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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 91 records · Page 5
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2024

Quantifying the impacts of marine aerosols over the southeast Atlantic Ocean using a chemical transport model: implications for aerosol–cloud interactions

The southeast Atlantic region, characterized by persistent stratocumulus clouds, has one of the highest uncertainties in aerosol radiative forcing and significant variability across climate models. In this study, we analyze the seasonally varying role of marine aerosol sources and identify key uncertainties in aerosol composition at cloud-relevant altitudes over the southeast Atlantic using the GEOS-Chem chemical transport model. We evaluate simulated aerosol optical depth (AOD) and speciated aerosol concentrations against those collected from ground observations and aircraft campaigns such as LASIC, ORACLES, and CLARIFY, conducted during 2017. The model consistently underestimates AOD relative to AERONET, particularly at remote locations like Ascension Island. However, when compared with aerosol mass concentrations from aircraft campaigns during the biomass burning period, it performs adequately at cloud-relevant altitudes, with a normalized mean bias (NMB) between -3.5 % (CLARIFY) and -7.5 % (ORACLES). At these altitudes, in the model, organic aerosols (63 %) dominate during the biomass burning period, while sulfate (41 %) prevails during austral summer, when dimethylsulfide (DMS) emissions peak in the model. Our findings indicate that marine sulfate can account for up to 69 % of total sulfate during the high-DMS period. Sensitivity analyses indicate that refining DMS emissions and oxidation chemistry may increase sulfate aerosol produced from marine sources, highlighting that there remains large uncertainty as to the role of DMS emissions in the marine boundary layer. Additionally, we find marine primary organic aerosol emissions may substantially increase total organic aerosol concentrations, particularly during austral summer. This study underscores the imperative need to refine marine emissions and their chemical transformations, as aerosols from marine sources are a major component of total aerosols at cloud-relevant altitudes and may impact uncertainties in aerosol radiative forcing over the southeast Atlantic.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2026

Sculpting 2D Crystals via Membrane Contractions before and during Solidification

When phospholipids crystallize within the otherwise fluid membranes of giant unilamellar vesicles, the resulting molecularly thin “2D” solids exhibit great variety in their morphology evolution. For example, within membranes containing moderate amounts of the crystallizing component, crystals grow with a fixed morphology depending on vesicle size. Conversely for membranes containing large amounts of the crystallizing species, we find small compact crystals on vesicles of all sizes. However, on large vesicles, growing crystals sprout flower petals that lengthen progressively. These behaviors result from two combined mechanisms: first, like other 2D solids, the shear rigidity of phospholipid crystals renders them intolerant to morphologies with nonzero Gaussian curvature. As a result and especially at elevated membrane tension, the cost of bending elasticity is reduced at the expense of line energy by the formation of flowers as opposed to compact crystals. Second, the composition-dependent tension rise during cooling relaxes via water permeation of the membrane with a time constant scaling as R2. The amount of crystal formed for a small decrease in temperature determines this composition-dependent increase in stress from thermal contractions versus solidification. Surface Evolver computations were motivated using the predicted tension evolution to develop a processing space that maps to experimental observations for initial and growing crystal morphology. Important variable groups are identified, including a scaled ratio of bending to line energy, a vesicle-size-independent group for membrane contractions, and a time constant for stress relaxation. Though processing stresses ultimately relax, the crystal morphology persists well beyond the processing window.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2024

Microbial species and intraspecies units exist and are maintained by ecological cohesiveness coupled to high homologous recombination

