Presentations by Luna Innovations in 2009


Luna presents papers and posters at technical conferences and tradeshows each year. Below are brief explanations of those presentations. Contact us for more information about our emerging technologies and solutions.


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  • Fiber Optic Monitoring of Structural Composites using Optical Backscatter Reflectometery
    Fiber reinforced polymer composites are revolutionizing the design of large, high-performance structures in the aerospace, marine and power generation industries. Technologies are needed to inspect and monitor the structural integrity of these composite structures. In this paper, Luna's proprietary OFDR technology, used in the Optical Backscatter Reflectometer™ product platform, evaluates Fiber Bragg Gratings embedded into composites subjected to fatigue and impact loading.
    Click here to read the paper.
    Presented at the SAMPE Fall Technical Conference, October 2009

  • Optical Fiber Distributed Sensing: Physical Principles and Applications
    Getting the strains all along the optical fiber, with adequate spatial resolution and strain accuracy, opens new possibilities for structural tests and for structural health monitoring. Formerly, only point sensors, as strain gages or FBGs, were available, and information on the response to loads was restricted to those points onto which the sensors were bonded. Unless a sensor was located near to the damage initiation point, details about the failure and growth were lost. With a distributed sensing system, the information is given as an array of data with the position in the optical fiber and the strain or temperature data at this point. Results of a structural test of a long wind turbine blade, detecting the location and load of onset of buckling, as well as the results of delamination detection in a composite plate were presented.
    Presented by Luna and the Polytechnic University of Madrid, Dept. of Aeronautics, at the International Workshop on Structural Health Monitoring, September 2009

  • High Resolution, Dynamic Strain Measurements with Continuous Fiber Bragg Gratings for Structural Health Monitoring
    In this invited talk, Luna discussed the use of swept-wavelength interferometry (often referred to as optical frequency domain reflectometry, OFDR) for high speed, distributed fiber optic sensing. The technique utilizes continuous gratings written in single mode fiber facilitating high density distributed measurements of temperature or strain up 1 millimeter resolution. The technology is capable of strain measurement rates of up to 1 KHz over the measurement domain with millimeter resolution. This technique shows great utility as a method for dynamic structural health monitoring, model simulation validation for mechanical prototypes, vibration monitoring or closed loop feedback control for process optimization.
    Presented at the Avionics, Fiber-Optics and Photonics Conference, September 2009

  • Endohedral Fullerenes for Improved Organic Solar Cell Efficiencies
    One of the fundamental limitations for the efficiency of organic photovoltaics (OPV) to date is the mismatch between the molecular orbitals of donor and acceptor materials. This mismatch leads to significant energy loss during the charge transfer from donor to acceptor and results in low open circuit voltages. To overcome this limitation, Luna has developed novel acceptor materials based on our exclusive TRIMETASPHERE® (TMS) carbon nanomaterials.
    Presented at SPIE Optics + Photonics, August 2009

  • High Efficiency Organic Photovoltaic Devices Based on Derivatives of Trimetallic Nitride Endohedral Fullerenes
    While organic photovoltaic (OPV) devices offer significant technical and commercial advantages due to their inherent flexibility and low production costs, their low efficiency has proven both a scientific and commercial barrier. One of the critical problems limiting OPV efficiency is the large amount of energy lost during the electron transfer from the donor to the acceptor molecule due to the energy offset between their lowest unoccupied molecular orbitals (LUMOs). While there have been a large number of reports focused on improving OPV efficiency by changing the LUMO of the polymer, there are very limited reports of enhanced efficiencies based on improvements to the acceptor molecules. This presentation discussed Luna's successful efforts in developing a novel acceptor based on Trimetallic Nitride Endohedral Fullerenes, also known as Trimetaspheres® (TMS).
    Presented at the Electrochemical Society 215th Meeting, May 2009

  • Impact Damage Indicating Coating Systems for Composites
    The complex structure of polymer matrix composites makes detection of internal cracks, flaws and weak points within a structural component challenging. Composite damage resulting from direct impacts can be particularly difficult to visually detect by service personnel. Nondestructive evaluation (NDE) methods for detecting composite damage have received significant attention in recent years. NDE can be effective but is also time-consuming and expensive for frequent routine inspections. Luna Innovations Incorporated has developed an impact damage indicating coating system for composites used as structural components in military and commercial aircraft. This smart coating system will change color in response to an impact event capable of damaging the underlying composite. The damage indicator paint developed will allow aircraft inspection personnel to detect potential composite damage quickly in the field preventing structural failure and reducing the time and expense of instrumented NDE testing.
    Presented at SAMPE '09, May 2009

  • Magnetodielectric Nanocomposite Substrates for Antenna Applications
    Due to the rise of wireless communication devices, applications, and their wide spread utilization, materials that enable continued miniaturization of RF electronics such as antennas, on-chip inductors, transformers, receivers, and RFID tags with improved performance are highly desirable. In addition, requirements for improved military communication systems such as lightweight antennas and surveillance equipment with low physical or conformal profiles demand the development of new materials with improved electromagnetic properties. Of particular interest are materials with high permeability, high permittivity and low loss. This poster presentation describes the development work at Luna Innovations to meet this need.
    Presented at NanoTechnology for Defense Conference, April 2009

