10. NANOTECHNOLOGY
APPLICATIONS FOR ENERGY EFFICIENCY
The United States
has made considerable investment in basic research in nanotechnology – with
applications envisioned for medicine and health, National defense, electronics,
and other areas. This topic solicits
grant applications for innovative research in nanotechnology for energy
efficiency and renewable energy – particularly, to enhance efficiency in the
ways that energy is converted and used in the United States. Grant applications for
“cross-cutting” uses of nanotechnology are especially encouraged – for
example, the application of sensors and controls developed for Defense to a
manufacturing industry for civilian applications.
Grant applications must clearly demonstrate how the particular
nanotechnology development will save energy in the end-use sector—Buildings,
Industry, or Transportation, or in energy conversion and storage, including
solar and wind energy conversion. This
includes commodity manufacturing, building HVAC, lighting, refrigeration, power
electronics, wind turbines, solar PV, solar thermal systems, high-temperature
gas turbines, and technologies that will contribute to a hydrogen-based economy.
The only stipulation is the enhancement of energy efficiency of existing
technology must be through use of nanotechnology.
The wider the application and the greater the potential energy benefits,
the better.
a. Nanomaterials for Industrial and Building Applications—Grant applications are sought for nanomaterials for the enhancement of energy efficiency of the U.S. manufacturing and building sectors. By definition, nanomaterials derive unique properties from a structure or function imparted to a material within the physical dimensions of 1-10 nanometers. This can include materials with unique wear characteristics, high temperature characteristics, materials for improved manufacturing capabilities, as well as materials for improved building energy use in HVAC and lighting. “Cross-cutting” applications of new nanomaterials to the energy end-use sectors are especially encouraged.
Questions -
contact Charles Russomanno (charles.russomanno@hq.doe.gov)
b. Nanotechnology Applications in Electrons, Sensors, and Controls—Grant applications are sought for the development of electronics and sensors with application in the manufacturing industries, renewable energy conversion and storage, buildings, or vehicles. Since computer components and peripherals have become such large end users of electricity, grant applications for electronics and components for these applications are considered responsive as well. The only requirement is that nanotechnology is applied to save or make better use of energy in the end use. Numerous new nanotechnologies developed for Defense could be applied in making better use of energy for U.S. consumers.
Questions -
contact Charles Russomanno (charles.russomanno@hq.doe.gov)
c. Nanotechnology Applications in Renewable Energy Conversion—National programs for renewable energy development focus on solar energy conversion (especially photovoltaics), wind energy, biomass power for utility applications, and hydrogen production and storage for transportation, including the development of fuel cell technology. Less emphasis is placed on geothermal energy and hydropower. Grant applications are sought for nanotechnology that will lead to better use or improved performance of any nationally emphasized renewable energy technology. The only requirement is that efficiency of the state of the art technology is improved through the application of nanotechnology. There has been extensive R&D in potential applications of nanotechnology for many of the invited technology areas such as photovoltaics, and therefore applicants must review technical and patent literature before submitting grant applications to this subtopic.
Questions -
contact Charles Russomanno (charles.russomanno@hq.doe.gov)
d. Nanotechnology
Applications in Energy Storage—Grant applications are sought for
R&D in nanotechnology for improved batteries that can be used in
vehicles (especially lithium ion technology), hydrogen storage for use in
vehicles, and other energy storage technology such as solar thermal energy
storage for use on a utility scale. An example might be nanomaterials for use in
negative electrodes of Lithium-ion cells. Lithium-ion
cells represent the basic building blocks for batteries that range in size from
those used in consumer electronics to those in the next generation of advanced
hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs). Most
lithium-ion cells in production today use some form of carbon (often a modified
graphite) as the active material in the negative electrode (often called the
anode). Most of these carbons are
composed of relatively spherical particles several microns in diameter.
A new family of electrode materials is now being reported in the
technical literature. These
materials have dimensions on the nanoscale and are often composed of elements
other than carbon. Some materials,
such as some alloys, perform poorly as electrode materials when they are
prepared as relatively large particles but perform much better when synthesized
as nanoparticles. Grant applications
are sought to conduct research and development on new nanomaterials for use in
the negative electrodes of lithium-ion cells that could be used in HEVs.
Applications must provide a clear explanation as to why the materials are
expected to function in a cell and why being composed of nanoparticles will
offer performance benefits relative to current electrode materials.
Applications must describe a viable path for the synthesis of these
materials and discuss any issues associated with using them in batteries.
To be attractive for use in applications such as advanced vehicles,
materials must be inexpensive, environmentally benign, and be able to be charged
and discharged at high rates for many cycles over a period of many years.
(The specific performance goals for vehicular batteries are described in
more detail in Topic 5.) In Phase I,
successful projects will synthesize the materials in a reproducible manner,
assess their chemical and physical properties, and demonstrate their performance
in small lithium-ion cells. In Phase
II, the synthetic methods should be refined to allow the production of the
materials in larger quantities at a cost that is no more than that of the
carbons currently in use. These
quantities will be used to characterize the materials and confirm that they can
be fabricated into practical electrodes (E.g. to confirm that the materials can
be coated onto an appropriate substrate). In
Phase II, the performance of the materials should be demonstrated in cells of at
least 200 mAh in size. Grant applications must seek to apply nanotechnology for
the improvement of a technology that is given a National priority, as described
in the pertinent literature included in the references.
Questions -
contact Charles Russomanno (charles.russomanno@hq.doe.gov)
References:
1.
“Chemicals Industry of the Future,” U.S.
DOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Website.
(URL: http://www.eere.energy.gov/industry/chemicals/)
2.
“Building Technology Roadmaps,”
3. [Hydrogen, Fuel Cells and Infrastructure Technologies Program] Multi-Year Research, Development and Demonstration Plan, U.S. DOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Website. (URL: http://www.eere.energy.gov/hydrogenandfuelcells/mypp/)
4. “Solar Energy Technologies Program,” U.S. DOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Website. (URL: http://www.eere.energy.gov/solar/)
5. [FreedomCAR and Vehicle Technologies] Multi-Year Program Plan, U.S. DOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Website. (URL: http://www.eere.energy.gov/vehiclesandfuels/resources/fcvt_mypp.html)
6.
[Building Technologies] Multi-Year Program
7.
[Industrial Technologies Program]
Strategic
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