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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 379 records · Page 21
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2025

On Rate-Limiting Mechanisms in NMC Cathodes: The Interplay of Low and High Current Constraints

In this study, we investigate the rate performance limits in LiNi 0.6 Mn 0.2 Co 0.2 O 2 cathodes for lithium-ion batteries, focusing on how cathode thickness, porosity, and threshold voltage impact discharge capacity. By conducting galvanostatic discharge experiments across a wide range of current densities using cathodes of varying thicknesses and porosities, we identify two distinct rate-limiting mechanisms: ionic liquid-diffusion and Ohmic/charge-transfer limitations. Our findings show that thick, dense cathodes are primarily limited by lithium diffusion in the electrolyte, while thinner and more porous cathodes are dominated by Ohmic/charge-transfer limitations, particularly at higher lower cutoff voltages. Crucially, these results allow us to identify the rate-limiting mechanisms in different cathode configurations, offering clear insights into how cathode design can be optimized for improved performance. Understanding these mechanisms is essential for designing next-generation batteries with enhanced rate performance, which is critical for applications such as electric vehicles and renewable energy storage systems.

Brischetto, Martin (ORCID:0000000339865813)↗
DOE OSTI2022

Dynamic response of photorespiration in fluctuating light environments

Abstract Photorespiration is a dynamic process that is intimately linked to photosynthetic carbon assimilation. There is a growing interest in understanding carbon assimilation during dynamic conditions, but the role of photorespiration under such conditions is unclear. In this review, we discuss recent work relevant to the function of photorespiration under dynamic conditions, with a special focus on light transients. This work reveals that photorespiration is a fundamental component of the light induction of assimilation where variable diffusive processes limit CO2 exchange with the atmosphere. Additionally, metabolic interactions between photorespiration and the C3 cycle may help balance fluxes under dynamic light conditions. We further discuss how the energy demands of photorespiration present special challenges to energy balancing during dynamic conditions. We finish the review with an overview of why regulation of photorespiration may be important under dynamic conditions to maintain appropriate fluxes through metabolic pathways related to photorespiration such as nitrogen and one-carbon metabolism.

Plant Sciences↗
NASA NTRS1982

X-ray observations to detect hot coronae around galaxies

X-ray observations were made of two nearby edge-on spiral galaxies with the Imaging Proportional Counter (IPC) on the Einstein Observatory in an effort to detect hot (1,000,000 K), gaseous galactic coronae. No diffuse emission from galactic coronae was detected. Upper limits to diffuse emission (0.3-2.9 keV) are 10 to the 39th ergs/sec (NGC 3628) and 2 x 10 to the 38th ergs/sec (NGC 4244). The measurements indicate that less than 1/1000 of the energy supplied by supernovae in these galaxies appears as soft X-rays. The energy from supernovae may be radiated away by cool gas (less than 600,000 K) whose emission is undetectable by the Einstein Observatory, or the energy may be carried away by a hot wind (10,000,000 K) which radiates inefficiently. Serendipitous X-ray sources from the two IPC fields are listed.

Bregman, J. N.↗
NASA NTRS1987

Gamma-ray constraints on Na-22 yields in nova explosions

The longitudinal distribution of diffuse 1.275 MeV emission produced by the decay of interstellar Na-22 generated by a limited class of energetic novae-accreting ONeMg white dwarfs is modeled. The probability distributions for the locations of disk novae are derived as functions of Galactocentric cylindrical coordinates. The occurrence rate for novae of all classes in the Galactic disk is about 30/yr. An occurrence rate of about 16/yr is found for spheroid novae of all classes. By comparing these simulation results with HEAO 3 upper limits on diffuse 1.275 MeV emission, upper limits of (3-5.6) x 10 to the -7th solar mass are determined for the mean Na-22 yield for energetic novae generated by accreting ONeMg white dwarfs. These Na-22 limits constrain future models of explosive nucleosynthesis in energetic nova explosions.

Higdon, J. C.↗
DOE OSTI2022

Proper orthogonal decomposition based reduced-order modeling of flux-Limited gray thermal radiation

Here, in this work, a proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) based reduced-order model (ROM) is developed to solve gray, flux-limited thermal radiation diffusion. We focus on the variable opacity radiation penetration benchmark posed by Olson, Auer, and Hall. The T -3 relationship for opacity in conjunction with high-temperature radiation penetrating an initially cold material produces a strong thermal radiation shock. This class of problems is particularly challenging for standard POD-based reduced-order modeling due to the nonlinearities presented by 1) the T 4 source term, and 2) flux-limited diffusion operator. To address these challenges and develop a cost competitive ROM, we employ a “hyper-reduction” technique through discrete empirical interpolation (DEIM) and allow for adaptive reduced-order projections through principal interval decomposition (PID). Performance of the proposed methodology is quantified by comparing the cost savings and accuracy relative to a full-order computation. Reference solutions and snapshot data are obtained through a full-order calculation performed by the University of Chicago maintained astrophysics code, FLASH. For consistency and potential extensibility, the developed ROM is also implemented in FLASH. We find that in the initialization regime, where the thermal radiation wave is initially created by the warming of the material, this class of problems is highly reducible and suitable for POD-based ROMs. However, the strong convective nature of the wave propagation regime is less reducible and more challenging to create an efficient ROM.

