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Photocatalytic study on SrBi2B2O7 (SrO-Bi2O3-B2O3) transparent glass ceramics
Highlights: • SrO-Bi{sub 2}O{sub 3}-B{sub 2}O{sub 3} transparent glass ceramic was fabricated via melt-quenching. • XRD and SEM revealed nucleation of SrBi{sub 2}B{sub 2}O{sub 7} nanocrystals over glass surface. • SrBi{sub 2}B{sub 2}O{sub 7} nanocrystals were found responsible for photocatalytic activity. • Rz ink test was performed to test self-cleaning ability of glass. • Digital photographic method was opted to view self-cleaning of glass. - Abstract: SrO-Bi{sub 2}O{sub 3}-B{sub 2}O{sub 3} transparent glass ceramic was fabricated via conventional melt-quenching technique. Structural analysis like X-ray diffraction, Raman and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopies were performed to confirm SBBO glass ceramic formation. As-quenched glass samples exhibited X-ray diffraction peaks corresponding to SrBi{sub 2}B{sub 2}O{sub 7} which were further confirmed through Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope. UV–vis transmission spectra revealed 60%–80% transparency in 500–800 nm spectral range. Absorption study revealed direct bandgap of 2.58 eV. Resazurin (Rz) ink was used as an indicator to monitor photocatalytic activity for self-cleaning purposes. Digital photographic method was performed to examine photoreduction of Rz ink. Further, the pseudo-first order kinetics was istimated for Methylene blue (MB) degradation. Nucleation of nanoparticles of SrBi{sub 2}B{sub 2}O{sub 7} over glass surface were found responsible for photocatalytic activity. Contact angle with water droplet for SBBO glass ceramic was 63.43°. Reduced Young’s modulus (E{sub r}) and Vickers hardness (H{sub v}) were found 59.9 GPa and 5.01 GPa, respectively.
Technological diffusion trends suggest a more equitable future for rooftop solar in the United States
Abstract Equity has become central in the academic and regulatory discourse shaping the future of residential-scale clean energy technologies in the United States, particularly rooftop solar. Here, we develop a holistic perspective on these issues by analyzing rooftop solar adoption trends using two alternative forecasting methods: an inside-view forecast based on historical solar adoption data, and an outside-view forecast based on adoption data for other emerging consumer technologies. We show how rooftop solar, like other emerging consumer technologies, has become more equitably adopted over time. We show that solar diffusion patterns are largely consistent with those of other technologies. Both forecasting methods suggest that clean energy technologies should be expected to become more equitably adopted over time. Policy could accelerate this process by supporting low-income adoption without unduly curbing overall diffusion.
Investigating Effects of Operational Parameters on the Rate of Electrochemical Cleaning of Chromium Deposits on Strontium-Doped Lanthanum Manganite Cathodes in Solid Oxide Fuel Cells
Chromium poisoning of the cathode remains a significant obstacle to the stable long-term performance of solid oxide fuel cells. This study reports, a quick, in-situ mitigation method, called electrochemical cleaning. By applying a mild anodic bias, the electrochemical deposition reactions of chromium-containing species are reversed. Chromium vapor species are formed, freeing active electrochemical sites in the air electrode. An LSM/YSZ-based cell was exposed to Cr vapors at 800ºC and then subjected to electrochemical cleaning. Cell performance recovery was evidenced by current-voltage and EIS measurements. Chromium removal was verified using SEM and EDS analyses. The cyclability of the electrochemical cleaning was tested by repeated poisoning and cleaning of another cell. Investigation into the effect of cell operating parameters (current density and cell temperature) on the rate of cleaning is discussed.