Abstract Recent genomic analyses have revealed that microbial communities are predominantly composed of persistent, sequence-discrete species and intraspecies units (genomovars), but the mechanisms that create and maintain these units remain unclear. By analyzing closely-related isolate genomes from the same or related samples and identifying recent recombination events using a novel bioinformatics methodology, we show that high ecological cohesiveness coupled to frequent-enough and unbiased (i.e., not selection-driven) horizontal gene flow, mediated by homologous recombination, often underlie these diversity patterns. Ecological cohesiveness was inferred based on greater similarity in temporal abundance patterns of genomes of the same vs. different units, and recombination was shown to affect all sizable segments of the genome (i.e., be genome-wide) and have two times or greater impact on sequence evolution than point mutations. These results were observed in bothSalinibacter ruber, an environmental halophilic organism, andEscherichia coli, the model gut-associated organism and an opportunistic pathogen, indicating that they may be more broadly applicable to the microbial world. Therefore, our results represent a departure compared to previous models of microbial speciation that invoke either ecology or recombination, but not necessarily their synergistic effect, and answer an important question for microbiology: what a species and a subspecies are.

Science & Technology - Other Topics↗
DOE OSTI2025

Geologic hydrogen: a review of resource potential, subsurface dynamics, exploration, production, transportation, and research opportunities

Hydrogen is a versatile resource with critical roles in decarbonization, industrial manufacturing, and energy integration. However, most hydrogen today is produced from fossil fuels, resulting in high emissions and energy consumption. Although low-carbon hydrogen production methods, such as steam methane reforming with carbon capture and renewable-powered electrolysis, are advancing, their high costs hinder large-scale deployment. Identifying alternative pathways for producing low-cost, low-emission hydrogen is therefore essential. Geologic hydrogen, referring to natural and stimulated hydrogen generated in the Earth's subsurface, has attracted growing attention as a potential source of sustainable, economically viable, and environmentally favorable hydrogen. This paper provides a comprehensive review of geologic hydrogen, covering its resource potential, origins, migration and trapping mechanisms, exploration techniques, production strategies, and pipeline transportation. It also identifies key knowledge gaps and proposes a roadmap for future research. The review indicates that geologic hydrogen has vast resource potential and can leverage existing subsurface technologies and geophysical exploration methods. However, major challenges persist, including uncertain hydrogen generation rates, limited understanding and control of serpentinization processes, costly transportation infrastructure, the lack of validated techno-economic analysis, and potential social and environmental issues. As the field is still in its early stages, progress will require interdisciplinary collaboration spanning geoscience, engineering, economics, environmental science, and policy and regulation.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2025

Leveraging hyperspectral phenotyping for accurate, non-destructive prediction of metabolite profiles in poplar under drought stress

Accurately predicting drought tolerance in woody perennial bioenergy crops is critical for sustainable biomass production under fluctuating precipitation. Hyperspectral imaging (HSI) in the visible-near-infrared (VNIR) and shortwave-infrared (SWIR) ranges offers a promising approach for predicting plant biochemical traits, yet its application in metabolite profiling remains underexplored. We integrated VNIR+SWIR HSI with untargeted metabolomics to investigate drought-induced metabolic shifts in Populus leaves from eight Populus genotypes. Metabolite profiling identified 127 compounds, with 73 showing significant drought responses spanning amino acids (AA), carbohydrates (CHO), phenolic glycosides (PG), organic acids (OA), fatty acids and alcohols (FA), terpenes (T), phenolic metabolites (P), and unclassified metabolites. Spectral analysis revealed consistently higher reflectance across VNIR and SWIR wavelengths in drought-stressed plants, corresponding with increased accumulation of AA and reduced CHO and PG levels. Least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression modeling identified robust spectral predictors of metabolite concentrations, associating VNIR wavelengths (500–700 nm) predominantly with AA and P, whereas SWIR wavelengths (1680–1700 nm) reliably predicted CHO, OA, and T. Several stable spectral-metabolite associations persisted across the two watering regimes (drought vs. well-watered), highlighting their potential as spectral biomarkers for non-destructive stress monitoring. Minimal genotype-specific variation suggests that observed spectral and metabolic responses were driven primarily by environmental factors, likely reflecting limited genetic diversity among the commercial Populus genotypes examined. This work establishes VNIR+SWIR hyperspectral imaging as a powerful, non-destructive phenotyping tool for precision monitoring and targeted improvement of drought resilience in bioenergy crops.

