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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 451 records · Page 25
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2026

Biomass Demineralization: A Critical Need for Future Biorefineries

Biomass contains up to 14 essential elements that serve as nutrients for plant growth and development, including photosynthesis and enzyme functionalities. These elements in different chemical forms (e.g., minerals) constitute the inorganic fraction of biomass and can cause operational issues in thermal and biochemical biomass conversion technologies. In biomass gasification and pyrolysis processes, for instance, inorganics can cause fouling, tar formation, and corrosion. In catalytic and biochemical processes, inorganics can poison catalysts, alter biochemical pathways, and modify product yields and selectivity. This review provides an overview of the inorganic content in biomass feedstocks, the critical role inorganics play in plant biochemistry, the effect that inorganics have in various thermochemical and biochemical biomass conversion technologies, and different approaches to remove them from biomass. We provide recommendations for future research, focusing on developing technologies to effectively remove inorganics from biomass, using the inorganics to improve soil quality and for alternative applications, and designing biorefineries to convert demineralized biomass obtained from diverse sources.

09 - BIOMASS FUELS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Deactivation of Mo/H-ZSM-5 in Microwave-Assisted and Thermal-Driven Methane Dehydroaromatization

A better understanding of catalyst deactivation is needed to improve catalyst design and performance in microwave-enhanced methane dehydroaromatization (MDA). Here, this study investigates the deactivation of a molybdenum supported H-ZSM-5 zeolite (Mo/H-ZSM-5) catalyst in MDA under microwave-heated conditions, comparing its performance to that of the same catalyst under conventional heating. While the microwave-assisted (MW) process achieved higher benzene yields, the catalyst experienced faster deactivation due to the selective and rapid deposition of coke within the pores of the zeolite, as confirmed through Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET), X-ray diffraction (XRD), ammonia-temperature programmed desorption (NH 3 -TPD), thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA), temperature programmed oxidation (TPO), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analyses. The quantification of total coke content via TGA/TPO and surface carbon (XPS) revealed that nearly twice as much coke was deposited on the catalyst under MW conditions compared to that on the conventionally heated material, and the coke exhibited a more conductive and graphitic nature. The accelerated deactivation rates were attributed to the formation of hot spots in the MW system, leading to enhanced coupling with coke formed in situ during the reaction and resulting in increased Mo reduction. Observations indicated that the CO activation used to carburize the catalyst prior to the reaction is not advantageous in the MW heating environment. The presence of large amounts of Mo oxides at elevated temperatures (through hot spots) exposed to methane leads to instability under the reaction conditions. Optimizing the activation environment and improvement of the Mo dispersion within the pores are potential strategies to improve catalyst stability.

Mo/H-ZSM-5 zeolite↗
DOE OSTI2024

Cast Film Production with Polyethylene Recycled from a Post-Industrial Printed Multilayer Film by Solvent-Targeted Recovery and Precipitation

The solvent-targeted recovery and precipitation (STRAP) process separates and recovers the constituent resins in multilayer plastic packaging films by selective polymer dissolution. In this work, three different experimental methods were considered to recover a polyethylene (PE) resin from a printed multilayer film by STRAP. The methods consisted of (1) a filter bag system, (2) a Soxhlet extraction, and (3) a jacketed dissolution vessel. Cast films were produced with the PE recovered from each method and were analyzed for color, mechanical properties, and number of impurities. High-quality recycled PE cast films can be produced by increasing the solvent to plastic ratio, including a filter pore size of 100 μm, and optimizing temperature control in STRAP. Furthermore, this study demonstrates that STRAP polymers can be recycled back into plastic films, enabling the potential circularity of these packaging materials.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2025

Solvent-Free Dimerization of Isoprene at Ambient Temperature: A Green Route to Biofuel-Range Hydrocarbons

In order to achieve a net-zero carbon footprint by 2050, the global aviation industry must reduce its dependence on fossil fuels. In this regard, there is a global challenge to produce sufficient sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) from renewable sources. Isoprene is an intermediate molecule that can be derived from multiple biomass-based or biosynthetic routes. Here, in this work, we report a green route for the catalytic conversion of isoprene to hydrocarbons that are suitable for aviation fuel. By using an Amberlyst-15 catalyst without metal loading at ambient temperature (19–23 °C), as well as 40 °C, 50 °C, and 60 °C, isoprene was converted into olefinic precursors for SAF and/or blending with conventional aviation fuels. Specifically, at ambient temperature, the process achieved approximately 70 wt % conversion of isoprene with over 50 mol % carbon selectivity toward the aviation fuel range. The resulting SAF-range hydrocarbons were composed of iso-alkenes, branched olefinic monocyclic compounds, and bicyclic compounds, covering a wide range of aviation fuel components. Our work demonstrates, for the first time, the formation of diverse hydrocarbon families for SAF and/or aviation fuel blending at ambient temperature from isoprene.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Charged Current Single Pion Production on SBND

