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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 289 records · Page 16
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1992

The Optical Properties Monitor (OPM): a Multipurpose Optical Laboratory in Space

The Optical Properties Monitor (OPM) is a multifunction in-flight laboratory for in-situ optical studies of materials. Many independent and related studies can be carried out on EURECA with the OPM instruments to address the experiment objectives. Test samples will be selected to address the materials and issues of the greatest interest to NASA, ESA, DoD, and the aerospace community. The objective of the OPM program is to study the effects of the space environment, both natural and induced, on optical, thermal control, solar array, and other materials.

Wilkes, Donald R.↗
NASA NTRS2020

Fabrication of Boron Nitride Fibers by Force Spinning Method

The unique multifunctional properties of boron nitride (BN) nanomaterials are identified as a parameter that would revolutionize electric propulsion in Aeronautics due to the lightweight ceramic with chemical inertness, high strength, high electrical resistivity and high thermal conductivity. Hexagonal BN (h-BN) nanofibers will enable new high-performance fibers that can be used in ceramic or polymer matrix composites, or thin films to provide revolutionary multifunctional ceramics for extreme environments and structures. Polymer derived h-BN materials have been previously demonstrated, providing an avenue to tailor properties of the ceramic end product. This effort also uses forcespinning (FS) technology that produces continuous non-woven nanofibers in a range of diameters depending on the processing parameters with a large production rate of 1 g/min allowing for manufacturing scale production. FTIR, SEM, TGA and XRD were used to characterize the materials in each processing steps.

Santiago-Dejesus, Diana↗
DOE OSTI2020

Multifunctional energy storage composites

Described here is a multifunctional energy storage (MES) composite comprising (a) a stack of energy storage materials and (b) one or more structural facesheets sandwiching the stack of energy storage materials, wherein the stack of battery materials is perforated by (c) one or more reinforcements, and wherein the reinforcements are bonded to the structural facesheets. Also described here is a MES composite comprising (a) a stack of energy storage materials, (b) one or more structural facesheets sandwiching the stack of energy storage materials, and (c) one or more reinforcements perforated by the stack of energy storage materials, wherein the reinforcements are bonded to the structural facesheets.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
NASA NTRS2010

Probabilistic Methods for Structural Reliability and Risk

A probabilistic method is used to evaluate the structural reliability and risk of select metallic and composite structures. The method is a multiscale, multifunctional and it is based on the most elemental level. A multifactor interaction model is used to describe the material properties which are subsequently evaluated probabilistically. The metallic structure is a two rotor aircraft engine, while the composite structures consist of laminated plies (multiscale) and the properties of each ply are the multifunctional representation. The structural component is modeled by finite element. The solution method for structural responses is obtained by an updated simulation scheme. The results show that the risk for the two rotor engine is about 0.0001 and the composite built-up structure is also 0.0001.

Chamis, Christos C.↗
DOE OSTI2022

Multifunctional two-dimensional van der Waals Janus magnet Cr-based dichalcogenide halides

Two-dimensional van der Waals Janus materials and their heterostructures offer fertile platforms for designing fascinating functionalities. Here, by means of systematic first-principles studies on van der Waals Janus monolayer Cr-based dichalcogenide halides CrYX (Y = S, Se, Te; X = Cl, Br, I), we find that CrSX (X = Cl, Br, I) are the very desirable high T C ferromagnetic semiconductors with an out-of-plane magnetization. Excitingly, by the benefit of the large magnetic moments on ligand S 2- anions, the sought-after large-gap quantum anomalous Hall effect and sizable valley splitting can be achieved through the magnetic proximity effect in van der Waals heterostructures CrSBr/Bi 2 Se 3 /CrSBr and MoTe 2 /CrSBr, respectively. Additionally, we show that large Dzyaloshinskii–Moriya interactions give rise to skyrmion states in CrTeX (X = Cl, Br, I) under external magnetic fields. Our work reveals that two-dimensional Janus magnet Cr-based dichalcogenide halides have appealing multifunctionalities in the applications of topological electronic and valleytronic devices.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2024

