LLNL researchers have developed a method to enhance the performance of polyelectrolyte membranes by using a humidity-controlled crosslinking process which can be applied to precisely adjust the water channels of the membrane.
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![Diffuse discharge circuit breaker with latching switch](/sites/default/files/styles/scale_exact_400x400_/public/2024-02/Diffuse%20discharge%20circuit%20breaker.png?itok=qWpciEtY)
A thyristor will stay conducting until the current through the device is zero (“current zero”) or perhaps slightly negative. LLNL’s approach is to use the opticondistor (“OTV”) to force this current zero in order to force the device into an “off” state. By combining a light-activated thyristor with an OTV, a noise-immune, high efficiency, high-power switching device can be constructed. The…
![Adobe Stock image laser beam](/sites/default/files/styles/scale_exact_400x400_/public/2024-02/stockimage_laserbeam.png?itok=U06HtIhR)
This invention proposes to engineer the current density along the length of a laser diode to overcome the penalty associated with non-uniformity resulting from asymmetry in the gain, photon or carrier density despite having uniform contact. Optimizing the current density profile enables diode lasers to operate with greater power conversion efficiency or operate with equivalent power conversion…
![Schematic showing mismatched coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) coating](/sites/default/files/styles/scale_exact_400x400_/public/2024-02/IL-13312_Schematic.png?itok=5MN8Mf-U)
This invention proposes to engineer the temperature dependence of the emission wavelength of LEDs and laser diodes. The approach is to use a strain-inducing coating to counteract the intrinsic temperature coefficient of the emission wavelength of the LED or laser diode device thereby rendering it athermal. This invention avoids additional complexity, size, weight and power dissipation of…
![Photoconductive Semiconductor Laser Diodes and LEDs](/sites/default/files/styles/scale_exact_400x400_/public/2024-02/Photoconductive%20Semiconductor%20Laser%20Diodes%20and%20LEDs.png?itok=n50p3rOY)
This invention proposes a method to overcome the key limitation of electrically pumped lasers based on AlN, AlGaN, or AlInGaN, namely the lack of suitable shallow donor and acceptor dopants. As the band gap of these materials increases (and the emission wavelength decreases), both electrons and holes require greater thermal energies in order to ionize.
![Adobe Stock image laser beam](/sites/default/files/styles/scale_exact_400x400_/public/2024-02/stockimage_laserbeam.png?itok=U06HtIhR)
Laser diode lensing effect can be substantially reduced by creating a pattern interface such that the substrate is only attached at the diode mesa. This is achieved by either creating a pattern solder joint and/or pattern substrate.
![LLNL energy grid protection device](/sites/default/files/styles/scale_exact_400x400_/public/2023-10/LLNL%20energy%20grid%20protection%20device_0.png?itok=vpqzRY_R)
The approach is to leverage the fact that a momentary “load” equal to the power transmission line impedance, (Z0), during the transient can suppress its propagation. Z(0) is typically a fixed impedance of several hundred ohms based on the geometry of most single wire transmission lines.
