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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

Scalable dark matter searches using integrated photonics

Dark matter (DM) with masses of order an electronvolt or below can have a nonzero coupling to electromagnetism while being compatible with cosmological observations. In these models, the ambient DM behaves as a new classical source in Maxwell’s equations, which can excite potentially detectable electromagnetic (EM) fields in the laboratory. We propose a new integrated-photonics–based approach to search for dark matter candidates in the 0.1–few eV mass range. This approach offers a wide range of wavelength-scale devices like resonators and wave guides that are readily fabricated in large quantities, enabling a scalable and novel search. In particular, we demonstrate that refractive index-modulated resonators, such as etched/grooved microrings, or patterned slabs, support EM modes with efficient coupling to DM. When excited by DM, these modes are read out by coupling the resonators to a wave guide that terminates on a micron-scale–sized single photon detector, such as a single pixel of a low-noise charge-coupled device or a superconducting nanowire. We then estimate the sensitivity of this experimental concept in the context of axionlike particle and dark photon models of DM, demonstrating that nanophotonic confinement and scalability can extend dark matter sensitivity into previously unexplored parameter space.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

3D reconstruction and neural rendering for adversarial machine learning

While evasion attacks on computer vision systems have been widely studied, creating attacks that remain effective under significant changes in viewpoint continues to be challenging. Traditional approaches often rely on affine transformations of images, but these approaches degrade at larger perspective shifts and often produce unrealistic or ineffective perturbations. Recent methods use differentiable renderers to improve viewpoint robustness, but they typically depend on manually constructed 3D models. We introduce a semi-automated pipeline that generates physically printable and perspective-invariant adversarial patches using only a small set of 2D images. Our method integrates 3D reconstruction, neural rendering, adversarial patch optimization, and an object detection victim model into a unified workflow. We use 2D Gaussian Splatting for high fidelity mesh reconstruction and FlexPara for surface parameterization that produces texture maps suitable for patch editing. Together, these components form a fully differentiable pipeline in PyTorch3D that links texture modification to model outputs, enabling efficient optimization of patches that remain effective across many viewpoints. The complete process, from image capture to patch printing and physical evaluation, can be completed within a few hours. We demonstrate the effectiveness of the resulting patches through attacks on the YOLOv8 object detection model and discuss remaining challenges and opportunities for improving robustness and scalability.

Singhvi, Vivaan [ORNL] (ORCID:0009000586288221)↗

Platform for Remote Deployment and Training for Enhanced Building Operation Practices (Building Re-Tuning and On-going Commissioning)

While a building’s energy usage is driven largely by its design and use, building operator behavior has a strong influence on its energy consumption. This project developed and piloted a specific, data-driven coaching methodology to help operators understand how they can adjust operations and/or affect no/low-cost repairs or upgrades to their specific building HVAC systems to reduce energy consumption. Named BuildingCoach, the operational optimization method used is based on the Building Re-tuning approach developed by the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. A building operations analytics market has matured over the past decade, though its potential to affect energy-saving changes has not been fully realized. Training operators to understand the methods for operational optimization with the explicit approach of using building-system performance data is hypothesized to create a more effective, longer lasting result in building energy efficiency, and this strategy is the fundamental premise of this project. With the support of an Industry Advisory Board, the project succeeded in developing materials and recruiting for and delivering three pilot cohorts. Deliverables included twenty-two self-paced training modules (accessed via a Learning Management System) and a web-based platform that includes access to real-time building system data and a repository for building system documentation. The project set out to have 100 participants from 50 buildings in three pilot cohorts. In the end, there were 28 participants from 17 buildings, i.e., a significant shortfall. The first two pilot cohorts had only two buildings in each, and this was partially due to difficulties in deploying the Building Operator Coaching Solution (“the BOCS”), which is technology that extracts the data from the controls network and presents it as prescribed for coaching. In the third cohort, the project team deployed the BOCS successfully to 13 buildings, the methodology was piloted as intended, and numerous opportunities for optimization were identified. The BuildingCoach business plan charts a path to an economically sustainable effort. However, even with a licensing model captured in the final version of the business plan, the scalability is still limited to keeping less than 1,000 buildings affected by 2033. Even so, there are unexplored paths to greater scalability that are being considered. CUNY BPL is working to perpetuate and grow the use of BuildingCoach. As of this writing, about twenty buildings have either been connected or will be connected with operators coached / to be coached in the NYC municipal portfolio, twelve buildings across four campuses in NY State will use BuildingCoach, a NY upstate county wishes for six or seven buildings to participate with the support of funding from NYSERDA, and others have also expressed interest. In the decades to come, there will be an increasing percentage of large and mid-sized buildings that incorporate automated system optimization (ASO), and the building operators’ role will shift to spend more time on maintenance and monitoring. Meanwhile, programs such as BuildingCoach will play a critical role in optimizing operations. And, regardless of the emergence of ASO, operators will still need to understand how their systems operate so that they can monitor them properly. Within that context, BuildingCoach is an important step towards operators’ understanding of efficient building system operations.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗

