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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 271 records · Page 15
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1992

Ammonia arcjet engine behavior in a cyclic endurance test at 10 kW

The behavior of a 30 kWe-class ammonia arcjet operated at 10 kWe during the 707 successful cycles of an endurance test is described. The propellant flow rate was 0.170 g/s, and the measured performance was about 630 s specific impulse at an efficiency of 0.34. Data obtained indicate that the terminal voltage increased over the first 300 cycles, and then remained approximately constant for the remainder of the test, which suggests that the cathode eroded initially and then reached a stable geometry. No major changes were observed in thruster performance. The test was terminated by a series of external arcs.

Polk, J. E.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Photovoltaic Power Without Batteries for Continuous Cathodic Protection

The objective of this project was to successfully demonstrate that renewable energy can efficiently and economically replace dedicated non-renewable power sources. The COASTSYSTA designed, installed, and started up on 20 Jan. 1990, a state-of-the-art photovoltaic powered impressed current cathodic protection system (PVCPSYS) for steel and iron submerged structures. This system does not require any auxiliary/battery backup power. The PVCPSYS installed on 775 ft. of steel sheet piling of a Navy bulkhead is continuing to provide complete, continuous corrosion protection. This installation is well documented by COASTSYSTA and was verified on-site by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The PVCPSYS uses only renewable energy and is environmentally clean. A patent is pending on the new technology. Other possible PVCPSYS applications are mothballed ships, docks, dams, locks, bridges, marinas, and pipelines. The Department of Defense Photovoltaic Review Committee and Sandia National Laboratories consider this successful and cost effective system a major advance in the application of photovoltaics.

Muehl, W. W., Sr.↗
DOE OSTI2024

Leveraging a Neural Network-Enhanced Reproducing Kernel Particle Method for Multiphysics Degradation Modeling of Energy Storage Materials

Energy storage materials exhibit strong electro-chemo-mechanical coupling and highly anisotropic material properties, contributing to the formation and propagation of micro-cracking during charge/discharge cycling and resulting in reduced performance and service life. A coupled electro-chemo-mechanical reproducing kernel particle method (RKPM) formulation has been developed to analyze this system. With microstructural images supplied by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), pixel-based model construction by RKPM is used to represent the complex material microstructures that dictate the coupled physics of these systems. Traditional electro-chemo-mechanical models rely on mesh-based finite element methods, which can lead to difficulties in meshing such complex geometries and capturing crack propagation due to mesh dependency. Here, a neural network-enhanced reproducing kernel particle method (NN-RKPM) [1, 2] is introduced to effectively model damage and crack propagation in the material microstructures; the location, orientation, and solution transition near a localization are automatically captured by superimposed block-level NN optimizations. This NN enrichment approach allows for effective modeling of localizations via a fixed background discretization, relieving tedious efforts for adaptive refinement in traditional mesh-based methods. Applications to the heterogeneous microstructures of Li-ion battery cathodes will be presented to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed methods. NN-RKPM is additionally used to inform how crack opening and closure in turn affect the coupled chemical equations and material microstructure. Reference: [1] Baek, J., Chen, J. S., Susuki, K., "Neural Network enhanced Reproducing Kernel Particle Method for Modeling Localizations," International Journal for Numerical Methods in Engineering, Vol. 123, pp 4422-4454, https://doi.org/10.1002/nme.7040, 2022. [2] Baek, J., Chen, J. S., "A Neural Network-Based Enrichment of Reproducing Kernel Approximation for Modeling Brittle Fracture", Computer Methods in Applied Mechanics and Engineering Vol. 410, 116590, 2024.

degradation↗
DOE OSTI2025

Characterizing Electrode Materials and Interfaces in Solid-State Batteries

Solid-state batteries (SSBs) could offer improved energy density and safety, but the evolution and degradation of electrode materials and interfaces within SSBs are distinct from conventional batteries with liquid electrolytes and represent a barrier to performance improvement. Over the past decade, a variety of imaging, scattering, and spectroscopic characterization methods has been developed or used for characterizing the unique aspects of materials in SSBs. These characterization efforts have yielded new understanding of the behavior of lithium metal anodes, alloy anodes, composite cathodes, and the interfaces of these various electrode materials with solid-state electrolytes (SSEs). This review provides a comprehensive overview of the characterization methods and strategies applied to SSBs, and it presents the mechanistic understanding of SSB materials and interfaces that has been derived from these methods. This knowledge has been critical for advancing SSB technology and will continue to guide the engineering of materials and interfaces toward practical performance.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2024

