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At least 253 records · Page 14

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NASA NTRS2008

Conductometric Sensors for Detection of Elemental Mercury Vapor

Several organic and inorganic materials have been tested for possible incorporation into a sensing array in order to add elemental mercury vapor to the suite of chemical species detected. Materials have included gold films, treated gold films, polymer-carbon composite films, gold-polymer-carbon composite films and palladium chloride sintered films. The toxicity of mercury and its adverse effect on human and animal health has made environmental monitoring of mercury in gas and liquid phases important (1,2). As consumer products which contain elemental mercury, such as fluorescent lighting, become more widespread, the need to monitor environments for the presence of vapor phase elemental mercury will increase. Sensors in use today to detect mercury in gaseous streams are generally based on amalgam formation with gold or other metals, including noble metals and aluminum. Recently, NASA has recognized a need to detect elemental mercury vapor in the breathing atmosphere of the crew cabin in spacecraft and has requested that such a capability be incorporated into the JPL Electronic Nose (3). The detection concentration target for this application is 10 parts-per-billion (ppb), or 0.08 mg/m3. In order to respond to the request to incorporate mercury sensing into the JPL Electronic Nose (ENose) platform, it was necessary to consider only conductometric methods of sensing, as any other transduction method would have required redesign of the platform. Any mercury detection technique which could not be incorporated into the existing platform, such as an electrochemical technique, could not be considered.

mercury sensor↗

NASA NTRS2004

Development of a Self-calibrating Dissolved Oxygen Microsensor Array for the Monitoring and Control of Plant Growth in a Space Environment

Plant experiments in space will require active nutrient delivery concepts in which water and nutrients are replenished on a continuous basis for long-term growth. The goal of this study is to develop a novel microsensor array to provide information on the dissolved oxygen environment in the plant root zone for the optimum control of plant cultivation systems in the space environment. Control of water and oxygen is limited by the current state-of-the-art in sensor technology. Two capabilities of the new microsensor array were tested. First, a novel in situ self-diagnosis/self-calibration capability for the microsensor was explored by dynamically controlling the oxygen microenvironment in close proximity to an amperometric dissolved oxygen microsensors. A pair of integrated electrochemical actuator electrodes provided the microenvironments based on water electrolysis. Miniaturized thin film dissolved oxygen microsensors on a flexible polyimide (Kapton(Registered Trademark)? substrate were fabricated and their performances were tested. Secondly, measurements of dissolved oxygen in two representative plant growth systems were made, which had not been performed previously due to lack of proper sensing technology. The responses of the oxygen microsensor array on a flexible polymer substrate properly reflected the oxygen contents on the surface of a porous tube nutrient delivery system and within a particulate substrate system. Additionally, we demonstrated the feasibility of using a 4-point thin film microprobe for water contents measurements for both plant growth systems. mechanical flexibility, and self-diagnosis. The proposed technology is anticipated to provide a reliable sensor feedback plant growth nutrient delivery systems in both terrestrial environment and the microgravity environment during long term space missions. The unique features of the sensor include small size and volume, multiple-point sensing,

Kim, Chang-Soo↗

DOE OSTI2024

Chemo-Mechanical Instabilities in Lithium Cobalt Oxide at Higher State-Of-Charge in Li-Ion Batteries

Transition metal oxide cathodes are widely used in commercial Li-ion batteries. However, their practical charge capacity is limited due to severe chemo-mechanical instabilities at higher charge voltage, and state-of-charge condition. Here, in situ stress and strain measurements were synchronized to probe mechanical deformations in the lithium cobalt oxide (LCO) cathode via a multi-beam stress sensor and digital image correlation, respectively. In situ mechanical measurements revealed how Li removal from the electrode structure induces deformations on the LCO composite cathodes during cycling. The structure and morphology of the LCO cathodes were further investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) studies. Two distinct electrochemical and mechanical behaviors were identified when the LCO was charged up to 4.65 V. The LCO undergoes a compressive stress generation when charged up to 4.2 V and surface fractures on the LCO particles were detected by SEM. LCO cathode experienced significantly large contractions (negative strains) when charged up to 4.65 V, where intergranular crack formation and phase transformation were detected on the LCO particles via SEM and XRD, respectively. Overall, the study bridges complicated structural deformations with in situ analysis of mechanical degradations in LCO cathodes charged at higher voltages. The correlation is vital to understanding instability mechanisms in transition metal oxides at high voltages for alkali metal ion batteries.

