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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 703 records · Page 39
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2018

Effect of nanographene platelets on adsorption and sonophotocatalytic performances of TiO2/CuO composite for removal of organic pollutants

Highlights: • TiO{sub 2}/CuO composite incorporated with nanographene platelets (NGP). • Catalytic ability of TiO{sub 2}/CuO/NGP composite for removal of MB investigated. • Better adsorption ability for MB compared to TiO{sub 2}/CuO composite without NGP. • Adsorption ability increases with increasing NGP content up to optimal level. • TiO{sub 2}/CuO/NGP with 10 wt% NGP exhibits best photo- and sonophoto-catalysis. - Abstract: TiO{sub 2}/CuO composites incorporated with different amounts of nanographene platelets (NGP) were synthesized by hydrothermal processing. The TiO{sub 2}/CuO/NGP composite was characterized by X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, dynamical light scattering, Raman spectroscopy, Fourier–transform infrared spectroscopy, ultraviolet (UV)-visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, Brunauer—Emmett—Teller (BET) surface area analysis, and electron spin resonance. The catalytic ability of the composite for the removal of methylene blue from an aqueous solution was examined by adsorption, photocatalytic, and sonophotocatalytic experiments. The composite was found to exhibit better adsorption ability for methylene blue compared to the TiO{sub 2}/CuO composite without NGP. The photocatalytic activity of the composite was examined by UV and visible (Vis) light irradiation, while the sonophotocatalytic activity was examined by a combination of UV and Ultrasound (UV + US) and Vis + US. Both examinations showed that the light and ultrasonic responses were enhanced by compositing with NGP.

77 NANOSCIENCE AND NANOTECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2023

Differentiating Between Simultaneous Loss Drivers in Earth's Outer Radiation Belt: Multi‐Dimensional Phase Space Density Analysis

Abstract We analyzed the contribution of electromagnetic ion cyclotron (EMIC) wave driven electron loss to a flux dropout event in September 2017. The evolution of electron phase space density (PSD) through the dropout showed the formation of a radially peaked PSD profile as electrons were lost at high L* , resembling distributions created by magnetopause shadowing. By comparing 2D Fokker Planck simulations of pitch angle diffusion to the observed change in PSD, we found that the μ and K of electron loss aligned with maximum scattering rates at dropout onset. We conclude that, during this dropout event, EMIC waves produced substantial electron loss. Because pitch angle diffusion occurred on closed drift paths near the last closed drift shell, no radial PSD minimum was observed. Therefore, the radial PSD gradients resembled solely magnetopause shadowing loss, even though the local pitch angle scattering produced electron losses of several orders of magnitude of the PSD.

Staples, F. A.↗
DOE OSTI2015

Thermoelectric transport coefficients in mono-layer MoS{sub 2} and WSe{sub 2}: Role of substrate, interface phonons, plasmon, and dynamic screening

The thermoelectric transport coefficients of electrons in two recently emerged transition metal di-chalcogenides (TMD), MoS{sub 2} and WSe{sub 2}, are calculated by solving Boltzmann transport equation using Rode's iterative technique in the diffusive transport regime and the coupled current (electrical and heat) equations. Scattering from remote phonons along with the hybridization of TMD plasmon with remote phonon modes and dynamic screening under linear polarization response are investigated in TMDs sitting on a dielectric environment. The transport coefficients are obtained for a varying range of temperature and doping density for three different types of substrates—SiO{sub 2}, Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}, and HfO{sub 2}. The Seebeck co-efficient for MoS{sub 2} and WSe{sub 2} is found to be higher than 3D semiconductors even with diffusive transport. The electronic thermal conductivity is found to be low, however, the thermoelectric figure of merit is limited by the high phonon thermal conductivity. It is found that judicious selection of a dielectric environment based on temperature of operation and carrier density is crucial to optimize the thermoelectric performance of TMD materials.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2015

Diffusive cosmic-ray acceleration at relativistic shock waves with magnetostatic turbulence

