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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 343 records · Page 19
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2019

A Method for Including Diffusive Effects in Texture Evolution

This work describes a model for representing grain misorientation in continuum models for texture evolution. The model relies on a connection, derived here, between the fluctuation of the reorientation velocity in discrete models of texture evolution and an isotropic diffusion operator that can be used to represent misorientation effects in continuum models for texture evolution. Previous work has developed a method for computing the fluctuation of the reorientation velocity in discrete models. These values, along with the average reorientation velocity, are used to set up inhomogeneous continuum advection and diffusion operators. Here, the complete homogenized continuum model uses the discrete harmonics to represent and evolve the orientation distribution function, now including a diffusion operator representing the effects of intragranular misorientation. Results from the new model are compared to fully-resolved crystal plasticity finite element simulations and experimental data to demonstrate the accuracy of the proposed diffusion operator and the overall method for simulating texture evolution.

(B) crystal plasticity↗
DOE OSTI2023

Determination of single crystal thermal expansion in Uranium-6wt%Niobium shape memory alloy using in-situ diffraction and modeling of textured polycrystalline samples

In-situ neutron diffraction and ex-situ dilatometry experiments were performed on a chemically banded, quenched uranium-6wt% niobium shape memory alloy to study the impact of deformation-(detwinning-) induced texture on the evolution of thermally induced strains (and associated stresses). Thermal heating and cooling cycles between 5K and 473K were performed in-situ with neutron diffraction, and the lattice strain evolution is reported for the observed monoclinic α" phase. Comparisons between the measured diffraction strains and macroscopic dilatometry experiments reveal relationships between micro- and macro-level thermal expansion. Softening of the texture during heating suggests that twin boundary motion can accommodate the large internal thermal strains which are approximately 2% greater than that typically observed during the 175K heating interval used to age more randomly oriented polycrystalline material. Assuming weak constraint of neighboring grains in randomly textured polycrystals, the single crystal thermal expansion tensor is extracted from measurements of lattice strains over the range 5K to 473K. Predictions of polycrystalline thermal expansion, based upon this single crystal thermal expansion tensor, are shown to compare favorably with bulk thermal expansion observations of the as quenched microstructure. However, such a lower-bound estimate is insufficient to explain all aspects of the behavior of the textured material, where the matrix is not isotropic. In conclusion, it is hypothesized that relaxation processes which occur within the quenched microstructure during heating are responsible for the distinct thermal expansion behavior observed during the initial heating cycle compared to cooling and subsequent cycling.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2020

Sub-micrometer random-pyramid texturing of silicon solar wafers with excellent surface passivation and low reflectance

Select emerging solar cell technologies, ranging from very narrow screen-printed fingers to perovskite/silicon tandems, would benefit from a reduction of the height of the standard pyramidal texture of monocrystalline silicon wafers to below 1 μm. However, fabricating such small surface features usually compromises the requisite low reflectance and high passivation quality. Through systematic design of experiments, we demonstrate that conventional alkaline-based wet-chemical etching processes can be tuned to produce dense, spatially homogeneous, and uniformly sized sub-micrometer pyramids. Precise texture size can be further controlled by adding potassium silicate to the texturing solution to effectively slow the pyramid growth rate and promote nucleation. With pyramid size distribution data—extracted from multiple atomic force microscopy images across each wafer—we demonstrate 16 nanotextures with average pyramid sizes ranging from 62 to 512 nm, with the largest having only 0.3% of its pyramids taller than 1 μm. Six of the nanotextures exhibit light trapping and surface defect densities comparable to state-of-the-art microtextured wafers. In conclusion, the best nanotexture achieved an AM1.5G-weighted reflectance of 11.8% and a minority-carrier lifetime of 3.4 ms after passivation with amorphous silicon, demonstrating that smaller textures need not deteriorate solar cell performance.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2015

Probing the Role of Zr Addition versus Textural Properties in Enhancement of CO 2 Adsorption Performance in Silica/PEI Composite Sorbents

