TS-073403 — The rapid growth of electric vehicles and energy storage systems is driving an unprecedented volume of end‑of‑life lithium‑ion batteries, creating both environmental and supply‑chain challenges. Conventional recycling routes focus on metal recovery through energy‑intensive processes and …

TS-073264 — Low‑oxygen, toxic environments created by fires or explosions in mines, tunnels, and enclosed spaces remain a leading cause of fatalities for trapped occupants and rescuers. Current self‑contained breathing and escape devices are constrained by limited oxygen supply, bulk, weight, heat generat…

TS-073219 — Global demand for low‑carbon hydrogen is rising, yet current methods carry efficiency penalties, complex gas clean‑up, and cost and footprint burdens. These drawbacks are amplified when upgrading dilute or variable‑quality feedstocks such as biogas and waste‑derived fuels. Industry needs a…

TS-073184 — Direct air capture (DAC) technologies are essential for meeting global carbon‑reduction goals, yet most current systems remain limited by high energy demand, high cost, and materials with insufficient stability. Traditional solid‑sorbent DAC approaches require significant thermal input for reg…

TS-073138 — Designing online monitoring (OLM) for safety‑critical systems is constrained by scarce early‑stage operational data and by quantitative models that are slow to build, brittle across configurations, and costly to iterate. This creates expensive sensor networks with blind spots, poor diagnosabil…

TS-072927 — Current concrete structures, such as bridges, pavements, and buildings, lack integrated solutions for efficient temperature control. Existing heating or cooling systems are typically installed on or near the surface, risking damage and failing to provide uniform thermal management. There is a need…

TS-072842 — The energy density and safety of lithium-metal solid-state batteries (LIMSSBs) are limited by the stability of the interface between the lithium-metal anode and the solid-state electrolyte. Traditional approaches using static interlayers or coatings often fail to maintain continuous contact during…

TS-072615 — The Need Efficient carbon dioxide (CO₂) utilization and separation remain critical challenges in energy, chemical, and environmental sectors. Existing processes for CO₂ conversion to carbon monoxide (CO) and for separating CO₂/CO mixtures are energy-intensive, costly, and often lack selectivit…

TS-072583 — The Need The ammonia industry is a major contributor to global CO₂ emissions, primarily due to its reliance on fossil fuels for hydrogen production and the energy-intensive air separation process for nitrogen. With over 500 million tons of CO₂ emitted annually from ammonia synthesis, there is a …

TS-072582 — The Need Current hydrogen production methods, such as steam methane reforming, are energy-intensive and emit significant CO₂, posing challenges for industries seeking low-carbon solutions. There is a critical need for scalable, efficient processes that enable continuous hydrogen generation while a…

TS-072580 — The Need Rising atmospheric CO₂ levels from fossil fuel combustion pose urgent climate and regulatory challenges. Existing carbon capture and sequestration technologies are often costly, energy-intensive, or limited in scalability. There is a critical need for economically viable solutions that no…

TS-072579 — The Need Industrial processes that utilize syngas (hydrogen and carbon monoxide) often generate tail gas streams rich in CO₂ and other byproducts. Conventional carbon capture methods, such as acid gas removal units, are highly energy-intensive and reduce overall plant efficiency. There is a critic…

TS-072577 — The Need The transition to sustainable energy is hindered by the limitations of current hydrogen production methods, which rely heavily on fossil fuels and struggle with efficient, low-emission processing of solid fuels like biomass and coal. Existing chemical looping systems face challenges such as…

TS-072576 — The Need Drinking water utilities face mounting challenges in managing alum sludge, a byproduct of water treatment, as landfill options dwindle and disposal costs rise. Simultaneously, utilities must address increasingly stringent regulations for organic contaminants such as disinfection byproducts …

TS-072330 — The Need Current solid-state batteries (SSBs) offer high energy density and improved safety but require high stack pressures for stable operation, limiting their practicality in electric vehicles and consumer electronics. Silicon anodes, while promising for their high capacity, suffer from rapid deg…