The Short Baseline Neutrino (SBN) program at Fermilab is designed to provide precise measurements of neutrino oscillations using 3 Liquid Argon Time Projection Chambers (LArTPC) built along Fermilab's Booster Neutrino Beam (BNB). The Short Baseline Near Detector (SBND), located at only 110 m from the BNB target, will precisely characterize the neutrino flux before oscillations take place, thanks to its unprecedented neutrino interaction statistics. Due to its proximity to the neutrino production target, the detector expects over a million neutrino interactions annually, which will open the possibility of exploring exclusive channels of neutrino interactions. This poster will show SBND’s capabilities of exploring Muon Neutrino Charged Current Single Pion production, for which previous measurements in Argon were limited by statistics. The poster will introduce the relevance of this process for neutrino Physics, the unique possibilities of SBND and a preliminary event selection using SBND's current reconstruction tools.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Computational Modeling of CO2 Capture By Novel PIM-RU in a Fluidized Bed Riser

The interest in carbon capture, storage, and utilization (CCUS) has increased significantly in the past few decades as it can help mitigate the threat of global warming caused by substantial increase in CO2 emissions due to anthropogenic activities. Although several CO2 capture technologies have been developed, porous solid sorbents, which adsorb CO2 by physisorption, are considered promising candidates for post-combustion CO2 capture because of the easier recovery of adsorbed CO2 and high material stability. Some prominent types of porous solid sorbents are metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), Zeolite, mesoporous silica, and polymer-based sorbents (e.g., polymers with intrinsic microporosity or PIM). Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) recently developed a novel PIM-based sorbent, referred to here as PIM-RU. The main objective of this work is to investigate the CO2 capture performance of this sorbent using computational fluid dynamics (CFD). While process configuration and reactor design are open questions, a fluidized bed riser was selected as the contactor type for this study.

Aziz, Hossain↗
DOE OSTI2025

Ultracoherent SRF Cavity-Based Multi-Qudit Platform with Error-Resilient Control

Superconducting radio-frequency (SRF) cavities offer a promising platform for quantum computing due to their long coherence times, yet integrating nonlinear elements like transmons for control often introduces additional loss. We report a multimode quantum system based on a 2-cell elliptical shaped SRF cavity, comprising two cavity modes weakly coupled to an ancillary transmon circuit, designed to preserve coherence while enabling efficient control of the cavity modes. We mitigate the detrimental effects of the transmon decoherence through careful design optimization that reduces transmon-cavity couplings and participation in the dielectric substrate and lossy interfaces, to achieve single-photon lifetimes of 20.6\,ms and 15.6\,ms for the two modes, and a pure dephasing time exceeding 40\,ms. This marks an order-of-magnitude improvement over prior 3D multimode memories. Leveraging sideband interactions and novel error-resilient protocols, including measurement-based correction and post-selection, we achieve high-fidelity control over quantum states. This enables the preparation of Fock states up to $N = 20$ with fidelities exceeding 95\%, the highest reported to date to the authors' knowledge, as well as two-mode entanglement with an estimated coherence-limited fidelities of 99.9\% after post-selection. These results establish our platform as a robust foundation for quantum information processing, allowing for future extensions to high-dimensional qudit encodings.

Kim, T. [Northwestern U.]↗
DOE OSTI2026

Ultracoherent superconducting cavity-based multiqudit platform with error-resilient control

