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The
Department of Energy’s Office of Science, Office of Basic
Energy Sciences (BES) announced its interest in receiving
proposals from individual investigators and small
groups of investigators for basic scientific
research needed to create advanced energy
technologies for the 21st century.
These efforts will significantly enhance the core
research programs in BES and pursue the fundamental understanding necessary to meet
the global need for abundant, clean, and economical energy. |
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Establishing the Energy Research Directions.
In 2001, the Basic Energy Sciences Advisory Committee (BESAC)
conducted a far reaching study to assess the scope of
fundamental scientific research that must be considered to
address the DOE missions in energy efficiency, renewable
energy resources, improved use of fossil fuels, safe and
publicly acceptable nuclear energy, future energy sources,
and reduced environmental impacts of energy production and
use. |
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The
scientific community responded to this BESAC study with
enthusiasm through participation in a week-long workshop,
whose results were published in early 2003 in the report,
Basic Research Needs to Assure a Secure Energy Future.
That report inspired a series of ten follow-on “Basic
Research Needs” workshops over the next five years,
which together attracted more than 1,500 participants from
universities, industry, and DOE laboratories.
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Topics
included the hydrogen economy; solar energy
utilization; superconductivity; solid-state
lighting; advanced nuclear energy systems;
combustion of 21st century
transportation fuels; electrical-energy storage; geosciences
as it relates to the storage of energy wastes (the long-term
storage of both nuclear waste and CO2); materials
under extreme environments; and catalysis for energy-related
processes. Amongst these reports, research needs in theory,
modeling, and simulation have been a central theme, in which
the BESAC report,
Opportunities for Discovery: Theory and
Computation in Basic Energy Sciences, captures major
highlights.
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The New
Era of Science.
Together, these workshop reports highlighted the remarkable
scientific journey that has taken place during the past few
decades. The resulting scientific challenges, which no
longer were discussed in terms of traditional scientific
disciplines, described a new era of science – an era in
which materials functionalities are designed to
specifications and chemical transformations are manipulated
at will. Over and over, the recommendations from the
workshops described similar themes – that in this new era of
science, we would design, discover, and synthesize new
materials and molecular assemblies through atomic scale
control; probe and control photon, phonon, electron, and ion
interactions with matter; perform multi-scale modeling that
bridges the multiple length and time scales; and use the
collective efforts of condensed matter and materials
physicists, chemists, biologists, molecular engineers, and
those skilled in applied mathematics and computer science.
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The
Grand Science Challenges.
To accomplish this—to direct and control matter at the
quantum, atomic, and molecular levels—requires a change in
our fundamental understanding of how nature works. A BESAC
Grand Challenges subcommittee was convened, which examined
the roadblocks to progress, and the opportunities for truly
transformational new understanding. The results of that
examination were presented in the report,
Directing
Matter and Energy: Five Challenges for Science and the
Imagination. This new era of energy science poses five
challenges:
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How do we
control materials processes at the level of electrons?
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How do we
design and perfect atom- and energy-efficient syntheses of
revolutionary new forms of matter with tailored properties?
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How do
remarkable properties of matter emerge from the complex
correlations of atomic or electronic constituents and how
can we control these properties?
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How can we
master energy and information on the nanoscale to create new
technologies with capabilities rivaling those of living
things?
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How do we
characterize and control matter away—especially very far
away—from equilibrium?
Addressing
these grand challenges is key to making the transition from
observation to control of matter.
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Single-Investigator and Small-Group Research in BES
To implement the collective recommendations of these twelve
workshops, the Office of Basic Energy Sciences is using two
complementary approaches:
multi-investigator research via the Energy Frontier Research
Centers (http://www.sc.doe.gov/bes/EFRC.html)
and a significant enhancement in single-investigator and
small-group projects that currently form the bulk of the BES
core research portfolio. These single-investigator and
small-group research projects have long been recognized as a
critically important engine for scientific discovery and BES
is committed to their continued strong support. It is
anticipated that approximately $60 million will be available
for single-investigator and small-group awards starting in
FY 2009, pending appropriations. The initial award period is expected to be 3 years.
Single-investigator awards are expected to be in the range
of $150–$300 thousand per year; small-group awards are
expected to be in the range of $500–$1,500 thousand per
year. No award will be funded at more than $1.5 million per
year, with the specific exception of awards made in Midscale
Instrumentation and Accelerator and Detector Research (see
below).
