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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 685 records · Page 38

Composite biaxially textured substrates using ultrasonic consolidation

A method of forming a composite sheet includes disposing an untextured metal or alloy first sheet in contact with a second sheet in an aligned opposing position; bonding the first sheet to the second sheet by applying an oscillating ultrasonic force to at least one of the first sheet and the second sheet to form an untextured intermediate composite sheet; and annealing the untextured intermediate composite sheet at a temperature lower than a primary re-crystallization temperature of the second sheet and higher than a primary re-crystallization temperature of the first sheet to convert the untextured first sheet into a cube textured sheet, wherein the cube texture is characterized by a .phi.-scan having a FWHM of no more than 15.degree. in all directions, the second sheet remaining untextured, to form a composite sheet.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Optical devices featuring nonpolar textured semiconductor layers

A semiconductor emitter, or precursor therefor, has a substrate and one or more textured semiconductor layers deposited onto the substrate in a nonpolar orientation. The textured layers enhance light extraction, and the use of nonpolar orientation greatly enhances internal quantum efficiency compared to conventional devices. Both the internal and external quantum efficiencies of emitters of the invention can be 70-80% or higher. The invention provides highly efficient light emitting diodes suitable for solid state lighting.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Method of fabricating low-dislocation-density epitaxially-grown films with textured surfaces

A method for forming a surface-textured single-crystal film layer by growing the film atop a layer of microparticles on a substrate and subsequently selectively etching away the microparticles to release the surface-textured single-crystal film layer from the substrate. This method is applicable to a very wide variety of substrates and films. In some embodiments, the film is an epitaxial film that has been grown in crystallographic alignment with respect to a crystalline substrate.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Dry etch method for texturing silicon and device

A method for texturing silicon includes loading a silicon wafer into a vacuum chamber, heating the silicon wafer and thermal cracking a gas to generate cracked sulfur species. The silicon wafer is exposed to the cracked sulfur species for a time duration in accordance with a texture characteristic needed for a surface of the silicon wafer.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Curvature-mediated spin textures in magnetic multi-layered nanotubes

The scientific and technological exploration of artificially designed three-dimensional magnetic nanostructures opens the path to exciting novel physical phenomena, originating from the increased complexity in spin textures, topology, and frustration in three dimensions. Theory predicts that the equilibrium magnetic ground state of two-dimensional systems which reflects the competition between symmetric (Heisenberg) and antisymmetric (Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction (DMI)) exchange interaction is significantly modified on curved surfaces when the radius of local curvature becomes comparable to fundamental magnetic length scales. Here, we present an experimental study of the spin texture in an 8 nm thin magnetic multilayer with growth-induced in-plane anisotropy and DMI deposited onto the curved surface of a 1.8 {\mu}m long non-magnetic carbon nanowire with a 67 nm radius. Using magnetic soft x-ray tomography the three-dimensional spin configuration in this nanotube was retrieved with about 30nm spatial resolution. The transition between two vortex configurations on the two ends of the nanotube with opposite circulation occurs through a domain wall that is aligned at an inclined angle relative to the wire axis. Three-dimensional micromagnetic simulations support the experimental observations and represent a visualization of the curvature-mediated DMI. They also allow a quantitative estimate of the DMI value for the magnetic multilayered nanotube.

Josten, Elisabeth↗

Mechanical response and microstructure evolution from multiaxial stress relaxation in textured zircaloy nuclear cladding

