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At least 289 records · Page 16
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2016

Reply to “Methane origin in the Samail ophiolite: Comment on ‘Modern water/rock reactions in Oman hyperalkaline peridotite aquifers and implications for microbial habitability’” [Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta 179 (2016) 217–241]

We thank Dr. Giuseppe Etiope for his comment and the opportunity to further discuss why we consider the origin of the methane detected in subsurface fluids obtained from a peridotite aquifer in Oman to be enigmatic. The central focus of Miller et al. (2016) was the characterization of the fluids and dissolved gases recovered from 300 meter wells drilled into peridotite at two locations near Ibra. Microscale geochemical analyses of rock chips recovered during drilling gave further insight into the aqueous geochemistry measurements. These samples allowed us to analyze the extent of modern peridotite hydration and secondary mineralization in light of potential hydrogen-generating reactions. Additionally, biomass was recovered from the fluids, and 16S rRNA showed the presence of methanogens and methanotrophs. These methane-cycling microbes may be modulating the isotopic signature of CH 4 found in the wells; thus, we do not feel comfortable rejecting the hypothesis that microbial activity contributes to the unusual isotopic signature of CH 4 in the wells without further investigation.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2018

Investigating the role of anhydrous oxidative weathering on sedimentary rocks in the Transantarctic Mountains and implications for the modern weathering of sedimentary lithologies on Mars

We present that alteration of the uppermost surfaces of geologic materials is a pervasive process on planetary surfaces that is dependent upon factors including parent composition and the environment under which alteration is occurring. While rapid and pervasive in hot and humid climates on Earth, chemical weathering of rock surfaces has also been found to dominate in some of Earth's coldest and driest landscapes as well. Specifically, surfaces dominated by resistant fine-grained igneous rocks in the Antarctic preserve evidence of oxidative weathering processes, which represent the initial immature surface alteration processes that stagnate due to the lack of available water and kinetics necessary for the production of more mature alteration phases. In this study, we test the hypothesis that oxidative weathering also dominates the surfaces of sedimentary rocks throughout the Antarctic. We investigated the chemistry and mineralogy of a suite of sedimentary rocks from the Transantarctic Mountains ranging from fine-grained tuffs to coarse-grained sandstones and conglomerates. Additionally, our results show that, like the previously studied fine-grained igneous rocks in the Antarctic, sedimentary rocks generally showed only minor chemical weathering signatures at their surfaces relative to their interiors. However, unlike the igneous rocks in this earlier study, the sedimentary rocks exhibited a wide variety of non-systematic differences between surface and interior compositions. This variability of surface weathering signatures is equally as complex as the physical properties and compositions inherently present within these different sedimentary lithologies. Based on these analyses, it is apparent that oxidative weathering products do not dominate the surfaces of sedimentary rocks throughout the Transantarctic Mountains, which instead exhibit a wide array of weathering signatures that are likely dependent on both lithological and environmental factors. Considering that sedimentary lithologies are widespread across a significant fraction of the martian surface, our results suggest that observed alteration signatures limited to the surfaces of martian sedimentary rocks are most likely to be minor and to vary as a result of the lithological properties of the specific rock unit and not as a result of the widespread influences of the modern cold and dry climatic conditions.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2015

Total Skin Electron Therapy for Cutaneous T-Cell Lymphoma Using a Modern Dual-Field Rotational Technique

Purpose: To report our experience with rotational total skin electron irradiation (RTSEI) in cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL), and to examine response by disease stage and race. Methods and Materials: We reviewed our outcomes for 68 CTCL patients who received RTSEI (≥30 Gy) from 2000 to 2013. Primary outcomes were complete clinical response (CCR), recurrence-free survival (RFS), and overall survival (OS). Using log–rank tests and Cox proportional hazards, OS and RFS were compared across tumor stages at time of RTSEI with further racial subgroup analysis. Results: Median age at diagnosis and at time of radiation was 52 and 56 years, respectively. Median follow-up was 5.1 years, 49% were African American, and 49% were female. At time of treatment, 18, 37, and 13 patients were T stage 2, 3, and 4, respectively. At 6 weeks after RTSEI, overall CCR was 82% (88%, 83%, and 69% for T2, T3, and T4, respectively). Median RFS was 11 months for all patients and 14, 10, and 12 months for stage T2, T3, and T4, respectively. Tumor stage was not associated with RFS or CCR. Maintenance therapy after RTSEI was associated with improved RFS in both crude and multivariable analysis, controlling for T stage. Median OS was 76 months (91 and 59 months for T3 and T4, respectively). With the exception of improved OS in African Americans compared with whites at stage T2, race was not associated with CCR, RFS, or OS. Conclusions: These results represent the largest RTSEI clinical outcomes study in the modern era using a dual-field rotational technique. Our observed response rates match or improve upon the standard set by previous outcome studies using conventional TSEI techniques, despite a large percentage of advanced CTCL lesions in our cohort. We found that clinical response after RTSEI did not seem to be affected by T stage or race.

