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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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DOE OSTI2026

Scalable Layer-by-Layer Electrospray-Assisted Interfacial Polymerization: Enabling Large-Area Polyamide Membrane Fabrication

Layer-by-layer electrospray-assisted interfacial polymerization (LBL-EAIP) has recently been proposed as an alternative approach for fabricating polyamide membranes with precisely controlled thickness and polymerization degree, showing great potential for reverse osmosis (RO) membrane synthesis. In this article, we report a scale-up strategy for LBL-EAIP to enable its practical application in RO membrane manufacturing. A multi-jet electrospray apparatus was developed, and the device configuration and process parameters were carefully adjusted to produce polyamide-on-polyethersulfone thin film composite (TFC) membranes with consistently high salt rejection and water permeance across the membrane area. Specifically, an average 97.1% NaCl rejection from a 2000 ppm NaCl feed was achieved with an area-to-area deviation of 1%, along with a deionized water permeance of 0.90 ± 0.11 LMH/bar at 15 bar feed pressure. In addition, a Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR)-based analytical method was developed for semi-quantitative assessment of membrane thickness and compositional uniformity, enabling rapid mapping of film microstructure and chemical variations. This work provides a pathway to scale up LBL-EAIP technology, bridging the gap between laboratory-scale innovation and industrial-scale manufacturing.

Feng, Yue (ORCID:0000000221343980)↗

DOE OSTI2026

The Relationship Between Catalyst and Solvent in Hydrogenation via Condensed Phase Heterogeneous Catalysis

To understand a system is to understand its components and their sum. Cascading interactions between catalyst, solvent, and reagent create a complex web of influences when heterogeneous catalysis meets the condensed phase. Due to the importance of heterogeneous catalysis in chemical manufacturing, and the present and growing potential of condensed phase chemistries, the understanding of these interactions is of paramount importance. To develop condensed phase heterogeneous catalysis, the field needs to develop understanding of the role of solvent in heterogeneous catalytic hydrogenation. While no small feat, fields such as biofuel and petroleum refining have established certain applicable generalities that can bridge the knowledge gap in emerging technologies such as integrated carbon capture and conversion to materials (IC 3 M). In this review, we thoughtfully probe the current paradigm of condensed phase catalysis by challenging the idea that catalyst and solvent are independent reaction design choices. Challenges such as lack of experimental stability studies and poor resolution on our conceptualization of the condensed phase environment are discussed. Parameters such as viscosity and the dielectric constant, and their role on reaction activity and stability are explored. Knowledge gained from established biomass and petroleum processes is discussed and used to anticipate behavior in novel processes.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

DOE OSTI2020

A Comprehensive Scientific Survey of Excipients Used in Currently Marketed, Therapeutic Biological Drug Products

The steady development of biotechnology-derived therapeutic biologics over the last few decades has generated drugs that are now standard medical treatments for a range of indications. While the development of protein products has surged in recent years, the formulation and delivery of these complex molecules have relied on drug-specific studies and, in some instances, data from non-proteinaceous drug products. The commonalities, trends, and gaps in excipient technologies used to support the development of therapeutic proteins largely remain unexplored due to the drug-specific nature of many formulations. Using a comprehensive and relational database approach, we aimed to provide a scientific survey of all approved or licensed biotechnology-derived drug products with the goal of providing evidence-based information on common attributes and trending features in protein product excipients. We examined 665 formulations, and 395 unique formulations based on having unique excipients within them, that supported 211 therapeutic proteins as of June 2020. We report the prevalence of each excipient class and excipient chemical used in eight different drug types including monoclonal antibodies, antibody conjugates, cytokines and growth factors, enzymes, polypeptide hormones, pulmonary surfactants, recombinant fusion proteins, and toxins. We also report the prevalence by excipient type among all therapeutic proteins, in the context of each drug’s recommended pH range, concentration ranges for excipients, and route of administration. The results of our analyses indicate certain excipients common to monoclonal antibodies, cytokines, and polypeptide hormones. We also report on excipients unique to protein drug products, such as amino acids, solubilizers, and lyoprotectants. Overall, our report summarizes the current landscape of excipients used in marketed biotechnology-derived therapeutic biologic products.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2025

