Search NASA⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search NASA

Results for “phase separation”

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.

At least 631 records · Page 35
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2001

Novel High Efficient Organic Photovoltaic Materials

In man's mission to the outer space or a remote site, the most abundant, renewable, nonpolluting, and unlimited external energy source is light. Photovoltaic (PV) materials can convert light into electrical power. In order to generate appreciable electrical power in space or on the Earth, it is necessary to collect sunlight from large areas due to the low density of sunlight, and this would be very costly using current commercially available inorganic solar cells. Future organic or polymer based solar cells seemed very attractive due to several reasons. These include lightweight, flexible shape, ultra-fast optoelectronic response time (this also makes organic PV materials attractive for developing ultra-fast photo detectors), tunability of energy band-gaps via molecular design, versatile materials synthesis and device fabrication schemes, and much lower cost on large-scale industrial production. It has been predicted that nano-phase separated block copolymer systems containing electron rich donor blocks and electron deficient acceptor blocks will facilitate the charge separation and migration due to improved electronic ultrastructure and morphology in comparison to current polymer composite photovoltaic system. This presentation will describe our recent progress in the design, synthesis and characterization of a novel donor-bridge-acceptor block copolymer system for potential high-efficient organic optoelectronic applications. Specifically, the donor block contains an electron donating alkyloxy derivatized polyphenylenevinylene, the acceptor block contains an electron withdrawing alkyl-sulfone derivatized polyphenylenevinylene, and the bridge block contains an electronically neutral non-conjugated aliphatic hydrocarbon chain. The key synthetic strategy includes the synthesis of each individual block first, then couple the blocks together. While the donor block stabilizes the holes, the acceptor block stabilizes the electrons. The bridge block is designed to hinder the electron-hole recombination. Thus, improved charge separation is expected. In addition, charge migration will also be facilitated due to the expected nano-phase separated and highly ordered block copolymer ultrastructural. The combination of all these factors will result in significant overall enhancement of photovoltaic power conversion efficiency.

Sun, Sam↗
DOE OSTI2017

Competing spin density wave, collinear, and helical magnetism in Fe 1 + x Te

The Fe 1+x Te phase diagram consists of two distinct magnetic structures with collinear order present at low interstitial iron concentrations and a helical phase at large values of x with these phases separated by a Lifshitz point. In this paper, we use unpolarized single-crystal diffraction to confirm the helical phase for large interstitial iron concentrations and polarized single-crystal diffraction to demonstrate the collinear order for the iron-deficient side of the Fe 1+x Te phase diagram. Polarized neutron inelastic scattering shows that the fluctuations associated with this collinear order are predominately transverse at low-energy transfers, consistent with a localized magnetic moment picture. We then apply neutron inelastic scattering and polarization analysis to investigate the dynamics and structure near the boundary between collinear and helical orders in the Fe 1+x Te phase diagram. We first show that the phase separating collinear and helical orders is characterized by a spin density wave with a single propagation wave vector of (~0.45, 0, 0.5). We do not observe harmonics or the presence of a charge density wave. The magnetic fluctuations associated with this wave vector are different from the collinear phase, being strongly longitudinal in nature and correlated anisotropically in the (H,K) plane. The excitations preserve the C 4 symmetry of the lattice but display different widths in momentum along the two tetragonal directions at low-energy transfers. Finally, while the low-energy excitations and minimal magnetic phase diagram can be understood in terms of localized interactions, we suggest that the presence of the density wave phase implies the importance of electronic and orbital properties.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2017

Formation of diamonds in laser-compressed hydrocarbons at planetary interior conditions

