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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 55 records · Page 3
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2024

Comprehensive Comparative Analysis: VSI-based vs. CSI-based Motor Drive Systems with Sinusoidal Output Voltage

The emergence of wide-bandgap (WBG) power devices opens opportunities for current source inverters (CSIs) to provide a promising alternative drive configuration for motor drive applications. The sinusoidal output voltage of CSI offers significant advantages for numerous motor drive applications, including reducing the risks associated with motor terminal overvoltages and bearing discharge currents. This paper compares the performance of CSIs and voltage source inverters (VSIs) with the same performance capabilities. More specifically, sine filters are added to the VSI output terminals to match the CSI performance, and a front-end boost converter is added to the VSI to match the CSI’s voltage-boost capability. The results show that the CSI active components require 48% less volume than the VSI, combined with other performance advantages that make it an appealing candidate for some future motor drive applications.

current source inverter, motor drive system, passi↗
DOE OSTI2021

Electron dynamics in radio frequency magnetron sputtering argon discharges with a dielectric target

Abstract We demonstrate a self-consistent and complete description of electron dynamics in a typical electropositive radio frequency magnetron sputtering (RFMS) argon discharge with a dielectric target. The electron dynamics, including the electron power absorption dynamics in one radio frequency (RF) period, is studied via a fully kinetic 2d3v particle-in-cell/Monte Carlo collision (PIC/MCC) electrostatic simulation. The interplay between the fundamental plasma parameters is analyzed through their spatiotemporal dynamics. Due to the influence of magnetic trap on the electron transport, a spatially dependent charging that perturbs the electric potential is observed on the dielectric target surface, resulting in a spatially dependent ion energy distribution along the target surface. The E × B drift-to-discharge current ratio is in approximate agreement with Bohm diffusion. The electron power absorption can be primarily decoupled into the positive Ohmic power absorption in the bulk plasma region and the negative pressure-induced power absorption near the target surface. Ohmic power absorption is the dominant electron power absorption mechanism, mostly contributed by the azimuthal electron current. The power absorption due to electron inertial effects is negligible on time-average. Both the maximum power absorption and dissipation of electrons appear in the bulk plasma region during the second half of the RF period, implying a strong electron trapping in magnetron discharges. The contribution of secondary electrons is negligible under typical RFMS discharge conditions.

Physics↗
DOE OSTI2025

Experimental characterization of discharge plasma dynamics in a square capillary for prospective applications in laser wakefield acceleration

Research on plasma generated by electrical discharge in gas-filled capillaries plays an important role in advancing laser wakefield accelerators. We present a comprehensive study of the temporal and spatial distribution of plasma density within a short, 1 cm long, square-shaped capillary filled with hydrogen gas. Two transverse capillary sizes, 500 μm and 300 μm, were investigated achieving peak plasma densities of 0.9 × 10 18 cm −3 and 2.5 × 10 18 cm −3 , respectively, at the capillary center. In addition, we explore how these distributions depend on discharge parameters, specifically discharge current and gas flow through the capillary. Plasma density was determined by analyzing the Stark broadening of the hydrogen Balmer-alpha line. The results obtained were compared with the theoretical models and simulations. The comparison between the model predictions and the experimental data at the transient ionization stage of the discharge reveals a discrepancy of a factor of ∼1.3–2.1, depending on the capillary size, which is thoroughly discussed.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2026

Effect of Oil Viscosity and Impact of Ionic Liquid Additive on Electrically Induced Pitting in Rolling Contact