62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE↗
DOE OSTI2015

Modern Radiation Therapy for Primary Cutaneous Lymphomas: Field and Dose Guidelines From the International Lymphoma Radiation Oncology Group

Primary cutaneous lymphomas are a heterogeneous group of diseases. They often remain localized, and they generally have a more indolent course and a better prognosis than lymphomas in other locations. They are highly radiosensitive, and radiation therapy is an important part of the treatment, either as the sole treatment or as part of a multimodality approach. Radiation therapy of primary cutaneous lymphomas requires the use of special techniques that form the focus of these guidelines. The International Lymphoma Radiation Oncology Group has developed these guidelines after multinational meetings and analysis of available evidence. The guidelines represent an agreed consensus view of the International Lymphoma Radiation Oncology Group steering committee on the use of radiation therapy in primary cutaneous lymphomas in the modern era.

62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE↗
DOE OSTI2015

Modern Radiation Therapy for Extranodal Lymphomas: Field and Dose Guidelines From the International Lymphoma Radiation Oncology Group

Extranodal lymphomas (ENLs) comprise about a third of all non-Hodgkin lymphomas (NHL). Radiation therapy (RT) is frequently used as either primary therapy (particularly for indolent ENL), consolidation after systemic therapy, salvage treatment, or palliation. The wide range of presentations of ENL, involving any organ in the body and the spectrum of histological sub-types, poses a challenge both for routine clinical care and for the conduct of prospective and retrospective studies. This has led to uncertainty and lack of consistency in RT approaches between centers and clinicians. Thus far there is a lack of guidelines for the use of RT in the management of ENL. This report presents an effort by the International Lymphoma Radiation Oncology Group (ILROG) to harmonize and standardize the principles of treatment of ENL, and to address the technical challenges of simulation, volume definition and treatment planning for the most frequently involved organs. Specifically, detailed recommendations for RT volumes are provided. We have applied the same modern principles of involved site radiation therapy as previously developed and published as guidelines for Hodgkin lymphoma and nodal NHL. We have adopted RT volume definitions based on the International Commission on Radiation Units and Measurements (ICRU), as has been widely adopted by the field of radiation oncology for solid tumors. Organ-specific recommendations take into account histological subtype, anatomy, the treatment intent, and other treatment modalities that may be have been used before RT.

62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE↗
DOE OSTI2015

Risk of Pathologic Upgrading or Locally Advanced Disease in Early Prostate Cancer Patients Based on Biopsy Gleason Score and PSA: A Population-Based Study of Modern Patients

Purpose: Radiation oncologists rely on available clinical information (biopsy Gleason score and prostate-specific antigen [PSA]) to determine the optimal treatment regimen for each prostate cancer patient. Existing published nomograms correlating clinical to pathologic extent of disease were based on patients treated in the 1980s and 1990s at select academic institutions. We used the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database to examine pathologic outcomes (Gleason score and cancer stage) in early prostate cancer patients based on biopsy Gleason score and PSA concentration. Methods and Materials: This analysis included 25,858 patients whose cancer was diagnosed between 2010 and 2011, with biopsy Gleason scores of 6 to 7 and clinical stage T1 to T2 disease, who underwent radical prostatectomy. In subgroups based on biopsy Gleason score and PSA level, we report the proportion of patients with pathologically advanced disease (positive surgical margin or pT3-T4 disease) or whose Gleason score was upgraded. Logistic regression was used to examine factors associated with pathologic outcomes. Results: For patients with biopsy Gleason score 6 cancers, 84% of those with PSA <10 ng/mL had surgical T2 disease with negative margins; this decreased to 61% in patients with PSA of 20 to 29.9 ng/mL. Gleason score upgrading was seen in 43% (PSA: <10 ng/mL) to 61% (PSA: 20-29.9 ng/mL) of biopsy Gleason 6 patients. Patients with biopsy Gleason 7 cancers had a one-third (Gleason 3 + 4; PSA: <10 ng/mL) to two-thirds (Gleason 4 + 3; PSA: 20-29.9 ng/mL) probability of having pathologically advanced disease. Gleason score upgrading was seen in 11% to 19% of patients with biopsy Gleason 4 + 3 cancers. Multivariable analysis showed that higher PSA and older age were associated with Gleason score upgrading and pathologically advanced disease. Conclusions: This is the first population-based study to examine pathologic extent of disease and pathologic Gleason score upgrading based on clinically available information in modern patients. These data inform the selection of radiation therapy strategies and an understanding of whether prostatectomy alone is likely to be curative for patients with early prostate cancers.

