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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 955 records · Page 53
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2019

CO{sub 2} Corrosion Behavior of Calcite-Covered API 5L X52 Carbon Steel in Aqueous Solutions

The CO{sub 2} corrosion of API 5L X52 steel in the presence and absence of calcite scale has been investigated. The scale was precipitated from a supersaturated solution at temperatures of 25 and 80 °C. The crystalline phase, cross section and surface morphologies of scale were studied by x-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy, respectively. It was found that the scale deposit mostly consisted of calcite. The corrosion behavior of bare and calcite-covered samples was investigated by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and cyclic polarization techniques in aqueous CO{sub 2} solutions at 30, 50 and 70 °C. The presence of calcite scale on carbon steel surface decreased the adsorption of intermediate corrosion products as the scale uniformly covered the bare surface which resulted in reduction of general CO{sub 2} corrosion rate. The results of cyclic polarization tests revealed that the bare and calcite-covered samples were not susceptible to localized CO{sub 2} corrosion under conditions studied in this research.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2020

Combined electrocoagulation-microfiltration-membrane distillation for treatment of hydraulic fracturing produced water

Hydraulic fracturing flowback and produced water is a highly impaired wastewater containing dissolved salts polar and non-polar organic compounds, oil and surfactants. Here a combined electrocoagulation - microfiltration – membrane distillation process has been used to treat this wastewater. Electrocoagulation followed by microfiltration was used to pretreat the wastewater prior membrane distillation. The initial total dissolved solids (TDS) concentration was extremely high being 245,300 mg L -1 . After electrocoagulation, the total organic carbon (TOC) was reduced from 120 mg L -1 to 64 mg L -1 . Tangential flow microfiltration using a 0.1 μm pore size polyethersulfone membrane was used to separate the particulate matter after electrocoagulation and to further reduce the TOC to 44 mg L -1 . Membrane distillation was used to desalinate the pretreated produced water resulting in a high quality treated water (TDS of 56 mg L -1 and TOC 1 mg L -1 ). Three membranes with very different surface morphology were used: commercially available polyvinylidene fluoride, electrospun poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene) nanofibers and multiwalled carbon nanotube coated polytetrafluoroethylene. The TDS in the retentate increased to over 350,000 mg L -1 . During membrane distillation, the temperature of the feed tank was maintained at 36 °C while the feed entered the module at 60 °C in order to minimize scaling on the membrane. The surface properties of an ideal membrane that is resistant to wetting and provides high flux is likely to depend on the TDS and properties of the wastewater.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2010

Morphology and water-barrier properties of silane films on aluminum and silicon

The goal of this study is to understand the effect of the substrate on the morphology and water-barrier properties of bis-silane films. Silane films are deposited on both Si and Al. Neutron reflectivity is used to assess the effect of hydrothermal conditioning on the films. Aluminum on silicon (no silane) was characterized first to facilitate understanding of the more complicated silane on Al-coated Si. A 200-{angstrom} Al layer with 55-{angstrom} oxide covers the surface of the silicon wafer. The reflectivity data show that water penetrates into the oxide layer. Silane films deposited on either Al or Si substrates have similar bulk and top-surface morphology. Studies of silanes on Si wafers, therefore, can be generalized to include Al. The substrate-silane interface, however, does depend on both the substrate and the silane. Because pH of the bis-sulfur silane solution is outside of the stability range for Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}, dissolution of the thin oxide film occurs during solution deposition. A water-depletion area is formed at the interface region due to this reaction.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
NASA NTRS2012

Processing of Nanosensors Using a Sacrificial Template Approach

A new microsensor fabrication approach has been demonstrated based upon the use of nanostructures as templates. The fundamental idea is that existing nanostructures, such as carbon nano tubes or biological structures, have a material structure that can be used advantageously in order to provide new sensor systems but lack the advantages of some materials to, for example, operate at high temperatures. The approach is to start with a template using nanostructures such as a carbon nanotube. This template can then be coated by an oxide material with higher temperature capabilities. Upon heating in air, the carbon nanotube template is burned off, leaving only the metal oxide nanostructure. The resulting structure has a combination of the crystal structure and surface morphology of the carbon nanotube, combined with the material durability and hightemperature- sensing properties of the metal oxide. Further, since the metal oxide nanocrystals are deposited on the carbon nanotube, after burn-off what is left is a metal oxide porous nanostructure. This makes both the interior and the exterior of this nano structured sensor available for gas species detection. This, in effect, increases the surface area available for sensing, which has been shown in the past to significantly increase sensor performance.