42 ENGINEERING↗
NASA NTRS1993

An Experimental and Theoretical Study of Radiative Extinction of Diffusion Flames

The objective of this work is to investigate the radiation-induced rich extinction limits for diffusion flames. Radiative extinction is caused by the formation of particulates (e.g., soot) that drain chemical energy from the flame. We examine (mu)g conditions because there is a strong reason to believe that radiation-induced rich-limit extinction is not possible under normal-gravity conditions. In normal- g, the hot particulates formed in the fuel-rich flames are swept upward by buoyancy, out of the flame to the region above it, where their influence on the flame is negligible. However, in (mu)g the particulates remain in the flame vicinity, creating a strong energy sink that can, under suitable conditions, cause flame extinction.

Wichman, Indrek S.↗
DOE OSTI2019

Thermal diffusivity above the Mott-Ioffe-Regel limit

We present high-resolution thermal diffusivity measurements on several near optimally doped electron- and hole-doped cuprate systems in a temperature range that passes through the Mott-Ioffe-Regel limit, above which the quasiparticle picture fails. Our primary observations are that the inverse thermal diffusivity is linear in temperature and can be fitted to $D^{-1}_Q = aT + b$. The slope a is interpreted through the Planckian relaxation time $τ ≈ ℏ/k_BT$ and a thermal diffusion velocity v B, which is close, but larger than the sound velocity. The intercept b represents a crossover diffusion constant that separates coherent from incoherent quasiparticles. These observations suggest that both phonons and electrons participate in the thermal transport, while reaching the Planckian limit for relaxation time.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2024

Unsupervised learning-enabled pulsed infrared thermographic microscopy of subsurface defects in stainless steel

Metallic structures produced with laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) additive manufacturing method (AM) frequently contain microscopic porosity defects, with typical approximate size distribution from one to 100 microns. Presence of such defects could lead to premature failure of the structure. In principle, structural integrity assessment of LPBF metals can be accomplished with nondestructive evaluation (NDE). Pulsed infrared thermography (PIT) is a non-contact, one-sided NDE method that allows for imaging of internal defects in arbitrary size and shape metallic structures using heat transfer. PIT imaging is performed using compact instrumentation consisting of a flash lamp for deposition of a heat pulse, and a fast frame infrared (IR) camera for measuring surface temperature transients. However, limitations of imaging resolution with PIT include blurring due to heat diffusion, sensitivity limit of the IR camera. We demonstrate enhancement of PIT imaging capability with unsupervised learning (UL), which enables PIT microscopy of subsurface defects in high strength corrosion resistant stainless steel 316 alloy. PIT images were processed with UL spatial–temporal separation-based clustering segmentation (STSCS) algorithm, refined by morphology image processing methods to enhance visibility of defects. The STSCS algorithm starts with wavelet decomposition to spatially de-noise thermograms, followed by UL principal component analysis (PCA), fine-tuning optimization, and neural learning-based independent component analysis (ICA) algorithms to temporally compress de-noised thermograms. The compressed thermograms were further processed with UL-based graph thresholding K-means clustering algorithm for defects segmentation. The STSCS algorithm also includes online learning feature for efficient re-training of the model with new data. For this study, metallic specimens with calibrated microscopic flat bottom hole defects, with diameters in the range from 203 to 76 µm, were produced using electro discharge machining (EDM) drilling. While the raw thermograms do not show any material defects, using STSCS algorithm to process PIT images reveals defects as small as 101 µm in diameter. To the best of our knowledge, this is the smallest reported size of a sub-surface defect in a metal imaged with PIT, which demonstrates the PIT capability of detecting defects in the size range relevant to quality control requirements of LPBF-printed high-strength metals.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2025

Carbon Fiber Oxidation in 4D

The oxidation of carbon fibers at high temperatures is the primary degradation process in the thermal protection system of many hypersonic flight vehicles. Predicting the rate and the extent of oxidation is critical to ensure a safe and effective design. An oversized thermal protection system adds unnecessary mass, while an under-designed one risks system failure and mission loss. Resolving high-temperature material degradation due to oxidation has been a long-standing challenge in designing for re-entry flight environments. Using time-resolved in situ X-ray microtomography, the oxidation of carbon fibers at high temperatures is directly imaged, resolving the two limiting degradation regimes: diffusion- and reaction-limited. The ability to resolve material degradation in time at the sub-micron scale sheds light on the ablation phenomenon and enables predictions of material constitutive properties evolving in time, with profound implications on the ability to model the aerothermal response of heat shield materials in hostile environments.