The analytical theory of diffusive cosmic-ray acceleration at parallel stationary shock waves with magnetostatic turbulence is generalized to arbitrary shock speeds V{sub s}=β{sub 1}c, including, in particular, relativistic speeds. This is achieved by applying the diffusion approximation to the relevant Fokker–Planck particle transport equation formulated in the mixed comoving coordinate system. In this coordinate system, the particle's momentum coordinates p and μ=p{sub ∥}/p are taken in the rest frame of the streaming plasma, whereas the time and space coordinates are taken in the observer's system. For magnetostatic slab turbulence, the diffusion–convection transport equation for the isotropic (in the rest frame of the streaming plasma) part of the particle's phase space density is derived. For a step-wise shock velocity profile, the steady-state diffusion–convection transport equation is solved. For a symmetric pitch-angle scattering Fokker–Planck coefficient, D{sub μμ}(−μ)=D{sub μμ}(μ), the steady-state solution is independent of the microphysical scattering details. For nonrelativistic mono-momentum particle injection at the shock, the differential number density of accelerated particles is a Lorentzian-type distribution function, which at large momenta approaches a power-law distribution function N(p⩾p{sub c})∝p{sup −ξ} with the spectral index ξ(β{sub 1})=1+[3/(Γ{sub 1}√(r{sup 2}−β{sub 1}{sup 2})−1)(1+3β{sub 1}{sup 2})]. For nonrelativistic (β{sub 1}≪1) shock speeds, this spectral index agrees with the known result ξ(β{sub 1}≪1)≃(r+2)/(r−1), whereas for ultrarelativistic (Γ{sub 1}≫1) shock speeds the spectral index value is close to unity.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

Analytical approximation of transit time scattering due to magnetosonic waves

Abstract Recent test particle simulations have shown that energetic electrons traveling through fast magnetosonic (MS) wave packets can experience an effect which is specifically associated with the tight equatorial confinement of these waves, known as transit time scattering. However, such test particle simulations can be computationally cumbersome and offer limited insight into the dominant physical processes controlling the wave‐particle interactions, that is, in determining the effects of the various wave parameters and equatorial confinement on the particle scattering. In this paper, we show that such nonresonant effects can be effectively captured with a straightforward analytical treatment that is made possible with a set of reasonable, simplifying assumptions. It is shown that the effect of the wave confinement, which is not captured by the standard quasi‐linear theory approach, acts in such a way as to broaden the range of particle energies and pitch angles that can effectively resonate with the wave. The resulting diffusion coefficients can be readily incorporated into global diffusion models in order to test the effects of transit time scattering on the dynamical evolution of radiation belt fluxes.

Bortnik, J.↗
DOE OSTI2021

Ion Atmosphere of Wormlike Micelles Profiled by Contrast Variation Small-Angle Neutron Scattering

Structural studies of wormlike micelles have so far mostly focused on the conformational properties of surfactant aggregates. The diffuse ionic atmosphere, which has a profound influence on various micellization phenomena such as thermodynamic stability and structural polymorphism, remains largely unexplored experimentally. In this report a strategy of contrast variation small-angle neutron scattering for this crucial structural study is outlined. Underlined by a general criterion established for unbiasedly identifying the length scale relevant to charge association from the spectral evolution, our analytical framework can provide a quantitative description of counterion distribution in a mathematically tractable manner. Overall, our method can be conveniently extended to facilitate structural studies of complex multicomponent systems using contrast variation neutron scattering.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2017

Charge segregation in weakly ionized microgels

Here we investigate microgels synthesized from N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAM) copolymerized with a large mol% of acrylic acid, finding that when the acid groups are partially ionized at high temperatures, competition between ion-induced swelling and hydrophobic deswelling of poly(NIPAM) chains results in microphase separation. In cross-linked microgels, this manifests as a dramatic decrease in the ratio between the radius of gyration and the hydrodynamic radius to ~0.2, indicating that almost all the mass of the microgel is concentrated near the particle center. We also observe a concurrent decrease of the polymer network length scale via small-angle neutron scattering, confirming the presence of a dense, deswollen core surrounded by a diffuse, charged periphery. We compare these results to those obtained for a system of charged ultralow-cross-linked microgels; the form factor shows a distinct peak at high q when the temperature exceeds a threshold value. Lastly, we successfully fit the form factor to theory developed to describe scattering from weakly charged gels in poor solvents, and we tie this behavior to charge segregation in the case of the cross-linked microgels.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2021