Halting Oxygen Evolution to Achieve Long Cycle Life in Sodium Layered Cathodes

Oxygen redox chemistries at high voltage have materialized as a revolutionary paradigm for cathodes with high-energy density; however, they are plagued by the challenges of labile oxygen loss and rapid degradations upon cycling, even after concerted endeavors from the research community. Here we propose a multi-concentration stratagem propelled by entropy reinforcement to enhance the electronic structure disorder (ESD) at high desodiation states for impeding undesired oxygen mobility and ensuring controlled oxygen activity, elucidated by density functional theory calculations. The increased disorder strengthens the reversible electrochemistry of lattice oxygen redox, leading to effectively suppressed P−O structural evolution and highly stable localized TMO 6 octahedral environments, as demonstrated by soft/hard X-ray absorption spectroscopy. Furthermore, through a comparative analysis of sodium-layered cathodes with different configuration entropy, we reveal that a high-entropy state induced by cationic disordering has the capacity to perturb cationic redox boundaries, significantly restraining the formation of detrimental O′3 phases. As a consequence, the high-voltage cycling stability has been greatly upgraded, up to 4.4 V versus Na + /Na, with an impressive 90.1 % capacity retention at 1 C over 100 cycles and 76.1 % capacity retention at 2 C over 300 cycles. In conclusion, the resilient oxygen redox, enabled through the control of ESD, broadens the horizons for entropy engineering and lays the foundation for advancements in high-energy, long-cycling, and safe batteries.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2026

Atomic-scale vacancy engineering unlocks basal-plane catalytic activity in metallic WSe 2 for reversible oxygen electrocatalysis

Two-dimensional metallic transition metal dichalcogenides offer high electrical conductivity and large surface areas for electrocatalysis, yet their inherent basal planes are catalytically inert. Here, we present an atomic-scale vacancy engineering strategy to activate the basal surfaces of metallic WSe 2 for reversible oxygen electrocatalysis. This approach, based on intentionally designed substitutional metal doping, promotes the spontaneous formation of selenium vacancies while preserving the metallic 1 T′ phase, thereby creating highly reactive and oxygen-affinitive sites. Density functional theory calculations reveal that these vacancy-mediated metal complexes dramatically lower the energy barriers for initial oxygen adsorption, enabling dissociative oxygen adsorption. Operando and ex-situ spectroscopic analyses confirm that vacancy-mediated metal complexes transform into dynamic Se/W-oxide intermediates under operating conditions. Se/W-oxides on the surface experimentally and theoretically prove electrocatalytic activity and reversibility. Applying this strategy in lithium–oxygen batteries, the basal-plane activated WSe 2 shows high discharge capacities (9868 mA h g −1 , corresponding to 3947 mA h g$^{-1}_{cathode}$), impressive cycle retention over 550 cycles at 1000 mA h g −1 , and outstanding rate–capability over a wide current–density range (100–3000 mA g −1 ) during 256 cycles.

2D materials↗
DOE OSTI2025

Decoupling Failure Pathways in Li-O 2 Cells Operated Under Lean Electrolyte Conditions

The operation of lithium-oxygen (Li-O 2 ) batteries under lean electrolyte conditions offers higher energy density but leads to rapid degradation and short cycle life. Although cathode passivation and electrolyte decomposition occur in all regimes, we show that under lean electrolyte conditions, failure is primarily driven by progressive electrolyte consumption at the lithium/solid electrolyte interphase (SEI), rather than by irreversible cathode passivation. Poor wetting of the lithium surface results in heterogeneous SEI growth and high local current densities, which accelerate electrolyte loss and cell failure. Strategies aimed at improving interfacial stability, including optimized wetting and SEI forming additives, significantly extend cycle life without compromising energy density. Our results establish anode-electrolyte interactions as the dominant degradation mechanism under lean electrolyte conditions, and emphasize the need to engineer a stable Li/SEI interface for long-lasting Li-O 2 batteries.

