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Laboratory for Energy Applications for the Future
Predicting atomic structures proves useful in energy and sustainability
Researchers at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) have developed a new approach that combines generative artificial intelligence (AI) and first-principles simulations to predict three-dimensional (3D) atomic structures of highly complex materials. This research highlights LLNL’s efforts in advancing machine learning for materials science research and supporting…
3D-printed electrode is all charged up
The architectural design of electrodes offers new opportunities for next-generation electrochemical energy storage devices (EESDs) by increasing surface area, thickness and storage capacity. But conventional thick electrodes increase ion diffusion length and cause larger ion-concentration gradients, limiting reaction kinetics, including storage capacity. To overcome these…
LLNL and Korean Institute of Science and Technology to explore innovative climate solutions
More than 60 researchers gathered for a three-day workshop at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) during August to discuss their progress on shared research projects and explore opportunities to expand their collaborations, which focus on clean energy technologies, climate resilience and related data-science solutions. LLNL and the Korean Institute of Science and…
New research could extend the lifetime of key carbon-capture materials
Researchers at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), in collaboration with the Georgia Institute of Technology, have made a significant breakthrough in understanding the impact of carbon dioxide (CO2) on the stability of amine-functionalized porous solid materials, a crucial component in Direct Air Capture (DAC) carbon-capture technologies. This new research,…
LLNL wins three 2024 technology commercialization grants
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) researchers continue to capture key Department of Energy (DOE) Technology Commercialization Fund (TCF) grants with three new project grants announced in 2024. This year’s TCF program focuses on funding projects aimed at delivering clean energy solutions to the market — using new technology commercialized from DOE national labs…
Molecules get a boost from metallic carbon nanotubes
A Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) team has found that pure metallic carbon nanotubes are best at transporting molecules. Molecule separations play an ever-increasing role in modern technology from water desalination to harvesting critical materials to high-value chemicals and pharmaceuticals manufacturing. To enhance water and proton transport, LLNL…
Chemical and transportation industries could get a boost with new catalyst coating
Coupling electrochemical conversion of the greenhouse gas CO2 with renewable electricity sources — such as solar and wind — promises green production of high-demand chemicals and transportation fuels. Carbon dioxide coupling products such as ethylene, ethanol and acetic acid are particularly useful as feedstocks for the chemical industry and powering vehicles. While…
Probing carbon capture, atom-by-atom
A team of scientists at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) has developed a machine-learning model to gain an atomic-level understanding of CO2 capture in amine-based sorbents. This innovative approach promises to enhance the efficiency of direct air capture (DAC) technologies, which are crucial for reducing the excessive amounts of CO2 already present in the…
Confined water gets electric
When water gets inside nanopores with sizes below 10 nanometers, new physics emerge: new phases of ice were observed and ultrafast proton transport was measured. Confined water also plays a role in biology, where aquaporins cross cellular membranes to allow specific transport of water and other small molecules through nanometer-scale channels. However, this field lacks a…
Nano-confinement may be key to improving hydrogen production
Researchers at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) have discovered a new mechanism that can boost the efficiency of hydrogen production through water splitting. This research, published in ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, was featured on the journal cover and provides new insights into the behavior of water reactivity and proton transfer under extreme…
Going with the flow: research dives into electrodes on energy storage batteries
As a grid-scale energy storage system, flow batteries have gained increasing attention as a means to address the challenges associated with fluctuations and intermittency in renewable energy sources. Vanadium redox flow batteries (VRFBs) have emerged as promising solutions for stationary grid energy storage due to their high efficiency, scalability, safety, near room…
Advancing Rare-Earth Biomining for a Secure Supply
Livermore has been at the forefront of significant rare-earth element (REE) biomining advancements with the goal of improving the economics of a large-scale, domestic REE supply chain.
Concentrating on rare-earth elements
Using a bioengineered protein-based technology, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) scientists and collaborators will develop a new separation technique that ultimately will increase the concentration of rare-earth elements (REE) so they are more readily available to the defense sector. Under the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Environmental…
New technique converts excess renewable energy to natural gas
Four Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) researchers have partnered with Los Angeles-based SoCalGas and Munich, Germany-based Electrochaea to develop an electrobioreactor to allow excess renewable electricity from wind and solar sources to be stored in chemical bonds as renewable natural gas. When renewable electricity supply exceeds demand, electric-utility…
SHASTA Lays Foundations for Hydrogen Energy Storage
Abundant and non-polluting, hydrogen gas could help meet growing domestic energy demand while spurring a low-carbon economy and reinforcing energy reliability, diversification, and independence.
LLNL, CSU Bakersfield and Livermore Lab Foundation sign MOU to advance clean energy
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), California State University, Bakersfield (CSUB) and the Livermore Lab Foundation (LLF) have signed an agreement to collaborate on advanced and clean-energy technologies, research opportunities and community partnerships that have the potential to shape the future of energy in the state and bring high-quality jobs to the region…
New chemistry leads to more robust carbon capture materials
In a significant stride toward implementing scalable climate solutions, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) scientists have uncovered how some carbon capture materials have improved lifetime compared to others. These materials are key in addressing greenhouse gas emissions and global warming concerns. Researchers have shed light on the mechanism that empowers…
Machine learning reveals refreshing understanding of confined water
A new study provides surprising behavior of hydrogen bonding of water confined in carbon nanotubes. Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) scientists combined large-scale molecular dynamics simulations with machine learning interatomic potentials derived from first-principles calculations to examine the hydrogen bonding of water confined in carbon nanotubes (CNTs)…
Fueling up hydrogen production
Through machine learning, a Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) scientist has a better grasp of understanding materials used to produce hydrogen fuel. Water is everywhere in the environment and its interaction with metal oxide surfaces has a key role in processes that range from wetting, dissolution and corrosion to photocatalytic reactions. The relative…
Demonstrating energy-efficient conversion of nitrate pollutants into ammonia
The nitrate runoff problem, a source of carcinogens and a cause of suffocating algal blooms in U.S. waterways, may not be a harbinger of doom. A new study led by the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and researchers from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) demonstrates an approach for the integrated capture and conversion of nitrate-contaminated waters into…