  • Temperature Compensated Fiber Optic Pressure Sensor Tested Under Combined High Temperature and High Fluence
    This presentation described the performance of fiber optic pressure sensors, with built-in temperature compensation, that were successfully tested with repeated cycles up to 500°C in a 450 kW nuclear research reactor. These sensors are being developed at Luna Innovations to meet the challenging operating conditions in future high temperature gas-cooled reactors.
    Paper presented at Sixth American Nuclear Society International Topical Meeting on Nuclear Plant Instrumentation, Control, and Human-Machine Interface Technologies, April 2009

  • Distributed Strain and Temperature Sensing in Plastic Optical Fiber Using Rayleigh Scatter
    In the past, Luna has demonstrated the ability to analyze Rayleigh scatter in single- and multi-mode fused silica fibers to deduce strain and temperature shifts, yielding sensitivity and resolution similar to that obtained using Fiber Bragg Gratings. This technique employs scanning laser interferometry to obtain high spatial resolution Rayleigh scatter spectral information. Luna has now demonstrated that distributed sensing, with mm-range spatial resolution in off-the-shelf plastic multi-mode optical fiber, is feasible. Distributed Rayleigh scatter sensing in plastic optical fiber may offer a valuable alternative to sensing in fused silica fibers because of plastic's low cost and differing mechanical and chemical properties.
    Paper presented at SPIE's Symposium on Defense, Security and Sensing, April 2009

  • All-Fiber Optic Ultrasonic Structural Health Monitoring System
    Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) is required for early detection of damage in structural components to improve the safety, reduce the cost, and increase the performance and efficiency of aircrafts. Currently available techniques have a number of deficiencies prohibiting wide spread of SHM in aerospace applications. Luna Innovations presented the initial results of an all-fiber optic ultrasonic airframe SHM system under development at the company.
    Paper presented at SPIE's Smart Structures and Materials & Nondestructive Evaluation Conference, March 2009

  • Fullerene C70 Derivatives Inhibit Eosinophilia Associated with Chronic Asthma
    Fullerenes are nanospheres of carbon that are extremely stable and highly reactive with oxygen free radicals. While native fullerenes are insoluble in water, the carbon cage can be derivatized by the addition of polar chemical groups, thus generating water soluble molecules. Water soluble fullerene derivatives have been shown to inhibit mast cell degranulation and cytokine release demonstrating a potential role in controlling mast cell diseases such as allergic asthma. Luna's investigation yielded results that suggest fullerenes can control chronic inflammation characteristic of asthma pathogenesis, indicating the potential for their use in the treatment of chronic asthma.
    Paper presented at American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology Annual Meeting, March 2009

  • Diaphragm-Based Pipeline Corrosivity Monitoring System
    A water corrosivity fiber optic sensing system is currently under development at Luna that combines the strengths of rate measurement techniques such as linear polarization resistance with longer-term cumulative damage measurements typically provided by electrical resistance probes. This sensor technology is applicable not only to water pipeline systems, but also a broad range of liquid and gas piping systems used in military facilities as well as electric power, chemical, pulp and paper, and fossil fuel industries.
    Paper presented at NACE Corrosion Conference, March 2009

  • Low Cost Corrosivity and Paint Degradation Sensors
    Corrosion severely impacts the life cycle cost, operational life, and readiness of Army ground vehicles. The Army spends an estimated $2 billion to $2.5 billion per year addressing corrosion related issues with Army ground vehicles. Successful implementation of a Condition Based Maintenance (CBM) program requires the use of sensor technologies to quantitatively measure corrosivity, corrosion, and/or protection system failure. The relatively high cost of these types of corrosion sensors has prevented wide spread acceptance in the maintenance community. Advances in low cost RFID based corrosion sensors were presented. Increased sensor output as a function of reader antenna design was shown. Enhanced parasitic corrosion element geometry was discussed and changes in sensor output as a function of corrosion was demonstrated. Features of an operational prototype RFID system was described.
    Paper presented at U.S. Army Corrosion Summit, February 2009

  • Non-Halogenated, Non-Styrenated Flame Retardant Composites
    It has previously been demonstrated by Luna that superabsorbent polymers (SAPs) can be loaded with inexpensive inorganic phosphates as the flame retardant component in composite systems. The resulting microsphere flame retardants dramatically improved flame exposure when blended with common matrix resins (unsaturated polyester and vinyl ester resins) for pultrusion applications. Luna's microsphere flame retardant produces no halogen or sulfur byproducts on thermal decomposition, and generates less smoke than conventional halogenated polymers.
    Paper presented at COMPOSITES & POLYCON 2009, January 2009