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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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1,511 records · Page 39
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Dry Pressed, High Areal Loading Electrode Architectures Enabled by Holey Graphene

For future electric aviation, advanced battery cell chemistry beyond lithium ion batteries are required to meet mission requirements. High energy density battery concepts such as lithium-sulfur (Li-S) and lithiumoxygen (Li-O2) chemistries are being intensively investigated to realize their extraordinary theoretical promise in terms of energy density. Most fabrication methods of cathodes for these novel battery chemistries followed a conventional approach. In this approach, the active material is mixed with a polymer binder and a conductive carbon in a high-boiling organic solvent to form a slurry, followed by casting onto a current collector and solvent evaporation. The process is usually lengthy and poses environmental hazards due to the use of organic solvents.

Lin Yi↗
DOE OSTI2026

The Development of Kinetic and Radiation Hydrodynamics Modeling of Thermonuclear Burn Propagation in Isochoric p - 11 B Through the Support of the INFUSE Program

The report summarizes DOE INFUSE-supported work between HB11 Energy and the University of Rochester’s TriForce Institute to improve computational modeling of advanced fusion fuels, especially proton–boron-11 (p- 11 B). The project extended the TriForce particle-in-cell/Monte Carlo collision code to include physics needed for dense, high-temperature p- 11 B burn studies, including p- 11 B fusion reactions, three-alpha-particle reaction products, relativistic Coulomb collisions, large-angle nuclear scattering, bremsstrahlung radiation, inverse bremsstrahlung absorption, and photon transport. The upgraded models were verified against focused physics tests and against known deuterium–tritium burn behavior. The study then used one-dimensional spherical simulations to estimate the conditions required for thermonuclear burn propagation in isochoric p- 11 B fuel. The calculations found that burn propagation is possible in the model, but only under very extreme hot-spot conditions, such as about 7000 g/cm 3 at 500 keV or 9000 g/cm 3 at 300 keV for a 20-micron hot spot. These conditions are much more demanding than current demonstrated inertial confinement fusion hot spots. The report concludes that the INFUSE collaboration successfully advanced kinetic and radiation modeling capabilities for p- 11 B fusion and provided useful estimates of ignition requirements. However, the simulated fuel gains remain below what would be needed for practical inertial fusion energy, and further work is needed to reconcile differences among kinetic, radiation-hydrodynamic, and analytic models and to identify more achievable target designs.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2026

High entropy oxides prediction and discovery by the Mixed Enthalpy-Entropy Descriptor

The vast, high-dimensional composition space of high-entropy oxides (HEOs) offers exceptional opportunities for functional materials discovery, yet it also poses a fundamental challenge: the rational and efficient prediction of stable, synthesizable compositions and the corresponding structure–property relationships. Despite growing interest, the field still lacks broadly applicable, physically grounded descriptors capable of navigating various large chemical spaces. Here, we introduce a Mixed Enthalpy–Entropy Descriptor (MEED) that enables rapid, first-principles–based prediction of HEOs synthesizability across diverse chemistries. Using MEED, we perform high-throughput screening of two distinct HEO families: rocksalt oxides and perovskite oxides. The predicted top candidates in each family were experimentally validated. MEED reveals unifying thermodynamic and structural principles governing stability across both chemical compositions and polymorphs, providing mechanistic insight into the formation of high-entropy phases. This work significantly broadens the accessible chemical design space for HEOs and establishes a data-efficient framework for accelerating the discovery of next-generation functional materials.

Yu, Liping [University of Central Florida]↗
DOE OSTI2026

High speed laser-induced refractive index change in ophthalmic HEMA hydrogel using a line focus

Laser-induced refractive index change (LIRIC) techniques typically focus femtosecond laser pulses to a tight spot to achieve the high intensities required to alter ophthalmic materials. A line-focus implementation using 800 nm pulses at 1 kHz repetition rate has been shown to greatly increase the effective writing speed of the process, but the high pulse energies used led to nonlinear propagation effects, presenting challenges for the fabrication of ophthalmic correctors. By taking advantage of the lower effective order of multiphoton absorption for 514 nm pulses, power levels may be reduced, allowing overlapped pulse writing. We demonstrate that this allows high-quality phase bars and devices to be made at high speeds.

