advanced materials for our energy future

8/3/2019 Advanced Materials for Our Energy Future

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Advanced Materials for Our Energy Future


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Since ancient times, advances in the development o materials

and energy have dened and limited human social, technological

and political aspirations. The modern era, with instant global

communication and the rising expectations o developing

nations, poses energy challenges greater than ever seen beore.

Access to energy is critical to the wealth, liestyle and sel-image

o every country.

The global use o electricity captures the triumph and the

challenge o energy. In the 130 years since Edison, Tesla and

Westinghouse installed the irst primitive electricity grids,

electrical technology has undergone many revolutions. From

its initial use exclusively or lighting, electricity now symbolizes

modern lie, powering lights, communication, entertainment,

trains, rerigeration and industry. In the past century, 75% o theworld has gained access to this most versatile energy carrier.

Such changes in our lives do not come rom incremental

improvements, but rom groundbreaking research and

development on materials that open new horizons. Tremendous

opportunities currently exist or transitioning rom carbon-based

energy sources such as gasoline or engines to electric motors

or transportation, as well as rom coal-red electric power

generation to renewable, clean solar, nuclear and wind energy

sources or electricity, and thereby dramatically increasing

the capacity and reliability o urban grids in high density and

recovering areas such as New York and New Orleans. These

advances will require a new generation o advanced materials,

including

Batterymaterialsformassiveelectrica lenergystorage

High-efciencyandlowcostsolarcells

Corrosion-resistantalloysfor high-temperaturepower

conversion

Strong,lightweightcompositesforturbineblades

Superconductingpowerdistributioncables

Advancedpowerhandlingelectronics,andmore

Modern transportation, by air, land and sea, is a lso an essential

part o our lives. Revolutionary advancements in materials,

Introductionincluding lightweight aerospace alloys, high-temperature engine

materials and advanced composites, have been a critical part

o improving the capability, saety and energy eciency o our

transportation vehicles. As we look to transportation options

that urther improve energy eciency and saety and move

us beyond the current ossil uel paradigm, oreront materials

research is needed or

Improvingcombustionefciencies

Batteriesforelectricandhybridvehicles

Fuelcells

Hydrogenstorage

Newtirecompoundsandmanufacturingprocesses

Biofuelproduction,andmore

Despite these technological triumphs, a large part o the world

lives without adequate energy. 1.5 billion people have no access

to electricity, and the electricity grid is woeully inadequate in

many other areas o the world. The same dichotomy applies

to all orms o energyit is remarkably successul where it is

developed, and desperately needed where it is not. Furthermore,

the current reliance on ossil uels puts substantial strain on the

worlds resources, with signicant implications to the economic

and national security o many nations, and lea ds to greenhouse

gas emissions that threaten climate change.

There is no silver bullet to solve the daunting energy

requirements o the developed and developing worldtwice

the energy use in the next hal-centurywhile simultaneously

addressing environmental impacts. We must use and innovate

across the ull spectrum o the energy options available to us.

Advancing our science and technology, rom undamental

breakthroughs in materials and chemistry to improving

manuacturing processes, is critical to our energy uture and

to establishing new businesses t hat drive economic prosperity.

This booklet provides examples that illustrate how materials

research and development contribute to todays energy

technologies and the challenges we need to meet to uel

tomorrows energy needs.

Steel processingMicroelectronics abricationFerroelectric material


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SOLAR

More energy rom sunlight strikes the Earth in one hour (13 terawatts) than all the

energy consumed by humans in one year. Sunlight is an important carbon-neutral

energy source and continues to grow at a rapid pace.

Materials scientists and engineers can provide materials-based solutions to

eciently capture the unlimited and ree energy rom sunlight to address the worlds

energy needs. Presently, around 0.02% o the total electrical power in the U.S. is

obtained rom solar energy, although a solar energy arm (10% eciency) covering

just 1.6% o the U.S. land area would meet current U.S. domestic energy needs.

Materials science and engineering oers the potential to signicantly increase

the amount o electricity generated rom solar energy. Advantages o producing

electrical power rom sunlight include

Unlimited,freeandrenewableenergysource

Producesmaximumenergyduringthedayduringperiodsofgreatestdemand

Energypaybackislessthan3years

Poweroutputcanbetailoredtomatchrequirements

OffGridinstallationpossibleforenergyself-sufcientcommunities

Lowcarbonfootprint(lessthan35gramsCO2/kilowatt-hour)

Materialsusedcanberecycled

A variety o solar technologies can be used to eectively capture energy rom the

sun:Photovoltaics(PV),ConcentratingPhotovoltaics(CPV),ConcentratingSolar

Power(CSP)andSolarThermal.

solar energy generationAdvanced materials play a key role in

SOLAR ENERGY

Silicon PV system courtesy SunPower Corporation

I would put my money on the sun and

solar energy. What a source of power!

