ONHS Report: DARPA-SS-27-01

Solid-State Energy Conversion from Heat to Electricity Request for Information (RFI)

Solicitation ID: DARPA-SS-27-01

Agency: DARPA/DSO

Type: Sources Sought

Deadline: 2026-11-23T16:00:00 ET

Eligibility: Yes (Unrestricted)

Funding: N/A

Doc Type: RFI

Clearance: No

Program Manager: Mike McDonald

Last Updated: 2026-10-24 16:03

Analyzed File: DARPA-SS-27-01.pdf

Eligibility Reasoning

DARPA invites those engaged in related research activities to participate and appreciates responses from all capable and qualified sources, including, but not limited to, universities, university-affiliated research centers (UARC), Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDC), private or public companies, and Government research laboratories.

Note: This is an AI-generated summary...

Summary

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Defense Sciences Office (DSO) has issued a Request for Information (RFI) to gather insights on the current state, technological limits, and potential applications of solid-state direct thermal-to-electric energy conversion technologies. These technologies, which include thermoelectric, thermionic, thermophotovoltaic, and AMTEC converters, convert heat directly to electricity without mechanical moving parts. DARPA is motivated by recent advancements in materials science, microfabrication, and nanostructuring that may overcome historical efficiency limitations. The RFI seeks information in three key areas: 1) Current capabilities of existing systems, including operating parameters, efficiency, and SWaP; 2) The potential for performance improvements and evidence for overcoming current technical barriers; and 3) High-impact applications that would benefit from these improved technologies. The information collected will be used to identify research opportunities and inform the potential development of a future DARPA program in this field.

Overall Technical Areas

Solid-State Energy ConversionThermoelectric GenerationThermionic Energy ConversionThermophotovoltaic (TPV) ConversionAlkali Metal Thermal-to-Electric (AMTEC) ConvertersLow Work Function MaterialsBand Structure EngineeringNanomaterials EngineeringMicrofabrication TechniquesHigh-Temperature Structural CeramicsNanostructured CoatingsWide-Bandgap SemiconductorsSub-Micron Thermal Radiative EngineeringThermodynamic Efficiency AnalysisHybrid Conversion Architectures

Probable LBNL Areas

CSAEESAESAETAPSA

Focus Areas

Example Priorities:

What are the most efficient solid-state converters realizable today?
Distinguish if the device currently exists in an integrated system, or if the key constituent pieces exist but have not yet been demonstrated in a device.
Define the operating point (i.e., hot side temperature, cold side temperature, and power output), the efficiency calculation method, any limits on the operating temperature range both for hot side and cold side, and the device size, weight and power (SWaP).
Please identify the current technology readiness level (TRL) of demonstrated performance and projected improvements.

Specific Technical Skills:

Performance ModelingExperimental ValidationThermal AnalysisThermodynamicsSystems IntegrationMetrologyTechnology Readiness Level (TRL) AssessmentData Analysis

Potential PIs for this Area:

Name	Score	Organization
Ian Lacey	0.76	ESA \| ALS \| Photon Science Development · Metrology
Zixi Hu	0.75	CSA \| AMCR \| Mathematics · Data Analysis
Ravi Prasher	0.75	ETA \| Energy Technologies and Systems \| Energy Storage & Dist Dpt · Thermal Analysis
Lisa Claus	0.75	CSA \| NERSC \| Sci Eng & Workflows Department · Performance Modeling
Neil Mehta	0.74	CSA \| NERSC \| Sci Eng & Workflows Department · Performance Modeling
Han Lee	0.74	PSA \| Engineering \| Electronic Engineering · Systems Integration
Eric Masanet	0.74	ETA \| Energy Analysis \| Systems & Energy Tech Analysis · Systems Integration
Yuan Mei	0.74	PSA \| PHY \| Atlas · Experimental Validation
Kevin G Knauss	0.73	EESA \| EG \| Geochemistry Dept · Thermodynamics
Alex Newkirk	0.73	ETA \| Building & Industrial Energy Systems \| Bldg & Industrial App Dpt · Technology Readiness Level (TRL) Assessment

Example Priorities:

What performance improvements may be achievable, and what evidence indicates that current technical barriers can be overcome?
Do microfabricated spacers in thermionic converters enable high power density and efficiency without the complication of plasma neutralization?
Could low or tunable work function emitter materials, or band structure and surface termination engineering, offer cooler operating regimes?
Do hybrid approaches, such as thermionic/thermophotovoltaic devices enable more efficient architectures?
Are there ways to dramatically accelerate screening for adverse material interactions in AMTEC systems?
Advancements in nanomaterials, microfabrication, high-temperature structural ceramics, nanostructured coatings, wide-bandgap semiconductors, sub-micron thermal radiative engineering and more all motivate this inquiry into the new art of the possible.

