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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 217 records · Page 12

Engineering spin coherence in core-shell diamond nanocrystals

Fluorescent diamond nanocrystals can host spin qubit sensors capable of probing the physical properties of biological systems with nanoscale spatial resolution. Sub-100 nm diamond nanosensors can readily be delivered into intact cells and even living organisms. However, applications beyond current proof-of-principle experiments require a substantial increase in sensitivity, which is limited by surface induced charge instability and electron-spin dephasing. In this work, we utilize engineered core-shell structures to achieve a drastic increase in qubit coherence times (T 2 ) from 1.1 to 35 μs in bare nanodiamonds to upward of 52 to 87 μs. We use electron-paramagnetic-resonance results to present a band bending model and connect silica encapsulation to the removal of deleterious mid-gap surface states that are negatively affecting the qubit’s spin properties. Combined with a 1.9-fold increase in particle luminescence these advances correspond to up to two-order-of-magnitude reduction in integration time. Probing qubit dynamics at a single particle level further reveals that the noise characteristics fundamentally change from a bath with spins that rearrange their spatial configuration during the course of an experiment to a more dilute static bath. The observed results shed light on the underlying mechanisms governing fluorescence and spin properties in diamond nanocrystals and offer an effective noise mitigation strategy based on engineered core-shell structures.

core-shell↗

Regulating the Third Metal to Design and Engineer Multilayered NiFeM (M: Co, Mn, and Cu) Nanofoam Anode Catalysts for Anion-Exchange Membrane Water Electrolyzers

In this study, alkaline anion-exchange membrane water electrolyzers (AEMWEs) for green hydrogen production have received intensive attention due to their feasibility of using earth-abundant platinum group metal (PGM)-free catalysts. Herein, the third metal is incorporated into NiFe-based catalysts to regulate their electronic structures and morphologies, aiming to achieve sufficient oxygen evolution reaction (OER) activity and performance in AEMWEs. The ternary NiFeM (M: Cu, Co, or Mn) catalysts are featured with multiple layered structures and nanofoam network morphologies, consisting of highly OER-active amorphous Ni-rich oxide shells and electrically conductive metallic alloy cores. The physical and electronic perturbations to the NiFe induced by a third element lead to a fine-tuning of the redox ability of the metal sites at the reaction centers, which breaks the scaling relationship between OH* and O* intermediates at the reaction centers. Thus, the unique structural configuration and electronic regulation simultaneously benefit catalytic activity and performance improvements. These NiFeM nanofoam catalysts demonstrated promising anode performance in actual AEMWEs, comparable to the IrO 2 reference, especially at high current densities. Notably, using various electrolytes (e.g., KOH solution or pure water) for AEMWEs exhibited a different performance trend among studied NiFeM catalysts, likely due to dynamic changes of catalysts under various OER environments.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗

Defect-mediated ripening of core-shell nanostructures

Abstract Understanding nanostructure ripening mechanisms is desirable for gaining insight on the growth and potential applications of nanoscale materials. However, the atomic pathways of nanostructure ripening in solution have rarely been observed directly. Here, we report defect-mediated ripening of Cd-CdCl 2 core-shell nanoparticles (CSN) revealed by in-situ atomic resolution imaging with liquid cell transmission electron microscopy. We find that ripening is initiated by dissolution of the nanoparticle with an incomplete CdCl 2 shell, and that the areas of the Cd core that are exposed to the solution are etched first. The growth of the other nanoparticles is achieved by generating crack defects in the shell, followed by ion diffusion through the cracks. Subsequent healing of crack defects leads to a highly crystalline CSN. The formation and annihilation of crack defects in the CdCl 2 shell, accompanied by disordering and crystallization of the shell structure, mediate the ripening of Cd-CdCl 2 CSN in the solution.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Mass enhancement in 3 d and s - p perovskites from symmetry breaking

