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Global energy production, storage and transport are both essential and environmentally impactful. New energy sources, managing and capturing the biproducts of energy expenditure, and repurposing of carbon dioxide are issues of national and global importance. Researchers at LLNL continue to broadly invent novel technologies that intersect at materials, mechanical, electrical, biological and chemical interfaces. Inventions in this portfolio range from bioreactors, to materials, to batteries, motors and new systems.

Portfolio News and Multimedia

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New technique converts excess renewable energy to natural gas

LLNL researchers have partnered with Los Angeles-based SoCalGas and Munich, Germany-based Electrochaea to develop an electrobioreactor to allow excess renewable electricity from wind and solar sources to be stored in chemical bonds as renewable natural gas.  Check out Electrochaea's press release: Electrochaea signs CRADA.

The work is funded with $1 million from the Technology Commercialization Fund of the DOE Industrial Efficiency and Decarbonization Office, a division of the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. Partners will provide $1 million in in-kind contributions or research funds.  

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Hydrogen storage demonstrated for semi trucks

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) and Verne, a San Francisco-based startup, have demonstrated a cryo-compressed hydrogen storage system of suitable scale for heavy-duty vehicles.  This is the first time cryo-compressed hydrogen storage has been demonstrated at a scale large enough to be useful for semi trucks, a milestone in high-density hydrogen storage.

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LLNL-led team receives DOE Award to establish inertial fusion energy hub

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has awarded a four-year, $16 million project to a multi-institutional team led by LLNL to accelerate inertial fusion energy (IFE) science and technology. The Science and Technology Accelerated Research for Fusion Innovation and Reactor Engineering (STARFIRE) Hub consists of members from seven universities, four U.S. national labs, one international lab, three commercial entities, one philanthropic organization and three private IFE companies.  

In addition to researchers from LLNL, other participants include General Atomics; UC San Diego; UC Berkeley; UCLA; University of Rochester; MIT; University of Oklahoma; Texas A&M University; Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology; TRUMPF Inc.; Leonardo Electronics US Inc.; the Livermore Lab Foundation; SLAC; ORNL; SRNL; Xcimer Energy; Focused Energy Inc.; and Longview Fusion Energy Systems.

Energy and Environment Technologies

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SEM image of nanoporous Cu catalyst material

Using their computational design optimization, LLNL researchers have developed copper-based dilute alloy catalysts (contains <10 at.% of the minority metal alloy component) and demonstrated these novel catalysts have improved energy efficiency and selectivity of the methane conversion reaction.  By alloying copper with a small amount of the electropositive minority metal element, the…

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Graphite

LLNL’s innovation offers an alternate synthetic route to graphite at lower cost using a molten salt mixture of CaCl2-CaCO3-CaO.  The synthetic production of graphite and other high-value carbon materials is accomplished in molten salt media via electrochemical reduction and transformation of the carbon from the carbonate ion. The broad electrochemical window of molten salts enables the…

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Projection Microstereolithographic Additively Manufactured Anion Exchange Membrane

The novel LLNL approach is to use projection microstereolithography (LAPµSL), starting with a photocurable methacrylate resin formulation consisting of a combination of a photoinitiator, photoabsorber, inhibitor, solvents, and other additives.  Prior to use, the resin is pretreated to control viscosity for easier handling.  The resin is fed to a LAPµSL printer which employs a near UV light…

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SEM image showing internal porosity of DIW printed parts

The inventors have developed a 3% Yttria partially-stabilized Zirconia (3YZ) ceramic ink that produces parts with both nano and microporosity and is compatible with two AM techniques: DIW and projection microstereolithography (PμSL). The 3YZ nano-porous ceramic printed parts had engineered macro cavities measuring several millimeters in length, wall thicknesses ranging from 200 to 540 μm, and…

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Microcapsules offer high surface area and a superior delivery system.

This invention describes a multiple nozzle microfluidic unit that allows simultaneous generation streams of multiple layered coaxial liquid jets. Liquids are pumped into the device at a combined flow rate from 100 mL/hr to 10 L/hr. Droplets are created with diameters in the range of 1 µm to 5 mm and can be created with 1-2 shell layers encapsulating fluid. Droplets created from the system can…