higher state-of-charge↗

NASA NTRS2002

Development of Chemically and Thermally Robust Lithium Fast Ion Conducting Chalcogenide Glasses

In this project, a new research thrust into the development of an entirely new class of FIC glasses has begun that may lead to a new set of optimized thin-film lithium ion conducting materials. New chemically robust FIC glasses are being prepared that are expected to exhibit unusually high chemical and electrochemical stability. New thermally robust FIC glasses are being prepared that exhibit softening points in excess of 500 C which will dramatically expand the usable operating temperature range of batteries, fuel-cells, and sensors using such electrolytes. Glasses are being explored in the general compositional series xLi2S+ yGa2S3 + (1-x-y)GeS2. Li2S is added as the source of the conductive lithium ions. GeS2 is the base glass-forming phase and the trivalent sulfides, Ga2S3, is added to increase the "refractoniness" of the glass, that is to significantly increase the softening point of the glass as well as its chemical stability. By optimizing the composition of the glass, new glasses and glass-ceramic FIC materials have been prepared with softening points in excess of 500 C and conductivities above 10(exp -3)/Ohm cm at room temperature. These latter attributes are currently not available in any FIC glasses to date.

Martin, Steve W.↗

DOE OSTI2023

Real-Time Nitrate Ion Monitoring with Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) Materials

Nitrate (NO 3 ) pollution in groundwater, caused by various factors both natural and synthetic, contributes to the decline of human health and well-being. Current techniques used for nitrate detection include spectroscopic, electrochemical, chromatography, and capillary electrophoresis. It is highly desired to develop a simple cost-effective alternative to these complex methods for nitrate detection. Therefore, a real-time poly (3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT)-based sensor for nitrate ion detection via electrical property change is introduced in this study. Vapor phase polymerization (VPP) is used to create a polymer thin film. Variations in specific parameters during the process are tested and compared to develop new insights into PEDOT sensitivity towards nitrate ions. Through this study, the optimal fabrication parameters that produce a sensor with the highest sensitivity toward nitrate ions are determined. With the optimized parameters, the electrical resistance response of the sensor to 1000 ppm nitrate solution is 41.79%. Furthermore, the sensors can detect nitrate ranging from 1 ppm to 1000 ppm. The proposed sensor demonstrates excellent potential to detect the overabundance of nitrate ions in aqueous solutions in real time.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

DOE OSTI2022

Digitalization of an experimental electrochemical reactor via the smart manufacturing innovation platform

The exponential increase in data produced over the last two decades has revolutionized the way we collect, store, process, analyze, model, and interpret information to improve profitability. Manufacturing is no exception. How- ever, Smart Manufacturing, the digital practice, organization, workforce, and infrastructure transformation for collection and deployment of data and models at scale and at all levels of manufacturing, is a complex, costly, and labor-intensive journey that is still seeing slow adoption. The Clean Energy Smart Manufacturing Innovation Institute (CESMII), a national Manufacturing USA public-private partnership sponsored by the Department of Energy, is addressing this scaled use of data and modeling in manufacturing. CESMII has focused on how to col- lect and use operating data for numerous applications that improve productivity, precision, and performance of manufacturing operations from factory floor to supply chain using process simulation, predictive analytics, mon- itoring and control, and real-time optimization. Because contextualized data are key, CESMII has developed the Smart Manufacturing Innovation Platform (SMIP) to lower the barriers to the data that are needed to accelerate data-based model building, improve data visualization, and more quickly gain insights. Reusable, standards-based ways of doing data collection, ingestion, and contextualization are particularly important for scaling access and use of data. The SMIP uses a standards-based definition and construct for reusable information models called an SM Profile. When an SM Profile is used in conjunction with the SMIP, the SMIP ensures the availability of contextualized, operational data for model building. The present work demonstrates Smart Manufacturing and the application of the SMIP for building several data-centered models for the operation and control of an ex- perimental electrochemical reactor that reduces carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) gas to valuable liquid and gas chemicals, such as alcohols, olefins, and syngas. We describe how the SMIP plays a central role in more effective model building and we demonstrate how the electochemical reactor can be controlled and optimized for the desired products. Use of the SMIP involves the transmission of real-time sensor measurements to a cloud resource so that the operating data are available to all model building experts. The data collection and transmission process is fully automated to greatly reduce the need for manual manipulation of the data. Data-driven machine learning models are used for advanced real-time state estimation, real-time optimization, and model-based feedback control for the reactor. The application models are implemented as a system to monitor the data flow and control the electrochemical reactor with a single visualization interface. SM Profiles are used to demonstrate reusability of the information models for the reactor and the instrumentation. The application packages, algorithms, and user interfaces developed are cast as Docker images in a library to facilitate reusability of the application models.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