In some d-electron oxides, the measured effective mass m* exptl has long been known to be significantly larger than the model effective mass m* model deduced from mean-field band theory, i.e., m* exptl =βm* model , where β>1 is the “mass-enhancement” or “mass-renormalization” factor. Previous applications of density functional theory (DFT), based on a symmetry-restricted structure with the smallest number of possible magnetic, orbital, and structural degrees of freedom, missed such mass enhancement. This fact has been taken as evidence of strong electronic correlation, often described via the symmetry-restricted dynamic mean-field approach of the many-body theory, being the exclusive enabling physics. This paper uses instead a static density functional approach that does not restrict positional or spin degrees of freedom (symmetry-broken structures). This approach analyzes the contributions of different symmetry-broken modalities to mass enhancement for a few nominally highly correlated d-electron perovskites as well as the nominally uncorrelated, closed-shell s-p bonding perovskites. It shows that the energy-lowering symmetry-broken spin effects (e.g., nonzero local moment in the paramagnetic phase) and structural effects (e.g., atomic displacement) as described in mean-field DFT already manifest mass enhancement for both electrons and holes in a range of d-electron perovskites SrVO 3 , SrTiO 3 , BaTiO 3 , and LaMnO 3 , as well as p-electron perovskites CsPbI 3 and SrBiO 3 , including both metals (SrVO 3 ) and insulators (the rest). This is revealed only when enlarged unit cells of the same parent global symmetry, which are large enough to allow for symmetry-breaking distortions and concomitant variations in spin order, are explored for their ability to lower the total energy. Positional symmetry breaking that leads to mass enhancement includes octahedral rotation in halide perovskites such as CsPbI 3 , Jahn-Teller-like Q${+}\atop{2}$ distortion in LaMnO 3 , and bond disproportionation in SrBiO 3 , while magnetic symmetry breaking resulting in mass enhancement includes the formation of a distribution of local moments in SrVO3 that averages to zero in the paramagnetic phase. Not all symmetry breaking leads to significant mass enhancement, e.g., the rather small octahedral rotations in the nearly perfectly cubic SrTiO 3 cause negligible mass enhancement, as do the paraelectric displacements in BaTiO 3 . In principle, by ergodicity, the two descriptions, i.e., the symmetry-restricted dynamic approach with a single time-fluctuating magnetic moment and the symmetry-broken mean-field approach with a static distribution of spatially fluctuated local moments, are not mutually exclusive but are a choice of representation and consequently, a choice of computational efficiency. In approximate implementations, the symmetry-broken mean-field approach appears to remove much of what was strong correlation in dynamically correlated symmetry-restricted solutions, leaving smaller (“weak”) residual correlation with respect to the exact solution.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Artificial generation of representative single Li-ion electrode particle architectures from microscopy data

Accurately capturing the architecture of single lithium-ion electrode particles is necessary for understanding their performance limitations and degradation mechanisms through multi-physics modeling. Information is drawn from multimodal microscopy techniques to artificially generate LiNi 0.5 Mn 0.3 Co 0.2 O 2 particles with full sub-particle grain detail. Statistical representations of particle architectures are derived from X-ray nano-computed tomography data supporting an ‘outer shell’ model, and sub-particle grain representations are derived from focused-ion beam electron backscatter diffraction data supporting a ‘grain’ model. A random field model used to characterize and generate the outer shells, and a random tessellation model used to characterize and generate grain architectures, are combined to form a multi-scale model for the generation of virtual electrode particles with full-grain detail. This work demonstrates the possibility of generating representative single electrode particle architectures for modeling and characterization that can guide synthesis approaches of particle architectures with enhanced performance.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

High-power test results for a cylindrical-shell silicon carbide higher-order-mode damper

