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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
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2020

A Facile Approach to High Precision Detection of Cell-to-Cell Variation for Li-ion Batteries

Abstract Over the past decade, it has been repeatedly demonstrated that homogeneity in electrochemical performance of lithium-ion cells plays a major role in determining the life and safety of lithium-ion battery modules or packs. Generally, the homogeneity of a battery pack is evaluated by characterizing the cells individually in terms of capacity, mass, impedance. Particularly, high quality electrochemical data heavily relies on the availability of high precision current source to minimize the discrepancy induced by the channel-to-channel variation. Here, a facile and precise measurement method is reported for screening cell-to-cell variations, in which voltage is the only indicator parameter independent of high precision current source. In detail, by connecting the cells in series (CiS), the measurement error of electrochemical data caused by stability and discrepancy of current sources among different charge/discharge equipment can be effectively avoided. The findings of this work showed that the cell-to-cell variations can be simply and sensitively detected with CiS configuration. For example, the relative standard deviation, which is the evaluation criterion of battery homogeneity, was 2.14% based on CiS while it was 0.43% based on individual measurements. The simple and precise CiS measurement is promising for evaluation of cell quality or module integration quality. In addition, this work can also provide a solid foundation for the development of detection algorithms for battery management systems to rapidly monitor battery homogeneity.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2024

Establishing a clostridia foundry for biosystems design by integrating computational modeling, systems-level analyses, and cell-free engineering technologies (Final Report)

Rapid population growth, a rise in global living standards, and economic competitiveness have intensified the need for sustainable, low-cost biofuels and bioproducts production. Industrial biotechnology using microbial cell factories – and waste and/or renewable feedstocks – is one of the most attractive approaches for addressing this need, particularly when large-scale chemical synthesis is untenable. Unfortunately, designing, building, and optimizing biosynthetic pathways in cells remains a complex challenge. With support from the Department of Energy, we worked to address this challenge in a new interdisciplinary venture that established the world’s first clostridial Foundry for Biosystems Design (cBioFAB). Working both in vitro (cell-free) and in vivo, the goal of this project was to interweave and advance state-of-the-art computational modeling, genome editing, omics measurements, systems-biology analyses, and cell-free technologies to expand the set of platform organisms that meet DOE bioenergy goals. Specifically, we manufactured fuel and chemical intermediates via existing and de novo pathways. This report covers the outcomes of our research project.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗
DOE OSTI2025

In-Cell Deployment and First Use of Digital Image Correlation for In-Situ Strain Analysis of Irradiated Nuclear Fuel Rods During LOCA Transient

Digital image correlation (DIC) is a noncontact, optical method increasingly used across industries and research environments for acquiring multidimensional strain data. At Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s (ORNL’s) Severe Accident Test Station (SATS), DIC has been extensively applied to study the thermomechanical response of nuclear fuel claddings, yielding fundamental insights into material behavior. However, these efforts have focused exclusively on unirradiated materials and relied on the SATS out-of-cell infrastructure. Efforts over the past two years have been made to extend these capabilities to ORNL’s Irradiated Fuels Examination Laboratory SATS system within the hot-cells to enable testing of irradiated fuel cladding materials. Integrating DIC into the hot-cell SATS infrastructure presents unique challenges, including enabling remote operation of optical equipment and adapting auxiliary hot-cell systems for DIC implementation. This report discusses design, stand-up testing, and application of DIC to an irradiated nuclear fuel cladding segment. A DIC testing rig was successfully built and validated out-of-cell through extensive surrogate tests and calibrations. The rig and specialized DIC furnace were installed in the hot-cell, and a DIC test was successfully conducted. Results from that test correspond to expectations for Zr-based alloys and showed similar uncertainties compared to out-of-cell tests.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
DOE OSTI2022

Ablating Lgr5-expressing prostatic stromal cells activates the ERK-mediated mechanosensory signaling and disrupts prostate tissue homeostasis

