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An Updated Methodology for Enhancing Risk Monitors with Integrated Equipment Condition Assessment

Small modular reactors (SMRs) generally include reactors with electric output of ~350 MWe or less (this cutoff varies somewhat but is substantially less than full-size plant output of 700 MWe or more). Advanced SMRs (AdvSMRs) refer to a specific class of SMRs and are based on modularization of advanced reactor concepts. Enhancing affordability of AdvSMRs will be critical to ensuring wider deployment, as AdvSMRs suffer from loss of economies of scale inherent in small reactors when compared to large (~greater than 600 MWe output) reactors and the controllable day-to-day costs of AdvSMRs will be dominated by operation and maintenance (O&M) costs. Technologies that help characterize real-time risk are important for controlling O&M costs. Risk monitors are used in current nuclear power plants to provide a point-in-time estimate of the system risk given the current plant configuration (e.g., equipment availability, operational regime, and environmental conditions). However, current risk monitors are unable to support the capability requirements listed above as they do not take into account plant-specific normal, abnormal, and deteriorating states of active components and systems. This report documents technology developments towards enhancing risk monitors that, if integrated with supervisory plant control systems, can provide the capability requirements listed and meet the goals of controlling O&M costs. The report describes research results on augmenting an initial methodology for enhanced risk monitors that integrate real-time information about equipment condition and POF into risk monitors. Methods to propagate uncertainty through the enhanced risk monitor are evaluated. Available data to quantify the level of uncertainty and the POF of key components are examined for their relevance, and a status update of this data evaluation is described. Finally, we describe potential targets for developing new risk metrics that may be useful for studying trade-offs for economic operation while maintaining adequate safety margins.

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗

Initiating Events for Multi-Reactor Plant Sites

Inherent in the design of modular reactors is the increased likelihood of events that initiate at a single reactor affecting another reactor. Because of the increased level of interactions between reactors, it is apparent that the Probabilistic Risk Assessments (PRAs) for modular reactor designs need to specifically address the increased interactions and dependencies.

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗

Development of New, Low-Head Hydropower Turbine - Modeling & Laboratory Test DE-EE0005426

Hydro Green Energy, LLC (HGE) will complete the design, fabrication and laboratory testing of a scaled, vertically stackable, low-head hydropower turbine called the Modular Bulb Turbine (MBT). HGE will also complete a summary report that includes the laboratory testing results and analysis of the tests. Project Goals: Design, model and test modular bulb turbine for installation in numerous HGE low-head hydropower projects at non-powered USACE dams. Project Results: The sub-scale prototype was tested successfully at a leading US hydraulic laboratory. Laboratory data results agreed well with predicted results from numerical modeling.

13 HYDRO ENERGY↗

The Unsteady Aerodynamics Module For FAST8

The new modularization framework of FAST v.8 (Jonkman 2013) was accompanied by a complete overhaul of the aerodynamics routines. AeroDyn is an aerodynamics module comprised of four submodels: rotor wake/induction, blade airfoil aerodynamics, tower influence on the blade nodes, and tower drag. Throughout the software overhaul, several improvements to the original theoretical treatments were achieved, including more accurate skewed-wake and unsteady airfoil aerodynamics, and the possibility of modeling highly flexible and curved blades. Under asymmetric conditions, such as wind shear, yawed, and tilted flow, the individual blade elements undergo variations in angle of attack that lead to unsteady aerodynamics phenomena, which can no longer be captured through the static airfoil lift and drag look-up tables. This document covers the main theory and the organization of the modularization framework of the new unsteady aerodynamics submodule (UAM)1, which includes unsteady aerodynamics under attached flow conditions and dynamic stall. The UAM can be called by either blade element momentum theory (only interface discussed in this report), or other future wake models (e.g., dynamic blade element momentum theory, or generalized dynamic wake).

17 WIND ENERGY↗

Real-World Demonstration of a New, American Low-Head Hydropower Turbine (Final Technical Report)

Hydro Green Energy (HGE) has designed and model tested a Modular Bulb Turbine (MBT) with a simplified civil structure which shows potential to provide an economical alternative for undeveloped low-head projects in the United States, such as at existing locks and dams and constructed waterways. The primary objective of this project was to fabricate, install and operate a full scale interchangeable Modular Bulb Turbine (MBT), which will be inserted in a Large Frame Module (LFM) and supporting civil infrastructure designed by Hydro Green Energy at Braddock Locks and Dam, a low-head hydropower project site at an existing lock and dam currently in federal licensing by Hydro Green Energy. HGE would finance and install the remaining six turbines, which would have completed the larger 5.2 MW head hydropower project.

