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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 361 records · Page 20

Optical, Mechanical, and Thermal Properties of Free-Standing MoSi{sub 2}N{sub x} and ZrSi{sub 2}N{sub y} Nanocomposite Films

The optical, mechanical, and thermal properties of free-standing structures based on nitrided molybdenum and zirconium silicides have been studied. It has been shown that silicide nitriding considerably improves the thermal stability of films. While as-prepared amorphous MoSi{sub 2} and ZrSi{sub 2} films crystallize in the interval 330–370°C, nitriding of films has made it possible to increase their working temperatures in vacuum to 600–700°C (at least, for x ≥ 0.25, y ≥ 1.3). Tensile tests have shown that the ultimate strength of MoSi{sub 2}N{sub x} films (0 ≤ x ≤ 0.55) depends on nitrogen content only slightly. Comparison between the properties of MoSi{sub 2}N{sub x} and ZrSi{sub 2}N{sub y} films magnetron-sputtered at the same partial pressure of nitrogen has demonstrated that with transmission coefficients of films at a wavelength of 13.5 nm being close to each other, ZrSi{sub 2} films are more effective as protection coatings (they are less prone to oxidation and more degradation-resistant).

77 NANOSCIENCE AND NANOTECHNOLOGY↗

UV-assisted growth of transparent conducting layers based on zinc oxide

A comparative study of the microstructure and optical and electrical characteristics of gallium-doped ZnO films synthesized by magnetron sputtering with and without assistance to the growth process by UV radiation has been carried out. It was found that the UV assistance to the growth process of ZnO-based transparent conducting layers improves their electrical characteristics because of the formation of additional donor centers and the lower carrier scattering at grain boundaries, without any strong inf luence on the layer morphology and on the average optical transmittance in the visible spectral range.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

An Experimental Study of the Influence of an External Signal on the Generation Mode of a Megawatt-Power Gyrotron

The frequency capture of radiation by an external signal was experimentally studied for the first time for a megawatt-power gyrotron. An external signal from the magnetron at a frequency of 35 GHz entered the working space of the gyrotron through a synthesized two-mirror quasi-optical converter that allowed transforming the input signal into a working mode. This converter has been recently developed and implemented in the Institute of Applied Physics, Russian Academy of Sciences. The radiation spectra were experimentally obtained in modes of frequency capture and frequency beats. The dependence of the frequency capture bandwidth on the power of the external signal was found. Comparison of experimental results with the data of numerical modelling of gyrotron equations with an external signal showed their good agreement.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Exchange Spring in a Heterostructure with Pd{sub 0.96}Fe{sub 0.04} Low-Temperature Ferromagnet

The exchange bias of the magnetic hysteresis loop and the exchange-spring effect have been observed in thin-film heterostructures comprising layers of Pd{sub 0.96}Fe{sub 0.04} low-temperature ferromagnet, metallic cobalt, and cobalt monoxide (CoO) grown on single-crystalline sapphire by methods of magnetron sputtering and molecular beam epitaxy in an ultrahigh-vacuum system. It is established that the exchange anisotropy of Pd{sub 0.96}Fe{sub 0.04} layer in Pd{sub 0.96}Fe{sub 0.04}/CoO/Co/Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} thin-film heterostructure is absent and the exchange-spring effect in this system is not manifested. In the case of a Pd{sub 0.96}Fe{sub 0.04}/Co/CoO/Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} structure, it is shown that, according to the results of magnetometric measurements, the inversion of the order of antiferromagnetic and ferromagnetic layers leads to pinning of the magnetic moment of Pd{sub 0.96}Fe{sub 0.04} layer at the interface with cobalt and to realization of the exchange-spring effect. Additional evidence in favor of this interpretation was obtained using the micromagnetic modeling of magnetic hysteresis loops.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Structural Changes in Si–CuSi Films upon Intercalation of Lithium Ions

We studied the possibility of using composite films representing amorphous silicon reinforced with crystalline inclusions of copper silicide as an anode material for lithium-ion batteries with liquid electrolyte. The films were made by layer-by-layer magnetron sputtering of amorphous silicon and copper, followed by low-temperature (100–200°C) annealing of the structure. The tests of the anodes revealed the effect of prolonged intense growth of their reversible capacity. To describe the effect, a phenomenological model based on the multidirectional migration of silicon and copper atoms in an inhomogeneous field of elastic mechanical stresses arising during electrode cycling is proposed.

