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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 73 records · Page 4
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1980

Radiant energy to electric energy converter

Radiant energy is converted into electric energy by irradiating a capacitor including an ionic dielectric. The dielectric is a sintered crystal superionic conductor, e.g., lanthanum trifluoride, lanthanum trichloride, or silver bromide, so that a multiplicity of crystallites exist between electrodes of the capacitor. The radiant energy cyclically irradiates the dielectric so that the dielectric exhibits a cyclic photocapacitive like effect. Adjacent crystallites have abutting surfaces that enable the crystallites to effectively form a multiplicity of series capacitor elements between the electrodes. Each of the capacitor elements has a dipole layer only on or near its surface. The capacitor is initially charged to a voltage just below the dielectric breakdown voltage by connecting it across a DC source causing a current to flow through a charging resistor to the dielectric. The device can be utilized as a radiant energy detector or as a solar energy cell.

Sher, Arden↗
DOE OSTI2026

Semi-Dynamic Leach Testing of Densified Silicon-based Iodine Waste Forms

Iodine waste forms (IWF) require a conceptual corrosion release model (CCRM) to provide iodine (I) release rates for performance modeling nuclear waste disposal repositories. To develop a CCRM, an understanding of the corrosion mechanisms of the IWF are required along with data from consistent test methods to parameterize the model. The present study has advanced both areas by providing and assessing the corrosion resistance of IWF types based on their processing history in minor variations of semi-dynamic leach tests. The test included a series of semi-dynamic leach tests using monolithic IWFs in deionized water (leachant). Several experiments were conducted under alternate test conditions with changes to temperature, leachant replacement, leachant pH, leachant volume, masking, and surface finish to elucidate if varying these conditions impacted IWF corrosion behavior. Tests were conducted on two classes of IWFs: (1) I-bearing silver-mordenite (AgZ) materials processed by hot isostatic pressing (HIP) at different temperatures, pressures, sizes, and times; and (2) I-bearing silver-functionalized silica aerogels (SFA) processed by either HIP or spark plasma sintering (SPS). The corrosion susceptibility of AgZ samples was influenced by HIP temperature and pressure. The SPS SFAs retained I far better than HIP SFAs. Additional findings in this study include: (1) The iodine dissolution rate decreased with decreasing temperature, (2) a common ion effect may occur and slow dissolution of the host phase if the leachant is not regularly replaced, (3) pH controls the dissolution rate, and (4) the iodine dissolution rate slows with extended test time (up to 224 days). Based on this work, these parameters should thus be represented when developing a CCRM.

corrosion↗
NASA NTRS1995

Sinterless Fabrication Of Contact Pads On InP Devices

Research has shown that with proper choice of material, low-resistance contact pads deposited on solar cells and other devices by improved technique that does not involve sintering. Research directed at understanding mechanisms involved in contact-sintering process has resulted in identification of special group of materials that includes phosphides of gold, silver, and nickel; specifically, Au(2)P(3), AgP(2), and Ni(3)P. Incorporation of phosphide interlayer substantially reduces resistivity between gold current-carrying layer and indium phosphide substrate. Further research indicated only very thin interlayer of any of these compounds needed to obtain low contact resistance, without subjecting contact to destructive sintering process.

Weizer, Victor G.↗
DOE OSTI2024

Dry Printing Pure Copper with High Conductivity and Adhesion for Flexible Electronics

