Status: ALUMNI
State: CA
Project Term: 08/07/2017 - 12/31/2021
Program: ROOTS
Award: $2,234,970

Stanford University

Stanford University will develop a non-contact root imaging system that uses a hybrid of microwave excitation and ultrasound detection. Microwave excitation from the surface can penetrate the soil to the roots, and results in minor heating of the roots and soil at varying levels depending on their physical properties. This heating creates a thermoacoustic signal in the ultrasound domain that travels back out of the soil. The team’s advanced ultrasound detector has the ability to detect these signals and maintain sufficient signal-to-noise ratio for imaging and root biomass analysis. The team…

Status: ACTIVE
State: CA
Project Term: 04/13/2020 - 09/30/2024
Program: Exploratory Topics
Award: $1,877,548

Stanford University

Stanford University will design a process for catalytic pyrolysis of methane into high-value carbon nanotubes and hydrogen (H2) at the low cost of $1/kg, without any carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. This project will synthesize high-performance, nano-controlled pyrolysis catalysts with structural features that enable efficient catalyst regeneration and separation of solid crystalline carbon. The carbon nanotubes can be used in a wide range of applications from batteries to carbon-fiber composites. Low-cost, CO2-free hydrogen can be used to decarbonize multiple large industries such as refinery…

Status: ALUMNI
State: CA
Project Term: 09/01/2021 - 02/29/2024
Program: ECOSynBio
Award: $2,672,672

Stanford University

Stanford University is developing a commercially attractive, scalable, carbon-negative technology for producing commodity biochemicals. Glucose, carbon dioxide (CO2), and electricity will provide the required atoms and energy for carbon-negative, energy-positive production. Instead of releasing CO2 into the atmosphere, this new approach will enable use of atmospheric CO2 and glucose obtained from cornstarch to produce renewable fuels and chemicals. The benchmark product will be succinic acid, an established bioproduct with applications in alkyd resins, plasticizers, metal treatment chemicals…

Status: ACTIVE
State: CA
Project Term: 05/10/2022 - 05/09/2025
Program: OPEN 2021
Award: $1,900,000

Stanford University

The Stanford University team will additively manufacture amorphous metal SMCs with near-net shapes, reduced cost, reduced material waste, and tailored properties. SMCs are key to increasing energy density and efficiency of electric motors and enabling miniaturized electric vehicle chargers, transformers, and power generators. Scalable, solution-processed oxide-coated amorphous metal nanoparticles will be 3D-printed into rods and donut shapes (toroids) for magnetic measurements. SMC inductor performance will be tested within a calorimetric chamber for precise measurement of losses. If…

Status: ACTIVE
State: CA
Project Term: 07/28/2023 - 07/27/2026
Program: Exploratory Topics
Award: $1,499,783

Stanford University

Stanford University will explore a technical solution based on LENR-active nanoparticles and gaseous deuterium. The team seeks to alleviate critical impediments to test the hypothesis that LENR-active sites in metal nanoparticles can be created through exposure to deuterium gas.

Status: ALUMNI
State: CO
Project Term: 03/01/2016 - 08/31/2020
Program: OPEN 2015
Award: $2,729,691

Starfire Energy

The team led by Starfire Energy will develop a modular, small-scale, HB-type process for ammonia synthesis. The team’s innovative approach is less energy-intensive and more economical than conventional, large-scale HB because a novel electroactive catalyst allows operation at lower temperatures and pressures. Their approach combines a high-activity precious metal catalyst and an electroactive catalyst support to form ammonia molecules, while operating at moderate pressures and using localized high-temperature reaction zones. The extreme reaction conditions in conventional HB require that the…

Status: ACTIVE
State: IL
Project Term: 08/10/2022 - 08/09/2024
Program: Exploratory Topics
Award: $495,528