I hope we dont have to wait til oil and

coal run out before we tackle that.

- Thomas EdisonConcentratingsolarpowertower

courtesy Sandia National Laboratories

SOLAR

Research on advanced materials will improve solar energy efficiency

Photovoltaics (PV)

PV directly converts sunlight into electrical power. There has been signicant growth in PV over

the past decade, greater than 40% per year, and the cost o electricity rom PV continues to

decrease. The recent growth o PV has been driven by lower costs due to increased eciency,

primarily rom advances in our main types o PV materials including: crystalline silicon; thin

lmssuchascadmiumtelluride(CdTe),copper-indium-gallium-diselenide(CIGS)oramorphous

silicon (a-Si); multiunction systems with solar concentrators; and organic fexible molecular,

polymeric or nanoparticle-based cells.

Materials R&D challenges or PV technologies include the need to continue to increase solar

cell eciency by improving material properties and cell designs. This can be achieved by

Identifyingordevelopingalternatematerialsthatareabundant,nontoxic,low-cost

Developingnovelnanoscalesurfacestoreducereectionandincreasecaptureofthefullspectrum o sunlight

Extendingthelifetimeofphotovoltaicsystemsbyaddressingmaterials agingissues

Reducingmanufacturingcostsandcreatingefcient,highvolumemethodstorecyclesolar

system materials at end-o-lie

Closingthegapbetweenresearchandcommercialcellefcienciestoreducethecostof

power rom modules

Concentrating Solar Power (CSP)

CSPusesreectorstoconcentratesunlighttogeneratehightemperaturestoheatuidsthat

drivesteamturbinestoproduceutility-scaleelectricpower.ThreemainCSPtypesareparabolic

trough, dish and power tower systems. Each makes use o refective mirrors to ocus sunlight

on fuid such as oil, water, gas or molten salt. Materials research is needed to

Improveopticalmaterialsforreectorswithgreaterdurabilityandlowcost

Enhanceabsorbermaterialsandcoatingswithhighersolarabsorbanceandlowthermal

emittance

Developthermalenergystoragematerialswithimprovedheatcapacity

Improvecorrosionresistanceofmaterialsincontactwithmoltensa lts

The uture

ConvergenceofPVandnanotechnologytocaptureandconvertsolarenergymore

eciently

Inexpensiveplasticsolarcellsorpanelsthataremountedoncurvedsurfaces

UniqueformsofPVdrivenbytheimaginationofmaterialsscientists:siliconnanowires,

nanotubes, fexible plastic organic transparent cells, ultra-thin silicon waers

Home solarpower Nanowire array

Flexible solarc ell

SiliconPV module


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Materials play a critical role in wind power. Today, wind turbines use

blades made o polymer-matrix composite materials reinorced with

berglassorgraphitebers.Compactelectricalgeneratorsintheturbines

contain powerul magnets made rom rare earth materials. The rotation

o the turbine blades is used to drive an electrical generator through a

gearbox, which uses special alloys in order to accommodate a wide range

o wind speeds.

Turbine sizes continue to increase. The growth o o-shore installations

means long-time exposure to higher stresses and hostile environments

that can challenge the durability o turbine materials. The turbine

blades must have adequate stiness to prevent ailure due to defection

and buckling. They also need adequate long term atigue lie in harshconditions, including variable winds, ice loading and lightning strikes.

Currentmaterialsresearchcontinuestoaddressthesecriticalissues.

Geothermalpowerisgreenenergygeneratedbyconvertingheatstoredin

the earth to electricity via heated water pumped in and out o deep wells,

using a steam turbine or in a binary system using heat exchange fuids.

Deep wells with depths o 3-10 kilometers are dug by hard rock tools and

tted with high alloy tubing. There are several conversion methods or

geothermal power and there is massive potential or use o geothermal

energybycountriestheworldover.Geothermalpowercanprovidefully

reliable power that is always available.

CurrentgenerationEnhancedGeothermalSystems(EGS)donotrequire

naturally occurring hot water resources. Rather, high pressure cold

water is pumped down an injection well into rock. Water travels through

ractures in the rock, capturing the heat o the rock until it is orced out o

a second borehole as very hot water, which is converted into electricity.