13 HYDRO ENERGY↗

FAST Equipment Lease with Liberty University, Inc. (Cooperative Research and Development Final Report)

Liberty University, Inc. (Participant) will receive government owned equipment from NREL to evaluate and perform fatigue testing of bladders in use for small scale pumped storage hydropower. NREL is providing technical support to advance Liberty University's pumped storage hydropower (PSH) concept towards commercialization. The concept creates modular upper and lower watertight enclosures (tanks or reservoirs) connected by a series of modular pipe lengths (penstock).

13 HYDRO ENERGY↗

Small Reactors in Microgrids: Technology Modeling and Selection (Net-Zero Microgrid Program Project Report)

This report demonstrates the capabilities of the net-zero microgrid (NZM) Xendee platform for modeling an SR module with electricity, heat extraction and thermal storage in microgrids configurations. The model effectively captures the most important technical and economic considerations for SR technology specific analysis: cost and operational characteristics of SR technology and financial costs and incentives. The model can analyze multiple scenarios to establish metrics for cost-competitive and zero-carbon microgrids connected to the grid or completely isolated. The model is fully integrated within the Xendee platform for modeling and analysis of clean energy microgrids with storage and generation from renewable energy sources. The model captures the capabilities, constraints, and nuances of SR by incorporating parameters related to plant economics, design efficiency and performance, plant operation and component and fuel lifespan. The cost and operational parameters modeled in the SR module are specific to the technology selected for integration in the microgrid. Cost parameters recognize advanced nuclear technology for modular production and installation based on economies of scale from factory manufacture and related commissioning, and cost reduction through technology maturation—first-of-a-kind (FOAK) and nth-of-a-Kind (NOAK). The cost parameters include installation, operations and maintenance (O&M), fuel refueling cycle, and reactor life. Installation cost reflects economies of scale due to unit sizing at scale and colocation. O&M economies of scale for both fixed- and variable-cost fuel life-cycle costs are incurred at every refueling interval, with separate front- and back-end fuel costs, as well as waste-handling and disposition costs. This report investigates key characteristics of different SR technologies suitable for microgrid applications, including design principles, sizing, coolant properties, temperature ratings, fuel structures, and life-cycle considerations. This also includes fuel technologies applicable to these SR systems, alongside strategies for nuclear-waste and spent-fuel management and approaches to address safety, security, and proliferation challenges. Four primary groups of SR technologies are examined: water-cooled, liquid-metal-cooled, high-temperature gas-cooled, and molten-salt-cooled systems. In this report, an initial guideline for technology selection is established, aligning the characteristics of the technologies with the requirements of microgrids. The selection of technology in a microgrid is influenced by various factors, including financial capacity, location and accessibility, demand type and characteristics, reliability and resilience requirements, area constraints, and the lifespan of the microgrid. The types of electrical and non-electrical applications within the microgrid also play a significant role in technology selection. The characteristics of SRs, such as their smaller size, modularity, transportability, long refueling interval, improved safety features, ability to operate in autonomous or semi-autonomous mode, and provision of high-grade heat, are particularly appealing for microgrids. Furthermore, a list of considerations for implementing SRs in microgrids is outlined. The SR model is created to be continuously improved with the acquisition of actual data on investment and operational costs, experience with supply chains, production at scale, and field deployments. In the near term, performance data on applications in microgrids will become available from lessons learned from laboratory tests, such as those planned for the Microreactor Applications Research Validation and Evaluation Project (MARVEL), led by Idaho National Laboratory (INL). The SR model incorporates scenario data and known SR design specifications, enabling technoeconomic analysis for SR deployment in microgrids. It specifically considers the distinctive attributes of SRs as generators in technoeconomic studies. SRs can be modeled and analyzed with generation from renewable-energy sources, energy storage, and flexible loads over a range of functionality and applications. This offers a comprehensive tool for feasibility studies, scenario development, and sensitivity analysis for “what-if” consideration of any range of assumptions about SRs in microgrids and other aggregations of distributed-energy resources, including virtual power plants.