Córdoba, Daniel [Argonne National Laboratory (ANL)↗
NASA NTRS2010

Lifetime Assessment of the NEXT Ion Thruster

Ion thrusters are low thrust, high specific impulse devices with required operational lifetimes on the order of 10,000 to 100,000 hr. The NEXT ion thruster is the latest generation of ion thrusters under development. The NEXT ion thruster currently has a qualification level propellant throughput requirement of 450 kg of xenon, which corresponds to roughly 22,000 hr of operation at the highest throttling point. Currently, a NEXT engineering model ion thruster with prototype model ion optics is undergoing a long duration test to determine wear characteristics and establish propellant throughput capability. The NEXT thruster includes many improvements over previous generations of ion thrusters, but two of its component improvements have a larger effect on thruster lifetime. These include the ion optics with tighter tolerances, a masked region and better gap control, and the discharge cathode keeper material change to graphite. Data from the NEXT 2000 hr wear test, the NEXT long duration test, and further analysis is used to determine the expected lifetime of the NEXT ion thruster. This paper will review the predictions for all of the anticipated failure mechanisms. The mechanisms will include wear of the ion optics and cathode s orifice plate and keeper from the plasma, depletion of low work function material in each cathode s insert, and spalling of material in the discharge chamber leading to arcing. Based on the analysis of the NEXT ion thruster, the first failure mode for operation above a specific impulse of 2000 sec is expected to be the structural failure of the ion optics at 750 kg of propellant throughput, 1.7 times the qualification requirement. An assessment based on mission analyses for operation below a specific impulse of 2000 sec indicates that the NEXT thruster is capable of double the propellant throughput required by these missions.

VanNoord, Jonathan L.↗
DOE OSTI2024

Self‐Templated 3D Sulfide‐Based Solid Composite Electrolyte for Solid‐State Sodium Metal Batteries

Abstract Rechargeable solid‐state sodium metal batteries (SSMBs) experience growing attention owing to the increased energy density (vs Na‐ion batteries) and cost‐effective materials. Inorganic sulfide‐based Na‐ion conductors also possess significant potential as promising solid electrolytes (SEs) in SSMBs. Nevertheless, due to the highly reactive Na metal, poor interface compatibility is the biggest obstacle for inorganic sulfide solid electrolytes such as Na 3 SbS 4 to achieve high performance in SSMBs. To address such electrochemical instability at the interface, new design of sulfide SE nanostructures and interface engineering are highly essential. In this work, a facile and straightforward approach is reported to prepare 3D sulfide‐based solid composite electrolytes (SCEs), which utilize porous Na 3 SbS 4 (NSS) as a self‐templated framework and fill with a phase transition polymer. The 3D structured SCEs display obviously improved interface stability toward Na metal than pristine sulfide. The assembled SSMBs (with TiS 2 or FeS 2 as cathodes) deliver outstanding electrochemical cycling performance. Moreover, the cycling of high‐voltage oxide cathode Na 0.67 Ni 0.33 Mn 0.67 O 2 (NNMO) is also demonstrated in SSMBs using 3D sulfide‐based SCEs. This study presents a novel design on the self‐templated nanostructure of SCEs, paving the way for the advancement of high‐energy sodium metal batteries.

Guo, Xiaolin↗
DOE OSTI2024

Electrochemical Conversion of CO 2 to Methyl Formate in a Flow Electrolyzer with Mixed Propylene Carbonate/Methanol Catholyte

Despite the promise of electrochemical carbon dioxide reduction as a technology for the production of clean fuels and decarbonization of the chemical industry, research has mostly focused on aqueous systems with a relatively limited set of products that have been achieved via electrosynthesis. Increasingly, CO 2 electroreduction in nonaqueous solvents is being pursued to develop new avenues for expanding the suite of products that can be made with high selectivity. CO 2 reduction in alcohols coupled with in situ esterification to produce esters is one such route that utilizes nonaqueous electrolyte. To be practical, such electrochemical syntheses need to be translated to a high-performance reactor such as a flow electrolyzer. However, many organic solvents, such as alcohols, wet and flood porous electrodes, thus impeding reactor performance. In this work, methanol was mixed with propylene carbonate as a catholyte for a gas-fed CO 2 flow electrolyzer that avoided cathode flooding. Simultaneously, a dual aqueous anolyte was used for water oxidation as a scalable and sustainable anodic half-reaction. The performance effect of methanol concentration, catholyte acidity, CO 2 flow rate, and dilute water in the catholyte were investigated. With 10 vol % methanol in 90 vol % propylene carbonate, 63% faradaic efficiency for methyl formate ester product was sustained without cathode flooding. However, improvements are still needed to lower the cell resistance and further increase the operating current density.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

