AIKEN, S.C. – George Larsen and his project “Hydrogen Process Imagine Using Magnetic Fields” received this year’s Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL) Laboratory Directed Research and Development (LDRD) Most Valuable Project (MVP) Award. The LDRD MVP is awarded annually and recognizes the SRNL LDRD project that generated the highest return on investment during the previous five-year period. Project selection is based on 12 objective measures related to follow-on-funding, publications, presentations, intellectual property, new hires, partnerships and awards. Larsen and his team presented new concepts for magnetic measurements of metal hydrides and successfully demonstrated these measurements can detect hydrogen in metals enclosed inside a metal vessel. The novel idea and sound execution of supporting research further resulted in developing advanced, ultrafast hydrogen sensors with record response times. The detection and monitoring of hydrogen isotopes in vessels or in the field can be used to support EM’s legacy waste mission and contributes to SRNL’s vitality in tritium and clean energy science. Funded in fiscal years 2019 and 2020 by the LDRD program, this project and its legacy of innovation and novel scientific discovery continues to accumulate a remarkable return on investment, including: An additional $2 million in follow-on projects from three separate funding opportunities. Seven publications in top peer-reviewed journals, including Nano Energy, Nature Communications, and Applied Nano Materials. One patent for his team’s sensor concept. Larsen cites close and complementary collaboration with University of Georgia Professor Tho Nguyen, and his students, Hoang Luong and Minh Pham, as a reason for the project’s success. SRNL’s LDRD program emphasizes early exploration and application of creative and potentially transformational ideas that will enhance SRNL’s ability to execute current and future mission priorities. -Contributor: Scott Shaw Type of News/Audience: News