Biaggi-Labiosa, Azlin M.↗
DOE OSTI2018

Laccase-mediated functionalization of chitosan with 4-hexyloxyphenol enhances antioxidant and hydrophobic properties of copolymer

In this paper, an effective method to functionalize chitosan with 4-hexyloxyphenol (HP) under homogeneous reaction conditions was developed using laccase as the catalyst. The resulting copolymer was characterized for chemical structure, grafted-HP content, surface morphology, thermal stability, antioxidant capacity, hydrophobic properties and tensile strength. Solid-state 13 C NMR spectrum confirmed the incorporation of HP onto chitosan. X-ray diffraction (XRD) showed a decrease in the degree of crystallinity for laccase/HP treated chitosan compared to pure chitosan. The grafted-HP content in laccase/HP-treated chitosan first increased and then declined with increase of the initial HP/chitosan ratio. A heterogeneous surface with spherical particles on the laccase/HP treated chitosan was observed by environmental scanning electron microscopy (ESEM) and scanning probe microscopy (SPM). The laccase/HP treatment of chitosan improved the thermal stability of copolymer. More significantly, the HP functionalized chitosan showed greatly improved ABTS + and DPPH radicals scavenging capacity, compared with pure chitosan. The hydrophobicity property of the HP functionalized chitosan also significantly increased although its tensile strength decreased. Finally, this new type of composite with double functionalities (i.e., antioxidant and hydrophobic) could potentially be used as food packaging materials or coating agents.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2016

Estimation of heat transfer coefficients for biomass particles by direct numerical simulation using microstructured particle models in the Laminar regime

Here, direct numerical simulation of convective heat transfer from hot gas to isolated biomass particle models with realistic morphology and explicit microstructure was performed over a range of conditions with laminar flow of hot gas (500 degrees C). Steady-state results demonstrated that convective interfacial heat transfer is dependent on the wood species. The computed heat transfer coefficients were shown to vary between the pine and aspen models by nearly 20%. These differences are attributed to the species-specific variations in the exterior surface morphology of the biomass particles. We also quantify variations in heat transfer experienced by the particle when positioned in different orientations with respect to the direction of fluid flow. These results are compared to previously reported heat transfer coefficient correlations in the range of 0.1 < Pr < 1.5 and 10 < Re < 500. Comparison of these simulation results to correlations commonly used in the literature (Gunn, Ranz-Marshall, and Bird-Stewart-Lightfoot) shows that the Ranz-Marshall (sphere) correlation gave the closest h values to our steady-state simulations for both wood species, though no existing correlation was within 20% of both species at all conditions studied. In general, this work exemplifies the fact that all biomass feedstocks are not created equal, and that their species-specific characteristics must be appreciated in order to facilitate accurate simulations of conversion processes.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗
DOE OSTI2017

Laser Nitriding of the Newly Developed Ti-20Nb-13Zr at.% Biomaterial Alloy to Enhance Its Mechanical and Corrosion Properties in Simulated Body Fluid

Despite the widespread application of Ti alloy in the biomedical field, surface treatments are typically applied to improve its resistance to corrosion and wear. A newly developed biomedical Ti-20Nb-13Zr at.% alloy (TNZ) was laser-treated in nitrogen environment to improve its surface characteristics with corrosion protection performance. Surface modification of the alloy by laser was performed through a Nd:YAG laser. The structural and surface morphological alterations in the laser nitrided layer were investigated by XRD and a FE-SEM. The mechanical properties have been evaluated using nanoindentation for laser nitride and as-received samples. The corrosion protection behavior was estimated using electrochemical corrosion analysis in a physiological medium (SBF). The obtained results revealed the production of a dense and compact film of TiN fine grains (micro-/nanosize) with 9.1 µm below the surface. The mechanical assessment results indicated an improvement in the modulus of elasticity, hardness, and resistance of the formed TiN layer to plastic deformation. The electrochemical analysis exhibited that the surface protection performance of the laser nitrided TNZ substrates in the SBF could be considerably enhanced compared to that of the as-received alloy due to the presence of fine grains in the TiN layer resulting from laser nitriding. Furthermore, the untreated and treated Ti-20Nb-13Zr alloy exhibited higher corrosion resistance than the CpTi and Ti6Al4V commercial alloys. The improvements in the surface hardness and corrosion properties of Ti alloy in a simulated body obtained using laser nitriding make this approach a suitable candidate for enhancing the properties of biomaterials.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
NASA NTRS2005

