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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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All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2002

The Design and Use of Calorimeters For Characterization of High-Enthalpy Flows in Arc-Heated Test Facilities

High-enthalpy, arc-heated flows used for aerothermal testing present a challenging environment for flow characterization. This paper describes the design and use of cooled dwell probes used for heat-transfer and pressure characterization of the NASA and United States Department of Defense (DoD) arc facilities located at Moffett Field, CA, and Arnold Air Force Base, TN. Dwell calorimeters designed, fabricated, and tested by Thermal Technologies, Inc. (TTI) in the NASA IHF and the USAF H1 and H2 arc test facilities provide heat flux and pressure data with excellent repeatability. These calorimeters use standard Gardon calorimeter gages and pressure ports with unique cooling systems enabling them to withstand the severe arc-heated environments for durations sufficient for acquisition of steady-state data. The TTI probes have proven very robust in the extreme aerothermal environments of these facilities. This paper provides an overview of calorimeter instruments typically used in arc facilities, discusses design features of the TTI dwell probes, presents selected data acquired by the TTI calorimeters, and provides comparisons with data acquired from using measurement techniques.

D Mark Smith↗
NASA NTRS2004

Lunar and Planetary Science XXXV: Icy Worlds: Moving and Grooving

Reports from the conference session entitled Icy Worlds: Moving and Grooving, include:Mass Anomalies on Ganymede; Europan Chaos and Lenticulae: A Synthesis of Size, Spacing, and Areal Density Analyses; Thermal and Topographic Tests of Europa Chaos Formation Models; Flexure of Europa s Lithosphere Due to Ridge-Loading; Ridges on Europa: Origin by Incremental Ice-Wedging ; Convergent Boundaries on Europa: a Numerical Approach to Euler Pole Analysis and Its' Implications for Plate Reconstruction; Numerical Simulations of Subsolidus Convection in the Ice Shell of Europa: Implications for the Thermal Evolution and Present State; Effects of Plasticity on Convection in an Ice Shell: Implications for Europa; Non-Newtonian Convection and Compositional Buoyancy: Advances in Modeling Convection and Dome Formation on Europa; Convective Instability in Ice I: Application to Callisto and Ganymede; Crater Size Distributions on Callisto: A Galileo SSI Summary; Neutron Diffraction Studies of Planetary Ices; and H2O2 Synthesis Induced by Irradiation of H2O with Energetic H+ and Ar+ Ions at Various Temperatures.

Source record↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Enabling Reliable, Fault-Tolerant Autonomous Lunar Habitats with High-Performance Spaceflight Computing

The lunar surface presents unfavorable constraints and harsh living conditions. To address these challenges, autonomous habitats will require complex integrated systems that combine advanced software, high-performance hardware, and cutting-edge sensors to ensure sustainability, safety, and operational efficiency. Consequently, maintaining a sustainable presence on the Moon requires reliable infrastructure and efficient development, precise monitoring, and utilization of resources within a lunar installation. These elements are essential not only to ensure that lunar settlement can be long-term, self-sustaining, and resource-efficient, but also to serve as a foundation for future missions and eventual human habitation on Mars. Humans are not native to the Moon; therefore, our survival and ability to thrive will depend on autonomous systems that can foster safety and resilience through high-availability architectures, graceful degradation, and highly fault-tolerant spaceflight hardware capable of continuing operation during failures. This requires advanced human-rated distributed systems architectures with specialized electronics, scalable capabilities, and an integrated design approach. Unlike current practices focused on short-term missions and regularly maintained components, permanent lunar compute systems must be designed for extended operations beyond mission durations. This paper explores the necessity of transitioning toward fault- tolerant, highly autonomous hardware systems designed for multi-year missions. It also identifies critical subsystems that require high levels of autonomy, supported by radiation-hardened processors and extreme thermal loads, which are essential to mitigate long-term degradation and ensure sustainable lunar habitation. Finally, the paper aligns with NASA’s identified Civil Space Shortfalls, particularly in high-performance onboard computing, advanced data acquisition, extreme-environment avionics, radiation monitoring and countermeasures, and autonomous health management. It proposes NASA’s new High-Performance Spaceflight Computing (HPSC) processor as a turnkey solution, delivering 100 times the performance-per-watt of legacy rad-hard CPUs and enabling onboard AI, edge computing, and fault-tolerant features essential for sustained lunar autonomy and beyond.