NASA NTRS2005

Silica Aerogels Doped with Ru(II) Tris 1,l0-Phenanthro1ine)-Electron Acceptor Dyads: Improving the Dynamic Range, Sensitivity and Response Time of Sol-Gel Based Oxygen Sensors

Complexes 1 and 2 were characterized in fluid and frozen solution and as dopants of silica aerogels. The intramolecular quenching efficiency of pendant 4-benzoyl-N-methylpyridinium group (4BzPy) is solvent dependent: emission is quenched completely in acetonitrile but not in alcohols. On the other hand, N-benzyl-N'-methylviologen (BzMeV) quenches the emission in all solvents completely. The differences are traced electrochemically to a stronger solvation effect by the alcohol in the case of 1. In fiozen matrices or absorbed on the surfaces of silica aerogel, both 1 and 2 are photoluminescent. The lack of quenching has been traced to the environmental rigidity. When doped aerogels are cooled to 77K, the emission shifts to the blue and its intensity increases in analogy to what is observed with Ru(II) complexes in media undergoing fluid-to-rigid transition. The photoluminescence of 1 and 2 from the aerogel is quenched by oxygen diffusing through the pores. In the presence of oxygen, aerogels doped with 1 can modulate their emission over a wider dynamic range than aerogels doped with 2, and both are more sensitive than aerogels doped with Ru(II) tris(1,l0- phenanthroline). In contrast to frozen solutions, the luminescent moieties in the bulk of aerogels kept at 77K are still accessible, leading to more sensitive platforms for oxygen sensors than other ambient temperature configurations.

Kevebtusm Bucgikas↗

NASA NTRS1976

Microelectronic components and metallic oxide studies and applications

The project involved work in two basic areas: (1) Evaluation of commercial screen printable thick film conductors, resistors, thermistors and dielectrics as well as alumina substrates used in hybird microelectronics industries. Results of tests made on materials produced by seven companies are presented. (2) Experimental studies on metallic oxides of copper and vanadium, in an effort to determine their electrochemical properties in crystalline, powder mixtures and as screen printable thick films constituted the second phase of the research effort. Oxide investigations were aimed at finding possible applications of these materials as switching devices memory elements and sensors.

Williams, L., Jr.↗

DOE OSTI2026

Memsensing by surface ion migration within Debye length

Integration between electronics and biology is often facilitated by iontronics, where ion migration in aqueous media governs sensing and memory. However, the Debye screening effect limits electric fields to the Debye length, the distance over which mobile ions screen electrostatic interactions, necessitating external voltages that constrain the operation speed and device design. Here we report a high-speed in-memory sensor based on vanadium dioxide (VO2) that operates without an external voltage by leveraging built-in electric fields within the Debye length. When VO2 contacts a low-work-function metal (for example, indium) in a salt solution, electrochemical reactions generate indium ions that migrate into the VO2 surface under the native electric field, inducing a surface insulator-to-metal phase transition of VO2. The VO2 conductance increase rate reflects the salt concentration, enabling in-memory sensing, or memsensing of the solution. The memsensor mimics Caenorhabditis elegans chemosensory plasticity to guide a miniature boat for adaptive chemotaxis, illustrating low-power aquatic neurorobotics with fewer memory units.

Guo, Ruihan↗

NASA NTRS2011

Biochemical Sensors Using Carbon Nanotube Arrays

Method and system for detecting presence of biomolecules in a selected subset, or in each of several selected subsets, in a fluid. Each of an array of two or more carbon nanotubes ("CNTs") is connected at a first CNT end to one or more electronics devices, each of which senses a selected electrochemical signal that is generated when a target biomolecule in the selected subset becomes attached to a functionalized second end of the CNT, which is covalently bonded with a probe molecule. This approach indicates when target biomolecules in the selected subset are present and indicates presence or absence of target biomolecules in two or more selected subsets. Alternatively, presence of absence of an analyte can be detected.

