Environment Summaries
Bai, Peng ; Lee, Youngju ; Ma, Bingyuan
T-019512
— Technology Description Researchers in Peng Bai’s lab at Washington University have developed an inexpensive rechargeable sodium metal battery with a 99.93% sodium retention rate. This battery uses glyme-based electrolytes with a low moisture content and a bare copper current collector to ach…
A Highly Efficient Brine ElectrolyzerGayen, Pralay ; Ramani, Vijay ; Sankarasubramanian, Shrihari
T-019234
— Technology Description Researchers in the Ramani lab at Washington University have developed an electrolyzer capable of selectively splitting salty or brackish water into ultra-pure hydrogen and oxygen at high operating power densities. Originally designed to tap the perchlorate-rich water on the …
High Performance Direct Methanol and Direct Ethanol Fuel Cells with Microscale Bipolar InterfaceRamani, Vijay ; Sankarasubramanian, Shrihari ; Wang, Zhongyang
T-019124
— Technology Description Engineers in Prof. Vijay Ramani’s laboratory have developed a biopolar interface membrane to prevent fuel crossover and improve the performance of direct methanol and direct ethanol fuel cells (DMFC and DEFC). This membrane separator is designed to maintain a steep pH …
Efficient, high velocity air purification with a soft X-ray enhanced electrostatic precipitatorBiswas, Pratim ; Chadha, Tandeep ; Fang, Jiaxi
T-015444
— Engineers in Prof. Pratim Biswas’ laboratory have developed an electrostatic precipitator device that removes ultrafine pollutants and inactivates pathogens from the air at high efficiency and low cost. This gas cleaning system has the potential to replace HEPA filters for air filtering applic…
Modular Pressurized Coal Combustion (MPCC) for Highly Efficient Clean Coal Energy and Gas ProductionAxelbaum, Richard ; Gopan, Akshay ; Yang, Zhiwei
T-018640
— Technology Description Engineers in Prof. Richard Axelbaum’s laboratory have developed Modular Pressurized Coal Combustion (MPCC), an economical, flexible, coal-fired boiler/burner system that could produce electricity at 1.3% higher efficiency than a state-of-the-art coal-fired plant with t…
Low-cost, high-performance materials for solar-driven membrane distillation in water treatment and desalinationJiang, Qisheng ; Jun, Young-Shin ; Singamaneni, Srikanth ; Wu, Xuanhao
T-019047
— Technology Description Engineers in Prof. Young-Shin Jun’s laboratory and Prof. Singamaneni’s laboratory have developed high performance, stable membrane materials that can be used for photothermal membrane distillation (PMD) to purify or desalinate water with minimal input of electric…
Low-Power, Fast Sensors for Infrastructure‐to‐Vehicle Communications in Autonomous DrivingAono, Kenji ; Chakrabartty, Shantanu ; Kondapalli, Sri Harsha ; Pochettino, Owen
T-019014
— Engineers in Prof. Shantanu Chakrabarty’s laboratory have developed an RFID embedded sensor system for infrastructure-to-vehicle (I2V) communications that uses near-zero standby energy and offers the robust performance of actively powered communications. This technology is designed to provide …
Real-time air and water quality monitoring with AI-based data analysis and low cost sensorsBiswas, Pratim ; Li, Jiayu
T-018523
— Technology Description Prof. Pratim Biswas and colleagues have developed an artificial intelligence platform to provide accurate, low-cost analysis of air and water quality by integrating data gathered from particulate matter (PM) sensors and other sources. This technology could be used to make th…
Low-cost, environmentally friendly synthesis of delta-MnO2 nanosheets for battery cathodes, catalysts and remediationJun, Young-Shin ; Jung, Haesung
T-018510
— Technology Description Engineers in Prof. Young-Shin Jun’s laboratory have developed a cost-effective, fast, green chemistry process to produce birnessite (δ-MnO2) nanosheets with naturally abundant resources. This method uses sunlight and nitrate to oxidize Mn2+ (aq) to Mn (IV) and ha…
Low-cost, single-step vapor deposition of thin film organic perovskites for solar and memristor applicationsBanerjee, Parag ; Chen, Xiao ; Myung, Yoon
T-017124
— Technology Description Engineers in the Banerjee laboratory have developed a single-step, scalable vapor deposition process for fabricating high performance thin film perovskite materials at low temperature and atmospheric pressure. These lead-free, non-toxic films could be used as solar cell abso…
Low cost electrode decoupled redox flow batteries for grid-scale energy storageRamani, Vijay ; Sankarasubramanian, Shrihari
T-018530