The heterogeneity of the prostate stromal cells is widely appreciated but the functional implication remains incompletely understood. Using genetic lineage tracing and light-sheet imaging, we show that some fibroblast cells near the junction of the mouse proximal prostatic ducts and prostatic urethra highly express Lgr5. Genetic ablation of these anatomically restricted stromal cells, but not nonselective ablation of prostatic stromal cells, rapidly induces prostate epithelial turnover and dedifferentiation that are reversed following spontaneous restoration of the Lgr5 + stromal cells. RNA-Seq analysis implies that ablating the Lgr5 + stromal cells activates a mechanosensory response. We show that ablating the Lgr5 + stromal cells impairs the control of prostatic ductal outlet, increases prostate tissue stiffness, and activates the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK). Suppressing MAPK overrides the increased epithelial proliferation. This study demonstrates that the Lgr5 + stromal cells regulate tissue homeostasis in a long-distance manner by maintaining anatomic integrity and implies that the cells near the transitional regions between organs likely control organ homeostasis by sustaining a balanced mechanoforce.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2025

Parallel-Processed Multi-junction Perovskite Solar Cells (Final Technical Report)

This report consolidates the findings from this Department of Energy supported project, which aimed to advance the manufacturing of high-efficiency perovskite photovoltaics. To facilitate the processing of tandem devices, and perovskite single-junction and multi-junction devices more generally, the project team developed a lamination process to integrate the subcells and cells, decoupling the processing from the restrictive requirements of serial manufacturing. The lamination approach enables independent and precise tailoring of interface properties for stability and performance.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2020

On-device lead sequestration for perovskite solar cells

Perovskite solar cells, as an emerging high-efficiency and low-cost photovoltaic technology face challenges on their way towards commercialization. Substantial improvements have been made to device stability but potential issues with lead toxicity and leaching from devices remain relatively unexplored. The potential for lead leakage could be perceived as an environmental and public health risk when using perovskite solar cells in building-integrated photovoltaics. Here we present a chemical approach for on-device sequestration of more than 96 per cent of lead leakage caused by severe device damage. A coating of lead-absorbing material is applied to the front and back sides of the device stack. On the glass side of the front transparent conducting electrode, we use a transparent lead-absorbing molecular film containing phosphonic acid groups that bind strongly to lead. On the back (metal) electrode side, we place a polymer film blended with lead-chelating agents between the metal electrode and a standard photovoltaic packing film. The lead-absorbing films on both sides swell to absorb the lead, rather than dissolve, when subjected to water soaking, thus retaining structural integrity for easy collection of lead after damage.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2020

Measurement of the Natural Convection Heat Transfer in a Magnesium Oxide Electrolytic Cell Concept

The rate of heat transfer by natural convection between the wall and electrolyte of an electrolytic cell that produces magnesium (Mg) from magnesium oxide (MgO) at temperatures near 1000 °C in a molten fluoride salt electrolyte is presented. An experimental model of the cell was developed that enabled measurements of the heat transfer in the absence of electrolysis and at temperatures less than 100 °C over ranges of Rayleigh numbers from 1 × 10 -7 to 7 × 10 -8 and Prandtl numbers from 2 to 6200, ranges that include those anticipated in the operation of the MgO electrolytic cell. The model avoids the substantial experimental challenges associated with the high-temperature, corrosive molten salt to enable a conservative estimate of the heat transfer at a lower cost and greater accuracy than would otherwise be possible. The results are correlated by the expression Nu = 0.412Ra 0.23 Pr 0.15 with Nusselt numbers spanning 30–80. The application of the correlation shows that the heat transfer between the cell wall and the molten fluoride electrolyte at ≈1000 °C is characterized by convection coefficients between 100 and 600 W/m 2 -K and is fast enough to enable heat fluxes up to 10 W/cm 2 without compromising the structural integrity of the steel cell wall.

Engineering↗
DOE OSTI2022

Optimizing the Operational Parameters of an Electrochemical Purification Cell for Corrosion Mitigation in CSP Plants During Operation: Preprint

To make concentrating solar power (CSP) cost-competitive, the next generation of CSP plants will increase efficiency by operating at a higher temperature, which will require a new thermal energy storage material. One option for the thermal energy storage material is a ternary chloride salt that is stable at the temperatures required, but reacts easily with the atmosphere to form MgOHCl, a corrosive impurity. If left unchecked, this impurity will corrode the containment alloys, potentially leading to dangerous spills. We are working to design an electrochemical purification cell to remove MgOHCl from the molten chloride salt during CSP plant operation. In this paper, we use predictive modeling to assess the rate at which purification must occur. Additionally, we analyze possible process flow pathways for the molten chloride salts. Ultimately, we determine that implementation of a single reactor through which all chloride salts flow is the most efficient design to reduce impurity concentration below 0.1 mol % impurity.

concentrating solar power↗
DOE OSTI2022

Single-nuclei transcriptome analysis of the shoot apex vascular system differentiation in Populus