Additive manufacturing of functional devices on various rigid and flexible substrates is rising rapidly due to their design flexibility, rapid manufacturing, and lower cost. Current printing technologies are ink-based and focused on printing silver (Ag) as conductive lines due to its matured ink formulation process, low sintering temperature, ease of printing, and low oxidation rate. However, Ag is the 68th most abundant element on Earth, while copper (Cu) is the 25th, making it much cheaper (>100×) while having a comparable conductivity to Ag. Therefore, printing Cu has become technologically and economically more attractive than Ag. Nevertheless, Cu printing is still a significant challenge in ink-based printing methods due to the higher sintering temperature relative to the glass-transition temperature of most flexible substrates, the higher oxidation rate, the challenging ink formulation process, and ink stability concerns. Here, we demonstrate printing highly conductive Cu on flexible polyimide substrates using a dry printing technique. Cu nanoparticles (~3–30 nm) are generated by on-demand laser ablation of a solid Cu target inside the printer head and under argon background gas. These Cu nanoparticles are then transported through a nozzle and onto the substrate, where they are laser-sintered in real time. The argon gas plays three critical roles in laser plume condensation for nanoparticle generation, transport, and sheath gas to avoid oxidation during sintering. The sintered nanoparticles thus show high electrical conductivity and mechanical stability under static and cyclic tests. Our dry printing technique can potentially revolutionize how electronic devices and sensors are additively manufactured for earth and space applications.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
NASA NTRS1994

The effect of prolonged exposure to 750 C air on the tribological performance of PM212

The effect of prolonged exposure to 750 C air on the tribological performance and dimensional stability of PM212, a high temperature, self-lubricating composite, is studied. PM212, by weight, contains 70 percent metal-bonded Cr3C2, 15 percent BaF2/CaF2 eutectic, and 15 percent silver. Rub blocks were fabricated from PM212 by cold isostatic pressing followed by sintering. Prior to tribo-testing, the rub blocks were exposed to 750 C air for periods ranging from 100 to 1000 hours. Then, the rub blocks were slid against nickel-based superalloy disks in a double-rub-block tribometer in air under a 66 N load at temperatures from 25 to 750 C with a sliding velocity of 0.36 m/s. Unexposed rub blocks were tested for baseline comparison. Friction coefficients ranged from 0.24 to 0.37 for the unexposed rub blocks and from 0.32 to 0.56 for the exposed ones. Wear for both the composite blocks and superalloy disks was typically in the moderate to low range of 10(exp -5) to 10(exp -6) mm(exp 3)/N-m. Friction and wear data were similar for the rub blocks exposed for 100, 500, and 1000 hours. Prolonged exposure to 750 C air increased friction and wear of the PM212 rub blocks at room temperature, but their triboperformance remained unaffected at higher temperatures, probably due to the formation of lubricious metal oxides. Dimensional stability of the composite was studied by exposing specimens of varying thicknesses for 500 hours in air at 750 C. Block thicknesses were found to increase with increased exposure time until steady state was reached after 100 hours of exposure, probably due to oxidation.

Bemis, Kirk↗
DOE OSTI2023

Screen printable copper pastes for silicon solar cells

The current work demonstrates the successful metallization of a PERC silicon solar cell with screen-printable copper (Cu) paste that is sintered at elevated temperature in air atmosphere. The existing state of the art in Silicon (Si) solar cell metallization is silver (Ag) paste; Cu cost is 1/100th the cost of Ag and has a comparable conductivity. However, Cu undergoes rapid oxidation at elevated temperatures and the high diffusion of Cu into Si restricts its usage in the metallization of silicon solar cells. In this paper, a Cu paste containing a proprietary mixture of antioxidant additives and diffusion inhibitors was used to make front gridlines on PERC cells. The Cu-printed cells were fired in an IR belt furnace with a peak temperature of 576°C in air atmosphere. The solar cells discussed here reached an efficiency of 19%, which is 88% of the efficiency measured for a commercial Ag-printed cell. The working devices were further characterized using STEM, EDX, ToF-SIMS and long-term suns-V oc studies demonstrating an absence of Cu diffusion. Furthermore, thermally stressing the Cu-printed solar cells yielded a reduction of less than 1.9% of the initial pseudo fill factor (pFF) after 1000 hours at 200°C. Here, the shunt resistance of cells monitored over 3 years remained within 2.5% of its initial value, which demonstrates the effectiveness of the Cu diffusion barrier.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
NASA NTRS1993

The effect of processing and compositional changes on the tribology of PM212 in air

The effects of processing and compositional variations on the tribological performance of PM212 were studied. PM212 is a self lubricating powder metallurgy composite, comprised of a wear resistant metal bonded chromium carbide matrix, containing the solid lubricants barium fluoride/calcium fluoride eutectic and silver. Several composites were formulated which had lubricant, matrix, and processing variations. Processing variations included sintering and hot isostatic pressing. Pins fabricated from the composites were slid against superalloys disks in a pin-on-disk tribometer to study the tribological properties. Several composites exhibited low friction and wear in sliding against a nickel based superalloy. The tribological performance by several different composites showed that the composition of PM212 can be altered without dramatically affecting performance.

