Projects

Probing bacterial extracellular electron transfer proteins using infrared nanospectroscopy

Lead Institution

Yale University

Principal Investigator

Nikhil Malvankar

Project type

Exploratory Research

Microbial metabolism plays an important role in the global cycling of carbon, nutrients, and metals. Recent discovery of microorganisms sharing energy using direct electrical connections might…

Collaborative Access Team: the Pooled Resources for Electron Microscopy Informatics, Education and Research (PREMIER) Network

Lead Institution

University of Liverpool

Principal Investigator

Nigel Browning

Project type

Exploratory Research

The executive committee of the Pooled Resources for Electron Microscopy Informatics, Education and Research (PREMIER) network is proposing to continue the collaborative access team (CAT) to optimize…

3-D Active Site Distribution and Porosity in Microporous Materials

Lead Institution

Stanford Linear Accelerator Center

Principal Investigator

Simon Bare

Project type

Exploratory Research

The aim of this proposal is to build upon our initial success in the exploration of the 3-D location and distribution of the Al and Si atoms in highly relevant and active microporous catalysts, with…

Understanding Doping and Coating for Improvement of Electrochemical Performance in High Voltage Lithium Ion Cathode Materials

Lead Institution

University of California, San Diego

Principal Investigator

Ying Meng

Project type

Exploratory Research

Lithium ion batteries are the top candidates for on-board energy storage in plug-in hybrid electric vehicles as well as fully electric vehicles due to their high energy and power density. One group…

Numerical Studies of the Lifecycle of Aerosols and Their Interactions with Clouds

Lead Institution

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Principal Investigator

Jerome Fast

Project type

Exploratory Research

A major PNNL research effort, funded through DOE's Atmospheric System Research (ASR) Program, focuses on knowledge gaps in aerosol effects on climate, including: • Aerosol aging and its impact…

Investigation into MOF formation, post-synthetic modification (PSM) and post-synthetic exchange (PSE) via in situ liquid phase TEM analysis and high resolution TEM and STEM

Lead Institution

University of California, San Diego

Principal Investigator

Nathan Gianneschi

Project type

Exploratory Research

The kinetics and dynamics of metal–organic framework (MOF) formation and subsequent reactivity of the structural elements of MOFs have not been examined with nanoscale resolution. In situ TEM…

NMR studies of mass transport in Li-ion battery electrolyte solutions

Lead Institution

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

Principal Investigator

Venkat Srinivasan

Project type

Exploratory Research

Electrification of vehicles is a critical component of DOE's efforts to reduce the dependence on foreign oil and greenhouse gas emissions. Improvements and cost reductions in lithium-ion battery…

Dissolved Organic Matter in Serpentinization-Influenced Groundwater: Fingerprints of Deep and Shallow Sources

Lead Institution

Michigan State University

Principal Investigator

Matthew Schrenk

Project type

Exploratory Research

The aim of this study is to provide a detailed description of the composition and the quantity of dissolved organic matter in serpentinite-hosted groundwaters, capitalizing upon a well-studied…

Investigating Electrochemical Processes in Next Generation Multivalent Battery Technologies

Lead Institution

University of Liverpool

Principal Investigator

Nigel Browning

Project type

Exploratory Research

The specific aim of this project is to probe the structure-property relationships of energy storage materials based on multivalent ions (Mg2+, Ca2+ and Al3+) under dynamic electrochemical cycling…

Characterizing motion and adhesion dynamics of motile microbes for improved prediction of metal bioremediation

Lead Institution

Desert Research Institute

Principal Investigator

Rishi Parashar

Project type

Exploratory Research

Remediation of metal and radionuclide contaminants in soil and groundwater systems is challenging because of their strong chemical interactions with mineral surfaces and low concentration limits for…

Operando spectroscopic studies of solvo-catalytic lignin disassembly

Lead Institution

University of California, Santa Barbara

Principal Investigator

Susannah Scott

Project type

Exploratory Research

Lignocellulosic biomass represents an abundant and renewable resource that could displace a significant amount of the nation’s petroleum, but its widespread utilization will require the development…

Molecular analysis of grass stem cell wall development for biofuel production enhancement

Lead Institution

Washington State University

Principal Investigator

Laura Bartley

Project type

Exploratory Research

This proposal is for pilot experiments toward developing a comprehensive proteome, phosphoproteome, and cell wall composition analysis of grass internode cell wall development. Grass cell walls are…

Identification of Mercury-Reactive Species in Natural Organic Matter

Lead Institution

Oak Ridge National Laboratory

Principal Investigator

Baohua Gu

Project type

Exploratory Research

This study aims to utilize the state-of-the-art Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometers (FTICR-MS) to identify the specific molecules in naturally dissolved organic matter (DOM)…

Chemical Characteristics of Sediment Associated Organic Matter

Lead Institution

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

Principal Investigator

Peter Nico

Project type

Exploratory Research

The goals of our proposed EMSL research are to develop methods for characterizing natural organic matter (NOM) that is associated with subsurface sediment using unique EMSL capabilities in FTICR MS,…

Experimental studies of supercritical CO2 dissolution and its influence on drainage and imbibition using pore-scale micromodels

Lead Institution

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

Principal Investigator

Quanlin Zhou

Project type

Exploratory Research

The characteristics of two-phase flow of supercritical CO2 (scCO2) injected into deep saline aquifers and brine (e.g., relative permeability and residual saturation) and scCO2 dissolution are of…

Investigations of Metal-organic Frameworks Using High-field Solid State NMR

Lead Institution

University of California, Berkeley

Principal Investigator

Jeffrey Reimer

Project type

Exploratory Research

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have emerged as materials for the capture of CO2 from post-combustion flue gases. The knowledge of gas binding mechanisms and the in-depth understanding of MOF…

Functional Components of Plant Resistance to Fungi

Lead Institution

Rice University

Principal Investigator

Janet Braam

Project type

Exploratory Research

Recent research has led to new insights into the importance of spatial aspects of jasmonate-mediated plant defense and fungal resistance, including organ-specific resistance as a gate-keeper for…

Impact of phenazine-1-carboxylic acid upon biofilm development, Fe speciation, and the fate of microbial biomass in the rhizosphere of dryland and irrigated wheat

Lead Institution

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Principal Investigator

Matthew Marshall

Project type

Exploratory Research

Rhizobacterial biofilms are a major sink for plant-derived carbon, and a major source for microbially-derived soil organic matter (SOM). Bacteria residing within biofilm matrices, which restrict…

Coking- and sintering-resistant surface-mounted sub-nano cluster catalysts of endothermic cooling

Lead Institution

University of California, Los Angeles

Principal Investigator

Anastassia Alexandrova

Project type

Exploratory Research

The ultimate objective of the proposed research is understanding and design of novel catalytic surfaces based on sub-nano surface-deposited clusters, with a particular application to dehydrogenation…

Impact of natural organic matter on U speciation and mobility in groundwater

Lead Institution

Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory

Principal Investigator

John Bargar

Project type

Exploratory Research

Uranium (U) contamination of aquifers is a persistent problem at DOE legacy ore processing sites and, contrary to initial predictions, many plumes are not attenuating with natural groundwater…