Search NASA⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search NASA

Results for “Phase Transition”

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.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 217 records · Page 12
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2013

Growth and phase transition characteristics of pure M-phase VO{sub 2} epitaxial film prepared by oxide molecular beam epitaxy

VO{sub 2} epitaxial film with large size has been prepared by oxide-molecular beam epitaxy method on Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} (0001) substrate. The VO{sub 2} film shows a perfect crystal orientation, uniformity, and distinct metal-insulator phase transition (MIT) characteristics. It is observed that the MIT character is closely associated with the crystal defects such as oxygen vacancies. By controlling the growth condition, the MIT temperature can be tuned through modifying the content of oxygen vacancies. The role of the oxygen vacancies on the phase transition behavior of this VO{sub 2} film is discussed in the framework of the hybridization theory and the valence state of vanadium.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2014

Effect of dimensionality on vapor-liquid phase transition

Dimensionality play significant role on ‘phase transitions’. Fluids in macroscopic confinement (bulk or 3-Dimensional, 3D) do not show significant changes in their phase transition properties with extent of confinement, since the number of molecules away from the surrounding surfaces is astronomically higher than the number of molecules in close proximity of the confining surfaces. In microscopic confinement (quasi 3D to quasi-2D), however, the number of molecules away from the close proximity of the surface is not as high as is the case with macroscopic (3D) confinement. Hence, under the same thermodynamic conditions ‘phase transition’ properties at microscopic confinement may not remain the same as the macroscopic or 3D values. Phase transitions at extremely small scale become very sensitive to the dimensions as well as the surface characteristics of the system. In this work our investigations reveal the effect of dimensionality on the phase transition from 3D to quasi-2D to 2D behavior. We have used grand canonical transition matrix Monte Carlo simulation to understand the vapor–liquid phase transitions from 3D to quasi-2D behavior. Such studies can be helpful in understanding and controlling the fluid film behaviour confined between solid surfaces of few molecular diameters, for example, in lubrication applications.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2012

Phase transition in BC[subscript x] system under high-pressure and high-temperature: Synthesis of cubic dense BC[subscript 3] nanostructured phase

We synthesized a cubic BC{sub 3} (c-BC{sub 3}) phase, by direct transformation from graphitic phases at a pressure of 39 GPa and temperature of 2200 K in a laser-heated diamond anvil cell. A combination of x-ray diffraction, electron diffraction, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) imaging, and electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) measurements lead us to conclude that the obtained phase is hetero-nano-diamond, c-BC{sub 3}. High-resolution TEM imaging of the c-BC{sub 3} specimen recovered at ambient conditions demonstrates that the c-BC{sub 3} is a single, uniform, nanocrystalline phase with a grain size of about 3-5 nm. The EELS measurements show that the atoms inside the cubic structure are bonded by sp{sup 3} bonds. The zero-pressure lattice parameter of the c-BC{sub 3} calculated from diffraction peaks was found to be a = 3.589 {+-} 0.007 {angstrom}. The composition of the c-BC{sub 3} is determined from EELS measurements. The ratio of carbon to boron, C/B, is approximately 3 (2.8 {+-} 0.7).

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2024

Dark radiation isocurvature from cosmological phase transitions

Abstract Cosmological first order phase transitions are typically associated with physics beyond the Standard Model, and thus of great theoretical and observational interest. Models of phase transitions where the energy is mostly converted to dark radiation can be constrained through limits on the dark radiation energy density (parameterized by ΔN eff ). However, the current constraint (ΔN eff < 0.3) assumes the perturbations are adiabatic. We point out that a broad class of non-thermal first order phase transitions that start during inflation but do not complete until after reheating leave a distinct imprint in the scalar field from bubble nucleation. Dark radiation inherits the perturbation from the scalar field when the phase transition completes, leading to large-scale isocurvature that would be observable in the CMB. We perform a detailed calculation of the isocurvature power spectrum and derive constraints on ΔN eff based on CMB+BAO data. For a reheating temperature ofT rh and a nucleation temperatureT * , the constraint is approximately ΔN eff ≲ 10 -5 (T * /T rh ) -4 , which can be much stronger than the adiabatic result. We also point out that since perturbations of dark radiation have a non-Gaussian origin, searches for non-Gaussianity in the CMB could place a stringent bound on ΔN eff as well.

Astronomy & Astrophysics↗