ablation↗
NASA NTRS2016

Magnetospheric Multiscale Observations of the Electron Diffusion Region of Large Guide Field Magnetic Reconnection

We report observations from the Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) satellites of a large guide field magnetic reconnection event. The observations suggest that two of the four MMS spacecraft sampled the electron diffusion region, whereas the other two spacecraft detected the exhaust jet from the event. The guide magnetic field amplitude is approximately 4 times that of the reconnecting field. The event is accompanied by a significant parallel electric field (E(sub parallel lines) that is larger than predicted by simulations. The high-speed (approximately 300 km/s) crossing of the electron diffusion region limited the data set to one complete electron distribution inside of the electron diffusion region, which shows significant parallel heating. The data suggest that E(sub parallel lines) is balanced by a combination of electron inertia and a parallel gradient of the gyrotropic electron pressure.

Eriksson, S.↗
DOE OSTI2020

Independent Review of Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant Freon Release Authorized Limits and Evaluation of Corresponding Radiological Doses

The Portsmouth/Paducah Project Office (PPPO) proposes to use the American National Standard Institute (ANSI)/Health Physics Society (HPS) N13.12 (ANSI 2013) volumetric screening levels as Authorized Limits (ALs) for the release of cryofluorane R-114 (Freon) at the Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant (PGDP) in Paducah, Kentucky. A review of the proposed ALs document indicated that potential exposure scenarios from the release of Freon are adequately discussed therein. However, questions arose regarding the assumptions made for the ANSI N13.12 clearance values, and whether or not all pathway doses were adequately considered in the Authorized Limits Request. For example, PPPO used the inverse square rule to estimate dose to the truck driver. A more appropriate evaluation would have considered the material as a cylindrical source for this pathway. In addition, the inverse square rule was inadequately applied to the inhalation and ingestion pathways. Furthermore, while the ANSI N13.12 volumetric clearance values are used in the ALs, questions arose concerning whether the values are appropriate for materials of greater than 1 metric ton, and whether or not the ANSI N13.12 standard could be used for liquids that are sent to an incinerator. For these reasons, dose modeling was conducted to demonstrate that using ANSI/HPS N13.12 screening levels as ALs for release of PGDP Freon meets the dose criteria set in U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Order 458.1. This report provides a bounding dose analysis using scenarios described in PPPO document. Realistic parameters, such as the incinerator characteristics data, are used when available.

61 RADIATION PROTECTION AND DOSIMETRY↗
NASA NTRS2016

Materials Outgassing Rate Decay in Vacuum at Isothermal Conditions

As a laboratory for scientific research, the International Space Station has been in Low Earth Orbit for nearly 20 years and is expected to be on-orbit for another 10 years. The ISS has been maintaining a relatively pristine contamination environment for science payloads. Materials outgassing induced contamination is currently the dominant source for sensitive surfaces on ISS and modeling the outgassing rate decay over a 20 to 30 year period is challenging. Materials outgassing is described herein as a diffusion-reaction process using ASTM E 1559 rate data. The observation of -1/2 (diffusion) or non-integers (reaction limited) as rate decay exponents for common ISS materials indicate classical reaction kinetics is unsatisfactory in modeling materials outgassing. Non-randomness of reactant concentrations at the interface is the source of this deviation from classical reaction kinetics. A diffusion limited decay was adopted as the result of the correlation of the contaminant layer thicknesses on returned ISS hardware, the existence of high outgassing silicone exhibiting near diffusion limited decay, and the confirmation of non-depleted material after ten years in the Low Earth Orbit.Keywords: Materials Outgassing, ASTM E 1559, Reaction Kinetics, Diffusion, Space Environments Effects, Contamination

Huang, Alvin Y.↗
DOE OSTI2026

Integrated Strategies for Overcoming Resolution Limits in Electron Beam Lithography of Chemically Amplified Resists