Superconducting radio-frequency (SRF) cavities offer a promising platform for quantum computing due to their long coherence times, yet integrating nonlinear elements like transmons for control often introduces additional loss. We report a multimode quantum system based on a 2-cell elliptical-shaped SRF cavity, comprising two cavity modes weakly coupled to an ancillary transmon circuit, designed to preserve coherence while enabling efficient control of the cavity modes. We mitigate the detrimental effects of the transmon decoherence through careful design optimization that reduces transmon-cavity couplings and participation in the dielectric substrate and lossy interfaces, to achieve single-photon lifetimes of 20.6 ms and 15.6 ms for the two modes, and a pure dephasing time exceeding 40 ms. This marks an order-of-magnitude improvement over prior 3D multimode memories. Leveraging sideband interactions and novel error-resilient protocols, including measurement-based correction and post-selection, we achieve high-fidelity control over quantum states. This enables the preparation of Fock states up to N = 20 with fidelities exceeding 95%, the highest reported to date to the authors' knowledge, as well as two-mode entanglement with an estimated coherence-limited fidelities of 99.9% after post-selection. These results establish our platform as a robust foundation for quantum information processing, allowing for future extensions to high-dimensional qudit encodings.

Lu, Yao [Fermilab] (ORCID:000000020413698X)↗
DOE OSTI2026

Ultracoherent superconducting cavity-based multiqudit platform with error-resilient control

Superconducting radio-frequency (SRF) cavities offer a promising platform for quantum computing due to their long coherence times, yet integrating nonlinear elements like transmons for control often introduces additional loss. We report a multimode quantum system based on a 2-cell elliptical-shaped SRF cavity, comprising two cavity modes weakly coupled to an ancillary transmon circuit, designed to preserve coherence while enabling efficient control of the cavity modes. We mitigate the detrimental effects of the transmon decoherence through careful design optimization that reduces transmon-cavity couplings and participation in the dielectric substrate and lossy interfaces, to achieve single-photon lifetimes of 20.6 ms and 15.6 ms for the two modes, and a pure dephasing time exceeding 40 ms. This marks an order-of-magnitude improvement over prior 3D multimode memories. Leveraging sideband interactions and novel error-resilient protocols, including measurement-based correction and post-selection, we achieve high-fidelity control over quantum states. This enables the preparation of Fock states up to N = 20 with fidelities exceeding 95%, the highest reported to date to the authors' knowledge, as well as two-mode entanglement with an estimated coherence-limited fidelities of 99.9% after post-selection. These results establish our platform as a robust foundation for quantum information processing, allowing for future extensions to high-dimensional qudit encodings.

Lu, Yao [Fermilab] (ORCID:000000020413698X)↗
DOE OSTI2026

Aluminum 4047 Vendor Review [Slides]

The selected filler wire manufacturer should have full control of the filler wire manufacturing process (i.e. ingot metal, green rod, filler wire manufacturing and packaging). LANL would like to purchase filler wire as an off-the-shelf product in small quantities over time to maintain a fresh stock and eliminate issues related to long-term storage of aluminum. The filler wire would be purchased in 0.047” dia. on small (ideally 5 lb.) spools, but no larger than 16 lbs.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2025

Ultracoherent superconducting cavity-based multiqudit platform with error-resilient control

Superconducting radio-frequency (SRF) cavities offer a promising platform for quantum computing due to their long coherence times, yet integrating nonlinear elements like transmons for control often introduces additional loss. We report a multimode quantum system based on a 2-cell elliptical shaped SRF cavity, comprising two cavity modes weakly coupled to an ancillary transmon circuit, designed to preserve coherence while enabling efficient control of the cavity modes. We mitigate the detrimental effects of the transmon decoherence through careful design optimization that reduces transmon-cavity couplings and participation in the dielectric substrate and lossy interfaces, to achieve single-photon lifetimes of 20.6 ms and 15.6 ms for the two modes, and a pure dephasing time exceeding 40 ms. This marks an order-of-magnitude improvement over prior 3D multimode memories. Leveraging sideband interactions and novel error-resilient protocols, including measurement-based correction and post-selection, we achieve high-fidelity control over quantum states. This enables the preparation of Fock states up to $N = 20$ with fidelities exceeding 95%, the highest reported to date to the authors' knowledge, as well as two-mode entanglement with an estimated coherence-limited fidelities of 99.9% after post-selection. These results establish our platform as a robust foundation for quantum information processing, allowing for future extensions to high-dimensional qudit encodings.

