PROGRAM AREA OVERVIEW
OFFICE OF BASIC ENERGY SCIENCES
The Basic Energy Sciences (BES) program supports fundamental
research in the natural sciences leading to new and improved energy
technologies. The program’s purpose is
to create new scientific knowledge by supporting basic, peer-reviewed research
in areas of materials sciences, chemical sciences, geosciences, plant and
microbial biosciences, and engineering sciences that are relevant to energy
resources, production, conversion, and efficiency. The results of BES-supported research are
routinely published in the open literature.
A key function of the program is to plan, construct, and
operate premier national user facilities to serve researchers at universities,
national laboratories, and industrial laboratories, thus enabling the
acquisition of new knowledge that cannot be obtained in any other way. The scientific facilities include synchrotron
radiation light sources, high-flux neutron sources, electron-beam microcharacterization centers, nanoscale
science research centers, and specialized facilities such as the Combustion
Research Facility. These national
resources are available free of charge to all researchers based on the quality
and importance of proposed nonproprietary experiments.
A major objective of the BES program is to promote the
transfer of the results of our basic research to advance and create
technologies important to Department of Energy (DOE) missions in areas of
energy efficiency, renewable energy resources, improved use of fossil fuels, mitigation of the adverse impacts of energy production and
use, and future nuclear energy sources.
The following set of technical topics represents one important mechanism
by which the BES program augments its system of university and laboratory
research programs and integrates basic science, applied research, and
development activities within the DOE.
For additional information regarding the Office of Basic
Energy Sciences priorities, click
here.
TOPICS:
1.
Instrumentation
for Neutron Scattering, Electron Microscopy, and Scanning Probe Microscopy
a.
Neutron
Facilities
b.
Electron
Microscopy and Scanning Probe Microscopy (
2.
Technology
to Support BES User Facilities
a.
Synchroton Radiation Facilities
b.
Beam
Diagnostic Instrumentation
c.
High
Power Mercury Spallation Targets
d.
Instrumentation
for Ultrafast X-Ray Science
3.
Accelerator
Technologies for Present and Future Accelerator Facilities
a.
Accelerator
Modeling and Control
b.
Radio
Frequency (RF) Devices and Components
c.
Superconducting Technology for Accelerators
d.
Advanced
Sources for Accelerators
a.
Coal
and Biomass-to-Liquids (CBTL) Catalyst Development
b.
Development
of New and Novel CO2 Monitoring Devices/Sensor for Detection of Low
Levels of CO2 in the Surface and Subsurface
c.
Sealing
Systems for High Temperature Solid Oxide Fuel Cells
d.
Advanced
R&D in Coal-to-Liquids Technology Improvement
5.
Materials
for Advanced Nuclear Energy Systems
a.
Advanced
Radiation Resistant Ferritic-Martensitic Alloys and
Oxide Dispersion Strengthened (ODS) Steels
b.
Advanced
Refractory, Ceramic, Ceramic Composite, Graphitic or Coated Materials
6.
Solid
State Electrolyte Development for Advanced Energy Storage Devices
a.
Solid
State Electrolyte Development for Lithium-Ion Chemistries
b.
Solid
State Electrolyte Development for Hydroxyl-Ion Transport in Aqueous Alkaline
Chemistries
7.
Materials
for Advanced Cooling Applications
a.
Buildings
Refrigeration and Air Conditioning
b.
Vehicular
Air Conditioning
c.
Industrial
Process Refrigeration
d.
Utility
and Industrial Heat Exchangers
a.
External
Quantum Efficiency Improvement for LEDs and OLEDs
b.
Thermal
Management for High Brightness LEDs
c.
Lifetime
Issues for LEDs and OLEDs
d.
Off-grid
9.
Catalysis
a.
Heterogeneous
Catalysis
b.
Homogeneous
Catalysis
c.
Reactive
Separations
10. Chemical
Reactions and Separation Processes for BioRefinery
Applications
a.
New
Chemical Catalysts and Biocatalysts
b.
Process
Intensification
c.
Alternative
Reaction Media
d.
Separation
Processes to Reduce or Eliminate Distillations
11. Technologies
Related to Energy Storage for Hybrid and Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicles
a.
Technologies
that Result in Cells with Increased Energy Density
b.
Development
of Separators for Lithium-Ion Cells with High Temperature Melt Integrity
c.
Development
of “High Voltage” Electrolytes for Use in Advanced Lithium-Ion Cells
d.
Development
of “High Voltage” Positive Electrode Materials for Use in Advanced Lithium-Ion
Cells
12. Nanotechnology
a.
Nanomaterials for Industrial and Building Applications
b.
Nanotechnology Applications in Electronics, Sensors, and
Controls
c.
Nanotechnology Applications in Renewable Energy Conversion
d.
Nanomaterials for Lithium-Ion Batteries Used in Energy
Storage
a.
Pretreatment
/ Biochemical
b.
Fermentation
of Cellulose-Based Biomass to Chemicals
c.
Thermochemical Conversion of Biomass to Chemical Products
d. Breeding Oilseeds for Higher Fractions of Vegetable Oil