62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE↗
DOE OSTI2015

In the Modern Treatment Era, Is Breast Conservation Equivalent to Mastectomy in Women Younger Than 40 Years of Age? A Multi-Institution Study

Purpose: Mastectomy is often recommended for women ≤40 years of age with breast cancer, as young women were under-represented in the landmark trials comparing breast conservation therapy (BCT) to mastectomy. We hypothesized that, in the modern treatment era, BCT and mastectomy result in equivalent local control rates in young women. Methods and Materials: Breast cancer cases arising between 1975 and 2013 in women ≤40 years old were collected from the tumor registries of 2 large healthcare systems in Utah. Kaplan-Meier estimates and Cox proportional hazards models were used to analyze freedom from locoregional recurrence (FFLR), overall survival (OS), and relapse-free survival (RFS). Results: This analysis identified 853 BCT candidates. A comparison of BCT to mastectomy after 2000 showed FFLR, RFS, and OS were all similar. Rate for FFLR at 10 years was 94.9% versus 92.1% for BCT and mastectomy, respectively (P=.57). For women whose cancer was diagnosed after 2000, who received BCT, FFLR and RFS rates were improved compared to those whose cancer was diagnosed prior to 2000 (P<.05), whereas OS (P=.46) rates were similar. Among those who underwent mastectomy, FFLR, OS, and RFS were significantly improved (P<.05) with diagnosis after 2000. Conclusions: FFLR rates for young women, ≤40 years of age, have significantly improved for BCT and mastectomy over time. If patients were treated after 2000, BCT appears to be safe and equivalent to mastectomy at 10 years in terms of FFLR, OS, and RFS.

62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE↗
DOE OSTI2016

Modern Radiation Therapy and Cardiac Outcomes in Breast Cancer

Purpose: Adjuvant radiation therapy, which has proven benefit against breast cancer, has historically been associated with an increased incidence of ischemic heart disease. Modern techniques have reduced this risk, but a detailed evaluation has not recently been conducted. The present study evaluated the effect of current radiation practices on ischemia-related cardiac events and procedures in a population-based study of older women with nonmetastatic breast cancer. Methods and Materials: A total of 29,102 patients diagnosed from 2000 to 2009 were identified from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results–Medicare database. Medicare claims were used to identify the radiation therapy and cardiac outcomes. Competing risk models were used to assess the effect of radiation on these outcomes. Results: Patients with left-sided breast cancer had a small increase in their risk of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) after radiation therapy—the 10-year cumulative incidence for these patients was 5.5% (95% confidence interval [CI] 4.9%-6.2%) and 4.5% (95% CI 4.0%-5.0%) for right-sided patients. This risk was limited to women with previous cardiac disease. For patients who underwent PCI, those with left-sided breast cancer had a significantly increased risk of cardiac mortality with a subdistribution hazard ratio of 2.02 (95% CI 1.23-3.34). No other outcome, including cardiac mortality for the entire cohort, showed a significant relationship with tumor laterality. Conclusions: For women with a history of cardiac disease, those with left-sided breast cancer who underwent radiation therapy had increased rates of PCI and a survival decrement if treated with PCI. The results of the present study could help cardiologists and radiation oncologists better stratify patients who need more aggressive cardioprotective techniques.