Kim, Taeyoon [Fermilab; Northwestern U.]↗
DOE OSTI2025

Silver(I) Supported Liquid Membranes for Selective Ethylene Recovery from Mixed-Gas Streams of Tandem CO 2 Electrolysis

Large-scale olefin separations from unreacted paraffins and other byproduct gases are primarily done by energy-intensive cryogenic distillation processes at refineries. Silver(I) supported liquid membranes (Ag SLMs) can be implemented at smaller production scales of ethylene (C 2 H 4 ), a critical industrial chemical, such as its electrocatalytic (EC) production from CO 2 . Challenges of EC C 2 H 4 production mainly stem from reducing gases like hydrogen (H 2 ), where the redox reactions pertinent to Ag(I) facilitators diminish olefin transport. Herein we report that aqueous Ag(I) solution in a composite Ag SLM can operate in mixed-gas conditions containing H 2 gas utilizing reduced titania compounds, such as titanium(III) oxide (Ti 2 O 3 ). Embedding Ti 2 O 3 in the polydimethylsiloxane layer of Ag SLM assisted in selectively separating C 2 H 4 from mixed-gas feed streams related to CO 2 electrolysis containing H 2 . The direct exposure of a mixed-gas stream containing C 2 H 4 , CO 2 , CO, N 2 , and CH 4 with as high as 50 vol % H 2 maintained excellent C 2 H 4 separations for 7 days of continuous operation. The Ag SLM provided effective separations of C 2 H 4 from CO (at detection limits), CH 4 (selectivity ratio (α) = 20–30), and H 2 (α = ∼20), but C 2 H 4 from CO 2 (α = 2–4) revealed a slightly lower separation. These data show that aqueous Ag(I) solution(s) used in the SLMs can separate C 2 H 4 for extended periods, even under highly reducing gas conditions. Also, we report C 2 H 4 recovery from the gas mixture produced in the EC CO 2 reduction process. In conclusion, the Ag SLM gave C 2 H 4 selective separation from a five-component complex mixed-gas stream, relevant to tandem CO 2 electrolysis.

37 - INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL AND ANALYTICAL C↗
DOE OSTI2026

Background cancellation for frequency-selective quantum sensing

A key challenge in quantum sensing is the detection of weak time dependent signals, particularly those that arise as specific frequency perturbations over a background field. Conventional methods usually demand complex dynamical control of the quantum sensor and heavy classical post-processing. We propose a quantum sensor that leverages time independent interactions and entanglement to function as a passive, tunable, thresholded frequency filter. By encoding the frequency selectivity and thresholding behavior directly into the dynamics, the sensor is responsive only to a target frequency of choice whose amplitude is above a threshold. This approach circumvents the need for complex control schemes and reduces the post-processing overhead.

Puig, Ricard [Los Alamos; Ecole Polytechnique, Lau↗
DOE OSTI2024

Trailblazing Kr/Xe Separation: The Birth of the First Kr-Selective Material

Efficient separation of Kr from Kr/Xe mixtures is pivotal in nuclear waste management and dark matter research. Thus far, scientists have encountered a formidable challenge: the absence of a material with the ability to selectively adsorb Kr over Xe at room temperature. This study presents a groundbreaking transformation of the renowned metal–organic framework (MOF) CuBTC, previously acknowledged for its Xe adsorption affinity, into an unparalleled Kr-selective adsorbent. This achievement stems from an innovative densification approach involving systematic compression of the MOF, where the crystal size, interparticle interaction, defects, and evacuation conditions are synergistically modulated. The resultant densified CuBTC phase exhibits exceptional mechanical resilience, radiation tolerance, and notably an unprecedented selectivity for Kr over Xe at room temperature. Simulation and experimental kinetic diffusion studies confirm reduced gas diffusion in the densified MOF, attributed to its small pore window and minimal interparticle voids. The lighter Kr element demonstrates facile surface passage and higher diffusivity within the material, while the heavier Xe encounters increased difficulty entering the material and lower diffusivity. This Kr-selective MOF not only represents a significant breakthrough in Kr separation but also demonstrates remarkable processability and scalability to kilogram levels. Furthermore, the findings presented herein underscore the transformative potential of engineered MOFs in addressing complex challenges, heralding a new era of Kr separation technologies.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2024

Bicarbonate-Carbonate Selectivity through Nanofiltration for Direct Air Capture of Carbon Dioxide

