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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 631 records · Page 35
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2000

Estimating Forest Vertical Structure from Multialtitude, Fixed-Baseline Radar Interferometric and Polarimetric Data

Parameters describing the vertical structure of forests, for example tree height, height-to-base-of-live-crown, underlying topography, and leaf area density, bear on land-surface, biogeochemical, and climate modeling efforts. Single, fixed-baseline interferometric synthetic aperture radar (INSAR) normalized cross-correlations constitute two observations from which to estimate forest vertical structure parameters: Cross-correlation amplitude and phase. Multialtitude INSAR observations increase the effective number of baselines potentially enabling the estimation of a larger set of vertical-structure parameters. Polarimetry and polarimetric interferometry can further extend the observation set. This paper describes the first acquisition of multialtitude INSAR for the purpose of estimating the parameters describing a vegetated land surface. These data were collected over ponderosa pine in central Oregon near longitude and latitude -121 37 25 and 44 29 56. The JPL interferometric TOPSAR system was flown at the standard 8-km altitude, and also at 4-km and 2-km altitudes, in a race track. A reference line including the above coordinates was maintained at 35 deg for both the north-east heading and the return southwest heading, at all altitudes. In addition to the three altitudes for interferometry, one line was flown with full zero-baseline polarimetry at the 8-km altitude. A preliminary analysis of part of the data collected suggests that they are consistent with one of two physical models describing the vegetation: 1) a single-layer, randomly oriented forest volume with a very strong ground return or 2) a multilayered randomly oriented volume; a homogeneous, single-layer model with no ground return cannot account for the multialtitude correlation amplitudes. Below the inconsistency of the data with a single-layer model is followed by analysis scenarios which include either the ground or a layered structure. The ground returns suggested by this preliminary analysis seem too strong to be plausible, but parameters describing a two-layer compare reasonably well to a field-measured probability distribution of tree heights in the area.

Treuhaft, Robert N.↗
DOE OSTI2018

Modelling of Blast Furnace with Respective Chemical Reactions in Coke and Ore Burden Layers

The ironmaking blast furnace (BF) is an efficient chemical reactor for producing liquid iron from solid iron ore, where the solids of coke and iron ore are charged in alternative layers and different chemical reactions occur in the two solid layers as they descend. Such respective reacting burden layers have not been considered explicitly in the previous BF models. In this article, a mathematical model based on multi-fluid theory is developed for describing the multiphase reacting flows considering the respective reacting burden layers. Then, this model is applied to a BF, covering the area from the burden surface at the furnace top to the liquid surface above the hearth, to describe the inner states of a BF in terms of the multiphase flows, temperature distribution and reduction process. The results show that some key important features in the layered burden with respective chemical reactions are captured, including fluctuating iso-lines in terms of gas flow and thermochemical behaviours; particularly the latter cannot be well captured in the previous BF models. The temperature difference between gas–solid phases is found to be larger near the raceway, at the cohesive zone and at the furnace top, and the thermal reserved zone can be identified near the shaft. Three chemical reserve zones of hematite, magnetite and wustite can also be observed near the stockline, in the shaft near the wall and near centre, respectively. Inside each reserve zone, the corresponding ferrous oxides stay constantly high in alternative layers; the overall performance indicators including gas utilization efficiency and reduction degree also stay stable in an alternative-layered structure. This model provides a cost-effective tool to investigate the BF in-furnace process and optimize BF operation.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2018

Structure of Diamond-Like Silicon–Carbon Films Alloyed by Vanadium

The structure of diamond-like silicon–carbon films formed on silicon substrates by magnetron and plasmatron codeposition using a closed-field magnetron and a plasmatron activated by tungsten cathode has been studied by transmission electron microscopy. The main feature of the films alloyed by vanadium to concentrations of 12–31 at % was found to be a layered structure of the film cross section. It was established that vanadium alloying leads to the formation of vanadium carbide (VC) nanocrystals; the nanocrystal size increases from 1–2 to 10 nm. At the maximum vanadium content, VC nanocrystals have an anisotropic shape: they are extended in the direction perpendicular to the film–substrate interface.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2020

