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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 325 records · Page 18

Piezoelectric-triboelectric heel charger to generate electricity from locomotion using level mechanism and mechanical SSHI boosting circuit

The disclosure provides an electricity generating insert for a piece of footwear, the insert can be removably placed in the heel portion, e.g. under the insole. The insert comprises a multilayer piezoelectric stack that alternatively flexes under the compression-decompression that occurs during locomotion, which flexing causes friction in the stack to generate electricity capable of charging electronic devices and the like, e.g. via a port on the footwear.

Wang, Ya↗

Asymmetric configurable double-sided manifold micro-channel cold plates

A cold plate having a manifold includes a recess extending from a first side to a second side of the manifold, where the recess includes openings to the recess positioned lengthwise along the first side and a single opening to the recess on the second side, an inlet and an outlet fluidly coupled to the recess, a plurality of plates fastened to the first side enclosing the openings, a heat sink fastened to the second side enclosing the single opening on the second side, and a plurality of fluid cores one of each positioned between each of the plurality of plates and the heat sink. The plurality of fluid cores include a flow distribution insert, a first plate fin positioned between the flow distribution insert and the heat sink fastened to the second side, and a second plate fin positioned between the flow distribution insert and the heat sink.

Zhou, Feng↗

3D Printable Polymers for Radiological Applications

Additive manufacturing of polymers is a widely used and growing technology throughout the DOE complex. Composite filaments for Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) printers are commonly used to enhance material properties such as mechanical strength, operating temperature and chemical resistance. Radio luminescent properties were added to 3D filaments by impregnating clear poly(ethylene terephthalate)-glycol (PETG) with X-ray scintillator powder. X-ray scintillators have unique, narrow emission spectra which can be imaged with low light DSLR cameras, photomultiplier tubes, or spectrometers. Filament Production: 1. Pellets are loaded into the hopper. 2. Temperature and extrusion speed are set on extruder. 3. Extruder turned on and filament is pulled from nozzle along air path to cool. 4. Spooler drive speeds set. 5. Filament is inserted through Filameasure then guided along drive wheels and into traverse. 6. Parameters adjusted to obtain 1.75 mm diameter 7. Filament is inserted into spooler wheel. Traverse speed set and slip nut adjusted to make tight and even roll. From Raw Materials to Printed Part: Clear PETG pellets were dipped in ZnS:Cu scintillator powder to coat pellets. Coated and uncoated pellets were mixed together before inserting into hopper. Filament showed trace amounts of powder and luminesced under UV light. Powder distribution is random and not reproducible thus providing a unique identification marker potentially useful for national security applications. Multiple X-ray scintillators can be arranged in a panel to discriminate incident X-ray photon energies. Variable panel arrangement: pixelated, layered, solid from homogenous filament. Ratio of emission intensities. Response varies with incident photon energy. Spectrally separate scintillators. Scintillators: Yttrium Oxide Europium Doped - Red, Gadolinium Oxysulfide Terbium Doped - Green, Barium Magnesium Aluminate Europium Doped - Blue, Zinc Sulfide Copper Doped - Green. Powder concentrations will need to be increased in the filament for use in the energy discriminating panel. Homogeneity in the filament will be a challenge that can be solved by turning the pellets into a powder and mixing it with scintillator powder prior to extrusion. The panels will be tested using x-ray booths and button sources such as Am-241, Cs-137, and Co-60.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗

Initial exploration of a novel transient arrest system involving fuel heating

A preliminary analysis on a novel accident response system to diminish the severity of super- critical transients was conducted. The novel accident response system, called the instant shock arrest system, involves using electricity to heat the nuclear fuel at the onset of a large accidental reactivity insertion. This system is specifically designed for reactors with metallic fuel, such that the fuel is capable of conducting electricity, and being resistively heated. A reactor dynamics model of the advanced test reactor was created using the point kinetics equations and a linear reactivity feedback model to simulate how the system would effect the maximum fuel temperatures experienced during the transient. Transients with the instant shock arrest system were compared to those without it. It was found that the instant shock arrest system initially heated the fuel more than the unaffected transient but the negative reactivity inserted from such heating was enough to lower the maximum fuel temperature experienced during the transient. After simulating six different accident scenarios with reactivity insertions ranging from 0.5 to 1.3 dollar, it was found that an optimal system response could reduce peak fuel temperatures during the transient by 3.5% to 5%. Furthermore, discussion was given on how the optimal system response could be obtained using relatively simple numerical optimization algorithms due to the smoothness of the optimization problem. (authors)