NewmaterialstechnologiesarecrucialforthesuccessofEGS.

energy sources more practical for everyday use

WIND

&

GEOTHERMAL

Materials research makes renewable

WiNd pOWER

GEOthERmAL pOWER

Geysers Geothermal Field, CA

Layered composite blade material

Courtesy Halliburton

Advanced materials enable renewable energy capture and generation

Challenges

Smartbladematerialsthatautomaticallyadjustpitchtoaccommodatewindspeed

variations or the most ecient operation will high strength mate rials that resist corrosion

and atigue

Sensorsincludedinturbinebladestocontinuouslymonitorfatiguedamageandsignal

the need or repair

Ground-mountedgeneratorsandgeartrainsareusedwithverticalaxiswindturbines,

where the main rotor shat is vertical. Unique materials solutions or the gearing increase

eciency

Goal

Wind turbine installations need to grow by a actor o 10-20x and spread to appropriate

sites in the U.S. to generate an average o 20% o our electricity needs by 2030.

Status

WorkhasbegunontherstapplicationofanEnhancedGeothermalSystem(EGS)in

the U.S. using a production well at a commercial geothermal site. This is the countrys

rstcommercial projectto tapinto anEGS resourceandproduce substantiallevels of

electricity. This project will demonstrate the viability o geothermal power to generate

clean, renewable electricity in several areas in the U.S.

Challenges

Newhardmaterialsfordrillinghardrockfordeepgeothermalwells

Newpiping materialsthat resistthe extremehot corrosionconditions ofuids used

to transer heat in geothermal systems

WIND

&

GEOTHERMAL

Geothermal Recource in U.S. (OC) Synthetic diamond drill bit courtesy Sandia National Laboratories

Wind turbine blade manuacture courtesy TPI composites

50 100 150 200 250 300


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enduring success and continuing promise of nuclear energyMaterials advances are central to the

NUCLEAR

Nuclear energy is one o the most mature emission-ree electrical power

generation technologies with low carbon ootprint. In 2008, nuclear

energy was responsible or over 70% o the power generated in the

U.S. rom pollution-ree sources although it provided only 20% o the

nations electricity. Industry wide, U.S. nuclear power plants operate at

over 90% o their rated capacity with a saety record superior to any

majorindustrialtechnology.Currently,nuclearenergycostslessthan

2 cents/kilowatt-hour to generate, supports U.S. competitiveness and

avoids reliance on oreign petroleum.

New generations o nuclear power plants hold a key to meeting the

nations energy independence and clean energy goals and will be a

catalyst or job growth in the energy sector. These new plants willbe expected to have passive saety systems, provide more ecient

use o nuclear uel resources and produce lower volumes o nuclear

waste, and include operation at higher temperatures or radiation elds.

Advanced materials oer the promise to meet the challenges o more

demanding operating environments and solutions to eective nuclear

waste disposal. Advanced materials developed by the application o

computational modeling tools will provide more reliable perormance

at higher temperatures, in more corrosive environments, in higher

radiation elds and or longer times. Such materials developments

will spawn new classes o structural materials, advanced ceramics

and coatings or uels, and reactor components and their associated

manuacturing technologies.

NUCLEAR ENERGY

Of e 104 ower roucng nuclear reacors n e

U.S., only wo are less an 20 years ol. in 2009, as

any as 32 new reacors were uner consrucon

n e U.S. tese reresen an nvesen of $190

o 250 bllon o bul. Consrucon of ese lans

wll suly as uc as 40,000 egawas of clean

an afforable elecrcy.Nuclear uel assemblyNuclear uel pelletNuclear power plant on Hutchinson Island, FL

New materials are needed to to sustain the environmental and economic benefits of nuclear power

Nuclear power plants make substantial contributions to state and local

economies

Eachnuclearpowerplantgeneratesseveralthousandjobsduringconstructionand

over 400 high paying jobs during operation

Thetypicalnuclearpowerplantcontributesapproximatelyhalfabilliondollars

in the local economy, generates nearly $430 million in sales o goods and services

in the local community and nearly $40 million in total labor income (estimates based

upon 22 U.S. nuclear power plants)

Thetypicalnuclearplantgeneratesstateandlocaltaxrevenueofnearly$20million

each year, beneting schools, roads and other regional inrastructure; and ederal

tax payments o almost $75 million per year

Much o the success and reliability o nuclear power plants is the result

o advances in materials

Understandingoflongtermpressurevesselsteelbehavior

Corrosionresistantnickelbasealloys

Dimensionallystablezirconiumfuelcladding

Uraniumoxidefuelpellets

Materials R&D is needed to meet advanced reactor system and waste

disposal requirements

Developnewclassesofstructuralmaterialscapableofoperatingattemperatures

700F higher than that o todays light water reactors

Developadvancedcomputationalmaterialsperformancemodelingtools,key

enablers to transition new materials into advanced reactor systems

Developproliferationresistantnuclearfuelthroughadvancesinceramicsand

coatings technology

Developnewmaterialstocontainnuclearwasteforgeolo giclifetimes

NUCLEAR

Artist rendition o next generation nuclear plantNuclear uel rodsNuclear reactor cut-away courtesy Duke Energy Corporation