— Technology Description Engineers in Prof. Vijay Ramani’s laboratory have developed an electrode decoupled redox flow battery (RFB) with stable electrolyte materials that can generate power densities comparable to all-Vanadium RFBs at less than half the cost. RFBs are a promising option for …
Low cost, high performance anion exchange membranes for grid-scale energy storage and other electrochemical devicesParrondo, Javier ; Ramani, Vijay ; Wang, Zhongyang
T-018608
— Technology Description Engineers in Prof. Vijay Ramani’s laboratory have developed a variety of robust, versatile anion exchange membrane (AEM) materials that achieve high performance through superior ion selectivity. These mechanically and chemically stable membranes have the potential to d…
High-performance, nanoengineered two-phase cooling system for high powered electronicsAgonafer, Damena ; Ma, Binjian ; Shan, Li
T-018032
— Technology Description Engineers in Prof. Damena Agonafer’s laboratory have developed a highly-efficient, compact, modular evaporative cooling platform with materials and nanostructured geometries designed to greatly enhance thermal management of 3D integrated circuits, power converters and …
Spray Pyrolysis for the Production of Li+ Ion Battery CathodesAtlas, Gal ; Axelbaum, Richard ; Elhassid, Dror ; Lengyel, Miklos
T-013647
— Background Material morphology and composition are critical for production of Li+ ion battery cathodes, and there is a need for improved synthesis methods that yield high quality materials through cost effective, green, scalable processes. Further, there is often a need to dope materials during syn…
Nanocomposite fertilizer for efficient phosphorus uptake and sustainable agricultureBiswas, Pratim ; Raliya, Ramesh
T-016378
— Technology Description Engineers in Prof. Pratim Biswas’ laboratory have developed a nanoparticle fertilizer that increases phosphorus uptake and plant yield while reducing environmental damage and strain on natural resources. Increasing global food demand has prompted the large-scale use o…
Efficient, high velocity air purification with a soft X-ray enhanced electrostatic precipitatorBiswas, Pratim ; Chadha, Tandeep ; Fang, Jiaxi
T-015444
— Engineers in Prof. Pratim Biswas’ laboratory have developed an electrostatic precipitator device that removes ultrafine pollutants and inactivates pathogens from the air at high efficiency and low cost. This gas cleaning system has the potential to replace HEPA filters for air filtering applic…
Tuning of photo-absorption in semiconductors, photoconductors, and other photo conversion systems using magnetic fieldsHayes, Sophia ; Mui, Stacy ; Ramaswamy, Kannan
T-008875
— Background: The idea of creating clean, sustainable power in high amounts from renewable energy sources is an interest among many across the globe. One of the many ways of creating renewable energy is applying the photovoltaic effect, the conversion of solar to electrical energy, by using semiconduc…
Nanocomposite fertilizer for efficient phosphorus uptake and sustainable agricultureBiswas, Pratim ; Raliya, Ramesh
T-016378
— Technology Description Engineers in Prof. Pratim Biswas’ laboratory have developed a nanoparticle fertilizer that increases phosphorus uptake and plant yield while reducing environmental damage and strain on natural resources. Increasing global food demand has prompted the large-scale use o…
Low-cost, high-performance materials for solar-driven membrane distillation in water treatment and desalinationJiang, Qisheng ; Jun, Young-Shin ; Singamaneni, Srikanth ; Wu, Xuanhao
T-019047
— Technology Description Engineers in Prof. Young-Shin Jun’s laboratory and Prof. Singamaneni’s laboratory have developed high performance, stable membrane materials that can be used for photothermal membrane distillation (PMD) to purify or desalinate water with minimal input of electric…
Real-time air and water quality monitoring with AI-based data analysis and low cost sensorsBiswas, Pratim ; Li, Jiayu
T-018523
— Technology Description Prof. Pratim Biswas and colleagues have developed an artificial intelligence platform to provide accurate, low-cost analysis of air and water quality by integrating data gathered from particulate matter (PM) sensors and other sources. This technology could be used to make th…
Low-cost, environmentally friendly synthesis of delta-MnO2 nanosheets for battery cathodes, catalysts and remediationJun, Young-Shin ; Jung, Haesung
T-018510
— Technology Description Engineers in Prof. Young-Shin Jun’s laboratory have developed a cost-effective, fast, green chemistry process to produce birnessite (δ-MnO2) nanosheets with naturally abundant resources. This method uses sunlight and nitrate to oxidize Mn2+ (aq) to Mn (IV) and ha…
