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| | Nathe Management Consulting | Sara Mitran | CEO |
Small Business
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Power Generation and Energy Production: Liquid and Gaseous Fuels/Nuclear
| Our firm offers product development insights, customer requirements, subject matter expert insights, fundraising, and commercialization strategies. The founder has commercialized emerging technologies across multiple verticals for 25 years. Early in her professional career, she was tasked with commercializing open-source technologies in the high-tech sector. Her exposure to leveraging sophisticated channel marketing platforms to extend sales reach was instrumental in bringing these technologies to market and in establishing their enterprise-readiness. Her expertise led her to mentor startups and share her knowledge with cleantech and energy companies. For several years, she has supported emerging energy startups funded by federal grants to advance their product development efforts, better understand their target markets, and craft impactful, pragmatic commercialization strategies that gain significant traction. |
| TX |
| | University of South Carolina | H.-C. zur Loye | Professor |
Academic
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Other Energy Technologies
| molten salt synthesis of actinide and transuranic oxides and fluorides. Design of molten salt halide waste forms from halide waste products. |
| SC |
| | University of South Carolina | H.-C. zur Loye | Professor |
Academic
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Power Generation and Energy Production: Liquid and Gaseous Fuels/Nuclear
| Molten salt synthesis of actinide oxides and fluorides, including transuranic phases. Development of salt waste forms from MSR waste molten salts. |
| SC |
| | University of South Carolina | Theodore M. Besmann | Professor |
Academic
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Power Generation and Energy Production: Liquid and Gaseous Fuels/Nuclear
| We have a significant background in both the computational and experimental study of the stability, thermal properties, and phase equilibria of nuclear fuel systems including oxides, carbides, nitrides, silicides, and molten salts. Crystalline nuclear waste materials development is a related area. For the synthesis of materials we use high temperature solid state reaction processing, with complex metastable phases prepared in molten salt fluxes or hydrothermal processing. We perform studies of system chemical thermodynamics to develop predictive models for complex systems. Properties are determined using calorimetry, XRD, and sample chemical analysis, all supported by first principles calculations such as ab initio molecular dynamics. Current work has been dominated by efforts to determine properties for molten salt reactor fuels with fission products and contaminants. New capability in purification of molten salts has been developed to provide useful samples.
USC radiological facility for uranium materials.
• Two inert atmosphere gloveboxes with low (<0.1 ppm) moisture and oxygen atmosphere
• Simultaneous thermal analyzer (TGA/DSC)
• Differential scanning calorimeter (DSC)
• Calvet DSC
• High temperature furnaces (to1650C) under controlled atmosphere
• Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectrometer (ICP-OES)
• Inert gas fusion O-H Analyzer
• Microanalytical sample preparation facilities
• Rotating Anode X-ray Diffractometer (XRD) in transmittance mode using sealed quartz capillaries with temperature capability up to 1500°C.
• Powder XRD system with a diffracted beam graphite monochromator including protected atmosphere.
• Automated variable temperature stage for in-situ XRD measurements of materials at ambient and elevated temperatures (up to 1500°C). The stage may be operated in air, gas, vacuum, or under inert gas such as helium or nitrogen.
• Powder XRD used for routine analysis.