Li, Jun↗

NASA NTRS2003

Nanoporous Silicon Carbide for Nanoelectromechanical Systems Applications

A major goal of this project is to produce porous silicon carbide (PSiC) via an electroless process for eventual utilization in nanoscale sensing platforms. Results in the literature have shown a variety of porous morphologies in SiC produced in anodic cells. Therefore, predictability and reproducibility of porous structures are initial concerns. This work has concentrated on producing morphologies of known porosity, with particular attention paid toward producing the extremely high surface areas required for a porous flow sensor. We have conducted a parametric study of electroless etching conditions and characteristics of the resulting physical nanostructure and also investigated the relationship between morphology and materials properties. Further, we have investigated bulk etching of SiC using both photo-electrochemical etching and inductively-coupled-plasma reactive ion etching techniques.

Hossain, T.↗

NASA NTRS1997

Electrolysis Performance Improvement Concept Study (EPICS) Flight Experiment-Reflight

The Electrolysis Performance Improvement Concept Study (EPICS) is a flight experiment to demonstrate and validate in a microgravity environment the Static Feed Electrolyzer (SFE) concept which was selected for the use aboard the International Space Station (ISS) for oxygen (O2) generation. It also is to investigate the impact of microgravity on electrochemical cell performance. Electrochemical cells are important to the space program because they provide an efficient means of generating O2 and hydrogen (H2) in space. Oxygen and H2 are essential not only for the survival of humans in space but also for the efficient and economical operation of various space systems. Electrochemical cells can reduce the mass, volume and logistical penalties associated with resupply and storage by generating and/or consuming these gases in space. An initial flight of the EPICS was conducted aboard STS-69 from September 7 to 8, 1995. A temperature sensor characteristics shift and a missing line of software code resulted in only partial success of this initial flight. Based on the review and recommendations of a National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Johnson Space Center (JSC) review team a reflight activity was initiated to obtain the remaining desired results, not achieved during the initial flight.

Schubert, F. H.↗

NASA NTRS2004

Accuracy and Precision in the Southern Hemisphere Additional Ozonesondes (SHADOZ) Dataset in Light of the JOSIE-2000 Results

Since 1998 the Southern Hemisphere ADditional OZonesondes (SHADOZ) project has provided over 2000 ozone profiles over eleven southern hemisphere tropical and subtropical stations. Balloon-borne electrochemical concentration cell (ECC) ozonesondes are used to measure ozone. The data are archived at: &ttp://croc.gsfc.nasa.gov/shadoz>. In analysis of ozonesonde imprecision within the SHADOZ dataset, Thompson et al. [JGR, 108,8238,20031 we pointed out that variations in ozonesonde technique (sensor solution strength, instrument manufacturer, data processing) could lead to station-to-station biases within the SHADOZ dataset. Imprecisions and accuracy in the SHADOZ dataset are examined in light of new data. First, SHADOZ total ozone column amounts are compared to version 8 TOMS (2004 release). As for TOMS version 7, satellite total ozone is usually higher than the integrated column amount from the sounding. Discrepancies between the sonde and satellite datasets decline two percentage points on average, compared to version 7 TOMS offsets. Second, the SHADOZ station data are compared to results of chamber simulations (JOSE-2000, Juelich Ozonesonde Intercomparison Experiment) in which the various SHADOZ techniques were evaluated. The range of JOSE column deviations from a standard instrument (-10%) in the chamber resembles that of the SHADOZ station data. It appears that some systematic variations in the SHADOZ ozone record are accounted for by differences in solution strength, data processing and instrument type (manufacturer).

