OPTOWARES INC — Department of Energy SBIR Phase I: 13b
OPTOWARES INC — SBIR Phase I award from Department of Energy.
Phase I SBIR feasibility signal
- Phase I awards fund proof-of-concept work. For capture teams, they mark early interest from Department of Energy in a technical approach.
- Watch for Phase II follow-ons from the same firm/topic family — that conversion path is where budgets and transition pressure rise.
- Obligated amount $199,996. Cross-check similar awards in the same agency and technology tags for going-rate context.
- Topic code 13b links this award to a solicitation family — search the same topic stem for incumbents and recompete timing.
- Amount
- $199,996
- Agency
- Department of Energy
- Program / Phase
- SBIR · Phase I
- Topic
- 13b
- NAICS
- —
- Place of performance
- MA
- Period
- 2021-06-28 → 2022-03-27
Description
Aerogels is a solid with nanometer-sized pores that exhibits many unusual and useful properties including very high R-insulation. However, aerogels often are very brittle, require very expensive material feedstocks, and utilize complex and costly manufacturing processes. Therefore, DOE seeks innovative insulation with high-R insulation of an R-value/inch of 8 or greater ( thermal conductivity value of < 18 mW/m K) at a significant cost reduction of 3-5 times. Optowares proposes to develop poly-DCPD aerogel blankets using sol-gel processing, followed by ambient pressure drying through (i) modified “spring-back” method with the hydrophobic surface and solvent exchange step and (ii) chemically induced phase separation (CIPS) methods. Our proposed poly-DCPD aerogel blanket for sustainable insulation material must meet the cost target of 3-5 times compared to silica aerogel blankets and have an R-value/inch of 8 or greater at poly-DCPD aerogel blanket density of 0.112 and 0.138 g/cc, which translate to thermal conductivity values of