Vehicles and Fuels Technology Marketing Summaries

Methods for the production of fuels from biomass-derived sugars range from producing ethanol via fermentation to producing higher alcohols from genetically modified organisms. One current method to produce sugars from lignocellulosic biomass utilizes a thermochemical pretreatment step and enzyme cocktails to deconstruct cellulose and hemicellulose to soluble sugar. These enzyme cocktails are based on fungal or bacterial cellulose secretomes, where the fungal cocktails are an important... read more

Large scale energy storage systems, such as those used in electric vehicles or grid scale systems combine multiple electrochemical cells into a pack, or in the case of grid-scale systems, multiple packs into a large array of packs. However, battery packs often underperform due to cells or packs within the array having disparate states of health or performance capability. Consequently, the performance of the entire system is limited by the weakest unit. If these limits are unknown to a... read more

Automotive engines, gear boxes, and wind turbines already operate under harsh conditions. As future equipment designs evolve toward more compact, lighter-weight, and high-power-density analogs, lubricants are expected to provide better friction, wear, and scuffing performance; and longer intervals between oil changes. Although current lubricants include zinc dialkyldithiophosphate (ZDDP) and molybdenum dithiocarbamate (MoDTC) to enhance lubrication and wear properties, these additives... read more

The process of photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting is a promising pathway for the generation of hydrogen due to its high conversion efficiency and potential for cost efficiency. Additionally, it is a renewable energy technology with relatively simple and inexpensive processes compared to other hydrogen production technologies. However, continued improvements in conversion efficiency, durability, and processing cost are needed to make the technology viable for use in the future... read more

There has been vast research in developing cost effective processes to convert the polysaccharide components of plants, mainly cellulose and hemicellulose, into fuels and chemicals. However, the lignin component of biomass, which is an energy-dense polymer and the second most abundant biopolymer on Earth, is vastly underutilized in the production of biofuels, chemicals, and materials. In typical biofuel production, lignin is burned for process heat due to the difficulties faced when... read more

Biofuels are a major component of a balanced international renewable energy portfolio. Most methods for producing biofuels have been focused on utilizing the cellulose or hemicellulose components of biomass. Lignin, a major component of woody biomass that represents rich organic molecules, is underutilized in current biomass production due to the lack of economic and technically feasible routes for lignin depolymerization. One way to deconstruct lignin is through base-catalyzed... read more

In the fields of vehicle telematics and navigation, there are algorithms for recommending potential travel routes from a given origin to a desired destination. Such potential routes may be presented as candidate routes from which a vehicle user may choose to travel. Further, in the field of vehicle energy use prediction, there are techniques for estimating vehicle energy consumption as a function of the vehicle’s driving cycle/speed profile. To predict vehicle energy consumption over a... read more

Different components within an electrochemical system (e.g., a battery) can generate heat due to inefficiencies in transport of the charges or exothermal reactions at different rates. For example, the joule heating of the connectors happens at a much shorter time period compared to the heat generated due to some of the reactions. By introducing current or voltage signals as input at the appropriate frequency and by carefully measuring the heat generated from the system (e.g.,... read more

This technology provides an advantageous means to convert syngas into a class of chemicals known as higher oxygenates as well as other long-chain hydrocarbons. Research is currently active on this patent-pending technology "Synthesis, Characterization, and Catalytic Activity of Rh-based Lanthanum Zirconate Pyrochlores for Higher Alcohol Synthesis." This technology is available for licensing and/or further collaborative research from the U.S. Department of Energy's National... read more

Electrochromic materials change optical properties upon the injection of charge or charge carriers into the material, with the subsequent movement of counterions or electrons to balance the charge in the material. Optical changes in electrochromic materials include a change from one color to another, a change from transmissive to reflective, and a change from transparent to opaque. “Smart” windows, utilizing electrochromic films, provide substantial savings and... read more

Berkeley Lab scientists Guoying Chen and Thomas J. Richardson have invented a new type of separator membrane that prevents dangerous overcharge and overdischarge conditions in rechargeable lithium-ion batteries, i.e., exploding lithium ion batteries. This low cost separator, with electroactive polymers incorporated into a porous fiber membrane, provides electronic insulation and high ionic conduction during normal cell operation, enabling high charge and discharge rates for high... read more

Most power-generation systems produce heat as a by-product. For example, internal combustion engines used to power most vehicles today combust a high-energy fuel (e.g., gasoline) to generate mechanical motion and heat. Fuel cells that convert hydrogen and oxygen into electricity and heat are also being developed for a variety of applications, including power production for vehicles and electrical appliances. Other power-generation systems, such as bio-fuel processing, petroleum... read more

Berkeley Lab developed an elegant and inexpensive fabrication method for high performance electrodes with unmatched specific / areal capacities and good capacity retention for application in lithium ion batteries.