Self-Cleaning Coatings for Space or Earth Transparent Electrodynamic Dust Shields Usable for Solar Cells
Reducing dust accumulation on any surface is key for lunar missions as dust can damage or impair the performance of everything from deployable systems to solar cells on the Moon’s surface. Electrodynamic dust shields (EDSs) are a key method to actively clean surfaces by running high voltages (but low currents) through electrodes on the surface. The forces generated by the voltage efficiently remove built up, electrically charged dust particles. Innovators at the NASA Kennedy Space Center have developed a new transparent EDS for removing dust from space and lunar solar cells among other transparent surfaces. The new coatings operate at half the voltage of existing EDSs while being 90% thinner. These capabilities are enabled by an innovative combination of electrode patterning and a thin silica protective layer. The reduced thickness and lower voltage operation expands possibilities for integrating EDSs onto transparent surfaces across industries.
An automatic method for measuring the nonvolatile residue of cleaning solvents
Automatic measurement of nonvolatile residue of cleaning solvents
Method and apparatus for fluffing, separating, and cleaning fibers
A perforated tube is housed in a chamber in which vacuum is drawn. An air jet is directed into one end of the tube and fiber bundles are fed into the jet which separates and dispenses individual fibers from the bundle, fluffs them, cleanses them of any particulate material, and carries them into the tube. The tube retains the fibers while fiber fragments, undesirably short fibers and particulate matter are drawn by the vacuum and resultant air flow out of the tube through its perforations to a suitable discharge.
Evaluation of hybrid sol-gel incorporated with nanoparticles as nano paint
A coating with self-cleaning characteristics has been developed using a TiO{sub 2}/SiO{sub 2} hybrid sol-gel, TiO{sub 2} nanoparticles and organosilicate nanoparticles (OSNP). A patented technology of the hybrid sol-gel and OSNP was combined with TiO{sub 2} nanoparticles to create the surface chemistry for self-cleaning. Two synthesis methods have been developed to prepare TiO{sub 2} nanoparticles (NPs), resulting in the enhancement of local paint by the addition of anatase and rutile TiO{sub 2} phases. The NPs size as determined by Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS) ranges within of (3-4) and (20-42) nm, which was also confirmed by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). The nanoparticles showed surface charge (zeta-potential, ζ) of +35 and +25.62 mV for the methods, respectively, and ζ values of +41.31 and 34.02 mV for anatase and rutile phases, respectively. The NPs were mixed with the coating solution (i.e., hybrid sol-gel and OSNP) in different concentrations and thin films were prepared by spin coating. Self-cleaning tests were performed using Rhodamine B (RhB) as a pollution indicator. The effect of UV-irradiation on the films was also studied. Anatase and rutile incorporated as a mixture with different ratios in local paint and washability as well as a contrast ratio tests were performed. It was found that the addition of TiO{sub 2} NPs in combination with irradiation show a great enhancement of RhB degradation (1%) wt. with a decrease in contact angle and improved washability.
Development of an Absolute Gas-Counting Capability for Low to Medium Activities
ABSTRACT Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) is developing a capability to measure the absolute activity concentration of various gaseous radionuclides using length-compensated proportional-counting methods. This capability will enable the validation and use of low-level, gaseous radionuclide calibration standards for use in PNNL’s shallow underground laboratory. Two sets of unequal length proportional counters have been fabricated. These detector assemblies operate on a static gas-fill principle, in contrast to continuous, flow-through configurations. One set of three counters has been fabricated using ultra-low background (ULB) electroformed copper and low-background fabrication methods. Once fully operational, these ULB counters will be used in PNNL’s shallow underground counting laboratory for analysis of gases with low activity concentrations < 1 Bq/cc. A second set of four unequal length counters has been fabricated from Oxygen-Free High-Conductivity Copper (OFHC) using similar low-background cleaning and assembly methods. These OFHC counters will be operated above ground in the analysis of gases with activity concentrations in the range of 1-10 Bq/cc. A gas delivery system is being developed to actively mix the analyte gas with an appropriate amount of count-gas and uniformly deliver it to the counters with high accuracy and repeatability. A description of both detector assemblies and gas delivery system will be given along with a preliminary uncertainty analysis of a simulated 0.05 Bq/cm3 gas measurement.
