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NREL has received many patents and awards for its technical innovations in hydrogen technologies.
Scientific & Technical Society Honors and Awards
- 2000 Fellow — Dr. Michael Seibert
- 2000 Glenn Award — Maria Ghirardi and Dr. Michael Seibert
Patents
Over the years, NREL researchers have patented a variety of hydrogen and fuel cell technologies—in hydrogen storage, biohydrogen production, hydrogen sensor development, and test methods for photolytic reactor materials.
Hydrogen Storage
Metal-Doped Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes and Production Thereof
Anne Dillon, et al., U.S. Patent 7,160,530, January 2007
This invention incorporates a host of reactive solution-phase and gas-phase routes to achieve metal-doped single-walled carbon nanotubes for hydrogen storage applications. These nanotubes are used to increase reversible hydrogen storage for vehicular and stationary applications.
Biohydrogen Production
System for Rapid Biohydrogen Phenotypic Screening of Microorganisms Using a Chemochromic Sensor
Michael Seibert, et al., U.S. Patent 6,448,068, September 10, 2002
Provided is a system for identifying a hydrogen gas producing organism. The system includes a sensor film having a first layer comprising a transition metal oxide or oxysalt and a second layer comprising a hydrogen-dissociative catalyst metal, the first and second layers having an inner and an outer surface wherein the inner surface of the second layer is deposited on the outer surface of the first layer, and a substrate adjacent to the outer surface of the second layer, the organism isolated on the substrate.
Method and Apparatus for Rapid Biohydrogen Phenotypic Screening of Microorganisms Using a Chemochromic Sensor
Michael Seibert, et al., U.S. Patent 6,277,589, August 2001
The invention provides an assay system for identifying a hydrogen-gas-producing organism, including a sensor film having a first layer comprising a transition metal oxide or oxysalt and a second layer comprising hydrogen-dissociative catalyst metal, the first and second layers having an inner and an outer surface wherein the inner surface of the second layer is deposited on the outer surface of the first layer, and a substrate disposed proximally to the outer surface of the second layer, the organism being isolated on the substrate.
Process for Selection of Oxygen-Tolerant Algal Mutants That Produce Hydrogen
Maria Ghirardi and Michael Seibert; Michael, U.S. Patent 5,871,952, February 1999
A process for selection of oxygen-tolerant, hydrogen-producing algal mutant cells comprising: (a) growing algal cells photoautotrophically under fluorescent light to mid log phase; (b) inducing algal cells grown photoautrophically under fluorescent light to mid log phase in step (a) anaerobically by (1) resuspending the cells in a buffer solution and making said suspension anaerobic with an inert gas; (2) incubating the suspension in the absence of light at ambient temperature; (c) treating the cells from step (b) with metronidazole, sodium azide, and added oxygen to controlled concentrations in the presence of white light. (d) washing off metronidazole and sodium azide to obtain final cell suspension; (e) plating said final cell suspension on a minimal medium and incubating in light at a temperature sufficient to enable colonies to appear; (f) counting the number of colonies to determine the percent of mutant survivors; and (g) testing survivors to identify oxygen-tolerant H.sub.2 -producing mutants.
Photoenhanced Anaerobic Digestion of Organic Acids
Paul Weaver, U.S. Patent 4,919,813, April 1990
A process is described for rapid conversion of organic acids and alcohols anaerobic digesters into hydrogen and carbon dioxide, the optimal precursor substrates for production of methane. The process includes addition of photosynthetic bacteria to the digester and exposure of the bacteria to radiant energy (e.g., solar energy). The process also increases the pH stability of the digester to prevent failure of the digester. Preferred substrates for photosynthetic bacteria are the organic acid and alcohol waste products of fermentative bacteria. In mixed culture with methanogenic bacteria or in defined co-culture with non-aceticlastic methanogenic bacteria, photosynthetic bacteria are capable of facilitating the conversion or organic acids and alcohols into methane with low levels of light energy input.
Hydrogen Sensors
Pd/Ni-WO3 Anodic Double Layer Gasochromic Device
Roland Pitts et al., U.S. Patent 6,723,566, April 2004
An anodic double layer gasochromic sensor structure for optical detection of hydrogen in improved response time and with improved optical absorption real time constants, comprising: a glass substrate; a tungsten-doped nickel oxide layer coated on the glass substrate; and a palladium layer coated on the tungsten-doped nickel oxide layer.
Fiber Optic Device for Sensing the Presence of a Gas
David Benson et al., U.S. Patent Number 5,708,735, January 1998
A fiber-optic device for sensing the presence of a gas in an environment is provided. The device comprises a light source for directing a light beam to a layer system having a first surface and a second surface opposite the first surface. The first surface is exposable to the light beam and the second surface is exposable to the environment. A first light portion encounters and reflects from the first surface at an angle of incidence free from optical wave guide resonance phenomenon and the second light portion encounters and reflects from the first surface at an angle of incidence enabling an optical wave guide resonance phenomenon. The layer system is selected to reversibly react with the gas to be detected. The reaction between the gas and the material changes the material's optical properties and the wavelength at which the optical wave guide resonance occurs. Furthermore, a mechanism for measuring the intensity of the reflected first light portion relative to the reflected second light portion is provided with the ratio of the first and second light portions indicating the concentration of the gas presence in the environment.
Thin Film Method of Conducting Lithium-ions
David Benson, et al., U.S. Patent 5,834,137, November 1998
The present invention relates to the composition of a solid lithium-ion electrolyte based on the Li.sub.2 O—CeO.sub.2—SiO.sub.2 system having good transparent characteristics and high ion conductivity suitable for uses in lithium batteries, electrochromic devices and other electrochemical applications.
Photolytic Reactor Materials Test Methods
Ultra-Accelerated Natural Sunlight Exposure Testing Facilities
Allan Lewandowski, U.S. Patent 6,604,436, August 2003
A multi-faceted concentrator apparatus for providing ultra-accelerated natural sunlight exposure testing for sample materials under controlled weathering conditions comprising: facets that receive incident natural sunlight, transmits VIS/NIR and reflects UV/VIS to deliver a uniform flux of UV/VIS onto a sample exposure plane located near a center of a facet array in chamber means that provide concurrent levels of temperature and/or relative humidity at high levels of up to 100 times of natural sunlight that allow sample materials to be subjected to accelerated irradiance exposure factors for a significant period of time of about 3 to 10 days to provide a corresponding time of about at least a years worth representative weathering of sample materials.
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