So, an isolated self-powered opticondistor (OTV) system may provide an ultrafast method of…
![Boss Circuit Breaker](/sites/default/files/styles/scale_exact_400x400_/public/2023-09/Boss%20Circuit%20Breaker.png?itok=7XJ44vZ0)
LLNL’s novel approach to enable MVDC power systems to operate safely is to develop a wideband gap bulk optical semiconductor switch (WBG BOSS) circuit breaker. For higher power, efficiency and temperature operation, vanadium-doped silicon carbide (V-doped SiC) appears to be the most promising basis for WBG BOSS circuit breaker (other dopants like aluminum, boron and nitrogen may further…
![Sub-device integrated with Main device of the flow battery (A) and a cross-section of the sub-device (B)](/sites/default/files/styles/scale_exact_400x400_/public/2023-09/Sub-device%20for%20flow%20battery.png?itok=72VMgGtP)
LLNL researchers has developed an approach to mitigate HER on the ‘plating’ electrode, which uses a sub-device as a rebalancing cell to restore electrolyte properties, including pH, conductivity, and capacity across the main device of the flow battery. This sub-device, which may need to be powered externally, has three major physical components: (1) a cathode electrode, (2) an anode electrode…
![Electrical grid](/sites/default/files/styles/scale_exact_400x400_/public/2022-06/electricaGrid875x500px.jpg?itok=vKB8x1kB)
LLNL has developed a novel methodology for using commercially available automated sensors and actuators which can be deployed at scale in large appliances and plug-in EVs to provide as needed electric grid stabilization capabilities. The approach comprises of a population of voltage relays with a range of setpoints that would gradually reduce load as voltage falls. More severe voltage…
![Electrodeposition of Zn onto 3D printed copper nanowire (CuNW)](/sites/default/files/styles/scale_exact_400x400_/public/2023-07/ElectrodepositionofZnon3dprintedCuNW.jpg?itok=2G2D1kt9)
Improving the active material of the Zn anode is critical to improving the practicality of Zn-MnO2 battery technology. LLNL researchers have developed a new category of 3D structured Zn anode using a direct-ink writing (DIW) printing process to create innovative hierarchical architectures. The DIW ink, which is a gel-based mixture composed of zinc metal powder and organic binders, is extruded…
![Livermore researchers support efforts to limit the need for rare-earth elements in U.S. clean-energy technologies.](/sites/default/files/styles/scale_exact_400x400_/public/2023-07/Reducing%20Reliance%20on%20Critical%20Materials.png?itok=IuC6bH4r)
CMI—a DOE Energy Innovation Hub—is a public/private partnership led by the Ames Laboratory that brings together the best and brightest research minds from universities, national laboratories (including LLNL), and the private sector to find innovative technology solutions to make better use of materials critical to the success of clean energy technologies as well as develop resilient and secure…
![Compared with conventional slurry-based film electrode manufacturing methods, dry laser powder bed fusion is promising in generating structured electrodes for high power, low cost lithium ion batteries](/sites/default/files/styles/scale_exact_400x400_/public/2023-06/conventional%20vs%20laser%20PBF%20for%20electrodes.jpg?itok=4KG4KLlE)
To address many of the aforementioned challenges of manufacturing LIBs and SSBs, LLNL researchers have developed a number of inventions that offer proposed solutions for their components:
![One embodiment of a solid-state lithium-air battery based on gyroid foams.](/sites/default/files/styles/scale_exact_400x400_/public/2023-06/Li-Air%20Battery%20Gyroid%20Foam.jpg?itok=gPAwVj0O)
LLNL researchers have developed a new 3D printable lithium-air battery that uses a novel thin solid state ceramic electrolyte. LLNL’s invention overcomes the combined challenges of low power density and low cycle life in previously designed lithium-air batteries by using solid state electrolytes to achieve stability and multiscale structuring of the electrolyte to achieve low interfacial…
![Flexible optoelectronic chip with integrated transmitter and receiver subassemblies](/sites/default/files/styles/scale_exact_400x400_/public/2023-04/Flexible_optoelectronic_chip.png?itok=EVf8ujMo)
Commercial fiber optic cables are the current standard for carrying optical signals in industries like communications or medical devices. However, the fibers are made of glass, which do not have favorable characteristics for applications that require flexibility and re-routing, e.g. typically brittle, limited selection of materials, dimension constraints.