Laser surface interactions - Creation and detection of atomically clean surfaces Semiannual report, Oct. 1, 1966 - Mar. 31, 1967
Low energy electron diffraction method of identifying atomically clean surface after laser surface interaction
Deriving Iodine-free Spectra for High-resolution Echelle Spectrographs
We describe a new method to derive clean, iodine-free spectra directly from observations acquired using high-resolution echelle spectrographs equipped with iodine cells. The main motivation to obtain iodine-free spectra is to use portions of the spectrum that are superimposed with the dense forest of iodine absorption lines, in order to retrieve lines that can be used to monitor the magnetic activity of the star, helping to validate candidate planets. In short, we provide a straightforward methodology to clean the spectra using the forward model used to derive radial velocities, the line spread function information plus the stellar spectrum without iodine to reconstruct and subtract the iodine spectrum from the observations. We show our results using observations of the star τ Ceti acquired with the Planet Finder Spectrograph (PFS), High Resolution Echelle Spectrometer (HIRES), and University College London Echelle Spectrograph (UCLES), reaching an iodine-free spectrum correction at the ∼1% rms level. We additionally discuss the limitations and further applications of the method.
The Roles of Interface, Adherend, and Adhesive in Plasma- and Other-treated Joints of Metals and FRP Materials Under Shear Deformation
This work investigated the role of interface, adherend, and adhesive in adhesively-bonded metal-metal, metal-CFRTP, and CFRTP-CFRTP combinations with plasma-treated surfaces under shear deformation. To this end, aluminum alloys (AA5052 and AA6061) and short-carbon-fiber-reinforced polyamide 66 (CFRPA66) were used as examples and performed through single lap shear testing. The results showed that air plasma surface treatment can improve the shear behavior of adhesively-bonded AA5052-CFRPA66 and CFRPA66-CFRPA66 joints with about 20% enhanced lap shear strength compared to non-treated cases. Failure surface morphology of plasma-treated CFRPA66 adherend confirmed this improvement by showing an increased amount of adhesive failure than interfacial failure between CFRPA66 and adhesive. But this is not true for AA5052-AA6061 joints with plasma-treated surfaces exhibiting almost no enhanced lap shear strength. This study also showed the importance of selecting a proper surface modification method for the enhancement of adhesive-bonded structures under shear deformation through the analysis of the results in this study and in the literature. For fiber-reinforced polymers (FRPs), improving FRP/adhesive interface may be prioritized via different surface modification methods (e.g., plasma, chemical coating, etc.) than adhesive modification methods. However, for surface-cleaned metals, toughening adhesive via different enhancement methods (e.g., nano-particles, chemical enhancement, etc.) may be more important than improving metal/adhesive interface. These insightful results are valuable in the area of multi-materials joining.
NASA Tech Briefs, April 2011
Topics covered include: Amperometric Solid Electrolyte Oxygen Microsensors with Easy Batch Fabrication; Two-Axis Direct Fluid Shear Stress Sensor for Aerodynamic Applications; Target Assembly to Check Boresight Alignment of Active Sensors; Virtual Sensor Test Instrumentation; Evaluation of the Reflection Coefficient of Microstrip Elements for Reflectarray Antennas; Miniaturized Ka-Band Dual-Channel Radar; Continuous-Integration Laser Energy Lidar Monitor; Miniaturized Airborne Imaging Central Server System; Radiation-Tolerant, SpaceWire-Compatible Switching Fabric; Small Microprocessor for ASIC or FPGA Implementation; Source-Coupled, N-Channel, JFET-Based Digital Logic Gate Structure Using Resistive Level Shifters; High-Voltage-Input Level Translator Using Standard CMOS; Monitoring Digital Closed-Loop Feedback Systems; MASCOT - MATLAB Stability and Control Toolbox; MIRO Continuum Calibration for Asteroid Mode; GOATS Image Projection Component; Coded Modulation in C and MATLAB; Low-Dead-Volume Inlet for Vacuum Chamber; Thermal Control Method for High-Current Wire Bundles by Injecting a Thermally Conductive Filler; Method for Selective Cleaning of Mold Release from Composite Honeycomb Surfaces; Infrared-Bolometer