HIV vaccine delayed boosting increases Env variable region 2–specific antibody effector functions
Abstract not provided
Easterhoff, David (ORCID:0000000152233277)↗
SEARCH · Search NASA
Results for “KI(OF)2”
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.
Development of coherent-precipitate-hardened high-entropy alloys with hierarchical NiAl/Ni 2 TiAl precipitates in CrMnFeCoNiAl x Ti y alloys
Coherent precipitates hardening is currently emerging strengthening mechanism of the various high entropy alloys (HEAs). Recently, CrMnFeCoNiAl x HEAs have been studied to show a phase transition from face-centered-cubic (FCC) to body-centered-cubic (BCC) and formation of coherent precipitates (B2-NiAl) within the BCC matrix. The coherent precipitates in the CrMnFeCoNiAl x alloys could contribute to increase the strength but lead to considerable reduction of the ductility. The present work systematically investigated a series of CrMnFeCoNiAl 0.5 Ti x alloys to further improve the strength and plasticity, as compared to the previously reported CrMnFeCoNiAl x HEAs. As a result, an increase of Ti addition leads to the phase transition from FCC to BCC and formation of lamellar structure and hierarchical precipitates reinforced by B2-NiAl and L2 1 -Ni 2 TiAl phases. Excellent mechanical properties were achieved from CrMnFeCoNiAl 0.5 Ti 0.1 and CrMnFeCoNiAl 0.5 Ti 0.2 alloys. Herein, the mechanical properties of the CrMnFeCoNiAl 0.5 Ti x alloys were discussed via theoretical strengthening mechanisms.
36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
Enhanced Guest@MOF Interaction via Stepwise Thermal Annealing: TCNQ@Cu 3 (BTC) 2
Confinement of guest molecules in porous materials such as metal organic frameworks (MOFs) promises to deliver emergent properties separate from those of the individual components. Understanding the confinement mechanism is therefore important for the development of new synthesis routes that adjust MOF properties for specific applications. In this work, we developed a new synthetic method to confine guest molecules into MOF pores through a stepwise thermal annealing process, wherein the confinement of 7,7,8,8-tetracyanoquinodimethane (TCNQ) guest molecules into Cu 3 (BTC) 2 (BTC = benzene-1,3,5-tricarboxylic acid) MOF host is used as an example of how novel materials can be created with new physical properties. The stepwise thermal annealing process includes 1) an activation process of pristine Cu 3 (BTC) 2 MOF to maximizes the TCNQ guest loading in the MOF host by effectively removing the residual solvents and 2) post-annealing of the TCNQ infiltrated MOF to enhances the interaction of the confined guest molecules with the MOF host. Obtained experimental results based on thermogravimetric analysis, N 2 gas adsorption, electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction and infrared absorption, combined with density functional theory calculations provide evidence that the use of a stepwise thermal annealing process yields enhancements in the guest loading, packing and interaction between the TCNQ guest and the MOF host. The new hybrid TCNQ@Cu 3 (BTC) 2 system is stable and shows no significant signs of structural degradation even after submersion in water. This is due to the presence of significantly stronger interactions of TCNQ with the frame-work metal ions compared to those of the water molecules competing for the same framework binding sites. It was also found that TCNQ@Cu 3 (BTC) 2 system maintains a significant CO 2 and CH 4 adsorption potential compared to the pristine MOF. The synthetic route developed in this work yields novel guest@MOF hybrid systems that will be useful for many MOF-based applications such as gas separations and chemical sensors performed under humid conditions.
