| Year |
Technology |
Description |
| 2009 |
Argonne/Envia Composite Electrode Material Technology to Enable Plug-In Hybrids and All-Electric Vehicles |
Argonne and Envia Systems have developed high-energy and high-power lithium-ion batteries on a novel lithium- and manganese-rich, high-capacity cathode material. Depending on the composition, this versatile electrode chemistry provides more energy and more longevity than any other state-of-the-art lithium-ion cathode material, thereby significantly improving the operation of a wide range of devices, from cell phones through laptop computers and power tools to heavy-duty applications such as hybrid-electric vehicles, plug-in hybrids, and all-electric vehicles. |
| 2009 |
Hard X-Ray Nanoprobe |
The Hard X-ray Nanoprobe provides X-ray microscopy at a spatial resolution of 30 nm, deploying nearly all well-established powerful X-ray analysis capabilities, with application to a wide range of materials. X-ray analysis capabilities available allow quantitative elemental analysis with sub-attogram detection sensitivity and parts per billion trace sensitivity, chemical/electronic analysis, crystallographic phase determination, and crystallographic texture mapping. Additionally the dynamics of materials can be studied at the nanoscale using techniques such as speckle interferometry. |
| 2009 |
PETSc: High-Perfornace Software for Engineering and Science |
PETSc is an open-source software package designed for the solution of partial differential equations (PDEs); PETSc is used in diverse applications from surgery to environmental remediation. |
| 2009 |
Superhard and Slick Coating |
A superhard and slick nanocomposite coating that drastically reduces friction and eliminates wear and scuffing-related failures. It increases fuel economy and component reliability in engines. |
| 2009 |
Artificial Retina Technology / LLNL joint entry |
The Artificial Retina is a unique bioelectronic implant that restores sight to the blind providing object recognition, mobility, and eventually enabling reading and recognizing faces. |
| 2008 |
EnerDel/Argonne Advanced High-Power Battery for Hybrid Electric Vehicles |
The EnerDel/Argonne Advanced High-Power Lithium-Ion Battery for Hybrid Electric Vehicles is a highly reliable and extremely safe battery that is lighter in weight, more compact, more powerful, and longer lasting than the nickel-metal hybrid batteries found in today's hybrid electric vehicles. |
| 2008 |
UNCD® Mechanical Seals |
Ultrananocrystalline Diamond (UNCD) Mechanical Seals represent a breakthrough in fluid sealing technology by harnessing the unsurpassed properties of diamond to improve the realiability, useful life, and integrity of fluid sealing systems. |
| 2007 |
Passive Millimeter-Wave Spectrometer for Remote Chemical Detection |
The Spectrometer is a passive spectrometer in the millimeter-wave
region of the electromagnetic spectrum that is relatively immune to atmospheric
interference and can detect chemical signatures from several kilometers away |
| 2007 |
Ultra-High-Resolution Mammography System |
A new computed radiography system for mammography, based on
a transparent photostimulable phosphor plate and readout device, which is
capable of equal or better performance at low cost compared to its competitors
(direct conversion systems and film-screen systems). |
| 2007 |
Access Grid™ Release 3.0: Group Collaboration Software |
The Access Grid 3 software enables groups of people to collaborate
using open source standards and Internet technology, providing infrastructure
needed for natural and productive interaction at a distance. |
| 2006 |
Argonne's Ultra-fast, Ultra-Sensitive Nanostructurred Hydrogen Sensor |
The world's fastest commercially producible hydrogen sensor |
| 2006 |
Materials Resistant to Metal Dusting Degradation |
New alloy materials developed to mitigate metal dusting, which has been a long-standing problem (over 50 years) in the chemical and petrochemical industries such as hydrogen, methanol, and ammonia reforming and synthesis gas production. |
| 2006 |
Multiport Dryer Technology for the Forest Products Industry |
The multiport dryer is an innovation for retrofitting cylindrical dryers, especially those used in paper mills, to redirect internal steam flow and dramatically improve their efficiency. |
| 2006 |
Anti-scatter grids for X-ray Imaging and Collimators for Nuclear Imaging made by LIGA |
A method that combines lithography with electroforming to fabricate anti-scatter grids and nuclear collimators with unmatched precision and aspect ratio. |