DECaNT: Simulation tool for diffusion of excitons in carbon nanotube films

In this work, we present the numerical tool DECaNT (Diffusion of Excitons in Carbon NanoTubes) that simulates exciton transport in thin films of carbon nanotubes. Through a mesh of nanotubes generated using the Bullet Physics C++ library, excitons move according to an ensemble Monte Carlo algorithm, with the scattering rates that account for tube chirality, orientation, and distance. We calculate the diffusion tensor from the position–position correlation functions and analyze its anisotropy and dependence on the film composition, morphology, and defect density.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2016

Planck 2015 results: XXV. Diffuse low-frequency Galactic foregrounds

In this paper, we discuss the Galactic foreground emission between 20 and 100 GHz based on observations by Planck and WMAP. The total intensity in this part of the spectrum is dominated by free-free and spinning dust emission, whereas the polarized intensity is dominated by synchrotron emission. The Commander component-separation tool has been used to separate the various astrophysical processes in total intensity. Comparison with radio recombination line templates verifies the recovery of the free-free emission along the Galactic plane. Comparison of the high-latitude Hα emission with our free-free map shows residuals that correlate with dust optical depth, consistent with a fraction (≈30%) of Hα having been scattered by high-latitude dust. We highlight a number of diffuse spinning dust morphological features at high latitude. There is substantial spatial variation in the spinning dust spectrum, with the emission peak (in I ν ) ranging from below 20 GHz to more than 50 GHz. There is a strong tendency for the spinning dust component near many prominent H ii regions to have a higher peak frequency, suggesting that this increase in peak frequency is associated with dust in the photo-dissociation regions around the nebulae. The emissivity of spinning dust in these diffuse regions is of the same order as previous detections in the literature. Over the entire sky, the Commander solution finds more anomalous microwave emission (AME) than the WMAP component maps, at the expense of synchrotron and free-free emission. This can be explained by the difficulty in separating multiple broadband components with a limited number of frequency maps. Future surveys, particularly at 5–20 GHz, will greatly improve the separation by constraining the synchrotron spectrum. We combine Planck and WMAP data to make the highest signal-to-noise ratio maps yet of the intensity of the all-sky polarized synchrotron emission at frequencies above a few GHz. Most of the high-latitude polarized emission is associated with distinct large-scale loops and spurs, and we re-discuss their structure. We argue that nearly all the emission at 40deg > l > -90deg is part of the Loop I structure, and show that the emission extends much further in to the southern Galactic hemisphere than previously recognised, giving Loop I an ovoid rather than circular outline. However, it does not continue as far as the “Fermi bubble/microwave haze”, making it less probable that these are part of the same structure. We identify a number of new faint features in the polarized sky, including a dearth of polarized synchrotron emission directly correlated with a narrow, roughly 20deg long filament seen in Hα at high Galactic latitude. In conclusion, we look for evidence of polarized AME, however many AME regions are significantly contaminated by polarized synchrotron emission, and we find a 2σ upper limit of 1.6% in the Perseus region.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

Nanoscale dynamics and aging of fibrous peptide-based gels

Solutions of the aromatic dipeptide derivative molecule fluorenylmethoxycarbonyl-diphenylalanine (Fmoc-FF) in dimethyl sulfoxide produce fibrous gels when mixed with water. We study the evolution of density fluctuations of this three-component system using X-ray photon correlation spectroscopy (XPCS) and compare these results to the macroscopic rheology of the gels and optical observations of the microstructure evolution. At the investigated scattering angles, the intensity autocorrelation functions do not follow behavior expected for simple diffusion of individual Fmoc-FF molecules localized within cages of nearest neighbors. Instead, the dynamics are associated with density fluctuations on length scales of ∼10–100 nm arising from disaggregation and reformation of fibers, leading to an increasingly uniform network. This process is correlated with the growth of the elastic modulus, which saturates at long times. Autocorrelation functions and relaxation times acquired from XPCS measurements are consistent with relaxation rates of structures at dynamic equilibrium. This study provides further support to the concept of exploring peptide-based gelators as valence-limited patchy particles capable of forming equilibrium gels.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2021