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗

RAPID Manufacturing Institute Final Report

The Rapid Advancement of Process Intensification Deployment (RAPID) Manufacturing Institute, founded in 2017, is a public/private partnership between the U.S. Department of Energy and the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE). RAPID promotes the development, deployment and commercialization of Process Intensification (PI) and Modular Chemical Process Intensification (MCPI) technologies, enabling U.S. manufacturing to reduce energy consumption, improve process efficiencies and lower investment and operating costs. This mission was carried out through parallel work breakdown structure elements including the establishment of committees to guide the operations and technical direction of RAPID, the establishment of management practices and institute processes, education and workforce development (EWD), and six technical focus areas for the development of technologies to advance PI and MCPI. Throughout the initial six-year cooperative agreement, RAPID worked to meet performance metrics which focused on the operation and sustainment of the institute, education and workforce development and the development of PI and MCPI for the advancement of U.S. manufacturing. All these metrics were successfully met through a total of 43 projects which leveraged $\$$70M Federal with $\$$90M cost share. As a result of these efforts, 84 private and public organizations were brought together by RAPID as members to co-invest in R&D, commercialization and deployment of innovative technologies. In the research portfolio, 82% of the 38 projects achieved > 20% energy efficiency improvement. A RAPID Test Network was developed with 51 testbed facilities to enable access to resources, facilities, tools, and expertise. Eight EWD programs were also developed with over 13,000 impressions. RAPID’s efforts to research, develop, demonstrate, and deploy high-impact PI and modular process technology solutions have enabled reduced energy use, increased sustainability, and improved profitability for U.S. manufacturing.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗

How Can Construction Process Simulation Modeling Aid the Integration of Lean Principles in the Factory-Built Housing Industry?

New and existing factories that produce and deliver factory-built housing can benefit from construction process simulation modeling to explore the integration of Lean principles in their operations. Construction process simulation modeling provides digital or virtual recreations of the real-world factory environments to visualize, quantify, analyze, and optimize their underlying behavior, including factory productivity, material flow, labor dynamics, bottlenecks, and work scope. One of the key benefits of process simulation modeling is the ability to create and compare "what-if" scenarios, including integrating Lean principles such as reducing waste (for example, transportation, waiting), line balancing, and just-in-time concepts. In general, three process simulation methods are widely used: discrete event simulation (DES), agentbased modeling (ABM), and system dynamics (SD). Myriad process simulation software also is available, but depending on the industry, complexity of the system, and purposes of the simulation, some software might be more appropriate. Similar to how computer-aided design (CAD) software such as AutoCAD and Rhinoceros enable building design of modular or factory-built housing, process simulation modeling software such as jStrobe, ProModel, and AnyLogic can enable factory design of new and existing factories to deliver modular affordable housing at scale, as opposed to traditional site-built construction. Software with DES capabilities can help generate a process model that is a logical representation of resources and activities in a factory. Software with CAD-DES integration can leverage product-process data integration to help spatially visualize a DES model of the factory in the CAD environment. Software with multimethod simulation capabilities, widely used in the manufacturing industry, brings together DES, ABM, and SD in a single platform that allows visualization, quantification, analyses, and optimization at varying data fidelities. Near-real-time data from an existing factory can be directly plugged into multimethod simulation software so that the construction process simulation model is a near-accurate representation of the real-world factory conditions. This report provides insights into the use of simulation as an aid to integrate Lean concepts in factories, including guidelines for selecting the appropriate process simulation modeling method and software. These insights have been developed as part of ongoing process simulation modeling research, development, and demonstration projects at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the U.S. Department of Energy, and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory focused on how process simulation models can enable better integration of resilience, energy efficiency, and low-carbon design strategies.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗

The NAC-SMP - a Next Generation Transformation Package - 18391

NAC International Inc. (NAC) is developing a Small Multi-Purpose (SMP) Type B(U)F-96 transportation cask designed with flexibility and cost-efficiency objectives to support shipment of a wide range of wastes with fissile material contents. The NAC-SMP package is a small, modular design that meets US DOT weight limits for road transport. Contents can be accommodated in multiple configurations including standard drums of up to 416 liters (110 U.S. gallons) in capacity. The package will also accommodate unique waste contents and fuel designs where cost-effective packaging options have been a challenge. The NAC-SMP development goals include simplicity of design and operational flexibility to meet Type B requirements. In particular, the cask body is designed to satisfy the dimensional and mass constraints, shielding requirements, and general transport requirements for a variety of contents under 10 CFR 71 and IAEA SSR-6 regulations. Flexibility is assured by the cask's modular design, which consists of multiple vessels to provide containment, shielding and overpack capability. The containment boundary design permits adaptability to content requirements by relying on interchangeable internal components for secondary containment, supplemental shielding and shoring, as required. In this paper, NAC provides an overview of the NAC-SMP cask and identifies the design features and technology advancements that makes the cask a readily adaptable and flexible solution for packaging US DOE and other orphan wastes, and to enable the integration of these wastes into the waste management system process and disposition infrastructure. (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗

A BWR Fuel Assembly Concept with Partial Segregation of Fertile Material

Small modular reactors (SMRs) have been a hot topic in recent years due to their own set of advantages over conventional large light water reactors (LWRs). One of the driving forces for SMR development is the significant reduction in the up-front cost and enhanced inherent safety features. The reduced safety concerns are attributed to two main aspects, decay heat and source term. By taking the advantages of the two-phase flow driving head, which allows a much smaller and simpler reactor pressure vessel compared to the integral PWRs, a 50 MWe BWR-based SMR called the Novel Modular Reactor (NMR-50) is currently being developed at Purdue University. For this NMR-50, an optimized long-life core design was developed, which achieves a 10.2-year cycle length under current industrial practices and constraints. Due to the reduced operating power density, however, it was evident that there is a significant room to increase the fuel linear power. Therefore, core designs of partial segregation of fertile material within a fuel assembly (FA) were investigated to extend the fuel cycle length further. A heterogeneous fertile material loading (HFL) within a fuel assembly was developed based on the existing industry UO{sub 2} once-through fuel cycle option for the purpose of near-term deployment and maximum retrofitability. (authors)

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗

Performance Analysis of the Passive Residual Heat Removal System of an Integral Reactor

A demand for small modular reactors (SMRs) is gradually emerging worldwide, especially in Middle East Asia and Africa. SMART (System-integrated Modular Advanced ReacTor) developed by KAERI (Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute) is the first mover among several SMRs. It is designed to produce 100 MW of electricity, or 90 MW of electricity and 40,000 tons of desalinated water concurrently, which is sufficient for 100,000 residents. SMART is currently holding the initiative as the first licensed integral reactor in the world since 4 July 2012, when the standard design approval (SDA) was officially issued by the Nuclear safety and security commission (NSSC). After that, the SMART safety enhancement project was successfully conducted with intense support of the Government, resulting in an in-depth development of the most advanced safety features including the passive residual heat removal system (PRHRS). Recently, an agreement between KAERI and King Abdullah city for atomic and renewable energy (K.A. CARE) was officially signed for the pre-project engineering (PPE) in pursuit of the construction of SMART and developing human resources capability. Both parties are currently conducting a three-year preliminary study to review the feasibility of building SMART and to prepare for its commercialization. KAERI also takes responsibility to train R and D personnel chosen from Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Sooner or later, SMART will open the global market of SMR and be the best competitive pioneer. Since the Fukushima accident, the passive cooling system of a nuclear reactor has received a great amount of attention. SMART is designed with passive systems in order to ensure the safety of the reactor. The PRHRS is one of the passive safety systems, which is activated after an accident to remove the residual heat from the core and the sensible heat of the reactor coolant system (RCS) through the steam generators (SGs) until the condition of the RCS reaches a safe shutdown condition. In the present study, the thermal performance of the PRHRS is predicted by using in-house code. Temperature of the RCS and the cooling rate of the RCS are traced with time to see if it is satisfactorily designed to meet the design requirements of the PRHRS. The dependency of the mass flow rate of the natural circulation on the filling ratio (FR) is also discussed. The FR is arbitrarily chosen from 0.22 to 0.50 and further parametric study is needed in the future.