Electrically induced bearing damage (EIBD) is a growing concern in electric drivetrains, where electrical discharge currents generate localized pitting that accelerates wear and premature failure. While ionic liquids (ILs) have shown promise as lubricant additives due to their natural physical adsorption, strong capabilities of tribofilm formation, and high molecular tunability, their role in mitigating EIBD is little known. This gap is especially evident because lubricant viscosity and film thickness affect discharge behavior, and additive performance in these regimes has not been well explored. In this study, tribological tests were performed using a ball-on-disk pure rolling-contact system under an applied voltage on polyalphaolefin oils of three viscosities (4, 10, and 150 cSt measured at 100 °C), with and without the addition of a phosphonium-phosphate IL. Surface damage was analyzed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and stylus profilometry. Damage quantification was based on pit morphology analysis of SEM images. The results provide new insights into how oil viscosity governs the discharge behavior and how an IL additive could influence the pit formation. While viscosity seems to play a significant role, an IL additive shows potential to reduce EIBD and deserves further study.

electrically induced bearing damage (EIBD)↗
DOE OSTI2021

Temporal characterization of fundamental plasma parameters in pulsed liquid electrode plasma (LEP) optical emission spectrometry

The fundamental characteristics of liquid electrode plasma (LEP), a pulsed plasma source for optical emission spectrometry, were investigated. Two distinct phases were observed during the process of pulsed plasma generation, namely bubble generation and active plasma discharge. Additionally the ionization efficiency of the LEP, with Mg as a representative analyte, was gauged from the ratio of Mg II 279.553 nm to Mg I 285.213 nm emission and was found to increase from about 5% to 20% in a close-to-linear fashion with the discharge voltage from 800 V to 1200 V. The Mg II/Mg I ratio of the LEP was 2.5 to 3 orders of magnitude less than that typically offered by an inductively coupled plasma (ICP) but was comparable to other solution-based glow discharges. It was found that an off-time interval of more than 150 ms between successive discharge pulses was required to obtain a stable pulse-to-pulse discharge current. Temporally resolved emissions of Mg II 279.6 nm, Mg I 285.2 nm, Fe I 373.5 nm, OH band head at 306 nm, and Hα line at 656.3 nm showed that the background species (OH band and Hα line) reached their maximum emission intensities at around 0.5 ms to 0.7 ms with respect to the onset of the discharge pulse whereas the maximum emissions were observed between 0.7 ms to 0.9 ms for analyte species (Mg and Fe lines). The electron density observed in the present work was in the range from 5.7 × 10 15 cm -3 to 8.2 × 10 15 cm -3 , which was similar to those found in an analytical ICP. The temporal averaged OH rotational temperature was 3300 K, which was comparable to the values of an analytical ICP and solution-based glow discharges. By contrast, the temporally averaged Fe I excitation temperature was around 8900 K, which was even higher than that of an analytical ICP and roughly triple the values obtained by techniques based on glow discharge of liquid samples.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2023

Biodegradable transient battery built on core-double-shell zinc microparticle networks

A transient or biodegradable battery is provided having a filament structure that limits the speed of reaction allowing for a longer duration of battery power with a controlled current limit. In one embodiment, the filament may be constructed of zinc microparticles or nanoparticles having a thin outer insulation whereby a chemical reaction at the center core results in the progressive disintegration of the insulation revealing more core material. In one embodiment, microparticles or nanoparticles are coated with outer layers of chitosan and Al2O3 nanofilms, respectively, with designable discharge current and battery lifespan by controlling the exposed cross-sectional area of the zinc microparticle center core and the length of the filament, respectively. This novel structure of biodegradable battery provides improved control of battery life and power output, providing a promising solution to power transient medical implants.

Wang, Xudong↗
DOE OSTI2025

High-Power Impulse Magnetron Sputter Deposition of Boron Carbide with Full-Face Erosion Magnetron and Mixed Ar-Ne Plasma

Boron carbide (B 4 C) is an attractive inertial confinement fusion ablator material. The fabrication of B4C ablators by magnetron sputtering requires process optimization. To increase process flexibility, here we explore high-power impulse magnetron sputter (HiPIMS) deposition of B 4 C in pure Ar and mixed Ar-Ne plasmas. Here, the results show that higher plasma discharge currents can be reached with a mixed Ar-Ne plasma in the entire working pressure range studied (5 𝑡𝑜 50 mTorr). At 45 mTorr with 10% of Ne in the Ar-Ne mix, high peak target current densities of ~1 A cm −2 were demonstrated. Films deposited with such a mixed Ar-Ne plasma with a full-face erosion magnetron source on substrates biased at −25 V exhibited higher density and improved mechanical properties, albeit with higher compressive residual stresses compared to the case of HiPIMS deposition in a pure Ar plasma. This work demonstrates additional process flexibility of the HiPIMS discharge mode for the deposition of B 4 C coatings.