Stoicheia

Stoicheia aims to accelerate the discovery of proton exchange membrane electrolyzer (PEM) anode catalysts to reduce or eliminate the rare, expensive iridium oxide (IrOx) that is currently the industry standard. Stoicheia’s novel combinatorial process and Megalibrary platform enables the rapid synthesis and characterization of hundreds of thousands of unique materials in a single experiment. Stoicheia seeks to use this approach to accelerate the discovery of reduced IrOX options. PEMs enable both water and CO2 electrolysis to hydrogen and valuable hydrocarbons, respectively, at net-zero carbon…

Status: ALUMNI
State: NY
Project Term: 08/23/2015 - 04/22/2019
Program: ARID
Award: $2,500,000

Stony Brook University

Stony Brook University will work with Brookhaven National Laboratory, United Technologies Research Center, and the Gas Technology Institute to develop a thermosyphon system that condenses water vapor from power plant flue gas for evaporative cooling. The system could provide supplemental cooling for thermoelectric power plants in which the combustion process – burning fossil fuel to produce heat – results in a significant quantity of water vapor that is typically discharged to the atmosphere. In Stony Brook’s system, an advanced loop thermosyphon will allow the liquid and vapor phases to flow…

Status: ALUMNI
State: NY
Project Term: 05/05/2015 - 07/30/2018
Program: DELTA
Award: $1,360,630

Stony Brook University

Stony Brook University will develop eSAVER, an active air conditioning vent capable of modulating airflow distribution, velocity, and temperature to promote localized thermal envelopes around building occupants. Stony Brook’s smart vent modulates the airflow using an array of electro-active polymer tubes that are individually controlled to create a localized curtain of air to suit the occupant’s heating or cooling needs. The eSAVER can immediately be implemented by simply replacing an existing HVAC register with the new unit or can be installed in new constructions for significant reduction…

Status: ALUMNI
State: NY
Project Term: 09/05/2018 - 12/04/2020
Program: INTEGRATE
Award: $2,322,236

Stony Brook University

Stony Brook University will develop a hybrid distributed electricity generation system that combines a pressurized solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) with an advanced internal combustion engine (ICE). SOFCs and ICEs are complementary technologies whose integration can offer high efficiency, low emissions, long life, and durability. The team's innovation includes the use of a high power density, pressurized SOFC stack with anode recirculation with a spark ignition (SI) engine. The engine will be designed to use the cell’s leftover “tailgas” as the fuel to produce additional power, boosting…

Status: ALUMNI
State: NY
Project Term: 03/13/2019 - 03/12/2022
Program: MEITNER
Award: $2,832,020

Stony Brook University

Stony Brook University will develop advanced technologies for gas-cooled reactors to increase their power density, enabling them to be smaller. The team seeks to develop a high-performance moderator—which slows down neutrons so they can cause fission—to enable a compact reactor with enhanced safety features. Shrinking the reactor size enables greater versatility in deployment and reduced construction times and costs, both of which are especially important for smaller modular reactor systems that may be constructed wherever heat and power are needed.

Status: ACTIVE
State: NY
Project Term: 03/15/2021 - 03/14/2025
Program: GAMOW
Award: $2,550,000

Stony Brook University

With significant improvement in high-temperature superconductors (HTS), several fusion projects are adopting HTS for high-field magnets. As compact fusion devices have less space for radiation shielding, HTS degradation is a potential design-limiting issue. There are currently no high-performance, compact shielding materials to enable the HTS technology in compact fusion devices. Stony Brook University seeks to improve the effectiveness and longevity of shield materials for HTS magnets. The team will leverage innovative manufacturing methods to fabricate novel two-phase composites that…

Status: ACTIVE
State: NY
Project Term: 06/10/2022 - 06/09/2025
Program: ONWARDS
Award: $3,400,000

Stony Brook University

Stony Brook University aims to significantly reduce compact reactor waste via improved fuel utilization and reduced uranium loading. The team’s solution is a novel microencapsulated fuel form leveraging halide salt sintering of magnesium oxide (MgO), developed under ARPA-E’s MEITNER program to enable advanced moderator technologies with enhanced neutronic performance and temperature stability as a replacement for graphite. Stony Brook will extend the technology to further enhance fuel utilization while addressing the back-end of the fuel cycle by fabricating a low-waste and repository-ready…