Sarkis S Mikaelian↗
DOE OSTI2026

Highly-Quality Graphite Synthesis from Coal

This is a presentation for the 2026 graphite roundtable meeting. It includes synthesizing highly crystalline graphite from coal via a catalytic graphitization process.

coal to high value products↗
DOE OSTI2026

Two-mode bosonic quoctit for high energy physics

In this work, we study a two-mode bosonic encoding of a quoctit inside a non-Abelian group-structured constellation of coherent states. This work is motivated by the importance of non-Abelian symmetry in particle physics and the desire to have transversal non-Abelian logical gates. We use the previously developed 2 T constellation of states used to encode a so-called 2 T qutrit. The fidelity of the 2 T quoctit is benchmarked against other bosonic qudits for different noise models and find it compare favorably when power constraints are considered. This paves the way for the construction of higher-dimensional qudits (e.g., a quicosotetrit with 2 T group structure) in bosonic systems with practical applications in quantum simulations of particle physics.

Kürkçüoglu, Doga Murat [Fermilab] (ORCID:000000031↗
DOE OSTI2026

Combinatorial deposition of Au–Bi alloys via high-rate magnetron sputtering

Gold–bismuth (Au–Bi) alloy films are promising candidate materials for inertial confinement fusion (ICF) hohlraums due to their high laser-to-x-ray conversion efficiency, particularly compared with Au, Ta–Au, and Bi hohlraums. However, the fabrication of uniform and dense Au–Bi alloy films remains a challenge. Here, we use a combination of Monte-Carlo modeling and experiments to demonstrate that the microstructure and properties of Au–Bi alloy films can be greatly improved when direct-current magnetron sputtering with high deposition rates of ⩾5 μm h -1 is used. Resultant films are ~90% of their maximum theoretical densities and have low O content of <1 at.%. Films with Bi content above 40 at. % exhibit high electrical resistivity >100μΩ cm, making them suitable for both magnetized and non-magnetized ICF schemes.

Materials science↗
DOE OSTI2026

Selective depolymerization of polyolefin copolymer via high-entropy alloy catalyzed pyrolysis in a double-layered ultrafast heating reactor

Chemical recycling of polyolefin copolymers (PCPs) is essential for mitigating plastic pollution, yet achieving selective depolymerization into C 2 –C 3 monomers at high productivity remains challenging. Here, we introduce a double-layered ultrafast heating reactor (DUHR) that integrates Joule heating with a high-entropy alloy (HEA) catalyst composed of near-equimolar Co, Cu, Fe, Mn, and Ni. We achieve highly selective depolymerization of PCP into ethylene and propylene, yielding a 70% non-condensable fraction. Significant aromatic fractions form via radical-driven pathways—a behavior distinct from conventional externally heated pyrolyzers—highlighting DUHR's ability to generate reactive species and modulate reaction pathways. Furthermore, these findings demonstrate an effective strategy for chemical recycling of real-world plastic waste for polyolefin circularity and sustainable resource recovery.

Chemical recycling↗
NASA NTRS1992

An improved heat transfer configuration for a solid-core nuclear thermal rocket engine

Interrupted flow, impingement cooling, and axial power distribution are employed to enhance the heat-transfer configuration of a solid-core nuclear thermal rocket engine. Impingement cooling is introduced to increase the local heat-transfer coefficients between the reactor material and the coolants. Increased fuel loading is used at the inlet end of the reactor to enhance heat-transfer capability where the temperature differences are the greatest. A thermal-hydraulics computer program for an unfueled NERVA reactor core is employed to analyze the proposed configuration with attention given to uniform fuel loading, number of channels through the impingement wafers, fuel-element length, mass-flow rate, and wafer gap. The impingement wafer concept (IWC) is shown to have heat-transfer characteristics that are better than those of the NERVA-derived reactor at 2500 K. The IWC concept is argued to be an effective heat-transfer configuration for solid-core nuclear thermal rocket engines.