TS-072328 — The Need Current firefighting methods often rely on water, toxic foams, or pre-installed systems, which can strain resources, pose environmental hazards, and limit portability. There is a growing demand for safer, non-toxic, and portable fire suppression solutions that can be rapidly deployed in div…

TS-071809 — The Need Syngas is an essential intermediate for producing high-value chemicals such as gasoline, methanol, and dimethyl ether. Current industrial methods (steam reforming, autothermal reforming, and partial oxidation) are energy-intensive, costly, and environmentally burdensome. Moreover, these met…

TS-071808 — The Need Industrial syngas and hydrogen production processes are highly energy-intensive and contribute significantly to carbon emissions due to reliance on fossil fuel combustion. Existing methods require multiple unit operations, resulting in low efficiency and high operational costs. There is a c…

TS-071806 — The Need Current syngas production from methane relies on energy-intensive air separation units (ASUs) to supply molecular oxygen, driving up capital and operating costs. Conventional catalysts also suffer from carbon deposition at low oxidant concentrations, limiting process flexibility and efficie…

TS-071746 — The Need Oil spills continue to pose significant threats to aquatic environments, public health, and economies worldwide. Existing sorbent technologies struggle to efficiently capture thin oil sheens and often lack buoyancy, limiting their effectiveness in real-world conditions. There is a critica…

TS-071606 — The Need There is a critical need for compact, long-lasting, and maintenance-free power sources for applications where conventional energy harvesting is impractical or impossible. These include deep space missions, implantable medical devices, and remote or harsh environments where solar or thermoel…

TS-071386 — The Need The search for sustainable, high-performance battery materials is hindered by reliance on finite metal-based resources and slow, trial-and-error development cycles. Organic electrode materials (OEMs), composed of earth-abundant elements, offer a more sustainable path but present challenges …

TS-070971 — The Need Modern gas turbines and compressors rely on bladed disks, which are highly sensitive to mistuning caused by manufacturing tolerances, wear, or damage. Existing modeling tools are fragmented, complex, and often limited to specific mistuning types. Industry will greatly benefit from a unified…

TS-070970 — Many vibration-based energy harvesting systems are limited by narrow operational frequency bands, making them inefficient for environments where excitation frequencies drift, such as in bridges, machinery, or vehicles. Current solutions often sacrifice energy density to broaden bandwidth. A more e…

TS-070635 — The Need We urgently need to be able to evaluate the effectiveness of environmental controls in buildings to reduce viral transmission and to prioritize resources. In 2021, $200 billion dollars was allocated in the US to improving ventilation in schools in response to COVID-19, but without reliable …

TS-070633 — The Need Stranded natural gas (SNG), a by-product of crude oil extraction, is often flared due to the high cost and logistical challenges of pipeline transport. Approximately 15 tons/day of SNG is flared from one oil well. This results in significant greenhouse gas emissions and wasted energy. With …

TS-070630 — The Need Fixed bed chemical looping systems offer operational simplicity and minimal attrition compared to moving bed systems, but they suffer from transient behaviors like feed breakthrough, uneven solid conversion, and coking. These issues compromise efficiency, scalability, and product consistenc…

TS-070629 — The Need Current industrial processes for hydrogen and syngas production—such as steam methane reforming and autothermal reforming—are energy-intensive, prone to catalyst coking, and economically viable only at large scales. These methods also struggle with CO₂ emissions and integratio…

TS-070308 — The Need Current lithium iron phosphate (LFP) cathode materials suffer from poor electronic conductivity and limited lithium-ion diffusion, especially under high-rate charging conditions. These limitations hinder the performance of lithium-ion batteries (LiBs) in demanding applications such as elect…

TS-070306 — The Need In many under-resourced or remote regions, access to safe drinking water is compromised by the lack of reliable electricity needed to power standard point-of-use (POU) treatment systems, such as UV disinfection units. Where clean water infrastructure is absent or unreliable, communities fac…