A new TRU laboratory is under development and will be able to work with materials containing Pu, Np and other TRU elements. Proposed capabilities include:
• Two inert gloveboxes and fume hood
• Benchtop XRD
• Simultaneous thermal analyzer
• Solution calorimeter
• FTIR
• UV-visible spectrometer
• Controlled atmosphere furnaces
• Optical microscope w/ camera for remote viewing
• Benchtop SEM/EDS |
| SC |
| | Georgia Institute of Technology | Yifeng Che | Assistant Professor |
Academic
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Power Generation and Energy Production: Liquid and Gaseous Fuels/Nuclear
| Che’s research group develops multiphysics modeling and simulation (M&S) capabilities for advanced nuclear fuels, with a focus on AI-enabled computational frameworks that accelerate materials qualification. Her work addresses several challenges directly relevant to TRU fuel research, including:
• Engineering-scale fuel performance modeling of advanced fuel systems
• Uncertainty-aware constitutive model development informed by separate-effects experiments and lower-length-scale simulations
• Identification of targeted experimental conditions to efficiently close critical data gaps
• Physics prioritization based on design objectives to guide model development and validation
• Forward and inverse uncertainty quantification linking integral fuel tests with predictive modeling capabilities
• AI-driven workflows for systematic curation of heterogeneous data sources and automated technical reporting
Because this research is primarily computational and focused at the engineering scale, Che is especially interested in partnering with experimentalists and lower-length-scale materials scientists to form a strong, integrated team for a Category A proposal. She welcomes opportunities for brainstorming, complementary collaboration, and potential team formation. |
| GA |
| | QuesTek Innovations LLC | Thomas Kozmel | Director of Applications & Development |
Small Business
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Other Energy Technologies
| Materials Design
Integrated Computational Materials Engineering (ICME)
Rapid, model-based qualification and certification of new materials
Verification & Validation with targeted materials science experiments |
| IL |
| | University of Notre Dame | Amy Hixon | Associate Professor |
Academic
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Power Generation and Energy Production: Liquid and Gaseous Fuels/Nuclear
| TRU materials synthesis (specifically neptunium and plutonium), TRU materials characterization (X-ray diffraction and scattering, calorimetry, vibrational spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, BET, SEM-EDS, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy), alpha- and gamma-irradiation of materials, thermal and radiolytic degradation of TRU materials |
| IN |
| | Argonne National Laboratory | Melissa A. Rose | Molten Salt Technology Section Leader |
Federally Funded Research and Development Center (FFRDC)
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Power Generation and Energy Production: Liquid and Gaseous Fuels/Nuclear
| Argonne operates an extensive array of inert atmosphere gloveboxes (e.g., <10 ppm water and oxygen) located in a radiological and beryllium facility that support R&D with molten salts, reactive metals, and hygroscopic materials containing beryllium, uranium, transuranic elements and other radionuclides in controlled environments that mitigate reactions with oxygen, nitrogen, and water. One set of gloveboxes houses an array of equipment used exclusively for molten salt property measurements, including two differential scanning calorimeters, a densitometer, a viscometer, benchtop furnaces and sampling equipment, analytical balances, and salt processing equipment. A radiological hood houses the laser flash analyzer in a nearby laboratory. A full array of analytical chemistry capabilities, X-ray diffraction and electron microscopy equipment are also available for characterizing radioactive salts after measurements are completed. |
| IL |
| | Constellation | Baris Sarikaya | Principal Engineer |
Large Business
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Power Generation and Energy Production: Liquid and Gaseous Fuels/Nuclear
| Utility, Power Generation, Fuel Utilization |
| PA |
| | NCSU | Benjamin Beeler | Associate Professor |
Academic
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Power Generation and Energy Production: Liquid and Gaseous Fuels/Nuclear
| Computational nuclear materials science, DFT/MD, multiscale modeling, advanced fuels. |
| NC |
| | Novellum Partners | Alexander Ludington | Engagement Manager |
Small Business
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Power Generation and Energy Production: Liquid and Gaseous Fuels/Nuclear
| Novellum Partners leverages deep expertise in nuclear power, fossil generation, and other energy technologies to help technology developers move from concept to commercialization, applying the practices of systems engineering and high reliability organizations to make product teams stronger. We help our clients identify and manage risks, formulate development plans, and move along the technology maturation curve with confidence - creating the structure their complex development processes require and providing investors and customers with the clarity they need to become strategic partners. |
| VA |
| | Baseline Fission Inc | Dr. Chandrashekhar Sonwane | CEO |
Small Business
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Power Generation and Energy Production: Liquid and Gaseous Fuels/Nuclear
| Our expertise:
Nuclear Power Cycles and auxiliary units
Chemical Reactor (CSTR Pilot Plant, Plug flow etc) and Unit Operations Design and fabrication
Plant Design, Sizing of equipments
AspenPlus ChemCAD, HYSYS, CEA etc
Advanced Separation Equipment Design (RO, Ion Exchange etc)
Capital Cost and Operating Cost
Levelized cost of fuel and discounted cash flow analysis
AI/ML-accelerated fuel cycle optimization |
| CA |
| | Strategic Analysis, Inc. | Jacob Prosser | Principal Research Scientist/Engineer |
Small Business
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Other Energy Technologies
| Strategic Analysis, Inc. (SA) specializes in technical process and performance modeling, conceptual design, technoeconomic and lifecycle cost analysis (TEA and LCCA), market research, environmental lifecycle assessment (LCA), commercialization pathway development, and technology due diligence for emerging energy, chemical, and manufacturing process technologies.