37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
Pore-scale evidence of ion exclusion during methane hydrate growth and evolution of hydrate pore-habit in sandy sediments
Hydrate-bearing sediments constitute complex hydrological systems, within which the pore habit of hydrate significantly affects all physical properties. However, there is scarce pore-scale evidence of the evolution of hydrate growth in porous media and the influence of water salinity in the micro-morphology of hydrate. In this paper, we used X-ray computed micro-tomography (CT) to monitor three experiments of methane hydrate growth in sand partially saturated with either NaBr or KI brine under excess-gas conditions. Gas, brine and hydrate are observed to co-exist at the pore-scale during the evolution of hydrate pore-habit towards three-phase equilibrium. The experiments and data analysis reveal that (1) hydrate forms as a porous medium mixed with inclusions of brine and gas, where hydrate and brine evolve gradually into separate phases as hydrate cages exclude salt ions, (2) hydrate growth mobilizes water over fairly long distances resulting in heterogeneous hydrate distribution, and (3) hydrate can exhibit interconnecting pore-habit at local hydrate saturations higher than ~50%, even if grown under excess-gas conditions. The results imply that hydrate micro-morphology and pore habit evolve during hydrate formation and, we suggest, so do the physical properties of hydrate-bearing sediments. Furthermore, our findings provide new insights into the micro-morphology of hydrate and evolution of the properties of hydrate-bearing sediments synthesized in the laboratory and in natural systems.
Clathrate hydrate↗
Universal Approach to Rapid Amplified Plasmonic Sensing Using Helix Defect Phase Transition Polymers
Abstract Permittivity sensing is a critically important analytical tool for bioscience, environmental, and industrial applications. The response time for commonly used plasmonic permittivity sensors is fundamentally set by the reaction kinetics of chemically adsorbed analytes. In this work, the proposal is to overcome this limit by combining plasmonic sensors with phase transition materials possessing a rapid amplified electrostatic response such as quadrupole moment induced molecular helix reversal. As a proof‐of‐concept, rapid sensing of CO 2 on a phase transition polytetrafluoroethylene substrate and amplification of permittivity response in plasmonic Fabry–Perot sensor is shown. The demonstrated universal approach holds promise for a wide range of applications in fast, real time sensing and monitoring of biological and environmental processes.
Shugayev, Roman↗
Low-cost, portable optical sensors for critical mineral prospecting and process monitoring
A combination of projected demand increases for economically critical minerals and a monopolistic global marketplace for these minerals has caused concern over supply chain vulnerabilities, which would impact energy, national defense, and advanced technology production. Domestic production of critical minerals is hindered by expensive and non-portable methods for analyzing metal concentration, which is vital both for resource prospecting and process monitoring. Here, a suite of luminescent materials along with portable instrumentation is presented for fluorescence-based detection of trace concentrations of critical minerals (cobalt, rare earth elements, and aluminum) as well as common gangue metals that are removed during processing (iron and aluminum). A metal-organic framework comprised of zinc, adenine, and trimesic acid immobilized on a fiber optic tip is capable of sensing part-per-billion concentrations of terbium, europium, dysprosium, and samarium through a sensitization approach, in which individual elements produce characteristic emission bands enabling multiple rare earths to be simultaneously detected and distinguished. A deep-UV light emitting diode is used as the excitation source, while a portable spectrometer is used to detect the emitted light. A similar optical set-up is coupled with two different carbon dot materials, which can detect low part-per-million concentrations of cobalt and iron in acidic environments. Metal-organic framework thin films comprised of copper and 2-aminoterephthalic acid are used in tandem with a portable optical set-up to further detect aluminum, with successful deployment in real fly ash leachates. Taken together, these technologies provide an inexpensive and sensitive path towards characterizing economically critical metals.
