SBIR-STTR Award

A new method of applying thin, electrically conductive films to a substrate as a replacement for continuous strip electroplating (CSEP) is desirable from an environmental standpoint as a means of limiting chemical and metallic contamination of wastewater and the economic costs of treatment.AVCA Corporation has done preliminary design work on a method and apparatus for generating thin films by levitation of electrically conductive materials in an electromagnetic containment device and transfers them to a ferrous substrate passing under the device on a continuous basis as a replacement for CSEP.A question that must be answered before further development of the levitation portion of the design takes place is the quality of the bond achieved by the direct application of a liquid metal to a relatively cold ferrous substrate. Preliminary research indicates that such bonds are worthwhile.AVCA Corporation has designed a supplemental process of enhancing these bonds that can be dovetailed into the levitation portion of its design that involves reliquefaction of the film while subjecting the substrate to a strong magnetostrictive effect.This research proposal involves the construction of a bench top device for testing the magnetostrictive interaction and for modelling the entire process for the purpose of determining instrumentation requirements.