Cleavable magnetic materials from van der Waals layered transition metal halides and chalcogenides

The study of exfoliated 2D magnetic materials is a vibrant and rapidly progressing field and is impacting many areas of condensed matter research including fundamental magnetism, spintronics and optoelectronics, and topological spin and electronic systems. The availability of promising candidate materials has enabled much of the progress in this field. Here, I present my perspective on the development of cleavable magnetic materials with a focus on transition metal halides and chalcogenides and an emphasis on crystal structure and magnetic order. To give proper context for these discussions, brief and incomplete surveys of recent work are included, focusing on specific aspects that I find most useful for guiding work on emerging materials and motivating expansion into other compounds and material families. Several instances of structural changes that can differentiate behaviors of bulk and ultrathin specimens are noted. Probing and understanding potential structural differences present a challenge but also an opportunity for material and device development, if they can be predicted and controlled. It is clear that careful investigations of structure, layer stacking, and defects in materials, how they may relate to the crystal chemistry, and how they may be different in crystals and mono- or few-layer specimens provide invaluable context for understanding the behavior of van der Waals layered magnetic materials.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2018

Organosilane-assisted selective etching strategy for fabrication of hollow/rattle-type mesoporous organosilica nanospheres

Highlights: • Effective fabrication of organic hollow/rattle-type mesoporous organosilica. • The addition of CTES could increase the porosity of the materials. • Pore-making agent (CTES) could be removed by alkali treatment without additional step. - Abstract: A facile strategy to fabricate hollow or rattle-type mesoporous silica nanospheres (HMSNs or RMSNs) with organic functional groups and porous shell was developed. Herein, thiol-HMSNs were obtained via treating vinyl-SiO{sub 1.5} @cyano&thiol-SiO{sub 1.5} prepared by using 3-mercaptopropyltrimethoxysilane (MPTMS) as organosilane precursor, vinyltriethoxysilane (VTES) as sacrificial template precursor and cyanoethyltriethoxysilane (CTES) as pore-making agent. In this method, CTES was co-condensed with MPTMS to form hybrid shell and played an important role in the formation of pore structures. When the volume ratio of MPTMS to CTES was 1:1, well-defined thiol-HMSNs with a specific surface area of 295.6 m{sup 2} g{sup −1} and pore volume of 0.51 cm{sup 3} g{sup −1} could be obtained. Moreover, [email protected] could also be synthesized through this method from three-layered structures (thiocyanato-SiO{sub 1.5} @vinyl-SiO{sub 1.5} @cyano&thiol-SiO{sub 1.5}). The as-prepared RMSNs presented good performance for the adsorption of 2, 4-dichloropheno in water. And this selective etching strategy was versatile and might be extended to fabricate more valuable organic hollow/rattle-type composites for different applications.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
NASA NTRS1986

Preliminary results of measurements by automated probes Vega 1 and 2 or particle concentration in clouds of Venus at heights 47-63 KM

Results of the preliminary processing of the Vega 1 and 2 descender data on the cloud layer structure of the Venusian atmosphere are discussed. A photoelectric counter for aerosol particles is described together with its optical and pneumatic circuits and operation algorithm. Vertical profiles of concentrations of particles with a diameter of 0.4 microns agree quantitatively with the Pioneer-Venus and Venera 9 and 10 data. Concentrations of these particles are: in the B layer, up to 190/cu cm; in the C layer, up to 10/cu cm; and in the D layer, up to 130/cu cm. Layers have sharp boundaries with a significant vertical heterogeneity of the aerosol concentration field inside them.