Polymeric amines such as poly(ethylenimine) (PEI) supported on mesoporous oxides are promising candidate adsorbents for CO 2 capture processes. One important aspect to the design and optimization of these materials is a fundamental understanding of how the properties of the oxide support such as pore structure, particle morphology, and surface properties affect the efficiency of the guest polymer in its interactions with CO 2 . Previously, the efficiency of impregnated PEI to adsorb CO 2 was shown to increase upon the addition of Zr as a surface modifier in SBA-15. But, the efficacy of this method to tune the adsorption performance has not been explored in materials of differing textural and morphological nature. These issues are directly addressed via the preparation of an array of SBA-15 support materials with varying textural and morphological properties, as well as varying content of zirconium doped into the material. Zirconium is incorporated into the SBA-15 either during the synthesis of the SBA-15, or postsynthetically via deposition of Zr species onto pure-silica SBA-15. The method of Zr incorporation alters the textural and morphological properties of the parent SBA-15 in different ways. Importantly, the CO 2 capacity of SBA-15 impregnated with PEI increases by a maximum of ~60% with the quantity of doped Zr for a “standard” SBA-15 containing significant microporosity, while no increase in the CO 2 capacity is observed upon Zr incorporation for an SBA-15 with reduced microporosity and a larger pore size, pore volume, and particle size. Finally, adsorbents supported on SBA-15 with controlled particle morphology show only modest increases in CO 2 capacity upon inclusion of Zr to the silica framework. The data demonstrate that the textural and morphological properties of the support have a more significant impact on the ability of PEI to capture CO 2 than the support surface composition.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2026

Texture Evolution of Plated Lithium in Anode-Free Solid-State Batteries

Here, this study investigates lithium plating texture in anode-free solid-state batteries using synchrotron-based X-ray diffraction. Conventional methods are limited by lithium’s low electron density and softness, which hinders direct interrogation in anode-free solid-state batteries. Results reveal that lithium plating texture is influenced by temperature and current density. Under mild conditions, lithium exhibited a ⟨110⟩ fiber texture. However, higher current densities and elevated temperatures led to a more randomized orientation, suggesting a dependence on plating conditions. The results highlight how the operating and processing conditions for lithium metal can influence the texture of lithium metal and reversible operation.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2022

Lorentz electron ptychography for imaging magnetic textures beyond the diffraction limit

Nanoscale spin textures, especially magnetic skyrmions, have attracted intense interest as candidate high-density and power-efficient information carriers for spintronic devices. Facilitating a deeper understanding of sub-100 nm to atomic-scale spin textures requires more advanced magnetic imaging techniques. Here, we demonstrate a Lorentz electron ptychography (LEP) method which can enable high-resolution, high-sensitivity magnetic field imaging for widely-available electron microscopes. The resolution of LEP is not limited by the usual diffraction limit of the lens optics, but instead is determined by the maximum scattering angle at which a statistically meaningful dose can still be recorded – this can be an improvement of up to 2 to 6 times depending on the allowable dose. Using FeGe as a model system, we realize a more accurate magnetic field measurement of skyrmions with an improved spatial resolution and sensitivity by also correcting the probe damping effects from the imaging optics via LEP. This allows us to directly resolve subtle internal structures of magnetic skyrmions near the skyrmion cores, boundaries, and dislocations in an FeGe single crystal. Our study establishes a quantitative, high-resolution magnetic microscopy technique that can reveal the nanoscale spin textures, especially magnetization discontinuities and topological defects in nanomagnets. In conclusion, the technique’s high dose efficiency should also make it well-suited for the exploration of magnetic textures in electron radiation-sensitive materials such as organic or molecular magnets.

77 NANOSCIENCE AND NANOTECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2026

Super-moiré spin textures in twisted two-dimensional antiferromagnets

Stacking two-dimensional layered materials offers a platform to engineer electronic and magnetic states. In general, the resulting states—such as moiré magnetism—have a periodicity at the length scale of the moiré unit cell. Here we study magnetic order in twisted double-bilayer chromium triiodide by means of scanning nitrogen-vacancy microscopy. We observe long-range magnetic textures extending beyond the single moiré unit cell, which we dub a super-moiré magnetic state. At small twist angles, the size of the spontaneous magnetic texture increases with twist angle, opposite to the underlying moiré wavelength. The spin-texture size reaches a maximum of about 300 nm in 1.1° twisted devices, an order of magnitude larger than the underlying moiré wavelength, and vanishes at twist angles above 2°. The obtained magnetic field maps suggest the formation of antiferromagnetic Néel-type skyrmions spanning multiple moiré cells. The twist-angle-dependent study, combined with large-scale atomistic Monte Carlo simulations, suggests that the magnetic competition between the Dzyaloshinskii–Moriya interaction, magnetic anisotropy and exchange interactions—which all depend on the relative rotation of the layers—produces the topological textures that emerge in the super-moiré spin order.