30 DIRECT ENERGY CONVERSION↗

Vibration Method for Tracking the Resonant Mode and Impedance of a Microwave Cavity

There has been a concerted effort to improve the microwave heating technique for processing materials at high temperature. Improved optimization of the energy transfer from a microwave source to the material being processed is required. A vibration technique is pre- sented to continuously maintain a mode resonance and impedance match between a constant frequency magnetron source and a resonant cavity.

microwave↗

Characterization of NiC Multilayer Coating Stress for X-Ray Optic Applications

NiC multilayers have been identified as a promising coating design for hard X-ray astrophysical imaging applications enabling bandpass extension beyond the Pt K-edge of approximately 78 keV. However, these coatings are difficult to deposit with low interfacial roughness below a bilayer thickness of about 35 ˚A. Utilizing a DC magnetron sputtering system, NiC multilayer of varying d-spacings are deposited on flat Si wafers and characterized using 8.048 keV X-ray reflectometry measurements. The residual coating stress is also measured using interferometry. We investigate how deposition parameters affect both the coating quality (i.e. surface/interfacial roughness, density, etc.) and the residual coating stress. From these experimental results conducted on flat substrates, we employ FEM and ray trace simulations to determine how NiC multilayer stress could impact the figure, and therefore performance, of full shell X-ray optics.

mulitlayer↗

Multi-Functional Zirconium-Silicide Coatings on Zirconium-alloy for Improved Accident Tolerance

Recently, development of protective coatings on zirconium-alloy (Zr-alloy) fuel cladding in light water reactors has been extensively investigated to enhance safety margins in accident scenarios. One accident scenario is degradation of the reactor core under a coolant-limited condition, where a large amount of Zr-alloy claddings would react with high temperature steam, leading to oxidation, hydrogen production, and loss of intrinsic mechanical properties of the fuel cladding. Although, total replacement of Zr-alloy with SiC-SiCf composites or FeCrAl is being considered for the long-term, application of oxidation resistant coatings on zirconium-alloy is being investigated as a near-term solution to mitigate oxidation of Zr-alloy and increase the accident coping time. Coatings, such as chromium, Ti{sub 2}AlC, SiC, and Cr{sub 3}C{sub 2}- NiCr, deposited by various deposition techniques have been investigated. In addition, recent studies on modified heating surface for heat transfer enhancement provides basis on the optimal design of coated Zr-alloy claddings so that the new cladding can be achieve accident tolerance and heat transfer efficiency for both accident and normal operation conditions. Therefore, boiling heat transfer from the coated surface to water environment must be evaluated in parallel. In heat transfer performance, boiling heat transfer is characterized by nucleate boiling, critical heat flux (CHF), transition boiling, minimum film boiling temperature (T{sub min}), and film boiling. Zirconium-silicide (ZrSi{sub 2}) is a potentially attractive protective coating material for cladding applications. Although this material has not been studied extensively, it appears to be a promising candidate because of the high melting points, and the low neutron penalty, and the generally good oxidation resistance to transition metal silicides. It has been reported that oxidation of ZrSi{sub 2} powder in a flowing air environment at elevated temperatures produced ZrO{sub 2}, SiO{sub 2}, and ZrSiO{sub 4}, pointing to the possibility of achieving highly protective surface layers of SiO{sub 2} and ZrSiO{sub 4} that would protect the material from further oxidation. In this study, magnetron sputter deposition of ZrSi{sub 2} on zirconium-alloy flats and cylindrical rods was performed. The coated samples were oxidized in high temperature air (700 deg. C, 1000 deg. C and 1200 deg. C) to evaluate their oxidation resistance. The coated cylindrical rods were quenched in saturated water to observe transition boiling, T{sub min}, film boiling regime, while the coated flats were tested in pool boiling facility to investigate nucleation boiling and CHF.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗

Fast X-ray Nanotomography with Sub-10 nm Resolution as a Powerful Imaging Tool for Nanotechnology and Energy Storage Applications

In the last decade, transmission X-ray microscopes (TXMs) have come into operation in most of the synchrotrons worldwide. They have proven to be outstanding tools for non-invasive ex and in situ 3D characterization of materials at the nanoscale across varying range of scientific applications. However, their spatial resolution has not improved in many years, while newly developed functional materials and microdevices with enhanced performances exhibit nanostructures always finer. Here, optomechanical breakthroughs leading to fast 3D tomographic acquisitions (85 min) with sub-10 nm spatial resolution, narrowing the gap between X-ray and electron microscopy, are reported. These new achievements are first validated with 3D characterizations of nanolithography objects corresponding to ultrahigh-aspect-ratio hard X-ray zone plates. Then, this powerful technique is used to investigate the morphology and conformality of nanometer-thick film electrodes synthesized by atomic layer deposition and magnetron sputtering deposition methods on 3D silicon scaffolds for electrochemical energy storage applications.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Controlled Growth of Single‐Crystal Graphene Wafers on Twin‐Boundary‐Free Cu(111) Substrates