Light transport with weak angular dependence in fog

Random scattering and absorption of light by tiny particles in aerosols, like fog, reduce situational awareness and cause unacceptable down-time for critical systems or operations. Computationally efficient light transport models are desired for computational imaging to improve remote sensing capabilities in degraded optical environments. To this end, we have developed a model based on a weak angular dependence approximation to the Boltzmann or radiative transfer equation that appears to be applicable in both the moderate and highly scattering regimes, thereby covering the applicability domain of both the small angle and diffusion approximations. An analytic solution was derived and validated using experimental data acquired at the Sandia National Laboratory Fog Chamber facility. The evolution of the fog particle density and size distribution were measured and used to determine macroscopic absorption and scattering properties using Mie theory. A three-band (0.532, 1.55, and 9.68 µ m) transmissometer with lock-in amplifiers enabled changes in fog density of over an order of magnitude to be measured due to the increased transmission at higher wavelengths, covering both the moderate and highly scattering regimes. The meteorological optical range parameter is shown to be about 0.6 times the transport mean free path length, suggesting an improved physical interpretation of this parameter.

74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2018

Neoclassical Diffusion of Radiation-Belt Electrons Across Very Low L -shells

In the presence of drift-shell splitting intrinsic to the IGRF magnetic field model, pitch-angle scattering from Coulomb collisions experienced by radiation-belt electrons in the upper atmosphere and ionosphere produces extra radial diffusion, a form of neoclassical diffusion. The strength of the neoclassical radial diffusion at L < 1.2 exceeds that expected there from radial-diffusion mechanisms traditionally considered, and decreases with increasing L-shell. In this study we construct a numerical model for this coupled (radial and pitch-angle) collisional diffusion process and apply it to simulate raw count-rate data observed aboard the Gemini spacecraft for several years after the 1962 Starfish nuclear detonation. The data show apparent lifetimes 10-100 times as long as would have been expected from collisional pitch-angle diffusion and Coulomb drag alone. Our model reproduces apparent lifetimes for >0.5-MeV electrons in the region 1.14 < L < 1.26 to within a factor of two (comparable to the uncertainty quoted for the observations). We conclude that neoclassical radial diffusion (resulting from drift-shell splitting intrinsic to IGRF's azimuthal asymmetries) mitigates the decay expected from collisional pitch-angle diffusion and inelastic energy loss alone and thus contributes importantly to the long apparent lifetimes observed at these low L-shells.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2019

Microscopic Dynamics in an Ionic Liquid Augmented with Organic Solvents

We introduce the complex microscopic dynamics of 1-butyl-3-methyl-imidazolium bis(trifluromethylsulfonyl)imide, [Bmim + ][TFSI – ], ionic liquid mixed with organic solvents to improve its properties for energy storage applications. To probe the microscopic dynamics on different length and time scales, we have used different neutron scattering spectrometers for quasielastic neutron scattering measurements to compare the effects of solvation in several organic solvents with nearly the same dipole moment but broadly varying bulk diffusivity. The ionic liquid–solvent mixtures show a nanoscopic phase separation into an ionic liquid-rich and a solvent-rich phase, as revealed by the model-free dynamic susceptibility data and further corroborated by the cluster histogram analysis of molecular dynamics (MD) simulation. In both phases, we observe a long-range translational mobility of the [Bmim + ] cation, which scales with the bulk diffusivities of the organic solvents; this correlation becomes stronger in the solvent-rich phase. Furthermore, various localized motion modes of the [Bmim + ] cation are observed. A combination of neutron scattering and MD simulations reveals the parameters governing solvent-controlled diffusivity in an ionic liquid, which helps formulate new electrolytes optimized for effective energy storage devices.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2014

Cosmic ray propagation in galactic turbulence

We revisit propagation of galactic cosmic rays (CRs) in light of recent advances in CR diffusion theory in realistic interstellar turbulence. We use a tested model of turbulence in which it has been shown that fast modes dominate scattering of CRs. As a result, propagation becomes inhomogeneous and environment dependent. By adopting the formalism of the nonlinear theory developed by Yan and Lazarian, we calculate the diffusion of CRs self-consistently from first principles. We assume a two-phase model for the Galaxy to account for different damping mechanisms of the fast modes, and we find that the energy dependence of the diffusion coefficient is mainly affected by medium properties. We show that it gives a correct framework to interpret some of the recent CR puzzles.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2016

Physical mechanism causing rapid changes in ultrarelativistic electron pitch angle distributions right after a shock arrival: Evaluation of an electron dropout event: Drift Shell Splitting on the Dayside