John S Clark↗
NASA NTRS1986

A high reliability battery management system

Over a period of some 5 years Canadian Astronautics Limited (CAL) has developed a system to autonomously manage, and thus prolong the life of, secondary storage batteries. During the development, the system was aimed at the space vehicle application using nickel cadmium batteries, but is expected to be able to enhance the life and performance of any rechargeable electrochemical couple. The system handles the cells of a battery individually and thus avoids the problems of over, and under, drive that inevitably occur in a battery of cells managed by an averaging system. This individual handling also allow cells to be totally bypassed in the event of failure, thus avoiding the losses associated with low capacity, partial short circuit, and the catastrophe of open circuit. The system has an optional capability of managing redundant batteries simultaneously, adding the advantage of on line reconditioning of one battery, while the other maintains the energy storage capability of the overall system. As developed, the system contains a dedicated, redundant, microprocessor, but the capability exists to have this computing capability time shared, or remote, and operating through a data link. As adjuncts to the basic management system CAL has developed high efficiency, polyphase, power regulators for charge and discharge power conditioning.

Moody, M. H.↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Assembly and Integration Status of a High Fidelity Ground Test Bed for the Water Processor Assembly

The Water Recovery System (WRS) is a critical component of life support aboard the International Space Station (ISS) and will play an essential role in future missions beyond Low Earth Orbit (LEO). Its primary functional units – the Urine Processor Assembly (UPA), Brine Processor Assembly (BPA), and Water Processor Assembly (WPA) – must be evaluated for extended operation, dormancy resilience, material obsolescence, and reliability under exploration-driven constraints. Ground testing is vital for developing these technologies and generating statistically relevant reliability assessments, which requires extended runtime under integrated, Flight-like conditions. Currently, no high-fidelity, fully integrated WPA ground test bed exists to support these objectives. To address this gap, NASA is developing a WPA test bed at Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) that combines downgraded ISS flight hardware with functionally flight-like components in a cost-effective configuration while maintaining priority hardware investigations. This paper describes the current status of hardware assembly and integration, outlines key challenges such as simulating microgravity effects and mitigating obsolescence, and presents future test objectives including software development, reliability assessments, dormancy studies, and exploration-oriented upgrades.

Water Processor Assembly↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Laser Forming of Sheet Metal for In-Space Manufacturing Applications

As the in-space economy matures, the migration of typically Earth-bound manufacturing methods, such as metal forming and joining, up to space will be required to meet the increasing demand for refueling and supply depots, habitats, laboratories, lunar surface structures, and sites for deep-space exploration shipbuilding. Only in this way can the magnitude of individual structures begin to exceed what can be launched, deployed, docked, or inflated and allow true economies of scale to be unlocked in space. However, typical terrestrial methods of forming and shaping sheet metal require massive machinery with the ability to deflect reaction forces to a large mass in a fixed reference frame (Earth). To both limit up-mass required for manufacture and to mitigate the issues of reaction forces in the relative reference frames of space, a non-contact, laser-based method of forming metal sheet is proposed. NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC), in cooperation with DARPA and the University of Florida (UF), have begun investigation of non-contact methods of laser forming sheet metal in thermal vacuum (TVAC) conditions to great success. To date, several grades of aluminum, stainless steel, and titanium coupons have been formed via laser-induced internal stresses in these metals at both ambient atmosphere and vacuum conditions. Temperatures in these tests ranged from -120 to 60 C, and though the total energy required to induce strain does vary with workpiece temperature and environmental pressure, the method remains predictable and controllable for the materials investigated. It is believed that this method will revolutionize manufacturing in-space as it not only continues to build upon the capabilities of the laser (sensing, marking, cutting, drilling, joining, and now forming) as an all-in-one tool, but also reduces the need to counteract forming forces as would be required in mechanical bending. In theory, all required stress to induce bending is generated through thermal gradient and strain within the workpiece, meaning that the need for reaction control and fuel expense on-orbit will be limited. Archimedes once stated, “Give me a lever long enough and a fulcrum on which to place it, and I shall move the world”. With a laser as our lever and our workpiece its own fulcrum, we can move the world’s manufacturing into space.