characterization and extraction of rare earth elem↗
Landscape of 4d N = 1 SCFTs with a = c
We study a landscape of four-dimensional N = 1 superconformal field theories (SCFTs) with identical central charges. These theories are obtained by renormalization group flows triggered by supersymmetry-preserving superpotential deformations of the N = 1 gauging of the flavor symmetry of a collection of N = 2 D p ( G ) Argyres-Douglas SCFTs. In this work, we focus on the fixed points in the landscape of the S U ( 3 ) gauging of three copies of the D 2 ( S U ( 3 ) ) = H 2 theory together with an adjoint-valued chiral multiplet. We catalog the network of a = c fixed points, and, along the way, we find a variety of dualities and instances of supersymmetry enhancement. Published by the American Physical Society 2025
Kang, Monica Jinwoo (ORCID:0000000204542064)↗
Centimeter-Scale Pillared-Layer Metal–Organic Framework Thin Films Mediated by Hydroxy Double Salt Intermediates for CO 2 Sensor Applications
Fabrication of metal–organic framework (MOF) thin films over macroscopic surface areas is a subject of great interest for gas sensor application platforms such as optics and microelectronics. However, a direct synthesis of MOF films at ambient conditions, in particular pillared-layer MOF films due to their anisotropic structures, remains a significant challenge. Herein, we demonstrate for the first time a facile construction of dense and continuous pillared-layer MOF thin films on a centimeter scale via an aluminum-doped zinc oxide template and hydroxy double salt (HDS) intermediates at room temperature. A series of Cu(II)-based pillared MOFs with different 1,4-benzenedicarboxylic acid (bdc) ligands were explored for optimizing MOF film formation for CO 2 sensor applications. Nonpolar ligands with lower water solubility preferentially formed crystalline pillared MOF structures from HDS intermediates. A Cu 2 (ndc) 2 (dabco) (ndc = 1,4-naphthalene-bdc; dabco = 1,4-diazabicyclo[2.2.2]octane) MOF demonstrated the most dense and uniform film growth with micrometer thickness over one square centimeter area. This synthetic approach for growing Cu 2 (ndc) 2 (dabco) MOF thin films was successfully translated toward two sensing platforms: a quartz crystal microbalance and an optical fiber sensor. These Cu 2 (ndc) 2 (dabco) MOF-coated sensors displayed sensitivity toward CO 2 and response/recovery time on the scale of seconds, even at moderate humidity levels. Finally, this work provides a road map for producing continuous and anisotropic crystalline MOF thin films over a centimeter scale area on various substrates, which will greatly facilitate their utilization in MOF-based sensor devices, among other applications.
37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
Synthesis of Microscopic 3D Graphene for High‐Performance Supercapacitors with Ultra‐High Areal Capacitance
Abstract Despite graphene being considered an ideal supercapacitor electrode material, its use in commercial devices is limited because few methods exist to produce high‐quality graphene at a large scale and low cost. A simple method is reported to synthesize 3D graphene by graphenization of coal tar pitch with a K 2 CO 3 catalyst. This produces 3D graphenes with high specific surface areas up to 2113 m 2 g −1 and exceptional crystallinity (Raman I D / I G as low as ≈0.15). The material has an outstanding specific capacitance of 182.6 F g −1 at a current density of 1.0 A g −1 . This occurs at a mass loading of 30 mg cm −2 which is 3 times higher than commercial requirements, yielding an ultra‐high areal capacitance of 5.48 F cm −2 . The K 2 CO 3 is recycled and reused over 10 cycles with material quality and electrocapacitive performance of 3D graphene retained and verified after each cycle. The synthesis method and resulting electrocapacitive performance properties create new opportunities for using 3D graphene more broadly in practical supercapacitor devices.
36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
Correction: Emergence of two distinct phase transitions in monolayer CoSe 2 on graphene
Following publication of the original article, the author identified an error in Graphical Abstract and updated Acknowledgment section. In Graphical abstract, there is a type on the unit E B (eV) which has been updated with this correction.
Rhee, Tae Gyu↗
Infinitely many 4D N = 1 SCFTs with a = c
Here, we study a rich set of four-dimensional N = 1 superconformal field theories (SCFTs) with both central charges identical: a = c. We construct them via the diagonal N = 1 gauging of the flavor symmetry G of a collection of N = 2 Argyres–Douglas theories of type D p (G), with or without additional adjoint chiral multiplets. In this way, we construct infinitely many theories that flow to interacting SCFTs with a = c in the infrared. Lastly, we briefly highlight the features of the SCFTs without a = c that arise from generalizing this construction.