Biochemical trait prediction↗
DOE OSTI2024

Design of biphenylene-derived tunable dirac materials

The exploration of carbon allotropes has unveiled a series of two-dimensional (2D) materials with unique electronic and mechanical properties, yet the need for stable structures with tailored electronic properties persists. Here, in this study, we introduce a new class of 2D carbon allotropes derived from the biphenylene network (BPN), incorporating acetylenic linkages to tune their structural and electronic characteristics. Through density functional theory calculations, we identified ten novel BPN-derived structures that exhibit both energetic and dynamic stability, confirmed by cohesive energy and phonon spectrum analyses. Among them, BPN-02 and BPN04 are metallic, featuring critically-tilted type-III Dirac cones under ~ 5 % biaxial strain, while BPN-22 is a semiconductor with a band gap of 0.95 eV and exhibits highly anisotropic carrier mobility. Additionally, these structures demonstrate significant anisotropy in their elastic properties, further distinguishing them from other 2D carbon materials like graphene. Our findings suggest that these novel BPN-based structures have strong potential for next-generation electronic and optoelectronic applications, providing new avenues for the design and synthesis of advanced carbon materials.

2D carbon allotropes↗
DOE OSTI2026

Organic superbases in Lewis pair catalyzed hydrogenations of imines

Organic superbases have recently emerged as powerful components in metal-free catalytic systems, yet their role in frustrated Lewis pair (FLP) catalyzed hydrogenation reactions remain underexplored. In this article, we investigate the diphosphazene superbases P 2 - t Bu (1) and P 2 -Et (2) as base components combined with electronically tunable boranes of formula 9-(X n -C 6 H 5-n )BBN, where X n = 4-NMe₂, 4-OMe, 4-Me, 4-H, 4-F, 4-OCF 3 , 4-CF 3 , 3,5-(CF3), in FLP-catalyzed hydrogenations of imines. While the more sterically encumbered base 1 forms persistent FLPs whose activity correlates with the hydride affinity of the borane, less hindered base 2 generates Lewis acid–base adducts and displays superior catalytic performance, especially with boranes of lower hydride affinity. A systematic screening identified the adduct 2/9-(4-MeO-C 6 H 4 )BBN as the most active catalytic system, achieving quantitative hydrogenation of N-benzylidene aniline at 80 °C and H 2 pressures as low as 40 bar in THF. Multinuclear NMR spectroscopic studies and DFT calculations support a mechanistic scenario in which reversible adduct formation and subsequent dissociation to the free acid–base pair precede heterolytic H₂ cleavage, with adduct stability and borane electrophilicity concurrently dictating catalytic activity. Under optimized conditions, the most active catalyst system, 2/9-(4-MeO-C 6 H 4 )BBN, hydrogenates a broad range of aldimines, including electron-rich 4-NMe₂ and push-pull substrates, mono- and bis-ortho-substituted imines, and selected heteroaryl imines, with excellent yields and selectivity. Collectively, these findings establish design principles for tuning BBN-derived FLP systems and expand the scope of metal-free hydrogenation catalysis.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2024

Fitness factors impacting survival of a subsurface bacterium in contaminated groundwater

Many factors contribute to the ability of a microbial species to persist when encountering complexly contaminated environments, including time of exposure, the nature and concentration of contaminants, availability of nutritional resources, and possession of a combination of appropriate molecular mechanisms needed for survival. Herein we sought to identify genes that are most important for survival of Gram-negative Enterobacteriaceae in contaminated groundwater environments containing high concentrations of nitrate and metals using the metal-tolerant Oak Ridge Reservation isolate, Pantoea sp. MT58 (MT58). Survival fitness experiments in which a randomly barcoded transposon insertion (RB-TnSeq) library of MT58 was exposed directly to contaminated Oak Ridge Reservation groundwater samples from across a nitrate and mixed metal contamination plume were used to identify genes important for survival with increasing exposure times and concentrations of contaminants, and availability of a carbon source. Genes involved in controlling and using carbon, encoding transcriptional regulators, and related to Gram-negative outer membrane processes were among those found to be important for survival in contaminated Oak Ridge Reservation groundwater. A comparative genomics analysis of 75 Pantoea genus strains allowed us to further separate the survival determinants into core and non-core genes in the Pantoea pangenome, revealing insights into the survival of subsurface microorganisms during contaminant plume intrusion.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2024

