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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 253 records · Page 14
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2023

Gradient nanostructured steel with superior tensile plasticity

Nanostructured metallic materials with abundant high-angle grain boundaries exhibit high strength and good radiation resistance. While the nanoscale grains induce high strength, they also degrade tensile ductility. We show that a gradient nanostructured ferritic steel exhibits simultaneous improvement in yield strength by 36% and uniform elongation by 50% compared to the homogenously structured counterpart. In situ tension studies coupled with electron backscattered diffraction analyses reveal intricate coordinated deformation mechanisms in the gradient structures. The outermost nanolaminate grains sustain a substantial plastic strain via a profound deformation mechanism involving prominent grain reorientation. This synergistic plastic co-deformation process alters the rupture mode in the post-necking regime, thus delaying the onset of fracture. The present discovery highlights the intrinsic plasticity of nanolaminate grains and their significance in simultaneous improvement of strength and tensile ductility of structural metallic materials.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2026

Enhancing 300 Degree Celsius Electronic Packaging with Ceramic PCBs and Advanced Interconnection Techniques

Geothermal energy development requires downhole tools that operate reliably at temperatures up to 320 °C. While MWD tools work without thermal protection and logging tools use vacuum flasks for limited high-temperature use, Sandia National Laboratories is developing durable electronics on ceramic PCBs with protective coatings to enable long-term operation of geothermal instruments at sustained temperatures up to 300 °C.

Wright, Andrew Alexander [Sandia National Laborato↗
DOE OSTI2024

Sustainable production of radionuclidically pure antimony-119

Background Radiopharmaceutical therapy (RPT) uses radionuclides that decay via one of three therapeutically relevant decay modes (alpha, beta, and internal conversion (IC) / Auger electron (AE) emission) to deliver short range, highly damaging radiation inside of diseased cells, maintaining localized dose distribution and sparing healthy cells. Antimony-119 ( 119 Sb, t 1/2 = 38.19 h, EC = 100%) is one such IC/AE emitting radionuclide, previously limited to in silico computational investigation due to barriers in production, chemical separation, and chelation. A theranostic (therapeutic/diagnostic) pair can be formed with 119 Sb’s radioisotopic imaging analogue 117 Sb (t 1/2 = 2.80 h, E γ = 158.6 keV, I γ = 85.9%, β + = 262.4 keV, I β+ = 1.81%). Results Within, we report techniques for sustainable and cost-effective production of pre-clinical quality and quantity, radionuclidically pure 119 Sb and 117 Sb, novel low energy photon measurement techniques for 119 Sb activity determination, and physical yields for various tin target isotopic enrichments and thicknesses using (p, n) and (d, n) nuclear reactions. Additionally, we present a two-column separation providing a radioantimony yield of 73.1% ± 6.9% (N = 3) and tin separation factor of (6.8 ± 5.5) x 10 5 (N = 3). Apparent molar activity measurements for deuteron produced 117 Sb using the chelator TREN-CAM were measured at 42.4 ± 25 MBq 117 Sb/µmol (1.14 ± 0.68 mCi/µmol), and we recovered enriched 119 Sn target material at a recycling efficiency of 80.2% ± 5.5% (N = 6) with losses of 11.6 mg ± 0.8 mg (N = 6) per production. Conclusion We report significant steps in overcoming barriers in 119 Sb production, chemical isolation and purification, enriched target material recycling, and chelation, helping promote accessibility and application of this promising therapeutic radionuclide. We describe a method for 119 Sb activity measurement using its low energy gamma (23.87 keV), negating the need for attenuation correction. Finally, we report the largest yet-measured 119 Sb production yields using proton and deuteron irradiation of natural and enriched targets and radioisotopic purity > 99.8% at end of purification.

38 RADIATION CHEMISTRY, RADIOCHEMISTRY, AND NUCLEA↗
DOE OSTI2023

Principles and applications of x-ray light sources driven by laser wakefield acceleration