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efficiency of energy production from fossil fuelsAdvanced materials increase the

FOSSIL

More than two thirds o the current and projected energy generation is rom ossil

fuels.Clearlythissourceofenergyisofcriticalimportance.Advancedmaterials

have enabled several signicant improvements in energy eciency rom systems

converting ossil uels into energy. Whether the uel is converted to electricity in

a combined cycle gas turbine or a boiler/steam turbine system, both systems

produce higher eciencies when operated at higher temperatures. Signicant

eorts over the past decades have resulted in advanced materials or use in both

gas turbines and boiler/steam turbine equipment.

Coatingsappliedtohotcomponentsingasturbineshaveallowedhigheroperatingtemperatures thereby resulting in eciency improvements. The newest combined

cycle gas turbine plants have net plant eciencies o 60% or greater.

Advances in materials have also resulted in signicant improvements in the overall

efciencyofconvertingtheenergyinthefueltoelectricity.Companiesproducing

advanced materials and boiler manuacturers have worked together to develop

new materials or use in supercritical boilers. These new materials and the new

power cycles they enable have allowed eciencies o coal red power plants to

be increased to 42%.

Through the development o advanced coatings and new methods o applying the

coatings as well as new materials, signicant reductions in uel consumption with

an associated reduction in green house gas and other criteria pollutant emissions

have been realized.

FOSSiL ENERGY

Reducing the environmental impact of power generation from fossil fuels

Two signicant challenges associated with ossil energy red power plants are cost

effectivelyreducingcarbondioxide(CO2 ) and other criteria pollutants, and taking

advantage o unconventional gas reserves.

Opportunities to reduce CO2

and other pollutants in a cost eective way

Developmentof advancedmaterialsandcoatingtechniques toallow operation

o steam cycles at higher temperatures and pressures to continue to increase the

eciency o the power plant

Oxygenbasedprocessesshow signicantpromiseforyieldingthelowestcost

solution or carbon capture and sequestration. New methods to generate oxygen

with lower power requirements are required to reduce the parasitic load on the power

plant. Development o oxygen ion selective ceramic membranes has the potential to

signicantly reduce the cost o producing oxygen at large scales required or power

production

Developmentof hightemperaturemetalswith associatedweldingand forming

procedures will enable construction o advanced ulta-supercritical plants. Eciency

gains o at least 810% are anticipated, resulting in substantially reduced releases o

CO2

and other uel-related pollutants and greenhouse gases by nearly 30%

Opportunities to take advantage o unconventional gas reserves

Developmentofimprovedproppingagentsthatcansurviveextremelyhighstresses

and are corrosion resistant

Wearresistantcoatingsondrillstoallowdeeperwells

Developmentofhighstrength,corrosionresistantalloysforuseinwellcasingsand

deep well drill pipe

FOSSIL

Electric arc urnace cou rtesy CMC Steel TexasPlasma spray coatingprocess courtesy PraxairSurace Technologies

Drill pipesWeldingproces sCoated turbine blades Siemens press picture


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central to realizing gains from biofuels and hydrogenAdvanced materials and chemistry are

B

IOFUELS&

HYDROGEN

Biofuelsfromthestructuralportionofplants(cellulosicbiomass)andalgaeofferthepotential

to replace up to 30% o U .S. transportation uels, reducing the ec onomic drain o $300 billion

per year that leaves U.S. shores or the purchase o oreign oil and increasing the security o

ourenergysupply.Breakingdowncellulose,thechemicallyresistantbuildingblocksofplants,

requires aggressive chemical processes and catalysts, and materials with long lietimes to

contain and manipulate these corrosive chemistries. The cellular membranes o algae are

rich in the raw materials or production o hydrocarbon chains o gasoline and diesel uel, but

need their own special chemical routes and catalytic materials or conversion. Many o these

chemical processes and catalysts exist in nature, such as in the digestive systems o termites,

where cellulose is converted to sugars that can be urther ermented to alcohol. Advanced

materials and analytical tools are needed to understand the subtleties o these natural uel

production processes, and then to design articial analogs that directly and eciently produce

the desired end uels.

The cleanliness o hydrogen and the eciency o uel cells oer an appealing alternative to

ossil uels. Implementing hydrogen-powered uel cells on a signicant scale requires major

advances in hydrogen production, storage and use. For transportation, the overarching technical

challenge or hydrogen is how to store the amount o hydrogen required or a conventional

driving range (>300 miles) within the vehicle constraints o weight, volume, eciency, saety,

and cost. Durability over the perormance lietime o these systems must also be veried

and validated, and acceptable reueling times must be achieved. New materials or proton-

conducting membranes that operate above the boiling point o water are seriously needed.

