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Results for “Ferroelectric Field-Effect Transistor Technologies”

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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1,615 records · Page 37
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

High-Fidelity Modeling Approach for Coupling Thermal, Fluid, and Neutronic Analysis in an NTP Engine

Nuclear thermal propulsion (NTP), with its increased efficiency compared to traditional rocket engines, is a potentially enabling technology for space missions of higher complexity, such as delivering heavy machinery or crew to the moon or other planets. Thus, exploring modeling approaches that can effectively couple the thermal, fluid, and neutronic behaviors of NTP reactors is essential to mitigate cost and schedule challenges with hardware development. This paper details one such approach which utilizes Cardinal to unify reactor physics analysis performed using OpenMC, heat transfer analysis performed using the MOOSE framework, and thermal hydraulic analysis performed using the MOOSE Thermal Hydraulic Module. This approach is demonstrated with a proof of concept that focuses on a legacy reactor geometry from the historic NERVA program. This preliminary model found an overprediction in, when compared to the reference data, axial power peaking and the temperatures of both solids and fluids by roughly 20%. It is clear, however, that the model conserved a number of broad trends, and a few model refinements should reduce the observed error. This approach has definite merit and should enable the production of informative results for more modern NTP systems. This work is a first step in creating a transient reactor model that can be updated across a sequence of time steps based on continually fluctuating, time-dependent boundary conditions.

Nuclear Thermal Propulsion↗
DOE OSTI2026

Research and Development Related to the Commercialization of Perovskite Radiation Detectors (CRADA Final Report)

This work will focus on the development of perovskite radiation detectors fabricated with nanocrystal, thick polycrystalline films, or single crystal materials. This will harness NREL’s instrumentation and expertise in a variety of research areas including but not limited to metal halide perovskites, device characterization, device packaging, accelerated lifetime testing, and ink chemistry development.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
NASA NTRS1966

Proceedings of the Fifth Photovoltaic Specialists Conference: Volume II - Thin Film Solar Cells and Radiation Damage

This conference, the fifth of its kind, was cosponsored by IEEE, AIAA, and the NASA-Goddard Space Flight Center. Facilities for meetings and other arrangements were the responsibility of NASA-Goddard. Presentations are included in the order in which delivered at the conference and were prepared from papers submitted to the Power Information Center (PIC) through the IEEE. Presentations are arranged in three volumes and five sections reflecting the arrangement of the conference into three days and five sessions. Contents of the volumes are as follows: - Volume I - Advanced Solar Cells - Volume II - Thin Film Solar Cells and Radiation Damage - Volume III - Solar Power Systems Considerations

Conference↗
DOE OSTI2026

Sintering effects on NpO 2 grain size and morphology: The role of precursor Np phase

Neptunium dioxide (NpO 2 ) is a key phase in nuclear material processing as a target material for the production of plutonium-238 ( 238 Pu) and has been historically synthesized via the calcination of a Np oxalate precursor. Alternative synthesis methods for NpO 2 are now more prevalent, necessitating their study and comparison with the more common oxalate route. The purpose of this work was to investigate the microstructural properties of NpO 2 synthesized from a nitrate-based Np precursor phase via the assessment of NpO 2 particle size and morphology as a function of calcination temperature and time. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to probe the primary grain size and morphology of NpO 2 after calcination at temperatures ranging from 700 to 1100 °C and hold times ranging from 1 to 10 h. Post-image analysis using ImageJ software enabled the quantification of mean particle diameter. This analysis indicated that particle diameter increases with both increasing calcination temperature and hold time. Primary particles were shown to be clumped in irregular patterns into the overall rough, blocky aggregates, but this macroscopic morphology was not affected by calcination time or temperature. Although trends in primary grain size of NpO 2 were consistent with available literature from other Np precursor phases, the macroscopic morphology of the NpO 2 aggregates was quite different than reported for other precursors. Through comparison with historical literature on Np oxalate, this work emphasizes the importance of Np precursor on the physical properties of NpO 2 .

38 RADIATION CHEMISTRY, RADIOCHEMISTRY, AND NUCLEA↗
DOE OSTI2023

Spatiotemporal Studies of Soluble Inorganic Nanostructures with X‐rays and Neutrons

This Review addresses the use of X-ray and neutron scattering as well as X-ray absorption to describe how inorganic nanostructured materials assemble, evolve, and function in solution. We first provide an overview of techniques and instrumentation (both large user facilities and benchtop). We review recent studies of soluble inorganic nanostructure assembly, covering the disciplines of materials synthesis, processes in nature, nuclear materials, and the widely applicable fundamental processes of hydrophobic interactions and ion pairing. Reviewed studies cover size regimes and length scales ranging from sub-Ångström (coordination chemistry and ion pairing) to several nanometers (molecular clusters, i.e. polyoxometalates, polyoxocations, and metal-organic polyhedra), to the mesoscale (supramolecular assembly processes). Reviewed studies predominantly exploit 1) SAXS/WAXS/SANS (small- and wide-angle X-ray or neutron scattering), 2) PDF (pair-distribution function analysis of X-ray total scattering), and 3) XANES and EXAFS (X-ray absorption near-edge structure and extended X-ray absorption fine structure, respectively). While the scattering techniques provide structural information, X-ray absorption yields the oxidation state in addition to the local coordination. Our goal for this Review is to provide information and inspiration for the inorganic/materials science communities that may benefit from elucidating the role of solution speciation in natural and synthetic processes.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Thermal Data-driven Model Reduction for Enhanced Battery Health Monitoring