Modern energy markets provide motivation for nuclear reactors to increase operational flexibility and load following capacity of existing reactor designs. The operational power changes result in fuel pellet expansion and contraction resulting in pellet-cladding mechanical interaction (PCMI) and high cladding stresses that are strongly related to stressed corrosion cracking (SCC) which can lead to fuel rod failure. This work aims to quantify the stress fields in cladding with a focus on multiaxial stress relaxation response from an imposed strain and the resulting microstructure changes in textured zircaloy claddings. Stress relaxation tests resulting in multiaxial stress fields are performed to measure the material response of Zircaloy-4 nuclear cladding. Multiple experiments using samples from the same piece of cladding are performed so samples with the same processing history may be removed at strategic points throughout mechanical testing for microstructure characterization. The microstructure evolution is analyzed with mechanical response to evaluate the static recovery impact on crystallographic texture and grain morphology. Experiments are performed at Idaho National Laboratory using an experimental device capable of applying internal pressure and independent axial load to commercial nuclear cladding at elevated temperatures with stress- or strain-controlled experimental capability. X-ray diffraction and electron backscatter diffraction are used for microstructure analysis. Rheological models are used to visualize the multiaxial stress-strain relationships and isolate elastic, plastic, and viscoplastic material properties for analysis.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗

Effect of Thermal Oxidation on the Structure, Surface Texturing, and Microstructure Evolution in Nanocrystalline Ga-O-N Films

An extensive examination of the nanoscale, crystallographic growth dynamics of the system, which is impacted by the thermal energy given to the GaN, is carried out to derive a deeper understanding of the growth kinetics, morphology and microstructure evolution, chemical bonding, and optical properties of Ga-O-N films. Thermal annealing of GaN films is performed in the temperature range of 900–1200 °C. Crystal structure, phase formation, chemical composition, surface morphology, and microstructure evolution of Ga-O-N films are investigated as a function of temperature. Increasing temperature induces surface oxidation, which results in the formation of stable β-Ga2O3 phase in the GaN matrix, where the overall film composition evolves from nitride (GaN) to oxynitride (Ga-O-N). While GaN surfaces are smooth, planar, and featureless, oxidation induced granular-to-rod shaped morphology evolution is seen with increasing temperature to 1200 °C. The considerable texturing and stability of the nanocrystalline Ga-O-N on Si substrates can be attributed to the surface and interface driven modification because of thermal treatment. Corroborating with structure and chemical changes, Raman spectroscopic analyses also indicate that the chemical bonding evolution progresses from fully Ga-N bonds to Ga-O-N. While the GaN oxidation process starts with the formation of β-Ga 2 O 3 at an annealing temperature of 1000 °C, higher annealing temperatures induce structural distortion with the potential formation of Ga-O-N bonds. The structure-phase-chemical composition correlation, which will be useful for nanocrystalline materials for selective optoelectronic applications, is established in Ga-O-N films made by thermal treatment of GaN.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Enhancement of Thermoelectric Performance in CuSbSe 2 Nanoplate–Based Pellets by Texture Engineering and Carrier Concentration Optimization

This work reports the thermoelectric properties of the CuSbSe 2 -x mol% PtTe2 (x = 0, 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, and 2.0) pellets composed of highly oriented single crystalline nanoplates. CuSbSe 2 -PtTe 2 single crystalline nanoplates are prepared by a wet-chemical process, and the pellets are prepared through a bottom-up self-assembly of the CuSbSe 2 -PtTe 2 nanoplates and spark plasma sintering (SPS) process. X-ray diffraction and field emission scanning electron microscopic analyses show a highly textured nature with an orientation factor of ≈0.8 for (00l) facets along the primary surface of the pellets (in-plane, perpendicular to the SPS pressure). By this way, bulk-single-crystal-like electrical and thermal transport properties with a strong anisotropy are obtained, which results in an effective optimization on thermoelectric performance. The maximum in-plane thermoelectric figure-of-merit ZT value reaches 0.50 at 673 K for CuSbSe 2 -2.0 mol% PtTe 2 pellet, which is about five times higher than the in-plane ZT (0.10) for pure CuSbSe 2 .

