8:17 am | Award WinnersThe Arrow from Rebellion Photonics, is the first-ever snapshot imaging spectrometer for microscopy, allowing real-time, dynamic hyperspectral imaging video with two orders of magnitude higher sensitivity.
Larger microchannel plates at less cost
August 22, 2012 8:11 am | Award WinnersArgonne National Laboratory, Incom Inc., and Berkeley Space Sciences Laboratory collaborated to produce the Large-Area Microchannel Plate (MCP), which represents a cost-effective route to fabricate large-area detectors for applications such as medical imaging.
Hyperspectral imaging, done simultaneously
August 22, 2012 8:04 am | Award WinnersThe Verde Hyperspectral Imaging Camera, designed by Horiba Scientific and Snapshot Spectra, simultaneously captures the complete spectrum of every pixel in an image in a single measurement in as little as 3 msec.
Imagers step up satellite tracking
August 22, 2012 7:52 am | Award WinnersA curved charge-coupled device that corrects for the inherent aberrations of mirrors and lenses, the Wide field-of-view curved focal plane array (WFC) from MIT Lincoln Laboratory and GL Scientific Inc. enables wide field-of-view surveillance.
Fluorescence microscope surpasses diffraction limit
August 22, 2012 7:40 am | Award WinnersThe Leica SR GSD - Super-Resolution Microscope System developed by Leica Microsystems CMS GmbH and the Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry overcomes the diffraction limit to permit imaging resolution of about 20 nm.
Sensor captures field-of-view hyperspectral images
August 22, 2012 7:31 am | Award WinnersDesigned for reconnaissance applications, Hyperspec Recon from Headwall Photonics Inc. is a rugged, portable hyperspectral sensor that can rapidly render a small image at a distance of 1.5 km.
Refraction-matching objectives dig deeper
August 22, 2012 7:24 am | Award WinnersWhen used with a commercial clearing reagent, Scaleview microscope objectives from Olympus America Inc., provide a four- or eight-fold improvement in imaging depth when using light microscopy.
Three-in-one microscopy system
August 22, 2012 7:18 am | Award WinnersThe Solver Spectrum from NT-MDT combines a confocal Raman spectrometer and a fully functional upright optical measuring microscope into a single, integrated advanced scanning probe microscopy system.
Plasma heats up 3D circuit analysis
August 22, 2012 7:11 am | Award WinnersFEI's Vion Plasma Focused Ion Beam greatly improves material removal rates for site-specific, package-level physical analysis of 3D integrated circuits.
A tougher aerogel
August 21, 2012 5:16 am | Award WinnersFlexible, lightweight, thin Polyimide Aerogels from NASA Glenn Research Center and the Ohio Aerospace Institute are 500 times stronger than conventional silica aerogels and particularly suited for thermal insulation uses.
Coating stands up to solid rock
August 21, 2012 5:08 am | Award WinnersNanoSHIELD Coatings from Oak Ridge National Laboratory and collaborators are the first coatings to provide effective protection for disc cutters on industrial tunnel boring machines.
Concrete inspires a tough textile
August 21, 2012 4:50 am | Award WinnersDeveloped by Milliken & Co. and Concrete Canvas Ltd., Concrete Cloth traps a specially developed dry concrete powder between two surfaces that are linked together by a 3D fiber matrix.
Lower-cost thermoelectrics
August 21, 2012 4:41 am | Award WinnersWith its new TEMM Thermoelectric material and module technology, the Industrial Technology Research Institute has designed a thermoelectric solution with enough performance at a competitive price to allow industrial-scale use of thermoelectric modules for a variety of applications.
Giving the SLIP to all liquids
August 21, 2012 4:34 am | Award WinnersTaking a cue from the pitcher plant, researchers at Harvard University's Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering have designed Slippery Liquid-Infused Porous Surfaces (SLIPS) that are capable of repelling immiscible liquids of virtually any surface tension.
Strength through nanostructure
August 21, 2012 4:28 am | Award WinnersThe NanoSteel Company's NPM 3100 alloy is the first commercial example of a new class of powder metal stainless steels that derive their toughness from two new process mechanisms that alter the nanoscale structure.
Lignin enables BPA-free plastics
August 21, 2012 4:22 am | Award WinnersWhen the Industrial Technology Research Institute set out to find a replacement for BPA, it looked to lignin, a complex natural polymer found in plant matter. The compound is the key building block for Lignoxy LBP, lignin-based polymer technology.
Nanoscale-engineered cermets
August 21, 2012 4:16 am | Award WinnersMesoCoat Inc. and Powdermet Inc. have improved on thermal sprayed coating technology by engineering their PComP Nanocomposite Cermet Coatings down to the nanoscale.
Staying drier with convection
August 20, 2012 12:53 pm | Award WinnersPolartec and Finetex Technology have commercialized a new type of permeable waterproof fabric, Polartec NeoShell, that achieves its performance through convection as well as diffusion.
Breaking the fire cycle
August 20, 2012 12:46 pm | Award WinnersResQ FR Fabrics from Milliken & Co. provide a new level in flame protection in a durable fabric, reducing body burn by as much as 50% by breaking the fire cycle.
Strong biopolymer combo
August 20, 2012 12:39 pm | Award WinnersImproving on prior biopolymers, Arkema Inc. and Arkema France - G.R.L. have combined two miscible plastics to create tough, transparent, and thermally stable Plexiglas Rnew Biopolymer Alloys for durable goods applications.
Graphene enhances lithium-ion batteries
August 20, 2012 12:28 pm | Award WinnersHighly conductive Graphene Nanostructures for Lithium Batteries have been designed by Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and Vorbeck Materials to boost both power and lifetime in commercial lithium-ion batteries.