Electricity Markets and Long-Duration Energy Storage: A Survey of Grid Services and Revenue Streams

Purpose of Review Long Duration Energy Storage (LDES) is increasingly viewed as a potential resource for providing grid services that enhance the stability and flexibility of electricity systems. While some LDES services are integrated into existing market frameworks, traditional mechanisms may not fully account for their operational characteristics, potentially leading to undervaluation. Within this context, this paper reviews the literature and industry practices to assess potential grid services for LDES, evaluates existing compensation mechanisms, and identifies challenges to full market integration. Recent Findings We first review existing literature and identify key grid services unique to LDES, including enhancing grid resilience during extreme weather events, enabling long-term energy shifting, and providing flexible and firm energy in systems with limited dispatchable resources. Here, we also review how LDES services are compensated in current market frameworks and the challenges associated with the full realization of LDES values. Additionally, we summarize market mechanisms for storage technologies across U.S. wholesale markets. We find that some markets are adjusting incentive structures, such as incorporating storage duration in capacity accreditation, to better align with system needs and LDES contributions to the grid. However, further refinements in capacity remuneration and dispatch timeframes may be needed for more effective realization of LDES value. Summary This review evaluates potential grid services for LDES, examines existing compensation mechanisms for LDES technologies, and identifies gaps between these mechanisms and LDES operational characteristics. The review concludes by outlining potential market enhancements for more effective LDES integration and articulating additional research needs to support its efficient participation in future power systems.

Flexible resources↗

DOE OSTI2020

Exploring driving forces for length growth in graphene nanoribbons during chemical vapor deposition of hydrocarbons on Ge(0 0 1) via kinetic Monte Carlo simulations

Graphene grown slowly on Ge(0 0 1) using chemical vapor deposition of hydrocarbons leads to high-aspect ratio graphene nanoribbons with smooth edges and a technologically relevant band gap at room temperature; however, the driving forces leading to one-dimensional growth of such graphene crystals are not well understood. Here, we combine a lattice kinetic Monte Carlo approach based on steps in graphene growth and experimental measurements to study the growth of graphene nanoribbons via chemical vapor deposition on Ge(0 0 1). To identify potential reasons for growth of graphene as anisotropic ribbons, we study the impact of anisotropy in various growth parameters on the resulting graphene crystals. Comparing our model with experimental measurements indicates that anisotropy in the stabilization of a graphene precursor species bound to the graphene edge is the most likely reason why high aspect ratio graphene ribbons with smooth edges grow on Ge(0 0 1). Using the growth model developed here, we reproduce experimental trends in the synthesis of graphene nanoribbons on Ge(001) and arrive at an intuitive picture for their growth. These insights shed light on the driving forces governing this highly anisotropic regime of crystal growth.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

DOE OSTI2023

Decision making for implementing non-traditional water sources: a review of challenges and potential solutions

Abstract The effects of climate change, population growth, and future hydrologic uncertainties necessitate increased water conservation, new water resources, and a shift towards sustainable urban water supply portfolios. Diversifying water portfolios with non-traditional water sources can play a key role. Rooftop harvested rainwater (RHRW), atmospheric and condensate harvesting, stormwater, recycled wastewater and greywater, and desalinated seawater and brackish water are all currently utilized and rapidly emerging non-traditional water sources. This review explores the status and trends around these non-traditional water sources, and reviews approaches and models for prioritizing, predicting, and quantifying metrics of concern. The analysis presented here suggests that understanding the challenges of location specific scenarios, socioeconomic knowledge gaps, water supply technologies, and/or water management structure is the crucial first step in establishing a model or framework approach to provide a strategy for improvement going forward. The findings of this study also suggest that clear policy guidance and onsite maintenance is necessary for variable water quality concerns of non-traditional sources like harvested rainwater and greywater. In addition, use of stormwater or reuse of wastewater raises public health concerns due to unknown risks and pathogen levels, thus rapid monitoring technologies and transparent reporting systems can facilitate their adoption. Finally, cost structure of desalination varies significantly around the world, largely due to regulatory requirements and local policies. Further reduction of its capital cost and energy consumption is identified as a hurdle for implementation. Overall, models and process analyses highlight the strength of comparative assessments across scenarios and water supply options.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗

