TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER OPPORTUNITY: Diamond Maker Technology Simulates Alien Geology in Laboratories (MSC-TOPS-89)

NASA’s Technology Transfer Program 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:

Innovators at NASA Johnson Space Center have developed a novel, double capsule control system that allows for high temperature and high-pressure geologic research to be performed in a contained environment relevant to a broad array of materials. It can also yield the speciation of redox-sensitive elements and is even capable of creating geologic conditions necessary to birth diamonds when used in conjunction with a multi-anvil press. Users of this technology can specify a wide range of oxygen fugacity (fO2) values during experiments. fO2 is a measure of rock oxidation that influences planetary structure and evolution and contributes directly to the study of our galactic origins. It commands some of the fundamental chemical and physical properties in planetary materials, including electrical conductivity, grain-growth kinetics, and phase stability. This technology was previously used to replicate fO2 environments relevant to core samples from the Moon and those obtained from the Earths deep crust. It may be further extended to higher pressure and higher temperature studies where greater control of a specific experimental sample environment might allow unique chemical bonding and reactivity that would not be possible in systems that utilize the standard approaches.

To express interest in this opportunity, please submit a license application through NASA’s Automated Technology Licensing Application System (ATLAS) by visiting https://technology.nasa.gov/patent/MSC-TOPS-89

If you have any questions, please e-mail NASA’s Technology Transfer Program at Agency-Patent-Licensing@mail.nasa.gov with the title of this Technology Transfer Opportunity as listed in this SAM.gov notice and your preferred contact information. For more information about licensing other NASA-developed technologies, please visit the NASA Technology Transfer Portal at https://technology.nasa.gov/

These responses are provided to members of NASA’s Technology Transfer Program 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. No follow-on procurement is expected to result from responses to this Notice.