Manning, Zachary A. [University of Rochester, NY (↗
DOE OSTI2026

Direct Observation of Elusive (DTBM‐SEGPHOS)CuH Monomer Enables Mechanistic Insights Into Hydrocupration, Aggregation, and Dynamics of Alkene Functionalization Catalysis

The bulky diphosphine DTBM-SEGPHOS is widely employed in CuH-catalyzed transformations as it provides remarkably active catalyst systems. The transient (DTBM-SEGPHOS)CuH monomer (LCuH) is the often-invoked active species. However, its instability has prevented spectroscopic characterization and mechanistic elucidation, hindering mechanistic understanding. We report low-temperature NMR spectroscopic characterization of LCuH, enabling quantitative kinetic analysis of the stoichiometric hydrocupration and catalytic hydroboration of cyclopentene, as well as the structural identification of two CuH clusters. LCuH inserts cyclopentene at −43°C, reaffirming its high reactivity toward olefins. LCuH deactivates to form L 2 Cu 3 H 3 and L 2 Cu 4 H 4 clusters, in which LCuH dimerization initiates aggregation. Kinetic analysis of reactions of unactivated alkenes indicates that competing on-cycle alkene hydrocupration and LCuH dimerization impact performance, as catalyst deactivation and turnover occur on comparable timescales. Structure–activity analysis using atomistic simulations shows that the steric profile of DTBM-SEGPHOS increases the CuH dimerization barrier by ∼7.7 kcal mol−1 compared to that of SEGPHOS, rationalizing the unique ability of DTBM-SEGPHOS to stabilize a reactive monomer for hydrocupration of broader alkene substrates. These findings illustrate the fundamental design principle that steric control of aggregation governs CuH catalyst performance, explaining both the exceptional activity of (DTBM-SEGPHOS)CuH and the limitations imposed by competing deactivation.

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

High-Resolution Global Ocean Simulation in the SWOT ERA: Introducing ECCO Llc4320v2

The Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) mission is opening up new opportunities to evaluate and drive improvement in km-scale global ocean and atmosphere-ocean models via its simultaneous swath observations of sea-surface height, wind speed, and significant wave height down to 2 km scales globally. Motivated by this, we have initiated a collaborative effort at NASA Ames to run a new global ocean-sea-ice simulation in MITgcm at a nominal 1/48-deg resolution of the year 2023 that enables direct comparisons with SWOT observations. New features relative to a prior simulation at a similar resolution of the year 2012 include much more realistic tidal forcing, thermodynamic coupling in ice-shelf cavities, high-frequency hourly atmospheric forcing, much improved river runoff, double the vertical resolution in the deep ocean (173 vs 90 levels), updated bathymetry including improvements in finescale bathymetry derived from SWOT, and updated vertical mixing scheme parameters that improve the equatorial Pacific circulation.

ECCO↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Solvent-Free Preparation of High Energy, Binder-Free Electrodes Enabled by Dry Compressible Holey Graphene

Graphene is an atomically thick sheet consisting of a graphitic carbon network with excellent mechanical strength, electrical and thermal conductivity, and chemical stability. Holey graphene, a structural derivative of graphene, has an array of through-the-thickness holes across the lateral surface of the nanosheet. The presence of these holes has minimal detrimental effect on the graphene properties and leads to enhanced performance in applications such as electronics, sensors, and energy storage. For example, these holes allow more facile cross-plane ion and gas transport than intact graphene, making holey graphene an ideal electrode material for electrochemical energy storage. This presentation will focus on the ability of holey graphene to be compression molded into robust articles or architectures under solvent-free conditions without the need for potentially parasitic binders. The unique dry compressibility of holey graphene has enabled facile fabrication of high mass loading electrodes with both high density and high porosity, which have found use in supercapacitors and various high-energy battery systems such as lithium-oxygen, lithium-sulfur, and lithium-selenium batteries.

Yi Lin↗
DOE OSTI2024

Method for implant and anneal for high voltage field effect transistors

In an example, the present invention provides a method of forming a semiconductor device on a gallium and nitrogen containing material. The method includes providing a substrate member comprising a surface region, the substrate member comprising a gallium and nitrogen bearing material. The method includes causing an implanted species to electrically activate the implant profile while removing one or more crystalline damage from the epitaxial material to change the amorphous state to a single crystalline state, and thereby creating a substantially electrically activated crystalline material.

Shealy, James R.↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

STABLE Study for the Habitable Worlds Observatory

We report on progress on the STABLE study, which was awarded on the NASA 2023 ROSES D.19 opportunity. In the study, we are developing technologies for the Habitable Worlds Observatory (HWO) in four areas: Micrometeoroid Impact Mitigation, Telescope Temperature Control, Ultra-Stable Telescope Structure Materials and Modeling, and Improvement of Thermal Expansion Test Capability. This study is a collaboration between Northrop Grumman, Kratos, NeXolve, JPL, STScI, NASA’s White Sands Test Facility, and NASA Goddard’s Ultra-Stable Test Facility. We will also discuss our plans for our follow-on study as part of NASA’s 2024 ROSES D.19. In this study, we will address additional technologies as well as perform analysis of HWO architecture options.