Ablator capsule↗
DOE OSTI2026

Breakdown front dynamics of streamer-like discharge in electron-charged polymethyl methacrylate

We present the results of an experimental study of fast breakdown in electron-charged polymethyl methacrylate. We irradiate bulk polymethyl methacrylate disks with diameters up to one meter at different implanted charge densities and measure the discharge current during the forced electrical breakdown of the material. We infer the breakdown dynamics from these current waveforms, including the velocity and time dependence of the electric field driving the breakdown, and compare these results with the physical electrical tree patterns left behind in the material. We find that the dynamics and physical characteristics of the breakdown channels in electron-irradiated solids depart from typical expectations of electrical treeing behavior in solid materials. Thus, we interpret these results as an expression of streamer discharges in dense gases motivated by the existence of trapped gases in the solid due to radiation damage. We show that the dynamics of the breakdown channels in the electron-charged solid dielectric material is well described by applying standard streamer physics to this physical system. The results show that the dynamics of breakdown channels in solid dielectric material is a promising avenue to further understand streamer discharges in different media under extreme conditions.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2025

200 h of discharge cycling with an all-aqueous copper thermally regenerative ammonia battery

Thermally regenerative ammonia batteries (TRABs) offer an approach to energy storage and electricity generation by harnessing low-grade heat (T < 150 °C). A TRAB discharge resembles that of a flow battery, where electrochemical reactions produce electrical power from energy stored within aqueous electrolytes. While there are many types of TRABs, the all-aqueous copper TRAB (Cu aq -TRAB) has produced the largest power and energy storage densities. Despite many improvements to TRAB performance, most tests have only lasted a few hours, which are not representative of operation times expected of these devices. Herein, we operated a Cu aq -TRAB for 200 h of constant current discharging to assess battery performance and component stability. After 200 h of testing, the average power density increased slightly to 7.2 mW cm -2 , which was within 0.01 % of starting conditions. Likewise, the average energy density for the final cycle was only 0.03 % lower than the initial cycle. The overall insensitivity of the power cell to cycling represents a major milestone in the advancement of TRAB systems. In conclusion, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy provides evidence to suggest that these small changes in power and energy density are likely to the membrane acclimating to TRAB electrolytes.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2025

Spin State Modulation via Magnetic Fields in Fe Single Atom Catalysts for High-Performance Aqueous Zinc–Sulfur Batteries

Aqueous zinc–sulfur battery has garnered significant attention as a high-energy, low-cost, and safe energy storage system. However, the multielectron transfer kinetics of sulfur cathodes are relatively slow, presenting challenges such as limited sulfur utilization and lower discharge voltage, which significantly hinder their practical applications. Here, in this study, we explored a comprehensive design approach for high-performance, long-cycle aqueous zinc–sulfur batteries. The simultaneous introduction of ZnI 2 and Fe single atoms (Fe-SAs) as catalytically active agents decouples the redox reactions, effectively facilitating ZnS oxidation and S reduction separately. The application of an external magnetic field regulates the spin state of Fe-SAs, further enhancing their catalytic activity and electron transfer capability. Electrochemical tests demonstrate that the S@Fe-NC HS/ZnI 2 cathode assembled under a magnetic field exhibits excellent rate performance, achieving an impressive specific capacity of 1399 mAh g –1 at a high current density of 5 A g –1 and good cycling stability over 300 cycles, representing the highest reported high-current discharge capacity to date. This study provides a comprehensive design framework for optimizing zinc–sulfur (Zn–S) battery performance and elucidates the influence of magnetic field-induced spin state modulation on catalytic behavior.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2020

