Award Data

Next generation reactor concepts cater to a common goal of providing safer, longer lasting and economically viable nuclear power plants. Developing radiation damage resistant materials for both in- core and out-of core applications is a critical component of these next generation power plants. Testing these novel materials requires an intense neutron environment. A commonly used tool for testing n ...

Environmental sensor networks capable of taking data quickly enough to capture minutescale fluctuations and durable enough to capture these data for entire seasons provide essential information for studying the seasonal and annual effects of microbial activity across complete ecosystems. Distributed sensors for subsurface dissolved oxygen (DO) concentration measurement are of particular interest b ...

Three different modalities of radiation sterilization currently exist: gamma-ray sterilization, electron beam sterilization, and x-ray sterilization. One of the most common ways to sterilize goods is with gamma producing radioactive sources, most commonly Co-60 and Cs-137. Long-term possession of these sources is undesirable due to security concerns, Nuclear Regulatory Commission over ...

The main focus of photonuclear physics has always been investigation of the internal spatial and spin structure of the nuclei and nucleons. While high energy photons (over 100 MeV) are used most often to probe the nuclear structure and look deep into the nucleus, intermediate energy (1-40 MeV) photonuclear reactions can also provide significant information via nuclear resonance fluorescence and sp ...

The next generation of rare isotope beam facilities requires new and improved instrumentation to cope with the high-radiation environment associated with the interaction of high-power beams with matter. One essential piece of instrumentation that is needed is a precise, radiation-resistant, magnetic field probe. The NMR probes, that are currently being used, have a very limited lifetime in high-ra ...

The nuclear security and safeguards community does not have an effective tool to track the location and quantities of radioactive material within facilities. This effort will result in a sensor that can provide precise locations and quantities of radioisotopes in complex measurement environments. It is in the national interest to develop the best possible tools to monitor all aspects of the domes ...

High material costs and high manufacturing costs have been identified as one of the critical barriers that are slowing the adoption of Solid State Lighting. A 2012 Department of Energy report estimated that Solid-State Lighting has the potential to reduce electric energy consumed by lighting from 694TWh in 2010 to 375TWh in 2030. Overcoming the materials and manufacturing cost barriers in order t ...

Carbon capture and storage is generally considered as a crucial component of any U.S. strategy for addressing the climate change problem. Carbon dioxide can be stored underground in geologic formations, or permanently bound into some abundant minerals via carbonation reactions. These options have been subject of significant research and development efforts. The proposed project employs the advance ...

In order to reduce Americans dependence on oil imports, the Department of Energy (DOE) has pursued multiple strategies for making vehicles more fuel efficient. Reducing vehicle weight is a promising approach and much effort has focused on developing technologies to replace steel. However, exotic materials are proving expensive and often require automotive manufacturers invest heavily in factory re ...

In order to reduce Americans dependence on oil imports, the Department of Energy (DOE) has pursued multiple strategies for making vehicles more fuel efficient. Reducing vehicle weight is a promising approach and much effort has focused on developing technologies to replace steel. However, exotic materials are proving expensive and often require automotive manufacturers invest heavily in factory re ...