Award Data

Realizing the promise of nuclear fusion depends in part on effective plasma facing components (PFCs) that can withstand the intense heat loads, forces, and neutron bombardment of long-pulse high-power reactor operation. A single reactor such as ITER will require thousands of PFCs. Because imperfections in the joints of just one PFC could have disastrous consequences for reactor operation, joint ...

Solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) are one of the most efficient and cleanest power generating systems being developed. A key component is the cathode air heat exchanger, or recuperator, which ensures that the cathode air, and thereby the cells, are at sufficient temperature to permit ion mobility ¿ and thereby improve overall SOFC system efficiency. At present, commercially available metallic recu ...

Electrochemical capacitors are being developed for utility applications, providing emergency backup power, improving system stability, and lowering demand peaks. These functions reduce congestion at critical times for transmission and distribution systems. However, the use of electrochemical capacitors is limited by their performance (energy and power densities), safety, and short cycle life. T ...

Methane is the second most important atmospheric greenhouse gas after CO2, yet its global sources and sinks are still inadequately characterized. Recent observations that industrial plants may account for a substantial fraction of atmospheric methane have lead to an increased emphasis on studies of ecosystem CH4 fluxes, with particular interest in using isotopic composition to identify specific p ...

Aerosol particles have important impacts on visibility, acid deposition, climate, and human health. A large fraction of the anthropogenic aerosol is generated from energy-related activities, and carbonaceous species are known to constitute a significant fraction of ambient aerosol mass in many locations. In particular, black carbon (BC), formed in combustion processes, is believed to have a stro ...

National security interests related to the nonproliferation of weapons of mass destruction require the remote detection of trace gases associated with the nuclear fuel cycle. Newly developed, mid-infrared, quantum cascade lasers have the potential to contribute to this application. These small solid state lasers produce relatively high power in the infrared band of light where many gases can be ...

Aerosol particles affect the radiative balance of the earth directly, by scattering and absorbing solar and terrestrial radiation, and indirectly, by acting as cloud condensation nuclei. It is now recognized that atmospheric loading of aerosols, generated through human activities, can exert an influence on the earth¿s radiation budget comparable in magnitude with greenhouse gases. However, unce ...

Worldwide fossil-fuel consumption is skyrocketing, creating major social, political, economic, and environmental problems for the US and once again throwing the spotlight upon the urgent need for boosting renewable energy sources, including biodiesel. However, key technical and economic challenges continue to make biodiesel fuel production too costly to compete with other liquid fuels, largely ba ...

This project will demonstrate a breakthrough detector for the readout of scintillators used for gamma ray detection in Nuclear Physics experiments. The new detector: (1) will overcome the quantum efficiency and high voltage limits of current photomultipliers (PMTs) and Avalanche Photodiodes (APDs); (2) will offer the possibility of improving scintillator detector resolution at least by a factor ...

X-ray detector arrays with high energy resolution, high sensitivity, and high count rate are required for synchrotron beamline studies. In many studies conducted with synchrotron beamlines, the characteristics of available X-ray detectors limit overall system performance. This project will investigate a novel, low capacitance design for high purity silicon detector arrays, which offers high-ener ...