Search NASA⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search NASA

Results for “Titanium nitride”

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.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

26 records · Page 2
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2026

Integrated millimeter-wave cavity electro-optic transduction

Emerging communications and computing technologies will rely ever-more on expanding the useful radio frequency spectrum into the millimeter-wave and terahertz frequency range. Both classical and quantum applications would benefit from advancing integration and incorporation of millimeter-wave and electro-optic technologies into common devices, such as modulators. Here we demonstrate an integrated triply-resonant, superconducting electro-optic transducer. Our design incorporates an on-chip 107 GHz niobium titanium nitride superconducting resonator, modulating a thin-film lithium niobate optical racetrack resonator operating at telecom wavelengths. We observe a maximum photon transduction efficiency of η OE ≈ 0.82 × 10 −6 and an average single-photon electro-optic interaction rate of g 0 /2π ≈ 0.7 kHz. We also present a study and analysis of the challenges associated with the design of integrated millimeter-wave resonators and propose possible solutions to these challenges. Our work paves the way for further advancements in resonant electro-optic technologies operating at millimeter-wave frequencies.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗
DOE OSTI2024

Low RF loss DC conductive ceramic for RF windows

Charging of RF windows has historically been problematic, frequently resulting in damage to the window severe enough that the window needs to be replaced. Many attempts have been made to prevent charging and therefore improve window lifetime, the most successful and common of which is coating the window with titanium nitride (TiN). Surface coatings such as TiN rely on the secondary electron yield of the coating material being lower than that of the ceramic window material, reducing the number of electrons emitted from a variety of mechanisms. An alternative approach is to introduce a small amount of DC conductivity to the ceramic itself, turning the traditionally insulating window into a mildly conductive one. This allows any charge on the surface of the window to drain rather than build until a discharge happens. A magnesium titanate ceramic has been developed with a small DC conductivity and used to make RF windows. Several window assemblies have been produced and tested, including 1.3 GHz waveguide and 650 MHz coaxial designs. The results of the conductive ceramic window test program will be presented.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗
DOE OSTI2026

Photo-Reactive Amine-Based Direct Air Capture and Conversion of CO2

This study presents a novel photochemical approach to direct air capture (DAC) and CO2 conversion, utilizing a ruthenium-modified mesoporous TiO2 composite infused with linear polyethyleneimine (L-PEI) and enhanced by light absorbing and earth abundant titanium nitride (TiN). This light-activated system operates at ambient pressure and addresses long-standing challenges in conventional amine-based thermal reactive carbon capture (RCC), including amine degradation and CO2 slip. Our findings demonstrate that L-PEI effectively stabilizes CO2 adsorption and facilitates high-yield methanation over 50 cycles with a non-flammable forming gas mixture (approximately 5% H2). Comparatively, composites incorporating small-molecule amines exhibited poor stability under illumination, while highly mobilie branched PEI (B-PEI) formulations suffered from significant catalyst deactivation. A technoeconomic analysis suggests that methane synthesis via this platform could be achieved at costs below $5/kg under current electrocatalytic hydrogen pricing. These findings highlight the potential of this approach to enhance energy security by enabling decentralized, scalable fuel production from atmospheric CO2.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2024

Nonprecious Single Atom Catalyst for Methane Pyrolysis

The development of a suitable catalytic system for methane pyrolysis reactions requires a detailed investigation of the activation energy of C-H bonds on catalysts, as well as their stability against sintering and coke formation. In this work, both single-metal Ni atoms and small clusters of Ni atoms deposited on titanium nitride (TiN) plasmonic nanoparticles were characterized for the C-H bond activation of a methane pyrolysis reaction using ab initio spin-polarized density functional theory (DFT) calculations. The present work shows the complete reaction pathway, including energy barriers for C-H bond activation and dehydrogenated fragments, during the methane pyrolysis reaction on catalytic systems. Interestingly, the C-H bond activation barriers were low for both Ni single-atom and Ni-clusters, showing the energy barriers of ~1.10 eV and ~0.88 eV, respectively. Additionally, single-atom Ni-TiN showed weaker binding to adsorbates, and a net endothermic reaction pathway indicated that the single-atom Ni-TiN was expected to resist coke formation on its surface. However, these Ni single-atom catalysts can sinter, aggregate into a small cluster, and form a coke layer from the highly exothermic reaction pathway that the cluster takes despite the facile reaction pathway.