Single-crystal graphene (SCG) wafers are needed to enable mass-electronics and optoelectronics owing to their excellent properties and compatibility with silicon-based technology. Controlled synthesis of high-quality SCG wafers can be done exploiting single-crystal Cu(111) substrates as epitaxial growth substrates recently. However, current Cu(111) films prepared by magnetron sputtering on single-crystal sapphire wafers still suffer from in-plane twin boundaries, which degrade the SCG chemical vapor deposition. Here, in this study, it is shown how to eliminate twin boundaries on Cu and achieve 4 in. Cu(111) wafers with ≈95% crystallinity. The introduction of a temperature gradient on Cu films with designed texture during annealing drives abnormal grain growth across the whole Cu wafer. In-plane twin boundaries are eliminated via migration of out-of-plane grain boundaries. SCG wafers grown on the resulting single-crystal Cu(111) substrates exhibit improved crystallinity with >97% aligned graphene domains. As-synthesized SCG wafers exhibit an average carrier mobility up to 7284 cm 2 V −1 s −1 at room temperature from 103 devices and a uniform sheet resistance with only 5% deviation in 4 in. region.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Stable p-i-n FAPbBr 3 devices with improved efficiency using sputtered ZnO as electron transport layer [Stable p-i-n FAPbBr 3 devices with improved efficiency using sputtered inorganic electron transport layer]

Here, radio-frequency magnetron sputtering is demonstrated as an effective tool to deposit highly crystalline thin zinc oxide (ZnO) layer directly on perovskite absorber as an electron transport layer (ETL). As an absorber, formamidinium lead tribromide (FAPbBr 3 ) is fabricated through a modified single-step solution process using hydrogen bromide (HBr) as an additive resulting in complete surface coverage and highly crystalline material. A planar p-i-n device architecture with spin-coated poly-(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly-styrenesulfonic acid (PEDOT:PSS) as hole transport material (HTM) and sputtered ZnO as ETL results in a short circuit current density of 9.5 mA cm -2 and an open circuit potential of 1.19 V. Numerical simulations are performed to validate the underlying loss mechanisms. The use of phenyl C 60 butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) interface layer between FAPbBr 3 and sputter-coated ZnO offers shielding from potential plasma-related interface damage. The modified interface results in a better device efficiency of 8.3% with an open circuit potential of 1.35 V. Such devices offer better stability under continuous illumination under ambient conditions in comparison with the conventional organic ETL (PCBM)-based devices.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗

Turning Catalysts on by Light-Induced Stress: When Red Means Go

We report the activation of platinum catalyst thin films for oxygen reduction reaction in perchloric acid electrolytes when the films are subjected to mechanical stress. The catalysts films were deposited by magnetron sputtering on photosensitive chalcogenide As 20 Se 80 semiconductor glass layer. When platinum films are illuminated by red laser light the glass under semitransparent platinum film exhibits photo-induced flow. The material flow underneath platinum film induces mechanical stress resulting in film wrinkling and significant increase in its catalytic activity.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Underlying Substrate Effect on Electrochemical Activity for Hydrogen Evolution Reaction with Low‐Platinum‐Loaded Catalysts

Platinum is known as the best catalyst for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) but the scarcity and high cost of Pt limit its widespread applicability. Herein, the role of the underlying substrate on the HER activity of dispersed Pt atoms is uncovered. A direct current magnetron sputtering technique is utilized to deposit transition metal (TM) thin films of W, Ti, and Ta as underlying substrates for extremely low loading of Pt (<1.5 at%). The electrocatalytic performance of as‐synthesized samples for the HER is examined in both alkali and acidic media. The results show that despite the low loading of Pt, the Pt/TM catalysts produce hydrogen at a rate comparable to that of pristine bulk Pt. Pt/TM catalysts also display good stability with less than 5% decay in performance after 10 h of continuous HER operation. Based on the computational study, the excellent performance is attributed to the modified electronic properties of the Pt atoms, offering ideal binding energy for HER due to interaction with the underlying substrates. This work provides a robust and industry‐friendly route toward designing efficient catalytic systems for important electrochemical reactions such as HER and others.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