The effects of hydrocarbon reactions and diamond precipitation on the internal structure and evolution of icy giant planets such as Neptune and Uranus have been discussed for more than three decades. Inside these celestial bodies, simple hydrocarbons such as methane, which are highly abundant in the atmospheres, are believed to undergo structural transitions that release hydrogen from deeper layers and may lead to compact stratified cores. Indeed, from the surface towards the core, the isentropes of Uranus and Neptune intersect a temperature–pressure regime in which methane first transforms into a mixture of hydrocarbon polymers, whereas, in deeper layers, a phase separation into diamond and hydrogen may be possible. Here in this paper, we show experimental evidence for this phase separation process obtained by in situ X-ray diffraction from polystyrene (C 8 H 8 ) n samples dynamically compressed to conditions around 150 GPa and 5,000 K; these conditions resemble the environment around 10,000 km below the surfaces of Neptune and Uranus. Our findings demonstrate the necessity of high pressures for initiating carbon–hydrogen separation and imply that diamond precipitation may require pressures about ten times as high as previously indicated by static compression experiments. In conclusion, our results will inform mass–radius relationships of carbon-bearing exoplanets, provide constraints for their internal layer structure and improve evolutionary models of Uranus and Neptune, in which carbon–hydrogen separation could influence the convective heat transport.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

Computational study of trimer self-assembly and fluid phase behavior

The fluid phase diagram of trimer particles composed of one central attractive bead and two repulsive beads was determined as a function of simple geometric parameters using flat-histogram Monte Carlo methods. A variety of self-assembled structures were obtained including spherical micelle-like clusters, elongated clusters, and densely packed cylinders, depending on both the state conditions and shape of the trimer. Advanced simulation techniques were employed to determine transitions between self-assembled structures and macroscopic phases using thermodynamic and structural definitions. Simple changes in particle geometry yield dramatic changes in phase behavior, ranging from macroscopic fluid phase separation to molecular-scale self-assembly. In special cases, both self-assembled, elongated clusters and bulk fluid phase separation occur simultaneously. Our work suggests that tuning particle shape and interactions can yield superstructures with controlled architecture.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2014

Experimental observation of defect pair separation triggering phase transitions

First-order phase transitions typically exhibit a significant hysteresis resulting for instance in boiling retardation and supercooling. The hysteresis arises, because nucleation of the new phase is activated. The free-energy change is positive until the nucleus reaches a critical size beyond which further growth is downhill. In practice, the barrier is often circumvented by the presence of heterogeneous nucleation centres, e.g. at vessel walls or seed crystals. Recently, it has been proposed that the homogeneous melting of ice proceeds via separation of defect pairs with a substantially smaller barrier as compared to the mere aggregation of defects. Here we report the observation of an analogous mechanism catalysing a two-dimensional homogeneous phase transition. A similar process is believed to occur in spin systems. This suggests that separation of defect pairs is a common trigger for phase transitions. Partially circumventing the activation barrier it reduces the hysteresis and may promote fluctuations within a temperature range increasing with decreasing dimensionality.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2024

Stabilizing a low temperature phase change material based on Glaubers salt

The aim of this research is to enhance the performance of Glauber's salt (sodium sulfate decahydrate, SSD) as a phase change material (PCM) for thermal energy storage applications, as well as for shipping of temperature-sensitive materials. The study investigates the effects of modifying SSD with potassium chloride (KCl) and ammonium chloride (NH 4 Cl) to achieve lower phase transition temperatures of between +6 °C and + 13 °C. Sodium polyacrylate (PAAS) is employed as a thickening agent to prevent phase separation, and borax is used as a nucleating agent to suppress supercooling. Various ratios of KCl:NH 4 Cl are tested, and the impact of PAAS concentration on phase segregation is explored. The results show that a 2 wt% concentration of PAAS effectively prevents phase separation. Samples with a KCl:NH 4 Cl ratio of 1:1.83 exhibit stable phase transition behavior and maintain latent heat values within the range of 130–140 J/g after 30 thermal cycles. Maintaining a total KCl and NH 4 Cl proportion of 10 wt% is crucial to achieve the desired lower melting temperature. As a result, the study highlights the significance of thermal cycling in improving the stability of the PCM. The optimized SSD-based eutectic PCM formulations hold promise for applications in the cold chain industry.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2016