Our expertise spans a wide array of chemicals and materials, components, systems, and processes for specialty and commodity chemical and material synthesis, manufacturing, and purification (nuclear fuels and other special nuclear materials, reagents, solvents, precursors, monomers/polymers, catalysts and adsorbents including MOFs, metals and minerals, thin films and membranes, electrochemicals, biochemicals, carbon capture, water purification); hydrogen production, storage, and conversion; fuel cells, batteries, and other electrochemical technologies; electric motors; utility power production; and energy transmission. SA’s analyses examine wide ranges of production rates, processing scales, and manufacturing pathways. Our extensive background in TEA integrates cost estimation with discounted cash flow models to identify key cost drivers and cost reduction opportunities for technology commercial deployment and optimization.
To meet the diverse needs of our clients, SA currently licenses and uses specialized software for modeling and analyzing the performance and costs of commercial and industrial processes such as Aspen® process simulation software, Boothroyd-Dewhurst, Inc.© (BDI©) software for DFMA®, DOE GREET® for LCA, and custom application frameworks developed in widely available corporate software such as Microsoft® Excel® and open-source programming resources such as Python. |
| VA |
| | University of Souh Carolina | James A. Ritter | Professor |
Academic
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Power Generation and Energy Production: Liquid and Gaseous Fuels/Nuclear
| The Ritter Lab at the University of South Carolina, led by Professor James A. Ritter, specializes in the conceptualization, design, modeling and experimentation of cyclic adsorption processes for gas separation and purification with the ultimate goal of commercializing new technologies. The Ritter Lab, with their renowned expertise, has the ability to design and develop new cyclic adsorption processes via modeling using their dynamic adsorption process simulator (DAPS) and then via experimental validation using several bench-scale multi-bed cyclic adsorption process systems housed in its 8 labs comprising over 4,000 square feet. The Ritter Lab also has the ability to characterize developmental and commercial pelleted, beaded, granular and structured adsorbents utilized in these cyclic adsorption processes via gas phase adsorption equilibrium and kinetic (mass transfer rates) measurements, where these measurements are used as inputs to DAPS. The Ritter Lab also collaborates with the personnel at the SRNL on hydrogen isotope separations and other separations, including conceptualizing how to handle various gaseous waste and recycle streams from fusion systems and other nuclear processes like TRU spent fuel reprocessing. |
| SC |
| | Sandia National Laboratories | Gretchen Gano | Systems Research and Analysis |
Federally Funded Research and Development Center (FFRDC)
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Other Energy Technologies
| At Sandia National Laboratories, we have world-class capabilities to streamline transuranic (TRU) fuels qualification and pursue regulatory acceptance. We have expertise directly qualifying and supporting the qualification of nuclear weapons. We have a long history being directly involved in preparing for the regulatory acceptance of nuclear reactors and nuclear waste repositories as well as fuel design and reactor safety. Sandia can perform extensive modeling, experimental testing (thermal, thermal-hydraulic, mechanical, chemical), and irradiation testing to verify performance characteristics. Sandia is also a leader in nuclear waste management including TRU waste and has established, internationally recognized expertise in actinide chemistry. Additionally, our sociotechnical systems analysis capabilities can provide valuable insights in shaping requirements for program development and technology-to-market evaluations and developing tools to facilitate the transition from "first of a kind" implementation to market ready technologies, addressing stakeholder requirements and community engagement. |
| NM |
| | MITRE Corporation | Cheng Xu | Principal Nuclear Engineer |
Non-Profit
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Power Generation and Energy Production: Liquid and Gaseous Fuels/Nuclear
| MITRE is a non-profit organization that operates six federally funded research and development centers (FFRDC) to provide technical expertise for our government sponsors. Our research and development centers have performed projects for operational energy innovation (OE-I) directorate for the Department of War related to microreactor deployment. MITRE's expertise is in systems engineering and technology transition from the laboratory to the field, with a growing team focused on nuclear power.