Zhulanov, Y. V.↗
NASA NTRS1995

Computation of three-dimensional mixed convective boundary layer flow

The paper presents the numerical solution of heat and mass transfer during cross-flow (orthogonal) mixed convection. In this class of flow, a buoyancy-driven transport in the vertical direction and a forced convective flow in the horizontal direction results in a three-dimensional boundary layer structure adjacent to the plate. The rates of heat and mass transfer are determined by a combined influence of the two transport processes. The equations for the conservation of mass, momentum, energy, and species concentration were solved along with appropriate boundary conditions to determine the distributions of velocity components, temperature, and concentration across the thickness of the boundary layer at different locations on the plate. Results were expressed in dimensionless form using Reynolds number, Richardson number for heat transfer, Richardson number for mass transfer, Prandtl number, and Schmidt number as parameters. It was found that the transport is dominated by buoyancy at smaller vertical locations and at larger distances away from the forced convection leading edge. Effects of forced convection appeared to be very strong at smaller horizontal distances from the leading edge. The cross stream forced convection enhanced the rate of heat and mass transfer by a very significant amount.

Gadepalli, Prashandt↗
DOE OSTI2018

Cr 2.37 Ga 3 Se 8 : A Quasi-Two-Dimensional Magnetic Semiconductor

We present a novel magnetic semiconductor, Cr 2.37 Ga 3 Se 8 , synthesized by partially replacing magnetic Cr 3+ in antiferromagnetic Cr 5+δ Se 8 with nonmagnetic Ga 3+ . The crystal structure of Cr 2.37 Ga 3 Se 8 was determined by both powder and single-crystal X-ray diffraction. The title compound crystallizes in a monoclinic structure with space group C2/m (No. 12). In Cr 2.37 Ga 3 Se 8 , the Cr atoms are surrounded by 6 Se atoms and form filled octahedral clusters, while Ga atoms are centered in the Se 4 tetrahedral clusters. The two kinds of clusters pack alternatingly along the c-axis, which results in a quasi-two-dimensional layered structure. The magnetization (M) measurement shows the development of short-range ferromagnetic coupling below the Curie-Weiss (CW) temperature θ CW ~ 92 K, evidenced by the nonlinear field dependence of M. However, the magnetic susceptibility exhibits a peak at low fields at ~18 K, indicating the existence of an antiferromagnetic interaction as well. Electronic structure calculations using the WIEN2k program in the local spin density approximation indicate that the magnetism arises exclusively from local moments of the Cr atoms. Here, the electrical resistivity measurement of the Cr 2.37 Ga 3 Se 8 sample confirms that this material is a semiconductor with the band gap ~0.26 eV. Meanwhile, the experimental band gap (~0.26 eV) is close to the theoretical prediction using the WIEN2k program (~0.35 eV).

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
NASA NTRS1972

GaAs vapor-grown bipolar transistors.

Discussion of an approach for the fabrication of high-temperature GaAs transistors which is centered on the preparation of n-p-n three-layered structures entirely by a vapor-phase growth technique, as described by Tietjen and Amick (1966). The low growth temperature of approximately 750 C is thought to reduce contamination during crystal growth and to contribute to the reasonably high minority-carrier lifetimes obtained for the vapor-grown p-n junctions. The fact that impurity concentrations and layer thicknesses can be precisely controlled for epitaxial layers as thin as 1 micrometer is an important feature of this growth technique.

Nuese, C. J.↗
NASA NTRS2016

Assessment of Aerosol Optical Property and Radiative Effect for the Layer Decoupling Cases over the Northern South China Sea During the 7-SEAS Dongsha Experiment

The aerosol radiative effect can be modulated by the vertical distribution and optical properties of aerosols, particularly when aerosol layers are decoupled. Direct aerosol radiative effects over the northern South China Sea (SCS) were assessed by incorporating an observed data set of aerosol optical properties obtained from the Seven South East Asian Studies (7-SEAS)/Dongsha Experiment into a radiative transfer model. Aerosol optical properties for a two-layer structure of aerosol transport were estimated. In the radiative transfer calculations, aerosol variability (i.e., diversity of source region, aerosol type, and vertical distribution) for the complex aerosol environment was also carefully quantified. The column-integrated aerosol optical depth (AOD) at 500nm was 0.1-0.3 for near-surface aerosols and increased 1-5 times in presence of upper layer biomass-burning aerosols. A case study showed the strong aerosol absorption (single-scattering albedo (omega) approx. = 0.92 at 440nm wavelength) exhibited by the upper layer when associated with predominantly biomass-burning aerosols, and the omega (approx. = 0.95) of near-surface aerosols was greater than that of the upper layer aerosols because of the presence of mixed type aerosols. The presence of upper level aerosol transport could enhance the radiative efficiency at the surface (i.e., cooling) and lower atmosphere (i.e., heating) by up to -13.7 and +9.6W/sq m2 per AOD, respectively. Such enhancement could potentially modify atmospheric stability, can influence atmospheric circulation, as well as the hydrological cycle over the tropical and low-latitude marginal northern SCS.