Recent investigations by a number of groups have shown that a beta zeolite catalyst (and other solid Brønsted acids) will convert methanol and/or dimethyl ether (DME) to iso-alkanes such as triptane (2,2,3-trimethylbutane), with uniquely high selectivity to C₄ and C₇ (termed the DME to high octane gasoline process or DTHOG). In comparison, the Exxon-Mobil methanol to gasoline (MTG) process produces a broader mixture of hydrocarbons, which is heavy in benzene, toluene, and... read more

Cab climate conditioning is one of the primary reasons for idling the main engine in a long-haul truck during driver rest periods. In the United States, long-haul trucks (trucks that travel more than 500 miles per day) use approximately 667 million gallons of fuel annually for rest period idling[1]. Including workday idling, over two billion gallons of fuel are used annually for truck idling[2]. Idling represents a zero freight efficiency operating condition for the truck. As... read more

INL has developed a method for fabricating a self-cleaning porous cermet material filter and system that may be used in filtering particulate and gaseous pollutants from internal combustion engines, which have intermetallic and ceramic phases. The porous cermet filter may be made from a transition metal aluminide phase and an alumina phase. Filler materials may be added to increase the porosity or tailor the catalytic properties of the cermet material. Also, the cermet material may be... read more

Alternative fuel vehicles typically require large energy stores (e.g., for acceleration), resulting in the ongoing development of capacitor and supercapacitor technologies. These technologies have a broad range of applications including portable electronic devices such as cell phones, lap top computers and personal digital assistants and are not limited to use in automobiles.

Electrochromic coatings are also being developed in an effort to promote energy savings. Applications... read more

Existing battery management algorithms rely upon empirical correlations between the cell voltage and the load profile. This approach limits the predictive ability of the battery management system to forecast remaining useful life of a battery in a vehicle, or the range available at any given instant when the vehicle is in operation. 

The size, weight, and cost of power electronic components are factors which influence the cost of hybrid and electric vehicles. According to a report from Oak Ridge National Laboratory[1], power electronics can make up 40% of the total traction drive cost in hybrid vehicles. Increasing vehicle electrification, in an effort to reduce the nation's dependence on foreign oil, requires making electric drive vehicles cost competitive with conventional gasoline powered vehicles. A... read more

Energy storage cells (also referred to herein as "cells" or "batteries") sold for consumer use in portable electronic devices and other applications have occasional failure in the field. These cells have typically passed a wide variety of safety tests, such as those required by governmental shipping regulations and by other certification organizations, but fail after the cells have been in use over time (e.g., several months), even though there have been no other reported... read more

Magnesium ion batteries present a viable alternative to lithium ion batteries and are drawing the attention of major electric vehicle and battery manufacturers. This is due in part to each lithium ion carrying a single positive charge, while each magnesium ion has a plus-two (divalent) charge, allowing the magnesium ion battery to move twice as many electrons. Magnesium is also much cheaper and easier to acquire than lithium. Other benefits of using magnesium instead of lithium... read more

INL’s Plasma-Thermal Synthesis process improves the conversion process for natural gas into liquid hydrocarbon fuels.

INL’s biodiesel-SSC uses solid catalyst under super-critical fluid conditions to produce biodiesel from a full range of lipid feedstock. This invention provides in a single-phase process for producing alkyl esters from triglycerides or fatty acid material feedstock. The material is mixed with an alcohol and a solvent supercritical gas (e.g. carbon dioxide or alkane) to produce glycerol/glycerin and an alkyl ester out of fatty acid for further refinement. The refining process uses... read more

Rechargeable lithium-ion batteries have become the battery of choice for everything from cell phones to electric cars, but there is still much room for improvement. Scientists at Argonne National Laboratory are leading efforts to revolutionize battery technology with the design and development of new battery materials for electrolytes, electrodes, and interfaces that will increase the specific energy of advanced batteries, while simultaneously providing enhanced stability at a lower cost. To... read more

A novel method for coating the barrel of a ballistic weapon or its bullets with a unique compound that not only lubricates the barrel during firing, but also uses the formerly harmful pressure and heat generated during firing to repair cracks within the barrel.  