Thermoset Blends of an Epoxy Resin and Polydicyclopentadiene

In this work, the mechanical properties of two chemically distinct and complementary thermoset polymers were manipulated through development of thermoset blends. The thermoset blend system was composed of an anhydride-cured diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A (DGEBA)-based epoxy resin, contributing high tensile strength and modulus, and polydicyclopentadiene (PDCPD), which has a higher toughness and impact strength as compared to other thermoset polymers. Ultra-small-angle and small-angle X-ray scattering analysis explored the morphology of concurrently cured thermoset blends, revealing a macroscopically phase separated system with a surface fractal structure across blended systems of varying composition. The epoxy resin rich and PDCPD rich phases exhibited distinct glass transitions (T g ’s): the T g observed at higher temperature was associated with the epoxy resin rich phase and was largely unaffected by the presence of PDCPD, whereas the PDCPD rich phase T g systematically decreased with increasing epoxy resin content due to inhibition of dicyclopentadiene ring-opening metathesis polymerization. The mechanical properties of these phase-separated blends were in reasonable agreement with predictions by the rule of mixtures for the blend tensile strength, modulus, and fracture toughness. Scanning electron microscopy analysis of the tensile and fracture specimen fracture surfaces showed an increase in energy dissipation mechanisms, such as crazing, shear banding, and surface roughness, as the fraction of the more ductile component, PDPCD, increased. These results present a facile method to tune the mechanical properties of a toughened thermoset network, in which the high modulus and tensile strength of the epoxy resin can be largely retained at high epoxy resin content in the blend, while increasing the fracture toughness.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2019

Phase Diagrams of a 2D Dilute Antiferromagnetic Ising Model with Charged Impurities

In this work, we address a topical problem of a competition of charge and spin ordering for high-T cuprates. We have studied a simplified static 2D spin-pseudospin model on a square lattice, which takes into account both conventional antiferromagnetic spin exchange coupling and the on-site and intersite charge correlations in the CuO{sub 2} planes with the on-site Hilbert space reduced to only three effective valent states. We compared an analytical results for the ground state and for the temperature phase diagrams obtained in a mean field approximation and a large amount of the classical Monte Carlo calculations. Numerical results show that homogeneous ground state antiferromagnetic solutions found in a mean field approximation are unstable for the “strong” exchange limit with respect to phase separation with the charge and spin subsystems behaving like immiscible quantum liquids. We found an analytical expression for critical temperature of phase separation and performed the comparison with the Monte Carlo results.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2022

Nonvolatile Electrochemical Random‐Access Memory under Short Circuit

Abstract Electrochemical random‐access memory (ECRAM) is a recently developed and highly promising analog resistive memory element for in‐memory computing. One longstanding challenge of ECRAM is attaining retention time beyond a few hours. This short retention has precluded ECRAM from being considered for inference classification in deep neural networks, which is likely the largest opportunity for in‐memory computing. In this work, an ECRAM cell with orders of magnitude longer retention than previously achieved is developed, and which is anticipated to exceed ten years at 85 °C. This study hypothesizes that the origin of this exceptional retention is phase separation, which enables the formation of multiple effectively equilibrium resistance states. This work highlights the promises and opportunities to use phase separation to yield ECRAM cells with exceptionally long, and potentially permanent, retention times.

Kim, Diana S.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Gas flow-field induced director alignment in polymer dispersed liquid crystal microdroplets deposited on a glass substrate

Polymer dispersed liquid crystal thin films have been deposited on glass substrates by the processes of polymerization and solvent evaporation induced phase separation. The electron and the optical polarization microscopies of the films reveal that PDLC microdroplets formed during the process of phase separation near the top surface of the film remain exposed and respond to shear stress due to air or gas flow on the surface. Optical response of the film to an air flow-induced shear stress input on the free surface has been measured. Director orientation in the droplets changes with the applied shear stress leading to time varying transmitted light intensity. Director dynamics of the droplet for an applied step shear stress has been discussed from free energy considerations. Results on the measurement of light transmission as a function of the gas flow parameter unambiguously demonstrate the potential of these systems for use as boundary layer and gas flow sensors.

