Abstract: An apparatus holds or stores at least one vial containing a vaccine or other material to be cryogenically preserved. The method passively regulates the rate of cooling for vaccines or other cryopreserved materials by using the enthalpy of fusion of at least one phase-change material (PCM) to control the rate of cooling when subject to a low temperature or cryogenic storage environment.

Abstract: A process is disclosed for restructuring crystalline grain structure and grain size of a material to produce an ultrafine-grain structure. An electron beam source is configured in relation to specific properties of a material forming a solid body to selectively irradiate a surface and a subsurface of that body with electrons at desired locations on the body and to create at least one selectively localized molten pool of defined size in the body. Heat is generated sufficiently rapidly by the beam source to create thermal gradients of sufficient magnitude to permit the body outside of the pool to act as a heat sink and rapidly cool the at least one molten pool, whereby an ultrafine-grain structure and grain size is produced by freezing grain growth upon occurrence of crystal nucleation.

Abstract: An article composed of sintered particles is produced by depositing ligand-containing particles on a substrate, then scanning the substrate with an electron beam that generates sufficient surface and subsurface heating to substantially eliminate the ligands and melt or sinter the particles into a cohesive film with superior charge carrier properties. The particles are sintered or melted together to form a polycrystalline layer that is substantially ligand-free to form, for example, a film such as a continuous polycrystalline film. The scanning operation is conducted so as to heat treat a controllably localized region at and below a surface of the particles by selecting a rate of deposited energy at the region to exceed a rate of conduction away from the substrate.

Abstract: An article composed of sintered particles is produced by depositing ligand-containing particles on a substrate, then scanning the substrate with an electron beam that generates sufficient surface and subsurface heating to substantially eliminate the ligands and melt or sinter the particles into a cohesive film with superior charge carrier properties. The particles are sintered or melted together to form a polycrystalline layer that is substantially ligand-free to form, for example, a film such as a continuous polycrystalline film. The scanning operation is conducted so as to heat treat a controllably localized region at and below a surface of the particles by selecting a rate of deposited energy at the region to exceed a rate of conduction away from the substrate.

Abstract: A body comprising at least two components having one or more different properties and a method of producing the same are disclosed. One of the body components is in the form of particles with optional adhesive interlayers. A second of the components has a surface locally melted in a predetermined pattern and only to a predetermined depth by scanning an electron beam there across to incorporate the particles and form a metal composite film. Thereby, a predetermined volumetric concentration of the incorporated particles varies continuously from the locally melted surface so as to provide two surfaces in the body having different coefficients of thermal expansion.

Abstract: A body comprising at least two components having one or more different properties and a method of producing the same are disclosed. One of the body components is in the form of particles with optional adhesive interlayers. A second of the components has a surface locally melted in a predetermined pattern and only to a predetermined depth by scanning an electron beam there across to incorporate the particles and form a metal composite film. Thereby, a predetermined volumetric concentration of the incorporated particles varies continuously from the locally melted surface so as to provide two surfaces in the body having different coefficients of thermal expansion.

Abstract: A specific force capacity thrust bearing and a method for producing such a design for a particular application are disclosed. The magnetic flux density in the stator material is maximized by varying cross-sectional area normal to the flux path. After a set of initial parameters are chosen, the design can be improved upon by changing the design variables and then verifying the force capacity using a finite element program. By linking the finite element program to a model of the geometry and using some basic algorithms, it is possible to automatically iterate until an optimal design is reached. The resulting design has a much higher force capacity than designs typical of the prior art.