May 2021 - Physical Sciences Inc.

Press Release

It is with great sadness we report the passing of Bob Weiss, who died suddenly on May 6. Bob was an inspirational leader who founded Physical Sciences Inc. (PSI) in 1973. He created the approach and basic model that has led to our decades of growth – based on technical excellence, clear communication, and a focus on seeing our advances benefit our nation and the world. From the outset, he realized that people were the essential element that enabled a great and enduring company. Bob shared ownership of PSI broadly through an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP), and recognized the many benefits of employee ownership. Bob lead the company as President and CEO through many exciting and challenging times over its first 25 years.

Bob was a tireless advocate for small businesses, and was instrumental in the continuation and evolution of the SBIR program. He played a key role in Washington, negotiating a shared common ground between many conflicting political and economic interests.

Following his retirement from PSI, Bob continued to touch many companies as an advisor and visionary for technology transition. In recent years he played a central role in the creation and evolution of the MASS START program, furthering his passion for bringing technological innovation to the market.

Bob’s vision of an organization based on technical excellence and moral responsibility remains at the heart of PSI, as the organization he conceived almost 50 years ago has grown into a diversified corporation with offices throughout the U.S. His kindness, humanitarianism, wit, and wisdom will be greatly missed.

Press Release

Physical Sciences Inc. (PSI) has been awarded a research program from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to develop a fail-safe field emission-based cold cathode ionizer for use in space-based instrumentation.

NASA has expressed a need for advanced neutral particle ionizers to enable the next-generation of neutral particle detectors such as mass spectrometers for the study of Earth-Sun interactions and planetary atmospheres.

PSI’s cold cathode ionizer features ultra-low electron extraction voltages down to 2 V, emission current densities up to A/cm2 across mm2 emission surfaces, instantaneous switching and negligible thermal load. A unique property of this cold cathode ionizer is its extreme resistance to the most common failure modes associated with field emission devices. The device is designed with recovery from mechanical and thermal shock as well as resilience against exposure to debris or contamination that might be encountered during its service lifetime. The slow degradation of materials and surfaces encountered in space are inherently compensated for in the design.

For more information, contact:

Dr. Dorin Preda
Group Leader, Material Technologies
dpreda@psicorp.com
Physical Sciences Inc.
Telephone: (978) 689-0003

Newsletter

Physical Sciences Inc. (PSI)’s mission is to invent or adapt emerging technologies to address mission requirements of important national priorities. This issue of PSI’s quarterly Newsletter highlights two technology platforms that PSI teams have developed that we are transitioning to acquisition programs within the DoD. They are current examples of a continual process of PSI’s technology maturation and market adoption for national security, health and environmental applications.

High Power and Energy Density Battery

The Imperia^® Batteries Division of PSI has developed a new High Power and Energy Density Battery for use in demanding Unmanned Undersea Vehicle (UUV) applications. The battery merges technologies developed under PSI IR&D and multiple Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) programs, and is being matured in an ongoing OSD Rapid Innovation Fund (RIF) Program. The Battery combines Imperia’s High Active (HA) coating technology with a unique Non-Flammable (NF) Electrolyte, resulting in a high power (600 W), high energy, 250+Wh, battery in a compact package displacing less than 650 cubic centimeters. The battery incorporates a custom Battery Management System (BMS), tailored for use in UUV systems. Applications include any requirement for a high energy, high power density battery, but is uniquely suited for use with manned and unmanned systems requiring the added safety brought by Imperia’s non-flammable electrolyte, which significantly reduces the chance of propagating battery failures caused by cell damage or abuse.

UN Certified Mission Battery

The battery has been extensively tested in Imperia’s new Li-ion Battery laboratory and production facility in Wilmington, MA, and is currently undergoing USN’s 9310 testing for approval. A variant of this battery has also been developed for use with PSI’s InstantEye^® small Unmanned Air System (sUAS). The combination of the high energy density and high power density of the InstantEye Mission Battery nearly doubles the flight endurance of the InstantEye sUAS. New battery and energy system designs are constantly emerging incorporating Imperia’s HA Li-Ion and NF Electrolyte technologies to meet demanding DoD Requirements.

Representative battery discharge performance

For more information about Imperia^® Batteries, please contact Christopher Lang, Area Manager, Energy Technologies: lang@psicorp.com

Compact, High-speed, Staring Mode Visible-near Infrared/Shortwave Infrared Hyperspectral Imager

PSI has developed a compact, high-speed, staring mode visible-near infrared/shortwave infrared hyperspectral imager (VNIR/SWIR HSI) suited for operation from small to medium unmanned aircraft systems. Applications include airborne mine and obstacle detection, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, and targeting/cueing. The sensor has undergone multiple flight tests and advanced capability demonstrations with the government in the context of these applications. PSI is currently engaged in technology development efforts to tailor and harden the HSI platform for a specific DoD mission. The unique sensor architecture features a dual channel (425-850 nm VNIR, 0.9-1.7 mm [SWIR]) grating based HSI employing a digital micromirror device to project parallel scanning slits over the field of view (FOV). This architecture enables staring mode operation, which results in higher image quality and spatial resolution than standard push broom grating HSI sensors. In addition, the parallel slits enable significantly higher hyperspectral data acquisition rates than competing push broom HSI’s, resulting in faster achievable speeds of advance and areal coverage rates. PSI’s solution includes automated detection algorithms to identify targets of interest from typical scene clutter.

