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At least 307 records · Page 17
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2024

Assessing Gas-Phase Ion Reactivity of 50 Elements with NO and the Direct Application for 239 Pu in Complex Matrices Using ICP-MS/MS

Understanding the reactivity of metal cations with various reaction gases in ICP-MS/MS is important to determine the best gas to use for a given analyte/interference pair. In this study, nitric oxide (NO) was investigated as the reaction gas following previous experimental designs. The reactions with 50 elements were investigated to examine periodic trends in reactivity, validate theoretical modeling of reaction enthalpies as a method to screen reactant gases, and provide a baseline for potential in-line gas separation methods. ICP-MS/MS studies involving actinides are typically limited to Th, U and Pu, with analyses of Np and Am rarely reported in the literature. To date, only two previous methods have investigated the use of NO in ICP-MS/MS analyses. To showcase the utility of NO, a method was developed to measure 239 Pu in the presence of environmental matrix constituent and other actinides, like what could be expected from post-detonation debris, with no chemical separation prior to analysis. 239 Pu + was reacted to form 239 Pu 16 O + , eliminating interferences derived from the sample matrix by measuring 239 Pu + intensity at m/z = 255 ( 239 Pu 16 O + ). To validate NO for 238 U 1 H + interference removal in environmental matrices, standard reference materials were diluted to 1 mg per gram of solution and spiked to 0.05 pg/g of 239 Pu and 1 µg/g 238 U (Pu/U = 5 x 10 -8 ). Measured 239 Pu concentrations were within 6% of the spiked value. In conclusion, these results demonstrate that reliable 239 Pu measurements can be made at levels relevant to nuclear forensics without the need for extensive chemical matrix separation prior to analysis.

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

Near-Field Corrosion Interactions between Glass and Corrosion Resistant Alloys

This study explores the corrosion interactions between model nuclear waste glass materials and corrosion resistant alloys, under conditions that simulate the near field of a nuclear waste repository. The interactions between the corrosion of stainless steel (SS) 316, alloy G30, or alloy 625, and international simple glass or soda-lime silica glass are systematically studied. The dissimilar materials were exposed in close proximity to each other in different electrolytes at 90 oC. After exposure, the glass surface exposed near metals showed different regimes of corrosion, with distinct surface morphologies and chemistries that were likely affected by the local environment created by the localized corrosion of metals. Surface and solution analyses showed that the corrosion rate of glass was enhanced by the presence of metals. Infrared spectroscopy data suggested the local build-up of stresses in the contact area of glass, which may lead to the mechanical instability of the glass alteration layer. On the other hand, the effect of glass on metal corrosion is strongly dependent on the leaching solution. In electrolytes containing abundant aggressive anions such as Cl-, glass seems to suppress the localized corrosion of SS by the precipitation of a Si-rich surface film that protects the SS substrate from solutions. However, in less aggressive electrolytes, the corrosion rate of SS was increased by the presence of glass corrosion products. Overall, our study showed that the hidden and localized damage on glass in contact with metals may enhance the release of incorporated radionuclides compared to typical uniform glass corrosion. Therefore, more attention should be paid to the corrosion interactions between metals and glass under repository conditions.

Guo, Xiaolei↗
DOE OSTI2020

Molecular-scale origins of wettability at petroleum–brine–carbonate interfaces

Wettability control of carbonates is a central concept for enhanced petroleum recovery, but a mechanistic understanding of the associated molecular-scale chemical processes remains unclear. We directly probe the interface of calcium carbonate (calcite) with natural petroleum oil, synthetic petroleum analogues, and aqueous brines to understand the molecular scale behavior at this interface. The calcite–petroleum interface structure is similar whether or not calcite was previously exposed to an aqueous brine, and is characterized by an adsorbed interfacial layer, significant structural changes within the calcite surface, and increased surface roughness. No evidence for an often-assumed thin-brine wetting layer at the calcite–petroleum interface is observed. These features differ from those observed at the calcite–brine interface, and for parallel measurements using model synthetic petroleum mixtures (consisting of representative components, including dodecane, toluene, and asphaltene). Changes to the interface after petroleum displacement by aqueous brines are also discussed.