Research Areas of Interest:
BES seeks applications in two broad areas of fundamental
scientific research:
Grand Challenge Science
The proposed research program should lie at the forefront
of one or more of the challenges described in the BESAC
report Directing Matter and Energy: Five Challenges for
Science and the Imagination (http://www.sc.doe.gov/bes/reports/files/GC_rpt.pdf
).
Within this broad framework, several key research areas are
identified:
Basic
research to observe, control and
understand chemical and material dynamic phenomena
occurring on the inherent time scales of the fundamental
components of matter, viz. electrons, atoms and
molecules. These ultrafast time scales range from
attoseconds to picoseconds. Research may also include the
development and application of new tools for ultrafast
science, particularly utilizing short x-ray pulses, and for
theoretical approaches to better understand how ultrashort
laser and x-ray pulses interact with matter.
BES contacts:
Jeff Krause, 301-903-5827,
jeff.krause@science.doe.gov
Andrew Schwartz, 301-903-3535,
andrew.schwartz@science.doe.gov
Research
to develop and apply new methods to measure the chemical
behavior of individual molecules and reactions, with high
resolution in both space and time in order to elucidate
fundamental principles of chemical and material processes at
the nanoscale level. The research will build on current
single-molecule spectroscopies and microscopies by adding
simultaneous time-dependent characterization of evolving
chemical and material processes, ultimately with femtosecond
time resolution.
BES contacts:
Bill Millman, 301-903-5805,
william.millman@science.doe.gov
Jane Zhu, 301-903-3811,
jane.zhu@science.doe.gov
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Complex
Systems or Emergent Behavior
Research
aimed at understanding emergent behaviors arising from the
collective, cooperative behavior of individual components of
a system. This challenge of understanding how emergent
behavior results from the complexity of competing
interactions is among the most compelling of our time,
spanning physical phenomena as diverse as phase transitions,
high temperature superconductivity, colossal magneto
resistance, random field magnets, and spin liquids and
glasses.
BES contacts:
Greg Fiechtner, 301-903-5809,
gregory.fiechtner@science.doe.gov
James Horwitz, 301-903-4894,
james.horwitz@science.doe.gov
Progress
toward achieving the scientific grand challenges requires
the building of improved tools. The following areas of
interest address research designed to provide such enabling
tools. Awards in these two areas are expected to include
both equipment acquisition and instrument development.
Awards are capped at a total project cost of $5 million over
the three-year project period.
There is
a significant national need for new
small to midsize, multi-user instruments designed
to
probe the detailed nature of materials using capabilities
that are ever more subtle, sensitive and precise.
Primarily multi-user in nature but
at a scale below that of major BES facilities, high priority
mid-scale instrumentation needs include end stations at the
synchrotron light sources and neutron scattering facilities;
laser systems for ultrafast studies;
micro- and atomic-scale characterization tools such as
electron micro-characterization and scanning probe
microscopy; high-field magnets; facilities for providing
large crystals and other unique materials; and computer
clusters or midrange servers for support of local group
production computing.
Applications in this area are restricted to principal
investigators currently supported by BES, and the
instrumentation requested must be utilized in conjunction
with BES-funded projects.
BES contacts:
Michael Casassa, 301-903-0448,
michael.casassa@science.doe.gov
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Accelerator and Detector Research
Basic
research in accelerator physics and x-ray and neutron
detectors are essential to the efficient operation and use
of present BES x-ray and neutron scattering facilities and
to the design of future facilities. Areas of interest
include studies of ultra-high brightness electron beams to
drive self amplified spontaneous emission free electron
lasers, such as the Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS);
collective electron effects, such as micro-bunch
instabilities from coherent synchrotron and edge radiation;
beam bunching techniques, such as magnetic compression or
velocity bunching; fast instruments to determine the
structure of femtosecond electron bunches; and detectors
capable of acquiring data at very high collection rates.
Specific topics of current interest include: physics of gain
mechanisms in free-electron lasers (FELs), rapid electron
bunch diagnostics, and advanced x-ray and neutron detectors.
BES contact:
Roger Klaffky, 301-903-1873,
roger.klaffky@science.doe.gov
Use-Inspired Discovery Science
The proposed research should address one of the energy
challenges described in the ten BES workshop reports in the
Basic Research Needs series (http://www.sc.doe.gov/bes/reports/list.html).