Wong, King Cho [Univ. of Stuttgart (Germany)] (ORC↗
DOE OSTI2018

Bilinear magnetoelectric resistance as a probe of three-dimensional spin texture in topological surface states

Surface states of three-dimensional topological insulators exhibit the phenomenon of spin-momentum locking, whereby the orientation of an electron spin is determined by its momentum. Probing the spin texture of these states is of critical importance for the realization of topological insulator devices, but the main technique currently available is spin-and angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy. Here in this paper we reveal a close link between the spin texture and a new kind of magnetoresistance, which depends on the relative orientation of the current with respect to the magnetic field as well as the crystallographic axes, and scales linearly with both the applied electric and magnetic fields. This bilinear magnetoelectric resistance can be used to map the spin texture of topological surface states by simple transport measurements. For a prototypical Bi 2 Se 3 single layer, we can map both the in-plane and out-of-plane components of the spin texture (the latter arising from hexagonal warping). Theoretical calculations suggest that the bilinear magnetoelectric resistance originates from conversion of a non-equilibrium spin current into a charge current under application of the external magnetic field.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2015

Evolution of solidification texture during additive manufacturing

Striking differences in the solidification textures of a nickel based alloy owing to changes in laser scanning pattern during additive manufacturing are examined based on theory and experimental data. Understanding and controlling texture are important because it affects mechanical and chemical properties. Solidification texture depends on the local heat flow directions and competitive grain growth in one of the six <100> preferred growth directions in face centered cubic alloys. Furthermore, the heat flow directions are examined for various laser beam scanning patterns based on numerical modeling of heat transfer and fluid flow in three dimensions. Here we show that numerical modeling can not only provide a deeper understanding of the solidification growth patterns during the additive manufacturing, it also serves as a basis for customizing solidification textures which are important for properties and performance of components.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2016

Textured Nanoporous Mo:BiVO4 Photoanodes with High Charge Transport and Charge Transfer Quantum Efficiencies for Oxygen Evolution

We have developed a simple spin coating method to make high-quality nanoporous photoelectrodes of monoclinic BiVO4 and studied the ability of these electrodes to transport photogenerated carriers to oxidize sulfite and water. Samples containing molybdenum and featuring [001] out-of-plane crystallographic texture show a photocurrent and external quantum efficiency (EQE) for sulfite oxidation as high as 3.1 mA cm-2 and 60%, respectively, at 1.23 V versus reversible hydrogen electrode. By using an optical model of the electrode stack to accurately determine the fraction of electrode absorptance due to the BiVO4 active layer, we estimate that on average 70 +/- 5% of all photogenerated carriers escape recombination. A comparison of internal quantum efficiency as a function of film processing, illumination direction, and film thickness shows that electron transport is efficient and hole transport limits the photocurrent (hole diffusion length <40 nm). We find that Mo addition primarily improves electron transport and texturing mostly improves hole transport. Mo enhances electron transport by thinning the surface depletion layer or passivating traps and recombination centers at grain boundaries and interfaces, while improved hole transport in textured films may result from more efficient lateral hole extraction due to the texturing itself or the reduced density of deep gap states observed in photoemission measurements. Photoemission data also reveal that the films have bismuth-rich, vanadium- and oxygen-deficient surface layers, while ion scattering spectroscopy indicates a Bi-V-O surface termination. Without added catalysts, the plain BiVO4 electrodes oxidized water with an initial photocurrent and peak EQE of 1.7 mA cm-2 and 30%, respectively, which equates to a hole transfer efficiency to water of >64% at 1.23 V. The electrodes quickly photocorrode during water oxidation but show good stability during sulfite oxidation and indefinite stability in the dark. By improving the hole transport efficiency and coating these nanoporous BiVO4 films with an appropriate protective layer and oxygen evolution catalyst, it should be possible to achieve highly efficient and stable water oxidation at a practical pH.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2013

