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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 847 records · Page 47

Digital electron amplifier with anode readout devices and methods of fabrication

Scalable electron amplifier devices and methods of fabricating the devices an atomic layer deposition ("ALD") fabrication process are described. The ALD fabrication process allows for large area (e.g., eight inches by eight inches) electron amplifier devices to be produced at reduced costs compared to current fabrication processes. The ALD fabrication process allows for nanostructure functional coatings, to impart a desired electrical conductivity and electron emissivity onto low cost borosilicate glass micro-capillary arrays to form the electron amplifier devices.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Digital electron amplifier with anode readout devices and methods of fabrication

Scalable electron amplifier devices and methods of fabricating the devices an atomic layer deposition ("ALD") fabrication process are described. The ALD fabrication process allows for large area (e.g., eight inches by eight inches) electron amplifier devices to be produced at reduced costs compared to current fabrication processes. The ALD fabrication process allows for nanostructure functional coatings, to impart a desired electrical conductivity and electron emissivity onto low cost borosilicate glass micro-capillary arrays to form the electron amplifier devices.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗

Surface and Electrochemical Characteristics of Novel Chromate-Free Mn-V Oxyanion Sealed Tartaric–Sulfuric Acid Anodized Coating

In the present investigation, a novel chromate-free Mn and V oxyanions sealed tartaric–sulfuric acid anodic oxide coating (TSA) was developed on airframe grade aluminum alloy (AA2024). The results obtained from field emission scanning electron microscopy and energy-dispersive x-ray analysis showed effective surface modification of TSA after Mn-V oxyanions sealing (TSAMnVO). Potentiodynamic polarization results showed no significant difference in corrosion current density value (0.01 µA/cm{sup 2}) after 1 h and 336 h of immersion in 3.5% NaCl solution. EIS result exhibited barrier layer resistance (R{sub b}) value of TSAMnVO > 10{sup 6} kΩ cm{sup 2} even after 336 h of immersion in NaCl solution. The 3D profile and Raman analysis showed no significant difference in the topography and composition, respectively, on the surface of TSAMnVO even after 1000 h of salt spray test. TSAMnVO also showed excellent adhesion with aircraft grade epoxy primer as per the ASTM 3359. Tensile and constant amplitude fatigue test results of TSAMnVO exhibited ultimate tensile strength and number of cycles to failure comparable with chromic acid anodization (CAA) process. Hence, the developed novel TSAMnVO coating system eliminates the usage of chromate ions completely in anodization process since it provides comparable corrosion resistance and mechanical properties with CAA.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

User chooses coating properties

Anodizing technique allows independent selection of coating thermal emittance and solar absorption. Process has three phases: initial material processing, which prepares material and establishes initial values of emittance and absorption; anodizing with chromic acid solution, which determines final values; and material postprocessing. Stability tests show less than 15 percent coating degradation over 2,000 hour solar exposure.

Gilliland, C. S.↗

Titanium Nitride: An Oxidizable Coating for the High-Temperature Protection of Graphite

A titanium nitride coating for graphite, prepared by deposition process, protected test specimens for 60 seconds the vapors in a supersonic ceramic-heated air jet with a stagnation temperature of approximately 2,250 K. For the same test conditions, coated specimens showed no damage to the graphite body for the 60-second test, whereas uncoated specimens were very severely damaged after 20 seconds and were destroyed toward the end of the test. A discussion of the coating of these graphite specimens and of some of the conditions necessary for the utilization of oxidizable substances as oxidation-protective coatings for bodies facing high convective heat transfer in the atmosphere is presented.

Wakelyn, N. T.↗

Scratch resistant flexible transparent electrodes and methods for fabricating ultrathin metal films as electrodes

Systems and methods of fabricating electrodes, including thin metallic films, include depositing a first metallic layer on a substrate and passivating the deposited layer. The processes of deposition and passivation may be done sequentially. In some embodiments, a plurality of substrates may be coated with a metallic layer and further processed at a later time, including passivation and disposal of additional layers as discussed herein.

Ren, Zhifeng↗

Ductile coatings on additive manufactured components

A method of forming a coated component using an additive manufacturing system including building a body portion of the component on a build plate. An outer surface of the body portion can include an indentation resulting from the additive manufacturing system. The method further includes performing at least one post-build process on the body portion. The method yet further includes forming a coating layer on an outer surface of the processed body portion. The coating layer may surround a portion of the body component and may impregnate the indentation. A thickness of the coating layer may be a function of at least one of surface roughness, size of the indentation, or a diameter of particles used to build the additive manufactured bracket.