Bogdanski, Michael S.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Effects of process variables on the properties of YBa2Cu3O(7-x) ceramics formed by investment casting

An investment casting process has been developed to produce net-shape, superconducting ceramics. In this work, a factorial experiment was performed to determine the critical process parameters for producing cast YBa2Cu3O7 ceramics with optimum properties. An analysis of variance procedure indicated that the key variables in casting superconductive ceramics are the particle size distribution and sintering temperature. Additionally, the interactions between the sintering temperature and the other process parameters (e.g., particle size distribution and the use of silver dopants) were also found to influence the density, porosity, and critical current density of the fired ceramics.

Hooker, M. W.↗
DOE OSTI2024

Influence of elevated temperature and oxygen on the capture of radioactive iodine by silver functionalized silica aerogel

Reprocessing is considered a competent strategy for spent nuclear fuel management, yet radioiodine ( 129 I) is emitted in reprocessing off-gas as a hazardous byproduct. Silver functionalized silica aerogel (Ag 0 -aerogel), a promising iodine capture material, experiences a reduction in its capacity after prolonged exposure to off-gas components at elevated temperatures, a phenomenon termed as aging. To fully understand this process, we isolated the contribution of each aging factor, exposing Ag 0 -aerogel samples to N 2 and dry air gas streams, respectively, at 150 °C for different time periods. Aged samples were loaded with I 2 to examine the capacity change and comprehensively characterized to investigate the evolution of their properties. Results show that temperature alone did not alter Ag 0 -aerogel's capacity but triggered Ag 0 nanoparticles sintering and generated organic sulfur species. The presence of O 2 reduced the capacity by ~20 %, causing (i) formation of silver sulfide (Ag 2 S) crystals and (ii) oxidation of Ag-thiolate (Ag-S-r) to Ag sulfonate (Ag-SO 3 -r). Given that Ag 2 S readily adsorbs I 2 , the formation of Ag-SO 3 -r is the major inhibitor for iodine adsorption. This hypothesis was supported by density functional theory (DFT) simulations. These findings unraveled key mechanisms of Ag 0 -aerogel aging, which are useful in the development of materials that withstand realistic spent-nuclear-fuel-reprocessing off-gas conditions.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
NASA NTRS1973

Heat-sterilized silver oxide-zinc cells: Cycle life studies

A JPL study was conducted to evaluate the cell design parameters that contribute to the cycle life of sealed, heat-sterilized silver oxide-zinc cells. Test cells having a rated capacity of 4.2 A-h were fabricated using zinc oxide electrodes prepared by the sintered Teflon process. Two separator variations were evaluated, one having acrylic acid and the other methacrylic acid grafted to irradiated polyethylene film. Significant results of this study include the following: (1) cycle life in excess of 300 cycles was attained; (2) a zinc oxide/silver stoichiometric ratio of 1.5 resulted in greater cycle life than a ratio of 1.1, and similar cycle life to cells having a ratio of 2; (3) cells having methacrylic acid grafted separators suffered somewhat less in capacity loss due to zinc electrode shape change than cells having acrylic acid type; (4) use of acrylic acid grafted separators was slightly superior to the methacrylic acid type in respect to silver penetration; and (5) the inclusion of a layer of potassium titanate paper adjacent to the zinc electrodes resulted in cells that achieved higher cycle life before any of the group failed than that reached by cells of any other construction.