Angular Distribution of Elastically Scattered Electrons Determined and Its Effect on Collector Performance Computed

It has been demonstrated that the suppression of secondary electron emission significantly improves the performance of electron beam collectors (ref. 1). However, a complete analysis of the effects of secondary electron emission with respect to collector performance has not been possible because of the lack of quantitative data on angular distributions of secondary electrons. Secondary electrons are emitted with energies ranging from near zero to the energy of the incident primary. For our purposes, we define elastically scattered electrons as secondary electrons within 20 percent of the incident energy. Elastically scattered electrons are of great concern because their energy allows them to follow trajectories that can carry them almost anywhere within the vacuum envelope. If these secondaries leave the collector and reenter the slow wave circuit, they can produce undesired signal distortion and oscillation.This apparatus, which was built by Krainsky (ref. 2), was used at the NASA Lewis Research Center to obtain detailed measurements of the angular distributions of elastically scattered secondaries. Data were obtained for three surfaces of significant interest to collector applications: highly polished copper, copper roughened by ion sputtering, and isotropic graphite. Lewis researchers discovered that elastically scattered electrons have a complex angular distribution that is strongly dependent on the atomic number and surface morphology of the target material, as well as the energy and angle of incidence of the primary beam. At low energies, secondary emission from polished copper in the chosen energy range is primarily directed back to the source of primary electrons (backscattering). Forward scattering increases with primary energy until, at high energies, forward scattering dominates the angular distribution. Although back-scattered secondaries dominate the distributions of the textured copper surface, the yield is substantially lower. From the standpoint of secondary emission, isotropic graphite is the most attractive material because it exhibits low yield and little back scattering.

Krainsky, Isay L.↗
NASA NTRS2012

Analysis of Microcrafters in Materials Specimens after Long-Term Exposure on ISS Surface

The "Komplast" experiment has been carried out on the ISS by the Khrunichev Space Center jointly with other Russian scientific centers since 1998. The experiment incorporates the "Komplast" cartridges on the FGB exterior, which are fitted with materials specimens and sensors. The cartridges were sent into orbit together with FGB on 20 November 1998. In March 2011, two of the cartridges were taken back from the ISS by the "Discovery" American space shuttle after being exposed in the open space for 12 years. In the framework of this experiment the subject of analysis is the effect of the space environment on the exposed specimens of various materials. This report covers the analysis results of the surface morphology of various materials taken from the "Komplast" cartridges exposed to hits of micrometeors and micronic particles of space debris. Analysis is made of microcraters of 5 to 250 mcm in specimens of polished metals and silicone comprised in the sensor for micrometeoric particles. The report represents optic and scanning electron microscope images of craters formed in the specimens by high-velocity and low-velocity particles impacting the surface. By virtue of the electronic microscope, data on composition of the substance in the craters and of the substance of the low-velocity particles are obtained. The data make it possible to differentiate the particles as the natural-origin particles or anthropogenic-origin space debris particles. Distribution of craters and low-velocity particles in the size range of 5 to 50 mcm is obtained. The data are compared with the existing models of fluxes of natural-origin and artificial-origin microparticles on the ISS orbit. Inhomogeneous particles of complicated configuration are discovered on the surface of the analyzed specimens, whose origin are not uniquely determined and are to be the subject of further study.