Modeling scale-up of particle coating by atomic layer deposition

Atomic layer deposition (ALD) is a promising technique to functionalize particle surfaces for energy applications including energy storage, catalysis, and decarbonization. In this work, we present a set of models of ALD particle coating to explore the transition from lab scale to manufacturing. Our models encompass the main particle coating manufacturing approaches including rotary bed, fluidized bed, and continuously vibrating reactors. These models provide key metrics, such as throughput and precursor utilization, required to evaluate the scalability of ALD manufacturing approaches and their feasibility in the context of energy applications. Our results show that designs that force the precursor to flow through fluidized particles transition faster to a transport-limited regime where throughput is maximized. They also exhibit higher precursor utilization. In the context of continuous processes, our models indicate that it is possible to achieve self-extinguishing processes with almost 100% precursor utilization. A comparison with past experimental results of ALD in fluidized bed reactors shows excellent qualitative and quantitative agreement.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗

Integration of genome-scale metabolic model with biorefinery process model reveals market-competitive carbon-negative sustainable aviation fuel utilizing microbial cell mass lipids and biogenic CO 2

Producing scalable, economically viable, low-carbon biofuels or biochemicals hinges on more efficient bioconversion processes. While microbial conversion can offer robust solutions, the native microbial growth process often redirects a large fraction of carbon to CO 2 and cell mass. By integrating genome-scale metabolic models with techno-economic and life cycle assessment models, this study analyzes the effects of converting cell mass lipids to hydrocarbon fuels, and CO 2 to methanol on the facility’s costs and life-cycle carbon footprint. Results show that upgrading microbial lipids or both microbial lipids and CO 2 using renewable hydrogen produces carbon-negative bisabolene. Additionally, on-site electrolytic hydrogen production offers a supply of pure oxygen to use in place of air for bioconversion and fuel combustion in the boiler. To reach cost parity with conventional jet fuel, renewable hydrogen needs to be produced at less than $\$2.2$ to $\$3.1$/kg, with a bisabolene yield of 80% of the theoretical yield, along with cell mass and CO 2 yields of 22 wt% and 54 wt%, respectively. The economic combination of cell mass, CO 2 , and bisabolene yields demonstrated in this study provides practical insights for prioritizing research, selecting suitable hosts, and determining necessary engineered production levels.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗

Scalable Tensor Methods for Nonuniform Hypergraphs

While multilinear algebra appears natural for studying the multiway interactions modeled by hypergraphs, tensor methods for general hypergraphs have been stymied by theoretical and practical barriers. A recently proposed adjacency tensor is applicable to nonuniform hypergraphs, but is prohibitively costly to form and analyze in practice. We develop tensor times same vector (TTSV) algorithms for this tensor which improve complexity from $O(n^r)$ to a low-degree polynomial in $r$, where $n$ is the number of vertices and $r$ is the maximum hyperedge size. Our algorithms are implicit, avoiding formation of the order $r$ adjacency tensor. Here, we demonstrate the flexibility and utility of our approach in practice by developing tensor-based hypergraph centrality and clustering algorithms. We also show these tensor measures offer complementary information to analogous graph-reduction approaches on data, and are also able to detect higher-order structure that many existing matrix-based approaches provably cannot.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

Multi-physics Preconditioning for Thermally Activated Batteries

Thermal batteries, also known as molten-salt batteries, are single-use reserve power systems activated by pyrotechnic heat generation, which transitions the solid electrolyte into a molten state. The simulation of these batteries relies on multiphysics modeling to evaluate performance and behavior under various conditions. This paper presents advancements in scalable preconditioning strategies for the Thermally Activated Battery Simulator (TABS) tool, enabling efficient solutions to the coupled electrochemical systems that dominate computational costs in thermal battery simulations. We propose a hierarchical block Gauss-Seidel preconditioner implemented through the Teko package in Trilinos, which effectively addresses the challenges posed by tightly coupled physics, including charge transport, porous flow, and species diffusion. The preconditioner leverages scalable subblock solvers, including smoothed aggregation algebraic multigrid (SA-AMG) methods and domain-decomposition techniques, to achieve robust convergence and parallel scalability. Strong and weak scaling studies demonstrate the solver’s ability to handle problem sizes up to 51.3 million degrees of freedom on 2048 processors, achieving near sub-second setup and solve times for the end-to-end electrochemical solve. These advancements significantly improve the computational efficiency and turnaround time of thermal battery simulations, paving the way for higher-resolution models and enabling the transition from 2D axisymmetric to full 3D simulations.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗

Revolutionizing Energy Storage: AI, Automation, and Advanced Modeling as Catalysts for Next-Generation Breakthroughs

The Presidential Symposium (PRES) at the 2025 Fall Meeting, hosted by the President’s Office and Energy and Fuels Division, American Chemical Society (ACS) in Washington, DC, brought together a diverse group of chemists, engineers, and materials scientists working in battery materials & systems, automation and artificial intelligence from academia, industry, and national laboratories. The accelerating demand for high-performance, scalable, and sustainable energy storage has catalyzed a paradigm shift in how materials are dis-covered, devices are engineered, and systems are optimized. This Presidential Symposium, entitled “Revolutionizing Energy Storage: AI, Automation, and Advanced Modeling Driving Next-Gen Breakthroughs”, brings together global leaders to unveil transformative strategies anchored in the AAA framework: Artificial Intelligence, Automation, and Advanced Modeling. Artificial Intelligence is redefining the frontiers of energy storage by enabling predictive design, real-time optimization, and intelligent control across diverse chemistries and architectures. Automation is streamlining the synthesis, characterization, and testing of battery materials, dramatically accelerating innovation cycles and unlocking scalable solutions for grid and mobility applications. Advanced Modeling, spanning atomic to system-level scales, provides unprecedented insight into electrochemical dynamics, degradation pathways, and thermal behavior, particularly when coupled with physics-informed machine learning and digital twin technologies. Digital twins, in turn, leverage the AAA framework by integrating real-time data, physics-based models, and AI predictions into dynamic virtual replicas, enabling proactive diagnostics, optimization, and system resilience. Together, these synergistic pillars are not only re-shaping the scientific landscape but also forging a new era of reproducible, data-driven, and resilient energy storage innovation. In conclusion, this symposium marks a pivotal moment in the convergence of computational intelligence and experimental rigor, charting the course for next-generation breakthroughs in lithium-ion, solid-state, and flow battery technologies.