MITRE have in house capabilities to perform neutronics calculations via MCNP and SCALE, thermal hydraulics analysis via StarCCM, mechanical analysis via Abaqus and ANYSY, process analysis via ASPEN, robust systems engineering and requirement management suite to ensure quality of product. MITRE's interagency connections also uniquely position it to provide analysis on regulatory and economic impact of TRU fuel for both commercial and defense applications. For this program, MITRE is well suited to provide supporting analysis for a prime fuel developer to increase the chance of bringing the new technology to market. |
| VA |
| | University of Georgia | Vladislav Klepov | Assistant Professor |
Academic
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Other Energy Technologies
| My interests focus on developing synthetic routes toward high uranium density nuclear fuels (UC, UN, U3Si2) from readily available oxide stock (UO2 and U3O8). Additionally, we develop chemical route to make precursors for molten salt reactor fuels. Our primary synthetic methods include arc melting and solid state synthesis with all necessary equipment (arc melter, furnaces, glovebox, powder X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy) available. Close proximity of the University of Georgia to Savannah River National Laboratory enables collaborations with SRNL and Savannah River Ecology Laboratory. |
| GA |
| | Material Impact Consulting | Matthew Seabaugh | Chief Science Officer |
Small Business
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Other Energy Technologies
| Dr. Seabaugh has deep experience in the synthesis and processing of complex oxides and non-oxide ceramics, with over 25 years experience in the design and development of manufacturing processes for fuel cells, catalysts, and corrosion coatings for high temperature applications.
Dr. Seabaugh has a Ph.D. in Materials Science & Engineering (Penn State, 1998) and a B.S. in Ceramic Engineering from the Missouri University of Science & Technology (1994). He has over twenty patents and applications in materials development for electrochemical and catalytic systems, with particular emphasis of processing and fabrication of process intensified chemical and electrochemical reactors.
Dr. Seabaugh is also an experienced project facilitator, serving as principal investigator or sub-contract manager on more than $17M in Federally funded programs, including projects from DARPA, ARPA-E, and SBIR/STTR programs. He actively collaborates with academic or small-business led programs to provide project management, communications and coordination between teams. |
| OH |
| | T2M Advisors | Gregg Cremer | Partner |
Small Business
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Other Energy Technologies
| T2M Advisors exists to help you turn your breakthrough technologies into commercially successful products. We’ve been in your shoes: our founding team includes a deeptech CEO who has raised millions in public and private funding and a former ARPA-E Tech-to-Market Advisor and SCALEUP Program Director. We know exactly what investors, reviewers, and corporate partners look for – because we’ve sat on every side of the table. Connect with us to learn how we can accelerate your technology’s commercialization. |
| CA |
| | Oregon State University | Alexander Chemey | Assistant Professor |
Academic
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Other Energy Technologies
| Oregon State University (OSU) is home to several research groups that have capabilities appropriate for this Teaming List. Efforts are being organized via the School of Nuclear Science and Engineering, but faculty are involved from the following units: Electrical Engineering, Chemistry, Mechanical Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Civil Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Robotics, and Materials Science. OSU has a long track record of successful awards in nuclear science and engineering, and can act as lead or partner institution for a wide variety of topics relevant to an advanced reactor NOFO, including partnering with nuclear industry. We host several large-format test facilities at NQA standards, including qualification testing for power upgrades and advanced reactor technologies.
OSU operates a 1.1 MW TRIGA II reactor in the Radiation Center (RC), with in-core and ex-core facilities capable of seconds-long to weeks-long irradiations. Within the RC are dedicated TRU laboratories that are fully licensed for research at “bulk” (milligram) scale. We are experienced with TRU fuel synthesis and analysis, and we do research on both the front-end and back-end of the fuel cycle, likely relevant to a future NOFO.