One of the most prominent applications of modern particle accelerators is the generation of radiation. In a synchrotron or an x-ray free electron laser (XFEL), high energy electrons oscillating in periodic magnetic structures emit bright x rays. In spite of their scientific appeal that will remain evident for many decades, one limitation of synchrotrons and XFELs is their typical mile-long size and their cost, which often limits access to the broader scientific community. Here, this tutorial reviews the principles and prospects of using plasmas produced by intense lasers as particle accelerators and x-ray light sources, as well as some of the applications they enable. A plasma is an ionized medium that can sustain electrical fields many orders of magnitude higher than that in conventional radio frequency accelerator structures and can be used to accelerate electrons. When short, intense laser pulses are focused into a gas, it produces electron plasma waves in which electrons can be trapped and accelerated to GeV energies. This process, laser-wakefield acceleration (LWFA), is analogous to a surfer being propelled by an ocean wave. Many radiation sources, from THz to gamma-rays, can be produced by these relativistic electrons. This tutorial reviews several LWFA-driven sources in the keV-MeV photon energy range: betatron radiation, inverse Compton scattering, bremsstrahlung radiation, and undulator/XFEL radiation. X rays from laser plasma accelerators have many emerging applications. They can be used in innovative and flexible x-ray imaging and x-ray absorption spectroscopy configurations, for use in biology, industry, and high-energy density science.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2022

In situ Study on the Evolution of Atomic and Electronic Structure of LaTiO 3 /SrTiO 3 System

As with other transition-metal oxide interfaces, LaTiO 3 /SrTiO 3 interfaces exhibit interesting electronic properties, such as a two-dimensional electron gas. While the available Mott states and multiple pathways to metallicity in LaTiO 3 can lead to a variety of applications in oxide electronics, the origin of the different properties remains uncertain. Herein, utilizing real-time, in situ x-ray diffraction at the synchrotron, robust but thin LaTiO 3 /SrTiO 3 heterostructures were fabricated using oxide molecular beam epitaxy. A thickness of six unit cells was determined to be critical, at which point the LaTiO 3 /SrTiO 3 heterostructures begin to sustain sharp, well-defined interfaces. The layers of LaTiO 3 and SrTiO 3 were sufficiently thin to benefit from the finite escape length of electrons at resonant soft x-ray photoemission, and the heterostructures were transferred in vacuo after growth to another chamber for synchrotron-based x-ray photoemission spectroscopy studies. With the x-ray energy tuned to the Ti-2p resonance, the LaTiO 3 /SrTiO 3 interfaces could be probed with enough penetration depth and selectivity. It is shown that all of the heterointerfaces exhibit the two-dimensional electron gas.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
NASA NTRS1982

Performance characteristics of a microwave plasma disk ion source

The development, design, and preliminary performance characteristics of a microwave plasma disk ion source are presented. Several important design concepts indigenous to microwave plasmas have been utilized in the development of this ion source: generation of a resonantly sustained microwave discharge inside a microwave/plasma coupler, probe and length tuning of the microwave/plasma coupler, and minimization of plasma volume. The experimental results for a 2.45 GHz, eight cm ion source excited in the TE(211) and TM(011) modes are described. Results are presented for electromagnetic mode excitation, electron density, coupling efficiency and loaded cavity Q, and I-V characteristics and efficiencies. It is preliminarily shown that a microwave disk-like plasma can be sustained adjacent to the grids with either TE or TM cavity modes at pressures below 2 x 10 to the -4th torr. Over 80% of the power absorbed in the cavity is coupled into the plasma.

Asmussen, J.↗
DOE OSTI2022

Record >10 MV/cm mesa breakdown fields in Al 0.85 Ga 0.15 N/Al 0.6 Ga 0.4 N high electron mobility transistors on native AlN substrates

The ultra-wide bandgap of Al-rich AlGaN is expected to support a significantly larger breakdown field compared to GaN, but the reported performance thus far has been limited by the use of foreign substrates. In this Letter, the material and electrical properties of Al 0.85 Ga 0.15 N/Al 0.6 Ga 0.4 N high electron mobility transistors (HEMT) grown on a 2-in. single crystal AlN substrate are investigated, and it is demonstrated that native AlN substrates unlock the potential for Al-rich AlGaN to sustain large fields in such devices. We further study how Ohmic contacts made directly to a Si-doped channel layer reduce the knee voltage and increase the output current density. High-quality AlGaN growth is confirmed via scanning transmission electron microscopy, which also reveals the absence of metal penetration at the Ohmic contact interface and is in contrast to established GaN HEMT technology. Two-terminal mesa breakdown characteristics with 1.3 μm separation possess a record-high breakdown field strength of ~11.5 MV/cm for an undoped Al 0.6 Ga 0.4 N-channel layer. The breakdown voltages for three-terminal devices measured with gate-drain distances of 4 and 9 μm are 850 and 1500 V, respectively.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2021