Enhanced thermoelectric performance in spark plasma textured bulk n-type BiTe{sub 2.7}Se{sub 0.3} and p-type Bi{sub 0.5}Sb{sub 1.5}Te{sub 3}

Bulk p and n-type bismuth tellurides were prepared using spark plasma texturization method. The texture development along the uniaxial load in the 001 direction is confirmed from both x-ray diffraction analysis and electron backscattering diffraction measurements. Interestingly, those textured samples outperform the samples prepared by conventional spark plasma sintering (SPS) leading to a reduced thermal conductivity in the ab-plane. The textured samples of n-type BiTe{sub 2.7}Se{sub 0.3} and p-type Bi{sub 0.5}Sb{sub 1.5}Te{sub 3} showed a 42% and 33% enhancement in figure of merit at room temperature, respectively, as compared to their SPS counterparts, opening the route for applications.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2014

Fundamental limitation to the magnitude of piezoelectric response of (001)pc textured K0.5Na0.5NbO3 ceramic

(001)pc textured K0.5Na0.5NbO3 (KNN) ceramic was found to exhibit a 65% improvement in the longitudinal piezoelectric response as compared to its random counterpart. Piezoresponse force microscopy study revealed the existence of larger 180 and non-180 domains for textured ceramic as compared to that of the random ceramic. Improvement in piezoresponse by the development of (001)pc texture is discussed in terms of the crystallographic nature of KNN and domain morphology. A comparative analysis performed with a rhombohedral composition suggested that the improvement in longitudinal piezoresponse of polycrystalline ceramics by the development of (001)pc texture is limited by the crystal structure.

Gupta, Shashaank↗
DOE OSTI2014

Constraints on texture zero and cofactor zero models for neutrino mass

Imposing a texture or cofactor zero on the neutrino mass matrix reduces the number of independent parameters from nine to seven. Since five parameters have been measured, only two independent parameters would remain in such models. We find the allowed regions for single texture zero and single cofactor zero models. We also find strong similarities between single texture zero models with one mass hierarchy and single cofactor zero models with the opposite mass hierarchy. We show that this correspondence can be generalized to texture-zero and cofactor-zero models with the same homogeneous costraints on the elements and cofactors.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2018

Strength and texture of sodium chloride to 56 GPa

The strength and texture of sodium chloride in the B1 (rocksalt) and B2 (cesium chloride) phases were investigated in a diamond anvil cell using synchrotron X-ray diffraction in a radial geometry to 56 GPa. The measured differential stresses within the Reuss limit are in the range of 0.2 GPa for the B1 phase at pressure of 24 GPa and 1.6 GPa for the B2 phase at pressure of 56 GPa. A strength weakening is observed near the B1-B2 phase transition at about 30 GPa. The low strength of NaCl in the B1 phase confirms that it is an effective pressure-transmitting medium for high-pressure experiments to ~30 GPa. The B2 phase can be also used as a pressure-transmitting medium although it exhibits a steeper increase in strength with pressure than the B1 phase. Deformation induces weak lattice preferred orientation in NaCl, showing a (100) texture in the B1 phase and a (110) texture in the B2 phase. Lastly, the observed textures were evaluated by viscoplastic self-consistent model and our results suggest {110} <11¯0 > as the slip system for the B1 phase and {112} <11¯0 > for the B2 phase.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2025

X-ray thermal diffuse scattering as a texture-robust temperature diagnostic for dynamically compressed solids