| 2006 |
Separative Bioreactor for the Production and Recovery of Biobased Products |
Is a platform for the enhanced production and recovery of biobased products from fermentation and enzymatic reactions. |
| 2005 |
Multilayer Lens Wafers for X-Ray Lenses |
The lens — just like the lens of a camera — allows precise focusing of the light. However, unlike a camera, the lens focusing the X-ray beam can do so to a spot less than 100 nanometers in diameter |
| 2005 |
MPICH2 Release 1.0 High Performance, Portable Implementation of the Message Passing Interface Standard for Parallel Computing |
MPICH2 is a high-performance, portable implementation of community standards for the message-passing model of parallel computation |
| 2005 |
Self-Contained Battery-Powered bion® Microstimulator with Rechargeable Miniature Battery |
The Self-Contained Battery-Powered bion® Microstimulator with Rechargeable Miniature Battery is a miniature, self-contained, rechargeable implantable neurostimulator. It is designed to treat a wide variety of diseases, including incontinence, chronic headaches, peripheral pain, angina, and epilepsy. |
| 2005 |
High-Temperature Potentiometric Oxygen Sensor with Internal Reference |
High-Temperature Potentiometric Oxygen Sensor with Internal Reference is a compact sensor to monitor combustion processes in coal-fire power plants, petrochemical plants, blast furnaces, glass processing equipment, and even inside internal combustion engines. The high-temperature potentiometer oxygen sensor can withstand the heat inside the combustion chambers, allowing monitoring at the source in real time. |
| 2004 |
Grancrete™ Spray-On Structural Cement & Rapid Construction Process for Low-Cost Housing |
The Grancrete™ magnesium-phosphate cement powder would be mixed at a construction site with water and sand into a slurry that would be sprayed onto polystyrene foam sheets in frames and set as structural cement. |
| 2004 |
Powertrain Systems Analysis Toolkit (PSAT) |
The Powertrain System Analysis Toolkit allows vehicle designers to develop realistic hybrid and powertrain control systems and assess performance of components. The computer simulation provides accurate performance, fuel economy and emissions simulations, allowing automotive and truck manufacturers and their suppliers to select appropriate advanced technologies, bringing them more quickly to the market in improved hybrid vehicle systems. |
| 2004 |
Glass Furnace Model (GFM) |
A three-dimensional computer code, developed for the glass industry to evaluate furnace design, performance and operation. |
| 2004 |
Hydrogen Transport Membrane (HTM) for Separtion of Pure Hydrogen at High Temperatures |
This ceramic membrane provides pure hydrogen gas by selectively separating hydrogen from gas mixtures generated by fossil fuel-based processes. The membrane operates at the high temperatures and pressures required by such processes as coal gasification and methane reforming, without becoming embrittled by its interactions with hydrogen and sulfur. |
| 2003 |
Scanning Confocal Electron Microscope (SCEM) |
The Scanning Confocal Electron Microscope (SCEM) permits the observation and characterization of subsurface structures of thick, optically opaque materials at both nanometer-level resolutions and large fields of view. |
| 2003 |
Large-Area Ultrananocrystalline Diamond Film and Deposition System |
The ultrananocrystalline diamond (UNCD) film technology and deposition system developed by Argonne and iplas Innovative Plasma Systems GmbH (IPLAS) provides the first-ever affordable, large-area diamond films suitable for mass production of coatings for fabricating a wide range of macro-devices, microelectromechanical systems (MEMS), and nanoelectromechanical system (NEMS) devices, biodevices, and biosensors. |
| 2003 |
Nanostructured Carbide Derived Carbon (CDC) |
New coating for a wide range of sliding or rotating equipment applications. The coating is a nano-sized composite of diamond, carbon nano-onions, and amorphous carbon. It doesn't have a problem of delamination, since it has both a chemically and mechanically graded interface, and has exceptional friction and wear properties in wet, dry and high-temperature environments. |
| 2002 |
Globus Toolkit™ Release 2.0 |
The Globus Toolkit™ is an open architecture, open-source set of software services and libraries that support computational "grids," allowing computers far apart to work on the same problem at the same time. |