Status: CANCELLED
State: UT
Project Term: 06/05/2017 - 04/30/2019
Program: REFUEL
Award: $2,523,547

Storagenergy Technologies

Storagenergy Technologies will develop a solid-state electrolyzer that uses nitrogen or air for high-rate ammonia production. Current electrolyzer systems for ammonia production have several challenges. Some use acidic membranes that can react with ammonia, resulting in lower conductivity and reduced membrane life. Operation at conventional low temperatures (<100°C) traditionally have low rates of reactions, while those that operate at high temperatures (>500°C) have long-heating processes that make them less practical for intermittent operation using renewable energy. The Storagenergy…

Status: ALUMNI
State: MA
Project Term: 07/19/2021 - 01/18/2023
Program: Exploratory Topics
Award: $498,254

Sublime Systems

Cement is responsible for 8% of global CO2 emissions. Currently, the only economical way to make Portland cement’s key ingredient, lime, is by thermally decomposing limestone. This reaction contributes ~75% of cement’s emissions. Sublime Systems (Sublime) will build an electrochemical system to produce lime using off-peak renewable electricity and calcium sources that do not release CO2. The lime produced may possess exceptional purity, consistency, and reactivity, enabling next-generation low-carbon cements. If successful and scaled, Sublime’s electrochemical synthesis of lime would reduce…

Status: ACTIVE
State: MA
Project Term: 07/28/2022 - 07/27/2025
Program: OPEN 2021
Award: $3,594,383

Sublime Systems

Sublime Systems will develop the first platform technology that uses electrochemistry to upcycle waste products and low-value minerals into valuable, CO2-neutral materials. The technology consists of an impurity-tolerant renewable electricity-powered electrochemical reactor. It generates strong acids and bases to separate, extract, and purify the elements contained in the input materials. The focus is on recovering magnesium, silica, and valuable metals from waste products (coal bottom ash and demolition waste concrete) and highly abundant but low-value mafic or ultramafic rocks. The process…

Status: ALUMNI
State: MA
Project Term: 12/31/2009 - 12/31/2012
Program: OPEN 2009
Award: $4,085,346

Sun Catalytix

Sun Catalytix is developing wireless energy-storage devices that convert sunlight and water into renewable fuel. Learning from nature, one such device mimics the ability of a tree leaf to convert sunlight into storable energy. It is comprised of a silicon solar cell coated with catalytic materials, which help speed up the energy conversion process. When this cell is placed in a container of water and exposed to sunlight, it splits the water into bubbles of oxygen and hydrogen. The hydrogen and oxygen can later be recombined to create electricity, when the sun goes down for example. The Sun…

Status: ALUMNI
State: OH
Project Term: 12/01/2015 - 09/30/2021
Program: GENSETS
Award: $4,789,546

Sunpower

Sunpower, in partnership with Aerojet Rocketdyne and Precision Combustion Inc. (PCI), proposes a high-frequency, high efficiency 1 kW free-piston Stirling engine (FPSE). A Stirling engine uses a working gas such as helium, which is housed in a sealed environment. When heated by the natural gas-fueled burner, the gas expands causing a piston to move and interact with a linear alternator to produce electricity. As the gas cools and contracts, the process resets before repeating again. Advanced Stirling engines endeavor to carefully manage heat inside the system to make the most efficient use of…

Status: ACTIVE
State: CT
Project Term: 06/14/2019 - 03/13/2024
Program: OPEN 2018
Award: $3,323,256

Supercool Metals

Supercool Metals, LLC will explore manufacturing processes for high-strength, light-weight structural metal parts to enable more energy-efficient transportation. Lightweighting is a necessity for the automotive and aerospace industries, and increasingly important for the transition to hybrid and fully electric vehicles. Bulk metallic glasses (BMGs), which will be investigated in this project, are complex, light-weight alloys with significantly higher mechanical properties (e.g., strength, toughness, corrosion resistance) than conventional alloys. Supercool Metals will explore possibilities…