Quest for Multifunctionality: Current Progress in the Characterization of Heterometallic Metal–Organic Frameworks

Metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) are a class of porous, crystalline materials that have been systematically developed for a broad range of applications. Incorporation of two or more metals into a single crystalline phase to generate heterometallic MOFs has been shown to lead to synergistic effects, in which the whole is oftentimes greater than the sum of its parts. Because geometric proximity is typically required for metals to function cooperatively, deciphering and controlling metal distributions in heterometallic MOFs is crucial to establish structure–function relationships. However, determination of short- and long-range metal distributions is nontrivial and requires the use of specialized characterization techniques. Advancements in the characterization of metal distributions and interactions at these length scales is key to rapid advancement and rational design of functional heterometallic MOFs. Further, this perspective summarizes the state-of-the-art in the characterization of heterometallic MOFs, with a focus on techniques that allow metal distributions to be better understood. Using complementary analyses, in conjunction with computational methods, is critical as this field moves toward increasingly complex, multifunctional systems.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2020

Mixed-dimensional stackable electronics enabled by freestanding 2D/3D materials

2D material-based devices have received great deal of attention as they can be easily stacked to obtain multifunctionality. With their ultrathin thicknesses, such multifunctioning devices become so flexible and conformal that they can be placed onto any 3D featured surfaces. However, 2D heterostructures are typically demonstrated as stacked flakes where single or few devices can be fabricated due to lack of strategies for layer-by-layer stacking of 2D materials at the wafer scale. In this talk, I will discuss about our unique strategy to isolate wafer-scale 2D materials into monolayers and stack them into a heterostructures by using a layer-resolved splitting (LRS) technique. This technique enables my group at MIT to explore unprecedented wafer-scale 2D heterodevices including integrated photonics, 3D neuromorphic computing, and microLEDs, which will be introduced in my talk. While 2D heterostructures promise interesting futuristic devices, the performance of 2D material-based devices is substantially inferior to that of conventional 3D semiconductor materials. However, 3D materials exist as their bulk form, thus it is challenging to stack them together for heterostructures. Obviously, conformal coating of such single-crystalline bulks on 3D features is impossible. My group at MIT has recently invented a 2D materials-based layer transfer (2DLT) technique that can produce single-crystalline freestanding membranes from any compound materials with their excellent semiconducting performance. This technique is based on remote epitaxy of single-crystalline films on graphene followed by peeling from graphene. Stacking of freestanding 3D material membranes will enable unprecedented 3D heterostructures whose performance is expected to be superior to that of 2D heterostructures. I will talk about our group’s effort to apply single-crystalline freestanding membranes for flexible, conformal electronics as well as for 3D heterostructures. Finally, I will conclude my talk by discussing perspectives of coupling 2D-3D freestanding membranes for 2D-3D mixed heterostructured devices that can be enabled by our LRS and 2DLT techniques.

Kim, Jeehwan↗
NASA NTRS2008

Probabilistic Methods for Structural Reliability and Risk

A probabilistic method is used to evaluate the structural reliability and risk of select metallic and composite structures. The method is a multiscale, multifunctional and it is based on the most elemental level. A multi-factor interaction model is used to describe the material properties which are subsequently evaluated probabilistically. The metallic structure is a two rotor aircraft engine, while the composite structures consist of laminated plies (multiscale) and the properties of each ply are the multifunctional representation. The structural component is modeled by finite element. The solution method for structural responses is obtained by an updated simulation scheme. The results show that the risk for the two rotor engine is about 0.0001 and the composite built-up structure is also 0.0001.