02 PETROLEUM↗
DOE OSTI2022

Iraq/Afghanistan war lung injury reflects burn pits exposure

This descriptive case series retrospectively reviewed medical records from thirty-one previously healthy, war-fighting veterans who self-reported exposure to airborne hazards while serving in Iraq and Afghanistan between 2003 and the present. They all noted new-onset dyspnea, which began during deployment or as a military contractor. Twenty-one subjects underwent non-invasive pulmonary diagnostic testing, including maximum expiratory pressure (MEP) and impulse oscillometry (IOS). In addition, five soldiers received a lung biopsy; tissue results were compared to a previously published sample from a soldier in our Iraq Afghanistan War Lung Injury database and others in our database with similar exposures, including burn pits. We also reviewed civilian control samples (5) from the Stony Brook University database. Military personnel were referred to our International Center of Excellence in Deployment Health and Medical Geosciences, Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell under the auspices of Northwell IRB: 17-0140-FIMR Feinstein Institution for Medical Research “Clinicopathologic characteristics of Iraq Afghanistan War Lung Injury.” We retrospectively examined medical records, including exposure data, radiologic imaging, and non-invasive pulmonary function testing (MGC Diagnostic Platinum Elite Plethysmograph) using the American Thoracic Society (ATS) standard interpretation based on Morgan et al., and for a limited cohort, biopsy data. Lung tissue, when available, was examined for carbonaceous particles, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (Raman spectroscopy), metals, titanium connected to iron (Brookhaven National Laboratory, National Synchrotron Light Source II, Beamline 5-ID), oxidized metals, combustion temperature, inflammatory cell accumulation and fibrosis, neutrophil extracellular traps, Sirius red, Prussian Blue, as well as polarizable crystals/particulate matter/dust. Among twenty-one previously healthy, deployable soldiers with non-invasive pulmonary diagnostic tests, post-deployment, all had severely decreased MEP values, averaging 42% predicted. These same patients concurrently demonstrated abnormal airways reactance (X5Hz) and peripheral/distal airways resistance (D5–D20%) via IOS, averaging – 1369% and 23% predicted, respectively. These tests support the concept of airways hyperresponsiveness and distal airways narrowing, respectively. Among the five soldiers biopsied, all had constrictive bronchiolitis. We detected the presence of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH)—which are products of incomplete combustion—in the lung tissue of all five warfighters. All also had detectable titanium and iron in the lungs. Metals were all oxidized, supporting the concept of inhaling burned metals. Combustion temperature was consistent with that of burned petrol rather than higher temperatures noted with cigarettes. All were nonsmokers. Neutrophil extracellular traps were reported in two biopsies. Compared to our prior biopsies in our Middle East deployment database, these histopathologic results are similar, since all database biopsies have constrictive bronchiolitis, one has lung fibrosis with titanium bound to iron in fixed mathematical ratios of 1:7 and demonstrated polarizable crystals. These results, particularly constrictive bronchiolitis and polarizable crystals, support the prior data of King et al. (N. Engl. J. Med. 365:222–230, 2011) Soldiers in this cohort deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan since 2003, with exposure to airborne hazards, including sandstorms, burn pits, and improvised explosive devices, are at high risk for developing chronic clinical respiratory problems, including: (1) reduction in respiratory muscle strength; (2) airways hyperresponsiveness; and (3) distal airway narrowing, which may be associated with histopathologic evidence of lung damage, reflecting inhalation of burned particles from burn pits along with particulate matter/dust. Non-invasive pulmonary diagnostic tests are a predictor of burn pit-induced lung injury