Catalystsfortheoxygenreductionreactionthatproduceswateratthecathodepresenta

special challengeplatinum, the best perorming catalyst, is too expensive and limited in

supply to meet widespread global transportation needs.

Beyondtransportation,hydrogenfromcoalorbiomassgasicationoffershighefciency(up

to 60%) electricity production or the grid. In these stationary applications high density storage

is not an issue; instead the challenges are nding electrodes and oxygen ion-conducting

membranesforsolidoxidefuelcellsthatoperateintherange600-800C.Thechallengesfor

hydrogen and uel cells are overwhelmingly materials-centric, spanning storage in hydrogen

compounds, conduction o protons or oxygen ions in membranes, and catalysts and electrodes

or liberating or capturing electrons in chemical bonds.

BiOFUELS

hYdROGEN

Research and development efforts to meet the materials challenges in alternative fuels

Materials challenges are pervasive in implementing biouel technologies

and in developing new biouel types

Corrosionresistantmaterialsforbiofuelprocessingduetothe corrosivenatureof

alcohols

Newcatalystsforthermochemicalc onversionoflignocellulosestofuels

Materialsforcombustionprocesses

MaterialsforcapturingCO2

or using as a nutrient to cultivate algae

Improvedmaterialsandchemicalprocessesforwaterltrationanddesalination

Newanalyticaltoolstocharacterizeimportantbiologicalprocesseslikelipidformation

as a unction o gene modication

Plants and algae can directly produce hydrocarbon uels like methane or octane. The

metabolic systems o plants and algae have the complexity to produce these uels, but

have never experienced the selective pressure that would encourage their development.

Nanoscale modication o genes and protein assemblies to enable plants and algae todirectly produce hydrocarbon uels is a new rontier o materials research.

Further research is needed to improve the efciency, reueling times,

reliability and lietime behavior o materials to enable commercialization

o advanced hydrogen powered uel-cell systems

New low-cost hydrogen compatible materials allow or commercialization o clean energy

technologies or transportation, stationary power, portable power and inrastructure. As

hydrogen is deployed in each o these technology areas, an increasing demand exists or

sae, reliable and low cost hydrogen component materials. Further research is needed

to develop

Low-costmaterialsresistanttohydrogen-assistedcrackingandem brittlement

Reversiblemetalhydridestoimprovetheenergystoragecapacityofconventional

hydrogen storage systems by a actor o two. Their energy storage capacity is up to

ten times higher than that o lithium ion batteries

B

IOFUELS&

HYDROGEN

Microalgae orbiod ieselBiomass gasication plantAdvanced microscope orcharacteri zationo biological processes courtesy Sandia National LaboratoriesSolidox ide uel cell microstructure Nature Materials (2006)

Hydrogen storage system prototype courtesy General Motors Company andSan dia National Laboratories

Fuel cell membrane


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TRANSPORTATION

Advances in materials science have been key enablers o our modern liestyle,

including personal transportation (e.g. automobiles), and mass transportation

o people and products (by air, truck, rail, ship). For example, advanced rubber

composites have dramatically extended the lie o tires, and application o new steels

has led to exhaust systems that commonly endure or the lie o the vehicle. Similarly,

the development o corrosion resistant coatings has now enabled long lietimes o

the body structure and improved cosmetic appearance. The challenges o the next

generation will be somewhat dierent, but these challenges will be overcome through

developments and application o new or improved materials.

The worlds growing dependence on scarce oil resources in combination with

concerns related to climate change and greenhouse gas emissions demand the

development and deployment o vehicles with reduced petroleum consumption.At the same time, consumer requirements demand that the solutions be obtained

at low cost, and preerably without any loss o perormance, passenger saety or

convenience. The uture needs will be met through a combination o increased

uel eciency, use o alternate uels or energy sources, and lightweighting (or

perhaps downsizing). Advanced materials research and development will play an

important enabling role in all o these areas, and will contribute substantially to the

technological needs o uture vehicles.

personal transportationMaterials are key enablers of modern

ENERGY EFFiCiENt tRANSpORtAtiON

First fight o Boeing787Advanced et engine courtesy General Electric Company

TRANSPORTATION

Advancing the development and deployment of vehicles with reduced petroleum consumption

Materials challenges and opportunities

Continuedreductionsinvehiclemasscanbeachievedthrough

AdvancedHighStrengthSheetSteels(AHSS)developedtoenablelow-

cost crash-resistant vehicle structures to be manuactured with reduced

sheet thickness and vehicle weight

Lightmetaldevelopmentsandapplicationofnewaluminum,magnesium,

titanium alloys, etc.