Shaevich, S. K.↗
DOE OSTI2011

TUNING OF SIZE AND SHAPE OF AU-PT NANOCATALYST FOR DIRECT METHANOL FUEL CELLS

In this paper, we report the precise control of the size, shape and surface morphology of Au-Pt nanocatalysts (cubes, blocks, octahedrons and dogbones) synthesized via a seed-mediated approach. Gold 'seeds' of different aspect ratios (1 to 4.2), grown by a silver-assisted approach, were used as templates for high-yield production of novel Au-Pt nanocatalysts at a low temperature (40 C). Characterization by electron microscopy (SEM, TEM, HRTEM), energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX), UV-Vis spectroscopy, zeta-potential (surface charge), atomic force microscopy (AFM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) were used to better understand their physico-chemical properties, preferred reactivities and underlying nanoparticle growth mechanism. A rotating disk electrode was used to evaluate the Au-Pt nanocatalysts electrochemical performance in the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and the methanol oxidation reaction (MOR) of direct methanol fuel cells. The results indicate the Au-Pt dogbones are partially and in some cases completely unaffected by methanol poisoning during the evaluation of the ORR. The ORR performance of the octahedron particles in the absence of MeOH is superior to that of the Au-Pt dogbones and Pt-black, however its performance is affected by the presence of MeOH.

10 SYNTHETIC FUELS↗
DOE OSTI2012

Formation of nanostructured TiO{sub 2} by femtosecond laser irradiation of titanium in O{sub 2}

We used femtosecond laser irradiation of titanium metal in an oxidizing environment to form a highly stable surface layer of nanostructured amorphous titanium dioxide (TiO{sub 2}). We studied the influence of atmospheric composition on these surface structures and found that gas composition and pressure affect the chemical composition of the surface layer but not the surface morphology. Incorporation of nitrogen is only possible when no oxygen is present in the surrounding atmosphere.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2012

Laser-assisted sol-gel growth and characteristics of ZnO thin films

ZnO thin films were grown on Si(100) substrates by a sol-gel method assisted by laser beam irradiation with a 325 nm He-Cd laser. In contrast to conventional sol-gel ZnO thin films, the surface morphology of the laser-assisted sol-gel thin films was much smoother, and the residual stress in the films was relaxed by laser irradiation. The luminescent properties of the films were also enhanced by laser irradiation, especially, by irradiation during the deposition and post-heat treatment stages. The incident laser beam is thought to play several roles, such as annihilating defects by accelerating crystallization during heat treatment, enhancing the surface migration of atoms and molecules, and relaxing the ZnO matrix structure during crystallization.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2015

Effect of applied voltage on surface properties of anodised titanium in mixture of β-glycerophosphate (β-GP) and calcium acetate (CA)

Anodic oxidation is a surface modification method which combines electric field driven metal and oxygen ion diffusion for formation of oxide layer on the anode surface. This method has been widely used to modify the surface morphology of biomaterial especially titanium. This study aimed to investigate the effect of applied voltage on titanium. Specifically, the titanium foil was anodised in mixture of β-glycerophosphate disodium salt pentahydrate (β-GP) and calcium acetate monohydrate (CA) with different applied voltage (50-350 V), electrolyte concentration (0.04 M β-GP + 0.4 M CA), anodising time (10minutes) and current density (50 and 70 mA.cm{sup −2}) at room temperature. Surface oxide properties of anodised titanium were characterised by digital single-lens reflex camera (DSLR camera), field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). At lower applied voltage (≤150 V), surface of titanium foils were relatively smooth. With increasing applied voltage (≥250 V), the oxide layer became more porous and donut-shaped pores were formed on the surface of titanium foils. The AFM results indicated that the surface roughness of anodised titanium increases with increasing of applied voltage. The porous and rough surface is able to promote the osseointegration and reduce the suffering time of patient.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2017

Fabrication and radio frequency test of large-area MgB 2 films on niobium substrates

Magnesium diboride (MgB 2 ) is a promising candidate material for superconducting radio frequency (RF) cavities because of its higher transition temperature and critical field compared with niobium. To meet the demand of RF test devices, the fabrication of large-area MgB 2 films on metal substrates is needed. Here, in this work, high quality MgB 2 films with 50 mm diameter were fabricated on niobium by using an improved HPCVD system at Peking University, and RF tests were carried out at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory. The transition temperature is approximately 39.6 K and the RF surface resistance is about 120 μΩ at 4 K and 11.4 GHz. Finally, the fabrication processes, surface morphology, DC superconducting properties and RF tests of these large-area MgB 2 films are presented.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2017