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2022

High resolution diagnostic tools for superconducting radio frequency cavities

Superconducting radio-frequency (SRF) cavities are one of the fundamental building blocks of modern particle accelerators. To achieve the highest quality factors (10 10 –10 11 ), SRF cavities are operated at liquid helium temperatures. Magnetic flux trapped on the surface of SRF cavities during cool-down below the critical temperature is one of the leading sources of residual RF losses. Instruments capable of detecting the distribution of trapped flux on the cavity surface are in high demand in order to better understand its relation to the cavity material, surface treatments and environmental conditions. We have designed, developed, and commissioned two high-resolution diagnostic tools to measure the distribution of trapped flux at the surface of SRF cavities. One is a magnetic field scanning system, which uses cryogenic Hall probes and anisotropic magnetoresistance sensors that fit the contour of a 1.3 GHz cavity. This setup has a spatial resolution of ~ 13 μm in the azimuthal direction and ~ 1 cm along the cavity contour. The second setup is a stationary, combined magnetic and temperature mapping system, which uses anisotropic magnetoresistance sensors and carbon resistor temperature sensors, covering the surface of a 3 GHz SRF cavity. This system has a spatial resolution of 5 mm close to the iris and 11 mm at the equator. Initial results show a non-uniform distribution of trapped flux on the cavities’ surfaces, dependent on the magnitude of the applied magnetic field during field-cooling below the critical temperature.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2020

Surface and bulk characterization of reservoir and cap-rocks: Past, present, and future

Geologic formations provide potentially some of the largest volume capacities for CO 2 storage or sequestration. Potential storage sites can be deep saline aquifers, depleted oil reservoirs, and coal seams, surrounded by sealing layers to prevent CO 2 from leaking. It is therefore critical to understand mechanisms contributing to CO 2 trapping and CO 2 leaks. Both phenomena are governed by reactions at the interfaces of the reservoir and cap-rocks and are controlled by the complex chemistry and pore structures of rocks. Mechanisms at the macroscale are affected by the processes occurring at the nanoscale. This review highlights the necessity of multitechnique, multiscale characterization of rocks and points to the importance of surface analysis and surface science studies. Two shale rocks (seals) from Niobrara and Agardhfjellet formations with complex surface chemistry are used as examples throughout the paper. Typically, evaluation of rocks with x-ray diffraction, thermogravimetric analysis, Rock-Eval pyrolysis, gas adsorption, and electron microscopy combined with energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy is conducted to provide valuable information about the bulk mineralogy, elemental composition, pore volume, and adsorbed species on the sample surface. These studies are necessary prior to designing surface sensitive experiments with x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), guiding both sample preparation and sample analysis. XPS has been widely used to study the surface composition of rocks during the investigations of their fine-scale wettability, and the main findings are highlighted here. This paper also reviews the existing literature on ambient-pressure XPS, which provides new opportunities to study in situ chemical alteration due to interactions with CO 2 and offers recommendations for adapting this technique to study rock-fluid interactions, allowing for the identification of fundamental interactions during CO 2 sequestration and guide selection of formation sites for improved storage.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2023

Engineered Wood: Sustainable Technologies and Applications

Natural wood has been used for construction, fuel, and furniture for thousands of years because of its versatility, renewability, and aesthetic appeal. However, new opportunities for wood are arising as researchers have developed ways to tune the material's optical, thermal, mechanical, and ionic transport properties by chemically and physically modifying wood's naturally porous structure and chemical composition. Such modifications can be used to produce sustainable, functional materials for various emerging applications such as automobiles, construction, energy storage, and environmental remediation. In this review, we highlight recent advancements in engineered wood for sustainable technologies, including thermal and light management, environmental remediation, nanofluidics, batteries, and structural materials with high strength-to-weight ratios. Additionally, the current challenges, opportunities, and future of wood research are discussed, providing a guideline for the further development of next-generation, sustainable wood-based materials.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2021

