Award Data

Small Angle Neutron Scattering (SANS) has been an extremely productive materials science probe for several decades and is used extensively by researchers studying a wide range of subjects, including polymers, ceramics, metals and biological macromolecules and functions. However, it is limited to length scales from 1 to 100 nm and requires highly collimated and relatively monochromatic neutron beam ...

There is a growing demand for power electronics that can operate under the high temperature and high power conditions that will be encountered in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (HEV). As the coolant temperature used to dissipate heat from electronics increases, the operation of power semiconductor devices such as Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistors (IGBTs) becomes severely limited in order that the safe ...

Atmospheric aerosols influence the global radiation balance through direct scattering, and perhaps more importantly, through modification of the earth

New solid-state photomultipliers (SSPMs) need compact integrated circuitry for readout if such photodetectors are going to be implemented in high-energy physics, nuclear physics, or nuclear medical imaging applications. The aim of this work is to significantly improve the bandwidth in reading out arrays of SSPMs by developing a custom ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit). This ASIC will ...

We need transformational manufacturing technologies for fabrication of nanomaterials for manufacturing batteries and capacitors that will have a huge impact on improving the energy and power density of batteries and capacitors for transportation, energy storage and consumer electronics applications. Development of novel nanomaterials with high energy and power capability and a novel, nontradition ...

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR/STTR) project targets the development of a novel technology for CO2 capture and separation from combustion-derived flue gas. In the US, coal-fired power plants represent about 50% of the electricity generated but contribute about 80% of the CO2 emissions. CO2 emissions are responsible for climate change. The Department of Energy is supporting developme ...

In the coming generation of Very High Temperature Reactors (VHTRs), nuclear fuel is encapsulated into billions of small, tri-structural isotropic (TRISO) fuel pellets. To facilitate the licensing and economic competitiveness of the anticipated future generation of VHTRs, improved quality control of TRISO pellets (less than one bad coating in 105) is desired. Presently, characterization of fuel pel ...

The energy storage device is today

Due to the current oil crisis, the United States has begun to focus on alternative energy sources for transportation and other domestic applications. Methanol offers a renewable alternative to many fossil fuels that can be a raw material for the synthetic hydrocarbons and their products. ISL proposes to fabricate a photo-electrochemical cell that converts carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas which can ...

Accurate measurement of consumption profiles for utility services like electricity, water, and gas consumed in their buildings is essential to understand and optimize energy consumption, detect and solve equipment failures and problems, and facilitate predictive maintenance of various utility loads. Currently, multiple sensors and wiring and extensive tracking and monitoring is required to obtain ...