These consist of:
Research
is sought in two major areas: solar-to-electric and
solar-to-fuel conversions. Many of the proposed research
directions identified in the BES workshop report Basic
Research Needs for Solar Energy Utilization (http://www.sc.doe.gov/bes/reports/files/SEU_rpt.pdf
) concern important cross-cutting issues, including: (1)
coaxing cheap materials to perform as well as expensive
materials in terms of their electrical, optical, chemical,
and physical properties; (2) developing new paradigms for
solar cell design that surpass traditional efficiency
limits; (3) finding catalysts that enable inexpensive,
efficient conversion of solar energy into chemical fuels;
(4) identifying novel methods for self-assembly of molecular
components into functionally integrated systems; and (5)
developing materials for solar energy conversion
infrastructure.
BES contacts:
Mark Spitler, 301-903-4568,
mark.spitler@science.doe.gov
James Horwitz, 301-903-4894;
james.horwitz@science.doe.gov
Research
is sought to strengthen the scientific basis that will allow comprehensive understanding of the
physical and chemical processes that lead to the extraction
of hydrogen from its natural environments, storage and
distribution of hydrogen, and the efficient energy
conversion, all in a safe as well as economically and
environmentally sustainable manner. Particular emphasis
will be given to novel materials for hydrogen storage,
functional membranes, and nanoscale catalysis, as described
in the BES workshop report, Basic Research Needs for the
Hydrogen Economy (http://www.sc.doe.gov/bes/reports/files/NHE_rpt.pdf
).
BES contacts:
Raul Miranda, 301-903-8014,
raul.miranda@science.doe.gov
John Vetrano, 301-903-5976,
john.vetrano@science.doe.gov
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Advanced Nuclear Energy Systems
Basic
research related to systems utilizing advanced fuel cycles
is sought in areas described in the BES workshop report Basic Research Needs
for Advanced Nuclear Energy Systems (http://www.sc.doe.gov/bes/reports/files/ANES_rpt.pdf
), including: (1) understanding the fundamentals of
radiation resistance and corrosion tolerance in materials;
(2) fundamental principles to guide ligand design; (3)
investigation of new separations approaches based on
magnetic and electronic differences; (4) development of
separations processes models to optimize waste minimization
and minimize opportunities for diversion of nuclear
materials; and (5) solution and interfacial behavior under
extreme radiation flux and elevated temperatures.
BES contacts:
Lester Morss, 301-903-9311,
lester.morss@science.doe.gov
John Vetrano, 301-903-5976,
john.vetrano@science.doe.gov
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Electrical Energy Storage
The use
of electricity generated from intermittent, renewable
sources requires efficient EES in order to effectively
integrate it into the baseload grid system and to use it in
transportation applications. A number of specific areas of
research for both batteries and electrochemical capacitors
have been identified in the BES workshop report Basic
Research Needs for Electrical Energy Storage (http://www.sc.doe.gov/bes/reports/files/EES_rpt.pdf
). These include: (1) Efficacy of structure in energy
storage—new approaches combining theory and synthesis for
the design and optimization of materials architectures
including self-healing, self-regulation, failure-tolerance,
and impurity sequestration. (2) Charge transfer and
transport—molecular scale understanding of interfacial
electron transfer. (3) Electrolytes—electrolytes with
strong ionic solvation, yet weak ion-ion interactions, high
fluidity, and controlled reactivity. (4) Probes of energy
storage chemistry and physics at all time and length
scales—analytical tools capable of monitoring changes in
structure and composition at interfaces and in bulk phases
with spatial resolution from atomic to mesoscopic levels and
temporal resolution down to femtoseconds. (5) Multi-scale
modeling—computational tools with improved integration of
length and time scales to understand the complex physical
and chemical processes that
occur in EES from the molecular to system scales.
BES contacts:
Paul Maupin, 301-903-4355,
paul.maupin@science.doe.gov
John Vetrano, 301-903-5976,
john.vetrano@science.doe.gov
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Geological Sequestration of Carbon Dioxide
Research
is sought to develop the scientific understanding that will
underpin novel technological approaches to deep underground
carbon sequestration. Research directions identified in the
2007 BES workshop report Basic Research Needs for
Geosciences (http://www.sc.doe.gov/bes/reports/files/GEO_rpt.pdf
) include: (1) understanding geochemical processes relevant
to the dimensions of subsurface sequestration sites and
incorporating realistic chemistry of reacting flowing fluids
into predictive models of geological formations; (2)
development of critical geophysical measurement techniques
to enable remote probing and tracking of important chemical
and physical processes within rock formations at depth,
including capture of rock heterogeneity; and (3) development
and application of fluid-flow measurement approaches and
simulation tools that can link, and explicitly couple,
chemical and physical processes at multiple scales.