72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
Two-Dimensional Copper Iodide-Based Inorganic–Organic Hybrid Semiconductors: Synthesis, Structures, and Optical and Transport Properties
A group of copper iodide-based hybrid semiconductors with the general formula of 2D-CuI(L) 0.5 (L = organic ligands) are synthesized and structurally characterized. All compounds are two-dimensional (2D) networks made of one-dimensional (1D) copper iodide staircase chains that are interconnected by bidentate nitrogen-containing ligands. Results from optical absorption and emission experiments and density functional theory (DFT) calculations reveal that their photoluminescence (PL) can be systematically tuned by adjusting the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) energies of the organic ligands. Charge carrier transport measurements were carried out for the first time on single crystals of selected 2D-CuI(L) 0.5 structures, and the results show that they possess p-type conductivity with a Hall mobility of ~1 cm 2 V -1 s -1 for 2D-CuI(pm) 0.5 and 0.13 cm 2 V -1 s -1 for 2D-CuI(pz) 0.5 , respectively. These values are comparable to or higher than the mobilities of typical highly luminescent organic semiconductors. Finally, this work suggests that robust, high-dimensional copper iodide hybrid semiconductors are promising candidates to be considered as a new type of emissive layer for light-emitting diode (LED) devices.
36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
Influence of Photovoltaic Shading on Rooftop Heat Transfer, Building Energy Loads, and Photovoltaic Power Output
Photovoltaic (PV) modules on building rooftops provide shade from summer heating, leading to a reduction in cooling load during hot seasons. However, PV shading also reduces passive solar heating during winter months, leading to an increase in the building heating load during cold seasons. In this study, the heat transfer performance of an enclosure formed by adjacent PV modules is analyzed for three locations in the United States, comparing the daily heat flux through rooftops for the case of a PV-shaded rooftop as well as an unshaded roof. Several result metrics are developed as part of this work, including the saved energy load (SEL), or the energy conserved by adding PV-shading to the rooftop, and the additional energy load (AEL), or the supplemental building energy required to replace shaded solar heating. Lastly, this work calculates the utility factor, being the ratio of SEL and PV power output to AEL as a metric of PV effectiveness. SELs are 5.2, 6.2, and 11.7 kWh/m 2 · year for Dayton, Boise, and Phoenix, respectively, while the AELs for the same locations are 1.6, 1.5, and 2.1 kWh/m 2 · year. The utility factors for the same three locations are 61, 71, and 79. In general, locations with hot, non-cloudy summers and clear skies in winter see the largest utility factor. Further, it is shown that PV shading can conserve building energy during the winter months by preventing radiative losses to cold winter skies.
13 HYDRO ENERGY↗
Upcycling linear low-density polyethylene waste to turbostratic graphene for high mass loading supercapacitors
Linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE) waste is difficult to upcycle into more valuable carbon materials because it tends to completely decompose into small molecules during thermal processing. In this work, LLDPE is upcycled into a high quality turbostratic graphene using a pre-treatment step to oxidatively crosslink the polymer with the assistance of solid additives (KCl and K 2 CO 3 ) that improve crosslinking by increasing the effective surface area of the polymer melt during processing. After this pretreatment step, the crosslinked polymer could then be carbonized and catalytically graphenized between 400–950°C without decomposition of the polymer feedstock. The LLDPE derived graphene (LLDPE-G) obtained from this process has a Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) specific surface area, up to 1800m 2 g -1 and average Raman I D /I G and I 2D /I G ratios of 0.85 and 0.57, respectively, indicating high quality graphene. When used as an electrode material in symmetric supercapacitors, LLDPE-G possesses a specific capacitance up to 175Fg -1 at a mass loading of 20mgcm -2 , which is two times the commercial requirement, yielding an areal capacitance of 3.5 Fcm -2 . Moreover, LLDPE-G exhibits exceptional cycling stability with a capacitance retention of 95.8 % after 100,000 cycles at a current density of 4.0 Ag -1 . Additionally, the KCl and K 2 CO 3 solids are recycled and reused over 3 complete reaction cycles to make new LLDPE-G with the material quality and electrocapacitive performance retained and verified after each cycle. Our approach creates new opportunities for upcycling waste LLDPE and other varieties of polyethylene into a higher value graphene used for electrochemical energy storage applications.
