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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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Structural Manipulation of Phase Transitions by Self‐Induced Strain in Geometrically Confined Thin Films
Strain engineering is a well-known method often used to tune material properties in thin films. The most studied sources of strain are lattice mismatch and differential thermal contraction between the substrate and film. However, in materials which undergo a structural phase transition (SPT), a third and often overlooked source of strain may play a very significant role. If the substrate confines the area of the film, the SPT may induce stress which changes the evolution of the transition. This is a 2D analog of the isochoric phase transition between water and ice, where the freezing point drops below 0 °C. To illustrate this, the prototypical Mott insulator V 2 O 3 which has an SPT coupled to a metal–insulator transition is used to show how self-induced strain can drastically alter structural and electronic properties. This effect provides an elegant approach for mapping the phase diagram of the SPT and the transitions coupled to it. Moreover, the magnitude of self-straining is tunable by modifying the substrate morphology. Furthermore, this effect may be important for numerous materials which exhibit an SPT and are subjected to geometrical constraints.
Omnidirectional Control of Large Electrical Output in a Topological Antiferromagnet
Not provided.
Crossover Effects in Batteries with High–Nickel Cathodes and Lithium–Metal Anodes
It is well understood that cathode-to-anode crossover, especially of transition-metal ions, can significantly impact the long-term cycling of lithium-ion batteries. The dissolved transition-metal ions in lithium-ion cells deposit on the graphite anode, disrupt the solid-electrolyte interphase (SEI), and catalyze further side reactions. Meanwhile, crossover effects in lithium-metal batteries have rarely been studied. This study is the first to investigate crossover effects in lithium-metal batteries with high-nickel layered-oxide cathodes. It is shown that the crossover of transition-metal ions from LiNi 0.9 Mn 0.05 Co 0.05 O 2 has minimal effect on the lithium-metal anode (LMA) due to the following reasons. The catalytic transition metals 1) have less effect on an inherently reactive LMA, 2) are diluted in a thicker SEI, and 3) are produced in overall lower quantity due to the limited cycle life of the LMA. Conversely, the LMA generates soluble decomposition products that cross over to the cathode even during early cycling. This crossover accelerates impedance growth and capacity fade at the cathode and is partially responsible for the mismatch between the performance of half and full-cells with layered-oxide cathodes. Finally, this study highlights the need for better battery design with LMA, potentially including electrolyte or cell modifications.
Enhancing Oxygen Reduction Activity and Cr Tolerance of Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Cathodes by a Multiphase Catalyst Coating
Intermediate temperature solid oxide fuel cells (IT-SOFCs) are cost-effective and efficient energy conversion systems. Here, the sluggish oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and the degradation of cathodes are critical challenges to the commercialization of IT-SOFCs. Here, a highly efficient multiphase (MP) catalyst coating, consisting of Ba 1–x Co 0.7 Fe 0.2 Nb 0.1 O 3–δ (BCFN) and BaCO 3 , to enhance the ORR activity and durability of the state-of-the-art lanthanum strontium cobalt ferrite (La 0.6 Sr 0.4 Co 0.2 Fe 0.8 O 3–δ , LSCF) cathode is reported. The conformal MP catalyst-coated LSCF cathode shows a polarization resistance (R p ) of 0.048 Ω cm 2 at 650 °C, about one order of magnitude smaller than that of the bare LSCF. In an accelerated Cr-poisoning test, the degradation rate of the catalyst-coated LSCF electrode is 10 –3 Ω cm 2 h –1 (0.59% h –1 ) over 200 h, only one fifth of the degradation rate of the bare LSCF electrode at 750 °C. In addition, anode-supported single cells with the MP catalyst-coated LSCF cathode show a dramatically enhanced peak power density (1.4 W cm –2 vs 0.67 W cm –2 at 750 °C) and increased durability against Cr and H 2 O. Both experimental results and density functional theory-based calculations indicate that the BCFN phase improves the ORR activity while the BaCO 3 phase enhances the stability of the LSCF cathode.
Effect of the Selective Halogenation of Small Molecule Acceptors on the Blend Morphology and Voltage Loss of High-Performance Solar Cells
Herein, the impacts of the selective halogenation at two different positions of dicyanomethylene-3-indanone (IC) end groups and inner side chains of small molecular acceptors (SMAs) on the P D :SMA interfacial interactions, blend morphology, and resulting photovoltaic properties are described. In this study, four different SMAs (A1, A2, A3, and A4) with the same molecular backbone, but with different degrees of halogenation, are synthesized. The IC end groups on the backbones of the A1 and A3, and A2 and A4 SMAs are chlorinated and fluorinated, respectively; in addition, 6-phenoxyhexyl inner side chains of the A3 and A4 are chlorinated. The SMAs are paired with a chlorinated PBDT-Cl PD to construct organic solar cells (OSCs). The PBDT-Cl:A4-based OSC exhibits the highest power conversion efficiency of 17.2%, outperforming the PBDT-Cl:A1-(13.3%), PBDT-Cl:A2-(15.6%), and PBDT-Cl:A3-based OSC (16.5%). The Cl atoms on the side chains in the A3 and A4 SMAs enhance the molecular/energetic interactions at the P D :SMA interfaces and improve the blend morphology in terms of domain purity and spacing. These effects lead to the improved fill factors and reduced voltage loss of the PBDT-Cl:A3- and PBDT-Cl:A4-based OSCs. This study demonstrates the importance of appropriate halogenation of SMAs in optimizing the blend morphology, reducing voltage loss, and improving OSC performance.