biomass burning↗
DOE OSTI2018

Strain Tuning in Complex Oxide Epitaxial Films Using an Ultrathin Strontium Aluminate Buffer Layer

A reliable method to apply biaxial strain over a wide range of values with minimal dislocation generation is critical for the study of strain dependent physical properties in oxide thin films and heterostructures. In this study, we systematically controlled the strain state in a perovskite manganite thin film by as much as 1% using a new ultrathin strain-releasing buffer layer Sr 3 Al 2 O 6 , and observed signatures of accompanying magnetic and metal–insulator transitions. The near-zero strain state is achieved within five nanometers of buffer layer thickness, substantially thinner than any oxide epitaxial buffer layers that can continuously tune the film strain states. Furthermore, the majority of misfit dislocations were confined to the Sr 3 Al 2 O 6 layer, structurally decoupling defects in the film from the substrate.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2022

Cryo-FIB for TEM Investigation of Soft Matter and Beam Sensitive Energy Materials

Primarily driven by structural biology, the rapid advances in cryogenic electron microscopy techniques are now being adopted and applied by materials scientists. Samples that inherently have electron transparency can be rapidly frozen (vitrified) in amorphous ice and imaged directly on a cryogenic transmission electron microscopy (cryo-TEM), however this is not the case for many important materials systems, which can consist of layered structures, embedded architectures, or be contained within a device. Cryogenic focused ion beam (cryo-FIB) lift-out procedures have recently been developed to extract intact regions and interfaces of interest, that can then be thinned to electron transparency and transferred to the cryo-TEM for characterization. Several detailed studies have been reported demonstrating the cryo-FIB lift-out procedure, however due to its relative infancy in materials science improvements are still required to ensure the technique becomes more accessible and routinely successful. Here, we review recent results on the preparation of cryo-TEM lamellae using cryo-FIB and show that the technique is broadly applicable to a range of soft matter and beam sensitive energy materials. We then present a tutorial that can guide the materials scientist through the cryo-FIB lift-out process, highlighting recent methodological advances that address the most common failure points of the technique, such as needle attachment, lift-out and transfer, and final thinning.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2020

Characterizing the Turbulent Structure of the Convective Boundary Layer Using ARM/ASR Observations and LES Model Output

This project will ultimately combine observations from Raman lidar, Doppler lidar, AERI, eddy correlation measurements, and airborne and ground-based high spectral resolution lidar systems with many large eddy simulations (LES) of realistic boundary layer cases to study: The diurnal evolution of the boundary layer thermodynamic structure; The turbulent structure of the CBL and the entrainment zone; The ability of LES models to simulate the thermodynamic and turbulent structure of the CBL; How perturbations in the surface properties and CBL properties influence boundary layer clouds; The similarities and differences in the boundary layer and cloud interaction in the marine vs. continental boundary layer.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2022

Cryo-FIB for TEM Investigation of Soft Matter and Beam Sensitive Energy Materials