Electron beam lithography (EBL) of chemically amplified resists (CARs) faces fundamental challenges, including stochastic electron scattering and acid diffusion, that limit resolution and reproducibility. Using SU-8 as a model CAR, this study systematically investigated complementary strategies to address these challenges, combining multipass exposure, proximity effect correction (PEC) with midrange correction factors, base quencher incorporation, and post-exposure bake (PEB) suppression. Monte Carlo simulations and calibrated PEC modeling revealed that extending the point spread function to include a midrange scattering component significantly improved critical dimension (CD) control across varying pattern densities, correcting deviations that conventional two-term PEC failed to capture. Multipass exposure, particularly 4-pass writing with a 25% offset, redistributed the dose to average stochastic beam and scattering fluctuations, reducing line-width roughness by more than 50% and yielding more uniform nanoscale features. Photoacid confinement was investigated by adding urea as a base quencher, which successfully reduced acid diffusion but introduced substantial sensitivity penalties without improving ultimate resolution or Z-factor performance, underscoring the trade-offs of chemical versus physical confinement. Suppressing PEB most directly minimized acid diffusion, resulting in improved Z-factors and reproducible 30 nm half-pitch dense line/space patterns. Overall, these results demonstrated that PEC with midrange correction, multipass strategies, quencher additives, and PEB-free processing addresses different aspects of the EBL process window and that their integration provides a comprehensive framework for managing stochastic scattering, diffusion, and chemical amplification effects. This framework advances dense nanoscale patterning in CARs and establishes guiding principles for optimizing resist design and process strategies in high-resolution EBL and potentially other advanced lithographies, such as extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2024

GAMPix: a novel fine-grained, low-noise and ultra-low power pixelated charge readout for TPCs

Here, we report on the development of a novel pixel charge readout system, Grid Activated Multi-scale pixel readout (GAMPix), which is under development for use in the GammaTPC gamma ray instrument concept. GammaTPC is being developed to optimize the use of liquid argon time projection chamber technology for gamma ray astrophysics, for which a fine grained low power charge readout is essential. GAMPix uses a new architecture with coarse and fine scale instrumented electrodes to solve the twin problems of loss of measured charge after diffusion, and high readout power. Fundamentally, it enables low noise and ultra low power charge readout at the spatial scale limited by diffusion in a time projection chamber, and has other possibly applications, including future DUNE modules.

Shutt, Tom↗
DOE OSTI2022

Chemical and structural evolutions of Li–Mn-rich layered electrodes at different current densities

Although the two active redox centers in Li-rich cathodes, including the anionic and cationic contributions, can enable Li-ion batteries to achieve outstanding specific energy, their behaviors at different current densities have not been clarified. In this report we provide a comparative study of transition metals (TMs) and oxygen redox activities by directly accessing their oxidation states in Li-rich materials operated at very different current rates. Our data reveal that the oxidation of oxygen in the near-surface region is at the same level for electrodes cycled with a wide range of current rates, indicating a reaction gradient of lattice oxygen redox reactions. The oxidation process of lattice oxygen is found to be dynamically compatible with that of the TMs. Combining the results of first principles calculations and complementary experimental findings, we propose a detailed mechanism of structural distortion from octahedral Li to tetrahedral Li and the role of oxygen vacancy in Li + diffusion. It is found that fast delithiation occurring at high current densities can easily cause local structural transformation, leading to a limited Li + diffusion rate and consequently suppressing rate capability.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
NASA NTRS1994

The structure of mass-loading shocks. 1: Comets

A new multifluid model to describe the solar wind-cometary ion plasma in the outer cometary coma is derived. This model is distinguished from previous multifluid models in that wave-particle effects are included explicitly. By considering hydrodynamic timescales, self-consistent dissipative terms (which correspond to the spatial diffusion of cometary ions) are derived, thereby allowing the structure of a cometary bow shock to be resolved. In the hypersonic limit, our diffusive multifluid model reveals an attractive connection to the one-fluid model formulated by Biermann et al. (1967), a connection which serves as an important guide when investigating our more complicated nonhypersonic diffusive model. The detailed model consists of cometary ions diffusing in a warm solar wind which is heated by the dissipation of Alfvenic turbulence (in situ and generated by the initial ring beam distribution). The quasi-parallel cometary shock is found to be at least an order of magnitude thicker than a quasi-perpendicular cometary shock. It is furthermore found that for undisturbed solar wind (sonic) Mach numbers in excess of approximately 6, the cometary bow shock (for both perpendicular and parallel cases) is smoothed completely by the cometary ions and no 'proton' or thermal subshock is necessary. Finally, a detailed comparison of the model with the plasma observations made at Halley by Giotto is undertaken. It is found that the observed shock structure, thickness, location, and plasma parameters compare well with the predictions of the theoretical model, particularly in the case of the quasi-parallel shock.

Zank, G. P.↗
NASA NTRS1973

On limits to Jupiter's magnetospheric diffusion rates.

X-ray fluxes at earth estimated from hypothetical fluxes and spectra of energetic particles trapped in Jupiter's magnetic field are found to be 1/170000 times the upper limit X-ray flux from Jupiter based on published results from a rocket experiment. Detection of the calculated X-ray flux from Jupiter does not necessarily provide information on an energetic trapped proton component because the X-ray flux due to the hypothetical trapped energetic proton fluxes alone is comparable in magnitude to that due alone to trapped energetic electron fluxes as Jupiter.

Mihalov, J. D.↗