Berkeley Lab’s High Performance Silicon Monoxide Electrode has a capacity retention of more than 90% after ~500 cycles, which translates into a ~20% improvement over the limited energy density of conventional graphite anode-based lithium-ion batteries, enabling next-generation mobile electronics and electric/plug-in vehicles.

Researchers have developed a new technology to advance the life of lithium-ion batteries. A catechol-based polymer binder, developed at Berkeley Lab, interacting with the oxide layer on the surface of commercial silicon (Si), generates powerful adhesion strength and maintains electrode integrity during the drastic volume changes experienced in lithiation and delithiation. The result is a better binding property and longer electrode life in lithium-ion batteries.

For automobile manufacturers using expensive noble metals to make vehicle catalytic converters, often with limited lifetimes, Berkeley Lab Tunable Catalysts, made with affordable metals, utilize graphene to electrically tune the converting rate efficacy and efficiency of catalysts. 

The primary fuel powering new fuel cell technologies is hydrogen. The market for fuel cells is expected to grow tremendously in the near-term as vehicle manufacturers start mass-production of fuel cell vehicles. As the market for fuel cells grows, so too does demand for hydrogen to supply the fuel cells. The two biggest obstacles in the way of hydrogen production are high cost and storage of product. 

While there are multiple methods of hydrogen production,... read more

Berkeley Lab researchers led by Gao Liu have developed a lithium ion battery fabrication technology that will deliver stabilized lithium metal powder (SLMP®) to the surface of electrodes without using highly volatile and flammable solvents.

Among electrode materials for lithium ion batteries, tin offers a high theoretical capacity about 2.5 times that of graphite by weight. Unfortunately, when lithium alloys with tin the matrix undergoes a very large volume change. This change in volume results in a loss of capacity over a few charge-discharge cycles. By adding a transition metal to the tin, this volume change can be mitigated. The novel phase of FeSn₅ or CoSn₅ exhibits a capacity nearly twice that of FeSn₂, the previous... read more

The power electronics market has started to grow dramatically with the onset of new technologies in automotive applications, power generation, energy storage, and other growing markets. 

Critical elements in the operation of electric drive systems are power electronics and power semiconductor packages. Improving thermal management of power electronics can help reduce the cost, weight, and volume of electric drive systems and thus increase market acceptance. The power semiconductor... read more

Bias is applied to silicon drift detectors (SDDs) to force electrons to drift toward the anode. A spiral SDD is a special type of SDD detector that utilizes a cylindrical geometry. Its smaller anode has lower capacitance and therefore less sensitivity to electronic noise, improving resolution. In spiral SDDs, ion implants are required as both the rectifying junction and a voltage divider that creates the potential field forcing the electrons to drift toward the anode. Coupling these two... read more

A team of Berkeley Lab researchers led by Gao Liu has developed a doping process for lithium ion battery electrode formation that can boost a cell’s charge capacity and lower its cost while improving reliability and safety.

A team of Berkeley Lab battery researchers led by Elton Cairns has invented an advanced lithium/sulfur (Li/S) cell that, for the first time, offers both long cycle life and a high discharge rate in addition to the inherently low cost and light weight of Li/S batteries.

A research team at the University of Colorado has developed a novel heat exchanger design and accompanying manufacturing technique for creating low-cost microchannel heat exchangers from plastics, metals, or ceramics. The prototype used laser welding (upper red lines at right). Expansion makes “chessboard” counter flow pattern (lower right). The figure below shows mass production, where sheets are added one at a time and welded with a mask and filament (left) or laser (right).... read more

The hydrogen fuel cell market is still in the early stages of development.  However, with advances in technology the market and associated fuel cell applications is starting to gain traction. Recently, major vehicle manufacturers have announced production-level hydrogen vehicles as soon as 2015 and the fuel cell market is expected to grow from an estimated $775 million in 2012 to over $14.1 billion by 2022. 

One of the most attractive aspects of hydrogen is that it has a very... read more

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), operated by Lawrence Livermore National Security (LLNS) under contract with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), is offering the opportunity for partnership and licensing of a new technology for the storage of electrical energy in modular “electromechanical batteries” (EMB) designed for land-based vehicular applications. The technology embodies several novel concepts for storing electrical energy as rotational energy. The new design... read more

Berkeley Lab researcher Gao Liu has developed an innovative design for a battery, made primarily of sodium and sulfur, that holds promise for both large-scale grid storage systems and for consumer products such as residential photovoltaic systems. The cathode is made of sulfur and a conductive polymer, while the solid electrolyte — based on cross-linked polyethylene oxide — forms a stable but ion-conducting barrier separating the liquid sodium anode.

