TS-073289 — Understanding how cells respond to soluble signals under diffusion-limited conditions remains a significant gap in current in vitro models. Most microfluidic systems rely on convective flow, which does not accurately reflect transport in interstitial tissue or solid tumors, where diffusion dominat…

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-073254 — Industries operating safety‑critical and asset‑intensive systems struggle to leverage the full value of disparate maintenance data sources. Current maintenance management and optimization tools operate in silos, limiting real‑time decision‑making, automation, and scalability. No existing s…

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-073146 — As industrial systems become increasingly digital and interconnected, traditional risk assessment tools struggle to capture how cyber threats interact with physical processes in real time. Existing methods typically assess hardware failures or isolated cyber events, but they cannot model how attac…

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-073070 — Manufacturers need a flexible way to improve the quality of local material regions without heavy, fixed tooling or shallow, low‑energy peening. Today’s options often deliver limited depth of improvement, struggle on complex shapes, and can overload robots or require rework. A practical solutio…

TS-073051 — Surgeons routinely hand‑bend standard titanium or stainless‑steel fixation plates to conform to patient anatomy, a manual process that is time‑consuming, inconsistent, and prone to gaps, reversed bends, and unfavorable residual stress. Each of these factors can compromise fixation and outcom…

TS-073031 — Operators of large, complex facilities struggle to balance revenue, maintenance, and regulatory safety constraints under uncertainty. Existing tools typically optimize only a subset of factors without a unified, real‑time view of component health and future degradation. Advanced reactors and oth…

TS-072984 — Complex systems are entering the market faster while safety verification grows harder, especially when detailed designs or operational data don’t yet exist. Traditional tools (FMEA, FTA, PRA) either require finalized designs, focus on forward propagation, or struggle with partial failures and fu…

TS-072941 — Current additive manufacturing (AM) methods for high-performance alloys, such as Inconel 718, face significant challenges: poor control over microstructure, high porosity, and limited resistance to harsh environments (e.g., high temperature, hydrogen attack). These issues lead to premature failure…

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-072175 — The Need Modern industrial and energy systems are increasingly complex, making timely fault detection and discrimination critical for safety, reliability, and cost control. Existing fault diagnosis methods often struggle with transient states, require extensive historical data, or lack interpretabil…

TS-071961 — The Need Despite near-perfect external quantum efficiency in blue InGaN LEDs, devices emitting green, amber, and longer visible wavelengths remain inefficient. This is due to internal electric fields and charge separation in conventional quantum wells, which worsen with higher indium content and wid…

TS-071941 — The Need Current automotive seatbelt systems, especially standard 3-point belts, often fall short in protecting occupants during complex side impacts and in emerging autonomous vehicle seating configurations. Existing solutions like inflatable belts and safety vests can be uncomfortable and are not …

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-071805 — The Need Hydrogen production from coal-derived syngas is a promising route for cleaner energy, but current CO₂/H₂ separation technologies struggle with efficiency, selectivity, and stability at high pressures. Existing membranes often suffer from reduced CO₂ permeance and compaction under indu…

TS-071787 — The Need Current bone fixation devices are typically made from stainless steel or titanium, which are significantly stiffer than bone and often require surgical removal. Magnesium alloys offer a promising alternative due to their bone-like mechanical properties and bioresorbability. However, commerc…

TS-071748 — Pipeline and recirculating water systems lose significant energy to turbulent friction. Today’s polymer DRAs are effective in hydrocarbons but irreversibly shear‑degrade, need continual re‑injection, and cannot be “turned off” in heat exchangers. Earlier aqueous surfactant DRAs reduced p…

TS-071745 — The Need Current two-way shape memory polymers (SMPs) require expensive, crystalline or liquid crystalline monomers and complex synthesis, limiting their use in cost-sensitive and biocompatible applications. Widely used amorphous polymers (e.g., polystyrene, PMMA) are inexpensive and common in con…

TS-071267 — The Need Modeling solvent effects on catalytic surfaces is critical for designing industrial processes like biomass conversion, fuel synthesis, and electrocatalysis. Traditional multiscale simulations combining density functional theory (DFT) and molecular dynamics (MD) offer accuracy but are comp…

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-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-070382 — The Need Current methods for joining metal components in space environments are often complex, energy-intensive, and can compromise the integrity of the materials due to heat-affected zones. There is a need for a reliable, low-power, and safe solution that can create strong metal bonds without causi…

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-070030 — The Need Current photocatalytic technologies often require UV light for activation, limiting their efficiency and applicability under natural sunlight. Additionally, the short lifespan of photogenerated electrons and holes in TiO₂ nanoparticles hinders effective utilization. There is a need for a…

TS-069805 — The Need Welding or bonding steel to aluminum is challenging due to the formation of brittle Fe-Al intermetallic compounds, which weaken the joints. Current methods require alternative, costly joining processes. There is a critical need for a solution that allows the use of traditional welding tech…

TS-069650 — The Need The urgent need to mitigate climate change has driven the demand for efficient carbon capture technologies. Current methods often fall short in achieving high capture rates and purity levels, especially for industrial applications. This technology addresses the critical need for a scalable…

TS-069524 — The Need Global water scarcity is a critical issue, with many regions lacking access to clean and reliable water sources. Traditional water harvesting methods are often energy-intensive and inefficient. There is a pressing need for innovative, sustainable, and energy-efficient technologies to extra…

TS-069522 — The Need The biofuel and biochemical industries face challenges in efficiently converting fermentation byproducts, such as butyrate, into higher-value products like butanol. Traditional methods often result in the accumulation of waste products, limiting overall process efficiency and economic viab…

TS-068795 — The Need Renewable energy resources have gained global interest due to environmental issues, climate change, oil price and supply volatility, and decreasing nonrenewable fossil fuel sources. Butanol is a biofuel alternative that can provide a higher heating value, lower volatility, polarity, cor…