Lawrence Livermore National Lab (LLNL) and Sandia National Labs were established in  Livermore in the 1950s. Many trace the development of the Tri-Valley as a hub of innovation to the establishment of two national labs created to protect the nation through the use of science and technology. The labs drew thousands of highly educated researchers to the region. Initially, they focused on advanced nuclear weapons science and technology. Today, they have a broader mission to resolve the nation's most challenging security issues.

Advances in Hydrogen Production, Storage, and Utilization

Innovation has always been part of the job description for Livermore's national lab workers, who focus on ground-breaking projects using cutting-edge technology. Recently, for example, LLNL and Sandia co-hosted a partnership event on advances made by both labs in hydrogen production, storage, and utilization as well as the tech transfer mechanisms available for industry to collaborate with both labs on their respective intellectual property.

The event included news on a recent breakthrough in LLNL's partnership with San Francisco-based Verne on research related to hydrogen as a transportation fuel. As noted in an announcement from LLNL in December 2023, "powering heavy-duty vehicles, such as Class 8 semi trucks, requires very energy-dense storage systems: even the most advanced batteries do not provide sufficient energy density. Hydrogen is a promising fuel source for these difficult-to-decarbonize sectors. However, existing hydrogen-storage technologies do not provide diesel-parity performance, as these compressed-hydrogen storage systems have limited energy density capacity. Cryo-compressed hydrogen, which can support the highest hydrogen densities in a compact storage system, can overcome this challenge. Storing hydrogen in this state provides much greater energy density than other competing hydrogen platforms."

In March, LLNL and Verne demonstrated a novel pathway for creating high-density hydrogen, "validating the economic viability of the approach," according to LLNL officials. "The demonstration validated that it is possible to efficiently reach cryo-compressed hydrogen conditions with liquid hydrogen-like density directly from a source of gaseous hydrogen–substantially reducing the energy input required compared to methods that rely on energy-intensive hydrogen liquefaction." For more context, LLNL officials note that "so far, the hydrogen supply chain has been hindered by a trade-off between compressed gaseous hydrogen–which is cheap to produce, but low in density–and liquid hydrogen–which is high in density, but expensive to densify (via liquefaction). This trade-off has led to expensive distribution costs that have limited the adoption of hydrogen solutions. This demonstration validates that cryo-compressed hydrogen can break this trade-off by creating high-density hydrogen without requiring the significant energy inputs required of hydrogen liquefaction."

LLNL researchers first began investigating cryo-compressed hydrogen in the late 1990s. Recent breakthroughs have been possible thanks in part to a 2021 Strategic Partnership Project to test Verne's tanks at LLNL's cryogenic hydrogen fueling facility. LLNL's Innovation and Partnerships Office facilitated Cooperative Research and Development Agreements between the lab and Verne, which have given Verne access to the unmatched facilities and expertise of LLNL for quickly testing and developing its technology.

The LLNL's Innovation and Partnerships Office (IPO) is one of several entities and programs that support such partnerships between the labs and third parties. Another is the National Labs Entrepreneurship Academy, an intensive commercialization program for researchers from LLNL and Sandia. According to lab officials, the academy teaches researchers the fundamentals of entrepreneurial business so they can effectively communicate with industry and government partners about the value of a technology as it relates to solving a market problem. The goal, they say, is to support positive tech transfer partnerships by training researchers to discuss and approach their work in a way that resonates with business leader priorities during collaborations. More than 250 LLNL researchers have participated since the academy started in 2015.

Innovation and Partnerships Office is Key

Livermore Valley Open Campus (LVOC) is a critically important vehicle for allowing researchers from private industry and academia to collaborate with lab personnel on research that often leads to new patents, products, and technology. LVOC was designed to be a bridge between the outside world and the scientific expertise and sophisticated technology of the labs. By providing greater public access to research and advanced computer programs developed by the labs, LVOC activities are designed to boost the nation's economic competitiveness.

"Regarding tech transfer, LVOC enables LLNL's Innovation and Partnerships Office to host prospective industry collaborators for in-person workshops, conversations with LLNL scientists, and industry panels for broader learning and networking — like our recent joint Hydrogen Partnership day with Sandia," according to Matthew Garrett, Director of LLNL's Innovations and Partnerships Office. "Having an open space on campus for these types of interactions helps to raise awareness around national laboratory partnership and licensing opportunities in a variety of industries."

The process for outsiders to gain access to the resources of the highly secure labs was formidable and time-consuming until the LVOC was developed. That changed when the first phase of LVOC opened in 2011. Built along the boundaries of the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and Sandia National Laboratories, LVOC is a 110-acre open and unclassified innovation hub that makes it easier for outside business experts and academic specialists to participate in and benefit from collaboration with the labs. 

There are many benefits for companies that wish to partner with national lab researchers, Garrett says. "Partnering with a national laboratory can support you on your path to innovation and de-risk the process. IPO specifically helps to shape LLNL's innovation with market-based assessments and consistent implementation of new business models for tech transfer and commercialization. IPO fosters collaborations that lead to positive impact on the U.S. economy and create a global impact through innovative solutions and partnerships. We help early-stage inventors and defense integrators rise to meet business challenges, such as reducing the risk to market." Moreover, "we have the expertise, facilities, and IP (intellectual property) to effectively partner with various industries to help them make the world a better place. Our IPO team strives to be the go-to experts in innovation and partnerships, using LLNL's fearless and relentless pursuit of big ideas solving the most important security challenges to also create broader societal impact."

LLNL's LVOC facilities include the Advanced Manufacturing Lab (AML) and Livermore Computing Center, in addition to the University of California Livermore Collaboration Center. "Together, these facilities and open meeting spaces enable a variety of Bay Area-based partnerships and collaborations," notes Garret. "While these partnerships leverage more than the facilities alone, several Silicon Valley success stories have emerged over the years thanks to industry access to the AML, in particular. These include Seurat's work with 3D metal printing, also known as additive manufacturing, as well as LLNL's partnership with Artveoli, a biotech start-up that collaborated to freshen indoor air and improve health by combining CO2-devouring photosynthetic algae and LLNL's carbon capture microcapsules into a flat panel device disguised as a work of art." 

The Advanced Manufacturing Lab opened at LVOC in 2020. Officials note that AML's capabilities include designing high-performance materials, architected materials, and structures, devices, components, and assemblies enabled by innovative high-performance computing modeling and simulation; developing unique, custom, high-quality feedstocks and nanomaterials; and inventing and maturing advanced manufacturing processes. LVOC has long been an important resource for Tri-Valley and East Bay companies able to benefit from expertise from both LLNL and Sandia National Laboratories. Today, companies that qualify for partnerships with AML have an even greater competitive advantage thanks to their access to the unique capabilities and expertise of the region's national labs.

For more information about Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, please visit www.llnl.gov.

For more information about the Lawrence Livermore National Lab's Innovation and Partnerships Office, please visit ipo.llnl.gov.

For more information about the Livermore Valley Open Campus, please visit www.lvoc.org/.

For more information about the LLNL's Advanced Manufacturing Laboratory, please visit engineering.llnl.gov/collaboration/aml.