Award Data

Direct air capture (DAC) technologies are being developed for carbon dioxide removal (CDR) at scale to mitigate the climate impact of CO2. Current estimates for DAC suggest that it can cost between $300 - $1,500/tonne of CO2 captured. Besides CDR technologies using long-term CO2 storage, reactive DAC technologies can capture and directly convert the captured CO2 into value-added products. The prop ...

There is no manufacturing solution available today that can achieve quick-turn production of spaceborne printed circuit boards while adhering to the rigidity requirements of industry standards and surviving the rigors of space launch and flight. To fulfill the production needs of the defense and aerospace industries, this program will develop an additive manufacturing process combining the ruggedn ...

Developing regional marine renewable energy resource characterizations and assessments is a significant technical challenge which requires state-of-the-art modeling, application of best modeling practices, accurate model skills, high-quality inputs, and high-performance computing resources. Further, resource characterization and assessment for Powering the Blue Economy markets is needed, especiall ...

Traditional manufacturing of electronic components involves multi-step processes that are costly, capital intensive and environmentally unfriendly due to the chemical processes required. These are the serious challenges that industries from energy, defense, and automotive to space are currently facing. Conductive plastics are increasingly used in the electrical and electronics industry due to the ...

The offshore wind deployment pipeline in the US as planned is sufficient to reach the National Offshore Wind Energy Target of 30GW by 2030, but comparatively high costs, supply chain bottlenecks, and the lack of specialized infrastructure present significant barriers to success. A recent report published by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory suggests that offshore wind deployment is likely t ...

C56-20a-273160Machine driven processes such as pumps, fans, compressed air, and materials handling and processing accounted for 68% of electricity use (2,840 TBtu direct use) by U.S. manufacturing in 2010 (DoE 2014). Many of the involved electric motors use existing silicon diode-based switches for power conversion. Replacing these Si- or even the more recent SiC-based switches could unlock a pote ...

The Earth’s oceans are an energetic and largely untapped potential source of electrical power generation. Significant engineering and logistical challenges have slowed the installation and utilization of marine energy converters. More accurate and better resolved energy resource availability maps are needed to discover economically viable marine energy sites and technologies. Existing ocean curr ...

C56-40f-272264Generation IV reactors expect to operate at significantly higher temperature and pressures while using novel coolants. This introduces new challenges by way of increased stresses, fatigue, and the effects of reactor coolant chemistry interactions. Continuous development of higher performance materials must improve all performance criteria while being easily manufacturable and staying ...

Management of chronic wounds remains a clinical challenge, especially when the wounds are infected by either biofilms or antibiotic-resistant microbial pathogens. Low temperature plasma (LTP) technique has demonstrated its proof of concept as an effective, non-antibiotic approach for wound disinfection. So far, commercial medical LTP devices leverage the direct exposure of plasma plume to the woun ...

C56-40v-272647Next-generation nuclear power plants can provide a large-scale source of environmentally benign power generation while improving safety and minimizing proliferation risks. For best performance, these reactors will require large numbers of uranium alloy fuel slugs produced with metallurgical properties that enable reliable, long-term operation. No method currently exists for high-volu ...