Racca, Stephen D.↗

A Three-in-One Hybrid Strategy for High-Performance Semiconducting Polymers Processed from Anisole

The development of semiconducting polymers with good processability in green solvents and competitive electrical performance is essential for realizing sustainable large-scale manufacturing and commercialization of organic electronics. A major obstacle is the processability-performance dichotomy that is dictated by the lack of ideal building blocks with balanced polarity, solubility, electronic structures, and molecular conformation. Herein, through the integration of donor, quinoid and acceptor units, an unprecedented building block, namely TQBT, is introduced for constructing a serial of conjugated polymers. The TQBT, distinct in non-symmetric structure and high dipole moment, imparts enhanced solubility in anisole—a green solvent—to the polymer TQBT-T. Furthermore, PTQBT-T possess a highly rigid and planar backbone owing to the nearly coplanar geometry and quinoidal nature of TQBT, resulting in strong aggregation in solution and localized aggregates in film. Remarkably, PTQBT-T films spuncast from anisole exhibit a hole mobility of 2.30 cm 2 V -1 s -1 , which is record high for green solvent-processable semiconducting polymers via spin-coating, together with commendable operational and storage stability. The hybrid building block emerges as a pioneering electroactive unit, shedding light on future design strategies in high-performance semiconducting polymers compatible with green processing and marking a significant stride towards ecofriendly organic electronics.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Abrasion-resistant coatings for plastic surfaces

Optically clear composition of organosilicon compounds insulates plastic surfaces and protects them from abrasion. Plasma polymerization process produces superior uniformity and clarity than previous coating techniques.

Wydeven, T.↗

High-capacity rotary drum for atomic layer deposition onto powders and small mechanical parts in a hot-walled viscous flow reactor

Atomic layer deposition (ALD) is uniquely capable of providing uniform thin-film coatings on powder substrates, but powder processing has historically required an ALD reactor designed specifically for powders-e.g., a fluidized bed. Tubular hot-walled viscous-flow reactors commonly employed in laboratory-scale ALD research for coating planar substrates such as silicon have been employed previously to coat gram quantities of powder spread out in a thin layer on a tray, but larger quantities of powder introduce long diffusion pathways where reactants are unable to percolate to the bottom of the powder bed to provide uniform coating in reasonable time periods. In this work, we report a rotary drum with a capacity of 100s of grams that is compatible with conventional tubular hot-walled ALD reactors and provides uniform coatings on powders in viscous flow operation. We benchmark this system using Al 2 O 3 ALD with trimethylaluminum and water. We examine the effect of rotation speed and powder quantity on saturation time via in situ quadrupole mass spectroscopy measurements and gravimetric analysis. Finally, the rotary drum we report is able to provide homogenous coating of up to 75g of silica gel powder with a total surface area of similar to 1500m 2 in viscous flow operation with precursor utilization as high as 70%.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗

Monte Carlo Computational Modeling of the Energy Dependence of Atomic Oxygen Undercutting of Protected Polymers

A Monte Carlo computational model has been developed which simulates atomic oxygen attack of protected polymers at defect sites in the protective coatings. The parameters defining how atomic oxygen interacts with polymers and protective coatings as well as the scattering processes which occur have been optimized to replicate experimental results observed from protected polyimide Kapton on the Long Duration Exposure Facility (LDEF) mission. Computational prediction of atomic oxygen undercutting at defect sites in protective coatings for various arrival energies was investigated. The atomic oxygen undercutting energy dependence predictions enable one to predict mass loss that would occur in low Earth orbit, based on lower energy ground laboratory atomic oxygen beam systems. Results of computational model prediction of undercut cavity size as a function of energy and defect size will be presented to provide insight into expected in-space mass loss of protected polymers with protective coating defects based on lower energy ground laboratory testing.

Banks, Bruce A.↗

Bosch Carbon Catalyst Regeneration in Water III: Experiments for and Related to Thermal Shock

Bosch technology has the potential to close the atmospheric revitalization loop by providing theoretically 100% regeneration of metabolic carbon dioxide into oxygen. The main obstacle to using Bosch technology is over-pressurization issues in the carbon formation reactor. Prior work on Bosch catalyst regeneration established that agitating carbon coated beads in water broke up pressure causing clogs and regenerated the catalyst surface. This process proved to be time consuming with experiments taking at least one hour to regenerate ten grams of carbon coated beads. In an attempt to shorten the processing time, thermally shocking the carbon coated beads prior to mechanical agitation was tested. Agitating the carbon coated beads after exposure to a saturated steam environment was also tested to ensure that the steam generated by thermally shocking the carbon coated beads would not cause adverse effects. The rationale behind thermally shocking the carbon coated beads is that the bead would pull away from the carbon shell due to a difference in the thermal expansion coefficients. The results of this project show that the processing time can be cut in half when compared to previous work, and that saturated steam has little to no effect on regeneration.