The next high-current Electron-Ion Collider (EIC) is a new accelerator to be built at Brookhaven National Laboratory in collaboration with Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility. In the EIC Electron Storage Ring (ESR), there will be beam currents of up to 2.5 A, which will excite massive higher-order-mode (HOM) power in the 17 single-cell 591 MHz superconducting radio-frequency (SRF) cavities. Damping the HOM power in the ESR SRF cavities is a challenge. A room temperature cylindrical shell shape silicon carbide (SiC) beamline HOM absorber (BLA) was chosen as the baseline design, due to its broadband and high-power capability, and previous demonstrations at other accelerator facilities, albeit at much lower power. Because the EIC BLA HOM power dissipation is significantly greater than the previous applications, it is imperative to carry out high-power testing to determine the maximum device performance levels achievable for thermal transport, rf breakdown, and mechanical stress, prior to finalizing the design. A SiC HOM absorber with a state-of-the-art geometry size was prototyped to verify the shrink-fit technique, test outgassing rate, and high-power handling capability. This paper presents the HOM damper’s prototyping and test results. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗

Measurements of inner-shell excited levels of Na-, Mg-, and Al-like europium on the LLNL EBIT

We report on a measurement of several n = 3 → n = 2 inner-shell transitions in sodiumlike, magnesiumlike, and aluminumlike europium, performed at the EBIT-I electron beam ion trap facility at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory using an x-ray calorimeter. Although the inner-shell x-ray lines of such M-shell ions are typically dominated by electric dipole allowed transitions, we have also identified a weak feature that appears to be the result of electric quadrupole decay in sodiumlike Eu 52+ . Here, we compare the measured transitions energies to the calculated values obtained using the flexible atomic code. We find agreement in most cases within 2 eV or better.

74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS↗

Manifestation of postcollision interaction in Krypton LMN Auger spectra following K-shell photoionization

In this work, we report on an experimental and theoretical study of post-collision interaction (PCI) effects on L 2 -M 4,5 N 2,3 Auger electrons measured above the Kr K-edge in which L 2 vacancies are primarily generated by KL 2 x-ray emission. Such cascade processes, in which a deep inner-shell vacancy decays first by x-ray emission followed by Auger electron emission, is a strong decay mode in heavy atoms. The L 2 -M 4,5 N 2,3 Auger electron peak is observed to become increasingly asymmetric with a shifting peak maximum as the absorbed x-ray energy approaches the K-shell ionization threshold. This is attributed to PCI energy exchanges of the Auger electron with the 1s photoelectron. To model the PCI effects, we have applied a semiclassical approach modified to account for the combined lifetimes of the K and L 2 hole states. In addition, our analysis treats several closely spaced Auger transitions with final ionic states having different terms and angular momenta.

74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS↗

Kβ X-ray Emission Spectra Analysis Using Bayesian Optimization

The Kβ X-ray emission spectrum of 3 d transition metals is rich with electronic and structural information due to strong exchange interactions with the valence shell of the metal, and has become crucial for understanding their spin and oxidation states. The spectrum is commonly treated using crystal-field multiplet theory, a semi-empirical theory that uses tunable parameters to control the strength of the effects present in X-ray emission spectroscopy (XES). However, determining the experimental values of these parameters remains a challenge. We present a methodology that applies Bayesian optimization to crystal-field multiplet theory to determine parameter values. The algorithm is tested on the X-ray emission spectra of a collection of Mn, Co, and Ni oxides. We are able to find optimal values for the four most impactful parameters: Slater−Condon reduction factors F dd , F pd , and G pd , and crystal field splitting 10 Dq . The algorithm produces significantly improved accuracy compared to current analysis methods, and probes interparameter dependencies by modeling the error landscape. This advancement enhances XES analysis by offering an approach of obtaining quantitative electronic structural information on 3 d transition metal valence shells, facilitating applications across various scientific fields.

Bayesian optimization↗

Engineering Ultrathin Alloy Shell in Au@AuPd Core-Shell Nanoparticles for Efficient Plasmon-Driven Photocatalysis

Bimetallic core-shell nanoparticles (NPs) possessing a synergetic coupling of plasmonic and catalytic metals have emerged as promising prototypes for efficient plasmon-driven photocatalysis. Here, Au@AuPd core-shell NPs composed of Au core NP and ultrathin AuPd shell are introduced to acquire improved light utilization efficiency in photocatalytic selective oxidation. With systematical control of the composition of the ultrathin alloy shell, it reveals that the Au@AuPd core-shell NPs with 10 at% Pd (in the single-atom alloy regime) is an effective nanostructure capable of maximizing the quantum yield of plasmon-induced light absorption and optimizing the surface electronic structure for catalytic reactions. This controlled system provides new insights into shell engineering for enhancing photocatalytic performance via the regulation of energy funneling processes in core-shell nanocatalysts.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Strain-Enhanced Metallic Intermixing in Shape-Controlled Multilayered Core–Shell Nanostructures: Toward Shaped Intermetallics

