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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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All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2025

Tunable shear thickening, aging, and rejuvenation in suspensions of shape-memory-endowed liquid crystalline particles

The morphological features of particles, notably shape anisotropy, critically influence the rheological properties of dense suspensions, spanning both natural and engineered systems. This work explores the potential of using shape memory particles to dynamically regulate suspension fluid flow through controllable shape transformations. First, we synthesize shape-memory particles with programmable anisotropy from liquid crystal elastomers, such that the stiffness and shapes of the particles can be tuned by manipulating temperature. Our findings reveal that suspensions from such particles exhibit significant tunability in shear thickening behavior, transitioning from discontinuous shear thickening to a Newtonian-like response within a narrow temperature range of 60 ° C. This capability to modulate rheological responses in situ presents an approach for addressing processing challenges in many applications where control over flow behavior is paramount. Furthermore, we also show that suspensions composed of these anisotropic particles can undergo physical aging, and evolve into a glassy state. This state can be escaped upon activation of the shape memory effect. This reversibility underscores the potential for using such materials to engineer systems that can enter or come out of kinetic arrest by leveraging internal mechanical responses to external stimuli. The insights gained here not only broaden our understanding of the interplay between particle geometry and suspension dynamics but also pave the way for leveraging ensembles of stimuli-responsive objects to precisely control collective behaviors in many-body systems.

Science & Technology - Other Topics↗
NASA NTRS2022

Test Data Analysis of the Thermodynamic Vent System-Augmented Top Spray Injector Liquid Nitrogen Transfer Experiments

Traditionally, a cryogenic tank must be pre-chilled to some “target” temperature before the main vent valve can be closed to attempt a non-vented fill (NVF) of cryogenic liquid propellant. This methodology is particularly attractive for performing in-space transfer of cryogens due to the unknown location of the liquid/vapor interface in microgravity and the high likelihood of venting liquid if the vent valve is opened during transfer. This paper presents in-depth test data analysis of a Thermodynamic Vent System (TVS) augmented injector used for cryogenic tank chilldown and fill experiments of a thin-walled Titanium tank. Eight tests were conducted using liquid nitrogen across a range of inlet conditions and boundary conditions, and three different chilldown/fill methods. For four of the tests, the injector sprays liquid into the tank as normal, but also uses a TVS heat exchanger to cool the metallic injector itself as well as the main incoming liquid stream. Results show that using the TVS augmented injector simplifies transfer operation via enhanced condensation at the injector surface at the cost of sacrificing only a small amount of propellant.

Thermodynamic Vent System↗
DOE OSTI2026

Assembly and Testing of Scintillator Tile Modules for the CMS High-Granularity Calorimeter Upgrade

The High-Granularity Calorimeter (HGCAL), part of the upgrade to the Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) experiment, employs silicon and scintillator tile modules in the endcaps to maintain detector performance during the High-Luminosity Large Hadron Collider (HL-LHC) era, scheduled to operate from 2030 to 2040. The upgraded calorimeter will provide highly segmented three-dimensional imaging, energy measurements, and precise timing for particle shower reconstruction. Approximately half of the HGCal plastic scintillator tile modules (1,834 total) will be assembled at Fermilab using an automated pick-and-place (PnP) machine. Following assembly, each tile module undergoes quality control (QC) procedures such as electrical validation, thermal testing, and physics validation using cosmic rays. This poster/talk presents the QC procedures and results from the tile module production in 2026, demonstrating the performance and quality of the assembled tile modules.

Bazimya, Jean Luc [Grambling State U.]↗
NASA NTRS1966

Sterilizable battery

Development program for separator and modified polyethylene separator material for silver-zinc battery, and program for development of sealed heat sterilizable batteries

MATERIAL TESTING↗
NASA NTRS1993

Marshall Space Flight Center battery activity

The topics covered are presented in viewgraph form and include a flight program history and in-house activities. Some of the in-house activities addressed include secondary battery/cell testing and Hubble Space Telescope Test data updates involving the NiCd type 40 test - battery 1 and 2, the NiCd type 41 test battery, the general electric battery, the NiCd six-battery system, the six four-cell packs, fourteen-cell pack, three four-cell packs, the NiH2 six-battery system, and the flight spare battery. A general test data update is also presented for the twelve-cell pack, the four four-cell packs, the reconditioning test, and planned Ni-MH testing.