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗

INITIAL EXPLORATION OF A NOVEL TRANSIENT ARREST SYSTEM INVOLVING FUEL HEATING (Presentation)

A preliminary analysis on a novel accident response system to diminish the severity of supercritical transients was conducted. The novel accident response system, called the instant shock arrest system, involves using electricity to heat the nuclear fuel at the onset of a large accidental reactivity insertion. This system is specifically designed for reactors with metallic fuel, such that the fuel is capable of conducting electricity, and being resistively heated. A reactor dynamics model of the advanced test reactor was created using the point kinetics equations and a linear reactivity feedback model to simulate how the system would effect the maximum fuel temperatures experienced during the transient. Transients with the instant shock arrest system were compare to those without it. It was found that the instant shock arrest system initially heated the fuel more than the unaffected transient but the negative reactivity inserted from such heating was enough to lower the maximum fuel temperature experienced during the transient. After simulating six different accident scenarios with reactivity insertions ranging from 0.5 \$ to 1.3 \$, it was found that the an optimal system response could reduce peak fuel temperatures during the transient by 3.5% to 5%. Furthermore, discussion was given on how the optimal system response could be obtained using relatively simple numerical optimization algorithms due to the smoothness of the optimization problem.

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗

Modulating Mid-Gap Electronic States Through Site-Selective Modification in B-Pbx/B'-CuyV2O5/CdS Heterostructures for Photocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution

We interfaced ..beta..-Pbx/..beta..'-CuyV2O5 compounds, with varying stoichiometries of precisely positioned Pb-ions (x) and Cu-ions (y) in interstitial sites along a tunnel-structured ?-V2O5 framework, with cysteine-capped CdS (cysCdS) quantum dots (QDs) to yield heterostructured photocatalysts. ..beta..-Pbx/..beta..'-CuyV2O5 compounds exhibit midgap electronic states with orbital contributions from both Cu 3d and stereochemically active Pb 6s states that show distinctive light-initiated reactivity with photoexcited QDs. ..beta..-Pbx/..beta..'-CuyV2O5/CdS heterostructures were prepared by linker-assisted assembly (LAA). Scanning and transmission electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and Raman spectroscopy revealed that cysCdS QDs were deposited onto surfaces of ..beta..-Pbx/..beta..'-CuyV2O5 via LAA. HAXPES revealed that the site-selective positioning of Pb-ions and Cu-ions promoted close energetic alignment of the midgap states of ..beta..-Pbx/..beta..'-CuyV2O5 compounds with the valence-band maximum of cysCdS QDs. Transient absorption spectroscopy revealed that photogenerated holes were transferred from CdS QDs to midgap states of ..beta..-Pbx/..beta..'-CuyV2O5 compounds on time scales <50 ps. Finally, photoelectrochemical and photochemical experiments revealed that ..beta..-Pbx/..beta..'-CuyV2O5/CdS heterostructures promoted the photocatalytic reduction of H+ to H2. In photoelectrochemical experiments, under oxidative conditions, for all ..beta..-Pbx/..beta..'-CuyV2O5/CdS heterostructures, H2 was evolved at a Pt counter electrode while a sacrificial donor was oxidized at the heterostructure-functionalized working electrode. In contrast, under reductive conditions, for ..beta..-Pb0.152V2O5/CdS and ..beta..-Pbx/..beta..'-CuyV2O5/CdS heterostructures, H2 was evolved at the working electrode. In photochemical experiments, dispersed ..beta..-Pbx/..beta..'-CuyV2O5/CdS heterostructures promoted the reduction of H+ to H2 under white-light illumination; ..beta..'-Cu0.55V2O5/CdS and ..beta..-Pbx/..beta..'-CuyV2O5/CdS heterostructures, for which midgap states have Cu 3d orbital character, generated 2-fold more H2 than ..beta..-Pb0.152V2O5/CdS heterostructures. Cu-ion insertion thus appends additional acceptor surface states that improve ligand-mediated hole transfer from photoexcited QDs, but such states are intrinsically limited in mediating hole transport to the substrate as a result of the low mobility of holes in narrow Cu 3d-states. Our results reveal that the density and orbital character of midgap states of ..beta..-Pbx/..beta..'-CuyV2O5 compounds, tunable through recently developed site-selective ion insertion strategies, determine efficiencies of charge-transfer and charge-transport mechanisms that underpin photocatalysis.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Development of the high energy engineering X-ray (HEX) superconducting wiggler, magnetic measurement, installation, and commissioning