TRU element or irradiated fission products analytical capabilities include: electron microscopy (SEM/EDS/GaFIB with micromechanical testing; TEM possible for FIB lift-outs), variable temperature powder X-Ray Diffraction in controlled environments, thermophysical measurements (TGA-DSC-MS, in a glovebox intended for trans-U work), light element quantification (CHNO/S), and solution UV-VIS-NIR.
Additional capabilities: We feature molten salt and molten metal corrosion and irradiation damage research. We have experience with robotics for nuclear environments and self-driving labs. Interested faculty have expertise in reactor licensure and qualification, compliance safety analysis, reactor construction permits, and established NQA-1 facilities. We also have state-of-the-art additive manufacturing capabilities to fabricate tailored and graded materials. Computational and modeling capabilities at OSU will be world-class, driven by the new NVIDIA GPU supercomputer complex (the Jen-Hsun Huang and Lori Mills Huang Collaborative Innovation Complex, 2027), which will aid neutronics, thermal hydraulics, irradiation damage, non-proliferation and safeguards, digital twins, and machine learning/AI efforts. |
| OR |
| | University of Virginia | Prasanna V. Balachandran | Associate Professor |
Academic
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Other Energy Technologies
| My background is in computational materials science. My group works on applying density functional theory and developing AI/ML approaches to accelerate the search, design and discovery of new materials with targeted properties. Some of our current interest and capabilities include:
1. Sequential learning, active learning or adaptive learning based on Bayesian optimization and related techniques
2. Uncertainty quantification using Bayesian and ensemble learning methods
3. Large language models for extracting data from large volume of documents, which will then be used for several downstream tasks
4. Physics-informed or physics-regularized machine learning equipped with explainable AI capabilities
5. Symbolic regression for extracting closed-form mathematical expressions from data
6. Model and understand electronic structure of advanced materials
7. Fine-tuning atomistic foundation models (machine-learned interatomic potentials) for accelerating density functional theory calculations
8. Formulating closed-loop frameworks for accelerating materials discovery and understanding |
| VA |
| | MilliporeSigma | Jaime Ownby | Strategy and Business Development Executive |
Large Business
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Other Energy Technologies
| MilliporeSigma (the U.S. and Canada Life Science business of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany) is a global leader in high-purity materials, analytical standards, and process solutions, with over 350 years of chemical and materials science heritage, with a proven record in supporting the nuclear, semiconductor, and advanced energy sectors. We are a trusted partner to DOE national labs, advanced reactor developers, and the broader nuclear fuel cycle community, ready to collaborate as a materials supplier, analytical partner, process development consultant, or co-developer of new materials and standards.
Our capabilities and interests for TRU fuel supply chain development include:
- Ultra-high-purity carrier salts and eutectics (e.g., LiCl-KCl, LiF, NaCl, KCl, MgCl₂) with validated moisture/oxygen data on select salts and ongoing method development to expand coverage. We offer salts with <20 ppm moisture and <50 ppm oxygen, critical for fuel fabrication and pyroprocessing environments.
- Stable isotope offerings including Li-6/Li-7 salts and deuterium compounds; we are actively seeking partners to evaluate Cl-37 enrichment pathways and to scale enriched LiF capacity in alignment with programmatic needs.
- Certified reference materials and analytical standards for physical/chemical properties and electrochemistry, underpinning quality assurance in materials testing, modeling, and simulation.
- Custom synthesis and scale-up of new salt chemistries and reference materials to support emerging fuel forms and separations R&D.
- Fuel-cycle separations reagents (e.g., TBP, TEHDGA, crown ethers) and advanced membranes (Silver for XRD, PTFE Fluoropore™ for CAM/alpha monitoring) for pyroprocessing, solvent extraction, and fuel handling.
- Specialty carbon adsorbents (Supelco®) for off-gas capture, purification, and analytical sampling, with scalable engineered carbons for harsh nuclear environments.