ICME for NASA Aerospace Applications: Batteries for Electric Aviation

NASA’s approach to computational materials modeling is detailed in the NASA Vision 2040 Roadmap for Multiscale Modeling and Simulation of Materials and Systems. This report is in the spirit of national initiatives such as the Material Genome Initiative (MGI), Integrated Computational Materials Engineering (ICME), and others. We utilize a combination of fundamental modeling, computational high-throughput screening, and data science methods, e.g., machine learning, are used to find innovative solutions to NASA or national technology challenges. Applications of interest are wide ranging from advanced alloys to batteries to coatings, among others. In this talk, we present three examples for recent work related to NASA applications. First, doping advanced sulfur battery cathodes with selenium boosts electrical conductivity important for electric aircraft applications. First principles calculations will be discussed that result in compositional design maps for these materials. Second, development of icephobic coatings is important to mitigate safety hazards associated with icing for aircraft. Molecular dynamics simulations are reported for ice-surface interfaces to understand adhesion mechanisms and help screen optimal ice-phobic coatings. Third, shape memory alloys have numerous applications as actuators, superelastic materials, etc. for aerospace. We report machine learning models that predict martensitic transition temperatures across a broad swath of compositional space.

John Lawson↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Development of Aluminum/Air Battery as High-Capacity Primary Battery Energy Source for SUSAN Electrofan Project

High-capacity, high-performance, and safe battery technologies are demanded by the Subsonic Single Aft eNgine (SUSAN) Electrofan concept design project under National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) electrified aircraft development program. These battery technologies, including both secondary (i.e., rechargeable) batteries for hybrid/electric propulsion and primary batteries (i.e. non-rechargeable or single-use) for backup/emergency use in case of turbine engine failure, are important and vital components in SUSAN concept design. This paper is focused on aluminum (Al)-air battery, which is considered to be the most promising candidate to meet the energy goal of primary batteries for SUSAN project. However, there are challenges for Al-air batteries, including aluminum self-corrosion with hydrogen (H2) gassing and sluggish kinetics of oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in air-cathode. In this paper, the preliminary results on investigation of electrolytes and additives on controlling aluminum self-corrosion/H2 gassing suppression and the study of air-cathode design for ORR improvement are presented and discussed.

James Wu↗
NASA NTRS2008

NASA Tech Briefs, June 2008

Topics covered include: Charge-Control Unit for Testing Lithium-Ion Cells; Measuring Positions of Objects Using Two or More Cameras; Lidar System for Airborne Measurement of Clouds and Aerosols; Radiation-Insensitive Inverse Majority Gates; Reduced-Order Kalman Filtering for Processing Relative Measurements; Spaceborne Processor Array; Instrumentation System Diagnoses a Thermocouple; Chromatic Modulator for a High-Resolution CCD or APS; Commercial Product Activation Using RFID; Cup Cylindrical Waveguide Antenna; Aerobraking Maneuver (ABM) Report Generator; ABM Drag_Pass Report Generator; Transformation of OODT CAS to Perform Larger Tasks; Visualization Component of Vehicle Health Decision Support System; Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Uplink Analysis Tool; Problem Reporting System; G-Guidance Interface Design for Small Body Mission Simulation; DSN Scheduling Engine; Replacement Sequence of Events Generator; Force-Control Algorithm for Surface Sampling; Tool for Merging Proposals Into DSN Schedules; Micromachined Slits for Imaging Spectrometers; Fabricating Nanodots Using Lift-Off of a Nanopore Template; Making Complex Electrically Conductive Patterns on Cloth; Special Polymer/Carbon Composite Films for Detecting SO2; Nickel-Based Superalloy Resists Embrittlement by Hydrogen; Chemical Passivation of Li+-Conducting Solid Electrolytes; Organic/Inorganic Polymeric Composites for Heat-Transfer Reduction; Composite Cathodes for Dual-Rate Li-Ion Batteries; Improved Descent-Rate Limiting Mechanism; Alignment-Insensitive Lower-Cost Telescope Architecture; Micro-Resistojet for Small Satellites; Using Piezoelectric Devices to Transmit Power through Walls; Miniature Latching Valve; Apparatus for Sampling Surface Contamination; Novel Species of Non-Spore-Forming Bacteria; Chamber for Aerosol Deposition of Bioparticles; Hyperspectral Sun Photometer for Atmospheric Characterization and Vicarious Calibrations; Dynamic Stability and Gravitational Balancing of Multiple Extended Bodies; Simulation of Stochastic Processes by Coupled ODE-PDE; Cluster Inter-Spacecraft Communications; Genetic Algorithm Optimizes Q-LAW Control Parameters; Low-Impact Mating System for Docking Spacecraft; Non-Destructive Evaluation of Materials via Ultraviolet Spectroscopy; Gold-on-Polymer-Based Sensing Films for Detection of Organic and Inorganic Analytes in the Air; and Quantum-Inspired Maximizer.