Modeling of flash sintering of ionic ceramics

A fundamental understanding of the influence of defects in ionic ceramics at the atomic, microstructural, and macroscopic levels, before, during, and after the flash sintering event is key to the development of ceramic processing operations that lead to fast, low cost, and environmentally safe fabrication of materials. The observed phenomenology of the flash process encompasses multiple time and length scales and have resulted on a wide variety of what sometimes appears to be contradictory explanations. Here, this article summarizes the latest developments on the modeling and simulation of flash sintering, specifically those related to the understanding of the equilibrium and kinetic properties and the corresponding microstructural evolution of ionic ceramics. Challenges and opportunities in the development of theoretical analyses that include unidentified multiphysical effects are discussed, as they pertain to the processing of technologically relevant ceramic materials for advanced structures and devices.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2020

Enabling System Technologies to Improve the Economies and Performance of Existing LWRs and Advanced BWR Plants: Improving Offgas System Performance. Final CRADA Report

The project goal is to study adsorbent materials and adsorption conditions in order to develop recommendations to improve the current BWR off-gas treatment operations with respect to cost savings. ANL tasks included a literature survey on relevant information for the adsorption of radionuclides (e.g., Xe and Kr), including adsorption coefficients on various charcoals, the effect of radionuclide concentration and moisture, and alternative sorption materials; participate in meetings and teleconferences as needed; prepare reports and support efforts INL and other organization Team Members.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
DOE OSTI2021

U.S. Efforts in Support of Examinations at Fukushima Daiichi- November 2020 Meeting Notes with Updated Information Requests

Much is still not known about the end-state of core materials in each unit that was operating on March 11, 2011 at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station (Daiichi). Information obtained from Daiichi is required to inform Decontamination and Decommissioning (D&D) activities, improving the ability of the Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, Incorporated (TEPCO Holdings) to characterize potential hazards and to ensure the safety of workers involved with cleanup activities. This information also has important implications for the safety and operation of U.S. commercial nuclear power plants. This document summarizes results from the Fiscal Year 2021 (FY2021) U.S. effort to review Daiichi information and extract insights to enhance the safety of existing and future nuclear power plant designs. This U.S. effort, which was initiated in 2014 by the Department of Energy Office of Nuclear Energy (DOE-NE), is completed by a group of experts in reactor safety and plant operations that identify examination needs and evaluate recent Daiichi examination data to address these needs. Since its inception, annual reports were issued that document significant safety insights being obtained in areas of special emphasis: system and component performance, radionuclide surveys and sampling, debris end-state location, combustible gas effects, and plant operations and maintenance. In addition to reducing uncertainties related to severe accident modeling progression, these insights have and continue to be used to update guidance for severe accident prevention, mitigation, and emergency planning. Reduced uncertainties in modeling the events at Daiichi improve the realism of reactor safety evaluations that inform future D&D activities. A key aspect of prior U.S. efforts, the updated list of information requests, is included in this FY2021 report to ensure that they are transmitted to organizations within Japan. This report also continues to emphasize how information obtained from the affected reactors at Daiichi has been and will continue to be used to update severe accident management strategies and reduce uncertainties in systems analysis code models. In addition, recommendations are included that would expand the use of this information to provide insights regarding maintenance, radiation protection, design, and siting activities for existing and new reactors.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
DOE OSTI2021

Advanced Multi-Tube Mixer Combustion for 65% Efficiency (Final Report)