VNIR/SWIR HSI Sensor

Context image from HSI testing at PSI’s Epping, NH range testing facility

Towards the maturation of the VNIR/SWIR HSI platform, PSI has conducted regular testing at our Epping, NH range test site, imagery from which is shown below. The Epping facility enables imaging at standoff ranges consistent with mission relevant aircraft altitudes. The technology development team has been imaging spatial resolution targets as well as surrogate targets and obstacles to characterize the performance of the sensor and validate the automated detection algorithm. In addition, the team has initiated a new image fusion capability using a boresighted high-resolution RGB imager to increase pixels on target and enable application of shape recognition algorithms.

A selection of spectral images of the FOV corresponding to the context image above where the wavelengths are noted in the titles

For more information about PSI’s VNIR/SWIR HSI Sensor, please contact Dr. Julia Dupuis, Vice President, Tactical Systems: jdupuis@psicorp.com

Contract News

PSI recently received the following research contracts:

“Rapid Emergency Evacuation Litter” from the U.S. Marine Corps.

“Real-time Volumetric IR Absorption Nanoscope for in-situ Study of Plant/Microbe Interaction and Metabolism” and “Integrated Microfluidic Platforms on Thin Transparent Membranes” from the Department of Energy

“Directly Applied Separator in Lithium Ion Battery Manufacturing” from the Defense Logistics Agency

“Negative Electron Affinity Vacuum Microelectronics” from the Missile Defense Agency

“Thermochromic Coatings for Emissivity Modulation” from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency

For more PSI news, visit www.psicorp.com/news

Press Release

Physical Sciences Inc. (PSI), in collaboration with Boston University, has been awarded a research program from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to develop a compact and fieldable diagnostic sensor for the rapid multiplexed detection and identification of biological threats.

PSI’s platform is versatile and can simultaneously detect bacterial, viral and toxin threats in diverse environmental samples. The technology will provide highly sensitive and specific detection in less than one hour, with greater than 90 percent precision and accuracy. The sensor requires no specialized material or reagent storage and will fill a critical unmet need in biological defense by providing fast and accurate detection with exquisite sensitivity in a compact, ruggedized package.

For more information, contact:

Dr. Julia Dupuis
Vice President, Tactical Systems
jdupuis@psicorp.com
Physical Sciences Inc.
Telephone: (978) 689-0003

Press Release

Physical Sciences Inc. (PSI) has been awarded a research program from the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) to develop vacuum channel-based microelectronic analogues of the classic vacuum diodes and triodes, as well as novel single element logic gates.

PSI’s devices will possess an inherent physical and data-fault tolerance of extreme conditions such as ionizing radiation and temperature. The key advance embodied by these devices is the use of materials possessing stable, robust negative electron affinity (NEA) surfaces, enabling design of circuit elements with ultra-low operating voltage and power usage, resistance to self-induced electrical discharge damage, and high operating speed while retaining an exceptionally low cost to manufacture.

This research has numerous applications in high-speed electronics and electronics for use in extreme radiation environments such as nuclear reactors and spacecraft, as well as military applications. The devices and circuits developed under this research will likely possess novel characteristics rendering them useful for commercial applications in which logic and circuit elements requiring operation under extremely high-power loads are required.

For more information, contact:

Dr. Dorin Preda
Group Leader, Material Technologies
dpreda@psicorp.com
Physical Sciences Inc.
Telephone: (978) 689-0003

Press Release

Physical Sciences Inc. (PSI) has been awarded a research program from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to develop a multi¬layer emissivity control coating (MECC) for active and passive control of radiative properties.

PSI will leverage its existing work on VO₂-based filters and thermal control technologies to design and fabricate a thermochromic emissivity control coating and validate its ability to modulate broadband emissivity contrast by >10:1 with a switching time of 1 μs. We will investigate the fundamental limits of emissivity contrast in multilayer VO₂-based coatings with a thorough exploration of the trade-offs between switching speed, power requirements and emissivity contrast.

This program will provide scalable and cost-appropriate thermal-control tiles for both terrestrial and space-based applications. PSI’s MECC technology will be applicable to satellites for passive thermal control and terrestrial applications where passive thermal regulation can lead to power savings, such as in temperature-controlled train cars and semi-trucks.

For more information, contact:

Dr. Joel Hensley
Vice President, Photonics
hensley@psicorp.com
Physical Sciences Inc.
Telephone: (978) 689-0003