The High energy Engineering X-ray (HEX) diffraction beamline at the National Synchrotron Light Source II (NSLS-II) at Brookhaven National Lab (BNL) is the first high-energy beamline capable of reaching 200 keV for a monochromatic beam. With the 3 GeV electron beam energy for the NSLS-II ring, only the superconducting wiggler (SCW) producing greater than 4 T peak field can cover these ranges with a sufficient number of photons. The 1.2 m-long HEX-SCW has a period length of 70 mm and a field strength on-axis of 4.3 T. It utilizes no liquid helium, and the vertical aperture size of the electron beam vacuum chamber is 8 mm. Unlike regular undulators/wigglers, there is no standard configuration for the magnetic measurement system for superconducting insertion devices. The NSLS-II Insertion Devices group has developed, in collaboration with the vacuum group, a novel in-vacuum Hall mapper with a 1.75 m in-vacuum linear motor and an in-vacuum flip coil system utilizing many commercial-off-the-shelf products. The measurements were conducted at the BNL, and the device was installed in the ring and commissioned. Here, this paper provides a description of the SCW and its magnetic measurement systems, as well as a brief account of the installation and commissioning efforts.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Machine learning analysis of RB-TnSeq fitness data predicts functional gene modules in Pseudomonas putida KT2440

ABSTRACT There is growing interest in engineering Pseudomonas putida KT2440 as a microbial chassis for the conversion of renewable and waste-based feedstocks, and metabolic engineering of P. putida relies on the understanding of the functional relationships between genes. In this work, independent component analysis (ICA) was applied to a compendium of existing fitness data from randomly barcoded transposon insertion sequencing (RB-TnSeq) of P. putida KT2440 grown in 179 unique experimental conditions. ICA identified 84 independent groups of genes, which we call fModules (“functional modules”), where gene members displayed shared functional influence in a specific cellular process. This machine learning-based approach both successfully recapitulated previously characterized functional relationships and established hitherto unknown associations between genes. Selected gene members from fModules for hydroxycinnamate metabolism and stress resistance, acetyl coenzyme A assimilation, and nitrogen metabolism were validated with engineered mutants of P. putida . Additionally, functional gene clusters from ICA of RB-TnSeq data sets were compared with regulatory gene clusters from prior ICA of RNAseq data sets to draw connections between gene regulation and function. Because ICA profiles the functional role of several distinct gene networks simultaneously, it can reduce the time required to annotate gene function relative to manual curation of RB-TnSeq data sets. IMPORTANCE This study demonstrates a rapid, automated approach for elucidating functional modules within complex genetic networks. While Pseudomonas putida randomly barcoded transposon insertion sequencing data were used as a proof of concept, this approach is applicable to any organism with existing functional genomics data sets and may serve as a useful tool for many valuable applications, such as guiding metabolic engineering efforts in other microbes or understanding functional relationships between virulence-associated genes in pathogenic microbes. Furthermore, this work demonstrates that comparison of data obtained from independent component analysis of transcriptomics and gene fitness datasets can elucidate regulatory-functional relationships between genes, which may have utility in a variety of applications, such as metabolic modeling, strain engineering, or identification of antimicrobial drug targets.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗

Elastic Lattice Enabling Reversible Tetrahedral Li Storage Sites in a High-Capacity Manganese Oxide Cathode

The key to breaking through the capacity limitation imposed by intercalation chemistry lies in the ability to harness more active sites that can reversibly accommodate more ions (e.g., Li + ) and electrons within a finite space. However, excessive Li-ion insertion into the Li layer of layered cathodes results in fast performance decay due to the huge lattice change and irreversible phase transformation. Here, in this study, an ultrahigh reversible capacity is demonstrated by a layered oxide cathode purely based on manganese. Through a wealth of characterizations, it is clarified that the presence of low-content Li 2 MnO 3 domains not only reduces the amount of irreversible O loss; but also regulates Mn migration in LiMnO 2 domains, enabling elastic lattice with high reversibility for tetrahedral sites Li-ion storage in Li layers. This work utilizes bulk cation disorder to create stable Li-ion-storage tetrahedral sites and an elastic lattice for layered materials, with a reversible capacity of 600 mA h g –1 , demonstrated in th range 0.6–4.9 V versus Li/Li + at 10 mA g –1 . Admittedly, discharging to 0.6 V might be too low for practical use, but this exploration is still of great importance as it conceptually demonstrates the limit of Li-ions insertion into layered oxide materials.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗

The Importance of Surface Oxygen for Lithiation and Morphology Evolution during Calcination of High-Nickel NMC Cathodes

Nanoscale morphology has a direct impact on the performance of materials for electrochemical energy storage. Despite this importance, little is known about the evolution of primary particle morphology nor its effect on chemical pathways during synthesis. In this work, operando characterization is combined with atomic-scale and continuum simulations to clarify the relationship between morphology of cathode primary particles and their lithiation during calcination of LiNi 0.8 Mn 0.1 Co 0.1 O 2 (NMC-811). This combined approach reveals a key role for surface oxygen adsorption in facilitating the lithiation reaction by promoting metal diffusion and oxidation, and simultaneously providing surface sites for lithium insertion. Furthermore, oxygen surface termination is shown to increase the activation energy for sintering, leading to smaller primary particle sizes at intermediate temperatures. Smaller particles provide both shorter diffusion lengths for lithium incorporation and increased surface site density for lithium insertion. These insights provide a foundation for more tailored syntheses of cathode materials with optimized performance characteristics.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗

An Atomic View of Cation Diffusion Pathways from Single‐Crystal Topochemical Transformations

Abstract The diffusion pathways of Li‐ions as they traverse cathode structures in the course of insertion reactions underpin many questions fundamental to the functionality of Li‐ion batteries. Much current knowledge derives from computational models or the imaging of lithiation behavior at larger length scales; however, it remains difficult to experimentally image Li‐ion diffusion at the atomistic level. Here, by using topochemical Li‐ion insertion and extraction to induce single‐crystal‐to‐single‐crystal transformations in a tunnel‐structured V 2 O 5 polymorph, coupled with operando powder X‐ray diffraction, we leverage single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction to identify the sequence of lattice interstitial sites preferred by Li‐ions to high depths of discharge, and use electron density maps to create a snapshot of ion diffusion in a metastable phase. Our methods enable the atomistic imaging of Li‐ions in this cathode material in kinetic states and provide an experimentally validated angstrom‐level 3D picture of atomic pathways thus far only conjectured through DFT calculations.