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗

Powering Data Centers with Clean Energy: A Techno-Economic Case Study of Nuclear and Renewable Energy Dependability

Rising data demands from artificial intelligence (AI) and large language models (LLMs) generating images, videos, and text have prompted increased need for larger and more robust data centers in the United States. Major companies interested in these larger data centers face the choice of linking them to existing regional grids, building stand-alone power supplies onsite, or a combination of both. The request, review, and approval process for new transmission lines to grids in the United States, however, has grown in recent years to times spans rivaling those of new construction for nuclear power plants. Building an islanded power supply for each data center is therefore becoming a prominent option. In this case study, several technologies are modeled in techno-economic simulations for long-term system costs subject to fixed electricity demand from a singular data center. A 250 MWe data center is assumed with additional 50 MWe for resiliency. Techno-economic simulations are conducted using the Holistic Energy Resource Optimization Network (HERON) software, which is a part of the Framework for Optimization of Resources and Economics (FORCE) tool suite. Technologies considered include solar, wind, lithium-ion batteries, and several types of nuclear reactors: large-scale reactors, small modular reactors, and microreactors. A low- and high-cost estimate for each technology is assumed to develop a range of expected economic performance. Low-cost estimates included several clean energy production tax credits. Different combinations of renewable energy generators with nuclear reactors are considered, ranging from a fully renewable-powered data center to a fully nuclear-powered data center. Historic time series of wind and solar availability from the Texas grid are used to train a reduced order model; this model then generates unique time series with similar characteristics of the training dataset. Multiple scenarios of weather and subsequent operations are simulated for each renewable-nuclear combination to determine total costs throughout the project lifetime. Fully renewable-powered configurations required large amounts of installed capacity (GW scale) in the simulations to meet the fixed demand of the data center. This is due to some scenarios in the historical dataset which captured low-wind and low-solar days, requiring over-building of these technologies as well as batteries to compensate for the low amounts of electricity generation. Fully nuclear-powered configurations outperformed the fully renewable and mixed renewable-nuclear configurations in terms of cost, with ranges between $1B and $10B in 2023 USDs compared to $40B+ for fully renewable configurations. Of the nuclear technologies, small modular reactors performed better economically than large-scale nuclear models due to lower projected capital costs, and both performed better than the microreactor models. These results demonstrate the applicability of firm, dispatchable electricity resources from baseload generators like nuclear power plants for operating facilities that run at constant power without daily variability.

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗

Structurally Defined Water‐Soluble Metallofullerene Derivatives towards Biomedical Applications

Abstract Endohedral metallofullerenes (EMFs) are excellent carriers of rare‐earth element (REE) ions in biomedical applications because they preclude the release of toxic metal ions. However, existing approaches to synthesize water‐soluble EMF derivatives yield mixtures that inhibit precise drug design. Here we report the synthesis of metallobuckytrio (MBT), a three‐buckyball system, as a modular platform to develop structurally defined water‐soluble EMF derivatives with ligands by choice. Demonstrated with PEG ligands, the resulting water‐soluble MBTs show superb biocompatibility. The Gd MBTs exhibit superior T 1 relaxivity than typical Gd complexes, potentially superseding current clinical MRI contrast agents in both safety and efficiency. The Lu MBTs generated reactive oxygen species upon light irradiation, showing promise as photosensitizers. With their modular nature to incorporate other ligands, we anticipate the MBT platform to open new paths towards bio‐specific REE drugs.

Li, Yanbang↗

Structurally Defined Water‐Soluble Metallofullerene Derivatives towards Biomedical Applications

Abstract Endohedral metallofullerenes (EMFs) are excellent carriers of rare‐earth element (REE) ions in biomedical applications because they preclude the release of toxic metal ions. However, existing approaches to synthesize water‐soluble EMF derivatives yield mixtures that inhibit precise drug design. Here we report the synthesis of metallobuckytrio (MBT), a three‐buckyball system, as a modular platform to develop structurally defined water‐soluble EMF derivatives with ligands by choice. Demonstrated with PEG ligands, the resulting water‐soluble MBTs show superb biocompatibility. The Gd MBTs exhibit superior T 1 relaxivity than typical Gd complexes, potentially superseding current clinical MRI contrast agents in both safety and efficiency. The Lu MBTs generated reactive oxygen species upon light irradiation, showing promise as photosensitizers. With their modular nature to incorporate other ligands, we anticipate the MBT platform to open new paths towards bio‐specific REE drugs.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Calibration and Validation of a Mechanistic COVID-19 Model for Translational Quantitative Systems Pharmacology – A Proof-of-Concept Model Development for Remdesivir