Lowery, Eric↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Design, Development, and Test of the Advanced Apollo Orbital Assembly System

As spaceflight moves toward commercial solutions for Crew Vehicles and Space Stations, opportunity exists to lower costs with novel designs. Probe and cone docking systems provide a lightweight, low cost, and high-performance docking solution. This work revisits the Apollo probe and cone design and modifies it for the requirements of today’s computer-controlled spacecraft. This new system is called the Advanced Apollo Orbital Assembly (APOA) system, and is intended to support satellite, cargo, and space station assembly missions. A simulation of the APOA was programmed, components were sized, and a design was created by scaling the probe to the size of an EELV Secondary Payload Adapter (ESPA) tunnel. Prototype test hardware was 3D printed using Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) methods with Polylactic Acid (PLA) material. Testing of the APOA-ESPA was conducted at Marshall Space Flight Center’s (MSFC) Flat Floor, and a test-correlated simulation is used to evaluate a Monte-Carlo of Initial Contact Conditions (ICC’s) to establish baseline performance. The successful development, test, and correlation of the APOA-ESPA proves the design validity and increases Technology Readiness Level (TRL) from 2 to 4. This work opens the door to construction of an APOA-ESPA from flight like materials, and to develop a larger scale prototype APOA. When the full scale APOA is incorporated with the Common Berthing Mechanism (CBM), becomes the Hybrid Berthing System (HBS), which allows for berthing without a robotic arm.

Berthing↗
NASA NTRS2026

Recommended Practice for Use of ExB Probes in Electric Propulsion Testing

An ExB probe is an electric propulsion plume diagnostic that has at its core a Wien filter. Ions entering the instrument experience perpendicular electric and magnetic fields and are filtered based on their velocity. While the ExB probe can be used to estimate the ion velocity distribution function, in the electric propulsion community, it is commonly used to measure species fractions. There are numerous probe designs, implementation and operation procedures, and data analysis approaches described and in use across the community. This paper provides recommendations and descriptions of best practices for design, implementation, and data analysis for the ExB probe, with a particular emphasis on Hall and ion thrusters. This work contributes to the broader community goal to standardize the use of diagnostics in electric propulsion testing.

ExB probe↗
NASA NTRS2002

Research Reports: 2001 NASA/ASEE Summer Faculty Fellowship Program

For the thirty-seventh consecutive year, a NASA/ASEE (American Society for Engineering Education) Summer Faculty Fellowship Program was conducted at Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC). The program was conducted by The University of Alabama in Huntsville and MSFC during the period May 29 - August 3, 2001. Operated under the auspices of the American Society for Engineering Education, the MSFC program, as well as those at other NASA Centers, was sponsored by the University Affairs Office, NASA Headquarters, Washington, DC. The basic objectives of the programs, which are in the thirty-seventh year of operation nationally, are (1) to further the professional knowledge of qualified engineering and science faculty members; (2) to stimulate an exchange of ideas between participants and NASA; (3) to enrich and refresh the research and teaching activities of the participants' institutions; and (4) to contribute to the research objectives of the NASA Centers. The Faculty Fellows spent ten weeks at MSFC engaged in a research project compatible with their interests and background and worked in collaboration with a NASA MSFC colleague. This document is a compilation of Fellows' reports on their research during the summer of 2001.

