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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 109 records · Page 6
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2023

Exploring innovative pathway for SRF cavity fabrication

This article shows a study on an alternative pathway for the fabrication of a complete 1.3 GHz SRF cavity, aiming at improving production reliability, reducing the use of chemical polishing (EP or BCP) which is a costly and safety-critical step, and preserving surface quality after forming. Unlike the conventional pathway, the fabrication process is performed after polishing. This point is crucial as the used polishing technology could be applied only to flat geometries. The performed investigation demonstrates that damages during the fabrication process are considered minor, localized, and limited to the near-surface. Moreover, these studies confirm that the damaged layer (100-200 µm) is mainly caused by the rolling process, and not by the subsequent fabrication steps. A laser confocal microscope and SEM-EBSD technique were used to compare samples before and after forming. The preliminary results are discussed and presented in this paper.

Hryhorenko, O.↗
DOE OSTI2024

Manufacturing of Fabric Electrodes using a High-Throughput Screening Platform for Redox Flow Batteries

The objective of this project is to establish a new manufacturing methodology with machine learning- based high-throughput screening for the design and development of hierarchical structured, high-performance fabric electrodes for redox flow batteries (RFBs). The end goal of the project is to design and manufacture fabric electrodes for RFB applications that can provide 250 mA/cm2 current density operation for 100-cycles with 80% average energy efficiency. This was accomplished by first examining the structure-performance-property linkages of the electrodes provided by our partner, AvCarb. The electrodes’ microstructure was characterized by determining their pore size distribution, tortuosity, specific surface area, and porosity. The ohmic, charge transfer and mass transfer resistances were then calculated using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. Carbon cloth electrodes showed the greatest resistance, which was dominated by charge transfer resistance, which we believe is related to the surface functionalization. Full cell cycling was used in order to determine the area specific resistance and energy efficiency of the cells. All of this experimental data and the results of the mathematical model (to increase the amount of inputs with parametric sweeping) were used to develop a machine learning-based model for the design of high-performance fabric electrodes. Using the results from the machine learning tool, optimized electrodes were fabricated by AvCarb. The ohmic, charge transfer and mass transfer resistances for these new electrodes were measured, and both performed better than any of the initial samples which had been provided by AvCarb.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2024

Safeguards Considerations for Salt Fuel Fabrication

Molten salt reactors (MSR) with liquid fuel present a unique safeguards challenge whereby the current verification techniques have not been evaluated for effectiveness and applicability. While MSR operations have been the subject of prior studies, the front-end liquid fuel preparation activities have not been extensively evaluated. Reviewing the existing resources on fuel fabrication and evaluating the range of fuel fabrication process options available will allow safeguards analysts to identify the applicability of existing safeguards practices, identify gaps in capability, and identify opportunities where safeguards may be applied. There is no existing supplier of fuel salt for MSRs. In an extensive review of MSR technology, the International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA's) Nuclear Power Technology Development Section acknowledges the gap in existing capabilities for fuel salt fabrication, noting, simply, “if demand exists, supply will appear.” Salt reactor fuel has not been previously produced on an industrial scale in a non-nuclear weapon state. These characteristics of MSR fuel fabrication present high levels of uncertainty, but they also represent an opportunity to mature safeguards techniques alongside liquid fuel preparation technologies.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Chemical Process Safety at TRISO-Based, Metal-Based, and Salt-Based Fuel Fabrication Facilities: Technical Assessment and Guidance Assessment

As part of efforts to prepare for potential and ongoing safety reviews for licensing of advanced non-light-water reactor fuel cycles, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) tasked Pacific Northwest National Laboratory to prepare an assessment on the state of knowledge of potential chemical processes at fuel cycle facilities supporting the front end of these fuel cycles, and to assess the associated regulatory guidance. This report provides a technical assessment of chemical process safety considerations to support NRC licensing reviews of fabrication processes for tri-structural isotropic (TRISO) based, metallic-based, and salt-based fuels. The assessments involved collecting publicly available information on the fuel fabrication processes to (i) identify the operational process steps, characteristics and chemicals involved, (ii) identify the physical safety considerations and health safety considerations during licensing reviews of the various process steps, and (iii) collect information to support assessments of severity of accidents and potential mitigative measures to be implemented. The assessment provides a foundational basis on chemical process safety considerations for advanced fuel fabrication activities, although it is recognized that licensing reviews may necessitate design-specific considerations. The specific conditions under which chemical hazards emerge will require process-specific considerations, highlighting the importance of process-informed interpretation. The assessment also determined that exposure guidelines and limits to assess the consequences of acute exposures are limited for some chemicals, although alternative limits and supplementary information from databases or safety data sheets provide sufficient information to evaluate consequences of acute exposures. In addition, it was identified that metallic and salt fuel fabrication processes may involve beryllium, which is an exposure hazard. The regulatory framework for the licensing of advanced fuel cycle facilities, per 10 CFR Part 70 Domestic Licensing of Special Nuclear Material, is deemed robust and flexible to address the chemical safety considerations in this report. A review was conducted on various regulatory guidance and technical basis documents. This included reviewing NUREG-1520, Revision 2, Standard Review Plan for Fuel Cycle Facilities License Applications – Final Report and the process descriptions in Appendix A of NUREG/CR-6410, Nuclear Fuel Cycle Facility Accident Analysis Handbook, to address advanced fuel types. As new fuels will involve process-specific chemical uses, process-specific considerations are provided in this report. Additionally, it is noted that the U.S. Department of Energy protective action criteria database includes Temporary Emergency Exposure Limits (TEELs) for process-specific chemicals. This report provides technical information to support chemical safety assessments of new advanced fuel cycle facilities and identifies technical and safety information to support licensing reviews. No regulatory barriers were identified for the licensing of advanced fuel cycle facilities.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
DOE OSTI2020