62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE↗
DOE OSTI2016

Role of Internal Mammary Node Radiation as a Part of Modern Breast Cancer Radiation Therapy: A Systematic Review

Purpose: Despite data from multiple randomized trials, the role of internal mammary lymph node irradiation as a part of regional nodal irradiation (IMLN RT–RNI) remains unanswered. Recent noteworthy data and modern RT techniques might identify a subset of patients who will benefit from IMLN RT–RNI, lending insight into the balance between improved outcomes and acceptable toxicity. We evaluated the current role of IMLN RT–RNI by analyzing randomized, prospective, and retrospective data. Methods and Materials: In accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines, a review of the published data was performed using PubMed to evaluate published studies from 1994 to 2015. The information evaluated included the number of patients, follow-up period, technical aspects of RT, and outcomes (clinical outcomes, complications/toxicity). Results: We included 16 studies (4 randomized, 4 nonrandomized, 7 retrospective, and 1 meta-analysis). Although older randomized trials failed to show differences in clinical outcomes or toxicity with IMLN RT–RNI, recent randomized data suggest the potential for improved outcomes, including overall survival, with IMLN RT–RNI. Furthermore, nonrandomized data have suggested a potential benefit for central tumors with IMLN RT–RNI. Although recent data have suggested a potential increase in pulmonary complications with IMLN RT–RNI with the use of advanced radiation techniques, toxicity rates remain low with limited cardiac toxicity data available. Conclusions: Increasing data from recent randomized trials support the use of IMLN RT–RNI. IMLN RT can be considered based on the inclusion of IMLN RT as a part of RNI in recent trials and the inclusion criteria from IMLN RT–RNI trials and for patients with central or medial tumors and axillary disease.

62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE↗
DOE OSTI2026

Re-evaluating probable maximum precipitation estimates: sensitivity to transposition domains and storm rotation using modern datasets

This study examines the sensitivity of Probable Maximum Precipitation (PMP) estimates to key methodological decisions embedded in the legacy approach adopted in the U.S. National Weather Service Hydrometeorological Reports No. 51 and No. 52. Although widely used for infrastructure design and risk regulation, fundamental aspects of PMP estimation—such as storm sample size, transposition domain, maximization procedures, and storm rotation—remain poorly constrained and lack formal guidance. Using the Red Rock watershed in Iowa as a case study, and leveraging the 2002–2023 NOAA Analysis of Record for Calibration (AORC) precipitation dataset, we systematically evaluate how each methodological choice, individually and in combination, influences PMP estimates. Our findings demonstrate that PMP is not a fixed physical upper bound but rather a modeling construct shaped heavily by user-defined assumptions. Notably, PMP values derived from modern gridded rainfall datasets can be substantially higher than the legacy estimate used in the original spillway design for Red Rock Dam. Decisions regarding storm sample size, domain extent, climatological window, and particularly storm rotation all contributed to higher PMP estimates. Storm rotation alone—a loosely constrained element in the current PMP practice—can amplify PMP by more than 25%. These results reveal the lack of standardized bounds in current PMP workflows and the need for systematic sensitivity and uncertainty analysis. As PMP estimation shifts toward probabilistic approaches, incorporating physically meaningful storm attributes will be key to developing more transparent, defensible methods for dam safety and climate-resilient infrastructure.

Probable maximum precipitation↗
DOE OSTI2018

Restructuring in high burnup UO 2 studied using modern electron microscopy

Modern electron microscopy techniques were used to conduct a thorough study of an irradiated urania fuel pellet microstructure to attempt at an understanding of high burnup structure formation in this material. The fuel was irradiated at low power to high burnups in a light water reactor, proving ideal for this purpose. Examination of grain size and orientation with strict spatial selectivity across the fuel pellet radius allowed for capturing the progression of the restructuring process, from its onset to full completion. Based on this information, the polygonization mechanism was shown to be responsible for restructuring, involving formation of low-angle grain boundaries with their initiation occurring at the original high-angle grain boundaries of the as-fabricated pellet and at the gas bubble-matrix interfaces. As a result, the low-angle character of boundaries between the subdivided grains disappeared in the fully developed high burnup structure, likely due to creep deformation in the pellet.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
DOE OSTI2019

Modern nanostructured ferritic alloys: A compelling and viable choice for sodium fast reactor fuel cladding applications