| 2002 |
Smart Sensor Developer Kit |
The Smart Sensor Developer Kit provides the first-ever user-configurable, active microsensor technology that can be easily and cheaply incorporated into a wide range of instruments for many applications. |
| 2002 |
Advanced Electrodeionization Technology for Product Desalting |
The Argonne- and EDSEP, Inc.-developed technology is designed to provide a cleaner, cheaper and smarter approach to product desalting — removing salt impurities and other by-products from finished products. |
| 2001 |
Autothermal Reforming Catalyst |
Key component of a fuel processor (or reformer) that has efficiently converted methanol, ethanol, natural gas, gasoline, and diesel into hydrogen that can be fed to a fuel cell to produce electricity. |
| 2000 |
Hard Scanning X-ray Microprobe |
Expands the potential of X-ray techniques for microelectronics, materials science, biomedical research, and environmental science. |
| 2000 |
Large-Area CCD Detector |
Allows researchers to study proteins and DNA molecules at unprecedented speeds, with subatomic resolution (on a scale much smaller than the distance between the molecule's atoms). |
| 2000 |
Process to Recover and Clean Flexible Polyurethane Foam from Automobile Shredder Residue |
Separates flexible polyurethane foam from automobile shredder residue and cleans it to produce high-quality foam that can be used to make new products. |
| 1999 |
Argonne Clean-Diesel Technology |
Using combustion optimization strategies and special air separation membranes, Argonne researchers have demonstrated simultaneous reduction of NOx and particulate emissions and increased engine power in a working diesel engine. |
| 1999 |
Gregar Extractor |
A major advancement in solvent-based chemical extractions. The extractor, available in two configurations and several sizes, was developed for solid/liquid extractions and successfully eliminates problems associated with conventional Soxhlet technology. With correct configuration of the valves, the extractors are also very efficient for liquid/liquid extractions. Three-way valves are key to the device's ability to perform extractions that normally would require multiple extractors. |
| 1998 |
MSET (Multivariate State Estimation Technique) early warning expert system |
An advanced artificial-intelligence-based early warning system for the performance of sensors, equipment and plant processes. This extremely sensitive system detects the smallest developing faults at the earliest possible time and alerts plant personnel well in advance of warnings provided by conventional monitoring systems. |
| 1998 |
PRODIAG software for customized process diagnostics |
By combining artificial intelligence (AI) techniques with basic thermal-hydraulic principles, the PRODIAG software environment developed by Argonne researchers cuts system development time by 98%, improves diagnostic accuracy, and expands applications of AI diagnostics to many continuous thermal-hydraulic processes. |
| 1998 |
Near-Frictionless Carbon (NFC) Films |
A near frictionless, ultrahard carbon film coating many times slicker than Teflon. The new material's coefficient of friction is less than 0.001 when measured in a dry nitrogen atmosphere — 20 times lower than the previous record holder molybdenum disulfide. When tested under the same conditions, Teflon's coefficient of friction is around 0.04. |
| 1997 |
Mass Spectroscopy of Recoiled Ion (MSRI) Analyzer |
A device that lets scientists determine the surface composition and structure of thin films as they are growing; the MSRI analyzer will make possible the marked improvement of material properties and manufacturing processes in the semiconductor and electronic industries. Developed with Ionwerks Corp., a small business (Houston, TX). |
| 1997 |
Production of Chemicals from Biologically Derived Succinic Acid |
A cost-effective conversion process in which corn is fermented by a new, mutant bacterium (developed by Argonne) that produces succinic acid, a precursor to commercial chemicals that can be incorporated into polymers and solvents for use in clothing, fibers, paints, inks, food additives, and many other industrial and consumer products. Co-developed with National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Oak Ridge National Laboratory; licensed to Applied CarboChemicals under a $7 million cooperative R&D agreement. |
| 1996 |
Ceramicrete |
