Projects

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…

Development of a Computationally Inexpensive Method for Incorporating Shear-Dispersion into Pore Network Models Using Micromodel Experimental Data

Lead Institution

University of Texas at Austin

Principal Investigator

Matthew Balhoff

Project type

Exploratory Research

The mixed-cell method (MCM) is the most commonly used Eulerian pore-scale model for reactive flow and transport. Two major disadvantages of MCM are its assumptions of (1) pore-level perfect mixing,…

Laboratory Testing of a Novel Unbalanced Recirculation Method for Field Matrix (Back) Diffusion Quantification

Lead Institution

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Principal Investigator

Mart Oostrom

Project type

Exploratory Research

There is a distinct need to develop and validate field-scale methods for estimating matrix (back) diffusion because degradation and diffusion of contaminants at interfaces of low- and high…

Mineral Reactivity and Transformations in Adsorbed Water Films

Lead Institution

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Principal Investigator

John Loring

Project type

Large-Scale EMSL Research

Transformations of minerals covered in thin films of adsorbed H2O are ubiquitous in nature and occur under unique chemical and physical constraints. But in contrast to bulk aqueous systems,…

Investigation of Structure and Reactivity Relationship in M-N-C Type Catalysts using Density Functional Theory

Lead Institution

University of New Mexico

Principal Investigator

Ivana Gonzales

Project type

Large-Scale EMSL Research

This project is designed to rationalize atomic level chemical processes occurring at the interface of novel non-platinum group metal (non-PGM) catalysts, which are composed of transition metals,…

Radionuclide Immobilization in Reducing Cementitious Materials

Lead Institution

Savannah River National Laboratory

Principal Investigator

Daniel Kaplan

Project type

Large-Scale EMSL Research

Reducing cementitious materials are used as waste forms and engineered barriers for low-level radioactive waste disposal in the vadose zone. These materials are specifically formulated to contain…

Study of Depolymerization and Valorization of Lignin

Lead Institution

Joint BioEnergy Institute

Principal Investigator

Seema Singh

Project type

Large-Scale EMSL Research

The primary goal of the proposed work is to study and understand using both experimental and computational approaches, the depolymerization of lignin generated during the ionic liquid (IL)…

Uranium Biomineralization by Caulobacter crescentus

Lead Institution

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

Principal Investigator

Yongqin Jiao

Project type

Large-Scale EMSL Research

The research goal of this proposal is to understand and evaluate the potential of using the aerobic bacterium Caulobacter crescentus for the application of uranium bioremediation. Previous work by…

Redox And Reactive Minerals: The Impact Of Redox Fluctuations On Iron-Organic Matter Associations And Soil Carbon Cycling

Lead Institution

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

Principal Investigator

Jennifer Pett-Ridge

Project type

Large-Scale EMSL Research

Tropical forest soils store more carbon (C) --in the form of plant litter and decomposed organic matter-- than any other terrestrial ecosystem and play a critical role in the production of greenhouse…

Dynamic sulfur pools as a control on methane flux in freshwater Prairie Pothole lacustrine sediments

Lead Institution

Colorado State University

Principal Investigator

Michael Wilkins

Project type

Large-Scale EMSL Research

Inland waters (wetlands, lakes) play a poorly constrained role in regional and global carbon cycling, and may account for much of the uncertainty in climate change models. Although lake sediments are…

Characterizing the Cellular Envelope and Secreted Compounds of Anaerobic Gut Fungi

Lead Institution

University of California, Santa Barbara

Principal Investigator

Michelle O'Malley

Project type

Large-Scale EMSL Research

This proposal seeks use of EMSL resources to characterize the cellular envelope and secreted metabolites of anaerobic gut fungi. We have previously isolated three gut fungal strains representing…

In Situ TEM Studies on Na-Ion Storage in Hard Carbon

Lead Institution

Oregon State University

Principal Investigator

Xiulei Ji

Project type

Large-Scale EMSL Research

We would like to petition to use the EMSL’s advanced in-situ experimental systems to study charge and mass transport phenomena, as well as solvent-interface interaction in amorphous carbon used as Na…

Probing the Vibrational Coherences of Organic Atmospheric Aerosol Systems

Lead Institution

Northwestern University

Principal Investigator

Franz Geiger

Project type

Large-Scale EMSL Research

This proposal focuses on applying EMSL’s sub-1cm-1-resolution vibrational spectroscopy (hr-SFG) capabilities (Hongfei Wang), solid state NMR spectroscopy (Nancy Washton), nano-DESI high-resolution…

Atomistic View of Evolution and Reactivity of Polysulfide Redox Species in Li-S Batteries

Lead Institution

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Principal Investigator

Karl Mueller

Project type

Large-Scale EMSL Research

The Joint Center for Energy Storage Research (JCESR) is performing transformational research to overcome critical scientific and technical barriers in achieving ‘beyond Li-Ion battery technology’. …

Catalysis from Metalated Zr6- and Hf6-Based Metal-Organic Frameworks

Lead Institution

University of Minnesota

Principal Investigator

Laura Gagliardi

Project type

Large-Scale EMSL Research

We would like to use the Cascade supercomputer to compute the structures, spectroscopic properties, and reactive capabilities of Zr6 based Metal-Organic Frameworks (MOFs) functionalized with metal…