Artificial Intelligence (AI)↗

High-Resolution Simulations of Geological CO 2 Injection: Application to the SPE11 Benchmark

Geological carbon sequestration (GCS) will play a critical role in decarbonization and in facilitating the transition to clean energy systems. Because CO 2 is highly mobile, ensuring its safe and permanent injection into subsurface geological formations involves monitoring over larger spatial domains and longer time periods than is typical for hydrocarbon reservoirs. This can benefit from simulation tools capable of modeling key CO 2 trapping mechanisms, particularly those optimized for speed and scalability on high-performance computing systems. Using isothermal versions of the SPE11B and SPE11C benchmark cases, we conduct a mesh refinement study simulating CO 2 injection into kilometer-scale rock formations at centimeter resolution with the GEOS open-source simulation framework. We focus on how mesh refinement improves the accuracy of convective mixing in both 2D and 3D simulations. The computational costs associated with achieving a converged solution highlight the need for predictive upscaling techniques. A systematic performance scaling analysis—including both central processing unit (CPU) and graphics processing unit (GPU) architectures—complements the “Results” section.

Geosciences↗

Combining Deep Learning and scatterControl for High-Throughput X-ray CT Based Non-Destructive Characterization of Large-Scale Casted Metallic Components

X-ray computed tomography (XCT) is essential for nondestructive evaluation and quality control of large-scale metal components. XCT imaging, however, faces significant challenges from metal artifacts, particularly those caused by Compton scattering, which degrade image quality and obscure critical details. Hardware-based solutions (e.g. scatterControl) offer advancements by intercepting scattered photons and reducing artifacts, but they can be time-consuming and require additional processing. Here, we propose modifying and leveraging a novel deep learning (DL) framework, Simurgh, to enhance and accelerate scatter correction in XCT. By combining scatterControl with DL-based artifact removal, we demonstrate significant reduction in scan time while producing high-quality reconstructions. Through extensive evaluation on industrial XCT data, we show that our methods reduce scan time by up to more than 10 x while preserving flaw detectability. Quantitative analysis across multiple segmentation techniques confirms that Simurgh-based reconstructions consistently outperform traditional Feldkamp-Davis-Kress, model-based iterative reconstruction, and commercial DL models in both pixel-level and task-specific evaluations, enabling scalable, high-throughput XCT workflows for characterization of large scale components in applications such as casting and metal additive manufacturing.

Complex metal parts↗

Scaled-up fabrication of durable and porous adsorbent-coated minichannels on aluminum for CO 2 separation

A method was developed to fabricate zeolite 13X adsorbent-coated minichannels on aluminum for CO₂ adsorption applications in this study. It emphasizes the innovative use of aluminum as a substrate, which offers airtight assembly, paving the way for highly efficient adsorption systems. An optimized coating process was developed using a slurry of Zeolite 13X, yeast, sugar, and xanthan gum, resulting in durable and highly porous layers that enhance CO₂ capture performance. A PETG peeler was designed to remove the top layer of the yeast-engineered adsorbent coatings, revealing a super porous and foamy structure. The teeth of the peeler were designed and fabricated for high repeatability and rapid prototyping. Breakthrough experiments were conducted on the scaled-up adsorbent bed using gas mixtures of 80% CO₂, 20% N₂, and 20% CO₂, 80% N₂ to represent different industrial scenarios. The performance of the bed was evaluated at flow rates of 160 and 190 cm³ min -1 using a Raman Laser Gas Analyzer (RLGA), demonstrating stable adsorption without degradation across multiple cycles. Computational modeling of integral transport phenomena under the chosen experimental conditions was pursued using gPROMS ProcessBuilder™, and the modeling results were compared with those from the tests for adsorption time, which resulted in an error margin of 2% to 9% for the breakthrough time, confirming the easy reproducibility of the design through modeling. This research advances CO₂ capture technologies by providing an effective and scalable solution for producing aluminum-based adsorbent coated beds, supporting industrial carbon capture efforts.

