Award Data

The prospect of nuclear power produced with advanced molten salt-cooled reactor (MSR) designs has garnered the attention of the Department of Energy in conjunction with the private sector. Modern designs describe a chemically stable salt such as FLiNaK with a melting point below 500°C, heated by the nuclear reaction to a temperature near 700°C. Continuous operation of MSR heat-exchange loops req ...

The conventional nitric acid manufacturing method uses natural gas as a feedstock for hydrogen and an energy intensive thermal process that emits a large amount of carbon dioxide. A new low-temperature plasma system, which can be driven electrically by a renewable or nuclear energy source, could reduce the energy consumed by the synthesis of nitric acid while eliminating the emission of greenhouse ...

2-Methylfuran (2MF) is a versatile non-food biomass derived low-carbon number performance advantaged bio-product. It is used for manufacturing green solvent (2-methyltertrahydrofuran (2MeTHF)), UpSycal?oils that RiKarbon is manufacturing for end-use natural and sustainable cosmetics and lubricants, and chemical/pharmaceutical intermediates. Currently fossil-based incumbent solvents such as tetrahy ...

AMA Tech is developing a cutting-edge metallization paste for the front side of tunnel oxide passivated contact (TOPCon) crystalline silicon solar cells, which is expected to improve TOPCon solar cell efficiency significantly. This development has the potential to disrupt the photovoltaic industry, as even a small increase in cell efficiency could replace current passivated emitter and rear cell ( ...

Subsurface resources present a tremendous opportunity not only for extraction of oil and gas, but also geothermal resources as well as a reservoir for sequestration of carbon and other wastes. When last studied, experts concluded that as much as 200,000 exojoules of untapped energy is available in enhanced geothermal system (EGS) resources: 2,000 times the annual consumption of primary energy cons ...

Annular extruded plastics are in everything from fuel lines, hoses, pipes, and wires to catheters, medical tubing, and stents and makes up about ? of the $200B extruded plastics market. Extrusion manufacturing is a major processor of the $600B raw plastics industry, which produces 380 million metric tons of material each year. The production of these materials accounts for 4% of oil consumption an ...

C56-12c-272445Carbon fiber composites (CFCs) exhibit superior properties and combined with part consolidation, reduce system weight significantly compared to metal approaches. But CFCs have high embodied energy (~230MJ/kg) and the virgin carbon fiber (vCF) feedstock is expensive (>$20/kg). Recycling of CFCs has the potential to recapture the material value at a much lower cost, reduce the embodied ...

Perfluorosulfonic acid (PFSA) polymers are the primary membrane material used in the manufacturing of water electrolyzers and fuel cells for the hydrogen economy. The discarding of these materials, especially when they are combined with precious metals, presents an unwanted introduction of these materials into the environment. Thus, the opportunity being addressed by this SBIR proposal is the deve ...

C53-20b-271305The prospect of nuclear power produced with advanced molten salt-cooled reactor (MSR) designs has garnered the attention of the Department of Energy in conjunction with the private sector. The salts are used to transfer heat from the reacting fuel. All designs describe a chemically stable salt with a melting point near 500°C, heated by the nuclear reaction to a temperature near 700 ...

Modern lithium ion batteries are known for their poor safety performance, with many reports of battery failure and fire having been reported. One of the major causes of battery fire is from the use of flammable solvents, such as organic carbonates, as the electrolyte. These hazards have long limited the usage of batteries in dangerous conditions, such as on the battlefield. To combat this issue, t ...