NOTICE: Due to a lapse in annual appropriations, most of this website is not being updated. Learn more.
Form submissions will still be accepted but will not receive responses at this time. Sections of this site for programs using non-appropriated funds (such as NVLAP) or those that are excepted from the shutdown (such as CHIPS and NVD) will continue to be updated.
An official website of the United States government
Here’s how you know
Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock (
) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.
Edwin J. Heilweil, Jin Zuanming, Dominik Gehrig, Clare Dyer-Smith, Frederic Laquai, Mischa Bonn, Dmitry Turchinovich
Ultrafast photo-induced carrier dynamics in prototypical low band-gap polymer:fullerene photovoltaic blend films PTB7:PC70BM and P3HT:PC70BM is investigated using ultrafast terahertz (THz) spectroscopy. The sub-picosecond (ps) and few-ps decays of THz
Lee J. Richter, Dean M. DeLongchamp, Kang W. Chou, Aram Amassian, A Hexemer, Eric Schaible, Felicia A. Bokel, Sebastian Engmann
The most successful active film morphology in organic photovoltaics is the bulk heterojunction (BHJ). The performance of a BHJ arises from a complex interplay of the spatial organization of the segregated donor and acceptor phases and the local order
Benjamin G. Harvey, Heather A. Meylemans, Raina V. Gough, Roxanne L. Quintana, Michael Garrison, Thomas J. Bruno
Biosynthetic valencene, premnaspirodiene, and natural caryophyllene were hydrogenated and evaluated as high performance fuels. The parent sesquiterpenes were then isomerized to complex mixtures of hydrocarbons with the heterogeneous acid catalyst Nafion
Much of the gasoline sold in the U.S. is blended with ethanol. Some components associated with underground storage tanks (UST) dispensing these blended fuels (namely the sumps containing submersible pumps) are experiencing rapid degradation due to
Heavier kerosene based liquid fuels for aircraft and rockets are required to meet stringent performance specifications. Nevertheless, the escalating cost, unpredictable supply, and environmental impacts of traditional petroleum based fuels used for that
Andrew Herzing, Steven A. Hawks, Jordan C. Aguirre, Laura T. Schelhas, Robert Thompson, Rachel Huber, Amy Ferreira, Guangye Zhang, Robert A. Street, Sarah Tolbert, Benjamin Schwartz
Efficient bulk heterojunction (BHJ) solar cells based on polymer:fullerene photoactive layers can be created either by traditional blend casting (BC), where the components are mixed together in solution before being cast, or by solution-sequential
Heayoung Yoon, Christopher C. Bohn, Youngmin Lee, Seung H. Ko, Jonathan S. Steckel, Seth Coe-Sullivan, Nikolai B. Zhitenev
A thin film of quantum dots (QD) was used to visualize the local photo-response of polycrystalline CdTe solar cells by down-converting an electron beam of high energy to photons of visible light. The efficient photon generation in the QD film is compared
Adding Si2H6 or Si3H8 additives to SiH4/H2 discharges increases the growth rates for thin films of microcrystalline and amorphous silicon, but the reasons for this increase are not well understood. To better distinguish the chemical and physical from
We describe the design, operation, and application of a programmable super-continuum solar simulator which incorporates a liquid crystal spatial light modulator to precisely control the spectral content within a prism-based spectrometer. Closed-loop
James I. Basham, Thomas N. Jackson, David J. Gundlach
We employ impedance spectroscopy as a method to predict the current-voltage curve in organic photovoltaics. This technique allows the quantification of the recombination rate, series resistance, carrier density and lifetime very close to normal operating
Andrew J. Allen, Jan Ilavsky, Pete R. Jemian, Artur Braun
Electrochemical interfaces are key to the direct conversion of fuels to electrical energy and lend energy converters like solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC) their functionality. Over extended operation at high temperatures, the microstructure of the underlying
Deanne W. Sammond, John M. Yarbrough, Elisabeth Mansfield, Yannick J. Bomble, Sarah Hobdey, Stephen R. Decker, Larry Taylor, Michael G. Resch, Michael E. Himmel, Todd B. Vinzant, Michael F. Crowley