![Mycobacterium tuberculosis](/sites/default/files/styles/scale_exact_400x400_/public/2022-07/Tuberculosis.jpg?itok=Am8SJWPD)
LLNL researchers have developed a high-volume, low-cost diagnostic test that is easy to use and provides results in under an hour. The testing platform will provide emergency responders and other medical professionals with the ability to screen individuals using oral and nasal samples, and obtain results in approximately 30 minutes. This point-of-care testing approach will enable rapid triage…
![blue bacteria](/sites/default/files/styles/scale_exact_400x400_/public/2022-07/blue%20bacteria.jpg?itok=ddcclBXg)
This LLNL-developed invention is multiplexed and utilizes the Luminex bead-based liquid array, which contains 100 different unique beads. Oligonucleotide probes with sequences complementary to the target sequences are covalently coupled to these unique beads. These capture beads are mixed with viral samples obtained from the patient via cheek swabbing or a throat wash and subjected to PCR in a…
![Cow](/sites/default/files/styles/scale_exact_400x400_/public/2022-07/Cow.jpg?itok=ZMhJc1KF)
LLNL scientists have developed a high-confidence, real-time multiplexed reverse transcriptase PCR (RT-PCR) rule-out assay for foot and mouth disease virus (FMDV). It utilizes RT-PCR to amplify both DNA and RNA viruses in a single assay to detect FMDV as well as rule out other viruses that cause symptoms in livestock indistinguishable from those caused by FMDV, such as Bovine Herpes Virus-1 (…
![biosecurity petri dish](/sites/default/files/styles/scale_exact_400x400_/public/2022-07/biosecurity%20petri%20dish.jpg?itok=nHRadA1E)
LLNL researchers have invented a system for identifying all known and unknown pathogenic or non-pathogenic organisms in a sample. This invention takes a complex sample and generates droplets from it. The droplets consist of sub-nanoliter volume reactors which contain the organism sized particles. A lysis device lyses the organisms and releases the nucleic acids. An amplifier then magnifies the…
![passive flow lateral device](/sites/default/files/styles/scale_exact_400x400_/public/2022-07/passive%20flow%20lateral%20device.jpg?itok=_ChAMmkc)
LLNL researchers have developed a portable device which analyzes one or multiple types of body fluids or gases to test for one or more medical conditions. A bodily fluid (such as blood, perspiration, saliva, breath, or urine) is put into a condenser surface and is then separated into both a primarily gas fluid component and a second one that is primarily liquid. These two samples from the same…
![Corona virus](/sites/default/files/styles/scale_exact_400x400_/public/2022-07/coronavirus.jpg?itok=CAaxyotI)
LLNL researchers have developed a method to quickly and accurately identify the family of a virus infecting a vertebrate via PCR. Universal primer sets consisting of short nucleic acid strands of 7 to 30 base pairs in length were created to amplify target sequences of viral DNA or RNA. These primers can amplify certain identifying sequences of all viral genomes sequenced to date as well as…
![image_of_the_device.png image_of_the_device](/sites/default/files/styles/scale_exact_400x400_/public/2019-08/image_of_the_device.png?itok=RQ0-VBQm)
LLNL scientists have developed a battery-powered device which is low-cost and multi-chambered for the extraction and amplification of nucleic acids from environmental, clinical, and laboratory samples via loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP). This platform identifies pathogenic bacteria and assists in determining the optimal treatment plan. A multi-chamber amplification cartridge in…
![Retina](/sites/default/files/styles/scale_exact_400x400_/public/2022-07/retina.jpg?itok=PMxD0RVZ)
LLNL scientists have developed a method to ensure the accuracy of that tomographic image by applying adaptive optics (AO) to OCT in a single instrument (AO-OCT). AO stabilizes the image being captured by the OCT device by utilizing a Hartmann-Shack wavefront sensor and a deformable mirror, a type of mirror designed to compensate for detected waveform abnormalities (such as ones caused by a…
![Autonomous detection, Bio watch, airborne detection](/sites/default/files/styles/scale_exact_400x400_/public/2022-07/autonomous%20detection.jpg?itok=4hu1aQYK)