DOE OSTI2022

Semi-Supervised Disaggregation of Load Profiles at Transmission Buses with Significant Behind-the-Meter Solar Generations

It is of imperative interests for regional transmission organizations (RTOs) to effectively extract daily load profiles at transmission buses, which remains a gap in existing technology paradigm. This digest proposes an explicit yet efficient linear estimator, to disaggregate metered load profiles at buses with significant behind-the-meter (BTM) solar generations in a data driven manner. The proposed estimator is based on utility zonal load profiles and proxy solar irradiance profiles, which in reality is the aggregated waveform at each transmission bus and equivalent to the mix of summed load profiles minus actual BTM solar generation. To overcome technical challenges in the lack of “ground truth” and validate the performance of supervised learning algorithms, we propose semi-supervised mechanisms with parameter tuning, and leverage the unique characteristics of zero-crossing points in BTM solar peaking behaviors.

machine leaning, behind-the-meter, power grid anal↗

DOE OSTI2023

Development of a DC Distribution Testbed for High-Power EV Charging

This paper explores the design and implementation of a power hardware-in-the-loop (P-HIL) setup for DC distribution infrastructure integrated with high-power charging (HPC) of electric vehicles (EVs), DC loads, and sources. The utilization of DC distribution holds significant potential for enhancing the operation of a HPC station architecture. However, there are challenges establishing a DC charging hub including interoperability, commoditization, distributed energy resource integration, stability, DC protection, and lack of common system level controllers. To address these challenges, a testing setup is required that accommodates commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) products to evaluate different use cases at rated power and voltage levels. The developed P-HIL setup features a dedicated DC charging hub, DC-coupled chargers, DC loads/sources, DC protection, and a communication architecture. The integrated P-HIL system provides a versatile testing environment to address technology and interoperability gaps and implements a smart energy management system (SEMS). This platform enables comprehensive and robust testing of COTS devices, charger prototypes, SEMS controllers and protection schemes, which together will accelerate transition to EVs at scale. The setup is tested for various use-cases at full-scale, integrating 950 V DC bus voltage, 660 kW grid-tied inverter, 150 kW COTS charger, and 100 kW energy storage system within an open-source SEMS platform.

ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS,POWER TRANSMISSION AND↗

DOE OSTI2020

Workshop Report: Brightest Light Initiative (March 27-29 2019, OSA Headquarters, Washington, D.C.)

This Brightest Light Initiative (BLI) Workshop Report captures the important research ideas and recommendations for enabling that work developed by over 100 leading scientists at a community-initiated workshop held March 27-29, 2019 in Washington, DC. Workshop attendees developed an understanding of key opportunities, as well as gaps in current technologies and capabilities, for science enabled by the highest-intensity lasers.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗

DOE OSTI2020

Stingray Case Study

Improvised explosive devices (IEDs) have injured and killed numerous soldiers and civilians as a consequence of military operations in the Middle East. With gaps in existing technologies, the US military required devices for quickly addressing deadly IEDs without harming military personnel or inflicting severe damage to the environment. In response to this need, Sandia developed Stingray, a clear, plastic handheld device to quickly and safely disable threatening IEDs. Stingray is designed to be used in two configurations: a coherent water blade for cutting operations and as a water slug for general device disruption. Prior to disabling an IED, Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) technicians will x-ray the target using tools such as Sandia's X-ray Toolkit (XTK) to determine which function operators should use to dismantle the IED. For example, if the operator knows exactly which wires to cut, they can use the precision water blade. If the operator wants to create a general disruption, they can use the water slug function.