Status: ALUMNI
State: UT
Project Term: 07/14/2010 - 03/31/2015
Program: IMPACCT
Award: $5,297,254

Sustainable Energy Solutions (SES)

Sustainable Energy Solutions (SES) is developing a process to capture CO2 from the exhaust gas of coal-fired power plants by desublimation—the conversion of a gas to a solid. Capturing CO2 as a solid and delivering it as a liquid avoids the large energy cost of CO2 gas compression. SES' capture technology facilitates the prudent use of available energy resources; coal is our most abundant energy resource and is an excellent fuel for baseline power production. SES capture technology can capture 99% of the CO2 emissions in addition to a wide range of other pollutants more efficiently and at…

Status: ALUMNI
State: NC
Project Term: 11/01/2020 - 05/31/2022
Program: FLECCS
Award: $789,009

Susteon

Susteon will evaluate a CO2 capture technology using solid sorbents based on thermal swing adsorption that enables power generators to operate the power plant in a "load following" mode in response to grid conditions in a high VRE penetration environment. The proposed capture technology, based on novel structured adsorbents incorporating advanced nanomaterials, is currently being demonstrated with flue gas derived from natural gas combustion. Susteon plans to simulate the integration of this technology with an existing natural gas power plant in southern California, a region with a…

Status: ALUMNI
State: PA
Project Term: 09/28/2015 - 11/30/2019
Program: ALPHA
Award: $598,177

Swarthmore College

Swarthmore College, along with its partner Bryn Mawr College, will investigate a new kind of plasma fusion target that may offer improved stability at low cost and relatively low energy input. The research team will design and develop new modules that accelerate and evolve plasmas to create elongated structures known as Taylor states, which have helical magnetic field lines resembling a rope. These Taylor state structures exhibit interesting and potentially very beneficial properties upon compression, and could be used as a fusion target if they are able to maintain their temperatures and…

Status: ALUMNI
State: IL
Project Term: 09/29/2017 - 09/28/2021
Program: CIRCUITS
Award: $2,130,643

Switched Source

Switched Source will develop a power-electronics based hardware solution to fortify electric distribution systems, with the goal of delivering cost-effective infrastructure retrofits to match rapid advancements in energy generation and consumption. The company’s power flow controller will improve capabilities for routing electricity between neighboring distribution circuit feeders, so that grid operators can utilize the system as a more secure, reliable, and efficient networked platform. The topology the team is incorporating into its controller will eliminate the need for separate heavy and…

Status: ACTIVE
State: CA
Project Term: 08/08/2022 - 08/07/2024
Program: Exploratory Topics
Award: $500,000

Sylvatex

Sylvatex will use a low-cost, high-yield, and simplified continuous approach to synthesize lithium iron phosphate iron (LFP) based cathode materials for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) where the reactants flow and mix continuously. Sylvatex’s proprietary nanomaterial platform has already demonstrated a significant breakthrough in synthesizing cathode materials for LIBs. This project will demonstrate the feasibility of producing LFP-based materials with a controlled continuous approach which could reduce energy consumption by 80%, waste by 60%, and cost by 60% relative to the incumbent commercial…

Status: ACTIVE
State: MD
Project Term: 05/09/2022 - 05/08/2025
Program: OPEN 2021
Award: $2,733,031

Synteris

Synteris will use additive manufacturing to print transformative 3D ceramic packaging for power electronic modules. Existing power modules contain flat ceramic substrates that serve as the electrically insulating component and thermal conductor that transfer the large heat outputs of these devices. Synteris will replace the traditional insulating metalized substrate, substrate attach, and baseplate/heat exchanger with a ceramic component that acts an electrical insulator and heat exchanger for a dielectric fluid. This innovation in the design, manufacturability, and function of a power module…