Randomized control trial of moderate dose vitamin D alters microbiota stability and metabolite networks in healthy adults

ABSTRACT Evidence indicates that both vitamin D and the gut microbiome are involved in the process of colon carcinogenesis. However, it is unclear what effects supplemental vitamin D 3 has on the gut microbiome and its metabolites in healthy adults. We conducted a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial to identify the acute and long-term microbiota structural and metabolite changes that occur in response to a moderate dose (4,000 IU) of vitamin D 3 for 12 weeks in healthy adults. Our results demonstrated a significant increase in serum 25-hydroxy-vitamin D (25(OH)D) in the treatment group compared to placebo ( P < 0.0001). Vitamin D 3 significantly increased compositional similarity ( P < 0.0001) in the treatment group, and enriched members of the Bifidobacteriaceae family. We also identified a significant inverse relationship between the percent change in serum 25(OH)D and microbial stability in the treatment group ( R = −0.52, P < 0.019). Furthermore, vitamin D 3 supplementation resulted in notable metabolic shifts, in addition to resulting in a drastic rewiring of key gut microbial-metabolic associations. In conclusion, we show that a moderate dose of vitamin D 3 among healthy adults has unique acute and persistent effects on the fecal microbiota, and suggest novel mechanisms by which vitamin D may affect the host-microbiota relationship. IMPORTANCE Preventative measures to reduce the rise in early-onset colorectal cancer are of critical need. Both vitamin D, dietary and serum levels, and the gut microbiome are implicated in the etiology of colorectal cancer. By understanding the intimate relationship between vitamin D, the gut microbiome, and its metabolites, we may be able to identify key mechanisms that can be targeted for intervention, including inflammation and metabolic dysfunction. Furthermore, the similarity of vitamin D to cholesterol, which is metabolized by the gut microbiome, gives precedence to its ability to produce metabolites that can be further studied and leveraged for controlling colorectal cancer incidence and mortality.

Wyatt, Madhur↗
DOE OSTI2025

Spatial Heterogenous Redox Couples Degradation in Sodium-Ion Battery Cathode Materials and the Mitigation of Voltage Fade by Blocking Oxygen Release

The use of anionic redox has become a new paradigm for improving the energy density of rechargeable batteries, which is essential for improving the market competitiveness of sodium-ion batteries. However, issues such as voltage attenuation and cycling stability degradation persist in layered oxide anion redox cathode materials. Here, in this study, we systematically investigate the classic Na-ion cathode material Na 0.6 Li 0.2 Mn 0.8 O 2 , and the primary causes of voltage decay are identified as the activation of cations and the reduction in anion redox activity. In addition, the activation of cations is closely associated with anion reactions. Through the application of sophisticated multiscale synchrotron absorption spectroscopy and imaging techniques, we have identified a pronounced pattern of spatially dependent degradation in the evolution of redox couples, which is more evident from the material’s surface to its core. With this understanding, we introduced a surface fluorination approach that modulates the local chemical coordination environment. This strategy increases the formation energy of surface oxygen vacancies and locks transition metals oxide state. Consequently, it enables more reversible anionic redox reactions, which block the spatial progression of degradation and mitigates voltage decay.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2026

The role of source geometry and atmospheric propagation in global bolide infrasound detectability