Controlling the surface composition of shaped bimetallic nanoparticles could offer precise tunability of geometric and electronic surface structure for new nanocatalysts. To achieve this goal, a platform for studying the intermixing process in a shaped nanoparticle was designed, using multilayered Pd-Ni-Pt core–shell nanocubes as precursors. Under mild conditions, the intermixing between Ni and Pt could be tuned by changing layer thickness and number, triggering intermixing while preserving nanoparticle shape. Intermixing of the two metals is monitored using transmission electron microscopy. The surface structure evolution is characterized using electrochemical methanol oxidation. DFT calculations suggest that the low-temperature mixing is enhanced by shorter diffusion lengths and strain introduced by the layered structure. The platform and insights presented are an advance toward the realization of shape-controlled multimetallic nanoparticles tailored to each potential application.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Inferences of hot electron preheat and its spatial distribution in OMEGA direct drive implosions

Hot electrons generated from laser plasma instabilities degrade performance of direct drive implosions by preheating the deuterium and tritium (DT) fuel resulting in early decompression and lower areal densities at stagnation. A technique to quantify the hot electron preheat of the dense DT fuel and connect it to the degradation in areal density is described in detail. Hot electrons are measured primarily from the hard x-rays they emit as they slow down in the target. The DT preheat is inferred from a comparison of the hard x-ray signals between a DT-layered implosion and its mass equivalent ablator only implosion. The preheat energy spatial distribution within the imploding shell is inferred from experiments using high Z payloads of varying thicknesses. It is found that the electrons deposit their energy uniformly throughout the shell material. For typical direct-drive OMEGA implosions driven with an overlapped intensity of ∼9·1014 W/cm2, approximately ∼0.02%–0.03% of the laser energy is converted into preheat of the stagnated fuel which corresponds to areal density degradations of 10%–20%. The degradations in areal density explain some of the observed discrepancies between the simulated and measured areal densities.

Christopherson, A. R. (ORCID:000000033578635X)↗

The Effect of Core-Hole Shape on Attosecond Valence Electron Dynamics

Rapid X-ray ionization of a core electron is known to induce the attosecond motion of valence electrons; however, the effect of core-hole shape on the triggered dynamics remains relatively unknown. In this work, the sub-four fs response of prototypical functionalized/heterocyclic/polycyclic molecules was simulated using real-time time-dependent density functional theory (RT-TDDFT), a sudden approximation core-hole, and phenomenologically Auger–Meitner (AM) decay. These molecules included fluorobenzene, chlorobenzene, bromobenzene, phenol, thiophenol, pyridine, phosphorus, and azulene. It is observed that the valence electron dynamics are essentially independent of the core-hole created, provided that it is ionized from an inner-shell orbital and not an inner-valence orbital. This has broad implications for free-electron laser studies of X-ray pumped attosecond processes since the flexibility in edge allows for a wide range of experimental modalities, core-holes with longer AM lifetimes, and molecular targets.

aromatic compounds↗

Probing Electronic Coherence between Core-Level Vacancies at Different Atomic Sites

The detailed understanding of electronic coherence in quantum systems requires measurements on the attosecond timescale. Attosecond x-ray pulses enable the study of electronic coherence in core-excited molecular systems. Here we report on the coherent motion of electrons in the 1,1-difluoroethylene ion following ionization of the K shell of the two nonequivalent carbon sites with a subfemtosecond x-ray pulse. Using the angular streaking technique to track the Auger-Meitner decay, we observe temporal modulations of the emission, indicating the electronic coherence of the core-excited ionic states, and extract a 6.5 ± 0.8 fs average lifetime of the core-level vacancies. A quantum-mechanical model is employed to interpret the measurement, and we find the observed temporal modulations are independent of charge density oscillations. This work opens a new regime of coherent electronic motion, beyond charge migration, where electronic coherence manifests in the nonlocal quantum correlation between atomic sites while charge density oscillation is absent. Our results broaden the landscape of electronic coherence in molecular systems. Published by the American Physical Society 2025