Status: ALUMNI
State: NY
Project Term: 05/01/2015 - 10/31/2021
Program: DELTA
Award: $3,449,963

Syracuse University

Syracuse University will develop a near-range micro-environmental control system transforming the way office buildings are thermally conditioned to improve occupant comfort. The system leverages a high-performance micro-scroll compressor coupled to a phase-change material, which is a substance with a high latent heat of fusion and the capability to store and release large amounts of heat at a constant temperature. This material will store the cooling produced by the compression system at night, releasing it as a cool breeze of air to make occupants more comfortable during the day. When…

Status: ALUMNI
State: NY
Project Term: 05/15/2018 - 05/31/2022
Program: SENSOR
Award: $1,200,000

Syracuse University

Syracuse University will develop a sensor unit to detect occupancy in residential homes called MicroCam. The MicroCam system will be equipped with a very low-resolution camera sensor, a low-resolution infrared array sensor, a microphone, and a low-power embedded processor. These tools allow the system to measure shape/texture from static images, motion from video, and audio changes from the microphone input. The combination of these modalities can reduce error, since any one modality in isolation may be prone to missed detections or high false alarm rates. Advanced algorithms will translate…

Status: ALUMNI
State: TX
Project Term: 02/11/2019 - 09/10/2020
Program: OPEN 2018
Award: $750,000

Syzygy Plasmonics

Syzygy Plasmonics will develop a system that uses light to catalyze reactions inside a traditional chemical reactor. The team will construct a reactor that can be used for small-to-medium-scale generation of fuel cell quality hydrogen from ammonia, to be incorporated into existing infrastructures like hydrogen refueling stations for fuel cell vehicles. By using light instead of heat to drive the ammonia decomposition, the reactor can keep temperatures much lower, which reduces energy consumption, carbon emissions, and operational and capital costs while enhancing flexibility.

Status: ALUMNI
State: MA
Project Term: 09/24/2020 - 03/23/2024
Program: PERFORM
Award: $2,200,000

Tabors Caramanis Rudkevich (TCR)

Tabors Caramanis Rudkevich’s (TCR) Stochastic Nodal Adequacy Platform (SNAP) will determine the value of resource adequacy for the electric power industry given significant penetration of intermittent and distributed generation. TCR and IBM’s The Weather Company are developing algorithms and software to stochastically value system adequacy by taking into account the weather-driven stochasticity of intermittent solar (utility and residential) and wind generation and weather-dependent variation in demand. SNAP is based on the premise that uncertainty in resource availability characterizes real-…

Status: ALUMNI
State: TN
Project Term: 02/15/2013 - 03/06/2017
Program: OPEN 2012
Award: $2,150,081

Tai-Yang Research Company (TYRC)

Tai-Yang Research Company (TYRC) is developing a superconducting cable, which is a key enabling component for a grid-scale magnetic energy storage device. Superconducting magnetic energy storage systems have not established a commercial foothold because of their relatively low energy density and the high cost of the superconducting material. TYRC is coating their cable in yttrium barium copper oxide (YBCO) to increase its energy density. This unique, proprietary cable could be manufactured at low cost because it requires less superconducting material to produce the same level of energy…

Status: ALUMNI
State: CA
Project Term: 10/31/2017 - 12/31/2018
Program: IDEAS
Award: $450,500

Tandem PV

Tandem PV will develop and test an advanced processing tool that integrates high-throughput solution deposition and precise drying to deposit large-area perovskite thin films of exceptional optical and electronic quality. Production of these films on large areas is a critical step towards perovskite-Si tandem PV cells that can achieve significantly higher efficiency than traditional Si PV cells. Small-scale perovskite PV device fabrication typically occurs using a spin-coating process, but the process is not easily scalable. The ability to deposit perovskite PV devices with a large-scale…

Status: CANCELLED
State: CO
Project Term: 08/06/2015 - 08/05/2016
Program: ARID
Award: $629,520