Primarily driven by structural biology, the rapid advances in cryogenic electron microscopy techniques are now being adopted and applied by materials scientists. Samples that inherently have electron transparency can be rapidly frozen (vitrified) in amorphous ice and imaged directly on a cryogenic transmission electron microscopy (cryo-TEM), however this is not the case for many important materials systems, which can consist of layered structures, embedded architectures, or be contained within a device. Cryogenic focused ion beam (cryo-FIB) lift-out procedures have recently been developed to extract intact regions and interfaces of interest, that can then be thinned to electron transparency and transferred to the cryo-TEM for characterization. Several detailed studies have been reported demonstrating the cryo-FIB lift-out procedure, however due to its relative infancy in materials science improvements are still required to ensure the technique becomes more accessible and routinely successful. Here, we review recent results on the preparation of cryo-TEM lamellae using cryo-FIB and show that the technique is broadly applicable to a range of soft matter and beam sensitive energy materials. We then present a tutorial that can guide the materials scientist through the cryo-FIB lift-out process, highlighting recent methodological advances that address the most common failure points of the technique, such as needle attachment, lift-out and transfer, and final thinning.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2016

Diverse Cd{sup II} coordination complexes derived from bromide isophthalic acid binding with auxiliary N-donor ligands

The coordination characteristics of 4-bromoisophthalic acid (4-Br-H{sub 2}ip) have been investigated in a series of Cd{sup II}-based frameworks. Hydrothermal reactions of Cd{sup II} salts and 4-Br-H{sub 2}ip together with flexible or semiflexible N-donor auxiliary ligands resulted in the formation of four three-dimensional coordination complexes with diverse structures: (Cd(bix){sub 0.5}(bix){sub 0.5}(4-Br-ip)]·H{sub 2}O){sub n} (1), [Cd(bbi){sub 0.5}(bbi){sub 0.5}(4-Br-ip)]{sub n} (2), ([Cd(btx){sub 0.5}(4-Br-ip)(H{sub 2}O)]·0.5CH{sub 3}OH·H{sub 2}O){sub n} (3) and ([Cd(bbt){sub 0.5}(4-Br-ip)(H{sub 2}O)]·3·5H{sub 2}O){sub n} (4). These compounds were characterized by elemental analyses, IR spectra, single-crystal and powder X-ray diffraction. They displayed diverse structures depending on the configuration of the 4-connected metal node, the coordination mode of the 4-Br-H{sub 2}ip, the coordination ability and conformationally flexibility of the N-donor auxiliary. Compound 1 exhibits 3-fold interpenetrated 6{sup 6} topology and compound 2 has a 4{sup 12} topology. Compounds 3–4 have similar 3D pillar-layered structures based on 3,4-connected binodal net with the Schläfli symbol of (4·3{sup 8}). The thermal stabilities and photoluminescence properties of them were discussed in detail. - Graphical abstract: Four 3D Cd{sup II} coordination complexes on the basis of 4-bromoisophthalic acid (4-Br-H{sub 2}ip) and two types of flexible (bbi, bbt) and semiflexible (bix, btx) N-donor ligands are prepared. They displayed diverse topology structures of 6{sup 6} (1), 4{sup 12} (2) and 4·3{sup 8} (3−4), depending on the configuration of the 4-connected metal node, the coordination mode of the 4-Br-H{sub 2}ip, the coordination ability and conformationally flexibility of the N-donor auxiliary ligand. - Highlights: • Four 3D Cd{sup II} coordination complexes based on 4-Br-H{sub 2}ip and flexible/semiflexible N-donor ligands have been synthesized. • They displayed diverse topology structures of 6{sup 6} for 1, 4{sup 12} for 2 and 4·3{sup 8} for 3–4. • The structural diversity depends on the configuration of 4-Br-H{sub 2}ip and the coordination behaviors of the auxiliary ligand.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2017

Transport in ferromagnet/superconductor spin valves

We consider charge transport properties in realistic, fabricable, ferromagnet/superconductor spin valves having a layered structure F 1 /N/F 2 /S, where F 1 and F 2 denote the ferromagnets, S the superconductor, and N the normal-metal spacer usually inserted in actual devices. Our calculation is fully self-consistent, as required to ensure that conservation laws are satisfied. We include the effects of scattering at all the interfaces. We obtain results for the device conductance G, as a function of bias voltage, for all values of the angle Φ between the magnetizations of the F 1 and F 2 layers and a range of realistic values for the material and geometrical parameters in the sample. We discuss, in the context of our results for G, the relative influence of all parameters on the spin valve properties. We also study the spin current and the corresponding spin-transfer torque in F 1 /F 2 /S structures.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2022