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Development of a Computer-Aided Differential Diagnosis System to Distinguish Between Usual Interstitial Pneumonia and Non-specific Interstitial Pneumonia Using Texture- and Shape-Based Hierarchical Classifiers on HRCT Images

A computer-aided differential diagnosis (CADD) system that distinguishes between usual interstitial pneumonia (UIP) and non-specific interstitial pneumonia (NSIP) using high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) images was developed, and its results compared against the decision of a radiologist. Six local interstitial lung disease patterns in the images were determined, and 900 typical regions of interest were marked by an experienced radiologist. A support vector machine classifier was used to train and label the regions of interest of the lung parenchyma based on the texture and shape characteristics. Based on the regional classifications of the entire lung using HRCT, the distributions and extents of the six regional patterns were characterized through their CADD features. The disease division index of every area fraction combination and the asymmetric index between the left and right lungs were also evaluated. A second SVM classifier was employed to classify the UIP and NSIP, and features were selected through sequential-forward floating feature selection. For the evaluation, 54 HRCT images of UIP (n = 26) and NSIP (n = 28) patients clinically diagnosed by a pulmonologist were included and evaluated. The classification accuracy was measured based on a fivefold cross-validation with 20 repetitions using random shuffling. For comparison, thoracic radiologists assessed each case using HRCT images without clinical information or diagnosis. The accuracies of the radiologists’ decisions were 75 and 87%. The accuracies of the CADD system using different features ranged from 70 to 81%. Finally, the accuracy of the proposed CADD system after sequential-forward feature selection was 91%.

62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE↗

Genome-wide association studies of bark texture in Populus trichocarpa

Plants have developed bark as a defense barrier to deal with environmental stresses, such as pathogen invasion, drought, and UV radiation. Bark is composed of dead differentiated cells and is formed when radial expansion pushes the cortex and epidermis outward creating secondary meristem. However, the genetic control of this complex phenotype is generally unknown. Here, we use association mapping to define the genomic regions associated with natural variation in bark texture (BT) in Populus trichocarpa. Clonally replicated provenance trials of P. trichocarpa were studied for BT collected across three sites, multiple years, and (2–3) biological replicates per site. Forty-one genomic intervals containing SNPs significantly associated with BT were detected that were highly reproducible across sites, years, and replicates. A list of candidate genes within these regions with related putative function was identified. A total of 98 genes were considered candidate genes due to significance and putative function with connection to the phenotype. Association mapping using low coverage sequencing allowed us to detect narrow genomic intervals (1–20 kb) with high reproducibility and shared candidate genes. For example, a membrane-associated apoptosis protein and a wall-associated receptor kinase (PR5K-like) protein, which both are involved in radial growth and tissue differentiation, lie within significant trait-associated region. Here, two copies of root hair defective3 genes, transmembrane protein in Populus differentiating xylem and phloem, were also significantly associated with BT and co-located with major quantitative trait locus (QTL) for BT, bark thickness, and diameter from our previous study suggesting an important role in radial growth.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

Microstructural Analysis and Texture Evolution of the CVCEDed AZ31 Magnesium Alloy by Hot Rolling

Grain refinement is one of the important methods to improve the performance of magnesium alloy sheets. This paper attempts to prepare the billets of AZ31 magnesium alloy sheets by continuous variable cross-section direct extrusion (CVCDE) and then prepare sheets by rolling. The results show that the average grain size of the sheets rolled from extruded products by CVCDE with 2 interim dies reduced by 30% and the tensile strength increased by 12.6% compared with the sheets rolled from extruded products by traditional extrusion (CE), which is related to the dislocation multiplication in the corresponding conditions. The high dislocation density hinders the plastic deformation of the material, which is one of the internal factors that cause the increase in the strength of the material and the decrease in the plasticity. In addition, the basal surface of a lot of grains of the sheets rolled from extruded products by CVCDE with 2 interim dies is parallel to the RD-TD plane and the strength of texture is high. Meanwhile, the value of average Schmid factor of the sheets rolled from extruded products by CVCDE with 2 interim dies along the rolling direction is lowest, which result in lower plasticity. The above research provides a new idea for the development of high-performance magnesium alloy sheets.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Build Orientation Effects on Texture and Mechanical Properties of Selective Laser Melting Inconel 718