BES contact:
Nick Woodward, 301-903-4061,
nick.woodward@science.doe.gov
Basic
research related to catalysis is sought in areas described
in the BES workshop report Basic Research Needs:
Catalysis for Energy (http://www.sc.doe.gov/bes/reports/files/CAT_rpt.pdf).
The workshop sought to identify basic research needs and
opportunities in catalysis to meet the nation’s energy
needs. The workshop identified three priority research
directions for advancing catalysis science: advanced
catalysts for the conversion of heavy fossil energy
feedstocks; understanding the chemistry of lignocellulosic
biomass deconstruction and conversion to fuels; photo- and
electro-driven conversions of carbon dioxide and water. The
grand challenge identified at the core of all of these areas
was to achieve detailed understanding of mechanisms and
dynamics of catalyzed reactions, and controlled synthesis of
nanostructures and interfaces. Such understanding would
allow scientists to build effective catalysts with
atom-by-atom precision and convert complex reactants to
energy-storing products with molecular precision. The means
to resolve this challenge is several-fold: creating new and
expanding current fundamental theories of chemical kinetics
that effectively take into account the dynamics and
statistical fluctuations of structurally complex and diverse
feedstocks; creating and advancing instrumentation that
permit real-time high-resolution chemical imaging of
reacting species and catalysts; synthesizing new and more
complex catalyst structures that exploit multifunctionality
and versatility in order to guide reactions through highly
selective pathways.
BES contacts:
Raul Miranda, 301-903-8014,
raul.miranda@science.doe.gov
Lane Wilson, 301-903-5877,
lane.wilson@science.doe.gov
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Clean
and Efficient Combustion
Basic
research related to clean and efficient combustion is sought
in areas described in the BES workshop report Basic
Research Needs for Clean and Efficient Combustion
of 21st Century Transportation Fuels (http://www.sc.doe.gov/bes/reports/files/CTF_rpt.pdf).
This workshop was charged with exploring basic research
needs in the areas of gas-phase chemistry, combustion
diagnostics, and combustion simulation that will enable the
use of transportation fuels derived from non-traditional
sources (oil shale, tar sands, coal, biomass) in a manner
that optimizes engine efficiency and minimizes pollutant
formation. Eight priority research directions were
identified, two of which were devoted to a focus on engines
or fuels and were similar in their strategy of working
backward from technology drivers to scientific research
needs. A third panel explored crosscutting science themes
and identified critical gaps in our scientific understanding
of 21st-century fuel combustion. The workshop identified a
single, overarching grand challenge: The development of a
validated, predictive, multi-scale, combustion modeling
capability to optimize the design and operation of evolving
fuels in advanced engines for transportation applications.
The workshop produced a keen sense of urgency and
opportunity for the development of revolutionary combustion
technology for transportation based upon fundamental
combustion science.
BES contacts:
Wade Sisk, 301-903-5692,
wade.sisk@science.doe.gov
Jeff Krause, 301-903-5827,
jeff.krause@science.doe.gov
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Materials under Extreme Environments
Basic
research related to materials under extreme environments is
sought in areas described in the BES workshop report
Basic Research Needs for Materials under Extreme
Environments (http://www.sc.doe.gov/bes/reports/files/MUEE_rpt.pdf).
Reaching the intrinsic limit of materials performance is a
key challenge, and solutions to this challenge require new
understanding regarding the most fundamental atomic and
molecular origins of material failure. In particular,
ultra-high spatial and ultrafast temporal resolution
characterization tools are needed to observe and follow the
initiation and evolution of atomic-scale to cascading
macroscale damage events. Complementary advanced
computational capabilities to simulate and predict
multiscale damage from atomic to macroscopic dimensions are
also needed. Such new understanding of damage and failure
will underpin research to discover how atomic and molecular
structures could be manipulated in a predicable manner to
enable development of new materials having an extraordinary
tolerance to function within an extreme environment without
property degradation, or even with the ability for
self-repair.