Laser↗
DOE OSTI2026

Emergent surface resonance from charge density wave symmetry breaking in TiSe 2

Surface confined electronic states provide a fertile ground for discovering emergent phenomena that have no counterpart in the bulk, offering new routes to manipulate correlations, symmetry breaking, and dimensionality at the atomic scale. Here, in this study, we show that charge density wave (CDW) symmetry breaking can yield surface states in 1⁢T−TiSe 2 . Micro–angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (µ-ARPES) resolves a sharp, two-dimensional surface resonant state (SRS) that emerges within the CDW reconstructed low energy spectrum. The SRS exhibits notable temperature dependence and its spectral weight collapses around ∼ 160 K, while CDW transition temperature 𝑇 CDW is commonly reported as ≈ 202 K. Slab DFT + 𝑈 calculations reproduce a surface localized resonance when CDW folding brings valence and conduction states into near degeneracy, suggesting a correlation tuned, surface selective origin. These results point to a form of correlation-tuned surface resonance in a layered CDW compound and suggest a framework for engineering low-dimensional quantum states in van der Waals materials via symmetry breaking and electronic structure tuning.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
NASA NTRS2026

CH3OH and HCN in Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS Mapped with the ALMA Atacama Compact Array: Distinct Outgassing Behaviors and a Remarkably High CH3OH/HCN Production Rate Ratio

We report the detection of methanol (CH3OH) toward interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS using the At-acama Compact Array of the Atacama Large Millimeter/Submillimeter Array (ALMA) on UT 2025 August 28, September 18 and 22, and October 1, and of hydrogen cyanide (HCN) on September 12 and 15. These observations spanned pre-perihelion heliocentric distances (r H ) of 2.6 – 1.7 au. The molecules showed outgassing patterns distinct from one another, with HCN production being depleted in the sunward hemisphere of the coma, whereas CH3OH was enhanced in that direction. Statistical analysis of molecular scale lengths in 3I/ATLAS indicated that CH3OH included production from coma sources at Lp > 258 km at 99% confidence. However low signal-to-noise on long baselines, which sample emission on small spatial scales closest to the nucleus, prevented definitively ruling out CH3OH as purely a parent species. In contrast, HCN production was indistinguishable from direct nucleus sublimation. The CH3OH production rate increased sharply from August through October, including an uptick near the inner edge of the H2O sublimation zone at rH = 2 au. Compared to comets measured to date at radio wavelengths, the derived CH3OH/HCN ratios in 3I/ATLAS of 124+30−34 and 79+11−14on September 12 and 15, respectively, are among the most enriched values measured in any comet, surpassed only by anomalous solar system comet C/2016 R2 (PanSTARRS)

Comae↗
DOE OSTI2026

Mechanical and durability properties of ultra-high-performance concrete of spent nuclear fuel dry storage systems: a review

Dry storage systems are used for interim storage of spent nuclear fuel (SNF). However, with the growing need to extend the operational periods of these systems, there are concerns about the degradation of their concrete overpacks, which could compromise the system's structural integrity and safety during hazardous events. Traditional concrete mixtures used in SNF dry storage systems have remained largely unchanged since their inception and often use conventional ingredients. These materials are susceptible to degradation mechanisms such as chemical attacks, alkali-silica reactions (ASR), and freeze–thaw cycles, which can lead to a loss of strength and durability over time. To address these challenges, this paper reviews the application of ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC) as a promising alternative for spent nuclear fuel dry storage system overpacks. UHPC offers superior mechanical properties, exceptional durability, and reduced susceptibility to degradation mechanisms compared to conventional concrete. This paper focuses on the role of supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) such as silica fume, fly ash, and metakaolin in enhancing UHPC performance for SNF storage applications. These SCMs have been shown to significantly improve the material’s microstructure, strength, and resistance to environmental stressors typically encountered in SNF storage environments. Moreover, incorporating SCMs supports sustainable construction by reducing cement consumption and associated carbon emissions. The review brings together existing research and experimental data, providing insights for engineers and researchers on developing UHPC mixtures that meet the rigorous demands of spent nuclear fuel dry storage systems, extending their service life and minimizing inspection intervals.