37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
Fit-free optical determination of electronic thermalization time in nematic iron-based superconductors
We present a nematic response function model (NRFM) for fit-free direct extraction of the characteristic time of ultrafast electronic thermalization in iron-based superconductors, materials with electronic nematicity. By combining the NRFM for polarization-dependent pump–probe measurements of electronic nematic response with the two-temperature model (TTM) for sub-picosecond quasiparticle relaxation, we quantify the electronic thermalization timescales and their anisotropy. The nematic response function is modeled as the difference in normalized reflectivity signals, revealing a pronounced sub-picosecond extremum in signal evolution that directly yields the characteristic electronic thermalization time. This method demonstrates that the NRFM is consistent with TTM fits of transient optical response, yielding electronic thermalization time constants on the order of 110–230 fs for the FeSe 1−x Te x and Ba(Fe 0.92 Co 0.08 ) 2 As 2 thin films. Here, the proposed approach can be applied to any material that exhibits electronic nematicity, providing a powerful tool for direct mapping of the relaxation time in nematic materials, avoiding complex experimental data-fitting procedures.
Bartenev, Alexander [University of Puerto Rico, Ma↗
Tree foliage as a net accumulator of highly toxic methylmercury
Tree canopies are known to elevate atmospheric inputs of both mercury (Hg) and methylmercury (MeHg). While foliar uptake of gaseous Hg is well documented, little is known regarding the temporal dynamics and origins of MeHg in tree foliage, which represents typically less than 1% of total Hg in foliage. In this work, we examined the foliar total Hg and MeHg content by following the growth of five individual trees of American Beech (Fagus grandifolia) for one growing season (April–November, 2017) in North Carolina, USA. We show that similar to other studies foliar Hg content increased almost linearly over time, with daily accumulation rates ranging from 0.123 to 0.161 ng/g/day. However, not all trees showed linear increases of foliar MeHg content along the growing season; we found that 2 out of 5 trees showed elevated foliar MeHg content at the initial phase of the growing season but their MeHg content declined through early summer. However, foliar MeHg content among all 5 trees showed eventual increases through the end of the growing season, proving that foliage is a net accumulator of MeHg while foliar gain of biomass did not “dilute” MeHg content.
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
High-Nickel Cathodes with Mechanical and Interfacial Robustness via Tailored Concentration Gradients for Stable Li-Ion Batteries
Here, we have developed a versatile mathematical framework integrated with an automated reactor system to design and reify highly customizable full concentration gradient (FCG) in high-nickel cathodes for advanced Li-ion batteries. This method provides precise and independent control of the average composition, slope, and curvature of FCGs, enabling the optimization of structural and mechanical properties of the cathode materials. We have showcased this method with Ni 0.8 Co 0.1 Mn 0.1 (OH) 2 precursors of controlled FCGs, which unlocked an optimized cathode with excellent cycling stability without crack formation after repeated cycles. This work opens up new possibilities for the design and manufacturing of advanced cathode materials, enabling safer, high-performance batteries.
25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
Classification of fragile topology enabled by matrix homotopy
Flat bands in twisted materials have attracted considerable attention due to the emergence of correlated phases that can be associated with the non-Wannier-representable nature of its single-particle states. Specifically, these bands can exhibit a class of topology that can be nullified by the addition of trivial bands, termed fragile topology, which has required an expansion of prior classification schemes. However, existing approaches for predicting fragile topology rely on momentum-space methods, e.g., Wilson loops, presenting a fundamental challenge for using fragile topology as a predictor of correlated phases in aperiodic systems, such as incommensurate twist angles in moiré materials. Here, we develop a ℤ 2 energy-resolved topological marker for classifying fragile phases using a system’s position-space description, enabling the direct classification of finite, disordered, and aperiodic materials. By translating the physical symmetries protecting the system’s fragile topological phase into matrix symmetries of the system’s Hamiltonian and position operators, we use matrix homotopy to construct our topological marker while simultaneously yielding a quantitative measure of topological robustness. We demonstrate our framework’s effectiveness in both a low-energy tight-binding model and a continuum photonic crystal model of 𝐶 2 𝒯-symmetric systems, and find that fragile topology can both persist under strong disorder and even exhibit disorder-induced reentrant phase transitions. Our photonic crystal results also demonstrate the robustness of fragile topology, and the applicability of our approach, to heterostructures lacking a bulk spectral gap. Overall, our framework serves as an efficient tool for elucidating fragile topology, offering guidance for the prediction and discovery of correlated phases in both crystalline and aperiodic materials.
Lee, Ki Young [Sandia National Laboratories (SNL-N↗