With the ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), there is an urgent need to accelerate the traditional drug development process. Many studies identified potential COVID-19 therapies based on promising nonclinical data. However, the poor translatability from nonclinical to clinical settings has led to failures of many of these drug candidates in the clinical phase. In this study, we propose a mechanism-based, quantitative framework to translate nonclinical findings to clinical outcome. Adopting a modularized approach, this framework includes an in silico disease model for COVID-19 (virus infection and human immune responses) and a pharmacological component for COVID-19 therapies. Here, the disease model was able to reproduce important longitudinal clinical data for patients with mild and severe COVID-19, including viral titer, key immunological cytokines, antibody responses, and time courses of lymphopenia. Using remdesivir as a proof-of-concept example of model development for the pharmacological component, we developed a pharmacological model that describes the conversion of intravenously administered remdesivir as a prodrug to its active metabolite nucleoside triphosphate through intracellular metabolism and connected it to the COVID-19 disease model. After being calibrated with the placebo arm data, our model was independently and quantitatively able to predict the primary endpoint (time to recovery) of the remdesivir clinical study, Adaptive Covid-19 Clinical Trial (ACTT). Our work demonstrates the possibility of quantitatively predicting clinical outcome based on nonclinical data and mechanistic understanding of the disease and provides a modularized framework to aid in candidate drug selection and clinical trial design for COVID-19 therapeutics.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

Feasibility study on ultralong-cycle operation and material performance for compact liquid metal-cooled fast reactors: a review work

This paper reviews the feasibility of ultralong-cycle operation on a compact liquid metal-cooled fast reactor (LMR) firstly by assessing the operation of a long-life fast reactor core and secondly by evaluating material performance in respect to both long-cycle operation and compact-size fast reactor. Many kinds of reactor concepts have been proposed, and LMR and small modular reactor (SMR) are the issued leading technologies for generation four (Gen-IV) reactor system development. The breed-and-burn strategy was proposed as a core burning strategy to operate a long cycle, and it has been evaluated in this paper with two reactor concepts: constant axial shape of neutron flux, nuclide densities, and power shape during life of energy and ultralong cycle fast reactor. In addition, Super-Safe, Small, and Simple and small modular fast reactor, compact LMR concepts, have been simulated to evaluate their long-life operation strategies. For the other practical issues, the materials for fuel, coolant, and structure have been identified and some of them are selected to have their performance optimized specifically for compact LMR with a long-cycle operation. It is believed that this comprehensive review will propose a proper direction for future reactor development and will be followed by the next step research for a complete reactor model with the other reactor components.

breed-and-burn↗

Polyphosphonates as ionic conducting polymers

Polyphosphonates, a class of polymers with the generic formula –[P(R)(X)–OR'O] n –, exhibit a high degree of modularity due to the range of R, R', and X groups that can be incorporated. As such, these polymers may be designed with a polyethylene oxide (PEO) backbone (R' group) and employed as solid polymer electrolytes (SPEs). Two PEO-containing polyphosphonate analogs (R = Ph; X = S or Se) were doped with LiPF 6 and their conductivities were measured. Conductivities were similar (X = S) to or exceeding (X = Se) those of standard PEO systems (just below 10 -4 S/cm at 100°C). Binding models for Li + were generated using 31 P{ 1 H}NMR titration experiments. Binding of Li + by these polyphosphonates followed a positive cooperativity model, and varying the X group (S or Se) affected the observed cooperativity (Hill coefficient = 1.73 and 4.16, respectively). The presence of Se also leads to an increase in conductivity as temperature is raised above the T g , which is likely an effect of reduced Columbic interactions. Finally, because of their modularity and ease with which cation binding can be evaluated using 31 P{ 1 H} NMR titration experiments, polyphosphonates offer a unique approach for the modification of Li + ion battery technology.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