This project targeted advanced low NOx combustion for advanced gas turbines capable of 65%, or greater, efficiency in combined cycle application. This technology advancement has further potential to benefit gas turbines used in coal based IGCC applications with pre-combustion carbon capture and hydrogen as the resulting fuel. The program developed and synthesized the most advanced combustion system capable of achieving low NOX emissions up to turbine inlet temperatures of 3100F while also supporting the load-following needs of a modern grid. The combustion system contributes to the overall gas turbine efficiency goal by setting the maximum cycle temperature achievable for a given NOX level and by minimizing the through-combustor air flow pressure drop. Focus areas for this project targeted maximizing the turbine inlet temperature entitlement, as constrained by emissions considerations. The design also minimized parasitic air flow pressure drop by using advanced cooling techniques and performance materials selections and by minimizing hot surface area. These two technology objectives (maximum, emissions-compliant cycle temperature and minimum air flow pressure drop) were integrated into a prototype design. The primarily analytical project sought to identify the most promising technologies to meet these objectives. Additional critical “jugular” data were obtained from multi-tube mixer tests to realize the potential of leveraging “micro flames” for minimizing overall hot surface area. This data was used, in conjunction with an understanding of advanced material and cooling design technologies, to analytically develop multiple design concepts. Phase I focused on in-depth engineering analysis and design, with minimal supporting laboratory testing to enable a selection of the top three combustion architectures for achieving these overall objectives. Phase II of the program developed the selected design through a combination of sub-scale testing and analytical efforts. Early tests included a cold-flow cascade to establish aerodynamic performance characteristics and a sub-scale fired test at GE Global Research in Niskayuna, NY, to establish cooling and heat transfer characteristics in conjunction with combustion performance. The data from these tests validated the analytical models to ultimately design a full-scale, test article to evaluate at prototypical pressure and temperature conditions at GE Gas Power’s Gas Turbine Technology Laboratory in Greenville, SC. GE Gas Power also developed, tested, and recommended a suitable seal design to be applied to the unique features of the combustor. To assess the technology challenges from prospective future production of the combustor from a ceramic matrix composite material, screening tests of Environmental Barrier Coatings were completed.

20 FOSSIL-FUELED POWER PLANTS↗
DOE OSTI2022

Integration of Omics into a New Comprehensive Rate Law for Competitive Terminal Electron-Accepting Processes in Reactive Transport Models: Application to N, Fe, S, and Contaminant Transformations in Stream and Wetland Sediments