Arms, J. T.↗
NASA NTRS1997

MS212--A Homogeneous Sputtered Solid Lubricant Coating for Use to 800 C

Composite coatings containing chromium carbide, stable fluorides and silver were prepared by magnetron sputtering. The microstructure of the coatings is very homogeneous compared to that of plasma sprayed and sintered versions of the same chemical composition. Friction and wear of MS212-coated and baseline uncoated aluminum and Inconel X-750 are compared. At room temperature, the friction and wear of coated aluminum is dramatically better compared to the baseline. The acceptable load is limited by deformation of the soft aluminum substrate. In the case of the nickel alloy, lower friction is observed for the coated alloy at all temperatures up to the maximum test temperature of 800 C. Pin wear factors for sliding against the coated alloy are lower than the baseline at room temperature and 350 C, and comparable to baseline wear at higher test temperatures. Low baseline wear at high temperatures is due to the lubricious nature of the natural oxides formed on nickel-chromium alloys in a hot, oxidizing atmosphere. No load limit was found for coated Inconel X-750 at loads up to five times the load limit for coated aluminum.

Sliney, Harold E.↗
NASA NTRS1981

Screenable all-metal solar cell electrodes of nickel and copper

Screenable thick film solar cell electrodes are made using the all-metal electrode system, which eliminates the commonly used glass frit and substitutes an oxide scavenger such as silver fluoride. The low temperature firing copper metal systems give good results on solar cells obtaining cell efficiencies of 13% AM1, and adhering sintered structures are demonstrated with nickel systems. The potential effect of copper upon cell performance at elevated temperatures over long periods of time is determined, and it is found that the formation of a copper-silicon eutectic at 550 C produces needle-like structures with broad bases on the silicon, extending into and occasionally through the metallization layer.

Ross, B.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Tribological properties of PM212: A high-temperature, self-lubricating, powder metallurgy composite

This paper describes a research program to develop and evaluate a new high temperature, self-lubricating powder metallurgy composite, PM212. PM212 has the same composition as the plasma-sprayed coating, PS212, which contains 70 wt percent metal-bonded chromium carbide, 15 wt percent silver and 15 wt percent barium fluoride/calcium fluoride eutectic. The carbide acts as a wear resistant matrix and the silver and fluorides act as low and high temperature lubricants, respectively. The material is prepared by sequential cold press, cold isostatic pressing and sintering techniques. In this study, hemispherically tipped wear pins of PM212 were prepared and slid against superalloy disks at temperatures from 25 to 850 C in air in a pin-on-disk tribometer. Friction coefficients range from 0.29 to 0.38 and the wear of both the composite pins and superalloy disks was moderate to low in the 10(exp -5) to 10(exp -6) cubic mm/N-m range. Preliminary tests indicate that the material has a compressive strength of at least 130 MPa over the entire temperature range of 25 to 900 C. This material has promise for use as seal inserts, bushings, small inside diameter parts and other applications where plasma-sprayed coatings are impractical or too costly.

Dellacorte, Christopher↗
NASA NTRS1990

Tribological properties of PM212 - A high temperature, self-lubricating, powder metallurgy composite

This paper describes a research program to develop and evaluate a new high temperature, self-lubricating powder metallurgy composite, PM212. PM212 has the same composition as the plasma-sprayed coating, PS212, which contains 70 wt percent metal-bonded chromium carbide, 15 wt percent silver and 15 wt percent barium fluoride/calcium fluoride eutectic. The carbide acts as a wear resistant matrix and the silver and fluorides act as low and high temperature lubricants, respectively. The material is prepared by sequential cold press, cold isostatic pressing and sintering techniques. In this study, hemispherically tipped wear pins of PM212 were prepared and slid against superalloy disks at temperatures from 25 to 850 C in air in a pin-on-disk tribometer. Friction coefficients range from 0.29 to 0.38 and the wear of both the composite pins and superalloy disks was moderate to low in the 10(exp -5) to 10(exp -6) cubic mm/N-m range. Preliminary tests indicate that the material has a compressive strength of at least 130 MPa over the entire temperature range of 25 to 900 C. This material has promise for use as seal inserts, bushings, small inside diameter parts and other applications where plasma-sprayed coatings are impractical or too costly.

