OPTIONAL TOUR DESCRIPTIONS
Materials Engineering Research Facility (MERF)
The Materials Engineering Research Facility (MERF) is a 28,000 square foot facility focused on processes for complex energy materials synthesis, accelerated, science-based scale-up of new energy materials and chemistries, and development and validation of emerging scalable materials manufacturing technologies. At the MERF, laboratory researchers partner with industry to de-risk scale-up of innovative energy materials so they can be commercialized sooner in support of decarbonization goals. This stop with provide an overview of the basic science behind developing innovative energy materials, including those for high-capacity, long-lived, and safe batteries; durable and selective materials for air and water purification; and materials designed with recycling in mind. We will also discuss the scale up role that Argonne plays, which accelerates industry’s ability to bring lower cost, cleaner technology to communities of all types.
Cell Analysis, Modeling, and Prototyping (CAMP) Facility
The CAMP Facility enables the design, fabrication, and characterization of high-quality prototype electrodes and cells based on the latest discoveries in battery materials. Argonne’s CAMP Facility is a DOE-supported facility that allows battery researchers to manufacture full-size prototype battery electrodes and cells (pouch and 18650 format cells) using pilot-scale semi-automated equipment in a dry room environment. The overall mission of the CAMP Facility is to enable the transition of new advanced battery materials from research laboratories to industrial production through independent validation and analysis in commercially relevant cell formats.
ReCell Facility
ReCell, the first advanced battery recycling R&D center, sponsored by DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), develops recycling techniques for lithium-ion and future batteries, helping create recycling jobs, encourage vehicle electrification, and strengthen the U.S. supply chain of battery materials.
Advanced Photon Source (APS)
The Advanced Photon Source (APS), a DOE Office of Science user facility, is one of the premier X-ray light sources in the world. It provides ultrabright X-ray beams that researchers use to obtain images of structures and dynamics inside many types of materials, along with chemical and biological systems. More than 5,500 scientists use the APS in a typical year to spur pivotal discoveries across almost the entire spectrum of science and technology, from clean energy and biology to geology and engineering. The APS has recently undergone a comprehensive upgrade that increased the brightness of its X-ray beams by up to 500 times. Researchers using the upgraded facility are able to probe materials faster and at higher spatial and time resolutions, opening up new frontiers for both science and industry. The capabilities of the upgraded APS will keep the facility at the forefront of global light sources for decades to come. Combined with the power of the Argonne Leadership Computing Facility’s (ALCF) Aurora exascale computer, the APS can deliver more detailed data much faster, accelerating discoveries that impact all of our daily lives.
Smart Energy Plaza
This former gas station-turned-clean energy laboratory supports vehicle-to-grid interoperability R&D and global harmonization of standards and technology, with equipment including solar arrays; electric vehicle chargers ranging from 7.2 to 50 to 350 kW; and a 660 kWh Li-ion battery to store solar energy and reduce grid demand during extreme fast charging. Topics to be covered include:
- Research into energy management strategies that balance energy generated on the Argonne campus, building energy use, and EV charging demands, as well as the laboratory’s Smart Charge Reservations app, which supports the connected, flexible system.
- Argonne-developed tools that help those deploying advanced vehicle technologies align their efforts with federal goals to target underserved communities.
- Argonne’s role with the EcoCAR Mobility Challenge, a DOE Advanced Vehicle Technology Competition (AVTC), which provides diverse graduate and undergraduate students with real-world, hands-on experience in designing and building next-generation mobility solutions and its successful track record of building a workforce skilled in clean automotive engineering.
