DON27TZ02-NV010 TITLE: Persistent, Geochemically-Driven Low-Temperature Power Systems for Subsea Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance

COMPONENT TECHNOLOGY PRIORITY AREA(S): Advanced Materials;Biotechnology

PROJECTED CMMC LEVEL REQUIREMENT: Level 2 (Self)

OBJECTIVE: Develop a modular, self-sustaining, non-toxic subsea energy-harvesting capability that exploits naturally occurring sediment-seawater geochemical gradients to provide persistent, logistics-free power for distributed Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) sensor nodes in Arctic marine environments, with reliable operation at -2°C, and providing at least 250mW average net harvested power and storing sufficient energy in an onboard storage subsystem to operate up to a 5W (objective) sensor payload for 10 minutes every 4 hours over a projected 24+ month deployment.

DESCRIPTION: The Department of the Navy’s expanding operational requirements in the Arctic domain demand persistent subsea situational awareness. Current seabed ISR nodes and Unmanned Underwater Vehicle (UUV) docking stations rely on conventional lithium-chemistry batteries. These legacy power sources present severe logistical and operational limitations: they suffer from rapid capacity degradation in extreme cold, possess highly toxic/hazardous chemistries, and require frequent, resource-intensive physical replacement (battery swapping) in highly contested or ice-covered environments.

To achieve persistent, logistics-free ISR, the Navy has a critical need for an environmentally benign, deploy-and-forget power architecture. This STTR topic seeks the development of Seafloor Electrochemical Power Harvesters to generate continuous electrical current by exploiting the natural oxidation-reduction (redox) potential difference between the anoxic marine sediment (mud) and the oxygenated overlying seawater. The proposed approach must demonstrate a credible path to 5W power and 24-month endurance in sub-zero Arctic conditions through a ruggedized seabed electrochemical power-harvesting architecture that maximizes long-term energy extraction while using only indigenous sediment microbial communities and naturally occurring geochemical gradients. Proposed solutions may use abiotic or biologically mediated mechanisms via electrode design, power management, and optimum emplacement.

Biocatalytic Prioritization & Environmental Strictures:

While purely abiotic electrochemical approaches will be considered, approaches that leverage biologically-mediated processes (e.g., utilizing natural biocatalysis to enhance electron transfer at the anode) will be prioritized due to their potential for higher power density and self-renewing longevity.

However, to prevent any risk of ecological disruption to fragile Arctic ecosystems, solutions must strictly rely on harnessing the naturally occurring, indigenous populations already present in the local sediment. The introduction, deployment, or seeding of any exogenous, synthetic, lab-grown, or non-native biological agents (microbes/bacteria) is strictly prohibited.

By utilizing advanced electrode materials that naturally synergize with the local subsea environment, the system must reduce or avoid reliance on deployable primary batteries for the supported payload while ensuring operational viability in extreme cold and high-pressure conditions.

PHASE I: Formulate the theoretical electrochemical model for sub-zero geochemical harvesting. Identify and test advanced catalytic electrode materials that maximize electron transfer efficiency at -2°C, prioritizing architectures that optimize interaction with indigenous sediment microbial communities and/or indigenous electroactive microorganisms.

Conduct a benchtop prototype demonstrating the targeted voltage and current density in a simulated cold-water/sediment environment utilizing only native sediment samples, accompanied by a scalable power management design.

PHASE II: Scale the Phase I material architecture into a prototype ruggedized, modular power generation unit. Integrate the system with advanced, low-loss DC-DC boost converters to condition the output for standard ISR payloads. Conduct extensive tank testing in simulated Arctic conditions to validate the 24-month longevity and an objective of 5W output. Position the Phase II prototype to be tested against PMS 485-D2 surrogate sensor payloads to prove integration and power conditioning.

Deliver a TRL 5/6 deployable prototype system and comprehensive testing data proving capability integration with a surrogate acoustic or environmental sensor. Prepare a Phase III commercialization/transition plan.

PHASE III DUAL USE APPLICATIONS: Transition the technology into a deployable form factor for Navy undersea infrastructure. Integrate the power module with operational subsea sensor networks, UUV charging nodes, or acoustic listening arrays. Deliver a qualified plug-and-play auxiliary power module that can be integrated into the next-generation Distributed Maritime Operations (DMO) surveillance architectures managed by PMS 485.

Transition the technology to commercial sectors for powering offshore oil and gas monitoring equipment, oceanographic research sensors, and early-warning tsunami detection networks.

REFERENCES:

1. Lowy, D. A., & Tender, L. M. (2008). Harvesting energy from the marine sediment–water interface: III. Kinetic activity of quinone-and antimony-based anode materials. Journal of Power Sources, 185(1), 70-75.
2. Shang, Y., Huang, Y., Li, L., Wu, F., & Chen, R. (2025). Electrochemical energy storage toward extreme conditions: driving human exploration beyond current boundaries. Chemical Reviews, 125(12), 5674-5744.
3. Tender, L. M., et al. "The First Demonstration of a Microbial Fuel Cell as a Viable Power Supply: Powering a Meteorological Buoy." Journal of Power Sources / public university record, 2008.
4. Reimers, C. E., et al. "Benthic Microbial Fuel Cell as Direct Power Source for an Acoustic Modem and Seawater Oxygen/Temperature Sensor System." Environmental Science & Technology, 2011.
5. Joiner, Kevin L., Eric Bozeman, Matthew L. Bond, Angelica Sarmiento, David B. Chadwick, Kevin Hardy, and Yolanda Meriah Arias-Thode. 2023. "Deep-Sea Benthic Microbial Fuel Cell Split-Release Landers", Sustainable Energy and Environmental Technologies and Assessments, 58: 103352.
6. Bond, Matthew, Y. M. Arias-Thode, Matias Andersson and Stefan Petrovic Wångerud. 2020. "The Undersea Surveillance and Communication Project Agreement (USC PA): Sea Trial 4 –Evaluation of Microbial Fuel Cells in the Baltic Sea," NIWCPAC-TR-3209; AD1144241.
7. Joiner, Kevin, Gabriel L. Tukeman, Anna Y. Obraztsova, Y. Meriah Arias-Thode. 2020. Impact of sediment parameters in the prediction of benthic microbial fuel cell performance. RSC Advances 10: 26220-26228.
8. Chief of Naval Operations (2014). The United States Navy Arctic Roadmap for 2014 to 2030.

KEYWORDS: Subsea Power; Arctic ISR; Arctic Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance; Geochemical Energy Harvesting; Undersea Logistics; Advanced Catalytic Materials; Contested Environments; Seafloor Electrochemical Systems

TPOC 1: Geoffrey Ciarlone
geoffrey.e.ciarlone.mil@us.navy.mil

TPOC 2: Yolanda Arias-Thode
yolanda.m.arias-thode.civ@us.navy.mil