Sinuous Flow in Cutting of Metals

Using in situ high-speed imaging, we unveil details of a highly unsteady plastic flow mode in the cutting of annealed and highly strain-hardening metals. This mesoscopic flow mode, termed sinuous flow, is characterized by repeated material folding, large rotation, and energy dissipation. Sinuous flow effects a very large shape transformation, with local strains of ten or more, and results in a characteristic mushroomlike surface morphology that is quite distinct from the well-known morphologies of metal-cutting chips. Importantly, the attributes of this unsteady flow are also fundamentally different from other well-established unsteady plastic flows in large-strain deformation, like adiabatic shear bands. The nucleation and development of sinuous flow, its dependence on material properties, and its manifestation across material systems are demonstrated. Plastic buckling and grain-scale heterogeneity are found to play key roles in triggering this flow at surfaces. Implications for modeling and understanding flow stability in large-strain plastic deformation, surface quality, and preparation of near-strain-free surfaces by cutting are discussed. Finally, the results point to the inadequacy of the widely used shear-zone models, even for ductile metals.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2023

Synthesis and optical properties of phosphorus doped ZnO: X-ray absorption, X-ray emission, and X-ray excited optical luminescence studies

Abstract Over the past decades, zinc oxide semiconductor and its derivatives have been extensively developed because of its optoelectronic properties. Since ZnO is an intrinsic n-type semiconductor, how to synthesize high-quality p-type ZnO semiconductors and investigate their optoelectronic properties and local chemical structures are important and necessary. In this article, two studies of synthesizing both undoped and phosphorus-doped ZnO nanostructures by hydrothermal method and chemical vapor deposition (CVD) technique are presented. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and laboratory X-ray diffraction (XRD) are used to track the surface morphology and the crystalline structure of both undoped and phosphorus doped ZnO nanostructures, respectively. X-ray absorption near edge structures (XANES), X-ray emission spectroscopy (XES) and X-ray excited optical luminescence (XEOL) are also used to determine the local chemical information of both undoped and phosphorus-doped ZnO nano/microstructures such as local symmetry and optical properties. It is found that the phosphorus is successfully doped into the surface of ZnO and substituted the Zn. The phosphorus-doped ZnO products have better crystallinity and less oxygen vacancies on the surface. These two are correlated as one leads to the other. The XEOL results suggest that the average bandgap for undoped and phosphorus doped ZnO is the same, 3.24 eV. The second derivative of the absorption-emission spectra yields the fundamental bandgap for undoped ZnO and phosphorus-doped ZnO is 3.25 eV. The implication of this observation is discussed.

Chemistry↗
DOE OSTI2013

175 MeV Au{sup +13} ion irradiation induced structural and morphological modifications in zinc oxide thin films

Thin films of ZnO were deposited, on Si substrates, using the RF-sputtering technique and irradiated by the 175 MeV Au{sup +13} beams. The structural changes were investigated by x-ray diffraction (XRD) measurements. The particle size found to increase with the increasing ion fluence up to 1 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup 12} ion/cm{sup 2}. At highest irradiation fluence of 5 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup 12} ion/cm{sup 2} the average particle size decreases. The Raman spectroscopy measurements were performed to understand the local phonon mode of the samples. The surface morphology of the as-deposited and irradiated thin films is measured by the Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM).

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2016

Quaternary M{sub 0.25}Cu{sub 0.25}Mg{sub 0.5}Fe{sub 2}O{sub 4} (M = Ni, Zn, Co, Mn) ferrite oxides: Synthesis, characterization and magnetic properties

Highlights: • Superparamagnetic quaternary nanoferrite (M{sub 0.25}Cu{sub 0.25}Mg{sub 0.5}Fe{sub 2}O{sub 4,} where M = Mn, Zn, Co, Ni) were obtained. • C, O, H and metals were observed by XPS analysis. • Phases purity were confirmed by XRD diffraction and crystallite size (3–10 nm) were determind. - Abstract: We report the synthesis of M{sub 0.25}Cu{sub 0.25}Mg{sub 0.5}Fe{sub 2}O{sub 4} (where M = Mn, Zn, Co, Ni) nanoparticles using the coprecipitation method in the presence of carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) as the in-situ surfactant. The crystalline structure and surface morphology were examined by means of X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and it was established that the average diameter of the magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) is in the range of 3–10 nm. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) show that the MNPs are activated by the hydrophilic groups of the surfactant, which coat them and enhance their stability. The vibrating sample magnetometry measurements show the superparamagnetic behavior of the nanoparticles. Due to their small crystallite size, which implies large surface area, and their functionalization with organic groups, the obtained nanoparticles could have medical and catalytic applications.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