Dellacorte, Christopher↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Process Recipes for Additively Printed Copper Ink Flexible Circuits using Direct Write Methods

In this paper, the process-recipes and process-performance relationships for additive-printing of copper circuits using direct-write methods have been studied. The process has been implemented on the direct write platform. Interest in the use of additive printing methods for the manufacture of micro-circuits has grown immensely in recent times. Direct write methods have been shown to have the ability to create circuits in a limited manner. However, the process recipes and the effect of process parameters on the manufactured properties are not well understood. Copper ink is a good and cost-effective alternative to silver ink but its use has lagged owing to an increased propensity for oxidation. In this paper, photonic curing has been used to sinter copper ink to make the traces conductive. The method flashes high energy light that sinter metal particles instantaneously and the temperature of the substrate remains low. The effect of the different photonic sintering profiles on the mechanical and electrical properties of the printed traces has been studied in this paper.The print process parameters also play an important role in the line width and height that has been studied to print with the desired line profile for the end application. An LC filter circuit is been printed with SMD components been attached using an electrically conductive adhesive (ECA). The manufactured flexible LC filter is been tested for its frequency sweep to compare with the commercially available LC filer with the help of the Bode plot.

Process control↗
NASA NTRS1979

Development of economical improved thick film solar cell contact

Materials were surveyed to provide candidates for an all metal electrode paste system. These consisted of a major constituent metal powder, a low melting metal powder suitable for a liquid phase sintering medium, and a powder material suitable as an etchant for silicon dioxide at sintering temperatures. By means of thermal gravimetric analysis a suitable binder was identified for low temperature fired inks. The all metal ink concept was first demonstrated with the silver system to avoid the problems of limited process windows encountered with base metal systems. A number of solid materials capable of selectively etching silicon dioxide at modest temperatures were identified. A paste with silver fluoride was screened onto N-type silicon with 5 ohm cm resistivity. The resulting contact pads had excellent adhesion but were not electrically ohmic. Metallurgically, these contacts have equal or better grain structure as commercial inks fired at the same temperatures.

Ross, B.↗
DOE OSTI2024

Adhesion Testing of Direct-Write Printed Ink on Metallic Structural Components

The successful adoption of additive manufacturing for the rapid prototyping of direct-write printed electronics requires the establishment of quantifiable metrics that can interrogate device performance. One measure of performance is the adhesion strength between the substrate and printed film interface, which is critical since the strength of this interface can dictate the accuracy and reliability of the printed device. In this work, a non-contact laser-induced spallation technique was used to quantify the adhesion of silver printed films on aluminum alloy substrates. The laser-based method was compared to a standardized pull-off adhesion test, which provided baseline measurements of adhesion strength. The sintering conditions were shown to play an important role in the film-substrate adhesion strength, as well as the cohesion and ductility of the film itself. The methods and results described in this work support the establishment of process control steps that are necessary for quickly verifying the reliability of printed devices prior to their deployment in critical experiments.

Adhesion test↗
DOE OSTI2022

Development of Quality Control Methods for Robust and Reliable Sensor Design

The successful adoption of additive manufacturing for the rapid prototyping of printed sensors requires the establishment of quantifiable metrics that can interrogate device performance. One measure of performance is the adhesion strength between the substrate and sensor interface, which is critical since the strength of this interface can dictate the accuracy and reliability of the printed sensor. In this work, a non-contact laser-induced spallation technique was used to quantify the adhesion of silver prints on an aluminum alloy substrate. The laser-based method was compared to a standardized pull-off adhesion test, which provided baseline measurements of adhesion strength. The sintering conditions were shown to play an important role in the film-substrate adhesion strength, as well as the cohesion and ductility of the film itself. The methods and results described in this work supports the establishment of process control steps that are necessary for verifying the reliability of printed devices prior to its deployment in critical experiments.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