A ceramic binder with potential use in joining ceramics, solidifying hazardous and radioactive wastes, and converting common wastes into commercial and industrial products. An Illinois firm has licensed the technology for several applications, including as a repair material for roads and bridges, and as a binder in a new type of terazzo tile. |
| 1996 |
Magnetic Flux Imaging System |
A magneto optical imaging system that allows scientists to visualize, in real time, the path of electrical current as it flows through high-temperature superconductors. Phase Metrics (San Diego, CA), a small business and co-developer with Argonne and the Institute of Solid State Physics (Moscow, Russia), manufactures the system to specification, and uses its own system to evaluate high-temperature superconducting materials commercially. |
| 1996 |
Empore Rad Disks |
Highly selective membranes that cut the cost and time needed to analyze radioactive chemicals, with equivalent or better results. A researcher need only pass an aqueous sample through as disk and then dry and count it directly, saving several steps. The disks are being sold commercially by its co-developer, 3M, and used at DOE sites and nuclear power plants. |
| 1996 |
Phorefractive Liquid Crystal (PLC) Optical Processor |
Uses a liquid-crystalline material for holographic applications, such as optical image storage and processing; it has shown dramatically better performance at lower cost compared with other devices. |
| 1996 |
Millimeter-Wave Fabric iIspection System |
A system that detects flaws in fabric as it is woven. The system resides on the loom and does not contact the fabric. It can improve fabric quality and save tens of thousands of yards of fabric lost with current off-line, manual inspection methods. |
| 1995 |
CEMROX Ceramic Membrane Reactor for Oxidation of Natural Gas |
A method for converting natual gas into synthesis gas (syngas). The key is a relatively inexpensive ceramic membrane made of strontium and iron cobalt oxide. Co-developed with Amoco (Naperville, IL). |
| 1994 |
Toroid Cavity Imager |
The toroid cavity imager uses the radio-frequency field graident in a cylindrical toroid cavity to provide high-resolution nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectral information while resolving distances on the micron scale. It could be used widely to characterize materials and materials chemistry. The technique is simpler and requires less specialized equipment than conventional magnetic resonance imaging, and in many cases would provide better information. |
| 1994 |
Diphonix Ion-Exchange Resin |
A gel-type cation resin with special selectivity for metal ions in water and process solutions. It has found great use in the copper industry in the removal of iron from copper sulfate electrowinning solutions. It is licensed to and marketed by Eichrom Industries (Darien, IL). |
| 1994 |
Ultrasonic Viscometer |
This nonintrusive device can monitor and measure fluid density and viscosity (particularly high viscosity) on-line, in real time. It can be used with many different materials during processing and characterization, and has potential for use in a wide array of manufactured and processed materials, including adhesives, asphalt, building materials, candy and confectionery, ceramics, and petroleum products. |
| 1993 |
DaD Molecular Switch, Type P3 |
A switch that is triggered by the movement of electrons; it switches10–100 times faster than other molecular switches and could find use in optical computer memories. |
| 1993 |
An efficient new process for commercial production of phase-pure superconductors |
Superconductive Components, Inc. (Columbus, OH), a small business, now markets these powders, which reduce processing time by 60% and save an estimated 40% of cost, or about $180/lb of material produced. |
| 1993 |
Ceramic Sulfide Materials |
A new class of ceramic materials based on sulfides (rather than conventional oxides, nitrides or borides) whose high-strength bonding to other materials make them suited to numerous applications where their performance is better and/or cost lower, including metal/ceramic seals, aluminum production, and light-metal refining. |
| 1992 |
Helium Self-Pumping Module for Fusion Application |
To be a competitive future energy source, a fusion power reactor must remove helium, a by-product, safely, reliably, and cost-effectively. This device removes helium by directly trapping impinging helium ions in a freshly deposited nickel surface exposed to a hydrogen/helium plasma. |