Chamis, Christos C.↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Investigating the Adhesion Force of Lunar Regolith Particulates on Air Plasma Sprayed Alumina Coatings

Ceramic materials, often used to protect components due to their high strength, and wear resistance, have added benefits of being lightweight and providing multifunctional properties. They are, therefore, significant to provide durability and support during long-duration missions to the moon’s surface for rovers, landers, robotic systems, habitats, and many other components. Materials such as aluminum oxide with high mechanical strength and hardness can help to improve the durability of structures used in space exploration. Devices used for space exploration require the use of materials with the ability to withstand exposure to extreme environments. Lunar regolith is a constituent with the ability to adhere electrostatically and damage the components used to perform these missions due to adhesion of lunar dust projectiles that can cause delamination on surfaces, which may not be physically visible. The particulates of lunar dust are classified as corrosive material, leading to the degradation of structures. Aluminum oxide presents excellent resistance to different types of wear due to its high strength and hardness. Air plasma sprayed (APS) aluminum oxide coatings have demonstrated the potential to protect the surface to which they are applied. However, the parameters of roughness and porosity of the coatings need to be considered to establish if they can protect the components from extreme environments. Considering the electrostatic forces that the components are exposed to, the adhesion between the lunar regolith and the surface of the components needs to be investigated. In this work, the adhesion forces of lunar dust simulants with an average size of 30 𝜇m are investigated considering the roughness of the surface of the APS aluminum oxide. The centrifugal technique utilized here offers the advantage of establishing the adhesion force between particles with different shapes on smooth or rough surfaces. The simulants were deposited on the surface of APS aluminum oxide using an aerosolization technique to achieve a monolayer coating in three different locations across the specimen to determine the increments in adhesion force at the centrifuge. The roughness of the APS aluminum oxide was determined to be 2.257 𝜇m. The specimen was tested under an incremental centrifugal speed from 100 rpm to 3000 rpm for 20 seconds. Low magnification microscopy images were collected to cover a larger surface area of the test coating. The adhesion force was measured considering the distance from the centrifugal axis and the rotational speed. Due to the coating roughness, and the distance from the centrifugal axis, the results demonstrated a larger adhesion force in locations closer to the centrifugal axis. Smaller particles were entrapped within the roughness of the coating, and a stronger adhesion force was measured. In order to continue designing wear-resistant coating for structural protection in space missions, press-on experiments using a centrifuge will be performed. Future experiments will allow us to determine the design parameters for APS aluminum oxide coating to protect the structures from harsh space environments.

Perla Latorre-Suarez↗
DOE OSTI2025

Assembly of Metalloporphyrin Peptoids into Crystalline Nanomaterials as a Multifunctional System for Biomimetic Catalysis and Sensing

While natural enzymes excel at catalysis and sensing, they often suffer from high cost and low stability in applications outside living systems. Among tremendous efforts made toward the design and synthesis of catalytic biomimetic materials, the approach of using crystalline nanomaterials assembled from sequence-defined polymers has emerged as a promising strategy. Herein, we report the assembly of metalloporphyrin peptoids into crystalline nanomaterials as a multifunctional system for biomimetic catalysis and sensing. The precise spatial positioning of covalently attached porphyrins within crystalline peptoid nanomaterials enables the mimicry of several enzyme active sites, including phosphotriesterase and horseradish peroxidase, for efficient catalytic hydrolysis and oxidation reactions. Additionally, the high programmability of these peptoid crystalline materials enables the creation and tuning of the active site microenvironment for enhanced catalytic activity. We further demonstrate the integration of responsive organic dyes into catalytic peptoid assemblies to achieve both detection and degradation of chemical warfare agent (CWA) mimics, even in the vapor phase. In conclusion, we expect this multifunctional system to provide tremendous opportunities in biomimetic catalysis and sensing, including the detoxification and detection of CWAs.