45 MILITARY TECHNOLOGY, WEAPONRY, AND NATIONAL DEF↗

DOE OSTI2022

Safeguards Considerations for Coated Particle Fuel Fabrication Facilities

This study aims to identify where existing fuel fabrication safeguards are limited in application to coated particle fuel fabrication facilities; perform a review of techniques that may be appropriate to address these limitations; and identify where further study is required. The purpose is to ensure the necessary technology and safeguards developments are established to facilitate safeguards-by-design for coated particle fuel fabrication facilities, analogous to the research and development (R&D) efforts in the advanced reactor space, including those requiring coated particle fuels and progress to higher technology readiness levels. Finally, this study will also help meet high priority objectives set forth by the IAEA in establishing safeguards R&D precedence and measurement/procedural standards at emerging fuel fabrication facilities. To achieve these objectives, the report is formatted to (1) distill relevant background information on fuel fabrication of oxide and coated particle fuels; (2) provide an overview of the fuel fabrication techniques for a reference oxide fuel fabrication facility and two selected TRISO fuel fabrication facilities; (3) develop facility models of safeguards approaches for the reference facility and the two TRISO facilities; and (4) identify any observed technology needs or gaps from this analysis.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗

DOE OSTI2022

High Pressure and Two-Sided Mold Surface Solutions (CRADA Final Report)

This project provided surface solutions for highly loaded precision tooling relevant to the automotive industry. Previous development work in coatings for Big Area Additive Manufacturing (BAAM) has produced commercialized coatings for low temperature Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS) tools (TD Coat RT) as well as a soft coating for high temperature applications (TD Seal HT). The team developed these coatings and commercialized them during a prior Manufacturing Demonstration Facility (MDF) technical collaboration (NFE-15-05793). During the prior collaboration, commercialization testing was successfully performed by the Boeing and NAVAIR and resulted in an Awards for Composites Excellence (ACE), award at CAMX – The Composites and Advanced Materials Expo 2016. While this work was clearly successful, gaps in the technology were identified, that prevent widespread adoption of large-scale additive manufacturing in high pressure tooling applications prevalent in the automotive industry. In this project we focused on development of surface solutions for two-sided, compression molding tooling printed on a large-scale polymer AM system in an arbitrary build orientation. We have printed a single cavity extrusion compression molding mold using Polyphenylene sulfide/carbon fiber (PPS/CF) materials, 50% by weight CF samples. These processes are commonly used by Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM) and Tier 1 suppliers for high volume automotive applications. Several OEMs have identified the need for such technology, indicating significant time and monetary savings could be possible if commercially available surface solutions for high pressure Additive Manufacturing (AM) tooling existed.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

DOE OSTI2024

A Novel 'Smart Microchip Proppants' Technology for Precision Diagnostics of Hydraulic Fracture Networks (Edited Final Report)

This project introduces innovative technology to improve subsurface characterization, visualization, and diagnostics of unconventional reservoirs (fossil resources). Through a collaborative effort involving the University of Kansas, UCLA, MicroSilicon Inc., and EOG Resources, the project aims to deliver precision diagnostics for hydraulic fractures using novel high-resolution imaging technology based on smart microchip proppants. Additionally, it seeks to enhance the accuracy and predictability of integrated numerical, and machine-learning modeling techniques for hydraulic fracture characterization and simulation. This groundbreaking technology addresses significant gaps in understanding unconventional and tight reservoir behavior and optimizing well-completion strategies, enabling more cost-efficient recovery of unconventional resources.

02 PETROLEUM↗

DOE OSTI2025

PMDT: AI-Enabled Predictive Maintenance Digital Twins for Advanced Nuclear Reactors

Our team made substantial technical progress on various fronts during the course of the program. Multiple milestones were geared towards demonstrating the feasibility of machine learning based predictive maintenance digital twins towards reducing O&M costs, whereas some other milestones actually focused on identifying technical gaps and developing technologies such as humble AI to provide necessary robustness to the ML-based models. We were able to demonstrate in many cases that Machine learning-based methods can be successfully adapted for Nuclear plant environments especially for remote monitoring applications. Detailed analyses were carried out with plant and full scope simulation data along with capabilities of enhanced analytics to assess and set realistic expectations on cost reductions in O&M. These assessments are paving the way for investments towards reactor design improvements as well project planning for SMR projects as they develop and mature in the next few years. Technology developed under this program got direct visibility to GE Hitachi and their utility customers and resulted in positive intents to deploy some of the elements from design phase. The project additionally resulted in several reports, publications, software and data generation that will be useful in deployment and O&M services for BWRX300 fleets.