One of the major drawbacks of electric vehicles (EVs) is the long period of time required to recharge EV batteries. While regular Alternating Current (AC) charging systems are sufficient for overnight charging of these vehicles at home or at the office, they aren’t practical for quick recharging in public areas. A rapid means for recharging EVs is needed in order to make electric vehicles a practical alternative to traditional internal combustion engine-powered vehicles.

In... read more

To develop more fuel efficient and wear resistant engines, advanced lubricants that perform better at high temperature are needed.  Since most lubricating oils begin to oxidize above 250°C, therefore solid lubricating coatings and self-lubricating composites are needed for higher temperature use[i].  Currently used engine oils may contain metal-based lubricant additives such as molybdenum derivatives for enhancing lubricity and zinc compounds for their anti-wear properties[ii].... read more

As the demand for hybrid and electric vehicles continues to grow, so does the demand for lithium-ion batteries that are safer, more powerful, and less expensive. These Argonne additives will help meet that demand.

Argonne has developed an autogenic pyrolysis process to convert plastic waste into high-value carbon nanotubes (50?100 nm outside diameter) and perfectly round carbon spheres (2-12 μm outside diameter). The tubes can be used as anode material in advanced batteries such as lithium-ion and eventually, lithium-air batteries.

Rechargeable lithium-ion batteries have become the battery of choice for everything from cell phones to electric cars, but there is still much room for improvement. Scientists at Argonne National Laboratory are leading efforts to revolutionize battery technology with the design and development of new battery materials for electrolytes, electrodes, and interfaces that will increase the specific energy of advanced batteries, while simultaneously providing enhanced stability at a lower cost. To... read more

Coolant radiators in highway trucks are designed to transfer maximum heat at a “design condition.” The current standard design condition is a fully-loaded truck climbing up Baker Grade on the hottest summer day. The coolant system, including radiator, is sized to remove 100% of the required heat from the engine at the design condition without boiling the coolant, which results in a large radiator.  Consequently, the radiator is oversized for most driving conditions. In some... read more

Rechargeable lithium-ion batteries have become the battery of choice for everything from cell phones to electric cars, but there is still much room for improvement. Scientists at Argonne National Laboratory are leading efforts to revolutionize battery technology with the design and development of new battery materials for electrolytes, electrodes, and interfaces that will increase the specific energy of advanced batteries, while simultaneously providing enhanced stability at a lower cost. To... read more

Producing hydrogen from clean sources of energy has been one of the major challenges of hydrogen production. While production from fossil fuel processes has been the norm, one of the most promising clean technologies has been hydrogen production through photo-electrochemical (PEC) cells. The three main hurdles of PEC hydrogen production have been efficiency, durability, and cost of production. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) reports that for photo-electrochemical water splitting to be... read more

A Berkeley Lab team headed by Yuegang Zhang and Elton Cairns has developed a method to fabricate battery cathodes from nanoscale flakes of graphene oxide and sulfur. This innovation solves at once two design problems that have impeded efforts to make commercially viable lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries: 1) sulfur is a natural insulator, and designers must find ways to overcome its resistance; 2) Li-S batteries are notoriously short-lived because sulfur that dissolves in the electrolyte can... read more

Polymer electrolyte fuel cells (PEFCs) have been identified as an attractive electrical power source due to it having a higher efficiency level and being an environmental friendly energy source.  In comparison with other types of fuel cells, PEFCs have a high power density, low weight to power ratio, and utilize a proton exchange membrane (PEM) as its electrolyte.  Some types of membranes that are in use have displayed issues such as reduced conductivity and membranes dehydration... read more

As plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) and battery electric vehicles (BEVs) become more popular, they create additional demand for electricity. Their emergence also raises a host of issues regarding how, where and when car batteries should be charged—and the resulting load on the power grid.

