UCLA researchers in the Department of Electrical Engineering have developed a system that can receive RF waves in different frequency bands, from different directions, and with different polarizations to maximize energy harvested from ambient radio-frequency signals.

Researchers at the University of California, Davis have developed an innovative synthesis approach to achieve high anisotropy L1 FeNi by combining physical vapor deposition and a high speed rapid thermal annealing (RTA).

Photonic integrated circuit (PIC) comprised of an integrated non-reciprocal device that can be reversed, is monolithic, and can be integrated with lasers and modulators

The invention is a method for instantaneous and efficient extraction of radioactive isotopes with high specific activity, during continuous production at research reactors. The proposed method allows advantageous production of radioisotopes for various applications, including nuclear medicine uses (diagnostics, imaging, cancer treatments). In addition, the invention has the potential for applications related to isotopes used in thermoelectric generators (i.e. 238Pu) that power both medical devices, such as cardiac pacemakers, and deep space missions.

Hybrid growth method for III-nitride tunnel junction devices that uses metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) to grow one or more light-emitting or light-absorbing structures and ammonia-assisted or plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) to grow one or more tunnel junctions.

UCLA researchers have developed an accurate low-profile shear sensing unit that is viable for both gas and liquid flows.

A method of depositing ZnO on III-nitride materials using a multistep approach involving the deposition of a thin seed layer followed by the deposition of a thicker bulk layer.

A method of bonding transparent conductive oxides on III-nitride materials using wafer bonding techniques.

A method for improving the performance of semipolar III-nitride light-emitting devices. 

Polarized white LEDs that can improve system efficiency by removing the need for an external polarizer.

A III-nitride light emitting diode (LED) with increased light extraction from having at least one textured surface of a semipolar or nonpolar plane of a III-nitride layer of the LED.

An (Al, Ga, In)N light emitting device in which high light generation efficiency occurs by fabricating the device using non-polar or semi-polar GaN crystals.

A novel group of enzymes with the potential to facilitate production of energy dense alcohols has been discovered for use in biofuel and chemical production.

Researchers in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at UCLA have developed a novel form of nanoporous aluminum hydride for storing hydrogen at room temperature and pressure.

More than a quarter of the world's carbon dioxide emissions come from burning fossil fuels to produce heat and electricity. Nuclear energy plants do not emit criteria pollutants or greenhouse gases when they generate electricity. Thermal-neutron reactors are the most common type of nuclear reactor, and light water reactors (LWRs) are the most common type of thermal-neutron reactor, which uses normal water as the primary coolant. Localized corrosion in the primary coolant circuits (PCC) is a big problem in LWRs. The rate of corrosion is often determined by certain electrochemical properties, such as the electrochemical corrosion potential (ECP), solution conductivity, temperature, pH, flow rate, and the kinetics of the reduction of a cathodic depolarizer (e.g. O2) on the surfaces external to the crack. Mechanical loading (stress intensity factor on the crack) and micro-structural/micro-chemical factors (e.g. grain size, precipitates, degree of sensitization) may also contribute to this problem. To address this problem, researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, have developed an operating protocol in which the PCC are protected over wide ranges of parameters as the reactor progresses through a fuel cycle, including: temperature, pH, ECP, solution conductivity, flow rate, and stress intensity factor. Laboratory models using Berkeley approach suggest significant LWR optimization while adding levels of safety and lowering operational costs (e.g., by avoiding primary water stress corrosion cracking in Alloy 600 steam generator tubes, which is a major corrosion phenomena in operating a PWR). In fact, Berkeley’s solutions require minimal modification to the reactor PCC, and in most cases, can be implemented with no modifications at all.

Background: Traffic signals at traditional intersections impede traffic flow thereby increasing harmful emissions, travel time and fuel/energy consumption. With over 250 million vehicles on the road, many municipalities are seeking novel ways to improve the current intersection design to be eco-friendly and safe for both drivers and pedestrians, while remaining efficient.   Brief Description: Unconventional Arterial Intersection Design (UAID) is the science and art of designing traffic intersections to improve mobility and safety. UCR researchers have designed the first real continuous flow intersection. This novel design allows drivers to maintain their speed throughout the intersection and get from point A to B without stopping. As a result, it increases traffic capacity and land utilization while decreasing travel time and the likelihood of accidents. They have also implemented a novel pedestrian passageway that protects pedestrians from vehicles and direct exhaust emissions.

A method for growing planar nonpolar III-nitride films that have atomically smooth surfaces without any macroscopic surface undulations. 

Minimizes the re-absorption of LED light by using transparent conductive oxide electrodes (ITO or ZnO) instead of mirrors. 

A framework that counts the number of people in an area based on RF signals and a Wi-Fi card or network. 

Mechanically flexible piezoelectric materials are highly sought after when building advanced sensors, actuators, and energy scavenger devices. The most common piezoelectric materials used in applications are focused on electroceramic thin films made from lead zirconate titanate or barium titanate. Although these materials can have large piezoelectric moduli, as thin films they are extremely brittle and difficult to shape into highly mechanically compliant structures. Improving mechanical flexibility of piezoelectrics, and creating higher order structures, is critical for driving new applications such as biological energy harvesting, compact acoustic transducers, and in vivo biodiagnostics.  There is a need to develop alternative materials that offer high piezoelectric coefficients while maintaining elasticity and isotropic mechanical integrity—that are also cheap to produce.

A method using MOCVD growth conditions to achieve high performance m-plane GaN optical devices, including LEDs and LDs. 

UCLA researchers in the Department of Electrical Engineering have a developed miniature implantable thermoelectric energy-harvester with true energy autonomy.

A device structure that can be used to create high-power and high-efficiency LEDs and LDs in the UV range of the spectrum. 

A method for the growth and fabrication of nonpolar laser diodes. 

Thermochemical cycles combine heat sources with chemical reactions. Energy production from thermochemical cycles are quickly evolving as global researchers develop better processes to generate electricity from sustainable yet intermittent resources like solar. Typical thermochemical processes generate chemical reactants for thermochemical storage. One problem is with efficiency, where these chemical reactants are merely burned together again to recreate heat, which is then converted into mechanical energy that is subsequently converted into electrical energy. Another problem relates to flexibility, in terms of being limited to hydrogen and oxygen as the chemical reactants. To address these problems, researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, are developing a generalized closed-cycle thermoelectrochemical framework with expected chemical conversion efficiencies above 80% and high overall system efficiencies using innovative combined-cycle design.