Wang, Jun (ORCID:000000031962895X)↗

AOI [1] Advanced Manufacturing of Ceramic Anchors with Embedded Sensors for Process and Health Monitoring of Coal Boilers

Researchers at West Virginia University (WVU) developed methods to fabricate and test ceramic anchors with an embedded sensor technology for monitoring the health and processing conditions within pulverized coal (PC) and fluidized-bed combustion (FBC) boiler systems. The technology included the development of advanced manufacturing processes for 2D/3D printing electroceramic (conductive ceramic) sensor designs within the ceramic anchor microstructure during the manufacturing process. This advanced manufacturing process would allow for the precise control of local microstructure and composition in order to engineer layer-by-layer any protective and electrically active materials within the refractory anchor. This 3D printing technology would permit the rapid and controlled design of the refractory microstructure and embedded sensor design throughout the volume of the ceramic anchor. The work also included a method to interconnect the sensors to boiler shell through the anchor clamp, where the sensor signals will be processed by low-power electronics and transmitted wirelessly to a central processing hub. The end-goal of the program was to produce a ceramic anchor sensor system which would be ready for implementation within a coal boiler, and/or other similar refractory liner systems (such as that in the glass and metal manufacturing areas). The project objectives were to: 1) Define the chemical and microstructural stability, in addition to the electrical properties, of oxide and non-oxide ceramic composites to be embedded within the ceramic anchor compositions that may operate up to 1400ºC; 2) Develop and implement the 2D/3D printing technology to pattern and control the microstructure of the ceramic anchor and embedded sensor circuits; 3) Develop an interconnect technology which will permit easy installation of the ceramic anchors and signal collection at the boiler shell; 4) Develop low power analog electronics and wireless communication hardware to efficiently collect the sensor signal at each processing unit and transmit data to a central hub for data analysis; 5) Demonstrate the smart ceramic anchor system for temperature and liner fracture within a high-temperature processing unit, such as a boiler furnace or glass melting furnace floor/wall liner.

20 FOSSIL-FUELED POWER PLANTS↗

Electrodeposited Sn–Cu@Sn dendrites for selective electrochemical CO 2 reduction to formic acid

Large-scale CO 2 electrolysis can be applied to store renewable energy in chemicals. Recent developments in gas diffusion electrodes now enable a commercially relevant current density. However, the low selectivity of the CO 2 reduction reaction (CO 2 RR) still hinders practical applications. The selectivity of the CO 2 RR highly depends on the electrocatalyst. Sn catalysts are considered promising cathode materials for the production of formic acid. The selectivity of Sn catalysts can be regulated by controlling their morphology or alloying them with secondary metals. In this work, we enhanced the selectivity of CO 2 reduction to formic acid by synthesizing Sn–Cu@Sn dendrites that have a core@shell architecture. The Sn–Cu@Sn dendrites were prepared by a scalable electro-deposition method. The electronic structure was modified to suppress a reaction pathway for CO production on the Sn surface. Notably, the Sn shell inhibited the cathodic corrosion of Cu during the CO 2 RR. On a gas diffusion electrode, the Sn–Cu@Sn dendrites exhibited 84.2% faraday efficiency to formic acid for 120 h with high stability.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Materials Design Directions for Solar Thermochemical Water Splitting

