Award Data

The increase in CO2 in atmosphere can be attributed to vehicular emissions, coal/natural gas power plants, and industrial processes. CO2 removal from atmosphere is considered critical for reducing climate change effects; Current CO2 capture is performed using amine-based scrubbing systems via absorption–regeneration technology. However, amine based CO2 removal is energy intensive and not cost-ef ...

Nuclear detection and spectroscopy is used to detect and characterize global nuclear security threats and prevent spread of materials, technology, and expertise related to weapons of mass destruction. High performance scintillation detectors are the backbone of such tools. Recent advances in scintillators have demonstrated superior spectroscopic qualities, rivaling those of the semiconductor detec ...

There is a need to improve the monitoring techniques for radioactive xenon (Xe) in the atmosphere, so that clandestine nuclear test explosions can be confirmed. The equipment used for the detection of radioactive Xe gas incorporates plastic scintillators, which unfortunately trap the Xe gas during operation. The result is a residual Xe activity in the detector that affects subsequent measurements, ...

With development of shale gas fracking, large amounts of methane and ethane have now become available at low cost. With this low cost ethane it is desirable to convert low cost ethane to high value ethylene. Oxidative dehydration (ODH) for low cost conversion of ethane to ethylene is a potentially attractive route. ODH is an exothermic process for converting ethane to ethylene. By contrast process ...

One of the major objectives in high energy particle physics and a top priority for the Department of Energy is the elucidation of the nature of dark matter, a discovery which would truly be transformative. In many cases, the ability to advance the research further is limited by the capabilities of the available detectors. Fortunately, recent advances in cryogenic bolometers have significantly impr ...

Electric Grid maintenance and repair requires highly skilled labor to complete necessary critical tasks. Currently, much of the experienced- workforce is rapidly approaching retirement and there is the possibility of diminished appropriate skill level as well as the potential for lost institutional knowledge. In addition, technology is rapidly changing and the grid becoming more complex, making it ...

Excessive moisture transport into building enclosures can lead to increased energy use as well as mold growth and structural rot when moisture condenses in wall cavities. Currently, architects and builders must use passive membrane products as weather resistant barriers which exhibit a single permeability irrespective of environmental conditions. Membranes with a single high permeability may allow ...

The Large Hadron Collider in Switzerland is the largest particle accelerator in the world. An upgrade bringing higher resolution (higher luminosity) is called HL-LHC and will require improved lightweight materials. Thermal interface materials having higher thermal conductivity (> 4 W/mK) with low atomic mass and excellent radiation-resistance are required to achieve tight tolerances on detectors. ...

Advancement in detector technology is continuously ongoing as the needs of high-energy experimental facilities evolve. For example, upgrades are needed at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) as the luminosity is increased. Without advancing fast detector technology many future high energy physics experiments will be limited by the timing capabilities of current particle detector technology. One of the ...

Vanadium is a critical contributor to many different clean energy applications. It is directly used in the most common titanium alloy, Ti-6Al-4V. However, over 80% of the vanadium produced is used in steel production as ferrovanadium master alloy. Vanadium is an essential component to the high-strength low alloy (HSLA) steels and many advanced high strength steels (AHSS) that are being employed fo ...