Avionics↗
NASA NTRS2017

Europa Propulsion Valve Seat Material Testing

The Europa mission and spacecraft design presented unique challenges for selection of valve seat materials that met the fluid compatibility requirements, and combined fluid compatibility and high radiation exposure level requirements. The Europa spacecraft pressurization system valves will be exposed to fully saturated propellant vapor for the duration of the mission. The effects of Nitrogen Tetroxide (NTO) and Monomethylhydrazine (MMH) propellant vapors on heritage valve seat materials, such as Vespel SP-1 and Polychlorotrifluoroethylene (PCTFE), were evaluated to determine if an alternate material is required. In liquid system applications, Teflon is the only available compatible valve seat material. Radiation exposure data for Teflon in an air or vacuum environment has been previously documented. Radiation exposure data for Teflon in an oxidizer environment such as NTO, was not available, and it was unknown whether the effects would be similar to those on air-exposed samples. Material testing was conducted by Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) and White Sands Test Facility (WSTF) to determine the effects of propellant vapor on heritage seat materials for pressurization valve applications, and the effects of combined radiation and NTO propellant exposure on Teflon. The results indicated that changes in heritage pressurization valve seat materials' properties rendered them unsuitable for the Europa application. The combined radiation and NTO exposure testing of Teflon produced results equivalent to combined radiation and air exposure results.

Brad M Addona↗
DOE OSTI2026

Aerosol Can Fireball Tests: Commodity Hazards in the Transportation Environment Phase 1 Report

This report describes a series of tests performed at Sandia’s burn site to better understand the behavior of aerosol commodities and their hazards in the transportation environment. This comes on the tail of a prior study on the use cases and historical hazards associated with aerosol commodities in the shipping environment (Cambridge Systematics Incorporated, CSI, 2020). It is also mindful of the National Fire Protection Agency NFPA30B standard for safe warehousing of aerosol commodities. Warehousing is different from transit because warehousing typically involves active suppression and mitigation measures not practical or relevant to the shipping environment. Transit also typically involves tighter packing and smaller enclosure spaces. The transportation hazard space has not been heavily studied in prior testing specifically aimed towards the ground, rail, and nautical shipping environments.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2026

Testing and Validation of Wireless Communication Architecture for Heliostat Fields: SIPS Final Report

This work focuses on the development and testing of a low-cost wireless communication system for heliostat fields, enabling significant capital costs reductions for concentrating solar thermal systems. Outputs of this work include a working demonstration of a multi-node communication system, clear reporting of system performance, and technical documentation of system development and architecture for reproducibility. Through this process, an open-source repository was created for manufacturing hardware at ~$30/heliostat. The system includes software for cybersecurity, achieving sub-second communication latencies and derisking of hardware for eventual scale-up to tens of thousands of heliostats. While the system is not currently off-the-shelf ready, there is now a clearly defined pathway for scaling up and completing the commercial development process.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Stationary Testing of a Pulse Tube Cryocooler Designed to Rotate at 6800 RPM with the Superconducting Rotor of an Electric Machine

Electrified aircraft are being developed to increase the efficiency and reduce the cost of operating subsonic transport aircraft. Achieving a substantial impact necessitates focusing on single- and twin-aisle aircraft which use propulsion systems with >20 MW ratings. For these aircraft, multi-MW superconducting electric machines are being developed due to their high specific power and high efficiency. Most of these electric machines employ superconductors on their rotor, thereby requiring cryogenic cooling of the rotating system. An attractive solution is to conductively cool the rotor using a cryocooler that rotates with the rotor. NASA has been developing a 50 K pulse tube cryocooler for its High Efficiency Megawatt Motor (HEMM) that can operate while rotating at 6,800 rpm. The design of this cryocooler and testing of its linear motor have been discussed in prior work. This presentation presents the first measurements of the complete HEMM cryocooler. The design and results of a stationary (non-rotating) test of the cryocooler are described.

electrified aircraft propulsion↗
DOE OSTI2023

Review of Carbon Support Coordination Environments for Single Metal Atom Electrocatalysts (SACS)