The production of components via selective laser melting (SLM) metal additive manufacturing results in microstructures unique to the process that are highly dependent on laser processing parameters and orientation of part geometry relative to the build direction. This study investigates the variation in tensile properties of SLM Inconel 718 at varying angles with respect to build direction. ASTM E8 tensile specimens were built in XY, Z, and B+45 from Z orientations to near-net shape, HIP and heat treated, and tensile tested at room temperature. Orientation dependence of mechanical properties was observed; Z samples had the lowest strength and highest elongation, while XY samples had the highest strength and lowest elongation. Optical, SEM, and EBSD analysis were conducted to probe for microstructure variation that could be the cause of the difference in mechanical properties. Analysis of pole figures and grain maps suggests a preferred grain texture and twinning orientation that aligns with the build direction, which may contribute to the anisotropic enhancement in ductility.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Microstructure, Texture, and Mechanical Properties of Continuously Extruded and Rolled AZ31 Magnesium Alloy Sheets

It is difficult to fabricate magnesium alloy sheets at room temperature due to their hexagonal close-packed structure. In this paper, we proposed a new process that can be used to fabricate AZ31 magnesium alloy sheets with fine-grained microstructure and good mechanical properties. AZ31 magnesium alloy sheets with dimensions of 160 mm × 8 mm were obtained successfully by a continuous extrusion technique. The extruded sheets were then rolled by two different rolling routes, Route 1: the extruded sheet was heated at 350 °C and then rolled without heating of rolls and Route 2: the sheet was rolled without any previous heating by heating rolls at 280 °C. The microstructure and texture evolution as well as mechanical properties of the continuously extruded and rolled sheets were examined experimentally. The magnesium alloy sheets with relatively fine grains of 4.5-8.3 µm were obtained by continuous extrusion followed by rolling processes. The tensile strength of continuously extruded AZ31 Mg alloy sheets can be effectively increased by rolling using heating rolls (Route 2), while the ductility was enhanced by rolling heated sheets (Route 1). The mixed microstructure, consisting of refined DRX grains and deformed grains, contributes to enhancement in tensile strength of the sheet samples rolled by Route 2 due to grain-boundary strengthening and work hardening. Lower temperature and larger rolling reduction are two main factors for improving the tensile strength of AZ31magnesium alloy sheets.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Corrosion of Mild Steel Buried Underground for 3 Years in Different Soils of Varying Textures

The effect of moisture content and soil texture on the corrosion behavior of mild steel coupons buried for 3 years in different soils was estimated from weight loss measurements and electrochemical techniques such as Tafel plots and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The results showed that the rate of corrosion and intensity of corrosion attack significantly depend on the soil’s moisture content and on the soil type. Corrosion was found to be severe in clayey soil compared to that in mixed and sandy soils. Morphological analysis of the corroded specimens performed using optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy showed the presence of amorphous oxides and low-intense crystalline phases of goethite and hematite on the surface of the mild steel coupons, indicating only the initial stage of corrosion. It is concluded from this study that mild steel undergoes only less intense surface-level corrosion in 3 years when buried underground.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Cyclic compression response of micropillars extracted from textured nanocrystalline NiTi thin-walled tubes

Compression-compression cyclic deformation of nanocrystalline NiTi tubes intended for medical stents and with an outer diameter of 1 mm and wall thickness of 70 μm was studied using micropillars produced by FIB with the loading axis orthogonal to the tube axis. These micropillars were cycled in a displacement-controlled mode using a nanoindenter equipped with a flat punch to strain levels of 4, 6 and 8% in each cycle and specimens were subjected to several hundred cycles. Furthermore, the cyclic response of two NiTi tubes, one with Af of 17 °C and the other with an Af of -5 °C is compared. The texture of the tube with the Af of -5 °C was measured at the microscopic level using transmission electron microscopy and at the macroscopic level by X-ray diffraction and good agreement was noted. Characteristics such as i) a reduction in the forward transformation stress, ii) increase in maximum stress for a given displacement amplitude, and iii) a reduction in the hysteresis loop area, all with increasing number of cycles, observed typically during cyclic deformation of conventional macroscopic specimens, were captured in the micropillar cyclic tests. Our observations lead to the conclusion that micropillar compression testing in a cyclic mode can enable characterizing the orientation-dependent response in such small dimension components that see complex loading in service, and additionally provide an opportunity for calibrating constitutive equations in micromechanical models.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