Global infrasound monitoring provides a persistent means of detecting energetic bolide atmospheric entries, complementing optical observations and extending coverage over remote regions. We present a global assessment of the physical factors governing bolide infrasound detectability by correlating 623 bolide events reported by the Center for Near-Earth Object Studies between 2007 and 2025 with waveform data from the International Monitoring System. We identify 311 events with confirmed infrasound detections, corresponding to a detection rate of approximately 50%, substantially higher than inferred from earlier surveys, reflecting both the maturation of the global infrasound network and advances in automated, multi-frequency array processing. Analysis of flight parameters shows that infrasound detectability is selective rather than uniform across the bolide population. Detected events are preferentially associated with steeper entry angles and lower-altitude energy deposition, while shallow, high-altitude trajectories are less consistently observed. Very high-energy events remain detectable regardless of geometry, but for the more common lower-energy regime, observability depends on specific combinations of entry parameters and propagation conditions. This geometric dependence persists across comparable energy ranges and atmospheric conditions, indicating that entry angle exerts a primary control on detectability, with energy and propagation acting as secondary modulating factors. Furthermore, these results provide new physical constraints on bolide-atmosphere interactions and improve interpretation of global infrasound observations for planetary defense and atmospheric-entry studies.

Bolides↗
DOE OSTI2026

Rethinking the soil core microbiome

The concept of a core microbiome emerged from host-associated research to describe microbial members or functions conserved across clearly defined spatial, temporal, and biological boundaries. In soil- and plant-associated microbiome research, however, the term has increasingly shifted toward analytically defined subsets selected using study-specific thresholds or criteria. Synthesizing recent literature and cross-site analyses of bioenergy crop field soils, we show that the original biological meaning of the core microbiome has been blurred by dataset-specific analytical criteria. Taxa designated as ‘core’ were highly sensitive to methodological choices and often reflected explanatory value rather than conserved biological membership. Moreover, many studies that identify taxonomic ‘core’ members interpret their significance in functional terms, suggesting that functional conservation may be the biological interest. Taxonomic conservation may not be the most biologically meaningful target in highly heterogeneous soil and rhizosphere systems, where functional conservation may persist despite taxonomic turnover. Accordingly, ‘core microbiome’ should be reserved for microbial components explicitly demonstrated to be conserved across defined spatial, temporal, and environmental dimensions and linked to conserved ecological functions, while taxa selected for explanatory value are better described as ‘explanatory subsets of taxa’. Greater terminological precision will improve cross-study comparability and strengthen ecological inference in plant–soil microbiome research.

bioenergy crops↗
DOE OSTI2026

Atomistic Simulation of Glasses and Amorphous Materials: Challenges and Opportunities for the Next Decade

Atomistic simulations have become indispensable tools for understanding glass structure, dynamics, and properties, yet persistent challenges limit their predictive power. This perspective examines three interconnected issues, namely glass formation procedures, interatomic potential development, and machine learning applications, which emerged from the 5th International Workshop on Challenges of Atomistic Simulations of Glasses and Amorphous Materials. We identify convergent community priorities for (i) standardized validation protocols, (ii) curated benchmark datasets with complete metadata, and (iii) open repositories for glasses. A systematic was forward is provided by a hierarchical validation framework for assessing the structural fidelity, property prediction, and behavioral realism of simulation techniques. Looking ahead, transformative advances are promised by the fusion of classical techniques with machine learning based approaches, for instance, by integrating swap Monte Carlo with machine-learning (ML) potentials, leveraging foundation models through transfer learning, and finetuning ML potentials with experimental data. Progress depends on the community committing to validated models, reproducible protocols, and sustained data sharing.