Sodium fast reactor cores present a truly challenging environment for the fuel cladding and core structural materials that limit achievable fuel burnup in these systems. Modern nanostructured ferritic alloys have the potential to deliver the desired high performance characteristics where historic austenitic and ferritic/martensitic alloys fall short. Herein, a new nanostructured ferritic alloy, OFRAC ( O ak Ridge F ast R eactor A dvanced Fuel C ladding), is developed and demonstrated in cladding geometry with a length > 1 m. The alloy composition and microstructure are tailored to deliver dramatically improved strength and creep resistance. At 600 °C the ultimate tensile strength is ~600 MPa and the stress to induce a steady state strain rate of 10 -6 s -1 is 500 MPa vs. 200 MPa for traditional ferritic/martensitic alloys. A very high defect sink density was engineered in these alloys that is expected to further enhance the traditional good swelling and irradiation creep resistance of ferritic/martensitic steels. These significant improvements along with the demonstrated viability for seamless cladding production indicate that this alloy is a compelling and viable choice for sodium fast reactor fuel cladding applications.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2016

Physical and hydraulic properties of modern sinter deposits: El Tatio, Atacama

We report sinters are siliceous, sedimentary deposits that form in geothermal areas. Formation occurs in two steps. Hot water circulates in the subsurface and dissolves silica from the host rock, usually rhyolites. Silica then precipitates after hot water is discharged and cools. Extensive sinter formations are linked to up-flow areas of fluids originating from high temperature (> 175 °C) deep reservoirs. Fluid geochemistry, microbial communities, and environmental conditions of deposition determine the texture of sinter and pore framework. Porosity strongly influences physical and hydraulic properties of rocks. To better understand the properties controlling the transport of fluids, and interpret geophysical observations in geothermal systems, here we studied 17 samples of modern geyserite sinter deposits (< 10 ka) from the active El Tatio geothermal field in northern Chile. We measured the physical properties (hydraulic, seismic, and electrical), and internal microstructure (using μX-Ray computed tomography). We find that the pore structure, and thus hydraulic and physical properties, is controlled by the distribution of microbial matter. Based on velocity-porosity relationships, permeability-porosity scaling, and image analysis of the 3D pore structure; we find that the physical and hydraulic properties of sinter more closely resemble those of vesicular volcanic rocks and other material formed by precipitation in geothermal settings (i.e., travertine) than clastic sedimentary rocks.

15 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2024

Incident beamline design for a modern cold triple axis spectrometer at the High Flux Isotope Reactor

A modern cold triple axis spectrometer is being planned for the High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR) at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Here, we describe the design of an incident beamline that will put a flux of ~ 10 8 $\frac {n}{cm^{2}s}$ on a sample with an area of 2 cm X 2 cm. It takes current physical constraints at HFIR into account and it can accommodate both single and multiplexed analyzer-detector secondary spectrometers and large superconducting magnets. The proposed incident beamline includes a multi-channel guide with horizontal focusing, a neutron velocity selector, components to facilitate an incident beam polarization option, and a double-focusing pyrolytic graphite monochromator. Here, this work describes the process of optimizing the guide system and monochromator and summarizes the expected performance of the incident beamline for non-polarized operation.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2022

High performance sparse multifrontal solvers on modern GPUs

Here, we have ported the numerical factorization and triangular solve phases of the sparse direct solver STRUMPACK to GPU. STRUMPACK implements sparse LU factorization using the multifrontal algorithm, which performs most of its operations in dense linear algebra operations on so-called frontal matrices of various sizes. Our GPU implementation off-loads these dense linear algebra operations, as well as the sparse scatter–gather operations between frontal matrices. For the larger frontal matrices, our GPU implementation relies on vendor libraries such as cuBLAS and cuSOLVER for NVIDIA GPUs and rocBLAS and rocSOLVER for AMD GPUs. For the smaller frontal matrices we developed custom CUDA and HIP kernels to reduce kernel launch overhead. Overall, high performance is achieved by identifying submatrix factorizations corresponding to sub-trees of the multifrontal assembly tree which fit entirely in GPU memory. The multi-GPU setting uses SLATE (Software for Linear Algebra Targeting Exascale) as a modern GPU-aware replacement for ScaLAPACK. On 4 nodes of SUMMIT the code runs ~10X faster when using all 24 V100 GPUs compared to when it only uses the 168 POWER9 cores. On 8 SUMMIT nodes, using 48 V100 GPUs, the sparse solver reaches over 50TFlop/s. Compared to SuperLU, on a single V100, for a set of 17 matrices our implementation is faster for all but one matrix, and is on average 5X (median 4X) faster