Control over emergence and alignment of transient blisters in thermo-responsive gels using hierarchically patterned substrates

Surfaces with tunable microscale textures are vital in a large variety of technological applications, including heat transfer, antifouling and adhesion. To facilitate such broad-scale use, there is a need to create surfaces that undergo reconfigurable changes in topology and thus, enable switchable functionality. To date, there is a relative dearth of methods for engineering surfaces that can be actuated to change topography over a range of length scales, and hence, form tunable hierarchically structured layers. Combining modeling and experiments, we design a geometrically patterned, thermo-responsive poly (N-isopropylacrylamide) gel film that undergoes controllable hierarchical changes in topology with changes in temperature. At the bottom, the film is covalently bound to a solid, curved substrate; at the top, the film encompasses longitudinal rectangular ridges that are oriented perpendicular to the underlying cylindrical curves. At temperatures below lower critical solution temperature (LCST), the swollen gel exhibits 3D variations in polymer density and thickness defined by the gel's top and bottom topography. As the temperature rises above LCST, the interplay between the upper ridges and lower curves in the gel drives non-uniform, directional solvent transport, the nucleation and propagation of a phase-separated higher-density skin layer, and the resulting pressure buildup within the film. These different, interacting kinetic processes lead to an instability, which produces transient microscopic blisters in the film. Through simulations, we show how tuning the width of the ridges modifies the propagation of a skin layer and creates localized pressure build-up points, which enables control over the emergence, distribution, and alignment of the microscopic blisters. Futhermore, we provide a simple argument to predict the size of such microscopic features. Experiments confirm our predictions and further highlight how our computational model enables the rational design of topographical transitions in these tunable films. The development of actuatable, hierarchically structured films provides new routes for achieving switchable functionality in actuators, drug release systems and adhesives.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2025

Interplay between electron localization, magnetic order, and Jahn-Teller distortion dictates LiMnO2 phase stability

The development of manganese (Mn)-rich cathodes for Li-ion batteries promises to alleviate potential supply chain bottlenecks in battery manufacturing. Fundamental challenges in Mn-rich cathodes arise from phenomena such as structural changes due to cooperative Jahn-Teller (JT) distortions of in octahedral environments, Mn migration, and phase transformations to spinel-like order, all of which affect the electrochemical performance. These physically complex phenomena motivate an re-examination of the Li-Mn-O rock-salt space, with a focus on the thermodynamics of the prototypical, polymorphs. It is found that the generalized gradient approximation (GGA-PBEsol) and meta-GGA ( ) density functionals with empirically fitted on-site Hubbard corrections yield spurious stable phases for , such as predicting a phase with -like order ( ) to be the ground state instead of the orthorhombic (Pmmn) phase, which is the experimentally known ground state. Accounting for antiferromagnetic order in each structure is shown to have a substantial effect on the total energies and resulting phase stability. By using hybrid-GGA (HSE06) and GGA with self-consistent Hubbard parameters (on-site and inter-site ) calculated from linear response theory, the experimentally observed phase stability trends are recovered. The calculated on-site between Mn- states in the experimentally observed orthorhombic, layered, and spinel phases are significantly smaller than in and disordered layered structures, by within GGA. The smaller values of are shown to be correlated with a collinear ordering of JT distortions, in which all orbitals are oriented in the same direction. This cooperative JT effect can lead to greater electron delocalization from Mn along the states due to increased Mn-O covalency, which contributes to the greater electronic stability compared to the phases with noncollinear JT arrangements. The structures with collinear ordering of JT distortions also generate greater vibrational entropy, which helps stabilize these phases at high temperature. These phases are shown to be strongly insulating with large calculated band gaps , which are computed using HSE06 and .

Kam, Ronald L↗