Krishnan, N. M. Anoop↗
DOE OSTI2026

A network of soil moisture, soil temperature, air temperature, net radiation, ground heat flux and ground water for Chicago, Illinois

This dataset contains environmental monitoring data collected using solar-powered Multi-Function Research (MFR) Long Range Wide Area (LoRaWAN)-enabled nodes at 11 sites in Chicago, Illinois, as part of the DOE Urban Integrated Field Lab CROCUS project. The MFR node system consists of an Input/Output Digital Input Module (IB8) interface box (ICT International) providing wired connections for environmental sensors and an MFR-Node-L data logger that manages power, data processing, and LoRaWAN communication. The wireless data are ingested via Sage network (https://sagecontinuum.org/) nodes that contain LoRaWAN antennae. Measurements were collected from 11 MFR nodes deployed across Chicago State University (CSU), Northeastern Illinois University (NEIU), Northwestern University (NU), University of Illinois Chicago (UIC), West Woodlawn "Blacks in Green" (BIG), and Indian Boundary Prairies (IBP). Each MFR node supports a consistent suite of sensors measuring atmospheric, soil, and hydrological variables. Atmospheric measurements include 2m air temperature (°C), 2m vapor pressure deficit (kPa), and 2m shortwave/longwave radiation (incoming and outgoing, W/m²) measured using ATH-VPD and Apogee SN500 sensors. Soil measurements include volumetric water content (VWC, %) and temperature (°C) at four depths (15, 30, 45, and 60 cm below surface) using Meter Teros54 sensors, and heat flux (W/m²) at 10 cm depth using Huske HFP01-05 sensors. At selected locations, Meter Hydros21 sensors measure groundwater depth (mm), specific conductivity (dS/m), and temperature (°C). The dataset includes timestamps, site identifiers with location names, device IDs, Global Positioning System (GPS) coordinates, variable names with units, measurement depths, values, sensor names, and Sage node identifiers. All timestamps are in local Chicago time (CDT/CST). Quality control flags are provided using a 6-bit binary system indicating physical range violations, step spikes, 24-hour flat-line conditions, 6-hour jitter, 7-day ultra-low variance, and persistent high offset. Data is provided in CSV and CF-compliant NetCDF formats. This dataset is part of a larger collection of CROCUS environmental monitoring data, including linked datasets from Air Quality Transmitter (AQT) sensors, Weather Transmitter (WXT) sensors, and Sap Flow Meter (SFM1x) sensors.

Chicago↗
DOE OSTI2026

Spin Stripes and Superconductivity in Bilayer Nickelates

The bilayer nickelate La3Ni2O7 has recently emerged as a high-temperature superconductor with unusual spin stripe order in its ambient pressure phase. We propose a microscopic Hamiltonian that faithfully reflects the crystalline symmetry of this system, with the primary aim of addressing its unconventional magnetism at ambient pressure. Using state-of-the-art density matrix renormalization group calculations, we show that (π/2,π/2) spin stripe order arises in our model at sizable Hund's coupling JH from a hidden quasi-one-dimensionality and persists over a range of electron concentrations. In the more symmetric high-pressure regime, our model exhibits enhanced interlayer pairing tendencies when the interlayer antiferromagnetic coupling J⊥ becomes sufficiently large. Our results provide a microscopic origin of the diagonal spin stripes and identify Hund's coupling JH and interlayer coupling J⊥ as key ingredients governing magnetic order and pairing tendencies in La3Ni2O7.

Wang, Hao-Xin [The Chinese University of Hong Kong↗
DOE OSTI2025

Dynamically downscaled seasonal heat wave projections in the CONUS

Heat waves are a well-documented hazard that are projected to increase in intensity, duration, and frequency with climate change. Regions of the US experience widely varying temperatures; for example, 35 °C is extremely hot for spring in the Northeast but not for summer in the Southeast. It is important to evaluate projections within a regional context and at a high enough resolution to understand the risks to populations. We identify heat waves across the Conterminous US (CONUS) under SSP5–8.5 from 2020 to 2059 with an ensemble of dynamically downscaled Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6 (CMIP6) model outputs. We demonstrate that there are regional differences caused by seasonal and local drivers of persistent hot temperatures. Summer heat waves are increasing in intensity and duration faster than winter heat waves because of the atmospheric conditions that promote these events. Our analysis emphasizes the value of fine-resolution modeling for projecting future climate risks.