Arrays with Reflective Backshorts; Commercialization of LARC (trade mark) -SI Polyimide Technology; Novel Low-Density Ablators Containing Hyperbranched Poly(azomethine)s; Carbon Nanotubes on Titanium Substrates for Stray Light Suppression; Monolithic, High-Speed Fiber-Optic Switching Array for Lidar; Grid-Tied Photovoltaic Power System; Spectroelectrochemical Instrument Measures TOC; A Miniaturized Video System for Monitoring Drosophila Behavior; Hydrofocusing Bioreactor Produces Anti-Cancer Alkaloids; Creep Measurement Video Extensometer; Radius of Curvature Measurement of Large Optics Using Interferometry and Laser Tracker n-B-pi-p Superlattice Infrared Detector; Safe Onboard Guidance and Control Under Probabilistic Uncertainty; General Tool for Evaluating High-Contrast Coronagraphic Telescope Performance Error Budgets; Hidden Statistics of Schroedinger Equation; Optimal Padding for the Two-Dimensional Fast Fourier Transform; Spatial Query for Planetary Data; Higher Order Mode Coupling in Feed Waveguide of a Planar Slot Array Antenna; Evolutionary Computational Methods for Identifying Emergent Behavior in Autonomous Systems; Sampling Theorem in Terms of the Bandwidth and Sampling Interval; Meteoroid/Orbital Debris Shield Engineering Development Practice and Procedure; Self-Balancing, Optical-Center-Pivot, Fast-Steering Mirror; Wireless Orbiter Hang-Angle Inclinometer System; and Internal Electrostatic Discharge Monitor - IESDM.
Design and Integrate Improved Systems for Nuclear Facility Ventilation and Exhaust Operations
Objective: The objective of this R&D project would complete the development of three new systems and integrate them into a single experimental effort. However, each of the three systems has stand-alone applicability across the DOE complex. At US DOE nuclear facilities, indoor air is filtered and ventilated for human occupancy, and exhaust air to the outdoor environment must be regulated and monitored. At least three technical standards address these functions, and the Los Alamos National Laboratory would complete an experimental facility to answer at least three questions: (1) Can the drag coefficient of a new Los Alamos air mixer be reduced for better operation in nuclear facility exhaust stacks? (2) Is it possible to verify the accuracy of a new dilution method for HEPA filter test facilities? (3) Is there a performance-based air flow metric (volumetric flow or mass flow) for operating HEPA filters? In summary, the three new systems are: a mixer, a diluter and a performance-based metric, respectively. The results of this project would be applicable to at least four technical standards: ANSI N13.1 Sampling and Monitoring Releases of Airborne Radioactive Substances from the Stacks and Ducts of Nuclear Facilities; ASTM F1471 Standard Test Method for Air Cleaning Performance of a High-Efficiency Particulate Air Filter System, ASME N511: In-Service Testing of Nuclear Air Treatment, Heating, Ventilating, and Air-Conditioning Systems, and ASME AG-1: Code On Nuclear Air And Gas Treatment. All of the three proposed new systems must be combined into a single experimental device (i.e. to develop a new function of the Los Alamos aerosol wind tunnel). Technical Approach: The Radiation Protection RP-SVS group at Los Alamos has an aerosol wind tunnel that was originally (2006) designed to evaluate small air samplers (cf. US EPA 40 CFR 53.42). In 2009, the tunnel was modified for exhaust stack verifications per the ANSI N13.1 standard. In 2010, modifications were started on the wind tunnel for testing HEPA filters (cf. ASTM F1471 and ASME N511). This project involves three systems that were developed for testing the 24*24*11 (inch) HEPA filters (i.e. the already mentioned mixer, diluter and metric). Prototypes of the mixer and the diluter have been built and individually tested on a preliminary basis. However, the third system (the HEPA metric method) has not been tested, since that requires complete operability of the aerosol wind tunnel device. (The experimental wind tunnel has test aerosol injection, control and measurement capabilities, and can be heated for temperature dependent measurements.) Benefits: US DOE facilities that use HEPA filters and/or require exhaust stacks from their nuclear facility buildings will benefit from access to the new hardware (mixer and diluter) and performance-based metric (for HEPA filter air flow).