LLNL scientists have created a standalone pathogen identifier that can be placed in public settings, such as in stores or on street corners. Not unlike an ATM in physical size, this kiosk will accept biological samples from an individual for multiplexed analysis. The sample collection process will be sufficiently simple such that anyone could begin the diagnostic process after making the…
![DNA](/sites/default/files/styles/scale_exact_400x400_/public/2022-07/DNA.jpg?itok=ES9MRz5G)
LNLL scientists have invented a method for multiplexed detection of PCR amplified products which can be completed in a single step. Highly validated species-specific primer sets are used to simultaneously amplify multiple diagnostic regions unique to each individual pathogen. Resolution of the mix of amplified products is achieved by PCR product hybridization to corresponding probe sequences,…
![nanocomposite_aerogel.jpg nanocomposite_aerogel](/sites/default/files/styles/scale_exact_400x400_/public/2019-08/nanocomposite_aerogel.jpg?itok=PuNPrvkg)
Livermore researchers have developed two novel TiCl4 based non-alkoxide sol-gel approaches for the synthesis of SiO2/TiO2 nanocomposite aerogels. Composite SiO2-TiO2 aerogels were obtained by epoxide-assisted gelation (EAG route) of TiCl4/DMF solution in the presence SiO2 aerogel particles. Additionally, the same TiCl4/DMF solution was employed to prepare SiO2@TiO2 aerogels by a facile one-…
![Retina](/sites/default/files/styles/scale_exact_400x400_/public/2022-07/retina.jpg?itok=PMxD0RVZ)
Using various excitation wavelengths, a hyperspectral microscope takes advantage of autofluorescence and polarized light scattering from cellular components to obtain composite images that highlight their presence. The light collection efficiency is maximized to achieve image acquisition times and rates suitable for in vivo applications.
![Batteryless Sensor](/sites/default/files/styles/scale_exact_400x400_/public/2022-06/batteryless%20sensor.jpg?itok=OiEAlv22)
Chemical and biological sensors based on nanowire or nanotube technologies exhibit observable ultrasensitive detection limits due to their unusually large surface-to-volume architecture. This suggests that nanosensors can provide a distinct advantage over conventional designs. This advantage is further enhanced when the nanosensor can harvest its meager power requirements from the surrounding…
![intracranial hematoma detector](/sites/default/files/styles/scale_exact_400x400_/public/2022-07/intracranial%20hematoma%20detector.jpg?itok=-jBgXVpX)
The patented intracranial hematoma detection technology uses Micropower Impulse Radar (MIR). MIR uses short, high frequency electromagnetic pulses to obtain information in a non-invasive manner. Unlike ultrasound and other electromagnetic techniques, MIR can operate well through the skull, which is of great importance for intracerebral as well as epidural and subdural hematomas. The MIR…
![3D printed electrodes](/sites/default/files/styles/scale_exact_400x400_/public/2022-06/3D%20printed%20electrodes.jpg?itok=HPvcODM8)
Nanomaterials that are emerging out of cutting edge nanotechnology research are a key component for an energy revolution. Carbon-based nanomaterials are ushering in the "new carbon age" with carbon nanotubes, nanoporous carbons, and graphene nanosheets that will prove necessary to provide sustainable energy applications that lessen our dependence on fossil fuels.
Carbon aerogels (CAs)…
![Electromechanical battery](/sites/default/files/styles/scale_exact_400x400_/public/2022-06/Electromechanical%20battery.jpg?itok=vgNlfBIu)
The design calculations that have been performed in exploring the potentialities of LLNL's new approaches to flywheel energy storage have been built on existing and past LLNL flywheel programs, including a program aimed at flywheel systems for the bulk storage of electricity at utility scale. To achieve the requirements of such systems, as mentioned above, LLNL has developed some key new…
![3D printed electrodes](/sites/default/files/styles/scale_exact_400x400_/public/2022-06/3D%20printed%20electrodes.jpg?itok=HPvcODM8)
LLNL has developed novel nanoporous carbon materials for the surface-stress-induced actuator technology. The morphology of these materials has been designed to combine high surface area and mechanical strength. The process allows for the fabrication of large monolithic pieces with low densities and high structural integrity. One actuation technology relies on electrochemically- induced changes…