The sustainable, economical production of molecular hydrogen is a crucial component of a net zero-greenhouse-gas-emissions future. Solar thermochemical water splitting (STWS) offers a renewable route to hydrogen with the potential to help decarbonize several industries, including transportation, manufacturing, mining, metals processing, and electricity generation, as well as provide sustainable hydrogen as a chemical feedstock. STWS uses high temperatures generated from concentrated sunlight or other sustainable means for high-temperature heat to produce hydrogen and oxygen from steam. For example, in its simplest form of a two-step thermochemical cycle, a redox-active metal oxide is heated to ≈1700-2000 K, driving off molecular oxygen while producing oxygen vacancies in the material. The reduced metal oxide then cools (ideally with the extracted heat recuperated for re-use) and, in a separate step, comes into contact with steam, which reacts with oxygen vacancies to produce molecular hydrogen while recovering the original state of the metal oxide. Despite its promising use of the entire solar spectrum to split water thermochemically, the current estimated cost of hydrogen produced via STWS is ≈4-6× the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Hydrogen Shot target value of $1/kg. One contributing approach to bridging this cost gap is the design of new materials with improved thermodynamic properties to enable higher efficiencies. The state-of-the-art (SOA) redox-active metal oxide for STWS is ceria (CeO 2 ), due to its close to optimal, although too high, oxygen vacancy formation enthalpy and large configurational and electronic entropy of reduction. However, ceria requires high operating temperatures and its efficiency is insufficient. Therefore, efforts to increase the efficiency of STWS cycles have focused on further optimizing oxygen vacancy formation enthalpies and augmenting the reduction entropy via substitution or doping and materials discovery schemes. Examples of the latter include the perovskites BaCe 0.25 Mn 0.75 O 3 and (Ca,Ce)(Ti,Mn)O 3 . These efforts and others have revealed intuitive chemical principles for the efficient and systematic design of more effective materials, such as the strong correlation between the enthalpies of crystal bond dissociation and solid-state cation reduction with the enthalpy of oxygen vacancy formation, as well as configurational entropy augmentation via the coexistence of two or more redox-active cation sublattices. The purpose of this chapter is to prepare the reader with an up-to-date account of STWS redox-active materials, both the SOA and promising newcomers, as well as to provide chemically intuitive strategies for improving their cycle efficiencies through materials design – in conjunction with ongoing efforts in reactor engineering and gas separations – to reach the cost points for commercial viability. First, we will introduce the thermodynamics of STWS using a two-step, metal-oxide, thermochemical cycle with economics in mind. We also will compare the pros and cons of processes that do or do not involve phase changes. Second, we will describe the qualities that make ceria the SOA STWS redox-active material, as well as its limitations. Third, we will survey some of the most promising candidates to date in the search for materials to supplant ceria, emphasizing the post-ternary, metal-oxide-perovskite alloys. Lastly, we will enumerate and discuss the following materials design directions for STWS redox-active materials: crystal reduction potentials as a proxy for oxygen vacancy formation enthalpies, engineering the electronic and configurational entropy of reduction via f-shells and simultaneous redox, and vetting materials stability via temperature-dependent phase diagrams and melting-point prediction.

08 HYDROGEN↗

Quinonoid versus Aromatic π-Conjugated Oligomers and Polymers and Their Diradical Characters

Quinonoid elements in π-conjugated oligomers and polymers have promising characteristics by providing unique structures and electronic properties, including varying degrees of ground state open shell diradical character and small band gaps. So far, quinonoid ground state polymers were rarely identified, and one of the goals of this work was to expand the portfolio of such systems in which over 17 different repeat units were considered, about half preferred a quinonoid and half preferred aromatic structures plus several with the alternating A-Q composition were also included. The dependency of the diradical character as a function of size and composition opens a rich space to discover trends affecting the aromaticity and diradical character. Herein, we show that the diradical character is a useful parameter to classify a wide variety of polymers based on their ground states in a systematic study of a large number of homo- and heterosystems. Homo-polymers with quinonoid ground states show a high diradical character, while those with the aromatic ground state behave as closed-shell systems with no or a very small diradical character. The diradical character of quinonoid systems depends strongly on the size, which increases with the size of the oligomer. Here, we found a correlation between the diradical character and the interring C–C distance as well as the singlet–triplet energy gaps. In alternating copolymers mixing quinonoid and aromatic subunits, we found open-shell hetero-polymers with moderate to high diradical characters.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