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗
DOE OSTI2022

Potential of water quality wetlands to mitigate habitat losses from agricultural drainage modernization

Given widespread biodiversity declines, a growing global human population, and demands to improve water quality, there is an immediate need to explore land management solutions that support multiple ecosystem services. Agricultural water quality wetlands designed to provide both water quality benefits and wetland and grassland habitat are an emerging restoration solution that may reverse habitat declines in intensive agricultural areas. Installation of water quality wetlands in the Upper Midwest, USA, when considered alongside the repair and modification of aging agricultural tile drainage infrastructure, is a likely scenario that may mitigate nutrient pollution exported from agricultural systems and improve crop yields. The capacity of water quality wetlands to provide habitat within the wetland pool and the surrounding grassland is not well-studied, particularly with respect to potential habitat changes resulting from drainage infrastructure upgrades. For the current study, we produced spatially explicit models of 37 catchments distributed throughout an important region for agriculture and biodiversity, the Des Moines Lobe of Iowa. Four scenarios were considered - with and without improved drainage and with and without water quality wetlands - to estimate the net potential habitat implications of these scenarios for amphibians, grassland birds, and wild bees. Model results indicate that drainage modification alone will likely result in moderate direct losses of suitable amphibian habitat and large declines in overall habitat quality. However, inclusion of water quality wetlands at the catchment scale may mitigate these amphibian habitat losses while also increasing grassland bird and pollinator habitat. In conclusion, the impacts of water quality wetlands and drainage modernization on waterfowl in the region require additional study.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2025

A machine learning method of modern urban building energy modeling: A case study of Chicago

Urban-scale building energy modeling is vital for urban planning. However, it can be challenging to assimilate reliable non-geometry building data for urban-scale modeling without extensive investment. Here, this study introduces a novel approach to developing modern urban-scale building energy stock data using geographic information systems and machine learning algorithms without necessarily requiring pre-supplied non-geometric metadata. The proposed framework integrates building footprint and height data to estimate gross floor areas, and matches each building to a pool of candidate records from ComStock or ResStock—filtered to the same county and ranked by geometric similarity—demonstrate a proof-of-concept case study in Chicago for predicting energy use intensity (EUI) using scalable datasets. The model achieved a mean bias error (MBE) of 0.08 kWh/m² and root mean square error (RMSE) of 14.84 kWh/m² under full metadata input for EUI prediction. With only location inputs, the model captured 69.2 % of EUI within predicted ranges. These results demonstrate the model’s potential to support early-stage urban planning, identify candidates for energy-efficient retrofits. By removing the dependency on detailed pre-surveys or extensive building metadata, the approach overcomes a key barrier in traditional urban-scale building energy modeling, illustrating a pathway toward broader and more cost-effective application, though further multi-city validation and improved treatment of pre-1925 buildings are needed.

Energy Use Intensity↗
DOE OSTI2020

Translating a Material Discovery into a Commercial Product in the Modern Lithium-ion Battery Market

Lithium-ion batteries are essential for portable technology and are now poised to disrupt a century of combustion-based transportation. The electrification revolution could eliminate our reliance on fossil fuels and enable a clean energy future; advanced batteries would facilitate this transition. However, owing to the demanding performance, cost, and safety requirements, it is challenging to translate new materials from laboratory prototypes to commercial products. This Perspective describes that journey toward commercialization for a new lithium-ion battery anode material, TiNb2O7 (TNO). TNO is intended as an alternative to graphite or Li4Ti5O12 with better rate and safety characteristics than the former, and higher energy density than the latter. The high capacity of TNO stems from multielectron redox of Nb5+ to Nb3+, its operating voltage window well above Li+/Li reduction potential prevents lithium dendrite formation, and its open crystal structure leads to high-power performance. Nevertheless, the creation of a practical TNO anode was non-linear and non-trivial. Its history is built on 30 years on fundamental science that preceded its application as a battery, and its battery development included a nearly 30-year gap. The insights and lessons 2 contained in this Perspective, many of them acquired firsthand, serve two purposes: (i) to unite the disparate studies of TiNb2O7 into a coherent modern understanding relevant to its application as a battery material and (ii) to highlight some of the considerations of commercializing a new material that affect TiNb2O7 as well as new electrode candidates more generally.

Griffith, Kent J.↗