Research Themes +
Energy Technologies Area (ETA) researchers are continually building on the strong scientific foundation we have developed over the past 50 years. We address the world’s most pressing climate challenges by bringing to market energy-efficient innovations across the buildings, transportation, and industrial sectors. ETA is at the forefront of developing better batteries for electric vehicles; improving the country's aging electrical grid and innovating distributed energy and storage solutions; developing grid-interactive, efficient buildings; and providing the most comprehensive market and data analysis worldwide for renewable technologies like wind and solar.
Strategic Initiatives +
The Energy Technologies Area (ETA) Strategic Plan is the guiding force for our research and development for the next ten years. It clearly charts a path toward clean-energy solutions and focuses on five detailed Strategic Initiatives. The Plan provides an in-depth look at how ETA is accelerating research to provide affordable, clean energy to all while accomplishing deep, economy-wide decarbonization, looking to avoid a rise in global average temperature while simultaneously developing solutions to increase humanity's resilience to extreme weather volatility.
Publications
News +
For media inquiries,
please contact ETA
Interim Communications Manager
Kiran Julin

kjulin@lbl.gov
About Us +
The Energy Technologies Area (ETA) is unique in translating fundamental scientific discoveries into scalable technology adoption. Our approach combines an understanding of the marketplace and the role of state and federal regulation and policies. ETA's research drives real-world, practical results that affect and improve the everyday lives of Americans and those across the globe. Saving energy and battling the Climate Crisis are key to the foundation of our research, which is driven by technoeconomic analysis and in-lab experimentation and discovery.

Solid State Gadolinium-Magnesium Hydride Optical Switch

Publication Type

Journal Article

Date Published

09/1999

Authors

Armitage, Robert D., Michael D. Rubin, Thomas J. Richardson, Nada O'Brien, Yong Chen

Abstract

The optical switching properties of gadolinium-magnesium hydride have been demonstrated in a solid-state electrochromic device. With positive polarization of the hydride electrode, the visible reflectance approaches 35% with virtually zero transmission, while with negative polarization, the visible transmission exceeds 25% at 650 nm. The switching is reversible, with intermediate optical properties between the transparent and reflecting states.

Journal

Applied Physics Letters

Volume

Year of Publication

1999

URL

http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.124853

Issue