Witte, Jacquelyn C.↗

DOE OSTI2020

Synthesis of nickel selenide thin films for high performance all-solid-state asymmetric supercapacitors

As a significant semiconductor, nickel selenide shows enormous potential and extensive application prospects in the field of sensor, photocatalysis and supercapacitor. In this paper, nickel selenide (Ni 3 Se 2 , NiSe) thin films were successfully fabricated on stainless-steel sheet using a facile, effective electrodeposition technique. The morphologies, microstructures and chemical compositions of the thin films are characterized systematically. Electrochemical tests exhibit that the Ni3Se2 and NiSe possess high specific capacitance of 581.1 F/g and 1644.7 F/g, respectively. A flexible, all-solid-state asymmetric supercapacitor is assembled by utilizing NiSe film as positive electrode and activated carbon as negative electrode. The solid device delivers a high areal capacitance of 27.0 mF/cm 2 at the current density of 0.7 mA/cm 2 . Furthermore, the maximum volumetric energy density and power density of the NiSe//AC asymmetric SCs can achieve 0.26 mWh/cm 3 and 33.35 mW/cm 3 , respectively. The device shows robust cycling stability with 84.6% capacitance retention after 10000 cycles, outstanding flexibility and satisfactory mechanical stability. Moreover, two devices in series can light up a red light-emitting diode, which displayed great potential applications for energy storage.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

NASA NTRS2005

In Situ Electrochemical Deposition of Microscopic Wires

A method of fabrication of wires having micron and submicron dimensions is built around electrochemical deposition of the wires in their final positions between electrodes in integrated circuits or other devices in which the wires are to be used. Heretofore, nanowires have been fabricated by a variety of techniques characterized by low degrees of controllability and low throughput rates, and it has been necessary to align and electrically connect the wires in their final positions by use of sophisticated equipment in expensive and tedious post-growth assembly processes. The present method is more economical, offers higher yields, enables control of wire widths, and eliminates the need for post-growth assembly. The wires fabricated by this method could be used as simple electrical conductors or as transducers in sensors. Depending upon electrodeposition conditions and the compositions of the electroplating solutions in specific applications, the wires could be made of metals, alloys, metal oxides, semiconductors, or electrically conductive polymers. In this method, one uses fabrication processes that are standard in the semiconductor industry. These include cleaning, dry etching, low-pressure chemical vapor deposition, lithography, dielectric deposition, electron-beam lithography, and metallization processes as well as the electrochemical deposition process used to form the wires. In a typical case of fabrication of a circuit that includes electrodes between which microscopic wires are to be formed on a silicon substrate, the fabrication processes follow a standard sequence until just before the fabrication of the microscopic wires. Then, by use of a thermal SiO-deposition technique, the electrodes and the substrate surface areas in the gaps between them are covered with SiO. Next, the SiO is electron-beam patterned, then reactive-ion etched to form channels having specified widths (typically about 1 m or less) that define the widths of the wires to be formed. Drops of an electroplating solution are placed on the substrate in the regions containing the channels thus formed, then the wires are electrodeposited from the solution onto the exposed portions of the electrodes and into the channels. The electrodeposition is a room-temperature, atmospheric-pressure process. The figure shows an example of palladium wires that were electrodeposited into 1-mm-wide channels between gold electrodes.

Yun, Minhee↗

NASA NTRS1985

Electrochemical concentration cell ozonesonde accuracy and precision

This paper is concerned with the results of a study designed to evaluate experimentally the accuracy and precision of electrochemical concentration cell (ECC) ozonesondes as prepared and flown by NASA, as a function of altitude. A combination of dual-instrument soundings and laboratory work using an environmental chamber was employed in the study. The ECC ozonesonde is a small, balloon-borne sensor developed for obtaining vertical profiles of atmospheric ozone. Attention is given to the design of the employed environmental chamber, ozone and temperature profiles used in simulated ozonesonde soundings, absolute and relative ECC ozonesonde precision estimates determined with the environmental chamber and from dual-instrument balloon soundings, and the ECC ozonesonde accuracy.

Barnes, R. A.↗

NASA NTRS2015

Nanopore Device for Reversible Ion and Molecule Sensing or Migration

Disclosed are methods and devices for detection of ion migration and binding, utilizing a nanopipette adapted for use in an electrochemical sensing circuit. The nanopipette may be functionalized on its interior bore with metal chelators for binding and sensing metal ions or other specific binding molecules such as boronic acid for binding and sensing glucose. Such a functionalized nanopipette is comprised in an electrical sensor that detects when the nanopipette selectively and reversibly binds ions or small molecules. Also disclosed is a nanoreactor, comprising a nanopipette, for controlling precipitation in aqueous solutions by voltage-directed ion migration, wherein ions may be directed out of the interior bore by a repulsing charge in the bore.

Pourmand, Nader↗

DOE OSTI2023

Nanopore device for reversible ion and molecule sensing or migration

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