Experimental Performance Evaluation of a Hyper-Branched Polymer Electrolyte for Rechargeable Li-Air Batteries

A hyper-branched polymer (HBP) electrolyte is synthesized for rechargeable lithium-air (Li-air) battery cell and experimentally evaluated its performance in actual battery cell environment. Several real-world battery cells were fabricated with synthesized HBP electrolyte, pure lithium metal as anode and an oxygen permeable air cathode to evaluate reproducibility of the rechargeable Li-air battery cell. The effect of various conditions such as various HBP based electrolytes, discharge current -0.1~0.5 mA, cathode preparation processes and carbon contents on the battery cell performance were experimentally evaluated using the fabricated battery cells under dry air condition. Detailed HBP electrolyte synthesis procedures and experimental performance evaluation of Li-air battery cell for various conditions are presented. The experimental results showed that different conditions and processes significantly affect the Li-air battery performance. Upon taking into account the effect of different conditions and processes, optimized HBP electrolyte materials, cathode process and conditions were determined. Several Li-air battery cells were fabricated with optimized conditions and optimized battery cell materials to determine the reproducibility and performance consistency. Experimental results showed that over 55–65 h of discharge occurred over 2.5 V terminal cell voltage with all three optimized Li-air battery cells. It implied that the optimized Li-air battery cells were reproducible and were able to hold charge over 2.5 V for more than 2 days. Experimental results of the Li-air battery cell with further refined optimized materials revealed that the battery cell can discharge more than 10 days (i.e., more than 250 h) at or above 2.0 V. The experimental results also showed that the Li-air battery discharge time got shorter as the discharge-charge cycle increases due to increase in internal resistances of battery cell materials. The experimental results confirmed that the lithium-air battery cell can be reproduced without loss of performance and can hold charge more than 10 days at or over 2.0 V. The investigation results obtained may usher a pathway to manufacture a long-life rechargeable Li-air battery cell in the near future.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2022

Self-organized patterns at the plasma–liquid anode interface in a helium glow discharge: temporal development and mechanisms

Self-organization at the plasma–liquid anode interface is a commonly observed phenomenon for atmospheric pressure glow plasmas, resulting in patterns with distinctive shapes such as circular ring, star-shaped, and gear-like structures, depending primarily on the discharge current and solution conductivity. Recent studies have shown that the electrode gap distance, solute used for liquid anode solution, and gas composition can also significantly impact pattern formation. Nonetheless, an overarching model or explanation of the key underlying mechanisms consistent with all experimentally observed trends is not yet reported. We propose a key underlying mechanism enabling pattern formation motivated by a detailed parametric study of pattern formation complemented by the temporal development of patterns and consistent with all observed trends. Pattern formation was observed to be on a time scale of 100 μs, similar to the time scales of gas heating and evaporation. It was found that a minimum water evaporation rate of (3.5 ± 0.5) × 10 –6 kg s –1 and reduced electric field in the positive column of 16.6 ± 0.4 Td is required for pattern formation in the investigated cases irrespective of solution conductivity and gas composition for NaCl solutions. Nonetheless, the presence of cations for which the corresponding metal atom has a low ionization energy was identified as a necessary condition for pattern formation. Furthermore, the reported results suggest that the presence of a small amount of metal atoms in the gas phase with low ionization energy enhances the overall ionization rate in the near anode region which triggers pattern formation.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2023

Fe-N 4 O-C Nanoplates Covalently Bonding on Graphene for Efficient CO 2 Electroreduction and Zn-CO 2 Batteries