Surface waters represent important sources of alternate energy and drinking water in the United States, and characterizing the biogeochemical processes that affect surface water quality is relevant to the DOE-BER mission. Sediment biogeochemical processes regulate the release of carbon (C), nutrients, and contaminants to surface waters and thus influence water quality. Sediment biogeochemical processes are dynamic and affected by the deposition and remobilization of solid material and changes in environmental conditions driven by water discharge variations. Wetlands are important natural filters of surface waters which may either trap, metabolize, or mobilize nutrients and contaminants. Despite their importance, biogeochemical processes regulating nutrient and contaminant release and C transformation in stream and wetland sediments cannot be predicted accurately by current mathematical models. These reactive transport models largely rely on detectable changes in geochemical conditions to activate metabolic processes, do not accurately account for the competition between microbial processes, and poorly constrain effects of hydrological perturbations on biogeochemical processes. In this BER-SBR exploratory project, metagenomic and geochemical signatures were combined to identify microbially-mediated redox processes in anaerobic stream and wetland sediments from the Savannah River Site (SRS, ANL SFA) and East Fork Poplar Creek (EFPC, ORNL SFA) that play important roles in C, uranium (U), and mercury (Hg) transformations. In addition, sediment incubations were conducted to examine the competition between anaerobic respiration processes Finally, new rate laws were developed for reactive transport models that rely on complementary metagenomic and geochemical signatures to identify the underlying anaerobic microbial processes in stream and wetland sediments, describe the competition between the dominant metabolic processes involved in nutrient release and U and Hg mobilization, and more accurately quantify carbon transformation and the response of microbial processes to changes in redox conditions associated with hydrological forcing. These rate laws were optimized in batch reactors with SRS wetland sediments, where iron and sulfate reduction dominate. Anaerobic carbon remineralization processes followed the expected thermodynamic sequence of microbial respiration with depth in both sediments, except that geochemical signals indicated that sulfate reduction was inactive in EFPC sediments and moderate in SRS wetland sediments. Estimates indicated that microbial iron reduction contributed to at least half of the production of reduced iron in these sediments. Incubations demonstrated that nitrate reduction, denitrification, and dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonium were active in the natural EFPC sediment and activated upon nitrate amendment in these nitrate-rich sediments. In turn, these processes were outcompeted by the addition of either iron oxides or sulfate as alternative terminal electron acceptors. Although geochemical products of sulfate reduction were not detected in the incubations, the abundance of sulfate reduction genes increased with depth in the sediment and was equally more pronounced in treatments amended with either iron oxides or sulfate. Simultaneously, anaerobic sulfide oxidizing bacteria coupling sulfide oxidation to DNRA (and not conventional denitrification) were apparently enriched over time, regardless of the treatments. These findings indicate that sulfate reduction is important in freshwater stream sediments and probably catalyzed by a cryptic sulfur cycle involving nitrogen species, in which the sulfur products from sulfate reduction are immediately removed by side reactions and not detectable by geochemical measurements alone. Similar experiments in SRS sediments, however, demonstrated little interaction between nitrogen and sulfur cycling microorganisms. Sulfate reduction was impacted by the addition of more thermodynamically favorable electron acceptors, suggesting either that iron-reducing microorganisms outcompeted sulfate-reducing microorganisms for organic substrate, depleting the stock of electron donor available for sulfate reduction, or that the cryptic sulfur cycle was shunted by the precipitation of FeS generated as a result of the abiotic reduction of iron oxides by dissolved sulfide. A diagnostic modeling exercise was conducted to further investigate the competition between terminal electron accepting processes. As conventional kinetic models typically do not account for cryptic cycles and used inaccurate formulations to describe competition between microbial communities, new metabolic rate laws were developed that explicitly express the electron acceptor-specific enzyme of each energetically favorable metabolic process based on gene abundance detected in the incubations. The model was tested with the sediment slurry incubation data to determine whether substrate competition could explain the decrease in sulfate reduction observed in the presence of iron oxide competitor. The model was able to reproduce geochemical concentrations really well in each treatment once the model was calibrated with the unamended control, suggesting that microbial competition was indeed driven by thermodynamic considerations. Overall, carbon remineralization processes and rates will be reproduced much more realistically with the new metabolic rate laws.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2023

Novel Chalcopyrites for Advanced Photoelectrochemical Water Splitting

With the support of DoE’s EERE office, our team has established a unique tool-chest of capabilities, including theoretical modeling (Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory: LLNL), state-of-the-art synthesis (Hawaii Natural Energy Institute: HNEI, Stanford, and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory: NREL) and advanced materials and interfaces characterization (University of Nevada, Las Vegas: UNLV, and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory: LBNL), to accelerate the development of high efficiency and durable chalcopyrite materials for advanced photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting. Using this synergistic approach, we have successfully created new wide bandgap chalcopyrite photocathodes generating over 10 mA/cm 2 , developed innovative strategies to protect them from corrosion, and engineered novel integration methods to circumvent thin film materials mechanical, chemical and thermal incompatibility. In Task 1 “Modeling and synthesis of chalcopyrite photocathodes”, we expanded our library of wide bandgap chalcopyrites for PEC water splitting. With support from LLNL’s “Computational Materials Diagnostics and Optimization of PEC Devices”, LBNL’s “photophysical” and NREL’s “I-III-VI Compound Semiconductors for Water-Splitting” nodes, we investigated two new chalcopyrite candidates for PEC water splitting: Cu(In,Al)Se 2 and Cu(In,B)Se 2 . We also further developed ordered vacancy compounds, such as CuGa 3 Se 5 , with unprecedented durability during PEC waters splitting in acidic solutions. In Task 2 “Interfaces engineering for enhanced efficiency and durability”, we addressed both the non-ideal band-edge positions of chalcopyrites with respect to water redox potentials, as well as their chemical instability under PEC water splitting, with a buried-junctions approach. With help from NREL’s “High-Throughput Experimental Thin Film Combinatorial Capabilities” and “Corrosion Analysis of Materials” nodes, we engineered environmentally friendly n-type buffers, including Mn x Zn 1-x O, to adjust the chalcopyrite band-edge positions and achieved photovoltages as high as 925 mV. Also, we integrated non-precious catalytic-protecting layers, such as WO 3 , to enhance the water splitting long-term stability of chalcopyrite absorbers. Finally, in Task 3 “Hybrid photoelectrode device integration”, we proposed an innovative method to bond wide bandgap photocathodes onto narrow bandgap PV drivers at room temperature using conductive polymers. Our semi-monolithic approach addressed fundamental processing incompatibility issues, as both the photocathode and the PV driver are processed separately. Proof-of-concept whole-chalcopyrite tandems were obtained by consecutive exfoliation and transfer of fully integrated 1.85 eV CuGa 3 Se 5 and 1.13 eV CuInGaSe 2 stacks from their Mo/SLG substrates onto a new single FTO host substrate.