Electric aviation faces a major challenge of avoiding potentially catastrophic consequences of the battery’s thermal runaway while keeping the weight of the battery low. Detection of early warning signals of battery failures requires accurate monitoring of the battery’s health throughout its lifespan. However, identifying the parameters of the battery from field data is notoriously difficult. We investigate this problem within the framework of modeling the temperature dynamics of a Li-ion cell during tests simulating loading in electric aircraft flights. It is found that the parameters of a higher-fidelity physics-based thermal model cannot be identified from the simulated flight data. To resolve this issue, we reduce the higher-fidelity thermal model to a model with fewer parameters. The resulting reduced-order model can predict temperature dynamics accurately and is identifiable throughout the cell’s lifespan which allows using the model’s parameters to monitor the state-of-health of the aging cell and detect anomalies in thermal behavior.

Li ion batteries↗
DOE OSTI2026

Hierarchical low Pt-loading “core-shell” electrocatalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction in fuel cells

The sluggish kinetics of the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) hinder cost-effective polymer electrolyte fuel cells (PEFCs), which rely on scarce, expensive platinum-based electrocatalysts (ECs). Here, we present a novel synthesis method for ORR ECs achieving exceptional platinum utilization. The design features a hierarchical “multi-carbon” support comprising carbon nanoparticles interacting with graphene nanoplatelets as the “core”, encapsulated by a porous carbon nitride (CN) “shell”. This configuration promotes strong core/shell interactions and a bimodal active site distribution, consisting of chemically dispersed Pt and Ni single-atom complexes and PtNix alloy nanoclusters embedded in the CN shell. These advantages enable high activity and durability, achieving an ORR activity of 1.6 A mgPt−1 at 0.9 V vs. RHE-an order of magnitude higher than Pt/C (0.17 A mgPt−1). A proof-of-concept PEFC demonstrates a specific power of 12.0 kW gPt−1 at 0.60 V. This approach offers a significant step toward more efficient and sustainable PEFC technologies.

Pagot, Gioele [University of Padova, Italy]↗
DOE OSTI2026

Material efficiency technologies in the food and beverage industry

The U.S. food and beverage (F&B) sector is a major contributor to manufacturing gross domestic product and supports substantial employment and economic activity, while exerting significant pressures on land and water resources. At the same time, the industry faces growing expectations to balance its resource-intensive operations without compromising cost competitiveness. Material inefficiencies across the F&B value chain, particularly in raw material use and product loss/waste, lead to substantial financial losses and resource depletion. Thus, the F&B sector requires adoption of solutions and measures to avoid food wastage, reduce raw material consumption and valorize waste to high-value added products. This work presents a comprehensive understanding of the various technology solutions available for the F&B sector. The following two research questions are addressed: “What are the mid-to-high Technology Readiness Level technologies or measures to reduce material use and enable waste valorization in the F&B sector? What are the barriers to their commercial deployment? Additionally, what targeted research and development efforts are needed to overcome these barriers and accelerate their scale-up?” The findings are intended to support evidence-based decision-making, guide strategic investment, and help stakeholders strengthen resilience and competitiveness across the F&B sector.

Nain, Preeti [ORNL] (ORCID:0000000258358959)↗
DOE OSTI2026

Stoichiometric effects on grain growth in zirconium carbide coatings for high-temperature nuclear fuel

Interest in coated particle fuel for space nuclear propulsion (SNP) has expanded in recent years due to successful demonstrations of the resiliency of the coatings to extreme environments. For SNP applications, the coating layer for the particle design needs to be able to withstand exposure to high temperature hydrogen during operating conditions. ZrC has been proposed as a protective layer, however, it is important to understand the high temperature behavior to ensure adequate protection to this fuel. In this study, surrogate ZrC coated particles were heat treated at 1900 °C up to 300 min, to examine how the microstructure evolves when exposed to high temperature. Scanning electron microscopy and electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) were conducted to determine grain size and grain boundary character and orientation to determine the degree of change in the ZrC layer post heat treatment. Raman spectroscopy provided insight to understand how the as-fabricated stoichiometry of each sample contributed to the differences in grain growth behavior. Despite the as-fabricated samples showing a similar initial grain size and grain boundary character, the samples with a higher amount of excess carbon exhibited smaller grain areas and slower growth rates when exposed to 1900 °C. In conclusion, this investigation details the as-fabricated microstructure of the ZrC layer, specifically grain size, evolved under high temperature as this can impact the performance of the fuel under operating conditions.

EBSD↗