A Review on Metallic Alloys Fabrication Using Elemental Powder Blends by Laser Powder Directed Energy Deposition Process

The laser powder directed energy deposition process is a metal additive manufacturing technique, which can fabricate metal parts with high geometric and material flexibility. The unique feature of in-situ powder feeding makes it possible to customize the elemental composition using elemental powder mixture during the fabrication process. Thus, it can be potentially applied to synthesize industrial alloys with low cost, modify alloys with different powder mixtures, and design novel alloys with location-dependent properties using elemental powder blends as feedstocks. This paper provides an overview of using a laser powder directed energy deposition method to fabricate various types of alloys by feeding elemental powder blends. At first, the advantage of laser powder directed energy deposition in manufacturing metal alloys is described in detail. Then, the state-of-the-art research and development in alloys fabricated by laser powder directed energy deposition through a mix of elemental powders in multiple categories is reviewed. Finally, critical technical challenges, mainly in composition control are discussed for future development.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2020

Metal-Assisted Chemical Etching and Electroless Deposition for Fabrication of Hard X-ray Pd/Si Zone Plates

Zone plates are diffractive optics commonly used in X-ray microscopes. Here, we present a wet-chemical approach for fabricating high aspect ratio Pd/Si zone plate optics aimed at the hard X-ray regime. A Si zone plate mold is fabricated via metal-assisted chemical etching (MACE) and further metalized with Pd via electroless deposition (ELD). MACE results in vertical Si zones with high aspect ratios. The observed MACE rate with our zone plate design is 700 nm/min. The ELD metallization yields a Pd density of 10.7 g/cm 3 , a value slightly lower than the theoretical density of 12 g/cm 3 . Fabricated zone plates have a grid design, 1:1 line-to-space-ratio, 30 nm outermost zone width, and an aspect ratio of 30:1. At 9 keV X-ray energy, the zone plate device shows a first order diffraction efficiency of 1.9%, measured at the MAX IV NanoMAX beamline. With this work, the possibility is opened to fabricate X-ray zone plates with low-cost etching and metallization methods.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2020

Experimental investigation on the effects of fabric architectures on mechanical and damage behaviors of carbon/epoxy woven composites

The mechanical behaviors and damage evolutions of carbon/epoxy woven fabric composites with three different geometries, i.e., one plain weave and two twill weave patterns with different areal densities, are studied under tensile loading. The effects of weave patterns on mechanical properties are investigated by monotonic and cyclic tension tests. Remarkable variations in stress–strain curve, Poisson’s ratio, residual strain and strain map exist in the three composites. Crimp ratio is found to be a critical factor to govern the mechanical properties. With smaller crimp ratio, a quasi-linear stress–strain curve with higher elastic modulus and strength is observed. The stress–strain curves of composites with higher crimp ratio contain transition stages with significant tangent modulus degradation. Elastic modulus, strength and damage initiation are all correlated with the crimp ratio linearly regardless of the fabric pattern. Dramatic nonlinear evolution in Poisson’s ratio occurs in the composite with higher crimp ratio. Cyclic tension results indicate that the residual strain is a more appropriate damage indicator than the unloading elastic modulus. Microstructure examination shows that damage developments are essentially related to the fabric geometry, and result in various mechanical behaviors. This work provides important insights into the geometry-deformation mechanism-mechanical property relationship of the woven composites.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2022

Bifunctional Asymmetric Fabric with Tailored Thermal Conduction and Radiation for Personal Cooling and Warming

Personal thermal management is emerging as a promising strategy to provide thermal comfort for the human body while conserving energy. By improving control over the heat dissipating from the human body, personal thermal management can provide effective personal cooling and warming. Here, we propose a facile surface modification approach to tailor the thermal conduction and radiation properties based on commercially available fabrics, to realize better management of the whole heat transport pathway from the human body to the ambient. Additionally, a bifunctional asymmetric fabric (BAF) offering both a cooling and a warming effect is demonstrated. Due to the advantages of roughness asymmetry and surface modification, the BAF demonstrates an effective cooling effect through enhanced heat conduction and radiation in the cooling mode; in the warming mode, heat dissipation along both routes is reduced for personal warming. As a result, a 4.6 °C skin temperature difference is measured between the cooling and warming BAF modes, indicating that the thermal comfort zone of the human body can be enlarged with one piece of BAF clothing. We expect this work to present new insights for the design of personal thermal management textiles as well as a novel solution for the facile modification of available fabrics for both personal cooling and warming.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2026