Carbonbercompositesmayalsoplayanincreasingrole,especially

where the weight savings can justiy the much greater cost

Largertechnologyleapswillbeassociatedwith

Electricationandalternatefuelssuchashydrogen

Newmaterialsdevelopmentstoenhanceenergystorage(advanced

batteries) and conversion

Advancedmagneticmaterialsandelectricmotors

Membranesandcatalystsforfuelcells

Structuralmaterialsforhighpower-densitydrivetrains

Newmaterialformulationsandmanufacturingprocessestoimprovetire

perormance and uel eciency

Crasht est courtesy Insurance Institute orHighway Saety

Fuel cell poweredvehicle

courtesy General Motors Company

PassengertrainTire cut-away courtesy Goodyear Tire &Rubber Company


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the energy efficiency of building systemsAdvanced materials significantly impact

BUILDINGEFFICIENCY

The building sector in developed countries accounts or 40% o primary energy

consumption, 70% o electricity use and 40% o atmospheric emissions (more

than those associated with transportation). In addition to human behavior, poor

design and inadequate use o technology contribute to this excessive use o

energy in buildings. Despite these numbers, tremendous progress has been

made in energy eciency during the last 10-20 years as a result o advances

in materials leading to new green insulation materials, low emissivity windows

and compact fuorescent lighting.

There are numerous places in a building where materials impact energy

eciency but they must work together to have maximum benet. Integratedbuilding systems, thereore, are essential to energy ecient and net-zero

buildings. These building systems utilize new materials and integrated design

approaches, but require a change in culture to bring designers, contractors,

utilities and end-users together in the process. At present, net-zero buildings

are technologically possible but are a major challenge. Achieving cost eective

net-zero building systems requires lower cost multiunctional materials, more

ecient solid state lighting materials, more corrosion resistant metals and

improved manuacturing processes.

ENERGY EFFiCiENt BUiLdiNGS

L ow e mi ss iv it y w in do w S ol id s ta te l ig ht in g C om pa ct lu or es ce nt b ul b

Materials research is fundamental to net-zero energy buildings

Materials have increased the energy efciency o todays buildings

Lowemissivityglass,signicantlyloweringtheinitialinvestmentcostsfor

heating and cooling

Compactuorescentlightingandlightemittingdiodes(LEDs),reducinglighting

costs and heat loads

Coolroofs,savingenergy

Highefciencyberglassinsulation

Areas o urther research and development

Many opportunities exist or materials advances to reduce the energy use

and atmospheric emissions attributed to the building sector. The energy and

cost perormance o walls, roos, windows, mechanical systems, and on-site

renewable electrical and thermal systems can all be improved through advances

in materials.

Phasechangematerialscapableofstoringorreleasinglargeamountsof

energy in the walls, foor and roo, thereby saving energy and smoothing the

thermal prole

Optical metamaterialsand photonic crystals potentiallyenablingoptical

engineering using structured inorganic nanomaterials to positively infuence

the solar gain and provide long term durability

Electrochromic,suspendedparticleandliquidcrystalglassesrespondingto

occupants and external conditions to actively control both light and solar gain

Potential impact

Lowemissivity(low-e)windowsaredoubleortriplepaneswitha multi-layer

coating consisting o six dierent materials in a stack o 18 invisible, microscopic

thin lms. I all existing buildings in the U.S. and those planned or the next ve

years used such low-e windows, the U.S. would save $40 billion in gas and

electriccostseachyearandreduceannualCO2

emissions by 123 million tons

(equivalent to 20 million cars on the road).

Energysavinglampsandlightemittingdiodes(LEDs)use80%lesselectricity

and last 15-50 times longer than incandescent light bulbs. These are used today

in vehicle headlights, displays and general lighting systems. Switching to energy

savinglampsandLEDshasthepotentialtoreduceannualCO2

emissions by

nearly 450 million tons worldwide.

BUILDINGEFFICIENCY

LED surgical lighting Cool rooing Decorative solid state lighting

Appliances& Lighting34%

WaterHeating13%

SpaceHeating34%

ElectricA/C11%

Refrigerator8%

U.S. residential energy use


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ELECTRICGRID

There are about 160,000 miles (257,500 kilometers) o transmission lines o 110

kilovolts and above located throughout the continental U.S. They transmit electricity,

oten over long distances, between power plants and substations. Energy resources

(ossil uels, nuclear, hydroelectric, renewable) provide regional concentrations o

power that do not necessarily match regional consumption in either time or use or

geographical distribution. Solutions include transmission o power over interstate

distances and storage at both the source and the point o use, or increased use

o distributed energy generation which alleviates transmission but still requires

storage.