Specific Technical Skills:

Materials ScienceMicrofabricationNanomaterials SynthesisSemiconductor PhysicsSurface EngineeringSolid-State PhysicsElectrochemical EngineeringPhotonicsHigh-Temperature CeramicsComputational Materials Design

Potential PIs for this Area:

Name	Score	Organization
Francesco Ricci	0.79	ESA \| MSD \| Material Physics · Computational Materials Design
Masao Suzuki Shibata	0.79	ETA \| ESDR \| Energy Storage & Dist Dpt · Electrochemical Engineering
Kristin Persson	0.78	ESA \| MSD \| Material Physics · Materials Science
Kin Yu	0.77	ESA \| MSD \| Material Physics · Semiconductor Physics
Scott Mccormack	0.77	ESA \| MSD \| Material Physics · High-Temperature Ceramics
Mengjie Yu	0.77	ESA \| MSD \| Material Physics · Photonics
Thomas Schutzius	0.76	ETA \| Energy Technologies and Systems \| Energy Storage & Dist Dpt · Surface Engineering
Dunghai Lee	0.76	ESA \| MSD \| Material Physics · Solid-State Physics
Armand Alivisatos	0.76	ESA \| MSD \| Material Physics · Nanomaterials Synthesis
Sooyeon Park	0.75	ESA \| ALS \| Photon Science Development · Microfabrication

Example Priorities:

What applications would most benefit from improved solid-state thermal-to-electric conversion?
Identify the current pain points from existing solutions to your suggested use case, and what quantitative thresholds in efficiency, output power, or SWaP would make a solid-state system the clear favorite over existing options.
This request is intentionally use-case and heat-source agnostic to consider a broad range of technologies and identify opportunities with the potential for significant return on investment.
...systems requiring cold-side temperatures near 300 K may be suitable for terrestrial use, while systems that can operate with higher cold-side temperatures may enable efficient radiative cooling for space systems.

Specific Technical Skills:

Systems EngineeringUse-Case AnalysisSWaP OptimizationTechno-Economic AnalysisThermal ManagementPower Systems DesignTrade-off AnalysisWaste Heat RecoveryMission Planning

Potential PIs for this Area:

Name	Score	Organization
Minliang Yang	0.78	ETA \| Energy Analysis \| Systems & Energy Tech Analysis · Techno-Economic Analysis
Tae Hwan Lim	0.77	ETA \| Energy Analysis \| Systems & Energy Tech Analysis · Techno-Economic Analysis
Eric Masanet	0.77	ETA \| Energy Analysis \| Systems & Energy Tech Analysis · Systems Engineering
Thomas Hendrickson	0.77	ETA \| Energy Analysis \| Systems & Energy Tech Analysis · Trade-off Analysis
Daniel Arnold	0.76	ETA \| Energy Technologies and Systems \| Energy Storage & Dist Dpt · Power Systems Design
Nicholas DeForest	0.75	ETA \| Energy Technologies and Systems \| Energy Storage & Dist Dpt · SWaP Optimization
Ravi Prasher	0.75	ETA \| Energy Technologies and Systems \| Energy Storage & Dist Dpt · Thermal Management
Amol Phadke	0.74	ETA \| Energy Analysis \| Energy Markets & Planning · Mission Planning
Kelly Kissock	0.74	ETA \| Building & Industrial Energy Systems \| Bldg Technologies Dept · Waste Heat Recovery
Zachary Needell	0.74	ETA \| Energy Analysis \| Systems & Energy Tech Analysis · Use-Case Analysis

Potential LBNL PIs (Overall)

Note on PI Matching: These suggestions are generated through an AI-driven semantic analysis of LBNL staff profiles.

Name	Score	Organization
Michael Crommie	0.77	ESA \| MSD \| Material Physics · Band Structure Engineering
Michael Tucker	0.77	ETA \| Energy Technologies and Systems \| Energy Storage & Dist Dpt · Solid-State Energy Conversion
Scott Mccormack	0.77	ESA \| MSD \| Material Physics · High-Temperature Structural Ceramics
Rohan Dhall	0.76	ESA \| MF \| MF NCEM Facility · Nanomaterials Engineering
Michael Pettes	0.75	ESA \| MF \| MF NCEM Facility · Low Work Function Materials
Sooyeon Park	0.75	ESA \| ALS \| Photon Science Development · Microfabrication Techniques
Helcio Blum	0.75	ETA \| Energy Analysis \| Energy Efficiency Studies · Thermodynamic Efficiency Analysis
Zakaria Al Balushi	0.75	ESA \| MSD \| Material Physics · Wide-Bandgap Semiconductors
Andre Anders	0.74	PSA \| ATAP \| FS&IBT · Thermionic Energy Conversion
Jeremy Munday	0.74	PSA \| ATAP \| FS&IBT · Sub-Micron Thermal Radiative Engineering

Fundamental Research Exemption (FRE)

Not Mentioned