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗

DOE OSTI2022

Survey of Cybersecurity Governance, Threats, and Countermeasures for the Power Grid

The convergence of Information Technologies and Operational Technology systems in industrial networks presents many challenges related to availability, integrity, and confidentiality. In this paper, we evaluate the various cybersecurity risks in industrial control systems and how they may affect these areas of concern, with a particular focus on energy-sector Operational Technology systems. There are multiple threats and countermeasures that Operational Technology and Information Technology systems share. Since Information Technology cybersecurity is a relatively mature field, this paper emphasizes on threats with particular applicability to Operational Technology and their respective countermeasures. We identify regulations, standards, frameworks and typical system architectures associated with this domain. We review relevant challenges, threats, and countermeasures, as well as critical differences in priorities between Information and Operational Technology cybersecurity efforts and implications. These results are then examined against the recommended National Institute of Standards and Technology framework for gap analysis to provide a complete approach to energy sector cybersecurity. We provide analysis of countermeasure implementation to align with the continuous functions recommended for a sound cybersecurity framework.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗

DOE OSTI2021

Safeguards Material Control And Accountancy Considerations For Molten Salt Reactors

Molten salt reactors are a class of nuclear reactor designs with features and operational characteristics that vary significantly. Variations in design features include the physical, chemical, and isotopic composition of fresh and irradiated fuel, neutron energy spectrums, breeding ratios, and the design’s plans for chemical processing. Specific designs within these variations affect the material control and accountancy approaches implemented by both domestic and international nuclear safeguards. This paper identifies safeguards-relevant design features for molten salt reactors and describes how each feature might influence both domestic and international nuclear safeguards implementation. Additionally, this paper describes two potential general categories of material control and accountancy approaches that may be appropriate for molten salt reactors: a black box material-balance approach with measurements on the feed and waste streams combined with robust containment and surveillance on the nuclear material within the reactor or an approach that aims to quantify the nuclear material throughout the reactor (i.e., a process monitoring approach). This paper describes the benefits and challenges of these approaches to meet technical safeguards objectives and identifies gaps in current technologies.

Hogue, Karen↗

DOE OSTI2021

Assessment of the driving factors of CO 2 mitigation costs of household biogas systems in China: A LMDI decomposition with cost analysis model

China has been placing a substantial focus on biogas for reducing energy consumption and carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) emissions. The operation mode of biogas systems may make the CO 2 reduction target over-optimistic. There is limited research to investigate the influential factors that may be causing the gap between the actual and theoretical CO 2 reduction costs of biogas systems in China. In this research, by using field survey data of 209 biogas users and 489 non-biogas users from 19 villages in 2015, the gap between actual and theoretical unit CO 2 reduction cost is quantified at approximately 156 USD/t CO 2 . By employing the Logarithmic Mean Divisia Index I (LMDI) model, it is found that both the cost effect (48%) and the reduction effect (52%) contribute to the unit CO 2 reduction cost gap. Furthermore, four influential factors–household labor, accessibility to the energy resource, acceptance of biogas technology, and subsidy–significantly narrow the gap between actual and theoretical CO 2 reduction costs, while the levelized subsidy contributes to widening the gap. On average, biogas systems should be operated for at least four years and the substitution rate should be more than 67% in order to keep the gap between actual and theoretical CO 2 reduction costs under 50%.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗

DOE OSTI2021

Status Report on the Electroreduction of Metal Oxides

SRNL is working with Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) to adapt and demonstrate the electroreduction technology. SRNL will also draw on the extensive work cited in the literature and the experience gained at Y-12. Since most of the development efforts have focused on irradiated UO 2 fuel pellets, several noteworthy gaps exist in the technology for processing purified U 3 O 8 powder. SRNL research efforts will address some of those gaps. This report focuses on two activities. Task 1 is to establish an electrochemical reduction test capability at SRNL. Task 2 is to evaluate potential alternate anode materials.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