Electric utilities strive to avoid large fluctuations in the power supply and to keep the system’s frequency stable at 60 Hz. In this way, they maintain balance in supply and demand... read more

Nitrogen oxide (NO_x) emissions pose risks to human health, and so they need to be reduced. One very effective tool for reducing engine in-cylinder temperature and, hence NO_x emissions (NO_x is a strong function of temperature), is Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR). However, EGR has a number of inherent disadvantages that limit its long-term benefits: combustion contamination, greater control system complexity, application variability, materials and durability, decreased fuel economy, lubricant... read more

The development of high-power, high-energy, long-life, and low-cost rechargeable batteries is critical for the next-generation electric and hybrid electric vehicles. Among various battery technologies, lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) are promising energy storage devices as a result of the high energy densities, low self-discharges, and long cycle lives of known LIBs. Market analysis projects that the LIB market will increase to over $77 billion within the energy storage, electric vehicles, and... read more

Magnetic regenerators utilize the magnetocaloric effect--the ability of a magnetic field to reduce the magnetic part of a solid materials entropy, generating heat, and then removing the magnetic field, permitting the reduction of temperature with the change in entropy. The cyclic heat generation and absorption in adiabatic magnetization and demagnetization. This invention uses a specific mix of rare earth magnetic materials capable of producing both a first and second order phase transitions... read more

A variety of investigative settings, from medicine to law enforcement, rely on the clarity
of wide-angle images in order to make accurate interpretations. At ORNL, researchers
developed a computerized video imaging process that maps the coordinates of a
moving image to computer-based reference coordinates. This helps to stabilize and
align images for review.

The ORNL invention addresses several current imaging problems. Medical images
usually have low contrast features. The... read more

INL’s Plasma-Hydrocarbon Conversion process enables conversion of heavy hydrocarbons, such as heavy crude oil and hydrocarbon gases like natural gas, into lighter hydrocarbon materials (e.g. synthetic light oil).

This is a method of improved delivery of liquid natural gas (LNG) within an engine delivery system. The LNG is first pumped into the insulated holding tank from a fueling station. As a tank is refueled, any remaining natural gas vapors are condensed and returned to the liquid state. This allows the tank to fill quicker and hold more fuel, without having to vent any vapor into the atmosphere.

This is a method used to reactivate solid/liquid catalysts used in INL’s super critical process to produce alkylates. The method brings the catalyst into contact with the designated fluid that serves as the reactivating agent and has the density to dissolve the impurities. The process reactivates the catalyst by exposing it to a series of agents to dissolve the fouling agents. Once the catalyst has been processed with the fluid-reactivating agents, it is then separated so that it may be... read more

INL has developed a LNG/CNG refueling process and method for dispensing liquefied natural gas (LNG), compressed natural gas (CNG) or both on demand. The process utilizes CNG as a source of LNG, and is stored in a cryogenic storage vessel on site. A low volume high pressure pump is coupled to the source of LNG to produce a stream of pressurized LNG that can be selectively directed through a LNG or CNG flow path, which may include a vaporizer to produce CNG from the pressurized LNG. The... read more

INL has invented a process that leverages nuclear technology in combination with various carbon sources to produce synthetic gases for refinement into synthetic transportation fuels/chemicals. Using solid-state electrolysis, water is decomposed to hydrogen and oxygen in one process, while carbon dioxide is decomposed to carbon monoxide and oxygen in another. From these products some of the hydrogen is combined with oxygen to form water, while more hydrogen reacts with carbon monoxide to produce... read more

Researchers at the Colorado State University Engines and Energy Conversion Laboratory have developed a complete software package for use with National Instruments’ Labview software. The package can be used with National Instruments hardware to measure conditions inside an engine cylinder. The program can measure and compute pressure, combustion mass, heat released, and other properties in real time.

The invention provides a low cost structural composite alternative for use in typical structural lumber/wood applications in building construction, marine, transportation applications, and the like.

Battelle has developed materials that can be used to create a supercapacitor with performance superior to that of commercially available devices.  The common measures of performance are the energy density (energy per kg) and power density (power per kg).  This technology is based on specific metal oxide compositions synthesized in conjunction with carbon nanotubes or activated carbon.  The performance of the supercapacitor can be tuned by altering the specific metal oxide... read more

This technology provides an alternate method to synthesize a key type of PVC plasticizer described in US 6,797,753 (see separate description entitled “Plasticizers Derived from Vegetable Oils”).  This approach uses esters of fatty acids as feed materials and more specifically uses methyl esters of vegetable oils that are referred to as “biodiesel” fuels.  One particularly useful biodiesel is soybean oil biodiesel (methyl soyate) that is projected to be a high... read more