- Vertically integrated sourcing, purification, and logistics for critical upstream nuclear materials, de-risking your supply chain and supporting LCOF and domestic content goals. |
| MO |
| | Czero | Dr. Guy Babbitt | CEO |
Small Business
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Other Energy Technologies
| Background:
Czero is a hardtech systems integrator providing advanced engineering services and contract R&D for complex energy technologies. Founded in 2007, we have completed 450+ projects spanning mechanical design, modeling & simulation, control systems and software, prototype fabrication, and structured testing—bringing integrated, end-to-end execution from concept through validated hardware. Czero has been involved in over a dozen ARPA-E projects.
Interest in ARPA-E TRU Fuels Program:
We are interested in taking a support role in projects developing fuel technologies through analysis-led engineering, design, prototype development, and systems integration. We have a long track record of supporting a wide variety of technologies in the energy space through the core technical capabilities listed below. Czero often takes responsibility for balance of plant, allowing the prime to focus on their core expertise.
Core Technical Capabilities
Modeling & Simulation: Physics-based and multi-physics simulation, including MATLAB/Simulink dynamic system modeling; process modeling; FEA; CFD; thermodynamic analysis; heat transfer; and custom tool development.
Control Systems: Embedded and industrial controls; model-based control design; hardware integration; instrumentation, sensor integration, and data acquisition; real-time implementation and hardware-in-the-loop.
Prototype Build & Test: In-house machining and fabrication to build prototypes and test hardware; controls panel build capability; custom test system design; instrumentation; structured test protocols with clear documentation.
Systems Integration: Cross-disciplinary coordination across mechanical, electrical, controls, and test domains.
Collaboration Model: We support teams, scaling from discrete workscopes (modeling, controls, test system design) to integrated full scale design-build-test programs with close collaboration across partner organizations. |
| CO |
| | University of Texas at San Antonio | Elizabeth Sooby | Associate Dean for Research |
Academic
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Power Generation and Energy Production: Liquid and Gaseous Fuels/Nuclear
| Dr. Elizabeth S. Sooby is Associate Dean for Research in the College of Sciences and Associate Professor of Physics and Astronomy at The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA). She leads the Extreme Environment Materials Laboratory (EEML), where the core research focus is the synthesis, processing, and performance of advanced materials for extreme environments, particularly nuclear energy systems.
Her research expertise centers on uranium-bearing metallic systems, refractory alloys, diffusion-controlled phase evolution, and high-temperature degradation phenomena. A defining strength of her program is the controlled synthesis of R&D-scale materials — including fuel-relevant metallic systems and compound feedstocks — with careful control over chemistry, microstructure, and thermodynamic stability.
The laboratory integrates alloy design, controlled-atmosphere processing, and high-resolution microstructural characterization to understand and engineer structure–property relationships relevant to advanced reactor fuels and associated materials. |
| TX |
| | Curio | Dr. Michael Koehl | Director, Fuel Cycle Division |
Small Business
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Power Generation and Energy Production: Liquid and Gaseous Fuels/Nuclear
| Curio, founded in 2020, is a nuclear technology startup intentionally positioned at the intersection of advanced reactors, domestic fuel-cycle security, and deep decarbonization. The company is pioneering a vertically integrated innovation platform focused on next-generation spent-fuel recycling, supported in part by DOE/ARPA-E programs. Curio's ownership has assembled an industry-leading team and has now successfully validated the technology at the pilot scale. Curio's NuCycle® process is a modular, integrated, and proliferation-hardened recycling technology designed to safely process used nuclear fuel (UNF) while avoiding the production of pure plutonium streams and dramatically reducing waste volumes compared to legacy processes like PUREX and pyroprocessing. Part of Curio's scalable strategy is to commercialize a closed fuel cycle that transforms the nation's approximately 95,000 metric tons—and growing—of used nuclear fuel from a disposal liability into new, proliferation-hardened reactor fuel and valuable radionuclides. Curio's recycled fuel products, including uranium and TRUFuel, are designed for use in both fast spectrum reactors and light water reactors. Curio is leveraging our current results to finalize engineering specifications for its pilot-scale NuCycle modules, and has broad interest in partnering with utilities, advanced reactor developers, and national laboratories to advance a sustainable, closed nuclear fuel cycle. |
| DC |
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