Bosch Process↗

Technique for the Formation of Antireflection Coatings Based on ITO Films

A technique for forming transparent conducting indium-tin-oxide films for applications, which require high current densities, are considered. These films have to combine a good surface conductivity with an increased transmittance of radiation within a wide wavelength range. A two-stage process is designed to fabricate such coatings: at the first stage, a dense indium-tin-oxide film with high electrical conductivity is formed; then, an additional antireflection layer of the same material is deposited. Possible methods for optimizing these additional indium-tin-oxide films obtained by forming nanostructured self-assembled coatings on the surface of dense films are investigated. It is shown that the best light extraction over a wide wavelength range is provided by the composite film-deposition technique, which consists in the deposition of self-assembled nanostructured coatings by electron-beam evaporation on a hot substrate and the further filling of voids by magnetron sputtering at room temperature. Since the optical properties of the obtained antireflection coatings depend on the mass ratio of materials deposited at each stage, the technique makes it possible to optimize the film properties on the basis of problems specified by the area of their application. Computer simulation of the behavior of the material distribution in the structure of the studied coatings confirms the ability of the method of combined film deposition to form the smoothest character of the change in the effective refractive index of the coating structure, which leads to the most efficient extraction of optical-range light.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Concurrently Approaching Volumetric and Specific Capacity Limits of Lithium Battery Cathodes via Conformal Pickering Emulsion Graphene Coatings

Abstract To achieve the high energy densities demanded by emerging technologies, lithium battery electrodes need to approach the volumetric and specific capacity limits of their electrochemically active constituents, which requires minimization of the inactive components of the electrode. However, a reduction in the percentage of inactive conductive additives limits charge transport within the battery electrode, which results in compromised electrochemical performance. Here, an electrode design that achieves efficient electron and lithium‐ion transport kinetics at exceptionally low conductive additive levels and industrially relevant active material areal loadings is introduced. Using a scalable Pickering emulsion approach, Ni‐rich LiNi 0.8 Co 0.15 Al 0.05 O 2 (NCA) cathode powders are conformally coated using only 0.5 wt% of solution‐processed graphene, resulting in an electrical conductivity that is comparable to 5 wt% carbon black. Moreover, the conformal graphene coating mitigates degradation at the cathode surface, thus providing improved electrochemical cycle life. The morphology of the electrodes also facilitates rapid lithium‐ion transport kinetics, which provides superlative rate capability. Overall, this electrode design concurrently approaches theoretical volumetric and specific capacity limits without tradeoffs in cycle life, rate capability, or active material areal loading.

Park, Kyu‐Young↗

Pitfalls in parameters: practical process development in chemical vapor processing of SiC

Vapor processing of high-value materials, such as silicon carbide (SiC), is of interest for many industries, including aerospace and energy production. Chemical vapor infiltration (CVI) of additively manufactured components is an especially attractive manufacturing process currently in development. Here, a novel development workflow is demonstrated with the H 2 –CH 3 SiCl 3 gas system for SiC to accelerate the process optimization of CVI SiC. A combination of calculated thermodynamics and high-throughput experimental chemical vapor deposition (CVD) coatings substantially reduced the experiments required with slow CVI processes. The computational results accurately predicted changes in the thermodynamic conditions tested, while CVD coatings – characterized by Raman spectroscopy – addressed changes in kinetic parameters. This workflow is also applicable to other vapor-processing systems, such as pyrolytic carbon, ZrC, or Si 3 N 4 .

Lamm, Benjamin W. [Oak Ridge National Laboratory (↗

Evacuated Spheres for Closed-Cell Vacuum Insulation

Insulation materials with a thermal resistance per inch higher than 6h∙ft 2 ∙°F/Btu∙in or R6/in (42m∙K/W) are needed for building envelope retrofits in which solutions with slim profiles are required because of minimal available space or because real estate has a premium cost. These insulation materials will also be of benefit to prefabricated construction given that slim designs either reduce shipping costs or increase the floor space provided to the customer. Vacuum insulation panels (VIPs) are the current state-of-the-art insulation material with a resistance of about R35/in (243m∙K/W); however, their use in buildings is hindered by the fact that damages to their protective film decrease their performance to ≤R8/in (56m∙K/W). Given the lack of robust, highly-insulating materials, we are exploring methods to develop evacuated spheres that can act as a closed-cell vacuum insulation. The evacuated spheres could be assembled into boards that could attain ~R14/in (97m∙K/W). Advantages that evacuated spheres will offer over VIPs are that they will likely be more suitable for construction because punctures will only cause localized damage, and that the boards could be cut into customized shapes. We are currently investigating two processes to evacuate spheres to produce polymeric vacuum insulation spheres (PVISs) and coated and evacuated insulation spheres (CEISs). PVISs involve the extrusion of economical polymers, blowing agents, and gas barriers. CEISs use naturally-occurring or synthesized hollow particles with porous shells that are evacuated and coated with a gas impermeable thin film. Both manufacturing processes aim for very large throughputs to ensure cost-effectiveness and adoption by the construction industry. This paper discusses the manufacturing techniques that we are exploring and our progress to date.

Hun, Diana E.↗

Protective coating for salt-bath brazing

Ceramic coating, consisting of graphite, enameler's clay, and algin binder, applied to materials prior to salt bath brazing facilitates brazing process and results in superior joints. Alternate coating materials and their various proportions are given.

Francisco, A. C.↗