08 HYDROGEN↗
DOE OSTI2025

Understanding and promoting the reaction kinetics of photothermally driven Diels–Alder reaction with minimized side reactions

The thermoreversible Diels–Alder (DA) reaction involving furan and maleimide precursors has been extensively exploited to develop reversible thermosets for circular economy and additive manufacturing. Recently, applications of photothermal nanoparticles, which can absorb light and generate nanoscale heat, have gained significant attention in driving the Diels–Alder (DA) reaction more efficiently. This approach can be utilized by various applications, for example, solar light-enhanced recycling, self-healing at targeted area, and photothermal 3-D printing. Here, in this work, we address an important fundamental question on the photothermal approach: how does the reaction kinetics of the photothermally driven DA reaction compared to that of the conventional heat driven one? We found that the forward DA reaction kinetics varies dramatically depending on a type of heat sources, i.e., light-induced photothermal heat or conventional heat, despite of a similar bulk temperature. We observed that the light-induced photothermal heat significantly enhances the DA reaction rate in comparison to the bulk heating in an inert environment. On the contrary, the photothermally driven forward DA reaction is significantly slower than that of the heat driven reaction in the presence of oxygen. This is attributed to the photoexcited electrons in photothermal nanoparticles that can generate singlet oxygen ( 1 O 2 ) in the presence of visible light. This singlet oxygen may facilitate an endoperoxide side reaction on the furan group, ultimately, retard the DA reaction from the furan group. These results reveal the effectiveness of photothermal nanoparticles in accelerating DA reaction while underscoring the need to minimize oxygen exposure to prevent unfavorable side reactions.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2024

A New Method for Creating Structured High-Performance Current Collectors for Electrochemical Applications

A significant challenge in many electrochemical systems is finding a stable, high-performing current collector material that is mechanically robust, adaptable in form factor, and free of precious metals. Titanium electrodes are robust in many of these regards but exhibit poor charge transfer performance due to self-passivation. Herein, a new materials processing paradigm based on the titanium/titanium nitride (Ti/TiN) system which allows for robust, stable, and low-resistance current collectors of arbitrary form factor is presented. Specifically, a gas-nitriding process for 3D-printed titanium electrodes that results in a 20-fold improvement of charge transfer characteristics relative to the untreated material is outlined. The ability to utilize 3D-structured current collectors with a net 40-fold improvement in performance over nonstructured electrodes is further demonstrated. This novel approach to creating electrochemical current collectors requires minimal laboratory resources and can be widely adapted for a variety of applications, including desalination, electrolysis, energy storage, and basic research. In conclusion, the work described herein provides both a means for accelerating research and opens the door to hierarchical tuneability for enhanced performance.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2024

Role of nitrogen in the high-temperature oxidation of titanium alloys

Here, we characterized the oxidation of pure Ti, Ti-0.8Si, and Ti-2Nb at 800 °C in N 2 -20% O 2 and in sequential isotopically labeled N 2 -20% O 2 atmospheres to clarify how nitrogen influences the high-temperature oxidation mechanisms of titanium alloys. The alloys always exhibited a nitride layer beneath a compact oxide scale with localized nitrogen concentrations in the underlying metal. Nitrogen is found to limit the oxygen concentrations in the metal. The synergy between alloying and nitrogen helps maintain compact oxide scales, preventing the formation of the lamellar scales observed during oxidation in nitrogen-free atmosphere and the oxidation of pure Ti regardless of the atmosphere.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2025

Erbium quantum memory platform with long optical coherence via back-end-of-line deposition on foundry-fabricated photonics

Realizing scalable quantum interconnects necessitates the integration of solid-state quantum memories with foundry photonics processes. While prior photonic integration efforts have relied upon specialized, laboratory-scale fabrication techniques, this work demonstrates the monolithic integration of a quantum memory platform with low-loss foundry photonic circuits via back-end-of-line deposition. We deposited thin films of titanium dioxide (Ti⁢O 2 ) doped with erbium (Er) onto silicon nitride nanophotonic waveguides and studied Er optical coherence at subkelvin temperatures with photon echo techniques. Furthermore, we suppressed optical dephasing through ex-situ oxygen annealing and optimized measurement conditions, which yielded an optical coherence time of 64 μ⁢s (a 5-kHz homogeneous linewidth) and slow spectral diffusion of 27 kHz over 4 ms, results that are comparable to state-of-the-art Er nanophotonic devices. Combined with second-long electron spin lifetimes and demonstrated electrical control of Er emission, our findings establish Er:Ti⁢O 2 on foundry photonics as a manufacturable platform for ensemble and single-ion quantum memories.

Electro-optic effects↗