Habitable Worlds Observatory↗
NASA NTRS1977

Calculations of the Moon's Thermal History at Different Concentrations of Radioactive Elements, Taking Into Account Differentiation on Melting

Calculations of the thermal history of the moon were carried out by solving the thermal conductivity equation for the case in which the heat sources are the long-lived radioactive elements Th, U, and K 40 . The concentrations of these elements were adjusted to give four variations of the heat flow: 1.35 x 10 -8 and 0.91 x 10 -6 cal cm -2 s -1 (I and I**), 0.61 x 10 -6 (variant II, the terrestrial mixture of Lyubimova and Starkova), and 0.236 x 10 -6 (variant III, the chondrite model of Urey and MacDonald). In the same calculations, we considered layering of the differentiated material with transport to the surface of the radioactive elements after the temperature of the layer rose to 200 K above the melting temperature, which is considered in five variants that differ in the amount of transported radioactive elements: 100 percent ( n = 1), 80 percent n = 0.8), 40 percent, 20 percent ( n = 0.6, 0.4, 0.2). During fusion the heat capacity and heat conductivity were changed. We considered two variants of an initially cold (273 K) and hot (900 K) Moon. Calculations show that the interior of the Moon was heated to melting during the first 0.7 to 2.3 x 10 9 years. The maximum fusion involved practically the entire Moon to a distance from 15 to 45 km beneath the surface, and started 3.5 to 4.0 x 10 9 years ago (I, I**), or 2.5 to 3.0 x 10 9 years ago (II, III) and continued for 1 to 2 x 10 9 years. Today the Moon is cooling. The current thickness of the solid crust is from 150 to 200 km and the heat flow exceeds the stationary value 1.5 fold. Apparently the most realistic variant is II (terrestrial mixture) for an initially hot Moon, and gives, regardless of the moderate concentration of radioactive elements, a heat flow of 0.9 to 0.95 x 10 -6 cal cm -2 s -1 , which agrees with the radioastronomical measurements of Troitsky and Krotikov and with the Apollo 15 data.

O I Ornatskaya↗
DOE OSTI2026

Distributed Mafic Rock Resources for Carbon Mineralization in Arizona

Ex-situ carbon mineralization is a process by which CO2 is reacted with alkaline silicate minerals and rocks to produce stable carbonate materials, which can be used for other industrial processes. Arizona, U.S.A., hosts abundant surficial mafic rocks in three young volcanic fields, Geronimo-San Bernardino, San Francisco, and Springerville, and other distributed locations throughout the state. We created a Mafic Rock Resource Inventory (MRRI) that categorizes geochemical, physical, and textural characteristics of a diverse suite of surficial mafic rock samples and provide a benchmark reaction dataset parameterizing the temperature, pressure, and pH conditions best suited ex-situ mineralization in different rock types. MRRI data is publicly available online via a map-viewer. We establish two reaction condition sets, varied in temperature, pressure, and pH, where crystal-rich and glassy rocks reach maximum reaction extent and different carbonate phases are formed. Systematic ex-situ mineralization experiments on 21 diverse rock types show trends in geochemical, mineralogical, and reactivity behavior and establish maximum effective capture capacity. From this, scoria cones in three Arizona volcanic fields have a ~62 Gt effective CO₂ storage capacity with one of the fields having a ~42 Gt storage capacity in lava flows. Reactivity results have applications to alkaline mafic rock resources exposed globally, including producing additional effective storage capacity estimates and scaled commercialization of mafic rock ex-situ mineralization, should reaction extents be improved through advances in mineralization techniques. MRRI data were used to create a Direct Air Capture to Mineralization (DACM) systems model, technoeconomic analysis, and life-cycle assessment. These documents are presented as three appendices.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2023

Long‐Life Lithium‐Metal Batteries with an Ultra‐High‐Nickel Cathode and Electrolytes with Bi‐Anion Activity

Abstract Anion chemistry in electrolytes can greatly dictate the nature and quality of passivation layers on both cathode and anode surfaces. This will be more significant when it comes to highly reactive Li‐metal anode and aggressive high‐nickel cathodes. Herein, a competitive bi‐anion activity is found in electrolytes with the co‐existence of two anions, which leads to a controlled Li‐salt decomposition kinetics and entirely favorable interphasial chemistry on both Li‐metal anode and ultrahigh‐nickel cathode. The proposed bi‐anion localized high‐concentration electrolytes are demonstrated to exhibit superior electrochemical compatibility toward Li metal and long‐term cycling stabilities under both 4.4 and 4.6 V in Li‐metal batteries with ultrahigh‐nickel cathode. This study sheds fresh light on dendrite‐free Li‐metal anodes and provides guidance to achieve high‐energy‐density batteries.