08 HYDROGEN↗
DOE OSTI2025

Nanoporous Wood Chips Based Sizable, Robust, and Low-Cost Honeycomb Vacuum Insulation Panels (DOE BENEFIT Final Research Performance Progress Report (RPPR))

Conventional vacuum insulation panels (VIPs) suffer from severe limitations including high cost, vulnerability to perforation, and significant performance degradation over time due to vacuum loss. InventWood Inc. (IW) and partnering teams completely re-engineered the VIP structure by constructing arrays of isolated vacuum-cells to enable limited cutting at designated areas (in between vacuum cells) and reduced consequential vacuum loss due to puncture. The teams also replaced the expensive vacuum insulation core materials with a low-cost commercial wood pulp and recycled long fiber. The wood pulp derived VIP can deliver an overall panel insulation of R15 (<0.01W/m·K) with over 90% thermal resistance retention after cutting (R13.5 overall, R5 along the cut edges). In addition, the vacuum-cell-array design minimizes edge losses, resulting in more durable performance, longer service life (>50 years), and higher R-value per dollar towards a cost target of <$1/ft 2 ·in. It is anticipated that the Nanochip-VIP will attract strong market interest and become an affordable insulation solution for energy efficient buildings and retrofits, leading to significant reductions in energy usage.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2020

Redox Mechanism in Na-Ion Battery Cathodes Probed by Advanced Soft X-Ray Spectroscopy

A Na-ion battery (NIB) device is a promising solution for mid-/large-scale energy storage, with the advantages of material abundance, low cost, and environmental benignity. To improve the NIB capacity and retainability, extensive efforts have been put into the developments of NIB electrode materials. The redox activities of the transition metal (TM)-based NIB electrodes are critical in defining the capacity and stability. Here, we provide a comprehensive review on recent studies of the redox mechanisms of NIB cathodes through synchrotron-based soft X-ray absorption spectroscopy (sXAS) and mapping of resonant inelastic X-ray scattering (mRIXS). These soft X-ray techniques are direct and effective tools to fingerprint the TM-3d and O-p states with both bulk and surface sensitivities. Particularly, 3d TM L-edge sXAS has been used to quantify the cationic redox contributions to the electrochemical property; however, it suffers from lineshape distortion for the bulk sensitive signals in some scenarios. With the new dimension of information along the emitted photon energy, mRIXS can address the distortion issue of in TM-L sXAS; moreover, it also breaks through the limitation of conventional sXAS on detecting unconventional TM and O states, e.g., Mn(I) in NIB anode and oxidized oxygen in NIB cathodes. The mRIXS fingerprint of the oxidized oxygen state enables the detection of the reversibility of the oxygen redox reaction through the evolution of feature intensity upon electrochemical cycling and thus clarifies various misunderstandings in our conventional wisdom. We conclude that, with mRIXS established as a powerful tool, its potential and power will continue to be explored for characterizing novel chemical states in NIB electrodes.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