Projects

Electrical and Photoelectrochemical Characterization of Single Crystal Bismuth Vanadate

Lead Institution

University of Texas at Austin

Principal Investigator

C. Buddie Mullins

Project type

Exploratory Research

Bismuth vanadate (BiVO4) is a promising electrode material in photoelectrochemical (PEC) cells. Recently, it has been shown that doping with Mo and W dramatically improves its performance, but the…

Characterization of partially soluble copper oxide nanoparticles for evaluating the role of deposited dose rate in respiratory tract target cell responses

Lead Institution

University of Rochester

Principal Investigator

Alison Elder

Project type

Exploratory Research

The increasing use of nanoparticles (NPs < 100 nm in at least one dimension) in industrial settings has led to a greater concern about the potential for human exposures. Although there are several…

Interface-Specific Radiation Induced Segregation in Nanocrystalline Alloys

Lead Institution

Drexel University

Principal Investigator

Mitra Taheri

Project type

Exploratory Research

The aim of the proposed project is to provide a fundamental understanding of how metallic nanocrystalline alloys can be utilized as radiation tolerant materials in future nuclear reactors. This aim…

Quantifying selective toxicity of nanoparticles in zebrafish xenograft through advanced microscopy

Lead Institution

Oregon State University

Principal Investigator

Robert Tanguay

Project type

Exploratory Research

Zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs) possess a 28-35 fold preferential cytotoxicity toward cancerous T cells in culture. We hypothesize that this cell dependent selective cytotoxicity extends to other…

Natural Organic Matter Composition and its Influence on Microbial Dynamics and Biogeochemical Processes at the Catchment Scale

Lead Institution

University of New Hampshire

Principal Investigator

Paula Mouser

Project type

Exploratory Research

Natural organic material (NOM) present in surface and subsurface environments is able to drive biogeochemical cycles, with implications for carbon flux, nutrient flow, and contaminant metal…

Engineered nano-scale interfaces in scandia stabilized zirconia and samaria doped ceria multi-layer hetero-structures

Lead Institution

Western Michigan University

Principal Investigator

Asghar Kayani

Project type

Exploratory Research

Recent studies showed a colossal enhancement in the oxygen ionic conductivity of multi-layer oxide thin films compared to most commonly used solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) electrolytes. It has been…

The Mechanism of the Hammerhead Ribozyme RNA Cleavage Reaction: Determining Optimized Free Energy Reaction Paths from QM/MM Simulations

Lead Institution

University of California, San Diego

Principal Investigator

John Weare

Project type

Exploratory Research

Ribonucleic acids (RNA) play a central role in the transmission of genetic information. However, the identification of additional non-coding roles of RNA polymers continues to grow. An important…

Interfacial and Multiphase Characterization of Next Generation Inorganic Resists Synthesized Through Sustainable Materials Chemistries

Lead Institution

Oregon State University

Principal Investigator

Liney Arnadottir

Project type

Exploratory Research

Transformation of small molecular precursors into inorganic solid-state compounds via solution methods has mainly focused on sol-gel techniques involving hydrolysis and condensation reactions of…

First-principles modeling of charge transfer in fullerene organic photovoltaics

Lead Institution

University of California, Los Angeles

Principal Investigator

Daniel Neuhauser

Project type

Exploratory Research

Organic photovoltaics have emerged as an inexpensive alternative to more traditional solar energy. Organic solar cells have long utilized fullerene derivatives as electron acceptors in devices,…

Understanding Phase Nucleation and Distribution in Conversion Materials: FeF2 and FeOF

Lead Institution

University of California, San Diego

Principal Investigator

Ying Meng

Project type

Large-Scale EMSL Research

Lithium ion batteries are the top candidates for portable electronics and important for on-board energy storage in plug-in hybrid electric vehicles as well as fully electric vehicles due to their…

Molecular-scale controls on heteroepitaxy at mineral-water interfaces

Lead Institution

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Principal Investigator

Sebastien Kerisit

Project type

Large-Scale EMSL Research

The objective of the proposed research is to elucidate and quantify the molecular-scale mechanisms of heteroepitaxial nucleation and growth at mineral-water interfaces. Despite several examples of…

Integration of Pore-Scale Simulations and Multi-Omics Data to Develop Insights into Functional Heterogeneity in Microbial Communities

Lead Institution

Marine Biological Laboratory

Principal Investigator

Zoe Cardon

Project type

Large-Scale EMSL Research

The microbial activities on which humanity and ecosystems depend are determined by both microbial community membership and the resources and conditions in the microbes' local environments. In…

NMR Studies of Mg+2 Intercalation Electrodes for Multivalent-Ion Batteries

Lead Institution

Argonne National Laboratory

Principal Investigator

Baris Key

Project type

Large-Scale EMSL Research

Lithium-ion batteries are currently the rechargeable battery systems of choice in any high energy density application. Existing materials are unable to keep up with the ever growing demands of the…

NMR structure determination of the cobalamin binding protein HgcA and the ferredoxin-like protein HgcB required for bacterial mercury methylation

Lead Institution

Oak Ridge National Laboratory

Principal Investigator

Alexander Johs

Project type

Large-Scale EMSL Research

Mercury is a pervasive global pollutant. Its methylated form, methylmercury, poses a substantial threat to human health. Methylation of mercury (Hg) by anaerobic bacteria is the primary source of…

Investigations on Behavior of Carbon-bearing Fluids Under Nanopore Confinement

Lead Institution

The Ohio State University

Principal Investigator

David Cole

Project type

Large-Scale EMSL Research

The overarching goal of this proposal is to obtain deeper insight into the behavior of low viscous energy resource fluids under confinement at solid interfaces. To achieve this goal we will (a)…

Structural Characterization of Lithium Rich Layered Transition Metal Oxide LMR-NMC type Cathodes for Li-ion Batteries: Experimental and Computational Approaches

Lead Institution

Argonne National Laboratory

Principal Investigator

Baris Key

Project type

Large-Scale EMSL Research

Lithium ion batteries are the rechargeable battery system of choice in any high energy density application such as power tools, mobile electronics and electric vehicles. New cathode chemistries, such…

Physiological and Molecular Mechanisms Controlling Altered Flowering Times at Elevated [CO2]

Lead Institution

University of Kansas

Principal Investigator

Joy Ward

Project type

Large-Scale EMSL Research

Shifts in flowering time in response to climate change can alter both the timing and amount of carbon that is cycling within ecosystems. Atmospheric CO2 concentration ([CO2]) has increased from 270…

How Dirigent Proteins Guide Assembly of Lignans and Lignin in Vascular Plants

Lead Institution

Washington State University

Principal Investigator

Norman Lewis

Project type

Large-Scale EMSL Research

Vascular plants use a class of proteins termed dirigent proteins (from Latin dirigere, to guide or steer) to direct the regio- and stereospecificity of radical-radical coupling reactions of…

Detailed Characterization of Particulates Emitted by Future High-Efficiency Vehicles

Lead Institution

University of Wisconsin, Madison

Principal Investigator

David Rothamer

Project type

Large-Scale EMSL Research

Current engine development aims to reduce consumption of limited fuel resources and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by increasing fuel efficiency. Advanced low temperature combustion technologies…

Towards understanding enzymatic diversity in biological lignin degradation

Lead Institution

National Renewable Energy Laboratory

Principal Investigator

Gregg Beckham

Project type

Large-Scale EMSL Research

Lignin is an alkyl-aromatic polymer comprising 15-30% of plant cell walls. It is underutilized in selective conversion processes to produce renewable fuels and chemicals from plant biomass, and is…