Energy storage has many benets. It allows timing o delivery to match demand,

mitigates and eliminates intermittency in power generation or bottlenecks in delivery,

eliminates black-outs and brown-outs, and reduces coal and greenhouse gasproduction by replacing saety margins such as power over-generation required

rom utilities.

Electric power transmission, the bulk transer o electrical energy rom generating

plants to substations, requires using high voltage and low resistance. Transmission

lines, when interconnected, are reerred to as power grids. North America has three

major grids: The Western Interconnect, The Eastern Interconnect and the Electric

ReliabilityCouncilofTexas(ERCOT)grid.

storage and long distance transmissionMaterials play an important role in

ENERGY StORAGE ANd tRANSmiSSiON

Superconductorpowerdistributiontape courtesy Sandia National LaboratoriesandZenergy Power

Hightemp erature superconducting tape courtesy American Superconductor

Lithium ion battery power conditioning system courtesy The AES Corporation

ELECTRICGRID

Advanced materials are needed to enable integration of renewable energy sources and controls

Challengeslimitingsignicantintegrationofrenewableenergysourcesand

controls include increasing demand, reducing dependence o ossil uel and

reducingCO2emissions. Development and use o advanced materials will provide

opportunities to improve the electric grid in areas such as new grid concepts

(smart-, green- and micro-grids); control systems or protection, measurement

and communications; storage; scalability; security; and generation.

Energy storage solutions require short-term as well as long-term

high capacity storage methods and materials

Short-term

Supercapacitorscarbonnanotubeorotherelectrodematerialswithhigh

internal surace area, high polar electrolytes

Batteriesdeepdischargeandhighcyclematerials(lithium-basedbatteries,

lead acid with new electrodes, fow batteries)

Long-term

Compressedairenergystoragelargescalecaverns(salt,rock,others)

Thermalenergystorage(lowfreezingpointliquids)

Improved transmission requires high voltage and low resistance

Lowconductivitymaterialsandmaterialswithhighdielectricbreakdown

including copper and copper-aluminum alloy conductors; existing and new

superconductors; glass, air, vacuum and new insulators

CompressedAirEnergy Storage (CAES)system Alabama 110MW CAES Power Plant, Alabama Electric Cooperatives McIntosh

Electrical transmission courtesy Argonne National Laboratory and Platts, a division o the McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc

Control system

1MW Li-batteries


11/13

compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needsMeeting the needs of the present without

SUSTAINABILITY

Sustainability is a process, a new approach to development and environmental

stewardship in which scientic analysis is used to guide decision making to continually

improve protability, society and the environment. It is implemented through creation o

short term goals and development o scientic tools or ull lie cycle impact analysis

(measurements, standards, models and data).

Materials science has an immediate and direct connection to sustainability through

Efcientuseofenergy-intensivematerialsthatweuseeveryday.Recyclingaluminum,

steel, plastic and glass yield enormous energy savings

Retentionofstrategicmaterialsscarcebutcriticalmaterialsfortechnology.TheU.S.

relies on many other countries or strategic materials whose supply could be restricted

by military or political actions. Specically, the U.S. depends entirely on its imports

o chromium or stainless and tool steels, and high temperature urnaces; cobalt or

gas turbines and jet engines; rare-earth elements, notably neodymium or levitated

wind turbines; manganese or steelmaking; platinum or electronics; and lithium or

batteries

Mitigationofcorrosion,pollutionandothernegativeimpactsoftechnologyand

economic growth

SUStAiNABiLitY

Materials research can build our legacy to future generations

Sustainability is much more than environmental stewardship. Its concepts

include: renewable energy, clean energy technology, renewable eedstocks, green

manuacturing, materials management (substitution, recycling, reuse, repurpose,

lie cycle analysis), and water and air management.

The greatest challenge or materials scientists and engineers is to design,

develop and commercialize recycle-riendly materials, products and systems.

Opportunities to make signicant contributions include

Developimprovedfurnacematerialsformetalmelting,gasmanagementand

renement at higher, more ecient temperatures

Developmaterialsextractiontechnologiestoseparatestrategicmaterials

in steels, vehicles, computers, solar systems, and other mass-produced

products

Developalternativematerialsforelectronicsemiconductorthinlms,metalconnectors and contacts that are abundant, lower cost or nontoxic

Developgreenermanufacturingandenergyproductionprocesseswithmaterials

that produce less air and water pollution, that puriy water or drinking, and

capture pollution beore it reaches our atm osphere

SUSTAINABILITY

Recycling:

MetalElectronicsPaperRubber

Glass

Waterpuricati on

ENVIRONMENT

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The connection is clear between materials research and the energy technologies

that we rely on today and those we need or our uture. Materials research and

development is a global pursuit. It covers a broad set o science and engineering

disciplines and engages researchers across academia, industry and government

laboratories. Materials research seeks to understand undamental physical and

chemical properties, and then use that understanding to improve the technology

base that we count on to meet our needs or energy, national security and deense,

inormation technology and telecommunications, consumer products, health care,

and more.