Rubin, Hannah [University of Tennessee, Knoxville ↗
DOE OSTI2025

Securing the Modern Grid: Federal Investments, Digitization, and Supply Chain Strategy

Across the United States (U.S.) grid expansion and modernization is underway, paving the way for accelerated load growth and intelligent resource management. Digitization of the grid is supported by several state and federal programs, providing support for utilities installing advanced metering infrastructure (AMI), AI-powered analytics systems, battery energy storage systems (BESS), and distributed energy resource management systems (DERMS) to transform the grid from a one-way power delivery system into an intelligent, responsive network that will enable faster load growth and power expansion of data centers for advanced artificial intelligence (AI) applications. The digital transformation of America's grid presents opportunity for increased efficiency and resiliency but also introduces new digital risks that require careful management. Digital equipment often contains several vulnerabilities such as unencrypted communication protocols, and persistent remote access capabilities that could be exploited to manipulate device settings, coordinate service disruptions, or inject false data into grid operations. These digital risks become particularly important as the grid must rapidly scale to support AI-driven data centers, which the administration has identified as essential for maintaining U.S. technological leadership and economic competitiveness. These vulnerabilities are compounded by supply chain realities: Chinese manufacturers currently produce 70-90% of essential grid components including inverters, batteries, and control systems, with the U.S. lacking domestic manufacturing capacity for critical assets like extra-high voltage transformers. Recent federal legislation has established Foreign Entity of Concern (FEOC) restrictions to address these risks, requiring projects to achieve escalating thresholds of non-FEOC content to receive tax credits while utilities work to expand sourcing channels for their supply chains and strengthen security measures. These restrictions arrive precisely when utilities face unprecedented electricity demand growth driven by the rapid growth in data centers, creating a considerable challenge: rapidly expanding infrastructure while navigating complex compliance requirements while lacking viable alternatives for many critical components. Idaho National Laboratory (INL) and its partners have developed practical approaches to help utilities navigate these intersecting challenges as they leverage federal investment to strengthen and grow the grid. These solutions include Cyber-Informed Engineering (CIE) principles that build resilience directly into systems, the Cirrus tool for secure cloud migration, and enhanced procurement guidance that embeds security requirements throughout equipment lifecycles. Federal initiatives, such as the Technical Assistance for Digital Assurance (TADA) project, provide direct support to utilities implementing these approaches while facilitating knowledge sharing across the industry. While these tools and frameworks cannot eliminate all risks inherent in foreign supply chain dependencies, they offer pragmatic pathways for strengthening security posture without sacrificing the deployment momentum essential to meeting surging electricity demand. Ultimately, securing America's digital energy infrastructure demands dedicated coordination across multiple fronts: building domestic supply chains, implementing robust digital assurance practices, and maintaining the aggressive modernization timeline necessary for reliability, resilience, and energy independence.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
DOE OSTI2026

Strain in Metal Halide Perovskite Thin Films - Interfacial Mechanical Coupling

Hybrid organic−inorganic metal halide perovskites (MHPs) are promising semiconductors for photovoltaics and optoelectronics, but their commercial viability is limited by instability, particularly strain induced by mismatch in coefficients of thermal expansion (CTE) between the perovskite film and substrate. Here, we investigate strain development and relaxation in MHP thin films using in situ bending and Grazing Incidence Wide-Angle X-ray Scattering (GIWAXS). We quantify the film− substrate interfacial mechanical coupling and identify interfacial slippage beyond a critical strain (∼0.4%), with Br-2PACz exhibiting comparatively stronger interfacial mechanical coupling among common interface modifiers. Time-resolved GIWAXS reveals reversible macrostrain during thermal cycling driven by CTE mismatch. Leveraging this behavior, we introduce a prestrain process that induces persistent compressive strain after cooling, with partial relaxation over time. These results provide insight into interfacial mechanical coupling and strain dynamics, offering a framework for strain engineering in perovskite devices.

metals↗