This topical review focuses on the distinct role of carbon support coordination environment of single-atom catalysts (SACs) for electrocatalysis. The article begins with an overview of atomic coordination configurations in SACs, including a discussion of the advanced characterization techniques and simulation used for understanding the active sites. A summary of key electrocatalysis applications is then provided. These processes are oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), oxygen evolution reaction (OER), hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), nitrogen reduction reaction (NRR), and carbon dioxide reduction reaction (CO 2 RR). The review then shifts to modulation of the metal atom-carbon coordination environments, focusing on nitrogen and other non-metal coordination through modulation at the first coordination shell and modulation in the second and higher coordination shells. Representative case studies are provided, starting with the classic four-nitrogen-coordinated single metal atom (M$-$N 4 ) based SACs. Bimetallic coordination models including homo-paired and hetero-paired active sites are also discussed, being categorized as emerging approaches. The theme of the discussions is the correlation between synthesis methods for selective doping, the carbon structure–electron configuration changes associated with the doping, the analytical techniques used to ascertain these changes, and the resultant electrocatalysis performance. In conclusion, critical unanswered questions as well as promising underexplored research directions are identified.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2026

Advancing Protein Display on Bacterial Spores through an Extensive Survey of Coat Components

The profound stability of bacterial spores makes them a promising platform for biotechnological applications like biocatalysis, bioremediation, drug delivery, etc. However, though the Bacillus subtilis spore is composed of >40 types of proteins, only ∼12 have been explored as fusion carriers for protein display. Here, we assessed the suitability of 33 spore proteins (SPs) as enzyme display carriers by direct allele tagging at native genomic loci. Of the 33 SPs investigated, 26 formed functional fusions with β-glucuronidase (GUS)─a ∼272 kDa homotetramer. This almost triples the number of SPs assessed for enzyme display and doubles the number of functional fusions documented in the literature. We quantitatively assessed 1) SP promoter activation dynamics, 2) GUS activity on spores, 3) surface availability, and 4) protection from thermal and proteolytic degradation. Multicopy expression and pairwise coexpression of the most promising SP-GUS fusions highlighted the complexity of spore structure/assembly and the difficulty in predicting compatibility between different SP fusions. We also assessed the suitability of engineered spores to degrade PET (polyethylene terephthalate) films and found that surface-exposed SPs were most effective. Beyond the broad survey, a key outcome of our work was the identification of SscA (small spore coat assembly protein A) as an effective spore display carrier. SscA supported enzyme activity at least 4-fold higher than any other SP, including the well-established anchor, CotY. We attribute this to its promoter, which demonstrated early and sustained activation relative to other SPs and its small size (∼3 kDa), which likely minimally interferes with enzyme folding, oligomerization, and activity. Labeling and genetic studies, its hydrophobic nature, and low surface availability suggest that SscA assembles within the inner spore coat, which makes it stabilizing and suitable for many biocatalytic applications. Overall, this work serves as a knowledge base to advance the biotechnological utility of B. subtilis spores.

Bacillus subtilis↗
DOE OSTI2026

Gear Test Assembly - Experimental Testing and Analysis of Gears and Bearings - FY2026