Three mechanisms have been proposed to explain relativistic electron flux depletions (dropouts) in the Earth's outer radiation belt during storm times: adiabatic expansion of electron drift shells due to a decrease in magnetic field strength, magnetopause shadowing and subsequent outward radial diffusion, and precipitation into the atmosphere (driven by EMIC wave scattering). Which mechanism predominates in causing electron dropouts commonly observed in the outer radiation belt is still debatable. In the present study, we evaluate the physical mechanism that may be primarily responsible for causing the sudden change in relativistic electron pitch angle distributions during a dropout event observed by Van Allen Probes during the main phase of the 27 February 2014 storm. During this event, the phase space density of ultrarelativistic (>1MeV) electrons was depleted by more than 1 order of magnitude over the entire radial extent of the outer radiation belt (3 < L* < 5) in less than 6 h after the passage of an interplanetary shock. We model the electron pitch angle distribution under a compressed magnetic field topology based on actual solar wind conditions. Although these ultrarelativistic electrons exhibit highly anisotropic (peaked in 90°), energy-dependent pitch angle distributions, which appear to be associated with the typical EMIC wave scattering, comparison of the modeled electron distribution to electron measurements indicates that drift shell splitting is responsible for this rapid change in electron pitch angle distributions. This further indicates that magnetopause loss is the predominant cause of the electron dropout right after the shock arrival.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2021

Accurate Determination of the Quantity and Spatial Distribution of Counterions around a Spherical Macroion

Abstract The accurate distribution of countercations (Rb + and Sr 2+ ) around a rigid, spherical, 2.9‐nm size polyoxometalate cluster, {Mo 132 } 42− , is determined by anomalous small‐angle X‐ray scattering. Both Rb + and Sr 2+ ions lead to shorter diffuse lengths for {Mo 132 } than prediction. Most Rb + ions are closely associated with {Mo 132 } by staying near the skeleton of {Mo 132 } or in the Stern layer, whereas more Sr 2+ ions loosely associate with {Mo 132 } in the diffuse layer. The stronger affinity of Rb + ions towards {Mo 132 } than that of Sr 2+ ions explains the anomalous lower critical coagulation concentration of {Mo 132 } with Rb + compared to Sr 2+ . The anomalous behavior of {Mo 132 } can be attributed to majority of negative charges being located at the inner surface of its cavity. The longer anion–cation distance weakens the Coulomb interaction, making the enthalpy change owing to the breakage of hydration layers of cations more important in regulating the counterion–{Mo 132 } interaction.

Chen, Jiahui↗
DOE OSTI2023

Differential multi-probe thermal transport measurements of multi-walled carbon nanotubes grown by chemical vapor deposition

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are quasi-one dimensional nanostructures that display both high thermal conductivity for potential thermal management applications and intriguing low-dimensional phonon transport phenomena. In comparison to the advances made in the theoretical calculation of the lattice thermal conductivity of CNTs, thermal transport measurements of CNTs have been limited by either the poor temperature sensitivity of Raman thermometry technique or the presence of contact thermal resistance errors in sensitive two-probe resistance thermometry measurements. Here we report advances in a multi-probe measurement of the intrinsic thermal conductivity of individual multi-walled CNT samples that are transferred from the growth substrate onto the measurement device. The sample-thermometer thermal interface resistance is directly measured by this multi-probe method and used to model the temperature distribution along the contacted sample segment. The detailed temperature profile helps to eliminate the contact thermal resistance error in the obtained thermal conductivity of the suspended sample segment. A differential electro-thermal bridge measurement method is established to enhance the signal-to-noise ratio and reduce the measurement uncertainty by over 40%. The obtained thermal resistances of multiple suspended segments of the same MWCNT samples increase nearly linearly with increasing length, revealing diffusive phonon transport as a result of phonon-defect scattering in these MWCNT samples. The measured thermal conductivity increases with temperature and reaches up to 390 ± 20 W m –1 K –1 at room temperature for a 9-walled MWCNT. In conclusion, theoretical analysis of the measurement results suggests submicron phonon mean free paths due to extrinsic phonon scattering by extended defects such as grain boundaries. The obtained thermal conductivity is decreased by a factor of 3 upon electron beam damage and surface contamination of the CNT sample.

42 ENGINEERING↗