Techno-Economic Analysis of Lithium Extraction from Geothermal Brines

The United States has a large, domestic source of lithium in geothermal fluids, especially at the Salton Sea region of southern California, where estimates of lithium pass-through at geothermal plants exceed 24,000 metric tons per year, based on 2019 geothermal plant operations. Lithium extraction from geothermal brines offers the potential to provide the United States with a secure, domestic supply of lithium to meet the increasing demands of electric vehicles, grid energy storage, portable electronics, and other end-use applications. Additionally, the use of direct extraction technologies allows for a more sustainable lithium supply relative to current evaporative brine and hardrock mining operations in terms of land use, water use, time to market with lithium products, and carbon intensity of operations. This report is part of an effort to assess geothermal brines as a source of commercial lithium supply for the United States. In this study, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) reviews and summarizes public technoeconomic analyses of lithium extraction technologies. The work was coordinated with the Critical Minerals Institute at the Colorado School of Mines who focused on supply chain analysis of lithium.

15 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2023

Small-Molecule Catalysis by Transition-Metal Isocyanide Monomers, Clusters and Materials

DOE Catalysis Science Award DE-SC0018243 focused on the development and mechanistic understanding of small-molecule-activation and catalysis by monomeric and multinuclear transition-metal complexes supported by encumbering m-terphenyl isocyanide ligands. An additional goal of this award was the development of solid-state network materials featuring low-valent metal centers and ditopic m-terphenyl isocyanide ligands into functional platforms for catalytic chemical transformations. The emphasis on m-terphenyl isocyanides stems from a sustained effort by our research team that has shown these ancillary ligands to be particularly adept at stabilizing electronically or coordinately unsaturated metal centers. These metal centers in turn have been shown to effect catalytic and/or stoichiometric chemical transformations of substrates relevant to high-priority energy science goals. In addition, the stabilizing environment provided by these encumbering ligands has in several instances aided the detailed mechanistic elucidation of substrate activation process and/or have enabled important electronic structure insights to be uncovered.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2024

Opportunities for Process Intensification with Membranes to Promote Circular Economy Development for Critical Minerals

Critical minerals are essential to the future of clean energy, especially energy storage, electric vehicles, and advanced electronics. In this paper, we argue that process systems engineering (PSE) paradigms provide essential frameworks for enhancing the sustainability and efficiency of critical mineral processing pathways. As a concrete example, we review challenges and opportu-nities across material-to-infrastructure scales for process intensification (PI) with membranes. Within critical mineral processing, there is a need to reduce environmental impact, especially con-cerning chemical reagent usage. Feed concentrations and product demand variability require flex-ible, intensified processes. Further, unique feedstocks require unique processes (i.e., no one-size-fits-all recycling or refining system exists). Membrane materials span a vast design space that allows significant optimization. Therefore, there is a need to rapidly identify the best opportunities for membrane implementation, thus informing materials optimization with process and infrastructure scale performance targets. Finally, scale-up must be accelerated and de-risked across the materials-to-process levels to fully realize the opportunity presented by membranes, thereby fostering the development of a circular economy for critical minerals. Tackling these challenges requires integrating efforts across diverse disciplines. We advocate for a holistic molecular-to-systems perspective for fully realizing PI with membranes to address sustainability challenges in critical mineral processing. The opportunities for PI with membranes are excellent applications for emerging research in machine learning, data science, automation, and optimization.

Dougher, Molly↗
NASA NTRS1989

Late evolution of very low mass X-ray binaries sustained by radiation from their primaries

The accretion-powered radiation from the X-ray pulsar system Her X-1 (McCray et al. 1982) is studied. The changes in the soft X-ray and gamma-ray flux and in the accompanying electron-positron wind are discussed. These are believed to be associated with the inward movement of the inner edge of the accretion disk corresponding to the boundary with the neutron star's corotating magnetosphere (Alfven radius). LMXB evolution which is self-sustained by secondary winds intercepting the radiation emitted near an LMXB neutron star is investigated as well.

Ruderman, M.↗
NASA NTRS1996

Particulate electron beam weld emission hazards in space

The electron-beam welding process is well adapted to function in the environment of space. The Soviets were the first to demonstrate welding in space in the mid-1980's. Under the auspices of the International Space Welding Experiment (ISWE), an on-orbit test of a Ukrainian designed electron-beam welder (the Universal Hand Tool or 'UHT') is scheduled for October of 1997. The potential for sustained presence in space with the development of the international space station raises the possibility of the need for construction and repair in space. While welding is not scheduled to be used in the assembly of the space station, repair of damage from orbiting debris or meteorites is a potential need. Furthermore, safe and successful welding in the space environment may open new avenues for design and construction. The safety issue has been raised with regard to hot particle emissions (spatter) sometimes observed from the weld during operations. On earth the hot particles pose no particular hazard, but in space there exists the possibility for burn-through of the space suit which could be potentially lethal. Contamination of the payload bay by emitted particles could also be a problem.

