Electrocatalytic water splitting presents an attractive strategy for the sustainable production of green hydrogen. However, the advancement of oxide catalysts for oxygen evolution reactions encounters noteworthy challenges. The oxygen evolution reaction unfolds through a series of intermediate stages involving multiple oxygen-containing species. The efficacy of these oxygen intermediates' binding energy and their alignment with active surface sites fundamentally dictate the OER activity. This dependence extends to the micro-environments influenced by neighboring atoms, nearby defects, and even the electronic configuration of the bulk material. In the context of our research efforts dedicated to designing oxide OER catalysts, we establish a comprehensive correlation between material composition, structural attributes, and overall performance. Through our presentation, we will delve into the underlying principles that govern the design of efficient oxide OER catalysts, encompassing the profound impact of crystal structure and electronic configuration on their electrocatalytic performance.

Alphavoltaic energy conversion, in which an alpha particle flux from radioisotope sources such as Am-241 is converted into electrical power through a semiconductor junction, offers the promise of a higher power output as compared to the more established betavoltaic systems. Semiconductors coupled to alpha particle irradiation, however, are susceptible to degradation from point defect damage and consequently suffer from reduced power output and operational lifetime. The ternary AlGaN alloy system, due to its high bandgap energy, density, and melting point, is a promising semiconductor system for stable alphavoltaic energy conversion. In this work, AlGaN is explored as a materials basis through both band modeling and combined MBE and MOCVD materials growth of GaN/AlGaN heterojunctions incorporating graded and doped layers. These combined studies and designs work towards a goal of achieving a stable high-power output alphavoltaic device based on the AlGaN materials system.

High frequency, and high power, radar and communications systems rely on high power amplifiers (HPAs) to increase signal strength immediately before it reaches the antenna. The heat generated in these devices quickly outpaces the heat removal capabilities of air-cooled architectures. Therefore, a variety of novel cooling approaches are needed to meet the needs for such high-power electronics. In this talk, we consider two methods - radiative cooling and two-phase cooling - with the potential to provide additional cooling power needed to achieve such goals, and also provide specific modeling and experimental results to quantify the performance improvements associated with this strategy.

Water jet-assisted green recycling of si-solar cell module waste is demonstrated, allowing a green process for the recovery of end-of-life solar modules. This eco-friendly process ensures glass recovery without surface damage or residual traces, eliminating the need for multi-step procedures.

Fuel cell technology has been developed by different US government agencies. One of the most significant challenges for the development of fuel cell systems for a practical application is a safe hydrogen source. Hydrogen has a serious problem for real applications such as transportation and storage issues. On-site reforming hydrocarbon fuel is being considered for many demonstration hydrogen fueling stations in the world and is considered a promising option in lieu of hydrogen transportation and storage. Ethanol is a widely available and safe "alternative fuel" and the supply chain is already in place, and it is easier to work with for consumers. Developing materials that enable advanced reformed ethanol fuel cell technology will significantly impact commercial applications, accelerating product development, particularly for lightweight power devices. Use of ethanol as a fuel in fuel cell systems has the potential to lower the cost and improve safety. With the understanding, hydrogen production from reforming of ethanol is considered a promising renewable hydrogen source. The reformation reaction for conversion of ethanol to hydrogen as a fuel for fuel cell systems will be pr

Decaying alpha particles exposing scintillating materials attached to photovoltaic (PV) energy converters constitute a long-lived, compact α-photovoltaic (APV) power source. A literature review of scintillating materials subsequently ranked by AMU, melting point, and defect creation were tabulated. Numerical modelling and experimental evaluations were performed measuring the parameters of luminosity and luminous degradation. The electrical power output measured from PV collecting the luminescent photons was compared to the input kinetic energy of the 𝛼-source to calculate the net system power efficiency. CsI scintillators affixed to InGaP PV produced the highest α-induced luminosity (2200 ph/MeV) and largest ion fluence (10^16) before net system power degraded to 10% of beginning of life (BOL).

The purpose of this research is to determine the best scintillating materials of Alpha-Photovoltaic (APV) devices. The luminescence of a scintillating material plays a crucial role in the power output of APV devices, as a higher number of photons per incident alpha particle results in greater power generation. Consequently, we conducted tests on several scintillating materials to determine their alpha-induced luminosity and identify which scintillating material produced the highest luminance.