Electrochemical carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) reduction into value-added products holds great promise in moving toward carbon neutrality but remains a grand challenge due to lack of efficient electrocatalysts. Herein, the nucleophilic substitution reaction is elaborately harnessed to synthesize carbon nanoplates with a Fe-N 4 O configuration anchored onto graphene substrate (Fe-N 4 O-C/Gr) through covalent linkages. Density functional theory calculations demonstrate the unique configuration of Fe-N 4 O with one oxygen (O) atom in the axial direction not only suppresses the competing hydrogen evolution reaction, but also facilitates the desorption of *CO intermediate compared with the commonly planar single-atomic Fe sites. The Fe-N 4 O-C/Gr shows excellent performance in the electroreduction of CO 2 into carbon monoxide (CO) with an impressive Faradaic efficiency of 98.3% at -0.7 V versus reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE) and a high turnover frequency of 3511 h -1 . Furthermore, as a cathode catalyst in an aqueous zinc (Zn)-CO 2 battery, the Fe-N 4 O-C/Gr achieves a high CO Faradaic efficiency (≈91%) at a discharge current density of 3 mA cm -2 and long-term stability over 74 h. Here this work opens up a new route to simultaneously modulate the geometric and electronic structure of single-atomic catalysts toward efficient CO 2 conversion.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2020

Material erosion measurements and expected operational lifetime of a deployable photon sieve payload

Spacecraft operating in low-Earth orbit are subjected to a number of hazardous environmental constituents that can lead to decreased system performance and reduced operational lifetimes. Due to their thermal, optical, and mechanical properties, polymers are used extensively in space systems; however they are particularly susceptible to material erosion and degradation as a result of exposure to the LEO environment. The focus of this research is to examine the material erosion and mass loss experienced by a custom Kaptonlike polyimide due to exposure in a simulated low-earth orbit environment. The deployable membrane telescope design discussed in this research is named Peregrine and is the scientific payload for FalconSat-7, a 3U cubesat designed and developed at the United States Air Force Academy (USAFA) for the purpose of demonstrating the capability of deployable membrane telescope technology on a nanosatellite platform. In addition to the polymer samples, chrome, silver and gold specimens will be examined to measure the oxidation rate and act as a control specimen, respectively. A magnetically filtered atomic oxygen plasma source has previously been developed and characterized for the purpose of simulating the low-Earth orbit environment. The plasma source can be operated at a variety of discharge currents and gas flow rates, of which the plasma parameters downstream of the source are dependent. The characteristics of the generated plasma were examined as a function of these operating parameters to optimize the production of O + ions with energy relevant to LEO applications. The erosion yield of the Kapton-like polyimide was experimentally determined to be 2.84 x 10 -24 cm 3 per atom which is in close agreement when compared to the on-orbit measurement for reaction efficiency of Kapton HN. We report the experimentally determined reaction rate for the Kapton-like polyimide was used to estimate the operational lifetime of the photon sieve during the solar conditions expected beginning in May 2019. The effective lifetime is estimated between 126 and 153 days.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2021

A practical approach for identifying various polarization behaviors of redox-stable electrodes in symmetrical solid oxide fuel cells

In symmetrical solid oxide fuel cells, comprehensively understanding the elementary reaction processes and the polarization behaviors of redox-stable electrode materials is critical for further optimization of the electrode performance. In this work, a systematical and practical approach, based on electrochemical impedance spectroscopy technology, is applied to identify the rate-limiting elementary reactions of the redox-stable electrodes. The feasibility of this proposed method is demonstrated in symmetrical solid oxide fuel cells with Sr 2 Fe 1.5 Mo 0.5 O 6-σ -Ce 0.9 Gd 0.1 O 1.95 as electrodes. Based on the characteristic frequency ranges and the experimental results tested under various fuel gas components, operating temperatures, and discharge current densities, the rate-limiting steps of the cathode are associated with the formation of adsorbed oxygen ions and the combination of oxygen ions and oxygen vacancies, while the rate-limiting steps of the anode are ascribed to the hydrogen dissociated adsorption and the steam desorption processes. This experimental and analysis framework can be straightforwardly extended to other electrode materials to unravel their electrochemical performance in detail.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2021

