http://www.rssboard.org/rss-specification 720 https://escholarship.org/uc/lbnl_et_esdr/rss Recent eScholarship items from Energy Storage & Distributed Resources Thu, 17 Sep 2026 19:28:24 +0000 https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7dx308vp This talk will present advanced characterization methods for pretest and posttest metal-supported solid oxide electrolysis cells (MS-SOEC). A unique symmetric cell architecture design, developed at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), has thin zirconia ceramic backbones and electrolyte sandwiched between porous metal supports, offers strong mechanical ruggedness, extremely fast start-up capability, and excellent tolerance to redox and dynamic operation for hydrogen production. Like conventional SOECs, MS-SOECs face component degradation that shorten lifetimes, making it critical to understand and mitigate component degradation and cell failure utilizing advanced characterization techniques. The metal support at the air side introduces chromium migration. A thin protective layer (CuMn1.8Ox) has been deposited on the metal support by electrophoretic deposition (EPD) to mitigate chromium evaporation and diffusion. Prior to EPD, the precursor particle size (5-10 μm) was reduced... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7dx308vp Wed, 16 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Hu, Boxun Ko, Jiwoo Zhu, Zhikuan Scott, Mary Tucker, Michael https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7825f8k9 Gas flow of He–Ar mixtures affects the signals of a tandem LIBS and LA-ICPMS system. The integration of LIBS and LA-ICPMS allows for simultaneous determination of a wide range of elements and isotopes. Achieving high-precision quantitative analysis in this dual-technique approach requires establishing the optimal gas environment in the sample chamber. This study evaluated the impact of gas flow on a tandem femtosecond LIBS and LA-ICPMS system. By premixing helium and argon at various ratios, we created gas mixtures with gradient properties. NIST SRM 610 was used as the standard sample to assess the signal intensity and stability of optical emission spectroscopy and mass spectrometry. Our results showed that the LIBS intensity of Li( I ) 610.35 nm, Li( I ) 670.77 nm and Ca( I ) 644.90 nm, along with their relative standard deviation, increased with the proportion of argon in the gas mixture. Conversely, the LA-ICPMS intensity and relative standard deviation of each element decreased... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7825f8k9 Wed, 16 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Gao, Zhenli Yang, Wubin Qu, Pan Yan, Shuang Liu, Chunyi Russo, Richard E https://escholarship.org/uc/item/76h4s78v Connecting 0 K density functional theory (DFT) energies to finite-temperature, finite-pressure synthesis conditions is a well-established thermodynamic formalism, yet quantified guidance on when and how to accurately calibrate these results to experimental chemical potentials in practice remains sparse. In this work, we systematically benchmark a complete workflowthe virtual furnacethat constructs effective oxygen chemical potentials (μO2) for common synthesis atmospheres (air, Ar, H2, CO) as functions of temperature and partial pressure and propagates quantified errors from formation enthalpies through reaction energies to critical chemical potentials. Applying this workflow to 11 binary oxides, we find that “gas-only” thermal corrections are sufficient at low temperatures and for Group II oxides across all temperatures, while solid-phase vibrational contributions become critical at elevated temperatures for transition metal oxides. We quantify this threshold through the ratio... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/76h4s78v Wed, 16 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Walters, Lauren N https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9710-9146 Jain, Anubhav https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5893-9967 Ceder, Gerbrand https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9275-3605 https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4zt2g07d Solid oxide electrolysis cells (SOECs) are increasingly expected to operate under non-steady conditions rather than fixed steady-state loads. To enable future large-scale deployment, it is essential to understand how different forms of dynamic operation impact cell reliability. In this work, we establish a systematic evaluation framework to examine the durability of anode-supported SOECs under four representative dynamic stress modes: steam cycling (3–75% H₂O in H₂), reversible operation cycling between SOEC and SOFC modes, thermal cycling at both OCV (150–750 °C) and under load (600–800 °C at 1.3 V), and full vs. partial redox cycling (50% H₂ ↔ 50% N₂). Results indicate that steam cycling, mode switching, and thermal cycling at OCV do notinduce noticeable accelerated degradation, while thermal cycling under load remains largely tolerable within the tested temperature window. In contrast, full redox cycling leads to structural failure, whereas partial redox cycling produces manageable... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4zt2g07d Wed, 16 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Zhu, Zhikuan Slomski, Heather S Dzara, Michael J VanWinkle, Madeline Hathaway, Oscar Nagle-Cocco, Liam AV Strange, Nicholas A Gorman, Brian Shulda, Sarah Tucker, Michael https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4vt8t1s7 fsLIBS setup and molecular emisson (CaF and CaCl) used in this study. Halogens, including fluorine (F) and chlorine (Cl), play essential roles in magmatic, hydrothermal, and ore-forming processes. Determining their geochemical behaviors is challenging due to their low abundance and volatility. Apatite containing halogens serves as an ideal recorder of Earth's and planetary processes. This study presents a quantitative method using molecular emission spectra of calcium fluoride (CaF) and calcium chloride (CaCl) to measure F and Cl concentrations in apatite through femtosecond laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (fs-LIBS). Reference materials with varying F and Cl levels were employed to optimize conditions and develop calibration curves for F (0.55–3.75 wt%) and Cl (0.45–4.26 wt%), with detection limits of 0.22 wt% and 0.38 wt%, respectively. The calibration curves achieved R 2 values of 0.995 for F and 0.992 for Cl, with RMSRE of 8% for F and 13% for Cl. Validation using natural... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4vt8t1s7 Wed, 16 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Guo, Yunpeng Yang, Wubin Yan, Shuang Gao, Zhenli Niu, Hecai Gonzalez, Jhanis J Liu, Chunyi Russo, Richard E https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9vb1t4zh High-fidelity optical propagation through the atmosphere is essential for free-space optical technologies, including laser-based remote sensing and optical communication. However, atmospheric turbulence severely distorts beams and compromises system performance. In this work, we employ hypergeometric-Gaussian (HyGG) vortex beams as probes to characterize and mitigate atmospheric turbulence. Using over 250,000 experimental and simulated frames, we show that refining the power spectrum density (PSD) can reduce numerical prediction errors by up to 79.8%. Concurrently, experimental observations supported by numerical simulations demonstrate that HyGG beams exhibit superior turbulence resilience across multiple metrics compared to conventional Gaussian beams, particularly in their ability to withstand over 5 times stronger turbulence while maintaining similar intensity fluctuations. These dual investigations, on both turbulence mitigation and robust beam solutions, converge to form... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9vb1t4zh Tue, 1 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Zhang, Boyu Kim, Changmin Li, Wenzhe Chirinos, Jose Mao, Xianglei Harrison, Richard Zorba, Vassilia https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3498-5314 https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9np5j9mv We develop a new methodology to select scenarios of DER adoption most critical for distribution grids. Anticipating risks of future voltage and line flow violations due to additional PV adopters is central for utility investment planning but continues to rely on deterministic or ad hoc scenario selection. We propose a highly efficient search framework based on multi-objective Bayesian Optimization. We treat underlying grid stress metrics as computationally expensive black-box functions, approximated via Gaussian Process surrogates and design an acquisition function based on probability of scenarios being Pareto-critical across a collection of line- and bus-based violation objectives. Our approach provides a statistical guarantee and offers an order of magnitude speed-up relative to a conservative exhaustive search. Case studies on realistic feeders with 200-400 buses demonstrate the effectiveness and accuracy of our approach. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9np5j9mv Tue, 1 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Mulkin, Olivier Heleno, Miguel https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8021-7661 Ludkovski, Mike https://escholarship.org/uc/item/8ws3n8vz Passive evaporative cooling from a damp cloth or vessel can be used for localized cooling of perishables such as food and medicine, drinking water, and even people. Such applications have two key objectives, which are normally in tension with each other: minimizing the water consumption rate and maximizing the cooling (steady-state temperature swing between the cool cloth and the warm surroundings). Here, we present a simple device that delivers higher performance in both metrics simultaneously by adding a perforated aluminum foil sheet suspended over a stagnant air layer to thermally shield the evaporating surface while also facilitating mass transfer. Experimental results demonstrate a simultaneous 10%–25% increase in temperature swing and 2–3× reduction in water consumption rate as compared to conventional evaporative cooling. This improvement is achieved through careful modeling to optimize the coupled heat and mass transfer through the airgap (thermally insulating and vapor... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/8ws3n8vz Tue, 1 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Chen, Sarah Mizuno Kaur, Sumanjeet Dames, Christopher Eric https://escholarship.org/uc/item/81r5w82h Drawing on existing market designs with independent resource participation in electricity markets, this study analyzes participation models for hybrid resources combining renewable generation and storage. Two models are considered: in the first, the components operate independently, with the Independent System Operator (ISO) managing the storage state of charge (SoC); in the second, the hybrid resource acts as an integrated unit, submitting offers as a “black box” and managing its SoC internally. Using a production cost model for the zonal New York Bulk Power System, we evaluate trade-offs in system reliability, market efficiency, and asset profitability. Our results provide several key insights for policymakers, showing that the ISO-managed granular model enhances social welfare through explicit SoC management, while the simpler integrated model is more computationally efficient, but may cause more real-time violations and lower overall profits. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/81r5w82h Tue, 1 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Bansal, Rajni Kant Singhal, Nikita Kemp, Julie Mulvaney Ela, Erik Heleno, Miguel https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8021-7661 https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5q3675bs Recent advances in bandgap engineering of low-dimensional semiconductors have enabled high-efficiency carrier transport in miniaturized electronic and optoelectronic devices. The physical properties and functionalities of these materials are governed by complex carrier dynamics coupled with multiple transport mechanisms in tailored band structures. Here, we report ultrafast nanoimaging of carrier funneling and recombination in composition-grade CdS_<i>x</i>Se_1-<i>x</i> nanowires using pump-probe near-field nanoscopy. Leveraging the high resolution of this technique in both space and time, we resolve nanoscale local carrier dynamics along composition-graded nanowires, revealing the local variation of composition-dependent carrier mobilities and lifetimes that significantly differ from their uniform composition counterparts. Furthermore, we demonstrate a length-dependent behavior wherein shorter nanowires exhibit enhanced funneling effects, accelerating carrier... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5q3675bs Tue, 1 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Yang, Rundi Shen, Xia Li, Runxuan Xu, Zitong Guo, Pengfei Wu, Junqiao https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1498-0148 Li, Jingang Grigoropoulos, Costas P https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8505-4037 https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5d40m64s Inverter-based distributed energy resources (DERs) connected to distribution networks (DNs) can provide fast frequency support, but their reserve deliverability depends on feeder constraints and differs from synchronous primary frequency response (PFR). Existing transmission–distribution coordination studies usually treat reserve generically or neglect feeder-level feasibility, while frequency-security scheduling studies rarely represent distribution feeders explicitly. This paper develops a bi-level day-ahead scheduling framework for integrated transmission–distribution networks that jointly clears energy, transmission-side PFR, and distribution-side fast frequency response (FFR) under exogenous hourly inertia and largest-loss inputs from an external unit commitment (UC) schedule. The transmission problem is modeled with DC-optimal power flow (OPF) and closed-form second-order cone (SOC) frequency-security constraints, whereas each DN is represented by a reserve-aware branch-flow... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5d40m64s Tue, 1 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Noh, Seung-Gil Heleno, Miguel https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8021-7661 Choi, Woo Yeong Kim, Yun-Su https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4d3710ck This paper proposes an endogenous interface pricing model for day-ahead transmission–distribution co-optimization that co-determines the interface locational marginal price (LMP) and the transmission–distribution exchange, ensuring price–dispatch consistency while optimally scheduling discrete distribution controls. The formulation couples a DC optimal power flow (OPF) with a branch-flow AC OPF that schedules distributed energy resources (DERs), tap-changer settings, capacitor banks (CBs), and multi-period energy storage systems (ESSs) under feeder voltage and current limits, and is solved as a mixed-integer second-order cone program (MISOCP). In a T14–D33 system, coordinated device scheduling recovers about 90% of the distribution-to-transmission export achievable in a reference case that ignores distribution network (DN) limits, while satisfying a 1.05 p.u. voltage upper bound. In a T39–D34/D37/D123 system, a sequential decoupled benchmark produces interface LMP distortions... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4d3710ck Tue, 1 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Noh, Seung-Gil Heleno, Miguel https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8021-7661 Kim, Yun-Su https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3sw1572t Frequent extreme weather events have called for rigorous and timely efforts for alternative non-wire solutions. These efforts are getting more widespread to offer a perfect alternative as the conventional grid becomes progressively less resilient. One of these solutions is microgrids that can disconnect from the grid and offer grid resilience during an outage. While this technology is still finding its footing in the industry, states across the US are employing policy patterns and forms of instruments to support its deployment. This study includes a systemic review of the US by conducting a binary analysis of all 50 states (including Washington D.C, excluding other US territories) using seven variables. The results show four major policy approaches to microgrids: i) supporting microgrids through a definitive legislative activity leading to further policy action; ii) direct efforts from the public utilities commissions without a concrete legislative push; iii) initiatives from... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3sw1572t Tue, 1 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Furqan, Maham Heleno, Miguel https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8021-7661 https://escholarship.org/uc/item/2ft333n3 Ultrashort burst laser pulses are important for applications in laser processing and spectroscopy. However, existing burst generators face limitations in pulse time interval tunability and coaxiality. Here, we present a burst pulse generator that delivers coaxial ultrashort pulses with tunable pulse time intervals using a single translation stage. The constructed system produced eight femtosecond pulses with uniform intervals tunable from 100 fs to 1.93 ns, equivalent to burst-internal repetition rates spanning 10 THz to 0.52 GHz. We further demonstrated interval-dependent plasma emission in air filamentation, providing a compact platform to study burst-laser-induced phenomena. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/2ft333n3 Tue, 1 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Shimada, Keitaro Korakis, Vasileios Chirinos, Jose Mao, Xianglei Zorba, Vassilia https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3498-5314 https://escholarship.org/uc/item/20g4c7c4 The frequency response of pyroelectric sensors is fundamentally governed by thermal time constant (τ_th, determined by thermal mass and thermal conductance) and electrical impedance arising from film capacitance and readout circuit. Conventional bulk LiTaO₃ detectors are optimized for high responsivity at low modulation frequencies (0.1-10&nbsp;Hz), possessing a large τ_th that thermally averages rapid temperature oscillations at elevated modulation frequencies, limiting fidelity in resolving dynamic varying thermal signals. Here, compositional and strain gradients are introduced into 100-nm-thick relaxor-ferroelectric films reducing τ_th to ≈2 µs and producing built-in potentials (≈1.45&nbsp;V or 145&nbsp;kV cm^-1) that enhance the pyroelectric coefficient and suppress the dielectric constant. This enables complementary dual-mode operation by enhancing current-mode electrical responsivity and improving the voltage-mode figure... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/20g4c7c4 Tue, 1 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Lin, Ching‐Che Park, Tae Joon Bhat, Ashwath Kim, Tae Yeon Lou, Djamila Kang, Deokyoung Tian, Zishen Kim, Jiyeob Pamula, Sreekeerthi Kim, Jaegyu Hanrahan, Brendan Dames, Chris Martin, Lane W https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1889-2513 https://escholarship.org/uc/item/1v27g8x2 The increasing penetration of distributed energy resources (DERs) requires better coordination between transmission and distribution (T&amp;D) planning to ensure system security and cost efficiency. However, misaligned planning horizons, computational burdens, and privacy concerns hinder effective coordination, leading to either underutilized resources caused by overinvestments or reliability risks due to underinvestment. To address this challenge, we introduce netload range cost curves (NRCCs), a novel approach for managing long-term DER growth uncertainty through T&amp;D coordination, while preserving existing data-sharing and regulatory structures. NRCCs provide pairs of (i) peak substation netload guarantees and (ii) corresponding distribution upgrade options and costs, enabling their seamless integration into transmission planning workflows. To compute NRCCs efficiently, we develop a transmission-aware distribution network planning (TADNP), which is subsequently integrated... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/1v27g8x2 Tue, 1 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Li, Yujia https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8988-2254 Córdova, Samuel Moreira, Alexandre Heleno, Miguel https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8021-7661 https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9nf7604q The increasing frequency and severity of wildfires pose significant threats to utility infrastructure and community safety. Wildfires can be ignited due to component failures under extreme weather conditions. System hardening measures aimed at preventing these failures can reduce the probability of endogenous wildfire ignition, introducing decision-dependent uncertainty (DDU). However, existing methods that consider such DDU typically assume independent component failures, neglecting the critical interdependencies between components destroyed by wildfire and those affected by their spread. These interdependencies render such methods inadequate. To address this, we propose a novel formulation that incorporates both wildfire-ignition DDU and a second type of DDU — the interdependency between wildfire-ignited and wildfire-affected components. We develop a two-stage wildfire-preventive decision-dependent resilience enhancement (WDDRE) model for distribution systems. The model optimizes... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9nf7604q Mon, 31 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Hu, Chenxi Lei, Shunbo Li, Yujia https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8988-2254 Hou, Francis Yunhe https://escholarship.org/uc/item/79s413kz In this work, we propose an enhanced phase identification method to support distributed energy resources management in a medium voltage network. The problem is formulated with the objective function of minimizing the sum of the modified Kirchhoff’s Current Law at the branch node and power-current pattern similarity. This combined objective function is then linearized by introducing auxiliary variables and subsequently resolved through Mixed-Integer Linear Programming. A permutation matrix is employed to establish a correlation between the magnitudes of electrical currents across distinct phases, achieved through manipulation based on empirical data. Subsequently, by comparing this matrix with the observed magnitudes of currents, the approach facilitates the deduction and identification of phase information inherent in the electrical signals. Consequently, the permutation matrix functions as decision variables to identify the phases of currents for wye-connected loads, delta-connected... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/79s413kz Mon, 31 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Seong, Jungmin Hwang, Jin Sol Hussain, Shahid Heleno, Miguel https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8021-7661 Kim, Yun-Su https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6gn2n481 Drawing inspiration from the panther chameleon's sophisticated color-adaptive abilities, we introduce a unified design framework for a new class of bio-inspired mechanochromic materials with tailored reflectivity across the electromagnetic spectrum. While structural coloration in nature relies on the mechanical adjustment of photonic crystal spacing, engineering such systems is often hindered by the barreling effect, the lateral bulging of bulk materials caused by Poisson's effect. To address this, we developed a mechanical metamaterial substrate optimized through a genetic algorithm and modeled it using Timoshenko beam theory to ensure a uniform strain field during deformation. The proposed system features a two-dimensional hexagonal lattice of composite dielectric nanopillars positioned on top of a micro-architected substrate fabricated <i>via</i> Multiphoton Lithography (MPL). The nanopillars consist of an MPL core coated with a high-refractive-index material to achieve complete... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6gn2n481 Mon, 31 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Mavrikos, Stefanos Nikolarea, Nikolina Manolakos, Dimitrios E Grigoropoulos, Costas P https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8505-4037 https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6gj4p49t Abstract: Incorporating carbon dioxide (CO2) refrigerant into the heat pump (HP) technology can reduce climate change effects due to working fluid loss. However, CO2 refrigerants in an HP system may change from a gaseous state to a liquid or solid “snow” during the throttling and pressure-relief valve processes, which may block downstream flow in pipes and cause unsafe operation issues. This paper describes a Soave–Redlich–Kwong (SRK) statistical-thermodynamics-based model to predict CO2 refrigerant metastable state properties (enthalpy, temperature, and volume) exhibited during throttling through a leakage path or pressure relief valve in HP technologies. In addition, the simulation can predict changes in density fluctuations states exhibited during the process that can indicate an impending phase change and can predict exit state conditions for widely varying supercritical initial equilibrium states. Results indicate that when a constant enthalpy throttling... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6gj4p49t Mon, 31 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Hughley, Jasmine Carey, Van P Schutzius, Thomas https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3309-3568 https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6fq546rv When deploying fast charging stations (FCSs) to support long-distance trips of electric vehicles (EVs), there exist indirect network effects: while the gradual diffusion of EVs directly influences the timing and capacities of FCS allocation, the decisions for FCS allocations, in turn, impact the drivers’ willingness to adopt EVs. This interplay, if neglected, can result in uncovered EVs and security issues and even hinder the effective diffusion of EVs. In this paper, we explicitly incorporate this interdependence by quantifying EV adoption rates as decision-dependent uncertainties (DDUs) using decision-dependent ambiguity sets (DDASs). Then, a two-stage decision-dependent distributionally robust FCS planning (D3R-FCSP) model is developed for adaptively deploying FCSs with on-site sources and expanding the coupled distribution network. A multi-period capacitated arc cover-path cover (MCACPC) model is incorporated to capture the EVs’ recharging patterns to ensure the feasibility... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6fq546rv Mon, 31 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Li, Yujia https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8988-2254 Qiu, Feng Chen, Yixuan Hou, Yunhe https://escholarship.org/uc/item/60p24422 Multifunctional materials that balance mechanical resilience and fluid dynamic efficiency are critical in engineering applications, yet their synergistic optimization remains challenging due to inherent trade-offs, computational expense, and high-dimensional design spaces. Inspired by the skeleton of the deep-sea sponge Euplectella aspergillum, this work presents an automated framework integrating Finite Element Analysis for mechanics, Computational Fluid Dynamics for flow behavior, and multi-objective Bayesian optimization. Leveraging high-performance computing, the framework efficiently explores complex design spaces to identify Pareto-optimal solutions. Optimized lattices achieve an average 140% increase in critical buckling load across a range of volume fractions relative to baseline designs, while simultaneously reducing drag, lift, and vortex shedding at porosities as low as 5%. We fabricate selected designs via stereolithography and validate them through compression experiments... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/60p24422 Mon, 31 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Meier, Timon Litvinov, Sergey Li, Runxuan Blankenship, Brian W Kokubun, Andrew Hahn, David Mavrikos, Stefanos Vangelatos, Zacharias Yildizdag, M Erden Mäkiharju, Simo A Zheng, Xiaoyu Koumoutsakos, Petros Grigoropoulos, Costas P https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8505-4037 https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5mm644gb This paper proposes a methodology to generate sets of distribution feeders representative of any U.S. county for economic and policy studies. The methodology modifies prototypical feeders and organizes them into sets that (i) reproduce historical economic and infrastructure investment patterns and (ii) accommodate county-specific demand characteristics, including energy, peak, and building types. The approach relies on publicly available data, enabling systematic application across all U.S. counties and adaptation to other regions. The use of the resulting feeders is demonstrated through an electrification impact study in Alameda County, California. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5mm644gb Mon, 31 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Seres, Albane Heleno, Miguel https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8021-7661 https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3w95b1df The Leidenfrost effect, best known as the formation of an insulating vapour layer beneath a liquid droplet that delays boiling, offers great potential for droplet manipulation and drag reduction. However, regulating the conventional Leidenfrost effect remains challenging due to the complex liquid dynamics involved. Here we report a behaviour that we term the capillary Leidenfrost effect, which enables stable and sustained solid levitation driven by liquid evaporation. It occurs at a temperature threshold that is below the Leidenfrost point of its droplet counterpart, yet without the need for specialized surface manufacturing techniques. Our structure is composed of periodically arranged capillaries that stabilize the liquid interface, enhance heat conduction and provide liquid storage capacities. The capillary Leidenfrost effect is generic in widely accessible natural materials and metals. Our experiments demonstrate the feasibility of long-distance, sustained self-propulsion... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3w95b1df Mon, 31 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Zhang, Zhi Zhang, Zhenwen Ji, Bingqiang Yuan, Yongjiu Lo, Wai Kin Wang, Xiong Yao, Xiaoxue Xu, Qili Ling, Chen Kim, Hyoungsoo Li, Gang Kevin Schutzius, Thomas https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3309-3568 Wang, Steven https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3br0f74x We consider the electric distribution system expansion planning problem of selecting the least-cost set of upgrades to alleviate voltage magnitude violations. To this end, we use the full nonlinear power flow model to account for losses and represent meshed networks. The underlying problem is highly nonconvex due to the nonlinear power flow equations and the presence of discrete variables. Leveraging the efficacy of local search methods for handling continuous subproblems, a bilevel heuristic algorithm is proposed based on outer-approximation mixed-integer programming techniques. The proposed algorithm is shown to achieve the same optimal value as off-the-shelf mixed-integer nonlinear solvers with much less computation time on five benchmark IEEE distribution feeders. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3br0f74x Mon, 31 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Brock, Eli Gulian, Charles Heleno, Miguel https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8021-7661 Lavaei, Javad Sojoudi, Somayeh https://escholarship.org/uc/item/36d7j6br Abstract Crystallization fouling, a process where mineral scales form on surfaces, is of broad importance in nature and technology, negatively impacting water treatment and electricity production. However, a rational methodology for designing materials with intrinsic resistance to scaling and scale adhesion remains elusive. Here, guided by nucleation physics, this work investigates the effect of coating composition and surface structure on the nucleation and growth mechanism of scale on metallic heat transfer surfaces nanoengineered by large‐area techniques. This work observes that on hydrophilic nanostructured copper, despite its significantly enlarged surface area compared to smooth surfaces, scale formation is substantially suppressed leading to sustained, efficient cooling performance. This work reveals the mechanism through thermofluidic modeling coupled with in situ optical characterization and show that surface bubble formation through degassing is responsible for generating... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/36d7j6br Mon, 31 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Schmid, Julian Armstrong, Tobias Denz, Niklas Heller, Lars Hegner, Lukas Schnoering, Gabriel Vidic, Jovo Schutzius, Thomas M https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3309-3568 https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5m42r7qw As we transition towards a decarbonized economy, the integration of variable renewable energy resources and new demands (e.g., electric vehicles, heat pumps) into the electricity grid places unprecedented pressure on grid operators to effectively anticipate and manage peak load. In this context, machine learning algorithms are proving to be indispensable for accurate short-term load forecasting, a crucial task to address these challenges. This study benchmarks 6 machine learning algorithms, including three neural networks and three tree-based algorithms, across various levels of spatial aggregation and time horizons (1, 4, 8, 24, and 48 h). The central contribution of this work is the comparison and analysis of load forecasting models not only based on statistical metrics, but also based on a novel error metric, which evaluates the cost implications of forecast errors for power system stakeholders. Results show that tree-based models outperform neural networks, based on statistical... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5m42r7qw Thu, 27 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Houben, Nikolaus Heleno, Miguel https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8021-7661 Li, Han https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4638-9907 Hong, Tianzhen https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1886-9137 Auer, Hans Ajanovic, Amela Haas, Reinhard https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5fv266vz Membrane-electrode assemblies utilize ionomer-coated electrocatalysts to achieve facile ion transport. Consequently, isolation of intrinsic catalyst kinetics from measured polarization curves is challenging, as the properties of the catalyst and ionomer both affect the measurements. Here, we employ a Pt microelectrode coated by a thin perfluorosulfonic acid (PFSA) layer to measure polarization curves for the hydrogen oxidation reaction/hydrogen evolution reaction (HER/HOR). Intrinsic electrode kinetics are isolated by theoretical analysis of the local catalyst microenvironment, accounting for mass transport and thermodynamics. The observed enhancements in HER and HOR rates with increasing relative humidity (RH) at the working electrode are attributable to two competing factors: the decrease in activity of H+ in the ionomer and the dominant decrease in the water reorganization energy in the Marcus–Hush–Chidsey representation of HER/HOR kinetics. The increase in intrinsic rate with... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5fv266vz Thu, 27 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Anderson, GraceC Rajupet, Siddharth Kushner, Douglas I https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3020-7737 Weber, Adam Z https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7749-1624 Radke, Clayton J https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1587-4822 Bell, Alexis T https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5738-4645 https://escholarship.org/uc/item/0vs9c70h The removal of selenite (SeO₃^2-) from water is challenging due to the risk of secondary pollutants. To address this, we developed RuO₂-based nanocatalysts on the titanium plate (RuO₂/TP) for direct electrochemical reduction of Se(IV) to elemental selenium [Se(0)]. Optimizing Sn doping in RuO₂ nanoparticles to induce charge redistribution enabled the Ru_0.9Sn_0.1O_<i>x</i>/TP catalyst to achieve ∼90% Se(IV) removal across concentrations of 0.1, 1, and 10 mM at -2 mA cm^-2 over 8 h, outperforming undoped RuO₂/TP. Furthermore, Ru_0.9Sn_0.1O_<i>x</i>/TP also maintained ∼90% removal efficiency in 1 mM of Se(IV) solutions containing competitive anions (0.5 M Cl^-, 0.1 M SO₄^2-, 0.01 M NO₃^-, and their mixtures), demonstrating suitability for complex wastewater treatment. Importantly, the catalysts... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/0vs9c70h Wed, 26 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Hao, Shaoyun Feng, Yuge Wang, Duo Cho, Jinwon https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0200-2950 Qiu, Chang Wi, Tae-Ung Xu, Ziang Yu, Zhou Sellers, Chase Zou, Shiqiang Jain, Anubhav https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5893-9967 Wang, Haotian https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9m6969ps The cost-effective and sustainable deployment of hydrogen supply and demand networks, especially in large economic regions like California, can be challenging considering the spatial-temporal availability and variability of the different actors across the network such as production processes, distribution modes, and end-users. In this presentation, we will provide an overview and demonstration of a modeling framework used to assess the environmental, economic, and human health impacts of plausible hydrogen production and supply chain networks in California. Scenarios focus on green hydrogen production pathways using water electrolysis and biomass gasification. End-use applications included in the model are transit, medium and heavy-duty trucking, port authorities, and power and aviation companies that currently consume natural gas, diesel, and aviation fuel for their day-to-day operation. Representative locations for hydrogen production and end-use are based on recent projections... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9m6969ps Mon, 24 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Zaki, Mohammed Tamim https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7197-0608 Jeong, Seongeun Weber, Adam Z https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7749-1624 Breunig, Hanna https://escholarship.org/uc/item/83m894pd Zero-shot and prompt-based models have excelled at visual reasoning tasks by leveraging large-scale natural image corpora, but they often fail on sparse and domain-specific scientific image data. We introduce Zenesis, a no-code interactive computer vision platform designed to reduce data readiness bottlenecks in scientific imaging workflows. Zenesis integrates lightweight multimodal adaptation for zero-shot inference on raw scientific data, human-in-the-loop refinement, and heuristic-based temporal enhancement. We validate our approach on Focused Ion Beam Scanning Electron Microscopy (FIB-SEM) datasets of catalyst-loaded membranes. Zenesis outperforms baselines, achieving an average accuracy of 0.947, Intersection over Union (IoU) of 0.858, and Dice score of 0.923 on amorphous catalyst samples; and 0.987 accuracy, 0.857 IoU, and 0.923 Dice on crystalline samples. These results represent a significant performance gain over conventional methods such as Otsu thresholding and standalone... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/83m894pd Mon, 24 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Mukherjee, Shubhabrata Lang, Jack Kwon, Obeen https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7950-4820 Zenyuk, Iryna https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1612-0475 Brogden, Valerie Weber, Adam https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7749-1624 Ushizima, Daniela https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7363-9468 https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7st2q0bd Direct methane conversion to liquid fuels or value-added chemicals is a promising technology to utilize natural resources without resorting to further petroleum extraction. However, discovering efficient catalysts for this reaction is challenging due to either coke formation or unfavorable C-H bond activation. Herein, we design single-atom alloy (SAA) catalysts to simultaneously eliminate the above two bottlenecks based on mechanism-guided strategies: (1) the active single atom enables favorable C-H bond breaking and (2) the less reactive host metal facilitates C-C coupling and thus avoids strong binding of carbonaceous species. Employing electronic structure theory calculations, we screened the stability of multiple SAAs with 3d-5d transition metals atomically dispersed on a copper surface in terms of avoiding dopant aggregation and segregation. We then evaluated reactivities of the stable SAAs as catalysts for direct methane conversion to C₂ products, including methane... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7st2q0bd Mon, 24 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Kothakonda, Manish LaCroix, Sarah Zhou, Chengyu Yang, Ji Su, Ji Zhao, Qing https://escholarship.org/uc/item/661127bh Multimodal Foundation Model (MFM), like ChatGPT and Gemini, have emerged as powerful tools for their exceptional natural language processing capabilities and their emerging potential in image analysis. This paper investigates the application of MFMs for photovoltaic (PV) fault detection through image analysis, focusing on ChatGPT 4.0 and Gemini 1.5 Pro. Three types of PV images and the corresponding common PV faults are detected: bird droppings using visible images, cell cracks via electroluminescence (EL) images, and hotspots using infrared (IR) images. Among the two models, Gemini 1.5 Pro demonstrated superior performance, achieving near-perfect results with an average F1 score of 0.97, consistently outperforming ChatGPT 4.0 in accuracy and reliability. Unlike traditional machine learning (ML) models, MFMs can operate in a zero shot manner that does not require additional training by the user, and the input images are not limited by size, angle, scope, or PV technology. The... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/661127bh Mon, 24 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Li, Baojie Chen, Xin Jain, Anubhav https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5893-9967 https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5kb2w3ct We show that the pH gradient at the catalyst–ion exchange membrane interface in a seawater bipolar-membrane electrolyzer can be mitigated by reducing the catalyst–membrane distance. We further show how water transport can be balanced at steady state. Bipolar membrane (BPM) electrolyzers offer advantages in the electrolysis of impure-waters by controlling ion flux, yet still suffer from performance and durabilty limitations. Here, we investigate the impact of NaCl electrolyte (nominally simulated seawater) on BPM electrolyzer operation and identify local pH gradients at electrode–membrane interfaces, arising from coupled ion transport and electrode reactions, as one origin of performance loss and degradation. NaCl in the catholyte induces pronounced pH gradients at the cathode|cation-exchange-layer interface, leading to increased voltage, while partial Cl − crossover to the anode becomes detrimental under locally OH − -deficient conditions, promoting the chlorine evolution reaction... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5kb2w3ct Mon, 24 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Han, Sanghwi Choi, Gwan Hyun Zhang, Wenbo Xi, Dawei https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5412-3474 Syar, Duha Shim, Jaehyuk Lee, Jang Yong Jaramillo, Thomas F Ryu, Jaeyune Boettcher, Shannon W https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8971-9123 https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4mn7j78x Large language models are very effective at solving general tasks, but can also be useful in materials design and extracting and using information from the scientific literature and unstructured corpora. In the domain of alloy design and manufacturing, they can expedite the materials design process and enable the inclusion of holistic criteria. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4mn7j78x Mon, 24 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Pei, Zongrui Yin, Junqi Neugebauer, Jörg Jain, Anubhav https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5893-9967 https://escholarship.org/uc/item/43r260g6 [This corrects the article DOI: 10.1039/D5DD00019J.]. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/43r260g6 Mon, 24 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Ganose, Alex M Sahasrabuddhe, Hrushikesh Asta, Mark Beck, Kevin Biswas, Tathagata Bonkowski, Alexander Bustamante, Joana Chen, Xin Chiang, Yuan Chrzan, Daryl C Clary, Jacob Cohen, Orion A Ertural, Christina Gallant, Max C George, Janine Gerits, Sophie Goodall, Rhys EA Guha, Rishabh D Hautier, Geoffroy Horton, Matthew Inizan, TJ Kaplan, Aaron D Kingsbury, Ryan S Kuner, Matthew C Li, Bryant Linn, Xavier McDermott, Matthew J Mohanakrishnan, Rohith Srinivaas Naik, Aakash A Neaton, Jeffrey B https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7585-6135 Parmar, Shehan M Persson, Kristin A Petretto, Guido Purcell, Thomas AR Ricci, Francesco Rich, Benjamin Riebesell, Janosh Rignanese, Gian-Marco Rosen, Andrew S Scheffler, Matthias Schmidt, Jonathan Shen, Jimmy-Xuan Sobolev, Andrei Sundararaman, Ravishankar Tezak, Cooper Trinquet, Victor Varley, Joel B Vigil-Fowler, Derek Wang, Duo Waroquiers, David Wen, Mingjian Yang, Han Zheng, Hui Zheng, Jiongzhi https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9841-7477 Zhu, Zhuoying Jain, Anubhav https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5893-9967 https://escholarship.org/uc/item/95k6r746 Lithium supply chains remain heavily concentrated in hard rock and brine resources, creating significant supply risks. Geothermal brines represent an underutilized alternative, yet commercial progress is hindered by the absence of facility-scale cost assessments. Here, we present a techno-economic analysis of large-scale lithium extraction from Salton Sea geothermal brines, drawing on primary company disclosures, process patents, and brine resource modeling. Caused by varying lithium and impurity concentrations, brine dilution over time, and process configurations (e.g., production via carbonation and conversion vs. electrolysis), we find that large-scale production costs may reach ~10,000 United States dollars per ton, but increase up to 22,000 United States dollars per ton with higher certainty of brine modeling, raising concerns about economic competitiveness to conventional low-cost sources. Finally, a project feasibility-focused scenario analyses shows that leveraging brine... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/95k6r746 Fri, 21 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Wesselkaemper, Jannis Renaud, Theo Araya, Naod Dekkers, Ken Popineau, Joris Riffault, Jeremy O’Sullivan, John Haddad, Andrew Z https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9206-3505 https://escholarship.org/uc/item/8wt626q9 Research and development of non-aqueous electrolyte solutions are essential for practical advancement towards the production of high-energy lithium metal batteries (LMBs). An ideal LMB electrolyte solution should enable highly efficient, uniform and prolonged lithium metal plating and stripping, preserve the electrodes’ electro(chemo)mechanical properties and ensure compatibility with all cell components. However, despite extensive research efforts, scientists have yet to achieve an electrolyte design that meets these requirements simultaneously. Here, by examining the nanoengineering aspects of various non-aqueous electrolyte solution designs, we elucidate the understanding of the nanoscale physicochemical and electrochemical processes taking place in LMBs, which are mainly governed by the thermodynamic and kinetic properties of the electrolyte system. We also explore emerging research directions and propose an accelerated, iterative framework that integrates nanoengineering... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/8wt626q9 Fri, 21 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Weintz, Dominik Werres, Martin Horstmann, Birger Amine, Rachid Su, Chi-Cheung Li, Xinlin Xu, Yaobin Ahmed, Ridwan A Xu, Wu Wang, Chongmin von Holtum, Bastian Wiemers-Meyer, Simon Chen, Dongliang Lai, Jianwei Shi, Feifei Berg, Sascha Figgemeier, Egbert Plaza-Rivera, Christian O Wang, Daniel Shao-Horn, Yang Unni, Aravind Krewer, Ulrike Scoggins, Stephen Balbuena, Perla B Seminario, Jorge M Sarycheva, Asia Lyu, Ziyuan Bresser, Dominic Hausen, Florian Eichel, Rüdiger-A Amine, Khalil Latz, Arnulf Kostecki, Robert https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4014-8232 Winter, Martin Cekic-Laskovic, Isidora https://escholarship.org/uc/item/84d7g963 In recent years, lithium-ion batteries have been widely used in electric vehicles and electronics. Among most commercial lithium-ion batteries, graphite is used as an anode material because it ensures high voltage coupled with lithium-ion cathode and high capacity. Spent lithium-ion battery anode is difficult to be recycled and revitalized, because the pyrometallurgy process only works well with metal oxide cathodes. In addition, even if the spent graphite were recovered, it could not be directly applied for new electrode fabrication due to its poor interface conductivity and mechanical disintegration. In this study, we introduced an innovative method for the regeneration and reuse of spent graphite anode materials. Our method purified and revitalized graphite particles by removing legacy solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) and constructing an artificial, elastic, and conductive polymer-based SEI layer. This polymer has a conjugated polyfluorene backbone that significantly improves... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/84d7g963 Fri, 21 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Miao, Qiusu Jin, Xiuyu https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7845-2371 Zhu, Tianyu Fang, Chen Huang, Di https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7877-7301 Tong, Wei Liu, Gao https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8483-4704 https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7cb9p1cx Interfacial stability is one of the critical challenges in all-solid-state Li metal batteries. Multiple processes such as solid electrolyte (SE) decomposition and lithium dendrite growth take place at the solid interfaces during cycling, leading to the overall cell failure. To deconvolute these complex processes, in situ characterization is of paramount importance to elucidate the interfacial evolution on the SE upon Li plating/stripping. Herein, an all-solid-state asymmetric in situ cell is developed that allows the direct visualization of the highly localized Li plating/stripping processes under the optical microscope. Moreover, this cell configuration enables reliable post-mortem chemical and morphological analysis of the intact SE/Li interface. Using combined scanning electron microscopy and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, the study reveals that the evolution of the Li argyrodite interface is strongly influenced by the current density, particularly in terms of chemical... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7cb9p1cx Fri, 21 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Huang, Di https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7877-7301 Liu, Gao https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8483-4704 Tong, Wei https://escholarship.org/uc/item/73k9j3h6 A critical challenge in all-solid-state lithium metal batteries (ASSLMBs) is achieving a stable interface between the lithium metal anode and the solid electrolyte. Leveraging its success in Li/I2 batteries, lithium iodide has garnered significant attentions for its potential to enhance interfacial stability and overall cell performance in ASSLMBs. Here, we elucidate the role of lithium iodide in stabilizing the solid interface in all-solid-state Li metal batteries with a Li argyrodite electrolyte, particularly focusing on its influence on lithium deposition behavior and interfacial evolution. Through in situ optical imaging, we demonstrate more uniform lithium deposition on an iodide-contained argyrodite electrolyte compared to a chloride-based counterpart. Complementary density functional theory calculations attribute improved lithium plating behavior to the enhanced lithiophilicity and better ionic conductivity of lithium iodide at the solid interface, effectively reducing... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/73k9j3h6 Fri, 21 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Huang, Di Yuan, Suyue Adelstein, Nicole Liu, Gao https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8483-4704 Wan, Liwen F Tong, Wei https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5ct8793t Conjugated polymer binders are replacing conventional binders in lithium-ion batteries. Herein, we examine how molecular engineering and hierarchical nanostructuring govern binder functionality and electrochemical performance. Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) are the leading energy storage technology, yet enhancing their energy density and cycle life remains critical. Significant progress has been made in high-capacity anodes and high-voltage cathodes, but their performance is hindered by electrode degradation, where it is related to the behaviors of binders at the surface and interface. Conventional non-conductive binders like poly(vinylidene difluoride) (PVDF), combined with conductive additives, often fail to maintain electrical pathways under repeated volume changes. Alternatively, conjugated polymer binders have emerged as a superior alternative, simultaneously offering intrinsic conductivity, mechanical flexibility, and strong adhesion through π-conjugated backbones and functional... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5ct8793t Fri, 21 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Jin, Xiuyu https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7845-2371 Javaregowda, Bharathkumar H Sun, Jinhua Liu, Gao https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8483-4704 https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3dd3c0zk Uncovering the truth of lithium polymer batteries. Lithium metal is the holy grail of anodes due to its 10-fold higher gravimetric capacity than graphite. All-solid-state lithium polymer electrolyte batteries are receiving significant attention due to their increased flexibility compared to inorganic solid-state electrolytes, which enhances processability, accommodates cell swelling, and enables more homogeneous interphases. However, prototype solid-state lithium polymer electrolyte batteries have been limited in their usage due to the low ionic conductivity of the electrolyte, which limits their ability to cycle lithium metal at high rates. In this opinion, we provide alternative interpretations of high-rate capability lithium metal polymer electrolytes and breakthroughs in highly ionically conductive all-solid-state polymer electrolytes. In addition, we provide guidance on how to characterize and evaluate polymer electrolytes in lithium metal batteries. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3dd3c0zk Fri, 21 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Waugh, John B Redko, Mikhail Jin, Xiuyu https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7845-2371 Muldoon, Gabriel Kovrigin, Evgenii L Gallant, Betar M Li, Yuzhang Liu, Gao https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8483-4704 Muldoon, John https://escholarship.org/uc/item/2w873679 Developing high-capacity, long-life cathodes is critical to overcome the energy limitations of current Li-ion batteries. Here, we report a Li-excess cation-disordered rocksalt (DRX) cathode, Li₁.₁₆₇Mn₀.₇Ti₀.₁₃₃O₁.₈F₀.₂ (M₀.₇F₀.₂), which demonstrates excellent electrochemical performance. This cathode delivers a capacity approaching 250 mAh g^-1 and maintains 200 mAh g^-1 over 200 cycles with an average discharge voltage of 3.1 V at 2 V cutoff. The formation of a spinel-like phase during cycling enables fast charging, achieving over 240 mAh g^-1 at 2C for 100 cycles. Combined X-ray absorption spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy reveal reversible electrochemical redox processes and stable Mn local structures during 2 V discharge. These results highlight the potential of DRX cathodes for... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/2w873679 Fri, 21 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Qian, Ji Huang, Di Ha, Yang Koirala, Krishna Prasad Hwang, Inhui Sun, Chengjun Wang, Chongmin Yang, Wanli https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0666-8063 Tong, Wei https://escholarship.org/uc/item/06d973c1 Lithium extraction from clay deposits is typically hampered by low lithium grades and the high capital and energy demands of conventional processing. We report an ambient temperature electrochemical leaching method that bypasses high-temperature roasting and concentrated-acid leaching, directly liberating 93% of lithium from low-grade hectorite in 24 h at 1 V, with 77% Faradaic efficiency, an energy intensity of 3.91 MWh/t lithium carbonate equivalent (LCE). Utilizing a carbon-mineral composite slurry electrode strategy we achieve electron-driven lattice deconstruction through iron oxidation coupled with proton uptake to drive lithium deintercalation, offering a new strategy for low-temperature critical-metal recovery. A preliminary cost analysis highlights pathways to achieving cost intensities below $3000/t LCE. Challenges remain in improving current density, extraction kinetics, and demonstrating process scalability, however, this work establishes a foundation for effective... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/06d973c1 Fri, 21 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Haddad, Andrew Z https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9206-3505 Cha, Hyungyeon Adibnia, Sahand Fleming, Xander B https://orcid.org/0009-0006-0102-5375 McDonough, Liam Li, Floria Bandaru, Siva Giovine, Raynald https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7208-6929 Dun, Chaochao Pohlman, Garrett Hackl, Lukas Akuzum, Bilen Urban, Jeffrey J https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4909-2869 Kostecki, Robert https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4014-8232 https://escholarship.org/uc/item/8hg5527c The mechanical properties of materials, e.g., elastic modulus and hardness, are important for many engineering applications. Here, we introduce a hierarchically ordered structure (HOS) polymer system that exhibits exceptionally large, reversible changes in mechanical behavior upon electrochemical lithiation and delithiation. Full lithiation of the HOS polymer induces a substantial mechanical transition from polymer-like to metal-like attributes, yielding a 10-fold increase in elastic modulus and a 3-fold increase in hardness, with values comparable to those of aluminum. Upon removal of Li⁺ ions, the elastic modulus and hardness return to nearly pristine polymer levels, and this transformation remains highly repeatable over many electrochemical cycles. Reversible transitions between polymer-like and metal-like mechanical behaviors offer a new pathway for engineering materials for applications that require tunable mechanical properties, such as soft robotics and stimuli-responsive... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/8hg5527c Thu, 20 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Thapa, Santosh Li, Defu https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3405-1071 Liu, Gao https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8483-4704 Cheng, Yang-Tse https://escholarship.org/uc/item/87r0874s Silicon-anode lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) suffer from limited cycle life and poor calendar life, constraining their large-scale commercialization. Integrating additives into electrolytes is a simple and cost-effective strategy to improve these aspects. The effects of lithium-free boron-based additives on cycling and calendar performance of high-loading Si-anode LIBs remain largely unexplored. In this work, the influence of five Li-free borate additives, each with distinct molecular structures and elemental compositions, is systematically investigated. All additives enhance cycle life to varying extents. Notably, the addition of 1 v/v% tri(2,2,2-trifluoroethyl) borate to the baseline electrolyte nearly doubles the cycle life at 50% state of health. This enhancement is attributed to three key factors. Specifically, borate additives 1) improve electrochemical activity, 2) act as anion receptors that interact with [PF₆]^- anions and carbonate solvents to reduce... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/87r0874s Thu, 20 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Li, Defu https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3405-1071 Musgrove, Amanda L Jin, Xiuyu Meyer, Harry M Muldoon, Gabriel Veith, Gabriel M Liu, Gao https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8483-4704 https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6c76x6h3 During dry and windy seasons, environmental conditions significantly increase the risk of wildfires, exposing power grids to disruptions caused by transmission line failures. Wildfire propagation exacerbates grid vulnerability, potentially leading to prolonged power outages. To address this challenge, we propose a multistage optimization model that dynamically adjusts transmission grid topology in response to wildfire propagation, aiming to develop an optimal response policy. By accounting for decision-dependent uncertainty, where line survival probabilities depend on usage, we employ distributionally robust optimization to model uncertainty in line survival distributions. We adapt the stochastic nested decomposition algorithm and derive a deterministic upper bound for its finite convergence. To enhance computational efficiency, we exploit the Lagrangian dual problem structure for a faster generation of Lagrangian cuts. Using realistic data from the California transmission grid,... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6c76x6h3 Thu, 20 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Estrada-Garcia, Juan-Alberto Jiang, Ruiwei Moreira, Alexandre https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5x49d7db Rare earth elements (REEs) are essential for low-carbon technologies and a wide range of consumer products, yet intra-REE separation remains a critical challenge due to their similar physicochemical properties and co-occurrence in waste streams. Here, we developed a novel biosorbent, termed MNP-Hans-LanM, by immobilizing Hansschlegelia quercus-derived Lanmodulin (Hans-LanM) on the surface of SpyTag-functionalized magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) for the separation of REEs into light and heavy groups from waste streams. The biosorbent exhibited an adsorption activity of 5.6 ± 0.8 μmol-neodynium/g-sorbent, and the adsorbed REEs could be recovered with &gt;90% efficiency. The MNP-Hans-LanM could effectively separate representative light and heavy REE pairs and maintained &gt;90% of activity over five adsorption–desorption cycles. Importantly, when applied to a low-grade course coal refuse natural leachate, the biosorbent selectively captured REEs and enabled enrichment of bound REEs... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5x49d7db Thu, 20 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Ye, Quanhui Fan, Chengkai Jin, Xiuyu https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7845-2371 Wang, Wanqi Smith, Bradley Jin, Yong-Su Freiburg, Jared T Lu, Yongqi Wei, Na https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5708t95r Engineered oxygen vacancies in Mn-rich DRX oxyfluorides promote the DRX-to-δ transformation by enabling tetrahedral (Td) site activation. A 50 °C CCCV protocol activates δ phase within one cycle, and Ti/Al co-doping improves cycling stability. Manganese-rich (Mn &gt; 0.6) disordered rocksalt (DRX) cathodes undergo structural transformation into a spinel-like δ-phase upon cycling, resulting in enhanced energy density and cycling stability. This transformation is a gradual process, often requiring tens of cycles, which presents challenges in their practical implementation. Here, we synthesized a fluorine-containing, d 0 transition-metal (TM)-free, Mn-rich DRX with oxygen vacancies (Li 1.1 Mn 0.9 O 1.8− z F 0.2 , OV-M90) and investigated the roles of lithium and oxygen non-stoichiometry, redox reactions, and Mn migration in the DRX-to-δ transformation. We found that the tetrahedral site activation, critical for δ-phase formation, is promoted by synergistic interactions among these... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5708t95r Thu, 20 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Dasari, Bosu Babu Chen, Guoying https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3218-2609 https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3zp6d9c4 Abstract Operation-induced surface reconstruction of photoelectrodes is underexplored as a path to control stability and performance. We show how adaptive junctions form via surface reconstruction of BiVO4 during glycerol photooxidation and how these surfaces affect electrolyte-dependent kinetics and durability. Preferential V dissolution in both acidic and alkaline media forms a Bi-rich layer. In situ measurements through a dual-working-electrode platform quantify the changes in photovoltage and charge-transfer resistance derived from adaptive junction formation, while enabling quantitative separation of the driving forces for charge separation and interfacial catalysis. The reconstructed surface in acidic media improves hole-transfer kinetics, functions as a glycerol-oxidation catalyst, and imparts photostability. Surface reconstruction in alkaline media exhibits the opposite behavior, impeding hole injection. This instability is mitigated by trace Ni2+ ions, which drive in... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3zp6d9c4 Thu, 20 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Yang, Jin Wook Kwon, Hee Ryeong Kim, Dong Su Sagui, Nicole A Hwang, Yun Jeong Jang, Ho Won Boettcher, Shannon W https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8971-9123 https://escholarship.org/uc/item/31k1b4vp Li–In alloy has been largely used as a working anode in all-solid-state full cells. Incorporating indium can help stabilize the interface by suppressing the decomposition of the solid electrolyte. However, the Li–In phase diagram is complex and involves multiple phases depending on the composition. Understanding the relationship between the Li–In composition and electrochemical performance as well as identifying the root causes of cell failure is crucial for advancing this technology. Here, we present a compressive analysis of the impact of the Li–In composition on the interfacial stability of the argyrodite electrolyte in all-solid-state batteries. The Li0.5In alloy, composed of LiIn and In phases, significantly improves the interfacial stability. In contrast, when using the Li–In or Li metal anode, we observe the accumulation of large Li deposits within the solid electrolyte as well as a thick interface composed of Li2S, leading to a shortened cycle life. The Li0.5In anode enables... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/31k1b4vp Thu, 20 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Huang, Di https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7877-7301 Liu, Gao https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8483-4704 Tong, Wei https://escholarship.org/uc/item/54g27987 Achieving ballistic ion transport in a mixed electronic-ionic conductive polymer, its hierarchically ordered structure (HOS) facilitates ion diffusion and results in solid-state Li + conductivity in the range of 10 −4 to 10 −3 S cm −1 from −20 to 70 °C. Since its discovery in the 1970s, solid-state ion conduction within polymers has primarily relied on polymer segmental motion to drive ion diffusion. However, ion transport based on polymer dynamics features low ionic conductivity (usually &lt;10 −5 S cm −1 ) at room temperature and highly depends on temperature, which influences performance by controlling the ratio of amorphous to crystalline composition in polymers. A faster ion transport mechanism, independent of polymer dynamics, has long been sought but remains inaccessible. Here, we report a ballistic ion transport mechanism in a mixed electronic-ionic conductive (MEIC) polymer binder, where its hierarchically ordered structure facilitates ion diffusion and achieves solid-state... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/54g27987 Wed, 19 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Li, Defu https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3405-1071 Fang, Chen Thapa, Santosh Sternlicht, Hadas Lee, Gi-Hyeok https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2516-2586 Ahmed, Faiz Jin, Xiuyu https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7845-2371 Miao, Qiusu Giovine, Raynald Yang, Wanli https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0666-8063 Minor, Andrew https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3606-8309 Cheng, Yang-Tse Liu, Gao https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8483-4704 https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4vk9n5v1 High-throughput density functional theory (DFT) calculations have become a vital element of computational materials science, enabling materials screening, property database generation, and training of “universal” machine learning models. While several software frameworks have emerged to support these computational efforts, new developments such as machine learned force fields have increased demands for more flexible and programmable workflow solutions. This manuscript introduces atomate2, a comprehensive evolution of our original atomate framework, designed to address existing limitations in computational materials research infrastructure. Key features include the support for multiple electronic structure packages and interoperability between them, along with generalizable workflows that can be written in an abstract form irrespective of the DFT package or machine learning force field used within them. Our hope is that atomate2’s improved usability and extensibility can reduce... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4vk9n5v1 Wed, 19 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Ganose, Alex Sahasrabuddhe, Hrushikesh Asta, Mark Beck, Kevin Biswas, Tathagata Bonkowski, Alexander Bustamante, Joana Chen, Xin Chiang, Yuan Chrzan, Daryl Clary, Jacob Cohen, Orion Ertural, Christina Gallant, Max George, Janine Gerits, Sophie Goodall, Rhys Guha, Rishabh Hautier, Geoffroy Horton, Matthew Kaplan, Aaron https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3439-4856 Kingsbury, Ryan Kuner, Matthew Li, Bryant Linn, Xavier McDermott, Matthew Mohanakrishnan, Rohith Srinivaas Naik, Aakash Neaton, Jeffrey Persson, Kristin Petretto, Guido Purcell, Thomas Ricci, Francesco Rich, Benjamin Riebesell, Janosh Rignanese, Gian-Marco Rosen, Andrew Scheffler, Matthias Schmidt, Jonathan Shen, Jimmy-Xuan Sobolev, Andrei Sundararaman, Ravishankar Tezak, Cooper Trinquet, Victor Varley, Joel Vigil-Fowler, Derek Wang, Duo Waroquiers, David Wen, Mingjian Yang, Han Zheng, Hui Zheng, Jiongzhi https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9841-7477 Zhu, Zhuoying Jain, Anubhav https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6cf3r8mt The rising demand for hydrogen calls for improvements in the efficiency of liquid alkaline water electrolysers (LAWEs), which can be fulfilled by advanced electrodes or separators. Nevertheless, they also intensify hydrogen crossover and safety concerns, thus mandating efficient mitigation strategies. Here we studied the correlation between cathodes and hydrogen crossover behaviours and mitigated safety risks by designing a gas recombination catalyst (GRC). We attribute the elevated hydrogen crossover associated with platinum-based cathodes to their preferential utilization for the hydrogen evolution reaction that creates elevated hydrogen supersaturation, as evidenced by direct measurements of dissolved hydrogen concentration. Varying the placement of platinum layers relative to the cathode–separator interface also supports this conclusion. The implementation of a GRC reduces hydrogen crossover by 95% without affecting LAWE performance and functions for over 1,000 h at 1 A cm−2.... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6cf3r8mt Tue, 18 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Liu, Haotian https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8941-5207 Lang, Jack T Babbe, Finn Bauer, Dylan https://orcid.org/0009-0005-5667-2089 Marquez Rossy, Andres Grejtak, Tomas He, Yuxiao Huang, Yu https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1793-0741 Cullen, David A Zenyuk, Iryna V https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1612-0475 Peng, Xiong https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6c9910fh We present imaging and spectroscopic observations of supernova SN 2025wny, associated with the lens candidate PS1 J0716+3821. Photometric monitoring from the Lulin and Maidanak observatories confirms multiple point-like images, consistent with SN 2025wny being strongly lensed by two foreground galaxies. Optical spectroscopy of the brightest image with the Nordic Optical Telescope and the University of Hawaii 88-inch Telescope allowed us to determine the redshift to be z SN = 2.008 ± 0.001, based on narrow absorption lines originating in the interstellar medium of the supernova host galaxy. At this redshift, SN 2025wny shows a very high rest-frame UV flux and broad spectral features even weeks after the explosion, which is consistent with superluminous supernovae of Type I. We find a high ejecta temperature and depressed spectral lines compared to other similar objects. We also measured, for the first time, the redshift of the fainter of the two lens galaxies (the ‘perturber’)... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6c9910fh Tue, 18 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Taubenberger, Stefan Acebron, Ana Cañameras, Raoul Chen, Ting-Wan Galan, Aymeric Grillo, Claudio Melo, Alejandra Schuldt, Stefan Schweinfurth, Allan G Suyu, Sherry H Aldering, Greg Aryan, Amar Lee, Yu-Hsing https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4229-5084 Mamuzic, Elias Millon, Martin Reynolds, Thomas M Sergeyev, Alexey V Asfandiyarov, Ildar M Basa, Stéphane Blondin, Stéphane Burkhonov, Otabek A Christensen, Lise Courbin, Frederic Ehgamberdiev, Shuhrat A Killestein, Tom L Mattila, Seppo Shaymanov, Asadulla M Shu, Yiping Xu, Dong Yang, Sheng Gruen, Daniel Pierel, Justin DR Storfer, Christopher J Tran, Kim-Vy Wong, Kenneth C Becerra, Rosa L Dornic, Damien Ducoin, Jean-Grégoire Globus, Noémie Gutiérrez, Claudia P Jiang, Ji-an Kuncarayakti, Hanindyo López-Cámara, Diego Lundqvist, Peter Magnani, Francesco Méndez, Enrique Moreno Schneider, Benjamin Vogl, Christian https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4jz940jk With advances in imaging technologies, modern photovoltaic (PV) systems generate large volumes of heterogeneous image data, including visible, electroluminescence (EL), and infrared (IR) images. Existing PV image analysis models, particularly deep learning approaches, are typically task-specific and lack cross-modality generalization. To address this limitation, this paper proposes an open-source large language model (LLM)–based unified framework for heterogeneous PV image diagnostics. Through task-aware diagnostic prompting, the framework enables analysis of visible, EL, and IR images within a single pipeline, supporting both zero-shot and few-shot inference and binary and multiclass classification. It is compatible with state-of-the-art multimodal LLMs, including ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, Qwen, and CLIP. The framework is evaluated on PV module condition classification (clean, soiling, snow, hail, and bird droppings) using visible images, cell crack detection using EL images,... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4jz940jk Tue, 18 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Li, Baojie Jain, Anubhav https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5893-9967 https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9f86k2qh Increasing growth of distributed solar photovoltaics (PV) and electric vehicles (EV) can strain local distribution networks and require costly upgrades. Distributed battery storage, often deployed alongside PV, can be used to mitigate those costs, depending on how batteries are operated. This study evaluates the potential deferral value of distributed battery storage across a range of tariff structures, focusing on the rate structures most commonly available to residential customers today and related variants. Deferrals are evaluated with a least-cost distribution grid expansion optimization model to identify requirements on line reconductoring, transformer upgrades, and voltage regulator installations under each tariff. Results show that TOU rates and net billing tariffs can yield meaningful deferral value, depending on specific tariff structure features. Under the best performing tariff structure tested, storage produced a median annualized deferral value of $7.18 per kW of... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9f86k2qh Tue, 11 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Rodriguez-Garcia, Luis Barbose, Galen Forrester, Sydney Blonsky, Michael Heleno, Miguel https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8021-7661 https://escholarship.org/uc/item/41z2t9nr Here, we advance electrode-omics to identify evolutionary bursts by which ethereal locally superconcentrated electrolytes (LSCEs) mitigate silicon anode degradation through its epochs of electrochemical and chemical reactions. Anode composites form initially at high potential from ethereal solvent and anion [bis(fluorosulfonyl)imide (FSI^-)] redox. A first evolutionary burst at lower potential enriches composites with lithium alkoxides (LiO-R) and lithium oxide (Li₂O) and depletes sulfur oxides (SO<i>_x</i>) species. As the cells are cycled, a second evolutionary burst takes place, where previously extinct SO<i>_x</i> species reemerge concurrently with a loss of LiO-R and Li₂O. This identifies reactions rooted in "SuFEx" chemistry, where oxoanionic LiO-R and Li₂O species, electrochemically generated in the solid-electrolyte interphase, chemically react with FSI^- in the electrolyte to form emergent species.... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/41z2t9nr Tue, 4 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Ko, Youngmin Kim, Dong-Min Musgrove, Amanda L Cha, Hyungyeon Klivansky, Liana Coyle, Jaclyn Dopilka, Andrew https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3474-2187 Trask, Stephen E Rodrigues, Marco-Tulio Fonseca Byeon, Young-Woon Kim, Haegyeom https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5962-8244 Kostecki, Robert https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4014-8232 Veith, Gabriel M Helms, Brett A https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3925-4174 https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9zc7g0hx A bipolar membrane electrolyzer coupling bicarbonate electrolysis with formaldehyde oxidation directly produces syngas (H 2 : CO = 1) at 1.7 V and 200 mA cm −2 with 200% combined Faradaic efficiency. We demonstrate an electrochemical syngas production platform that couples bicarbonate electrolysis with formaldehyde oxidation in a bipolar membrane electrode assembly. This strategy doubles syngas (CO + H 2 ) throughput compared to conventional CO 2 electrolysis by generating CO at the cathode and H 2 at the anode. The system achieves a full-cell voltage of 1.7 V while operating at an industrially relevant current density of 200 mA cm −2 . The system maintained a combined Faradaic efficiency of 200% over 8 hours. The process produces syngas with a 1 : 1 H 2 : CO ratio, aligning with downstream requirements for Fischer–Tropsch synthesis. We further investigated how Cu anode active sites and electrolyte composition affect formaldehyde oxidation activity. Our integrated electrolytic... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9zc7g0hx Mon, 3 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Huang, Po-Wei Choi, Hyeonuk Venkataraman, Anush Vulpin, Olivia Ruiz Torres, Claudio A Chipoco Haro, Danae A Zhu, Yaguang Yamazaki, Erika R Hatzell, Kelsey B Boettcher, Shannon W https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8971-9123 Nair, Sankar Oh, Jihun Song, Hakhyeon Hatzell, Marta C https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7891b2vg A systematic catalyst loading study reveals the higher catalytic activity of amorphous iridium oxide arises from bulk participation via suggested electrochemical descriptors, while identifying loading-independent intrinsic electrochemical properties. Proton exchange membrane water electrolyzers (PEMWEs) are promising zero-emission technologies. However, their high cost remains a barrier to widespread adoption. Iridium oxide is commonly used as an oxygen evolution reaction (OER) catalyst, and its cost and scarcity make it essential to reduce its loading while increasing its activity. Evaluation of iridium oxide activity should be carried out in the membrane electrode assembly (MEA) configuration to replicate realistic operating conditions. Herein, we present a comprehensive benchmarking framework to accurately evaluate the amorphous and crystalline iridium oxides at the MEA level. By systematically varying the catalyst loading, this study confirmed that each MEA was utilized... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7891b2vg Fri, 31 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Kwon, Obeen https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7950-4820 Shibata, Masao Suzuki Hamlyn, Rebecca Oh, Juhyun Lang, Jack T Wang, Cliffton Ray Boettcher, Shannon W https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8971-9123 Korzeniewski, Carol Crumlin, Ethan J Zachman, Michael J Morimoto, Yu Zenyuk, Iryna V https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1612-0475 https://escholarship.org/uc/item/39s6s91d Low-temperature electrochemical cells reducing iron oxides to metal in alkaline electrolytes can support fully electrified steelmaking processes. Previous studies on these cells have primarily focused on high-surface-area hematite, Fe 2 O 3 , reactants... Low-temperature electrochemical cells reducing iron oxides to metal in alkaline electrolytes can support fully electrified steelmaking processes. Previous studies on these cells have primarily focused on high-surface-area hematite, Fe 2 O 3 , reactants whereas attempts to reduce suspensions of magnetite, Fe 3 O 4 —one of the two feedstocks for existing ironmaking reactors—have generally been limited to low rates of reaction (&lt;30 mA cm -2 ). Here, we control the crystalline domain size of Fe 2 O 3 and Fe 3 O 4 particles in 10 M NaOH electrolytes to study how the nanoscale morphology of oxides controls the rate of electrochemical ironmaking. Rotating-ring disk electrode measurements of Fe 2+ , in-situ Raman spectroscopy of... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/39s6s91d Fri, 31 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Shekhar, Raj Cecil, James A Goldman, Andrew C Rahman, Evandi Moutarlier, Louka J Khaliq, Faiqa Davenport, Audrey Boettcher, Shannon https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8971-9123 Kempler, Paul Andrew https://escholarship.org/uc/item/34w5k3hx Correction to “Anions in Corrosion: Influence of Polymer Electrolytes on the Interfacial Ion Transfer Kinetics of Cu at Au(111) Surfaces” https://escholarship.org/uc/item/34w5k3hx Fri, 31 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Thurman, Kira A Cannan, Caitlyn C Shekhar, Raj Zhao, Yang Boettcher, Shannon W https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8971-9123 Kempler, Paul A https://escholarship.org/uc/item/2834m2k7 As research and industrial interest in anion-exchange membrane water electrolysis (AEMWE) grows, there is an increasing need for reliable baselines and cross-lab validation of results. The wide variety of material sets and operating conditions under consideration for AEMWE has thus far limited efforts for standardization. In this study, round-robin testing was conducted in deionized water and KOH-based supporting electrolyte by 5 institutions from academia, national laboratories, and industry to provide baseline performance data and identify sources of cross-lab variability. Baseline membrane electrode assemblies were fabricated with commercial catalysts, membranes, and transport layers using standard techniques and tested using reagent-grade electrolytes, aiming for accessibility rather than state-of-the-art performance. From all tests, the average voltage at 1 A/cm2 was 2.72 ± 0.17 V and 1.87 ± 0.03 V in deionized water and 0.1 M KOH, respectively. The maximum in-house and cross-lab... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/2834m2k7 Fri, 31 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Kreider, Melissa E Mendoza, B Milenia Rojas Brusse, Luke Syar, Duha Kwak, Minkyoung Yang, Patrick Chang, Hung-Ming Joseph Hannagan, Ryan T Amador, Isabela Rios Ekennia, Anthony C Oliveira, Nicholas J Nielander, Adam C Boettcher, Shannon W https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8971-9123 Zenyuk, Iryna V https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1612-0475 Jaramillo, Thomas F Alia, Shaun M Lakshmanan, Balasubramanian https://escholarship.org/uc/item/0zh3q9gs The corrosion kinetics of metals in the presence of polymer electrolyteswhich are frequently used in devices for the electrochemical production of hydrogen, hydrocarbons, and alcoholsis convoluted by transport and ill-defined reactive interfaces that mask the fundamental reaction kinetics. Underpotential-deposited monolayers of Cu at Au(111) surfaces provide a structurally well-defined active site for interfacial ion transfer with a fixed number of sites available for adsorption. Here, we investigate the adsorption behavior of Cu at Au(111) surfaces across a series of sulfate and sulfonate electrolytes to understand how anion structure influences the kinetics of elementary interfacial ion-transfer reactions. The influence of anion structure is most significant at high adsorbate coverage, with similar adsorption isotherms and kinetics observed for sulfates and two molecular sulfonates. In contrast, a suspended perfluorosulfonic acid ionomer reduced both the equilibrium coverage... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/0zh3q9gs Fri, 31 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Thurman, Kira A Cannan, Caitlyn M Shekhar, Raj Zhao, Yang Boettcher, Shannon W https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8971-9123 Kempler, Paul A https://escholarship.org/uc/item/00z354vq Understanding ion transport through nanopores provides a central basis in advancing the design of molecular sensors or the preparation of biomimetic systems. Here we report a continuum modeling approach that introduces an alternating current field to investigate the competition between a surface-charge dominated electromigration process under a frequency induced ion dynamics at nanoscales. We highlight a transition from a surface-charge-dominated effect, where electric double layer impacts prevail, to bulk-like ion dynamics as pore dimensions approach the microscale. Results reveal that rapid electromigration dominates ion distribution at a millisecond time scale, generating transient, non-equilibrium concentration profiles. In contrast, lower frequency perturbations enable diffusion to equilibrate ion distributions within each cycle, establishing periodic quasi-steady states. The findings from this work highlight the interplay of ion selectivity and distribution by exploiting... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/00z354vq Fri, 31 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Yang, Zicheng D’Antona, Nick Boettcher, Shannon W https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8971-9123 Sa, Niya https://escholarship.org/uc/item/90p9k3w0 Bipolar membranes (BPMs) provide a platform to isolate and study heterolytic water dissociation (WD) and the reverse H+/OH- recombination reactions (H+/OH- RC) within a confined ionic heterojunction formed between acidic and alkaline ionomer membranes. Previous work has demonstrated that incorporating nanoparticle catalysts within the heterojunction can reduce the overpotentials (i.e., change in transmembrane bias) to drive WD and H+/OH- RC. Various mechanistic hypotheses have been proposed to explain the observed rate enhancement, typically invoking local electric fields and catalyst surface chemistry. However, the fundamental role of the catalyst within the BPM remains unclear, and alternative modalities for interrogating H+-transfer kinetics in BPMs are thus necessary. Here, we report a platform for controlling the WD and H+/OH- RC catalyst chemistry in-operando by polarizing the catalyst layer via an orthogonal circuit and measuring the full-cell (e.g., BPM water electrolyzer... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/90p9k3w0 Thu, 30 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Stovall, Timothy Nathan Boettcher, Shannon W https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8971-9123 Weber, Adam Z https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7749-1624 https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6mq872qj Bipolar membranes (BPMs) provide a platform for the interconversion between electric and chemical potential gradients and the precise control over local ion concentrations and fluxes, making BPMs attractive materials for many electrochemical processes. In reverse bias charge carriers must be generated via heterolytic water dissociation (WD, 2H2O → OH- + H3O+), and which must be accomplished at high rates and low overpotentials to realize scalable BPM applications. It is hypothesized that WD is driven by a combination of electric field and catalytic effects within the bipolar junction. However, the extent to which each contributes to observed rates, and the possible interplay between the two, is yet to be resolved. Here, we explore the interfacial physics within the BPM to understand the kinetics and mechanisms of water dissociation on TiO2 and graphene oxide (GO) derivative catalysts. Using a membrane-potential-sensing testbed we isolate the WD polarization signature in a BPM... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6mq872qj Thu, 30 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Stovall, Timothy Nathan Bui, Justin C Boettcher, Shannon W https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8971-9123 Weber, Adam Z https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7749-1624 https://escholarship.org/uc/item/2t24j914 The solar-to-hydrogen conversion efficiencies for overall water splitting on particulate systems is low, below 3%. This limitation is in significant part due to the poor understanding, and thus inability to engineer, carrier-selective electron and hole contacts to the hydrogen- and oxygen-evolving electrocatalysts on the light-absorbing semiconductor particle. With dual-working-electrode and element-specific electric-potential measurements on SrTiO₃ model semiconductors by operando ambient-pressure X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, we show that selective carrier collection emerges from cooperative adaptive junctions. Under illumination, hole collection by metal-oxide electrocatalysts drives metal cation oxidation that increases the effective interface electron barrier and improves hole selectivity. Simultaneously, electrons accumulate on metal hydrogen catalysts like Pt, forming hydridic species that lower the electron barrier. These findings challenge the idea that differences... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/2t24j914 Thu, 30 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Kaufman, Aaron Wheeler, Kaden Crumlin, Ethan J Boettcher, Shannon W https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8971-9123 https://escholarship.org/uc/item/23s0519g Commercial membrane electrolyzers rely on acidic fluorocarbon membranes and ionomers, requiring the use of expensive IrOx-based oxygen-evolution catalysts. Anion-exchange-membrane water electrolyzers (AEMWEs) operate in an alkaline environment, enabling the use of non-precious-metal catalysts. Here, we study and engineer CoOx-based catalyst-coated anodes deposited via hydrothermal synthesis directly onto porous transport layers both with and without thermal annealing. Self-supported, nanoneedle-structured Co3O4 anode, formed by annealing the as-synthesized cobalt carbonate hydroxide, Co(CO3)x(OH)y, outperforms the baseline Co3O4 nanoparticle ink-based anode in pure-water-fed AEMWE, due to improved catalyst layer continuity and thus electroactive surface area. The as-synthesized and unannealed Co(CO3)x(OH)y), however, appears to undergo substantial conversion to a more-active CoOx(OH)y phase predominantly at the surface, with nominally Co3+ present and higher electrical conductivity,... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/23s0519g Thu, 30 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Kwak, Minkyoung Hou, Shujin Spence, Kieran J Debela, Tekalign T Boettcher, Shannon W https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8971-9123 https://escholarship.org/uc/item/2jr4h3pr ABSTRACT Disordered rocksalt cathodes hold promise for achieving high‐capacity lithium‐ion batteries while using low‐cost, earth‐abundant elements. However, their electrochemical performance remains critically limited by their poor electronic conductivity. Conventional strategies such as high‐energy ball milling with excess carbon additives can improve conductivity but remain challenging to scale and often produce defects and increase surface area, thereby accelerating capacity degradation. Herein, we report an alternative approach of electrostatic‐attraction‐driven self‐assembly to fabricate Li 1.2 Mn 0.6 Ti 0.2 O 1.8 F 0.2 (LMTOF) particles uniformly wrapped with electronically conductive graphene sheets without associated materials degradation. The graphene‐wrapped LMTOF demonstrates significantly improved cycling stability (89% capacity retention after 100 cycles) and superior rate capability compared with an LMTOF‐carbon composite electrode fabricated using the conventional... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/2jr4h3pr Wed, 29 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Avvaru, Venkata Sai Zuba, Mateusz Armstrong, Beth L Wang, Shilong https://orcid.org/0009-0004-8504-5802 Tran, Minh X Rinkel, Bernardine LD https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4455-7313 Babbe, Finn Lohani, Harshita Fu, Yanbao Buyuker, Isik Su Battaglia, Vincent https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5596-9148 Kahvecioglu, Ozgenur Kostecki, Robert https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4014-8232 McCloskey, Bryan D https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6599-2336 Kim, Haegyeom https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5962-8244 https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9wp505hd Localized high-concentration electrolytes (LHCEs) have been identified as promising electrolyte formulations for lithium metal batteries, due to their effective interphase formation and promotion of compact Li deposition, yet their practical implementation is often limited by reduced ion transport kinetics. In this study, two industrially established fluorinated ethers are identified for the first time in battery research as effective co-diluents as they combine a broad electrochemical stability window with a low viscosity and intrinsic non-flammability. Incorporating these components, commonly used as heat transfer fluids, yields safer, less flammable electrolyte formulations with enhanced ion mobilities. In particular, the ternary co-diluent formulation shows improved ion mobility by reducing the electrolyte's viscosity while limiting excessive ion clustering. Based on the improved electrolyte transport kinetics, lower overvoltages and higher Coulombic efficiencies at current... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9wp505hd Wed, 22 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Weintz, Dominik Aboobacker, Adil Dopilka, Andrew Pfeiffer, Felix Hockmann, Anne Rodehorst, Uta Wölke, Christian Schönhoff, Monika Kostecki, Robert https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4014-8232 Diddens, Diddo Winter, Martin Cekic‐Laskovic, Isidora https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7818s4r3 Perfluorosulfonic acid (PFSA) membranes are critical components in proton exchange membrane fuel cells, where performance depends on balancing ionic conductivity, mechanical durability, and chemical stability. This study characterizes a composite membrane (NC700) featuring PFSA-impregnated expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (ePTFE) reinforcement and cerium-based radical scavengers, benchmarked against unreinforced NR211. Complementary techniques, including electron microscopy, X-ray scattering, infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, and dynamic mechanical analysis, identify the structural and compositional strategies employed in NC700. Water sorption isotherms reveal lower water uptake for NC700 across all conditions, attributed to reinforcement and cerium incorporation. Reinforcement reduces in-plane swelling from 11% to 2.1% at 90% RH, confirming strong swelling anisotropy, while maintaining mechanical properties at elevated temperatures. While the ionic conductivity... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7818s4r3 Tue, 21 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Kushner, Douglas I https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3020-7737 Lau, Grace Liu, Athena Y Kusoglu, Ahmet https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2761-1050 https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7zp8c06k Understanding and improving the performance and longevity of lithium-ion batteries critically depends on insight into the dynamic processes occurring at buried electrode-electrolyte interfaces. However, direct, depth-resolved, and operando diagnosis of these interfaces remains a longstanding challenge due to their inaccessibility beneath bulk materials, the limitations of conventional surface- and bulk-sensitive characterization tools, and the difficulty of maintaining realistic cell environments during measurement. These challenges have made it nearly impossible to uniquely resolve important interfacial properties such as charge transfer resistance, SEI (solid electrolyte interphase) resistance, and solvation entropy at the individual electrode interfaces within a working cell, information that is essential for mechanistic insight and accelerated battery design. Here, we report the development of multiharmonic electro-thermal spectroscopy (METS), an operando technique that enables... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7zp8c06k Wed, 15 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Chalise, Divya Lubner, Sean Kaur, Sumanjeet https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7525-5492 Srinivasan, Venkat Prasher, Ravi S https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3282-7147 https://escholarship.org/uc/item/40t1x2r1 Reflection and backscattering of IR light from free space laser plasmas in air https://escholarship.org/uc/item/40t1x2r1 Wed, 15 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Meehan, Kristofer C https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5411-2767 Zhang, Boyu Chirinos, Jose Mao, Xianglei Zorba, Vassilia https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3498-5314 https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3kr3p34k Ultrafast lasers are empowering tools for standoff material analysis. Here, we explore the use of laser produced plasmas as remotely-generated free space reflection and scattering elements to dramatically enhance infrared spectral signature collection. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3kr3p34k Wed, 15 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Meehan, Kristofer C https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5411-2767 Chirinos, Jose Mao, Xianglei Zorba, Vassilia https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3498-5314 https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3dh0p5gp Free space laser plasmas as scattering and reflection elements for standoff IR spectroscopy https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3dh0p5gp Wed, 15 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Meehan, Kristofer C https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5411-2767 Zhang, Boyu Chirinos, José Mao, Xianglei Zorba, Vassilia https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3498-5314 https://escholarship.org/uc/item/19s4c979 Acoustic transducers are essential for object localization and environmental sensing. Conventional transducers rely on piezoelectric crystals, whose acoustic-electric response is fixed by the crystal lattice's inherent asymmetry and orientation. This results in static coupling behavior, necessitating bulky arrays of rigid elements with complex wiring and high computational demands for directional sensing. Here, we report a fundamentally new class of acoustic-electric coupling that emerges from topology-governed charge transport in 3D micro-architected piezoelectric metamaterials. Unlike single crystals, these architected materials exhibit dynamic, geometry-driven electromechanical responses. Acoustic waves excite multiple coupled vibration modes, enabling selective amplification, suppression, or reversal of charge flow based on the incident wave's frequency, direction, and the material's topology. This tunable, symmetry-breaking response is encoded not in the chemistry but in... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/19s4c979 Tue, 14 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Couëdel, Victor Lu, Haotian Zhang, Jiayan Yao, Desheng Bhardwaj, Ananya Contreras, Ramiro Sabra, Karim Zheng, Xiaoyu https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4rh9f8j0 X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy and Electrochemical Quartz Crystal Microbalance experiments were used to uncover the origins of the poorer cycle life of NMC9055 compared to NMC622. NMC (LiNi x Co y Mn z O 2 ; x + y + z ≈ 1) cathodes are widely used in Li-ion batteries for long-range vehicle applications. The Ni content in NMC cathodes directly affects practical capacity and, therefore, the energy densities of Li-ion batteries. Ni-rich NMC cathodes, however, suffer a tradeoff between increased energy density and decreased cycle life. In this study, we investigate the tradeoff between capacity and cycle life by thoroughly characterizing the interfacial chemistry of two NMC materials, LiNi 0.6 Co 0.2 Mn 0.2 O 2 (NMC622) and LiNi 0.9 Co 0.05 Mn 0.05 O 2 (NMC9055), in an attempt to understand the impact of Ni content on surface properties and cell performance. In situ electrochemical quartz crystal microbalance (EQCM) measurements were employed on NMC622 and NMC9055 along with... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4rh9f8j0 Mon, 6 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Theibault, Monica J Nordlund, Dennis Doeff, Marca Tong, Wei https://escholarship.org/uc/item/49d0v00s Abstract Bipolar membranes (BPMs) enable electrochemical systems that operate across large pH gradients; however, high-current operation is often limited by voltage losses whose origins remain difficult to resolve in membrane−electrode assemblies. Here, we combine electrochemical impedance spectroscopy with distribution of relaxation times (EIS–DRT) analysis and operando synchrotron X-ray diffraction to examine interfacial polarization, membrane hydration, and transport in commercial and synthesized BPMs. EIS–DRT isolates the BPM-associated interfacial contribution and shows that the commercial BPM exhibits larger water-dissociation-associated overpotentials than the synthesized BPM. Operando hydration mapping shows that both membranes retain water at the bipolar junction during high-current operation, while anode-adjacent hydration gradients are more pronounced in the commercial membrane. These results indicate that high-current voltage losses are not governed by junction water... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/49d0v00s Thu, 2 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Torres, Claudio Adrian Ruiz Zhu, Yaguang Vulpin, Olivia Wu, Yifan Li, Zhuo Drakopoulos, Michael Vo, Nghia T Boettcher, Shannon W https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8971-9123 Hatzell, Marta C Hatzell, Kelsey B https://escholarship.org/uc/item/8fw047pw Abstract Lithium‐oxygen batteries (LOBs) possess a high theoretical energy density, making them potential candidates for next‐generation energy storage. However, challenges such as reactive oxygen species‐induced component degradation hinder their practical use. Inorganic solid‐state electrolytes offer an alternative to degradation‐prone aprotic electrolytes, while also protecting lithium anodes from potential atmospheric reactants. This study explores the cathode electrochemistry of solid‐state LOBs using humidified oxygen, which forms an aqueous catholyte during initial cycling, thereby improving cathode‐electrolyte contact. To quantitatively analyze the cathode electrochemistry, a ‘Humidity‐Incorporated’ Differential Electrochemical Gas Monitoring System (HiDEMS) is developed to control humidity and monitor gas consumption and evolution in real time. When studying a Li‐O 2 cell that employs a NASICON‐type Li 1.3 Al 0.3 Ti 1.7 (PO 4 ) 3 (LATP) solid electrolyte and a porous... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/8fw047pw Wed, 1 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Lee, Jaeheon https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9285-0728 Matte, Livia P Tronstad, Zachary C Holstun, Tucker Mishra, Tara P https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3000-2555 Kim, Mokwon Park, Jung O Kim, Jeong Won Ceder, Gerbrand https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9275-3605 Scott, Mary C McCloskey, Bryan D https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6599-2336 https://escholarship.org/uc/item/8087g0x8 Sodium-ion batteries (NIBs) are increasingly becoming commercially viable alternatives to lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), driven by sodium’s lower cost and greater resource availability. However, current NIB technology still falls short of established LIB systems, such as those based on LiFePO4, in both cost efficiency and energy density. Although since the early 2020s, industrial advances have raised NIB energy densities to around 175 Wh kg−1, performance remains limited by the relatively low specific capacity (typically 200–350 mAh g−1) and low tap density (0.3–1.0 g cm−3) of the prevailing hard carbon anodes. This Review analyses emerging anode materials that could unlock higher-energy and lower-cost NIBs, with a focus on high-capacity hard carbon and alloy-based systems. We discuss the latest progress, fundamental challenges and future directions in these anode materials across the key themes of electrode design, structure–property engineering and characterization. By offering... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/8087g0x8 Tue, 30 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Zuo, Wenhua Liu, Zaichun Dopilka, Andrew Yang, Ziqi Li, Yuqi Kubal, Joseph Kim, Haegyeom https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5962-8244 Liu, Fang Liu, Ping Ngo, Anh T Nelson Weker, Johanna Chen, Zonghai Kostecki, Robert https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4014-8232 Wulf-Knoerzer, Julie Srinivasan, Venkat Cui, Yi Amine, Khalil Xu, Gui-Liang https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6gk4567g Ionomers act as the solid polymer electrolyte membrane in many modern electrochemical devices, yet the role of their nanostructure in modulating the poroelastic response remains poorly understood, especially in liquid water, where few techniques can measure simultaneous transport-mechanical properties. Poroelastic Relaxation Indentation (PRI) is uniquely suited for measuring time-dependent transport-mechanical properties of porous solids, specifically hydraulic diffusivity, elastic modulus, Poisson’s ratio, and intrinsic permeability, for porous solids. While ionomers such as Nafion are not porous in the typical sense, Nafion has a nanophase-segregated structure that, when fully swollen in liquid water, behaves as a poroelastic solid with a coupled mechanical-transport response. Using a poroelastic framework, we investigate how casting and pretreatment of Nafion membranes alter their poroelastic response in liquid environments. We characterize both extruded and dispersion-cast... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6gk4567g Thu, 25 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Shen, Margaret Kusoglu, Ahmet https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2761-1050 Frechette, Joelle https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5680-6554 https://escholarship.org/uc/item/1429d6ds Prediction of the catalyst-activated carbon particle sizes of fuel-cell inks remains a critical challenge in enhancing the performance and durability of fuel cells. The performance and structural integrity of the catalyst layers in the cell depend not only on the properties of the ionomer, but also on the carbon supports that host the catalyst. To investigate how these carbon aggregate structures form, we present a model that calculates the cooperative size distributions of ionomer and carbon aggregates in various water/alcohol mixtures and compares those results to available experimental data. Aggregation of both the suspended ionomers and the carbon particles is interwoven as the carbon aggregation depends heavily on the ionic strength of its environment, namely protons dissociating from the ionomer’s sulfonic-acid-group side chains. We demonstrate that the surrounding mixed solvent as well as NafionTM binder concentration strongly influence the degree of aggregation for carbon... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/1429d6ds Thu, 25 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Srivastav, Harsh Weber, Adam Z https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7749-1624 Radke, Clayton J https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1587-4822 https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3mk051qx Surface protection and functional modification of aircraft-certified aluminum alloys are essential for corrosion resistance, durability, and long-term airworthiness. At the same time, increasingly restrictive environmental regulations motivate the development of alternatives to legacy wet-chemical surface treatments. This study presents an integrated assessment of ultrafast femtosecond laser surface texturing as a surface functionalization approach for Aluminum 6061 alloys within an aerospace manufacturing and sustainability context. Ultrashort-pulse laser processing enables controlled micro- and nano-scale surface topographical modification with limited thermal impact, allowing adjustment of wettability and surface functionality while preserving bulk material integrity. As a dry and contactless process, femtosecond laser treatment eliminates the use of hazardous chemicals, reduces consumable inputs, and generates minimal secondary waste. A streamlined cradle-to-gate life cycle... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3mk051qx Tue, 23 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000 de Almeida Prado, Luis Antonio Sanchez Coskun, Selim Cadène, Anne-Laure Reguengo, Ramon Angel Antelo Carter, Jake Ito, Kyle Park, Minok https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5113-3706 Zorba, Vassilia https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3498-5314 https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6kv3p3jb Extreme heat events have widespread effects on power systems, reducing available generation capacity, limiting transmission capabilities, and causing unusual demand patterns on the consumer side. As these combined effects expose bulk transmission systems to potential large-scale blackouts, utilities may be required to schedule and apply rotating outages, by temporarily and alternately disconnecting distribution substations to reduce overload. However, utilities lack mechanisms to inform these events, exacerbating the negative effects of heat waves on affected communities. This paper introduces a novel framework for scheduling rotating outages during heat waves while considering impacts on consumers’ safety. Instead of random sequential load shedding, we propose a methodology to rotate power outages considering a metric that quantifies the indoor overheating risk of groups of consumers during a power outage. The overheating risk is derived from a detailed building simulation using... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6kv3p3jb Thu, 18 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Rodriguez-Garcia, Luis Heleno, Miguel https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8021-7661 Zhang, Wanni Li, Han https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4638-9907 Sun, Kaiyu https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6621-4971 Hong, Tianzhen https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1886-9137 https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5mn5m5c5 Bipolar membranes (BPMs) create counteracting spatial gradients of pH and electrostatic potential in electrochemical systems, enabling applications in pH regulation, electrocatalysis, and separations. At the polarized junction of a BPM the water dissociation (WD, 2H₂O ⇌ H₃O⁺ + OH^-) reaction can be driven, but it remains poorly understood. In this Perspective, we integrate molecular insights from bulk-water autoionization and the associated field effects with continuum descriptions of BPM electrostatics and experimental WD kinetic analyses to describe possible mechanisms of voltage-driven WD. Pristine BPM junctions highlight both the limits of primarily electric-field-driven WD and the practical challenges of junction stability at extreme reverse bias. Introducing heterogeneous catalyst layers, commonly metal oxides and graphene oxides, accelerates WD by orders of magnitude through hypothesized coupled effects in which surface acid-base... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5mn5m5c5 Wed, 10 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Wu, Yifan Stovall, T Nathan Xi, Dawei https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5412-3474 Hou, Shujin Sarma, Prasad Vulpin, Olivia T Sasmal, Sayantan Weber, Adam Z Bui, Justin C Boettcher, Shannon W https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8971-9123 https://escholarship.org/uc/item/45h8w4xk This study investigates the formation mechanism of non-doped cubic lithium lanthanum zirconium oxide (c-LLZO) nanofibers using in situ synchrotron X-ray scattering techniques. Electrospun polymer precursor nanofibers were annealed at temperatures up to 800 °C, enabling real-time tracking of phase transitions via simultaneous small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), wide-angle X-ray scattering (WAXS), and evolved CO2 gas analysis. The results reveal a three-step transformation pathway: polymer decomposition, formation of La2Zr2O7 (LZO), and direct conversion of LZO to c-LLZO without intermediate tetragonal phases detected within the sensitivity of our in situ WAXS measurement. Cryo-electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) further elucidates the role of lithium diffusion, showing Li enrichment at fiber surfaces and Li deficiency in the interior, which stabilizes the cubic phase. This Li segregation effect in nanostructured LLZO materials extends beyond the previously reported size effect.... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/45h8w4xk Wed, 10 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Wang, Guanyi Lee, Byeongdu Powers, Devon Burns, Meghan Lee, Young-Geun https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4229-5084 Tucker, Michael C Yoon, Jeong Seop Barai, Pallab Liu, Yuzi Srinivasan, Venkat Tepavcevic, Sanja Zhang, Yuepeng https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4kb4s6pg Correction to: Naturehttps://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-023-06734-w Published online 29 November 2023 Following publication of this article, concerns were raised about the unambiguous identification of the compound structures using diffraction as well as the original claims of material novelty. We acknowledge that the original claims of material novelty were subject to misinterpretation—their intention was to indicate that the materials were new to the prediction platform, not necessarily new to science. The article text has been updated to reflect this in the HTML and PDF versions of the article. For a&nbsp;detailed breakdown of the textual changes, please see the annotated PDF article file available as Supplementary Information accompanying this amendment. In addition, we have manually re-analyzed the diffraction patterns and have confirmed that the prediction platform came to the correct conclusion in 36 of its 40 reported successes, with 4 compounds being inconclusive. This re-analysis... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4kb4s6pg Tue, 9 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Szymanski, Nathan J Rendy, Bernardus Fei, Yuxing https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1225-2083 Kumar, Rishi E He, Tanjin Milsted, David McDermott, Matthew J Gallant, Max Cubuk, Ekin Dogus Merchant, Amil Kim, Haegyeom https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5962-8244 Jain, Anubhav https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5893-9967 Bartel, Christopher J Persson, Kristin Zeng, Yan Ceder, Gerbrand https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9275-3605 https://escholarship.org/uc/item/82t702k0 The colloidal stability of polyethylene nanoplastics (PE NPs) impacts their environmental fate. UV weathering and pollutant adsorption modify the surface of nanoparticles, alter particle-particle interactions and, in turn, modulate their colloidal stability. This study reports on the colloidal stability of 200 nm PE NPs as a function of salt concentration and surface treatment. Colloidal stability is determined for the as made particles, after UV weathering, and in the presence of perfluorooctanic acid (PFOA). Aggregation kinetics is determined using dynamic light scattering and zeta potentials. The surface properties of the PE NPs are characterized using FT-IR spectroscopy, tensiometry, and adhesion measurements. Pristine PE NPs are colloidally stable in dispersions below ∼0.1 mol L^-1, but rapidly aggregate at higher salt concentrations. Environmental modifications have contrasting effects on PE NP stability. The presence of PFOA does not significantly impact the overall... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/82t702k0 Fri, 22 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Wu, Peiyao Pasquet, Marina Duong, Vy Riabchenko, Viktoriia Frechette, Joelle https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5680-6554 https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7rz0g4mh Adhesives containing multidentate hydrogen bonding moieties are gaining prominence for their ability to adhere strongly underwater. Previous studies attributed their remarkable underwater adhesion to the multiple adjacent attachment points within a moiety stabilizing the bond, enabling cooperative hydrogen bonding. However, as adhesion involves multiple coupled phenomena, isolating the contribution of individual bonds to the adhesive strength remains challenging. Here we investigate the relationship between peeling velocity and adhesion over a range of temperatures to estimate the activation energy of the chemical bonds that fracture at the adhesive interface. We utilize a model epoxy modified by the addition of tridentate hydrogen bonding moieties (DGEBA-Tris). We report on the effect of curing, debonding temperature, and crack velocity on the adhesive strength at the DGEBA-Tris/mica interface. Adhesion is measured using self-arrested crack propagation to probe the threshold... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7rz0g4mh Fri, 22 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Lamberty, Zachary D https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2948-9818 Tran, Ngon T https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5988-1784 Knorr, Daniel B https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3165-371X Frechette, Joelle https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5680-6554 https://escholarship.org/uc/item/16x5n4gn Operation-induced surface reconstruction of photoelectrodes is poorly understood and underexplored as a path to control photoelectrochemical stability. Here, we show how adaptive junctions form in association with the surface reconstruction of bismuth vanadate during glycerol oxidation and how these surfaces have electrolyte-dependent kinetics and effects on durability. Preferential vanadium dissolution in both acidic and alkaline media forms a bismuth-rich layer, for which opposing catalytic roles with respect to pH are found. In situ measurements through a dual-working-electrode platform quantify the changes in photovoltage and charge-transfer resistance derived from adaptive junction formation during glycerol oxidation, while also enabling quantitative separation of the driving forces for charge separation and interfacial catalysis. The reconstructed surface in acidic media improves hole transfer kinetics, functions as a glycerol oxidation catalyst, and imparts photostability.... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/16x5n4gn Thu, 7 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Yang, Jin Wook Kwon, Hee Ryeong Kim, Dong Su Sagui, Nicole A Hwang, Yun Jeong Jang, Ho Won Boettcher, Shannon W https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8971-9123 https://escholarship.org/uc/item/15w093tz Electrochemical methods for carbon capture potentially have the advantage of low cost and low energy consumption. The practical applicability of pH-swing carbon capture processes driven by proton-coupled redox-active molecules has been limited by the sensitivity of reduced molecules to oxidation by O2. In those CO2 capture processes, the molecules are reduced, basifying the electrolyte; the electrolyte containing the reduced molecules is exposed to air or flue gas containing CO2 but also containing enough O2 to oxidize the molecules. O2 sensitivity would not be problematic if the electrolyte that captures CO2 contains the oxidized form of the molecule instead; this can be accomplished by switching from an electron-driven system to an ion-driven system. We report the development and performance of a two-chamber flow cell incorporating a reverse-bias bipolar membrane (BPM) and non-proton-coupled redox-active molecules for ion-driven pH-swing. When using ferri/ferrocyanide electrolytes... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/15w093tz Wed, 6 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Xi, Dawei Zhao, Panlin Bansal, Manav Vulpin, Olivia T Boettcher, Shannon W https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8971-9123 Aziz, Michael J https://escholarship.org/uc/item/10m5n49t hashin_shtrikman_mp: a package for the optimal design and discovery of multi-phase composite materials https://escholarship.org/uc/item/10m5n49t Wed, 6 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Becker, Carla J Sahasrabuddhe, Hrushikesh Gallant, Max C Jain, Anubhav https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5893-9967 Persson, Kristin A https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2495-5509 Zohdi, Tarek I https://escholarship.org/uc/item/2j64q0xq Accelerating energy technology development will increase demand for critical raw materials, such as gallium, that enable clean energy technologies. Processing of gallium is concentrated in mainland China (98 % of global production in 2023), resulting in high supply risks for importing countries. To investigate pathways for more resilient supply, we develop a material flow analysis and apply it to the United States, showing the impacts of future domestic primary raw material production and end-of-life (EoL) product recycling on reducing import reliance of raw gallium metal. We complement this analysis with a techno-economic assessment of North American gallium production costs under various demand growth scenarios. Our results indicate that sufficient domestic feedstocks exist to meet U.S. demand under most scenarios by 2035, while EoL recycling can supply up to 50 % under a low-demand growth scenario. Domestic primary production shows significant cost advantages over gallium recycling. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/2j64q0xq Fri, 1 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Wesselkaemper, Jannis Newkirk, Alex C https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6213-6865 Hendrickson, Thomas P https://orcid.org/0009-0003-8637-9612 Helal, Nadiyah Rao, Prakash Smith, Sarah J https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0179-4546 Haddad, Andrew Z https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9206-3505 https://escholarship.org/uc/item/20b4f7qs California's energy landscape is undergoing a significant transformation, driven by the increasing integration of renewable energy sources, the increased adoption of distributed energy resources, the electrification of end-use loads, and the growing need for grid efficiency. To address these challenges, recent revisions to the State’s Load Management Standards (LMS) require all of California’s large utilities and community choice aggregators (CCAs) to offer dynamic electricity pricing options to customers by 2027. Dynamic pricing, which involves varying electricity rates based on real-time supply and demand conditions, offers a promising solution for optimizing grid operations, reducing costs, and incentivizing efficient use of grid capacity. Effective implementation of dynamic pricing requires understanding the potential impacts on customer bills, system load, and the cost-effectiveness of automation technologies. This study aims to evaluate the load response of various end-use... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/20b4f7qs Wed, 29 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Smith, Sarah https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0179-4546 Murthy, Sam Stuebs, Marius Baik, Sunhee https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0946-2423 Agarwal, Shreya Nordman, Bruce Taylor, Margaret Brown, Richard Black, D Piette, Mary Ann https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7c20j166 ABSTRACT The water balance in hydroxide‐exchange‐membrane fuel cells (HEMFCs) is a key challenge for improved performance and durability, intimately linked with the various interfaces and coupled phenomena. For every 4 electrons produced, 4 water molecules are generated in the anode and 2 consumed in the cathode, while electroosmosis transports water across the HEM from the cathode to the anode. Consequently, a concentration gradient drives water back, from anode to cathode. Ineffective water management could lead to cathode dry‐out, limiting reaction rate and causing ionomer degradation, or to anode flooding. To address these concerns, it is critical to measure the water transport operando . Herein, a home‐built water‐flux station is used to measure total water flux during cell operation with different inlet relative humidities and back pressures. Increasing the HEM thickness fourfold decreases the water flux at high current density, and utilizing microporous layers on both... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7c20j166 Fri, 24 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Weiss, Catherine M Wang, Shiyi Setzler, Brian P Yan, Yushan Weber, Adam Z https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7749-1624 https://escholarship.org/uc/item/39t0j304 Efficient hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) catalysts that reduce the use of noble metals and can be synthesized on a large scale are essential for advancing anion exchange membrane water electrolyzers (AEMWEs) toward commercialization. Herein, we present a composite catalyst in which Ru nanoparticles coexist with Ru single-atom alloys (SAAs) dispersed within Ni nanoparticles (Ru-SAA/Ni), creating a highly active HER electrocatalyst. Using a one-pot and scalable synthesis method, we can tune the material composition from SAA, <i>i.e.</i> materials containing atomically dispersed Ru atoms (with ≤0.4 at% Ru) to composite structures in which SAAs coexist with Ru NPs. Comprehensive characterization using XPS, XAS, and TEM confirms Ru-SAA formation at a low Ru content and composite structures at higher contents. Electrochemical evaluations conducted in a three-electrode setup reveal that Ru-SAA/Ni composites achieve HER performance on par with that of Pt/C. Computational insights suggest... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/39t0j304 Thu, 23 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Khalil, Gaëlle Dias-Fernandes, Marie-Sophie Bawari, Sumit Li, Linghui Muthuraj, Chiddharth Ducrozet, Florent Kwak, Minkyoung Comesaña-Hermo, Miguel Zitolo, Andrea Steinmann, Stephan N Boettcher, Shannon W https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8971-9123 Tard, Cédric Lassalle-Kaiser, Benedikt Giraud, Marion Peron, Jennifer https://escholarship.org/uc/item/0wp7j174 Abstract Battery aging in research publications and manufacturer specification sheets for individual cells is commonly reported as capacity (Ah) versus cycle number. However, the key measured quantity in battery-powered devices is energy (Wh), which is derived from integrating capacity with voltage. In this work, we compare the rate of capacity and energy loss across a wide range of Li-ion single-cell cycling studies with different positive electrode chemistries, charge–discharge rates, and temperatures. We find that the relative rate of discharge energy loss varies with cycling conditions. For many cells cycled under moderate conditions, the rate of discharge energy fade is only slightly faster than the rate of discharge capacity fade. However, some cells demonstrated up to a 15% decline in cycle count when 80% energy retention rather than 80% capacity retention was used as the end-of-life metric. These results highlight the importance of reporting cell aging based on energy... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/0wp7j174 Thu, 23 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Preger, Yuliya Wittman, Reed Harris, Stephen J https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5211-3934 Dubarry, Matthieu https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5x07m5cs Raney Ni treatment is introduced to the surface of Ni mesh anode electrodes, enhancing liquid alkaline water electrolyzer performance. The surface of the Ni mesh is alloyed with Zn, deposited by either an aqueous infiltration of Zn salt or direct reaction with Zn foil. The extent of alloying is controlled by a heat treatment step. For both processes, fine porosity and enhanced surface area are obtained after leaching the Zn out of the surface alloy layer. The observed electrode surface structure and performance is quite sensitive to the thermal treatment temperature. The enhanced surface area improves full cell performance by 90&nbsp;mV for infiltrated Zn treated at 600&nbsp;°C and by 185&nbsp;mV for Zn foil reacted at 425&nbsp;°C (at 2&nbsp;A&nbsp;cm−2 and 80&nbsp;°C). The Zn treatment methods produce stable operating performance, exhibiting no decay after 150&nbsp;h for the infiltrated Zn treated at 600&nbsp;°C, and a decay rate of 4.6&nbsp;μV&nbsp;h−1 over 100&nbsp;h for the... https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5x07m5cs Wed, 22 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Bauer, Dylan H https://orcid.org/0009-0005-5667-2089 Lau, Grace Y Peng, Xiong Tucker, Michael C