TDA Research

TDA Research will develop a water recovery system that extracts and condenses 64% of the water vapor produced by the gas turbine in a natural gas combined cycle’s (NGCC) power plant and stores this water for use in evaporative cooling. The system will provide supplemental cooling to NGCC power plants in which the combustion process – burning the natural gas to produce heat – produces a significant quantity of water vapor that is typically discharged to the atmosphere. First, a direct-contact condensation cycle will recover 27% of water vapor from the flue gas. To increase the amount of water…

Status: ALUMNI
State: CA
Project Term: 10/01/2010 - 07/31/2013
Program: ADEPT
Award: $3,436,541

Teledyne Scientific & Imaging

Teledyne Scientific & Imaging is developing cost-effective power drivers for energy-efficient LED lights that fit on a compact chip. These power drivers are important because they transmit power throughout the LED device. Traditional LED driver components waste energy and don’t last as long as the LED itself. They are also large and bulky, so they must be assembled onto a circuit board separately which increases the overall manufacturing cost of the LED light. Teledyne is shrinking the size and improving the efficiency of its LED driver components by using thin layers of an iron magnetic…

Status: ALUMNI
State: CA
Project Term: 10/01/2010 - 04/19/2013
Program: OPEN 2009
Award: $968,943

Teledyne Scientific & Imaging

Teledyne is developing a liquid prism panel that tracks the position of the sun to help efficiently concentrate its light onto a solar cell to produce power. Typically, solar tracking devices have bulky and expensive mechanical moving parts that require a lot of power and are often unreliable. Teledyne's liquid prism panel has no bulky and heavy supporting parts—instead it relies on electrowetting. Electrowetting is a process where an electric field is applied to the liquid to control the angle at which it meets the sunlight above and to control the angle of the sunlight to the focusing lens—…

Status: ALUMNI
State: CA
Project Term: 02/04/2013 - 01/31/2014
Program: OPEN 2012
Award: $540,040

Teledyne Scientific & Imaging

Teledyne Scientific & Imaging is developing a water-based, potassium-ion flow battery for low-cost stationary energy storage. Flow batteries store chemical energy in external tanks instead of within the battery container. This allows for cost-effective scalability because adding storage capacity is as simple as expanding the tank. Teledyne is increasing the energy and power density of their battery by 2-5 times compared to today’s state-of-the-art vanadium flow battery. Their safe, scalable, low-cost energy storage technology would facilitate more widespread adoption and deployment of…

Status: ACTIVE
State: TN
Project Term: 07/12/2021 - 06/12/2024
Program: REEACH
Award: $1,440,282

Tennessee Technological University

Electric propulsion for air vehicles requires a high-power density and high-efficiency electric storage and power generation system that can operate at 35,000 feet in altitude to meet economic and environmental viability. Tennessee Technological University will combine a stack comprised of tubular Solid Oxide Fuel Cells (SOFCs) with a gas turbine combustor to address challenges faced in all electric propulsion-based aviation. The combined SOFC-combustor concept maximizes power density and efficiency while minimizing system complexity, weight, and cost. By eliminating components and…

Status: ACTIVE
State: WA
Project Term: 08/05/2022 - 11/04/2025
Program: ONWARDS
Award: $8,550,000

TerraPower

Chloride salts possess different levels of volatility at high temperatures, which can be used in targeted separations. TerraPower proposes to use a chloride-based volatility (CBV) process to separate uranium from used nuclear fuel (UNF), and investigate tunable CBV parameters to achieve a high degree of uranium recovery and thereby reduce waste volumes. Work will begin with surrogate oxide and molten salt used nuclear fuels and subsequently progress to demonstration with actual oxide UNF. CBV can be applied to metallic-, oxide-, and salt-based reactor fuels. It may be possible to reduce…

Status: ALUMNI
State: SC
Project Term: 03/31/2017 - 06/30/2018
Program: IDEAS
Award: $500,000