Direct air capture (DAC) of carbon dioxide is one approach among many proposed that is capable of offsetting hard-to-avoid emissions. In previous work, we developed the alkalinity concentration swing (ACS) method, which is driven through concentrating an alkaline solution that has been loaded with atmospheric CO 2 by desalination technologies, such as reverse osmosis or capacitive deionization. Though the ACS is promising in terms of energy usage and implementation, its absorption rate and water requirements are infeasible for a large-scale DAC process. Here, we propose an improvement on the ACS, the bicarbonate-enriched alkalinity concentration swing (BE-ACS), which selects bicarbonate ions from a stream of aqueous alkaline solution that has absorbed atmospheric CO 2 . The bicarbonate-rich stream is then concentrated, which greatly increases its CO 2 partial pressure, and then CO 2 is extracted from solution. We experimentally investigate the use of pressure-driven nanofiltration (NF) membrane-based separation to select bicarbonate ions over carbonate ions. We screen commercial membranes and select one high-performance membrane for detailed studies, quantifying its bicarbonate-carbonate selectivity factor and bicarbonate-passage factor. Feed pH, the combined concentration of aqueous CO 2 , bicarbonate, and carbonate species (or dissolved inorganic carbon), alkalinity, and permeation flux are systematically varied to study NF separation properties. We find that the selectivity factor, which exceeds 30 times in certain regimes, increases with higher feed pH and higher alkalinity. Lastly, the performance metrics of the selected NF membrane are input into a theoretical BE-ACS cycle analysis, and the required energy input and cycle capacity output are evaluated. Ideal cycle energy is found to be as low as around 250 kJ/mol, with opportunities identified for further decreases through process engineering and forward osmosis energy recovery.

animal feed↗
DOE OSTI2024

Synthesis and growth of solution-processed chiral perovskites

In materials science, chiral perovskites stand out due to their exceptional optoelectronic properties and the versatility in their structure and composition, positioning them as crucial in the advances of technologies in spintronics and chiroptical systems. This review underlines the critical role of synthesizing and growing these materials, a process integral to leveraging their complex interplay between structural chirality and distinctive optoelectronic properties, including chiral-induced spin selectivity and chiroptical activity. The paper offers a comprehensive summary and discussion of the methods used in the synthesis and growth of chiral perovskites, delving into extensive growth techniques, fundamental mechanisms, and strategic approaches for the engineering of low-dimensional perovskites, alongside the creation of novel chiral ligands. The necessity of developing new synthetic approaches and maintaining precise control during the growth of chiral perovskites is emphasized, aiming to enhance their structural chirality and boost their efficiency in spin and chiroptical selectivity.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2025

Search for the associated production of charm quarks and a Higgs boson decaying into a photon pair with the ATLAS detector

A search for the production of a Higgs boson and one or more charm quarks, in which the Higgs boson decays into a photon pair, is presented. This search uses proton-proton collision data with a centre-of-mass energy of $\sqrt{s}$ = 13 TeV and an integrated luminosity of 140 fb −1 recorded by the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider. The analysis relies on the identification of charm-quark-containing jets, and adopts an approach based on Gaussian process regression to model the non-resonant di-photon background. The observed (expected, assuming the Standard Model signal) upper limit at the 95% confidence level on the cross-section for producing a Higgs boson and at least one charm-quark-containing jet that passes a fiducial selection is found to be 10.6 pb (8.8 pb). The observed (expected) measured cross-section for this process is 5.3 ± 3.2 pb (2.9 ± 3.1 pb).

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Automated shaker placement and regularized input estimation for MIMO testing.

Multi-input, multi-output (MIMO) testing is used in component qualification to reproduce operational responses in the laboratory. It is often preferred to single-input and base-shake testing because of the potential for equivalent or better tests using smaller actuators and shorter test suites. Given a target response, two key steps in MIMO test design are selecting actuator locations and solving for input loads. Actuator locations are often manually selected using expert judgment. If an automatic method is used, locations are usually determined by simulating the vibration control problem and minimizing a combination of the input energy and control residuals. To select a configuration, the relative importance of input energy and residuals must be specified. Specifying relative weights is, in general, a manual and subjective process. This paper develops an objective function that compares actuator configurations based on control accuracy and required input energy without any manual parameter tuning. The objective function uses an optimally selected tradeoff parameter for each candidate configuration. To choose actuator locations using the new objective function, a pivoting algorithm for integer programming problems is developed. Starting with an initial configuration (such as the one generated by a greedy algorithm), the pivoting algorithm guarantees an objective function decrease in each iteration until convergence is reached. In a simulation featuring a structure excited by a diffuse acoustic field, electrodynamic shaker locations and regularized inputs are solved for without any analyst-specified parameters. Simulations are performed in MIMO configurations where the number of target responses is less than, equal to, and greater than the number of actuators.

Multi-input multi-output↗