Chemistry↗
NASA NTRS1990

Sodium-sulfur battery flight experiment definition study

Sodium-sulfur batteries are considered to be one of the most likely battery systems for space applications. Compared with the Ni-H2 or Ni-Co battery systems, Na-S batteries offer a mass reduction by a factor of 2 to 4, representing significant launch cost savings or increased payload mass capabilities. The Na-S battery operates at between 300 and 400 C, using liquid sodium and sulfur/polysulfide electrodes and solid ceramic electrolyte; the transport of the electrode materials to the surface of the electrolyte is through wicking/capillary forces. This paper describes five tests identified for the Na-S battery flight experiment definition study, which include the cell characterization test, the reactant distribution test, the current/temperature distribution test, the freeze/thaw test, and the multicell LEO test. A schematic diagram of Na-S cell is included.

Chang, Rebecca↗
DOE OSTI2026

Probing the atomic dynamics of ultrafast melting with femtosecond electron diffraction

Melting is an every-day phase transition that is determined by thermodynamic parameters like temperature and pressure. In contrast, ultra-fast melting is governed by the microscopic response to a rapid energy input and, thus, can reveal the strength and dynamics of atomic bonds as well as the energy flow rate to the lattice. Accurately describing these processes remains challenging and requires detailed insights into transient states encountered. Here, we present data from femtosecond electron diffraction measurements that capture the structural evolution of copper during the ultrafast solid-to-liquid phase transformations. At absorbed energy densities 2-4 times the melting threshold, melting begins at the surface slightly below the nominal melting point followed by rapid homogeneous melting throughout the volume. Molecular dynamics simulations reproduce these observations and reveal a weak electron-lattice energy transfer rate for the given experimental conditions. Both simulations and experiments show no indications of rapid lattice collapse when its temperature surpasses proposed limits of superheating, providing evidence that the inherent dynamics limits the speed of disordering in ultrafast melting of metals.

FOS: Physical sciences↗
DOE OSTI2024

Realignment and suppression of charge density waves in the rare-earth tritellurides 𝑅⁢Te 3 (𝑅 = La, Gd, Er)

The rare-earth tritellurides have a rich phase diagram that includes charge density waves (CDWs), superconductivity, and magnetic order, offering a platform to study the interplay between these phases on a square-net system. Prior studies have shown that defects can affect the CDW characteristics in these materials, yet coupling between the CDW order and the underlying microstructure has not been studied at the nanoscale. Here we use scanning transmission electron microscopy at cryogenic temperatures to directly visualize the effects of defects on the CDW order and provide a spatially resolved microscopic correlation between the CDW transition and structural defects. Here, we show that in the presence of extended defects, such as dislocations and stacking faults, the weak orthorhombicity of the rare-earth tritellurides is lost and the material becomes pseudotetragonal. Since the orthorhombicity acts as a symmetry breaking field for the CDW transitions in rare-earth tritellurides, the presence of these extended defects modulates the energetics of the CDWs and suppresses the ground-state CDW phase at low temperature.

Charge density waves↗
NASA NTRS2026

X-Hab 2026: LiDAR-Powered Autonomous Charging Service Capability for Surface Rovers and Systems

This document details the timeline of the LiDAR-Powered Autonomous Charging Service Capability for Surface Rovers and Systems project, initiated by the Fall 2025 semester class and completed by the Spring 2026 semester class. This project focuses on developing a fully autonomous system composed of a mobile surface rover and an induction charging station with a robotic arm, both controlled by their own NVIDIA Jetson Orin Nano. Structural improvements to the rover suspension system and body eliminated excessive camber, reduced stress and strain on the plexiglass body, and improved maneuverability and durability of the rover. The charging station robotic arm was fully redesigned to increase reach while minimizing weight and increasing misalignment tolerance during docking on uneven terrain. Electrical system improvements addressed previous torque and power limitations of both the rover and charging station arm. High-torque servo motors were selected based on updated calculations which incorporated terrain slope and Factor of Safety, enabling zero-point turning for the rover and increased payload capacity of the charging station arm. Significant progress was made in autonomy and perception. The rover now employs 3D LiDAR and SLAM mapping for localization, mapping, and path planning. The Battery Monitoring System (BMS) was created to coordinate battery management between the rover and charging station. The BMS provides continuous monitoring of battery state of charge, temperature, current, and will enable the autonomous initiation, execution, and termination of the charging cycle via Bluetooth communication. Testing of the WIBOTIC induction charging system demonstrated reliable power transfer under both aligned and misaligned conditions. This project demonstrated the ability of an autonomously navigating surface rover to independently plan a path to the charging station, dock, and the charging station to autonomously deploy a robotic charging arm and initiate charging of the rover. This work details the progress made to demonstrate the feasibility of autonomous surface rover navigation and recharging systems.

Megan Steele↗