Tetramer Technologies

Tetramer Technologies will develop an anion exchange membrane (AEM) as an alternative to proton exchange membranes (PEM) for use in fuel cells and electrolyzers. The team will test a newly developed AEM for stability in alkaline conditions at a temperature of 80°C, enhanced ion conductivity, controlled membrane swelling, and other required properties. Industry has not yet achieved a cost-effective, commercially viable AEM with long-term chemical and physical stability. If such AEMs could be developed, then AEM-fuel cells could use inexpensive, non-precious metal catalysts, as opposed to…

Status: ALUMNI
State: TX
Project Term: 04/13/2016 - 08/31/2019
Program: OPEN 2015
Award: $4,600,000

Texas A&M Agrilife Research

Texas A&M AgriLife Research will develop ground penetrating radar (GPR) antenna arrays for 3D root and soil organic carbon imaging and quantification. Visualization of root systems with one mm resolution in soils could enable breeders to select climate-resilient bioenergy crops that provide higher yields, require fewer inputs, improve soil health, and promote carbon sequestration. Texas A&M will create a GPR system that will collect real-time measurements using a deployable robotic platform. The GPR system will collect data comparing annual energy sorghum to perennial species, which…

Status: ALUMNI
State: TX
Project Term: 02/15/2012 - 03/06/2017
Program: PETRO
Award: $4,877,583

Texas A&M Agrilife Research

Texas A&M Agrilife Research is addressing one of the major inefficiencies in photosynthesis, the process by which plants convert sunlight into energy. Texas A&M Agrilife Research is targeting the most wasteful step in photosynthesis by redirecting a waste byproduct into a new pathway that will create terpenes—energy-dense fuel molecules that can be converted into jet or diesel fuel. This strategy will be first applied to tobacco to demonstrate more efficient terpene production in the leaf. If successful in tobacco, the approach will be translated into the high biomass plant Arundo…

Status: ACTIVE
State: TX
Project Term: 06/30/2017 - 06/29/2024
Program: ROOTS
Award: $9,497,867

Texas A&M AgriLife Research

Texas A&M AgriLife Research will develop low field magnetic resonance imaging (LF-MRI) instrumentation that can image intact soil-root systems. The system will measure root biomass, architecture, 3D mass distribution, and growth rate, and could be used for selection of ideal plant characteristics based on these root metrics. It will also have the ability to three-dimensionally image soil water content, a key property that drives root growth and exploration. Operating much like a MRI used in a medical setting, the system can function in the field without damaging plants, unlike traditional…

Status: Selected
State: TBD
Project Term: TBD
Program: Exploratory Topics
Award: TBD

Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station

Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station is developing a method using modeling and experimentation to determine the behavior of a large-scale geologic hydrogen reservoir based on laboratory-scale data. The proposed approach would combine established reservoir characterization, exploitation, and management methodologies. Using laboratory investigations of a range of temperatures, pressures, and chemicals associated with field site rock cores, the team will develop models that can predict how to maximize extracted geologic hydrogen and minimize losses.

Status: ALUMNI
State: TX
Project Term: 07/01/2010 - 09/30/2012
Program: IMPACCT
Award: $972,859

Texas A&M University

A team led by three professors at Texas A&M University is developing a subset of metal organic frameworks that respond to stimuli such as small changes in temperature to trap CO2 and then release it for storage. These frameworks are a promising class of materials for carbon capture applications because their structure and chemistry can be controlled with great precision. Because the changes in temperature required to trap and release CO2 in Texas A&M's frameworks are much smaller than in other carbon capture approaches, the amount of energy or stimulus that has to be diverted from…

Status: ALUMNI
State: TX
Project Term: 09/17/2012 - 12/31/2014
Program: MOVE
Award: $2,631,351

Texas A&M University

Texas A&M University is developing a highly adsorbent material for use in on-board natural gas storage tanks that could drastically increase the volumetric energy density of methane, which makes up 95% of natural gas. Today's best tanks do not optimize their natural gas storage capacity and add too much to the sticker price of natural gas vehicles to make them viable options for most consumers. Texas A&M University will synthesize low-cost materials that adsorb high volumes of natural gas and increase the storage capacity of the tanks. This design could result in a natural gas storage…