Parmar, D. S.↗
NASA NTRS2001

Mechanistic Studies of Combustion and Structure Formation During Synthesis of Advanced Materials

Combustion in a variety of heterogeneous systems, leading to the synthesis of advanced materials, is characterized by high temperatures (2000-3500 K) and heating rates (up to 10(exp 6) K/s) at and ahead of the reaction front. These high temperatures generate liquids and gases which are subject to gravity-driven flow. The removal of such gravitational effects is likely to provide increased control of the reaction front, with a consequent improvement in control of the microstructure of the synthesized products. Thus, microgravity (mu-g) experiments lead to major advances in the understanding of fundamental aspects of combustion and structure formation under the extreme conditions of the combustion synthesis (CS) wave. In addition, the specific features of microgravity environment allow one to produce unique materials, which cannot be obtained under terrestrial conditions. The current research is a logic continuation of our previous work on investigations of the fundamental phenomena of combustion and structure formation that occur at the high temperatures achieved in a CS wave. Our research is being conducted in three main directions: 1) Microstructural Transformations during Combustion Synthesis of Metal-Ceramic Composites. The studies are devoted to the investigation of particle growth during CS of intermetallic-ceramic composites, synthesized from nickel, aluminum, titanium, and boron metal reactants. To determine the mechanisms of particle growth, the investigation varies the relative amount of components in the initial mixture to yield combustion wave products with different ratios of solid and liquid phases, under 1g and mu-g conditions; 2) Mechanisms of Heat Transfer during Reactions in Heterogeneous Media. Specifically, new phenomena of gasless combustion wave propagation in heterogeneous media with porosity higher than that achievable in normal gravity conditions, are being studied. Two types of mixtures are investigated: clad powders, where contact between reactants occurs within each particle, and mixtures of elemental powders, where interparticle contacts are important for the reaction; and 3) Mechanistic Studies of Phase Separation in Combustion of Thermite Systems. Studies are devoted to experiments on thermite systems (metal oxide-reducing metal) where phase separation processes occur to produce alloys with tailored compositions and properties. The separation may be either gravity-driven or due to surface forces, and systematic studies to elucidate the true mechanism are being conducted. The knowledge obtained will be used to find the most promising ways of controlling the microstructure and properties of combustion-synthesized materials. Low-gravity experiments are essential to create idealized an environment for insights into the physics and chemistry of advanced material synthesis processes.

Varma, A.↗
NASA NTRS2008

Thermoelectric Properties of Self Assemble TiO2/SnO2 Nanocomposites

Recent advances in improving efficiency of thermoelectric materials are linked to nanotechnology. Thermodynamically driven spinodal decomposition was utilized to synthesize bulk nanocomposites. TiO2/SnO2 system exhibits a large spinodal region, ranging from 15 to 85 mole % TiO2. The phase separated microstructures are stable up to 1400 C. Semiconducting TiO2/SnO2 powders were synthesized by solid state reaction between TiO2 and SnO2. High density samples were fabricated by pressureless sintering. Self assemble nanocomposites were achieved by annealing at 1000 to 1350 C. X-ray diffraction reveal phase separation of (Ti(x)Sn(1-x))O2 type phases. The TiO2/SnO2 nanocomposites exhibit n-type behavior; a power factor of 70 (mu)W/m sq K at 1000 C has been achieved with penta-valent doping. Seebeck, thermal conductivity, electrical resistivity and microstructure will be discussed in relation to composition and doping.

Dynys, Fred↗
NASA NTRS2008

Thermoelectric Properties of Self Assembled TiO2/SnO2 Nanocomposites

Recent advances in improving efficiency of thermoelectric materials are linked to nanotechnology. Thermodynamically driven spinodal decomposition was utilized to synthesize bulk nanocomposites. TiO2/SnO2 system exhibits a large spinodal region, ranging from 15 to 85 mole % TiO2. The phase separated microstructures are stable up to 1400 C. Semiconducting TiO2/SnO2 powders were synthesized by solid state reaction between TiO2 and SnO2. High density samples were fabricated by pressureless sintering. Self assemble nanocomposites were achieved by annealing at 1000 to 1350 C. X-ray diffraction reveal phase separation of (Ti(x)Sn(1-x))O2 type phases. The TiO2/SnO2 nanocomposites exhibit n-type behavior; a power factor of 70 W/mK2 at 1000 C has been achieved with penta-valent doping. Seebeck, thermal conductivity, electrical resistivity and microstructure will be discussed in relation to composition and doping.