BES contacts:
Lane Wilson, 301-903-5877,
lane.wilson@science.doe.gov
Tim Fitzsimmons, 301-903-9830,
tim.fitzsimmons@science.doe.gov
Basic
research related to solid-state lighting is sought in areas
identified in the BES workshop report Basic Research
Needs for Solid-State Lighting (SSL) (http://www.sc.doe.gov/bes/reports/files/SSL_rpt.pdf).
Broad areas of discovery research and scientific inquiry
were identified as the required groundwork for the future of
SSL, which were condensed into the following two primary
challenges. One broad research challenge aims to change the
very paradigm by which SSL structures are designed, moving
from serendipitous discovery towards rational design. The
other challenge aims to understand and control the
microscopic pathways through which losses occur as electrons
produce light, which is identified as a primary roadblock to
SSL. By developing a fundamental understanding of the
processes that mediate the competing conversion of electrons
to light and heat, the challenge of converting every
injected electron into useful photons will be addressed. The
anticipated outcomes are ultra-high-efficiency
light-emitting materials and nanostructures, and a deep
scientific understanding of how light interacts with matter,
with broad impact on science and technology areas beyond SSL.
BES contact:
Arvind Kini, 301-903-3565,
a.kini@science.doe.gov
Basic
research related to superconductivity is sought in areas
identified in the BES workshop report Basic Research
Needs for Superconductivity (http://www.sc.doe.gov/bes/reports/files/SC_rpt.pdf).
Many of the proposed research directions identified in the
concern important cross-cutting issues. A central challenge
with the biggest impact is the need to understand the
fundamental mechanisms of high-temperature
superconductivity. This is difficult precisely because the
mechanisms are entangled with many anomalous normal state
effects. Another primary scientific opportunity is rooted in
nanoscale phenomenon as superconductivity’s two composite
building blocks have dimensions ranging from a tenth of a
nanometer to a hundred nanometers. Unraveling
superconductivity’s mechanism with the promise of nanoscale
fabrication, characterization, and simulation will provide a
pathway for the rational design of and production of
functional superconducting materials required for
next-generation grid technology.
BES contacts:
Andrew Schwartz, 301-903-3535,
andrew.schwartz@science.doe.gov
Refik Kortan, 301-903-3308,
refik.kortan@science.doe.gov
Application Procedures
Universities and Other Research Institutions:
Potential applicants are strongly encouraged
to follow the BES guidelines for grant applications:
http://www.sc.doe.gov/bes/grants.html . These
guidelines include an initial contact with a suitable BES
program manager (see contacts above) and submission of a
pre-application. A pre-application will be evaluated by the
BES program manager(s) for relevance to this expression of
interest and to the existing BES research portfolio. A
pre-application will either be encouraged for a full
application or discouraged, in which case a full application
will not be accepted. Full applications must be submitted
in response to the Office of Science Financial Assistance
Funding Opportunity Announcement DE-PS02-08ER08-01 (http://www.sc.doe.gov/grants/FAPN08-01.html
).
DOE/NNSA
FFRDCs (National Laboratories):
All potential proposals must be communicated to the
appropriate BES program manager (see contacts above) by an
approved BES laboratory coordinator. Only potential
proposals communicated to BES via approved laboratory
contacts will be considered. The BES program manager may
request the submission of a pre-proposal for evaluation for
its relevance to this expression of interest and to the
existing BES research portfolio. A pre-proposal will either
be encouraged for a full proposal or discouraged, in which
case a full proposal will not be accepted. Full proposals
must be submitted via the normal Field Work Proposal process
for DOE/NNSA FFRDCs and should follow the BES guidelines for
preparation of proposals (http://www.sc.doe.gov/bes/Guide_for_Lab_Rev_Docs.pdf
).
Special
Note:
The application guidance given above also applies to the
resubmission of a proposal based upon a revision or update
of a proposal declined under Office of Science Notice 06-13,
Basic Research for Midscale Instrumentation; Notice
06-15, Basic Research for Solar Energy Utilization;
Notice 06-17, Basic Research for the Hydrogen Fuel
Initiative; and Notice 07-04, Basic Research for
Advanced Nuclear Energy Systems. In particular, DOE
laboratory principal investigators must work through the
appropriate laboratory management and communicate with BES
only via approved laboratory coordinators. And both
laboratory coordinators and university investigators are
strongly encouraged to contact the appropriate
BES program manager to discuss a potential resubmission of a
proposal declined under one of the above-named Notices. |