Handy, Joseph V.↗

On the Equilibrium Electrostatic Potential and Light-Induced Charge Redistribution in Halide Perovskite Structures

Lead halide perovskites are semiconductor materials which are employed as nonintentionally doped absorbers inserted between two selective carrier transport layers (SCTL), realizing a p-i-n or n-i-p heterojunction. In our study, we have developed and investigated a lateral device, based on methylammonium lead iodide (MAPbI3) in which the p-i-n heterojunction develops in the horizontal direction. Our research suggests that the effective doping level in the MAPbI3 film should be very low, below 1012 cm-3. Along the vertical direction, this doping level is not enough to screen the electric field of the buried heterojunction with the SCTL. The perovskite work function is therefore affected by the work function of the SCTL underneath. From drift-diffusion simulations, we show that intrinsic perovskite-SCTL structures develop mV range surface photovoltages (SPVs) under continuous illumination. However, perovskite-SCTL structures can develop SPVs of hundreds of mV, as confirmed by our measurements. We therefore analyzed the compatibility between low doping and low defect densities in the perovskite layer and such high SPV values using numerical modeling. It is shown that these high SPV values could originate from electronic processes due to large band offsets in the buried perovskite-SCTL heterojunctions, or at the SCTL-transparent conductive oxide (TCO) buried heterojunction. However, such electronic processes can hardly explain the long SPV persistence after switching off the illumination.

defects↗

Ionic Pairs-Engineered Fluorinated Covalent Organic Frameworks Toward Direct Air Capture of CO 2

The covalent organic frameworks (COFs) possessing high crystallinity and capability to capture low-concentration CO 2 (400 ppm) from air are still underdeveloped. The challenge lies in simultaneously incorporating high-density active sites for CO 2 insertion and maintaining the ordered structure. Herein, a structure engineering approach is developed to afford an ionic pair-functionalized crystalline and stable fluorinated COF (F-COF) skeleton. The ordered structure of the F-COF is well maintained after the integration of abundant basic fluorinated alcoholate anions, as revealed by synchrotron X-ray scattering experiments. The breakthrough test demonstrates its attractive performance in capturing (400 ppm) CO 2 from gas mixtures via O$-$C bond formation, as indicated by the in situ spectroscopy and operando nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy using 13 C-labeled CO 2 sources. Both theoretical and experimental thermodynamic studies reveal the reaction enthalpy of ≈-40 kJ mol -1 between CO 2 and the COF scaffolds. This implies weaker interaction strength compared with state-of-the-art amine-derived sorbents, thus allowing complete CO 2 release with less energy input. The structure evolution study from synchrotron X-ray scattering and small-angle neutron scattering confirms the well-maintained crystalline patterns after CO 2 insertion. In conclusion, the as-developed proof-of-concept approach provides guidance on anchoring binding sites for direct air capture (DAC) of CO 2 in crystalline scaffolds.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Automatic inspection of program state in an uncooperative environment

Abstract The program state is formed by the values that the program manipulates. These values are stored in the stack, in the heap, or in static memory. The ability to inspect the program state is useful as a debugging or as a verification aid. Yet, there exists no general technique to insert inspection points in type‐unsafe languages such as C or C++. The difficulty comes from the need to traverse the memory graph in a so‐called uncooperative environment. In this article, we propose an automatic technique to deal with this problem. We introduce a static code transformation approach that inserts in a program the instrumentation necessary to report its internal state. Our technique has been implemented in LLVM. It is possible to adjust the granularity of inspection points trading precision for performance. In this article, we demonstrate how to use inspection points to debug compiler optimizations; to augment benchmarks with verification code; and to visualize data structures.

Magalhães, José Wesley de Souza↗

Twistorial monopoles & chiral algebras

We initiate the study of how the insertion of magnetically charged states in 4d self-dual gauge theories impacts the 2d chiral algebras supported on the celestial sphere at asymptotic null infinity, from the point of view of the 4d/2d twistorial correspondence introduced by Costello and the second author. By reducing the 6d twistorial theory to a 3d holomorphic-topological theory with suitable boundary conditions, we can motivate certain non-perturbative enhancements of the celestial chiral algebra corresponding to extensions by modules arising from 3d boundary monopole operators. We also identify the insertion of 4d (non-abelian) monopoles with families of spectral flow automorphisms of the celestial chiral algebra.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