Ultrafast and Controllable Phase Evolution by Flash Joule Heating

Flash Joule heating (FJH), an advanced material synthesis technique, has been used for the production of high-quality carbon materials. Direct current discharge through the precursors by large capacitors has successfully converted carbon-based starting materials into bulk quantities of turbostratic graphene by the FJH process. However, the formation of other carbon allotropes, such as nanodiamonds and concentric carbon materials, as well as the covalent functionalization of different carbon allotropes by the FJH process, remains challenging. Here, we report the solvent-free FJH synthesis of three different fluorinated carbon allotropes: fluorinated nanodiamonds, fluorinated turbostratic graphene and fluorinated concentric carbon. This is done by millisecond flashing of organic fluorine compounds and fluoride precursors. Spectroscopic analysis confirms the modification of the electronic states and the existence of various short-range and long-range orders in the different fluorinated carbon allotropes. As a result, the flash time-dependent relationship is further demonstrated to control the phase evolution and product compositions.

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT↗
DOE OSTI2020

Targeted synthesis and reaction mechanism discussion of Mo 2 C based insertion-type electrodes for advanced pseudocapacitors

Mo 2 C is one of the few compounds that possess good electronic conductivity. Meanwhile, it possesses a natural 1D zigzag tunnel structure that is ideally suited for fast ion diffusion. Here, an effective approach is demonstrated for fabrication of structurally stable N-doped Mo 2 C/C nanobelts. They demonstrate high and fast energy storage ability with initial capacitances of 1139 C g -1 at 1 mV s-1, 151 C g -1 at an extremely high scan rate of 2000 mV s -1 and 208 C g -1 at a discharge current density of 200 A g -1 . After electrochemical activation of cycling, the capacity is continuously enhanced and much higher capacitances of 2523 C g -1 at 1 mV s -1 and 1403 C g -1 at 50 A g -1 are achieved after 15,000 cycles at 50 mV s -1 . Using the power law, it is evaluated that a surface-controlled capacitive process makes the main contribution to the capacity, which is over 90% when the scan rates are higher than 10 mV s -1 and still high as 73% at 1 mV s -1 . From in situ synchrotron XRD, it is found that there is a negligible change in the crystal structure and volume during charging/discharging, reflecting an insertion-type charge storage mechanism.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2021

Experimental and computational investigation of the bond energy of thorium dicarbonyl cation and theoretical elucidation of its isomerization mechanism to the thermodynamically most stable isomer, thorium oxide ketenylidene cation, OTh + CCO

Collision-induced dissociation (CID) of [Th,2C,2O] + with Xe is performed using a guided ion beam tandem mass spectrometer (GIBMS). The only products observed are ThCO + and Th + by sequential loss of CO ligands. The experimental findings and theoretical calculations support that the structure of [Th,2C,2O] + is the bent homoleptic thorium dicarbonyl cation, Th + (CO) 2 , having quartet spin, which is both thermodynamically and kinetically stable enough in the gas phase to be observed in our GIBMS instrument. Analysis of the kinetic energy-dependent cross sections for this CID reaction yields the first experimental determination of the bond dissociation energy (BDE) of (CO)Th + –CO at 0 K as 1.05 ± 0.09 eV. A theoretical BDE calculated at the CCSD(T) level with cc-pVXZ (X = T and Q) basis sets and a complete basis set (CBS) extrapolation is in very good agreement with the experimental result. Although the doublet spin bent thorium oxide ketenylidene cation, OTh + CCO, is calculated to be the most thermodynamically stable structure, it is not observed in our experiment where [Th,2C,2O] + is formed by association of Th + and CO in a direct current discharge flow tube (DC/FT) ion source. Potential energy profiles of both quartet and doublet spin are constructed to elucidate the isomerization mechanism of Th + (CO) 2 to OTh + CCO. The failure to observe OTh + CCO is attributed to a barrier associated with C–C bond formation, which makes OTh + CCO kinetically inaccessible under our experimental conditions. Furthermore, chemical bonding patterns in low-lying states of linear and bent Th + (CO) 2 and OTh + CCO isomers are also investigated.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