Award Data

Michigan Aerospace Corporation proposes to develop an inexpensive system to sense nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions from agricultural fields using laser-based sensors mounted on drones. These sensors include an optical absorption cell, a wind sensor, and a camera for plant health and ground assessment. The measurements from these sensors will be combined and processed with artificial-intelligence-enab ...

PCI’s is proposing an advanced energy storage and power generator design for meeting aggressive specific-power and specific-energy targets required for all-electric propulsion of narrow-body commercial aircraft. Key drivers are an exceptionally power-dense solid oxide fuel cell operating with energy-dense carbon neutral liquid fuels and a hybridized system architecture that maximizes component e ...

Noon Energy has developed a new class of battery technology that will cost-effectively turn intermittent solar and wind electricity into on-demand power. It uses ultra-low-cost storage media and can match the energy efficiency of lithium-ion technology. It stores energy by splitting CO2 into solid carbon and oxygen in a flow battery configuration, utilizing abundant materials and simple reaction c ...

The trend for short-reach optical fiber communications, those used for data centers and HPC, has been to use simple and power-efficient approaches to scale bandwidth. Approaches include parallel single mode (ex. more fibers), multi-level modulation coupled with direct detection (ex. four-level pulse amplitude modulation or PAM-4), and wide channel spacing (i.e. coarse WDM or CWDM). Bandwidth and c ...

Celadyne Technologies will develop an innovative elevated temperature proton conducting ionomer material. The team improves upon existing technology relying on acid-base chemistry in favor of an approach driven by defect chemistry and interfacial nanoionic interactions. The technology could improve efficiency in proton exchange membrane fuel cells and electrolyzers and reduce CO2 emissions.

We are building a technology that produces low cost hydrogen while releasing low or no carbon dioxide emissions. Key to our affordable hydrogen is the co-generation of valuable co-products like: Sulfuric Acid or Cement. Our processes are lower emission, lower energy and lower cost than conventional production method. We validated a proof-of-concept in our lab in May 2019 and our objective is to de ...

The growing challenge of plastic waste accumulation in the US, and throughout the world, requires an immediate and innovative solution. A solution that would help to mitigate the ever growing plastic waste problem, while utilizing the abundant latent energy in plastic waste to produce liquid fuel, would not only help the US with its plastics reuse capability, but would add to the $5 Billion oil ma ...

Growth, electrification, and increased installation of renewable energy is drivingsignificant increases in worldwide demand for metals like manganese, nickel, copper, and cobalt. This increase in commodity prices and projected demand has driven interest in exploring new sources of minerals such as deep sea mining. The abyssal plain contains locations of concentrated deposits of polymetallic nodule ...

The goal of this project is to develop a novel experimental protocol utilizing the fundamentals of cutting-edge materials science, chemistry, and advanced nanoengineering to create a first-of-its-kind multifunctional cementitious coating material that mitigates the detrimental effects of irradiation, heat, and corrosive in nuclear power plants. Capitalizing on our promising preliminary results, th ...

Seabed mining may be the best option to fill the impending gap in terrestrial supplies for nickel, cobalt, and rare earth elements, which are increasingly used to manufacture electric vehicles and large lithium-ion batteries. Deep Reach Technology will design a novel nodule collector to minimize the impact of sediment plumes, which may disperse and cover the seabed beyond the mining area. The proj ...