Search for new phenomena in final states with large jet multiplicities and missing transverse momentum using $\sqrt{s}$ = 13 TeV proton-proton collisions recorded by ATLAS in Run 2 of the LHC
Results of a search for new particles decaying into eight or more jets and moderate missing transverse momentum are presented. The analysis uses 139 fb - 1 of proton-proton collision data at s = 13 TeV collected by the ATLAS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider between 2015 and 2018. The selection rejects events containing isolated electrons or muons, and makes requirements according to the number of b -tagged jets and the scalar sum of masses of large-radius jets. The search extends previous analyses both in using a larger dataset and by employing improved jet and missing transverse momentum reconstruction methods which more cleanly separate signal from background processes. No evidence for physics beyond the Standard Model is found. The results are interpreted in the context of supersymmetry-inspired simplified models, significantly extending the limits on the gluino mass in those models. In particular, limits on the gluino mass are set at 2 TeV when the lightest neutralino is nearly massless in a model assuming a two-step cascade decay via the lightest chargino and second-lightest neutralino.
Operando investigation of Au-MnO x thin films with improved activity for the oxygen evolution reaction
The electrochemical splitting of water holds great potential as a method for producing clean fuels by storing electricity from intermittent energy sources. The efficiency of such a process would be greatly facilitated by incorporating more active catalysts based on abundant materials for the oxygen evolution reaction. Manganese oxides are promising as catalysts for this reaction. Recent reports show that their activity can be drastically enhanced when modified with gold. Herein, we investigate highly active mixed Au-MnO x thin films for the oxygen evolution reaction, which exhibit more than five times improvement over pure MnO x . These films are characterized with operando X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy, which reveal that Mn assumes a higher oxidation state under reaction conditions when Au is present. As a result, the magnitude of the enhancement is correlated to the size of the Au domains, where larger domains are the more beneficial.
Fabrication of Au–Pd nanoparticles/graphene oxide and their excellent catalytic performance
Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • Au and Pd nanoparticles loaded on GO were fabricated without adding any reducing agents. • The Au–Pd NPs/GO were excellent catalysts for the reduction of 4-nitrophenol. • The Au–Pd NPs/GO showed superior catalytic activity for the Suzuki reaction. • The Au–Pd NPs/GO exhibit good reusability. - Abstract: A simple method to fabricate clean Au–Pd nanoparticles on graphene oxide (Au–Pd NPs/GO) without using any reducing agent or surfactant has been developed. GO simultaneously reduced the Au and Pd precursors to form a stable suspension of the Au–Pd NPs/GO. The nanoparticles were characterized by transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and inductively coupled plasma. The Au–Pd NPs/GO exhibited catalytic activity for the reduction of 4-nitrophenol to 4-aminophenol and for the Suzuki–Miyaura coupling reaction of chlorobenzene and phenylboronic acid in aqueous media.
Efficient hydrogen evolution by ternary molybdenum sulfoselenide particles on self-standing porous nickel diselenide foam
With the massive consumption of fossil fuels and its detrimental impact on the environment, methods of generating clean power are urgent. Hydrogen is an ideal carrier for renewable energy; however, hydrogen generation is inefficient because of the lack of robust catalysts that are substantially cheaper than platinum. Therefore, robust and durable earth-abundant and cost-effective catalysts are desirable for hydrogen generation from water splitting via hydrogen evolution reaction. In this paper, we report an active and durable earth-abundant transition metal dichalcogenide-based hybrid catalyst that exhibits high hydrogen evolution activity approaching the state-of-the-art platinum catalysts, and superior to those of most transition metal dichalcogenides (molybdenum sulfide, cobalt diselenide and so on). Our material is fabricated by growing ternary molybdenum sulfoselenide particles on self-standing porous nickel diselenide foam. This advance provides a different pathway to design cheap, efficient and sizable hydrogen-evolving electrode by simultaneously tuning the number of catalytic edge sites, porosity, heteroatom doping and electrical conductivity.