ABSTRACT Differentiation of stem cells in the plant apex gives rise to aerial tissues and organs. Presently, we lack a lineage map of the shoot apex cells in woody perennials – a crucial gap considering their role in determining primary and secondary growth. Here, we used single-nuclei RNA-sequencing to determine cell type-specific transcriptomes of the Populus vegetative shoot apex. We identified highly heterogeneous cell populations clustered into seven broad groups represented by 18 transcriptionally distinct cell clusters. Next, we established the developmental trajectories of the epidermis, leaf mesophyll and vascular tissue. Motivated by the high similarities between Populus and Arabidopsis cell population in the vegetative apex, we applied a pipeline for interspecific single-cell gene expression data integration. We contrasted the developmental trajectories of primary phloem and xylem formation in both species, establishing the first comparison of vascular development between a model annual herbaceous and a woody perennial plant species. Our results offer a valuable resource for investigating the principles underlying cell division and differentiation conserved between herbaceous and perennial species while also allowing us to examine species-specific differences at single-cell resolution.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2025

A hidden cysteine in Fis1 targeted to prevent excessive mitochondrial fission and dysfunction under oxidative stress

Fis1-mediated mitochondrial localization of Drp1 and excessive mitochondrial fission occur in human pathologies associated with oxidative stress. However, it is not known how Fis1 detects oxidative stress and what structural changes in Fis1 enable mitochondrial recruitment of Drp1. We find that conformational change involving α1 helix in Fis1 exposes its only cysteine, Cys41. In the presence of oxidative stress, the exposed Cys41 in activated Fis1 forms a disulfide bridge and the Fis1 covalent homodimers cause increased mitochondrial fission through increased Drp1 recruitment to mitochondria. Our discovery of a small molecule, SP11, that binds only to activated Fis1 by engaging Cys41, and data from genetically engineered cell lines lacking Cys41 strongly suggest a role of Fis1 homodimerization in Drp1 recruitment to mitochondria and excessive mitochondrial fission. The structure of activated Fis1-SP11 complex further confirms these insights related to Cys41 being the sensor for oxidative stress. Importantly, SP11 preserves mitochondrial integrity and function in cells during oxidative stress and thus may serve as a candidate molecule for the development of treatment for diseases with underlying Fis1-mediated mitochondrial fragmentation and dysfunction.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2024

System and method for parallel two-photon lithography using a metalens array

A metalens array is disclosed for controllably modifying a phase of a wavefront of an optical beam. The metalens array may have a substrate having at least first and second metalens unit cells, and forming a single integrated structure with no stitching being required of the first and second metalens unit cells. The first metalens unit cell has a first plurality of nanoscale features and is configured to modify a phase of a first portion of a wavefront of an optical signal incident thereon in accordance with a first predetermined phase pattern to create at least one first focal voxel within an image plane. The second metalens unit cell has a second plurality of nanoscale features configured to modify the phase of a second portion of the wavefront of the optical signal incident thereon, in accordance with a second predetermined phase pattern, to simultaneously create at least one second focal voxel within the image plane. Each metalens unit cell also has an overall diameter of no more than about 200 microns.

Xia, Xiaoxing↗
DOE OSTI2022

Windowless Optical Cell Flow System

One of the goals for advanced integrated nuclear safeguards is on-line optical analysis of molten salt in molten salt reactors and electrochemical fuel reprocessing facilities. While progress has been made in the development of optical techniques that may be suitable for on-line analysis of molten salts, significant technology gaps exist with regard to integrating these analytical techniques into industrial-scale processes. One key technological hurdle is the short service life of optical window materials, which are subject to clouding and scaling during extended exposure to molten salts. To address this issue, Argonne is developing a gravity flow cell with open-apertures to support on-line optical analysis without the need for salt-wetted windows. The flow cell uses gravity flow and fluid dynamics principles to enable molten salt flow through a pipe that has holes in its wall through which salt does not flow. In FY21, an open-aperture gravity flow cell with windowless optical access to flowing salt was successfully demonstrated. Future work should include the integration of the flow cell into a sampling loop, stakeholder outreach and collaboration, integration of multiple optical analysis techniques, evaluation of the integrated methods, and analyses to determine how the various tools might fit into an integrated safeguards monitoring system of unattended near real time monitoring tools.