The loss of digestive activity of cellulase cocktails on biomass is a major challenge, commonly attributed to the binding of certain enzymes to lignin. While the binding mechanism remains unclear, hydrophobic interactions between enzymes and lignin are
C W. Teplin, Sachit Grover, Adrian Chitu, Alexander Limanov, Monical Chalal, James Im, Daniel Amkreutz, Stefan Gall, Heayoung Yoon, Vincenzo Lasalvia, H M. Branz, Paul Stradins, Kim M. Jones, Andrew G. Norman, David L. Young, Benjamin Lee
We fabricate thin epitaxial c-Si solar cells on display glass and fused silica substrates overcoated with a Si seed layer. We achieve an open circuit voltage (VOC) of 586 mV and 6.5% efficiency using a 2 µm thick absorber on a (100) monocrystalline layer
Pyrolysis is an effective method of converting agricultural byproducts to a tarry complex fluid suitable for use as a liquid fuel. While superficially similar in appearance to crude petroleum, pyrolysis oil contains significantly more oxygenated and
NIST developed a prototype field test standard (FTS) that incorporates three test methods that could be used by state weights and measures inspectors to periodically test retail hydrogen dispensers, much as gasoline dispensers are tested today. The three
Peter Y. Hsieh, Jason A. Widegren, Tara Fortin, Thomas J. Bruno
Second-generation renewable fuels are synthesized through biochemical and thermochemical processes from non-food biomass feedstock. The resultant fuels are similar to aliphatic synthetic fuels produced through the Fischer-Tropsch process, which contain
Peter Y. Hsieh, Jason A. Widegren, Tara Fortin, Thomas J. Bruno
The rising cost of petroleum is driving the development of alternative hydrocarbon fuels for transportation. Hydrotreated renewable fuels and Fischer-Tropsch synthetic fuels are promising alternatives to conventional petroleum, and are chemically similar
Peter Ciesielski, Michael Resch, Barron Hewetson, Jason Killgore, Alexandra Curtin, Nick Anderson, Ann Chiaramonti Debay, Donna C. Hurley, Aric Sanders, Michael Himmel, Clint Chapple, Nathan Mosier, Bryon Donohoe
Advances in genetic manipulation of the biopolymers that compose plant cell walls will facilitate more efficient production of biofuels and chemicals from biomass and lead to specialized biomaterials with tailored properties. Here we investigate several
Christopher L. Soles, Vladimir P. Oleshko, Jenny J. Kim, Adam Simmonds, Jared Griebel, Jeff Pyun, Jungjin Park, Woo Jin Chung, Woo Tae Kim, Richard Glass, Yung-Eun Sun, Kookheon Char
Sulfur-rich copolymers were synthesized via inverse vulcanization to create electroactive cathode materials for lithium-sulfur battery applications. These materials exhibit enhanced capacity retention (1005 mAh/g at 100 cycles) and extended battery
Compressed-liquid densities of three alternative turbine fuels have been measured. The measurements were made from 270 K to 470 K, and 0.5 MPa to 50 MPa. The data have been correlated with a Tait equation, and parameters are given for each fuel. Results of
Ryan C. Nieuwendaal, Chad R. Snyder, Dean M. DeLongchamp
We report on details of molecular packing in high molar mass poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) by solid-state 13C {1H} cross-polarization magic angle spinning (CPMAS) NMR measurements. The degree of polymer order was estimated for two films of varied drying
Behrang H. Hamadani, John F. Roller, Brian P. Dougherty, Howard W. Yoon
We present a measurement system for absolute differential spectral responsivity of solar cells based on high-powered LED arrays coupled to an optical light guide capable of large area illumination. Two different measurement techniques were developed and
Marina S. Leite, Maxim Abashin, Henri J. Lezec, Anthony G. Gianfrancesco, Albert A. Talin, Nikolai B. Zhitenev
To boost the efficiency of thin film polycrystalline solar cells that are microscopically inhomogeneous, it is imperative to understand how the grain cores (GCs) and grain boundaries (GBs) within these materials affect its overall electronic properties. By
Andrew J. Slifka, Elizabeth S. Drexler, Nicholas Nanninga, Yaakov Levy, Joseph D. McColskey, Robert L. Amaro
Fatigue crack growth tests were conducted on two pipeline steel alloys, API 5L X52 and X100. Baseline tests were conducted in air, and those results were compared with tests conducted in pressurized hydrogen gas. All tests were run at (load ratio) R = 0.5