Status: ALUMNI
State: TX
Project Term: 08/27/2018 - 02/26/2022
Program: SENSOR
Award: $1,000,000

Texas A&M University

Texas A&M University will develop an advanced, low-cost occupancy detection solution for residential homes. Their system, called SLEEPIR, is based on pyroelectric infrared sensors (PIR) a popular choice for occupancy detection and activity tracking due to their low cost, low energy consumption, large detection range, and wide field of view. However, traditional PIR sensors can only detect individuals in motion. The team proposes a next-generation PIR sensor that is able to detect non-moving heat sources and provide quantitative information on movement. Their innovation relies on the use…

Status: ALUMNI
State: TX
Project Term: 10/01/2015 - 10/31/2018
Program: TERRA
Award: $3,212,999

Texas A&M University

Texas A&M University, along with Carnegie Melon University (CMU), will develop a rugged robotic system to measure characteristics of sorghum in the field. Traditionally this type of data collection is performed manually and often can only be collected when the crop is harvested. The team from CMU will create an automated gantry system with a plunging sensor arm to characterize individual plants in the field. The sensor arm of the gantry system allows the team to collect data not only from above, but to descend into the canopy and take measurements within. The team will utilize machine…

Status: ALUMNI
State: TX
Project Term: 09/25/2020 - 06/30/2023
Program: SENSOR
Award: $900,812

Texas A&M University

The Texas A&M University team will develop a testing protocol and simulation suite for assessing the performance of advanced occupancy sensors. The testing protocol and simulation suite will address eight levels of building/occupant scenario diversity: 1) occupant profile, 2) building type and floor plan, 3) sensor type, 4) HVAC controls and modes (e.g., temperature and/or ventilation setback), 5) functional testing diversity, 6) deployment diversity (e.g., sensor location), 7) software diversity (e.g., computation at local vs. hub), and 8) diagnostic diversity (e.g., interpret missing…

Status: ACTIVE
State: TX
Project Term: 02/08/2021 - 02/04/2025
Program: ASCEND
Award: $6,433,915

Texas A&M University

Texas A&M will focus on the design, fabrication, and testing of a lightweight and ultra-efficient electric powertrain for aircraft propulsion to reduce the energy costs and emissions of aviation. The team’s technology will reach peak power density and efficiency via (1) an axial flux motor with lightweight carbon fiber reinforced structural material, (2) a gallium nitride multilevel inverter, (3) a thermally conductive nanocomposite electrical insulation, and (4) a two-phase microchannel thermal management system with zeolite thermal energy storage to absorb the excess heat generated…

Status: ALUMNI
State: TX
Project Term: 04/26/2021 - 07/25/2023
Program: ULTIMATE
Award: $1,200,000

Texas A&M University

Increasing the efficiency of power generation and air transportation can only be achieved by increasing the temperature at which generation/propulsion turbines operate. The emerging Refractory High Entropy Alloys (RHEAs) can enable much higher operating temperatures than the state-of-the-art. Identifying the alloys' chemistry is difficult due to the vastness of the RHEA chemical space. BIRDSHOT, however, proposes an interdisciplinary framework combining physics-based modeling, machine learning, and artificial intelligence as well as high-throughput synthesis and characterization platforms…

Status: ACTIVE
State: TX
Project Term: 08/15/2022 - 08/14/2025
Program: REMEDY
Award: $2,852,815

Texas A&M University

Texas Engineering Experiment Station (TEES) seeks to reduce methane emissions from compressor station natural gas (NG) engines by improving lean-burn operation, thereby reducing exhaust methane and carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and maintaining low-criteria pollutant emissions. The project team will develop a nanosecond non-thermal plasma-based ignition system capable of generating radicals, ions, and highly reactive intermediate species that result in rapid self-sustaining combustion, and a cyclic combustion control strategy that predicts and mitigates partial-fire and misfire cycles. The…