The Gear Test Assembly (GTA) is an experimental test apparatus built and installed in the Mechanisms and Engineering Test Loop (METL) at Argonne National Laboratory (ANL). While designed to accommodate a variety of components intended for use in advanced compact in-vessel transfer machine, the focus of GTA been the testing of large radial spur gears. The performance of the components used in GTA motivates the choices made in the design, components, and material choices for the forthcoming METL test articles; the Gripper Test Assembly (GrTA), and the Bearing Test Assembly (BTA). To date, GTA has completed nine experimental testing campaigns and achieved over 21 million revolutions under prototypic sodium fast reactor loads and operating conditions. This report provides an overview and results for the two most recent experiments Campaign #8 and Campaign #9. `Campaign #8 was the first campaign to make use of a set of nickel alloy radial spur gears, made from Hastelloy C-22HS, and combined with heat-treated tapered roller bearings. The bearings and torque profile used allowed Campaign #8 to be directly compared with Campaign #1 where Inconel 718 gears were used instead. Campaign #8 attained 1,058,880 shaft revolutions within 23% of the 1,314,855 revolutions achieved in Campaign #1. These results demonstrate that the heat-treated tapered roller bearings show consistent increased lifetimes, approximately three times longer than for non heat-treated taper rollers, and that the particular material of the gear does not play a substantial role in performance. Similar to Campaign #7 where bearing failure resulted in fragmentation and transport of bearing material into the gear teeth led to tooth damage in the Inconel gears, a similar process led to the damage of the Hastelloy gears. Subsequent NDE analysis showed that the damage was only limited to the tooth surface and does not extend into the gear interiors. Based on the NDE reports, the Hastelloy gears can be reconditioned and put back into service for future campaigns as was done for the Inconel gears. Reconditioned Inconel 718 gears damaged in Campaign #7 were returned to service in Campaign #9 and paired with non heat-treated tapered roller bearings. In Campaign #9 a novel set of operating conditions were implemented whereby the gears and bearings were cycled between hot, submerged refueling conditions where fuel handling operations occurred and cold, dry, and inert conditions where the sodium was drained and the vessel was allowed to cool simulating long, ex-vessel storage of the fuel handling machine. A total of eight of these operating cycles were achieved before a bearing failure occurred after the accumulation of 475,692 shaft revolutions were achieved. During Campaign #9, one of the drive motors was damaged and over the course of a 240 day standby period, the entire GTA drive system was upgraded from a 480VAC system to a 240VAC system that provided the opportunity to consolidate wall-space in the METL facility and provide more space for additional test articles being installed in the coming year. The over 475,000 shaft revolutions achieved in Campaign #9 eclipses the previous record for lifetime of non heat-treated tapered roller bearings held by Campaign #3 of 392,000 shaft revolutions. Further analysis and future campaigns hope to shed light on the cause of this approximately 17% increase in lifetime.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2026

RADAI: A Large-Scale Realistic Dataset for Radiation Detection Algorithm Development

Open, realistic datasets are essential for developing and benchmarking radiation detection algorithms, yet they remain scarce. The Radiological Anomaly Detection and Identification (RADAI) project was develop to create datasets that meet the training and testing needs for sophisticated radiation detection algorithms. The RADAI dataset is a large-scale synthetic resource that integrates high-fidelity Monte Carlo simulations with realistic urban scenarios to capture both background variability and source signatures. RADAI models construction-material NORM, people and vehicles, urban clutter, and dynamic environmental effects such as cosmic-ray and rain-induced transients, and they provide list-mode detector data with motion and response modeling suitable for algorithm training and evaluation. The RADAI project resulted in three publicly-released complementary datasets together with an online scoring portal for standardized performance assessment and an open software toolkit that supports data access, augmentation, model development, and evaluation. These resources enable reproducible comparisons across methods and promote rigorous studies at the scale required by contemporary machine learning. By grounding algorithm development in realistic, well-documented conditions, RADAI supports progress toward more robust detection, identification, and localization in complex urban environments.

Ghawaly, James M. [Division of Computer Science an↗
NASA NTRS2014

Screen Channel Liquid Acquisition Device Outflow Tests in Liquid Hydrogen

This paper presents experimental design and test results of the recently concluded 1-g inverted vertical outflow testing of two 325x2300 full scale liquid acquisition device (LAD) channels in liquid hydrogen (LH 2 ). One of the channels had a perforated plate and internal cooling from a thermodynamic vent system (TVS) to enhance performance. The LADs were mounted in a tank to simulate 1-g outflow over a wide range of LH 2 temperatures (20.3 – 24.2 K), pressures (100 – 350 kPa), and flow rates (0.010 – 0.055 kg/s). Results indicate that the breakdown point is dominated by liquid temperature, with a second order dependence on mass flow rate through the LAD. The best performance is always achieved in the coldest liquid states for both channels, consistent with bubble point theory. Higher flow rates cause the standard channel to break down relatively earlier than the TVS cooled channel. Both the internal TVS heat exchanger and subcooling the liquid in the propellant tank are shown to significantly improve LAD performance.

Fuel Depot↗