36 - MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2025

Decoupling the capacity fade contributions in polymer electrolyte-based high-voltage solid-state batteries

Polymer electrolyte (PE)-based solid-state batteries (PE-SSBs) made with high-voltage cathodes are known to suffer from severe capacity fade, stemming primarily from the poor oxidative stability of most PEs under high-voltage cycling conditions. PEs also suffer from greater ion-transport limitations compared to liquid or solid electrolytes. However, often, these limitations are collectively stated to be responsible for the observed capacity fade, and it is challenging to decouple the contributions of different factors. Herein, a tunable cell fabrication platform was developed to systematically investigate and decouple the two primary capacity fade drivers (cell impedance growth and kinetic limitations), while keeping the other cell parameters constant. Three PE types with distinct transport characteristics were compared. By utilizing a voltage profile analysis method, the contribution of the cell's internal impedance growth was quantitatively decoupled from the kinetic limitations stemming from the high concentration gradient in the polymer catholyte and slow charge transfer reactions. We demonstrate that the high interfacial impedance did not necessarily correlate with the high capacity fade rate. Kinetic limitations that are not reflected by impedance measurements can play a dominant role in causing cumulative capacity decay.

Ock, Ji-young [Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL↗
DOE OSTI2024

Additive‐Free Oxidized Spiro‐MeOTAD Hole Transport Layer Significantly Improves Thermal Solar Cell Stability

Perovskite solar cells are among the most promising new solar technologies, already surpassing polycrystalline silicon solar cell efficiencies. The stability of the highest efficiency devices at elevated temperature is, however, poor. These cells typically use Spiro-MeOTAD as the hole transporting layer. It is generally believed that additives, required for enhancing electrical conductivity and optimizing energy level alignment, are responsible for the reduced stability—inferring that Spiro-MeOTAD based hole transporting layers are intrinsically unstable. Here, a reliable noble metal free synthesis of Spiro-MeOTAD (bis(trifluoromethane)sulfonimide) 4 is presented which is used as the oxidizing agent. No additives are added to the partially oxidized Spiro-MeOTAD hole-transporting layer. Device efficiencies up to 24.2% are achieved. Electrical conductivity is largely developed by the first 1% oxidation. Further oxidation shifts the energy levels away from the vacuum level, which allows tuning of the energy level alignment without the use of additives—contradicting the current understanding of this system. Without additives, devices demonstrate significant improvement in stability at elevated temperatures up to 85 °C under one sun over 1400 h continuous illumination. The remaining degradation is pinpointed to ion migration and reactions in the perovskite layer which may be further suppressed with compositional engineering and adequate ion barrier layers.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2026

Ductless Heat Pump Program

The Verde Ductless Heat Pump (DHP) Program expanded access to high-efficiency electric heating and cooling technologies for households in priority communities within the Portland Metro area. Funded by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Building Technologies Office (DE-EE0010132), the program combined residential ductless heat pump deployment with community-based outreach, participant support, contractor partnerships, and system development to improve program delivery.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
NASA NTRS2026

Thermoplastic Matrix Composite Design for Cryotanks Using Multiscale Modeling and Bayesian Optimization

Designing lightweight, robust cryogenic storage tanks is critical for future launch vehicles, in-space propellant storage, and hydrogen powered aircraft. This work presents a multiscale modeling and Bayesian optimization framework for the design of thermoplastic matrix composite cryotanks. Molecular dynamics simulations are first used to determine temperature-dependent constituent properties for candidate thermoplastic matrices, which are homogenized to the lamina scale using NASA’s Multiscale Analysis Tool (NASMAT). These lamina properties, in combination with laminate family generation rules, are evaluated in HyperX structural optimization software to identify stacking sequences that meet all cryogenic load requirements. A Bayesian optimization framework is applied, with HyperX in the loop (via the HyperX API) to efficiently search across material and laminate design variables, yielding an optimized cryotank configuration with significant reductions in design cycle time compared to exhaustive search approaches.

thermoplastics↗