Catalysts↗
NASA NTRS2015

Characterization of Hybrid CNT Polymer Matrix Composites

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have been studied extensively since their discovery and demonstrated at the nanoscale superior mechanical, electrical and thermal properties in comparison to micro and macro scale properties of conventional engineering materials. This combination of properties suggests their potential to enhance multi-functionality of composites in regions of primary structures on aerospace vehicles where lightweight materials with improved thermal and electrical conductivity are desirable. In this study, hybrid multifunctional polymer matrix composites were fabricated by interleaving layers of CNT sheets into Hexcel® IM7/8552 prepreg, a well-characterized toughened epoxy carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) composite. The resin content of these interleaved CNT sheets, as well as ply stacking location were varied to determine the effects on the electrical, thermal, and mechanical performance of the composites. The direct-current electrical conductivity of the hybrid CNT composites was characterized by in-line and Montgomery four-probe methods. For [0](sub 20) laminates containing a single layer of CNT sheet between each ply of IM7/8552, in-plane electrical conductivity of the hybrid laminate increased significantly, while in-plane thermal conductivity increased only slightly in comparison to the control IM7/8552 laminates. Photo-microscopy and short beam shear (SBS) strength tests were used to characterize the consolidation quality of the fabricated laminates. Hybrid panels fabricated without any pretreatment of the CNT sheets resulted in a SBS strength reduction of 70 percent. Aligning the tubes and pre-infusing the CNT sheets with resin significantly improved the SBS strength of the hybrid composite To determine the cause of this performance reduction, Mode I and Mode II fracture toughness of the CNT sheet to CFRP interface was characterized by double cantilever beam (DCB) and end notch flexure (ENF) testing, respectively. Results are compared to the control IM7/8552 laminate.

Grimsley, Brian W.↗
DOE OSTI2021

Recyclable Graphene Sheets as a Growth Template for Crystalline ZnO Nanowires

Recent advances in nanoscience have opened ways of recycling substrates for nanomaterial growth. Novel materials, such as atomically thin materials, are highly desirable for the recycling substrates. In this work, we report recycling of monolayer graphene as a growth template for synthesis of single crystalline ZnO nanowires. Selective nucleation of ZnO nanowires on graphene was elucidated by scanning electron microscopy and density functional theory calculation. Growth and subsequent separation of ZnO nanowires was repeated up to seven times on the same monolayer graphene film. Raman analyses were also performed to investigate the quality of graphene structure along the recycling processes. The chemical robustness of graphene enables the repetitive ZnO nanowire growth without noticeable degradation of the graphene quality. This work presents a route for graphene as a multifunctional growth template for diverse nanomaterials such as nanocrystals, aligned nanowires, other two-dimensional materials, and semiconductor thin films.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2021

Development of Antimicrobial PLA Composites for Fused Filament Fabrication

In addition to possessing the desirable properties of being a biodegradable and biocompatible polymer fabricated from renewable resources, poly (lactic acid) (PLA) has useful mechanical and thermal attributes that has enabled it to be one of the most widely-used plastics for medicine, manufacturing, and agriculture. Yet, PLA composites have not been heavily explored for use in 3D-printing applications, and the range of feasible materials for the technology is limited, which inhibits its potential growth and industry adoption. In this study, tunable, multifunctional antimicrobial PLA composite filaments for 3D-printing have been fabricated and tested via chemical, thermal, mechanical, and antimicrobial experiments. Thermally stable antimicrobial ceramics, ZnO and TiO2, were used as fillers up to 30 wt%, and poly (ethylene glycol) (PEG) was used as a plasticizer to tune the physical material properties. Results demonstrate that the PLA composite filaments exhibit the thermal phase behaviors and thermal stability suitable for 3D-printing. Additionally, PEG can be used to tune the mechanical properties while not affecting the antimicrobial efficacy that ZnO and TiO2 imbue.

TiO2↗
DOE OSTI2020

Epitaxial Stabilization of Single-Crystal Multiferroic YCrO 3 Thin Films

We report on the growth of stoichiometric, single-crystal YCrO 3 epitaxial thin films on (001) SrTiO 3 substrates using pulsed laser deposition. X-ray diffraction and atomic force microscopy reveal that the films grew in a layer-by-layer fashion with excellent crystallinity and atomically smooth surfaces. Magnetization measurements demonstrate that the material is ferromagnetic below 144 K. The temperature dependence of dielectric permittivity shows a characteristic relaxor-ferroelectric behavior at T C = 375–408 K. A dielectric anomaly at the magnetic transition temperature indicates a close correlation between magnetic and electric order parameters in these multiferroic YCrO 3 films. These findings provide guidance to synthesize rare-earth, chromite-based multifunctional heterostructures and build a foundation for future studies on the understanding of magnetoelectric effects in similar material systems.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
NASA NTRS2006