CO2 capture↗

Quantum utility in simulating the real-time dynamics of the Fermi–Hubbard model using superconducting quantum computers

The Fermi–Hubbard model is a fundamental model in condensed matter physics that describes strongly correlated electrons. On the other hand, quantum computers are emerging as powerful tools for exploring the complex dynamics of these quantum many-body systems. In this work, we demonstrate the quantum simulation of the one-dimensional Fermi–Hubbard model using IBM's superconducting quantum computers, employing over 100 qubits. We introduce a first-order Trotterization scheme and extend it to an optimized second-order Trotterization for the time evolution in the Fermi–Hubbard model, specifically tailored for the limited qubit connectivity of quantum architectures, such as IBM's platforms. Notably, both Trotterization approaches are scalable and maintain a constant circuit depth at each Trotter step, regardless of the qubit count, enabling us to precisely investigate the relaxation dynamics in the Fermi–Hubbard model by measuring the expectation value of the Néel observable (staggered magnetization) for time-evolved quantum states. Lastly, our successful measurement of expectation values in such large-scale quantum many-body systems, especially at longer time scales with larger entanglement, highlights the quantum utility of superconducting quantum platforms over conventional classical approximation methods.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

Aligned carbon nanotubes for 1,000x improvement in computing (CRADA Final Report)

As part of the Cyclotron Road program, the Aligned Carbon team worked to improve and bring to market their technology to manufacture carbon nanotubes (CNTs) for integrated circuits. There are multiple applications which can benefit from the use of CNT based transistors in integrated circuits, including high performance computing, RF data transmission, and biosensing. Each of these applications faces a problem of poor starting CNT material to come to market. Aligned Carbon offers material with the highest ceiling of performance based around a fully aligned, uniform, on-wafer growth of CNTs and our proprietary purification process to remove metallic CNTs leaving only the semi-conducting ones behind. Further, Aligned Carbon has been guided by scalable manufacturing processes that will fit seamlessly into the integrated circuit foundry model of chip fabrication.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Dynamical Sketching for Enhanced Communication Efficiency in Federated Learning

Federated learning (FL) has revolutionized distributed machine learning by enabling collaborative model training without sharing local data. However, communication efficiency and privacy guarantees remain significant challenges. This paper introduces a dynamic sketching mechanism in FL, optimizing the trade-off between communication efficiency and model accuracy. By dynamically selecting the sketch matrix size, our approach adapts to the evolving characteristics of the data and the model, ensuring optimal performance across diverse scenarios. We leverage Bayesian optimization to systematically tune the sketch parameters, achieving an effective balance between resource efficiency and model performance. Experimental results on the MNIST dataset using a convolutional neural network (CNN) architecture validate the proposed method's efficiency and scalability. Our dynamic sketching approach significantly outperforms fixed-size sketching techniques, achieving higher compression ratios (up to 62x) and providing better privacy guarantees while maintaining high model accuracy. These findings highlight the robustness and versatility of our approach and make it a valuable solution for privacy-preserving, communication-efficient federated learning.

Afrose, Sharmin [ORNL]↗

Demonstration of Vertical 2T-nC FeRAM Hybrid Cell and Its Scalability for High-Density 3-D Ferroelectric Capacitor Memory

In this work, we present a comprehensive experimental and modeling study on the scaling of vertical 2T-nC ferroelectric random access memory (FeRAM) hybrid cells, comprising n metal-ferroelectric–metal (MFM) capacitors, to demonstrate a high-performance and high-density 3-D capacitor memory. Our contributions include: 1) successful process integration of vertical 2T-3C FeRAM cells by stacking MFM structures on top of Si CMOS transistors; 2) experimental validation of memory cell functionality, confirming the feasibility of the vertical 2T-nC FeRAM architecture; 3) an analysis of scaling effects on parasitic capacitance in densely integrated 3-D arrays, using 3-D technology computer-aided design (TCAD) simulations; 4) exploration of aggressive stacking of write bitlines (WBLs) to enhance memory density, where ferroelectric linear capacitance ( C FE ) enables self-boosted inhibition under the V W /2 scheme, but renders the V W /3 scheme ineffective due to intolerable write disturbances; and 5) assessment of horizontal scaling, revealing significant increases in read disturbances caused by interplane capacitance between adjacent WBLs ( C Z ). This work represents an early exploration into the potential of 2T-nC FeRAM as a scalable and efficient 3-D memory solution.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Enhancing Grid Resilience with HIVE: Decentralized V2G Coordination for Black Starts