Bunton, Patrick H.↗
NASA NTRS2019

Long-Duration Venus Lander Development

One of the most intriguing planets in our solar system for both solar system and extra-solar system science is Venus. Venus is the planet most similar to Earth in several key ways and many believe Venus-like planets are more common around other suns than are Earth-like planets. Therefore scientific understanding of our sister planet is a high priority. However, the hostile environmental conditions at the surface coupled with thick acid clouds and dense atmosphere have made understanding this planet very challenging. Remote sensing of surface features and near surface environments is very limited. The hostile environment has also limited the ability of landers to survive, in fact the longest living asset survived just over two hours. Even after over 50 years of attempts to explore Venus, many key measurements, especially near the surface, are still in the future. NASA has begun to undertake steps to overcome the technical challenges and is developing the capability for sustained operations and science return from this important body. For example, recent technology advances in high temperature sensors, electronics, power, and other systems have been funded and this, combined with the new capabilities to replicate Venus conditions on Earth, are changing the outlook for Venus surface exploration.

Kremic, Tibor↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

AAM Supply Chain Working Group: Aerospace Supply Chain and Manufacturing

This presentation provides an overview of the aerospace supply chain and how the AAM Supply Chain Working Group will help to make it more sustainable and resilient. The urgent needs are building a tiered system, a modeling and simulation platform, and an electronic exchange platform.

AAM↗
DOE OSTI2024

Guided Mode Evolution and Ionization Injection in Meter-Scale Multi-GeV Laser Wakefield Accelerators

Here, we show that multi-GeV laser wakefield electron accelerators in meter-scale, low density hydrodynamic plasma waveguides operate in a new nonlinear propagation regime dominated by sustained beating of lowest order modes of the ponderomotively modified channel; this occurs whether or not the injected pulse is linearly matched to the guide. For a continuously doped gas jet, this emergent mode beating effect leads to axially modulated enhancement of ionization injection and a multi-GeV energy spectrum of multiple quasimonoenergetic peaks; the same process in a locally doped jet produces single multi-GeV peaks with <10% energy spread. A three-stage model of drive laser pulse evolution and ionization injection characterizes the beating effect and explains our experimental results.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Polylactic acid (PLA)-based multifunctional and biodegradable nanocomposites and their applications

Polylactic acid (PLA)-based nanocomposites are emerging as multifunctional, biodegradable materials, offering sustainable alternatives to petroleum-based plastics. This review examines recent advancements in PLA nanocomposites, focusing on enhanced mechanical strength, thermal stability, and biodegradability achieved through nanofillers like metallic particles, carbon-based materials, and ceramics. Techniques such as in situ polymerization, melt mixing, and electrospinning enable application-specific improvements. PLA's limitations, including brittleness and low barrier properties, are addressed to support diverse applications: in packaging (e.g., extended shelf life), biomedicine (e.g., degradable implants), and electronics (e.g., flexible devices). Despite challenges with filler dispersion and thermal resistance, continued innovations expand PLA's potential across multiple industries, contributing to a sustainable, circular economy.

Biodegradable polymers↗
DOE OSTI2021

FY 2021 Site Sustainability Plan

The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE's) National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) Fiscal Year 2021 Site Sustainability Plan details the laboratory's current performance status relative federal mandates and goals pertaining to water, waste, fleet, and energy management; clean and renewable energy; green buildings; acquisition and procurement; measures, funding, and training; electronic stewardship; and organizational resilience. It also provides a road map for future site planning and development that support NREL's commitment to business operations that 1) demonstrate the incorporation of clean energy practices and 2) promote the development of a sustainable and resilient campus while growing greater technological capabilities to advance the national renewable energy marketplace.

ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗
NASA NTRS1992

Low-energy solar electrons and ions observed at Ulysses February-April, 1991 - The inner heliosphere as a particle reservoir

Ulysses observations at 2.5 AU of 38-315 keV electrons and 61-4752 keV ions during February-April 1991 suggest in several ways that, during periods of sustained high solar activity, the inner heliosphere serves as a 'reservoir' for low-energy solar particles. Particle increases were not associated one-to-one with large X-ray flares because of their poor magnetic connection, yet intensities in March-April remained well above their February levels. The rise phase of the particle event associated with the great flare of 2245UT March 22 lasted most of two days, while throughout the one-week decay phase, the lowest-energy ion fluxes were nearly equal at Ulysses and earth (IMP-8).

Roelof, E. C.↗