Source record↗
DOE OSTI2025

An Interfacial Engineering Approach toward Operation of a Porous Solid Electrolyte CO 2 Electrolyzer

Waste CO 2 can be repurposed as a carbon feedstock for synthesizing valuable chemicals via CO 2 electrolysis. Porous solid electrolyte (PSE) CO 2 electrolysis has been demonstrated as an economically viable method to produce high purity products. This work applies an interfacial engineering approach to determine key factors to improve performance in PSE CO 2 electrolyzers. We standardize the assembly by binding the ionic resin into an ionomer wafer and utilize Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) to design gaskets for uniform fluid flow. Here, we employ the distribution of relaxation times (DRT) method to determine that anionic-conducting interfaces are the primary contributor to energy losses. To address this, we demonstrate that enhancing the contact between the cathode and the anion exchange membrane (AEM) and the AEM-ionic resin interface allows for low overpotential in deionized water operation.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗
DOE OSTI2026

OES CO 2 Pipeline FEED Project Design Basis Memorandum

The OES CO₂ Pipeline project will move captured carbon dioxide from two ethanol facilities near Gibson City, Illinois, roughly 7.8 miles southeast to three injection wells outside Anchor, where it will be permanently stored underground. The system is designed to handle up to 4.5 million metric tonnes per year of dense-phase CO₂ at pressures up to 2,500 psig, using 16-inch mainline pipe and 10.750-inch laterals made from API 5L X-60 and X-65 steel. Wall thicknesses vary depending on location, with thinner pipe in open country, heavier wall at road crossings, and the heaviest where the pipe passes under highways or railroads via horizontal directional drill. The pipe gets a fusion-bonded epoxy coating, with an added abrasion-resistant layer wherever it's bored or drilled. Major water crossings will use HDD rather than open trenching. The pipeline will be cathodically protected, equipped with SCADA-compatible pressure and temperature instrumentation, and monitored for leaks using a computational pipeline monitoring system per API RP 1130. Hydrostatic testing will be performed at 1.25 times design pressure, and an ILI caliper run will follow to catch any construction defects. Several items, including fracture toughness requirements, specific NDE methods, and ILI tool selection, are left for the detailed design phase. The whole system falls under 49 CFR Part 195 and ASME B31.4, and Gulf Interstate Engineering prepared this document as the FEED-level design basis under the CarbonSAFE Phase III program.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗
NASA NTRS1982

SiC or B4C-B/low strategic element content composite

Advancements in materials technologies are needed to provide the aerospace industry with alternate material options in the event of future strategic metal shortages and to optimize performance of engines. Composite materials are promising candidates for such an application. The potential of SiC and B4C-B filament reinforced low strategic element iron-base alloy content composites or use at 760 to 870 C is considered. A limiting factor towards developing this material for high temperature use has been the reaction between the filament and matrix material during fabrication and service which degrades filament strength. A low temperature fabrication process to limit filament/matrix reaction is being developed which involves the use of hollow cathode sputtering to coat the filaments with iron-base alloys of various compositions. An investigation is being conducted to determine the interfacial reaction effects of SiC and B4C-B filaments with iron-base alloys to develop an understanding of filament/matrix alloy compatibility for 760 to 870 C service.

Petrasek, D. W.↗
DOE OSTI2025

High-Nickel Cathodes with Mechanical and Interfacial Robustness via Tailored Concentration Gradients for Stable Li-Ion Batteries

Here, we have developed a versatile mathematical framework integrated with an automated reactor system to design and reify highly customizable full concentration gradient (FCG) in high-nickel cathodes for advanced Li-ion batteries. This method provides precise and independent control of the average composition, slope, and curvature of FCGs, enabling the optimization of structural and mechanical properties of the cathode materials. We have showcased this method with Ni 0.8 Co 0.1 Mn 0.1 (OH) 2 precursors of controlled FCGs, which unlocked an optimized cathode with excellent cycling stability without crack formation after repeated cycles. This work opens up new possibilities for the design and manufacturing of advanced cathode materials, enabling safer, high-performance batteries.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