This paper proposes the HIVE (Harmonized Integration of Vehicle Energy for Grid Support) model, a novel game-theoretic framework for decentralized coordination of electrified vehicles to enable black start and load restoration during grid outages. In the absence of a central controller, HIVE employs a cooperative game to model vehicle interactions, allowing autonomous decision-making while admitting to a Nash equilibrium for grid restoration. The framework addresses the heterogeneity of vehicles and their operational constraints, selecting a lead vehicle for grid-forming and coordinating grid-following vehicles to support prioritized loads. Applied to a hospital blackout scenario, HIVE demonstrates robust performance in forming an islanded microgrid and sustaining critical loads under varying vehicle availability, state of charge, and power constraints. Simulation results highlight the model’s effectiveness in ensuring decentralized coordination of energy allocation and prioritizing loads, offering a scalable solution for resilient grid operations.

32 - ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZA↗

First Demonstration of Vertical 2T-nC FeRAM Hybrid Cell and its Scalability for High-Density 3D Ferroelectric Capacitor Memory

In this article, we perform a comprehensive experimental and modeling study into the scaling of vertical 2T-nC ferroelectric random-access memory (FeRAM) hybrid cell to demonstrate a high performance and high-density 3D capacitor memory. We demonstrate: i) first time successful integration of the vertical 2T-3C FeRAM cell by stacking the vertical metal-ferroelectricmetal (MFM) stack on top of Si CMOS transistors; ii) successful experimental operation of the memory cell, including the quasi-nondestructive read out (QNRO) of the polarization without write back after 106 read cycles; iii) the write bit line (WBL) heavily screens the coupling between neighboring strings, making it a minor concern; V ) aggressive stacking of the WBLs, i.e., number of MFMs in a string, could facilitate the self-boosting during write operation due to ferroelectric linear capacitance (CFE), which allows self-boosted inhibition for Vw/2 scheme and worsens the Vw/3 scheme as disturb increases to intolerable 2Vw/3; v) aggressive horizontal scaling significantly increases the read disturb to cells on neighboring planes due to capacitance between two WBLs (Cz).

42 ENGINEERING↗

Flexible User-Defined Domain Decomposition in Kilometer-Scale E3SM Land Model Simulation

The Energy Exascale Earth System Model (E3SM) Land Model (ELM) has been extended to kilometer-scale (km-ELM) resolutions, enabling high-fidelity simulations of terrestrial processes at 1 km x 1 km grid spacing. In ELM, domain decomposition partitions the computational domain across processors, ensuring efficient parallel execution. Currently, round-robin decomposition is applied, providing a straightforward way to distribute computational workload. As ELM continues evolving at the kilometer-scale (km-scale), particularly with integrating lateral flow modeling, decomposition strategies must also account for the increased workload and data movement. This paper introduces a flexible user-defined domain decomposition framework, allowing users to customize domain partitioning based on application requirements. The impact of different decomposition strategies is evaluated across various applications concerning computation, communication, and I/O. Results demonstrate that while 1D partitioning yields superior I/O performance, k-nearest neighbors (KNN) clustering effectively reduces inter-process communication overhead. This study lays the groundwork for scalable partitioning in large-scale land surface simulations, enhancing next-generation Earth system modeling.

Wang, Dali [ORNL] (ORCID:0000000168065108)↗