Multifunctional Characteristics of Carbon Nanotube (CNT) Yarn Composites

By forming composite structures with Carbon Nanotube (CNT) yarns we achieve materials capable of measuring strain and composite structures with increased mechanical strength. The CNT yarns used are of the 2-ply and 4-ply variety with the yarns having diameters of about 15-30 micrometers. The strain sensing characteristics of the yarns are investigated on test beams with the yarns arranged in a bridge configuration. Additionally, the strain sensing properties are also investigated on yarns embedded on the surface of a flexible membrane. Initial mechanical strength tests also show an increase in the modulus of elasticity of the composite materials while incurring a weight penalty of less than one-percent. Also presented are initial temperature characterizations of the yarns.

Hernandez, Corey D.↗
DOE OSTI2025

Room-temperature multiferroicity in sliding van der Waals semiconductors with sub-0.3 V switching

The search for van der Waals (vdW) multiferroic materials has been challenging but also holds great potential for the next-generation multifunctional nanoelectronics. The group-IV monochalcogenide, with an anisotropic puckered structure and an intrinsic in-plane polarization at room temperature, manifests itself as a promising candidate with coupled ferroelectric and ferroelastic order as the basis for multiferroic behavior. Unlike the intrinsic centrosymmetric AB stacking, we demonstrate a multiferroic phase of tin selenide (SnSe), where the inversion symmetry breaking is maintained in AA-stacked multilayers over a wide range of thicknesses. We observe that an interlayer-sliding-induced out-of-plane (OOP) ferroelectric polarization couples with the in-plane (IP) one, making it possible to control out-of-plane polarization via in-plane electric field and vice versa. Notably, thickness scaling yields a sub-0.3 V ferroelectric switching, which promises future low-power-consumption applications. Furthermore, coexisting armchair- and zigzag-like structural domains are imaged under electron microscopy, providing experimental evidence for the degenerate ferroelastic ground states theoretically predicted. Non-centrosymmetric SnSe, as the first layered multiferroic at room temperature, provides a novel platform not only to explore the interactions between elementary excitations with controlled symmetries, but also to efficiently tune the device performance via external electric and mechanical stress.

Chen, Rui [University of California, Berkeley, CA ↗
NASA NTRS2004

Single Wall Carbon Nanotube-Based Structural Health Sensing Materials

Single wall carbon nanotube (SWCNT)-based materials represent the future aerospace vehicle construction material of choice based primarily on predicted strength-to-weight advantages and inherent multifunctionality. The multifunctionality of SWCNTs arises from the ability of the nanotubes to be either metallic or semi-conducting based on their chirality. Furthermore, simply changing the environment around a SWCNT can change its conducting behavior. This phenomenon is being exploited to create sensors capable of measuring several parameters related to vehicle structural health (i.e. strain, pressure, temperature, etc.) The structural health monitor is constructed using conventional electron-beam lithographic and photolithographic techniques to place specific electrode patterns on a surface. SWCNTs are then deposited between the electrodes using a dielectrophoretic alignment technique. Prototypes have been constructed on both silicon and polyimide substrates, demonstrating that surface-mountable and multifunctional devices based on SWCNTs can be realized.

Watkins, A. Neal↗
NASA NTRS2018

Effect of Radiation on Biologically Active Glasses

Multifunctional hydroxyapatites single crystals have been studied for their applications as the laser host material since past several decades. It is only recently their potential has been evaluated for bioactive materials. In the past researches, Czochralski and flux growth methods have been utilized to achieve single crystals. We have used low temperature processing techniques for synthesis. Organic melt was used to achieve oriented fibers by the directional solidification method. This organic treated material has different characteristics than coarsened oxide materials. Our approach involved low temperature processing using nano engineered powders of the material system Na2O-K2O-CaO- MgO-SrO-SiO2. Also, borates were processed by sintering and grain growth. Effect of -ray was studied by measuring the electrical characteristics of radiated samples. Our experiments to further improve mechanical characteristics indicate that substitution of calcium with some other elements such as gallium have great potential to improve the radiation hardening and mechanical properties of bones.

Tufail, Areeba↗