Advanced materials and the manuacturing techniques to make these materials can

give our economy a competitive advantage or job growth. The demand or energy

in the U.S. continues to rise. The U.S. Energy Inormation Administration projects

the U.S. energy need will increase by twenty thousand megawatts each year or

the next twenty-ve years. The global demand or energy is increasing even more

rapidly, especially in developing countries. The global competition will be erce

to develop advanced energy technologies to meet this demand and do so in a

waythatissustainableandenvironmentallyresponsible.Beingattheforefrontof

materials research will allow the U.S. to compete aggressively in important domestic

and global energy markets, enabling us to prosper economically and address our

national energy security.

Advances in materials science impact our lives every dayrom strong, lightweight

materials at the heart o commercial and military planes, to advanced integrated

circuits that drive our computers and telecommunications, to the diverse array

ofhigh-performanceplasticsthatweseeeverywhere.Beyondenergy,materials

research has led to the powerul diagnostic instruments used or healthcare (e.g.

MRI), the improved armor saving the lives o our soldiers, and the satellites and

spacecraftthatletuscommunicate(e.g.GPS)andexplorespace.

Materials developments are oten invisible to users o technology, but they are at the

heart o so many important advances. The breakthroughs o the past took time and

patientinvestmentinthepeopleandtheinfrastructureforscienticresearch.Creating

the science and engineering needed or a prosperous and sustainable energy uture

will take the same long-term approach. This means investing in the leading-edge

research and educating the next generations o scientists and engineers needed to

secure our countrys technological leadership.

So we have a choice to make. We can

remain one of the worlds leading importers

of foreign oil, or we can make the investments

that would allow us to become the worlds

leading exporter of renewable energy. We can

let climate change continue to go unchecked,

or we can help stop it. We can let the jobs of

tomorrow be created abroad, or we can create

those jobs right here in America and lay the

foundation for lasting prosperity. President

Obama, March 19, 2009.

Materials an essential foundation for our economy and national security

The Advanced Materials or Our Energy Future project is a collaborative

initiativeoftheAmericanCeramicSociety(ACerS),theAssociationfor

Iron & Steel Technology (AIST), ASM International (ASM), the Materials

Research Society (MRS) and The Minerals, Metals & Materials Society

(TMS). Members o these organizations volunteered their time or this

activity. This booklet was prepared by the Materials Research Society

based on the committees input and is peer-reviewed and signed o

by the committee members.

For more inormation on this booklet or materials research, contact

anyofthepartnerorganizations.CopiesofAdvancedMaterialsforOur

Energy Future are available rom the Materials Research Society.

TheAmerican CeramicSociety600N. Cleveland Ave., Suite210Westerville, Ohio 43082240.646.7054 [email protected]

Association forIron & Steel Technology186Thorn Hill RoadWarrendale, PA 15086-7528

724.814.3000 [email protected]

ASMInternational9639 Kinsman RoadMaterialsPark, OH44073440.338.5151 [email protected]

MaterialsResearch Society506KeystoneDriveWarrendale, PA 15086724.779.3003 [email protected]

TheMinerals, Metals& MaterialsSociety184Thorn Hill RoadWarrendale, PA 15086-7514724.776.9000 [email protected]

CommitteeonAdvancedMaterialsforOurEnergyFuture

LeonardJ.Brillson CO-CHAIR Ohio State UniversityDuaneB.Dimos CO-CHAIR Sandia National Laboratories

HctorD.Abrua Cornell University

Iver E. Anderson Ames Laboratory (USDOE)

GeorgeW.Crabtree Argonne National Laboratory

Subodh K. Das Phinix, LLC

MartinL.Green National Institute of Standards and Technology

GregoryJ.Hildeman Solar Power Industries, Inc

NatrajC.Iyer Savannah River National Laboratory

EdgarLara-Curzio Oak Ridge National Laboratory

CarloG.Pantano Penn State UniversityMichael A. Rigdon Institute for Defense Analyses

LeeJ.Rosen Praxair, Inc

JosephH.Simmons University of Arizona

JohnG.Speer Colorado School of Mines

Sandra DeVincent Wol PROjECT DIRECTOR Materials Research Society

KasiaM.Bruniany ART DIRECTOR Materials Research Society

Advanced Materials or Our Energy Future 2010


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advanced materials for our energy future

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