This invention relates to materials that absorb and dissipate energy and/or selectively allow energy to be transmitted – in particular, polymeric materials that include polyol(s) such as polyethers, polyesters, polyether/esters, acrylics, plus other formulary components such as hydroxyl-terminated polybutadienes, polyisocyanates, silicone, RTV (room temperature vulcanizing) silicone, and  suitable catalysts. Included are such polymeric materials that are resilient and resist... read more

Various alternative-fuel systems have been proposed for passenger vehicles and light-duty trucks to reduce the worldwide reliance on fossils fuels and thus mitigate their polluting effects.  Replacing gasoline and other refined hydrocarbon fuels continues to present research and implementation challenges for the automotive industry. During the last decade, hydrogen fuel technology has emerged as the prime alternative that will finally drive automotive fuel systems into the new millennium.

... read more

The HydroSuppressor system was developed to protect critical facilities from the devastating effects of blast from a vehicle bomb.  HydroSuppressor uses high volume water sprays to absorb the energy of the blast as it occurs and is meant to be activated when a suspected threat has been identified.  

The Linear Thermite Charge (LTC) is designed to rapidly cut through concrete and steel structural components by using extremely high temperature thermite reactions jetted through a linear nozzle. 

Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) are a promising candidate for energy storage of electric drive vehicles due to their high power and energy density. The total electric vehicle LIB market shipped 2,400 units in 2008 generating over $28 million in revenue and is predicted to be greater than $10 billion by 2015. However, violent incidents reported for LIBs and consequent safety concerns pose a major obstacle to LIB market acceptance. Safety mitigation technologies used in small capacity consumer... read more

High reliability and lower maintenance and operating costs make magnetic levitation (maglev) technology integral to advancing the nation’s transportation networks.  In urban settings maglev has additional advantages over conventional mass transit and transport systems, including lower noise, higher efficiency, and higher grade and turn capabilities that allow vehicles to run on elevated tracks to eliminate the constraints and costs of underground tunnel operation.  Germany... read more

The transportation sector currently accounts for 70% of petroleum consumption and more than a third of green house gas emissions in the US. Studies have shown that  major reductions in GHG emissions can be accomplished by transitioning to battery powered automobiles. However, the large battery systems required could be problematic due to high cost in combination with limited specific energy, safety issues, as well as limited cycle and calendar life. 

A DC-to-DC converter takes a direct... read more

Laser-based ignition systems based on state-of-the-art optical fibers and sophisticated new delivery strategies that provide both engine sparking and diagnostics capabilities.

Fuel cells work by using a highly efficient electrochemical oxidation process to convert the chemical energy in hydrogen to electric power and heat. Because hydrogen does not occur freely in nature, it must be produced from water or hydrogen-rich fuels. The energy for the hydrogen-production reaction is derived from the fuel or a renewable source (e.g., wind, solar, geothermal). The challenge is to develop a fuel processor that is effective, efficient, and marketable. Argonne National... read more

Rechargeable lithium-ion batteries are a critical technology for many applications, including consumer electronics and electric vehicles. As the demand for hybrid and electric vehicles continues to grow, so does the demand for lithium-ion batteries that are safer, more powerful, and less expensive. Scientists at Argonne National Laboratory are leading efforts to revolutionize battery technology with the design and development of new battery materials for electrodes, electrolytes, and... read more

Since the performance of Li-ion batteries is largely predicated on the cathode performance in the cell, improvements to lower the irreversibility capacity loss on the first cycle, increase the rate capability, and improve structural stability at high voltages in the cathode are needed.  The objective is to synthesize and make new materials to address these issues.  High-energy density Li-ion batteries available in the market today have low power and progressively lose their energy... read more

 A team of Berkeley Lab researchers led by Yuegang Zhang and Liwen Ji has taken a major step toward an improved lithium ion battery with the development of anodes coated with vanishingly thin, alternating layers of graphene and silicon. Tests have shown that Berkeley Lab’s graphene-silicon layers create anodes with a much higher charge capacity than those made of graphite. In addition, the multilayer nanostructure of this easy-to-fabricate design resists the rapid degradation that... read more

Although the polyolefin polymer material often used for lithium battery separators costs approximately $1.30/kg, the difficult process used to make it porous, to allow the flow of ions and electrons, raises its cost by two-orders of magnitude, to $120–$240/kg. A Berkeley Lab team led by Nitash Balsara has developed an inexpensive and easily controlled process yielding a nanoporous polymer separator that performs just as well as those made by conventional means.