We present a model of x-ray thermal diffuse scattering (TDS) from a cubic polycrystal with an arbitrary crystallographic texture, based on the classic approach of Warren [B. E. Warren, Acta Crystallogr. 6, 803 (1953)]. We compare the predictions of our model with femtosecond x-ray diffraction patterns gathered from ambient and dynamically compressed rolled copper foils obtained at the High Energy Density instrument of the European X-Ray Free-Electron Laser facility and find that the texture-aware TDS model yields more accurate results than does the conventional powder model owed to Warren. Nevertheless, we further show: with sufficient angular detector coverage, the TDS signal is largely unchanged by sample orientation and in all cases strongly resembles the signal from a perfectly random powder; shot-to-shot fluctuations in the TDS signal resulting from grain-sampling statistics are at the percent level, in stark contrast to the fluctuations in the Bragg-peak intensities (which are over an order of magnitude greater); and TDS is largely unchanged even following texture evolution caused by compression-induced plastic deformation. We conclude that TDS is robust against texture variation, making it a flexible temperature diagnostic applicable just as well to off-the-shelf commercial foils as to ideal powders.

Crystal lattices↗
DOE OSTI2018

Crystallographic and magnetic investigations of textured bismuth ferrite lead titanate layers

In present work we demonstrate the synthesis of textured 60BiFeO 3 –40PbTiO 3 (60:40 BFPT) by using the templated grain growth technique with platelets of BaTiO 3 . Synthesised 60:40 BFPT has been examined by High-energy x-ray diffraction utilizing a synchrotron x-ray source. The crystallographic structure refinement results revealed the co-existence of monoclinic and tetragonal phases. By employing an external electric field, the mixed monoclinic/tetragonal phases transformed to the predominantly tetragonal phase. In addition, a crystallographic texture refinement was completed on unpoled state of 60:40 BFPT which showed the sample had 1.3 multiples of random distribution (MRD) $\{100\}$ crystallographic textured in tetragonal phase. However, magnetic measurements showed isotropic ferromagnetism for the sample which is not in agreement with the crystallographic texture properties of the sample. Low temperature magnetic transition has been found in zero field cooled—field cooled (ZFC-FC) measurements. This could be due to the possible existence of a secondary magnetic phase, which dominated the magnetic result.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2024

Theory of topological defects and textures in two-dimensional quantum orders with spontaneous symmetry breaking

In this article, we consider two-dimensional (2d) quantum many-body systems with long-range orders, where the only gapless excitations in the spectrum are Goldstone modes of spontaneously broken continuous symmetries. To understand the interplay between classical long-range order of local order parameters and quantum order of long-range entanglement in the ground states, we study the topological point defects and textures of order parameters in such systems. We show that the universal properties of point defects and textures are determined by the remnant symmetry enriched topological order in the symmetry-breaking ground states with a nonfluctuating order parameter, and provide a classification for their properties based on the inflation-restriction exact sequence. We highlight a few phenomena revealed by our theory framework. First, in the absence of intrinsic topological orders, we show a connection between the symmetry properties of point defects and textures to deconfined quantum criticality. Second, when the symmetry-breaking ground state has intrinsic topological orders, we show that the point defects can permute different anyons when braided around. They can also obey projective fusion rules in the sense that multiple vortices can fuse into an Abelian anyon, a phenomenon for which we coin “defect fractionalization.” Finally, we provide a formula to compute the fractional statistics and fractional quantum numbers carried by textures (skyrmions) in Abelian topological orders.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2019

Quantification of Mixed Bloch-Néel Topological Spin Textures Stabilized by the Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya Interaction in Co / Pd Multilayers

The three-dimensional structure of nanoscale topological spin textures stabilized by the Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction is governed by the delicate competition between the exchange, demagnetization, and anisotropy energies. The quantification of such spin textures through direct experimental methods is crucial towards understanding the fundamental physics associated with their ordering, as well as their manipulation in spintronic devices. Here in this work, we extend the Lorentz transmission electron microscopy technique to quantify mixed Bloch-Néel chiral spin textures stabilized by the Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction in Co / Pd multilayers. Analysis of the observed intensities under varied imaging conditions coupled to corroborative micromagnetic simulations yields vital parameters that dictate the stability and properties of the complex spin texture, namely, the degree of mixed Bloch-Néel character, the domain wall width, the strength of the Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction, and the exchange stiffness. In conclusion, this approach provides the necessary framework for the application of quantitative Lorentz phase microscopy to a broad array of topological spin systems.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