High performance high-power textured Mn/Cu-doped PIN-PMN-PT ceramics

Piezoelectric ceramics with combinatory soft and hard characteristics are highly desired for high-power applications. However, it remains grand challenge to achieve simultaneous presence of hard (e.g. high coercive field, E c ; high mechanical quality factor, Q m ) and soft (e.g. high piezoelectric constant, d; high electromechanical coupling factor, k) piezoelectric properties in piezoelectric ceramics since the mechanism controlling the hard behavior (pinned domain walls) will significantly reduce the soft behavior. Here, we address this grand challenge and demonstrate <001> textured MnO 2 and CuO co-doped Pb(In 1/2 Nb 1/2 )O 3- Pb(Mg 1/3 Nb 2/3 )O 3- PbTiO 3 (PIN-PMN-PT) ceramics exhibiting ultrahigh combined soft and hard piezoelectric properties (d 33 = 713 pC N –1 , k 31 = 0.52, Q m ≈950, E c = 9.6 kV cm –1 , tan δ = 0.45%). The outstanding electromechanical properties are explained by considering composition/phase selection, crystallographic anisotropy and defect engineering. Phase-field model in conjunction with high resolution electron microscopy and diffraction techniques is utilized to delineate the contributions arising from intrinsic piezoelectric response, domain dynamics, and local structural heterogeneity. Furthermore, these results will have significant impact in the development of high-power transducers and actuators.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Active learning for the design of polycrystalline textures using conditional normalizing flows

Generative modeling has opened new avenues for solving previously intractable materials design problems. However, these new opportunities are accompanied by a drastic increase in the required amount of training data. This is in stark juxtaposition to the high expense and difficulty in curating such large materials datasets. In this work, we propose a novel framework for integrating generative models within an active learning loop. Further, this enables the training of generative models with datasets significantly smaller than what has previously been demonstrated, providing a direct route for their application in data constrained environments. The functionality of this framework is then demonstrated by addressing the challenge of designing polycrystalline textures associated with target anisotropic mechanical properties. The developed protocol exhibited a cost reduction between 14 to 18 times over a randomly sampled experimental design.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Contributions of anoxic microsites to soil carbon protection across soil textures

Anoxic microsites, zones of oxygen depletion in otherwise oxic soils, may slow soil C turnover. However, the abundance of anoxic microsites and their contribution to soil C protection is yet undefined. In this study, we determine the contribution of anoxic microsites to soil C protection in soils of three distinct textures (clay loam, loam, sandy loam) across a range of soil moistures. We examined the influence of soil oxygen supply by increasing oxygen content in the incubation atmosphere (oxygen enrichment) and through disaggregation. We attributed increases in CO 2 efflux to the aeration of anoxic microsites. The contribution of anoxic microsites to soil C protection increased with decreasing clay content. Clay loam CO 2 efflux was relatively unaffected by aeration. Moderately moist, loam soils had CO 2 effluxes that did not increase with oxygen enrichment but increased by 375% upon disaggregation. Sandy loam soil CO 2 efflux increased by 50–75% with oxygen enrichment and 250% with disaggregation. Geochemical and microbial data reveal that anoxic microsite abundance also increased with decreasing clay content. The proportion of acid extractable Fe present as Fe(II) increased with decreasing clay content, and methanogens were more abundant in loam and sandy loam soils. Our results suggest that oxygen demand, rather than supply, can regulate anoxic microsite formation and that anoxic protection of soil C can be diminished through physical disruption of soil structure. Our findings further illustrate that anoxic microsites should be included in conceptual models of soil C protection to avoid soil C loss and improve predictions of soil C response to disturbance.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