A Berkeley Lab team led by Nitash Balsara has developed a highly efficient lithium ion battery in which a single inactive material—a polymeric binding agent—serves as a binder that holds active cathode materials together and as a two-lane conductor that simultaneously carries lithium ions and electronic charge.

A new apparatus has been developed by ORNL researchers to efficiently separate volatile particles from condensible vapors in aircraft engine emissions. The technology enables high-precision emissions research, generating insightful data that helps improve the scientific understanding of the combustion process of modern jet engines and the formation process of secondary particulate matter in the atmosphere.

The NASA Ames Research Center offers the opportunity to license and co-develop FACET, a flexible software tool for air traffic management. With thousands of planes flying overhead in the U.S. at any given time, there is an urgent need for tools that help avoid air traffic incidents and delays. To help air traffic control centers improve airline safety and efficiency, NASA Ames scientists developed FACET, a system software for performing powerful computational simulations for evaluating advanced... read more

Many current cooling systems for hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) with a high power electric drive system utilize a low temperature liquid cooling loop for cooling the power electronics system and electric machines associated with the electric drive system.  These vehicles may contain additional cooling or thermal management systems for other vehicle components, such as an internal combustion engine, batteries, or the vehicle passenger cabin.  The cost of the separate low temperature... read more

Portable electronic applications including cell phones, laptop computers, as well as electric vehicles or hybrid electric vehicles require dependable rechargeable batteries.  The lithium ion (Li-ion) battery is the preferred source for portable energy storage due to its desirable energy to weight ratio. The materials used in the development of anodes, cathodes and electrolytes are directly responsible for the performance characteristics of Li-ion batteries.  In order to meet... read more

The Grid Friendly™Charger Controller technology allows electric car owners to recharge their rides at times of lowest cost and least stress on the grid.

In the long term, hydrogen is expected to be the fuel of choice for both the power and transportation industries. Just as conventional cars need gas stations, hydrogen-powered fuel cell cars will need an infrastructure. Hydrogen separation technology is integral to successful fossil-based hydrogen production technologies. Thin, dense composite membranes fabricated from ceramic and hydrogen-transport metal may provide a simple, efficient means for separating hydrogen from fossil-based gas... read more

The United States consumed about 50 billion gallons of diesel fuel in 2006. Because diesel engines are more fuel-efficient than gasoline engines, the use of diesel fuel is expected to continue to expand. With increased diesel use and the EPA’s new, stringent regulations on smog-causing pollutants, Argonne’s new catalyst is a timely breakthrough. The diesel DeNOx catalyst removes 80–85% of nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions from diesel fuel combustion by converting NOx to... read more

Platinum, a costly precious metal element, is commonly used in fuel cells to facilitate the split of the hydrogen atom, which enables the membrane within a PEM (proton exchange membrane) fuel cell to generate a charge, and thus generate clean, direct current electricity. In PEM fuel cells, hydrogen at the anode generates electron and protons. The protons migrate through the proton-conducting membrane, and react with reduced oxygen at cathode to create water. Meanwhile, electrons move from... read more

With the surge in demand for electric vehicles, automotive suppliers and manufacturers are in a race to find cutting edge technologies that deliver more powerful batteries in smaller packages and lower cost – a challenge that researchers at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory have undertaken and remain committed to solving.

Thermal expansion differences between the porous anode/active anode and dense electrolyte in an anode supported solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) result in a camber (out of plane deflection) after high-temperature heat treatments. Researchers at PNNL have devised two methods to reduce the camber by applying a symmetrical thermal expansion design to the planar cell assembly.

Batteries are one of the leading cost drivers of any electric vehicle project. Current practices require that batteries be oversized by design in order to meet the battery warrantee’s end-of-life (EOL) power and energy requirements. This quickly increases the cost of electric vehicles and can price them out of the realm of consideration for most users. NREL scientists have developed a software model that analyzes the performance of batteries over a lifetime of use in real world... read more

Design. Build. Test. Break. Repeat. Developing batteries is an expensive and time-intensive process. Testing costs the automotive industry an estimated $1 million for every 50 battery cycling channels, with additional costs for designing and building prototypes totaling millions of dollars. To reduce this process and associated costs, scientists at NREL have designed computer models to predict thermal, electrical, and electrochemical battery performance. These models are so advanced they can... read more