Award Data

Organic chemicals comprise the dominant fraction of particulates found in atmospheric aerosols, and the largest proportions of these are secondary products formed in the atmosphere from oxidation of volatile organic compounds. Often these chemical transformations result from complex pathways involving species from different sources. To understand these processes, we need to be able to trace the ...

Metrology is a multi-billion dollar industry that is an indispensable part of science and manufacturing. A variety of techniques including interferometric microscopes, scanning electron microscopes (SEM), X-ray, and atomic force microscopes (AFM) are used in X-ray mirror manufacturing. The performance of any tool directly depends on the ability to characterize and tune it ...

New automotive engine technologies, such as direct injection with stratified charge combustion, are being explored under programs of the DOE and others that offer significant increases in efficiency and reductions in emissions. Research tools are needed to help determine how best to adequately control the combustion process throughout the engine operating envelope, to optimize combustion efficienc ...

A major problem with nuclear fission reactors is the welding of components of dissimilar metals, where the filler is usually of an additional metal alloy that is not necessarily the same as the two parts to be joined. Welding of metals will often have a heat affected zone (HAZ) and a thermo- mechanically affected zone (TMAZ), which need to be post-weld heat treated to minimize precipitation or seg ...

The near-field Campanile probe offer an unique solution to explore the behavior of matter at the nanometer scale by simultaneously imaging the physicochemical properties and the local morphology of materials. However, the fabrication of these revolutionary tips is complex and expensive with poor reproducibility, all of which prohibits any commercialization. Statement of How this Problem or Situati ...

As the world population increases and global GDP rises, the demand for energy is projected to increase dramatically. Fossil fuels are currently a leading energy source, approximately 50% of which is imported from foreign sources. A domestically produced, renewable energy source is needed to ensure the energy security of the United States. One source of domestic potential energy currently under- ...

The objective of the proposed project is to develop the next generation of the low cost, high energy and high power solid state rechargeable lithium battery using a low cost enabling solid state electrolyte and protected lithium metal electrode developed by University of California in San Diego for use in the plug-in hybrid vehicle and electric vehicle. The advantages of the proposed solid state ...

Transmission electron microscopy is one of the primary tools for biological and materials characterization and has many important research applications. However, there is an overarching need to simultaneously improve both its spatial and temporal resolutions, beyond currently available technology, to study physical processes near atomic scales. Technical Approach RadiaBeam Technologies and UCLA pr ...

The Inverse Free Electron Laser IFEL) is a laser accelerator, where an electron and laser beam interact inside a strongly tapered magnetic undulator. IFEL enables strong energy exchange between electron and laser beams over extended lengths ~ 1 m), which makes the IFEL an ideal technology for GeV-class electron beam sources, and drivers of compact soft X-ray free electron lasers, and gamma-ray Com ...

The reactor vessel coolant level is currently measured primarily by differential pressure DP) and by heated junction thermocouple HTJC) probes. The DP gauge measures only collapsed water level and not two-phase level, while the HJTC probe indicates whether or not the water level has reached the elevation of a specific probe. The HJTC probes are typically located at discrete intervals so the measur ...