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗
DOE OSTI2023

Coordination Polymer Electrocatalysts Enable Efficient CO‐to‐Acetate Conversion

Abstract Upgrading carbon dioxide/monoxide to multi‐carbon C 2+ products using renewable electricity offers one route to more sustainable fuel and chemical production. One of the most appealing products is acetate, the profitable electrosynthesis of which demands a catalyst with higher efficiency. Here, a coordination polymer (CP) catalyst is reported that consists of Cu(I) and benzimidazole units linked via Cu(I)‐imidazole coordination bonds, which enables selective reduction of CO to acetate with a 61% Faradaic efficiency at −0.59 volts versus the reversible hydrogen electrode at a current density of 400 mA cm −2 in flow cells. The catalyst is integrated in a cation exchange membrane‐based membrane electrode assembly that enables stable acetate electrosynthesis for 190 h, while achieving direct collection of concentrated acetate (3.3 molar) from the cathodic liquid stream, an average single‐pass utilization of 50% toward CO‐to‐acetate conversion, and an average acetate full‐cell energy efficiency of 15% at a current density of 250 mA cm −2 .

Luo, Mingchuan↗
DOE OSTI2021

Method—Using Microelectrodes to Explore Solid Polymer Electrolytes

Solid polymer electrolytes are an emerging technology in electrochemistry driven by their use in energy applications such as fuel cells, electrolyzers, and solid-state batteries. Compared to traditional liquid electrolytes, solid polymer electrolytes provide safer, cheaper, and potentially improved device performance. However, there is a lack of standard experimental methods for studying solid electrolytes. Microelectrodes have inherent benefits capable of filling this experimental gap due primarily to their integration into model electrochemical cells with solid electrolytes that represent complex interfaces, enabling additional insight into reaction processes. In this tutorial review, we explore the use of microelectrodes to study solid polymer electrolytes, beginning with a brief history of the field including common experimental cell designs and their benefits and drawbacks. Methods of evaluating essential kinetic and mass-transport parameters are then examined. In addition, the key studies of the past 30 years utilizing microelectrode cells and solid polymer electrolytes are summarized, with important results highlighted and compared. Finally, future studies of solid polymer electrolytes with microelectrodes and potential new avenues of research are commented on.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2021

Transparent MgO for Back-Contact Passivation of CdTe-Based Solar Cells

The passivating effects of MgO have been studied by integrating into an existing superstrate CdTe thin film solar cell device architecture. When implemented as an emitter to replace the typical MZO, the device performance was below par, but improved PL and TRPL was detected with significant carrier lifetimes in comparison to the MZO devices. However, when integrated at the back, the PL signal was detected upon the illumination of excitation laser from the back. This has opened the possibility of probing the back of the CdTe thin film solar cells with transparent back contact with improved back passivation and a bifacial device structure. Further, the TRPL measurements suggests that the MgO shows passivating effects to a CdTe surface irrespective of method of deposition implemented.

bifacial↗
DOE OSTI2023

Bovine Rectoanal Junction In Vitro Organ Culture Model System to Study Shiga Toxin-Producing Escherichia coli Adherence

Studies evaluating the interactions between Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli O157:H7 (O157) and the bovine recto–anal junction (RAJ) have been limited to either in vitro analyses of bacteria, cells, or nucleic acids at the RAJ, providing limited information. Alternatively, expensive in vivo studies in animals have been conducted. Therefore, our objective was to develop a comprehensive in vitro organ culture system of the RAJ (RAJ-IVOC) that accurately represents all cell types present in the RAJ. This system would enable studies that yield results similar to those observed in vivo. Pieces of RAJ tissue, obtained from unrelated cattle necropsies, were assembled and subjected to various tests in order to determine the optimal conditions for assaying bacterial adherence in a viable IVOC. O157 strain EDL933 and E. coli K12 with known adherence differences were used to standardize the RAJ-IVOC adherence assay. Tissue integrity was assessed using cell viability, structural cell markers, and histopathology, while the adherence of bacteria was evaluated via microscopy and culture methods. DNA fingerprinting verified the recovered bacteria against the inoculum. When the RAJ-IVOC was assembled in Dulbecco’s Modified Eagle Medium, maintained at a temperature of 39 °C with 5% CO 2 and gentle shaking for a duration of 3–4 h, it successfully preserved tissue integrity and reproduced the expected adherence phenotype of the bacteria being tested. The RAJ-IVOC model system provides a convenient method to pre-screen multiple bacteria-RAJ interactions prior to in vivo experiments, thereby reducing animal usage.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