Dynys, Fred↗
DOE OSTI2021

Effect of Polyphenylsulfone and Polysulfone Incompatibility on the Structure and Performance of Blend Membranes for Ultrafiltration

This study deals with the modification of polyphenylsulfone ultrafiltration membranes by introduction of an incompatible polymer polysulfone to the polyphenylsulfone casting solution to improve the permeability. The correlation between properties of the blend polyphenylsulfone/polysulfone solutions and porous anisotropic membranes for ultrafiltration prepared from these solutions was revealed. The blend polyphenylsulfone/polysulfone solutions were investigated using a turbidity spectrum method, optical microscopy and measurements of dynamic viscosity and turbidity. The structure of the prepared blend flat sheet membranes was studied using scanning electron microscopy. Membrane separation performance was investigated in the process of ultrafiltration of human serum albumin buffered solutions. It was found that with the introduction of polysulfone to the polyphenylsulfone casting solution in N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone the size of supramolecular particles significantly increases with the maximum at (40–60):(60:40) polyphenylsulfone:polysulfone blend ratio from 76 nm to 196–354 nm. It was shown that polyphenylsulfone/polysulfone blend solutions, unlike the solutions of pristine polymers, are two-phase systems (emulsions) with the maximum droplet size and highest degree of polydispersity at polyphenylsulfone/polysulfone blend ratios (30–60):(70–40). Pure water flux of the blend membranes passes through a maximum in the region of the most heterogeneous structure of the casting solution, which is associated with the imposition of a polymer-polymer phase separation on the non-solvent induced phase separation upon membrane preparation. The application of polyphenylsulfone/polysulfone blends as membrane-forming polymers and polyethylene glycol (Mn = 400 g·mol -1 ) as a pore-forming agent to the casting solutions yields the formation of ultrafiltration membranes with high membrane pure water flux (270 L·m -2 ·h -1 at 0.1MPa) and human serum albumin rejection of 85%.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2014

Giant intrinsic tunnel magnetoresistance in manganite thin films etched with antidot arrays

Huge intrinsic tunnel magnetoresistance effects at low field are demonstrated in macroscopic La{sub 0.33}Pr{sub 0.34}Ca{sub 0.33}MnO{sub 3} thin films etched with periodic antidot arrays, and a highest magnetoresistance ratio (about 1600%) is achieved at 58 K. Such giant tunnel magnetoresistance effect might originate from delicate phase separation and coherent transport under the applied periodic spatial confinement. Strong transport fluctuation is also revealed in such systems due to phase competition. Our findings pave a way to realize tunnel magnetoresistance devices based on electronically phase separated materials with spatial modulations.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2015

Solid-Solution CrCoCuFeNi High-Entropy Alloy Thin Films Synthesized by Sputter Deposition

The concept of high configurationally entropy requires that the high-entropy alloys (HEAs) yield single-phase solid solutions. However, phase separations are quite common in bulk HEAs. A five-element alloy, CrCoCuFeNi, was deposited via radio frequency magnetron sputtering and confirmed to be a single-phase solid solution through the high-energy synchrotron X-ray diffraction, energy-dispersive spectroscopy, wavelength-dispersive spectroscopy, and transmission election microscopy. The formation of the solid-solution phase is presumed to be due to the high cooling rate of the sputter-deposition process.

Microstructure↗
DOE OSTI2021

Late Stage Domain Coarsening Dynamics of Lamellar Block Copolymers

Block copolymer (BCP) phase separation dynamics can be expected to differ significantly from that of the polymer blends due to the constraint of chain connectivity. BCP phase separation dynamics has been studied theoretically, but there has been little experimental evidence to confirm the BCP domain growth scaling laws put forward theoretically. Here, we investigate the dynamics of late-stage lamellar BCP domain coarsening and find that the scaling exponent for lamellar domain growth is ≈1/6 (0.17), irrespective of the annealing temperature, a value close to the scaling exponent of 0.2 predicted by theoretical studies. Furthermore, we show that the prefactors in the domain coarsening equation show Arrhenius dependence on temperature, indicating that the BCP domain growth dynamics is Arrhenius over the temperature range investigated.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