Advancing the Performance of Anion Exchange Membrane Electrolysis by Employing a Powder-Based Ionomer during Anode Catalyst Layer Fabrication

The performance of anion exchange membrane water electrolysis (AEMWE) can be significantly improved by utilizing powdered ionomers during the fabrication of the anode catalyst layer (CL) to modify the CL properties. When comparing powdered ionomers to dispersed ionomers across various catalysts including cobalt oxide (Co 3 O 4 ), nickel−iron oxide (NiFe 2 O 4 ), and iridium oxide (IrO 2 ) the anode fabricated with powdered ionomers demonstrates improved performance in polarization curves, enhanced charge transfer kinetics, and reduced ohmic and transport losses, as evidenced by voltage breakdown and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy analyses. Optimal performance is achieved using a Co 3 O 4 catalyst with a 10 wt % powdered ionomer via the catalystcoated substrate method. Microscopy analyses reveal that electrodes formed with powdered ionomers during fabrication exhibit a more uniform catalyst and ionomer distribution, increased porosity with smaller pore areas, improved electronic conduction with less catalyst agglomeration isolated by a nonconductive ionomer, and enhanced interfacial contact with the membrane and transport layer. These findings highlight that ionomers in a powdered form can promote beneficial properties and are a promising approach to improving AEMWE efficiency.

08 HYDROGEN↗
DOE OSTI2023

An assessment of spall failure modes in laser powder bed fusion fabricated stainless steel 316L with low-volume intentional porosity

Here, this paper reports on spall failure and damage modes in Laser Powder Bed Fusion fabricated Stainless Steel 316L (SS316L) with intentional levels of low-volume (1–5 vol. %) porosity and pore sizes of 200, 350, and 500 μm. The fabricated specimens were subjected to uniaxial-strain plate-impact loading at ~4.5 GPa, to initiate incipient spall failure. Analysis of velocimetry profiles measured using multi-probe photon-Doppler velocimetry coupled with post-mortem analysis of soft-recovered samples reveals local suppression of spall failure (termed as spall-dominated) as a function of porosity, as the failure mechanism transitions from spall-centered tensile stress dominated to a pore-centered microstructure-dominated damage mode involving void/crack nucleation and growth at pre-existing pores. The critical porosity level where the suppression of spall failure is first observed, as well as the spall location, is dependent on both the volume fraction and the size of the initially fabricated pores. In samples of 500 μm pore size, the suppression of spall failure is observed with as little as 1 vol. % porosity, while samples with smaller pores (200 μm) still experience spall-centered tensile stress dominated failure with higher levels (5 vol. %) of porosity. In the case of pore-centered microstructure-dominated failure, spall damage can occur but the spall plane is shifted toward the rear free surface, or more generally in areas further away from the region with pores. Highly heterogeneous deformation twinning, shear banding, grain rotation, and cracking are observed in the vicinity of pre-existing pores and expected spall failure sites.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2020

Fabrication of Thin III-V Solar Cells on Ni Films using Electroless Ni Deposition

Thin solar cells are inherently fragile, and must be properly supported during fabrication, handling and use. Metal films can provide this support, but accomplishing this can be challenging. Here we describe a method for fabricating thin III-V solar cells on Ni films, using electroless deposition to deposit a thick (10-50 um) Ni film onto the bottom of an inverted III-V solar cell prior to substrate removal. Cells have been fabricated on both rigid and flexible supports with no loss of performance when compared to cells processed using standard inverted-cell processing.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2023

Fabrication-conscious neural network based inverse design of single-material variable-index multilayer films

Multilayer films with continuously varying indices for each layer have attracted great deal of attention due to their superior optical, mechanical, and thermal properties. However, difficulties in fabrication have limited their application and study in scientific literature compared to multilayer films with fixed index layers. In this work we propose a neural network based inverse design technique enabled by a differentiable analytical solver for realistic design and fabrication of single material variable-index multilayer films. This approach generates multilayer films with excellent performance under ideal conditions. We furthermore address the issue of how to translate these ideal designs into practical useful devices which will naturally suffer from growth imperfections. By integrating simulated systematic and random errors just as a deposition tool would into the optimization process, we demonstrated that the same neural network that produced the ideal device can be retrained to produce designs compensating for systematic deposition errors. Furthermore, the proposed approach corrects for systematic errors even in the presence of random fabrication imperfections. The results outlined in this paper provide a practical and experimentally viable approach for the design of single material multilayer film stacks for an extremely wide variety of practical applications with high performance.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2023

Advanced Fuel Cycle Cost Basis Report: Module D1-1: Uranium-based Ceramic LWR Fuel Fabrication (Rev.2)

Cost module on LWR fuel fabrication to accompany the Advanced Fuel Cycle Cost Basis Report. In this update, we are adding detailed life cycle cost data and a calculated, levelized fabrication cost derived from a non-proprietary bottom-up estimate prepared in 1978 by Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) (Judkins and Olsen 1978a). In 2018, the 1978 ORNL estimate was escalated by SA&I authors to 2017 USD using factors that represent inflation, escalation above inflation typical of nuclear projects, and the effects of more stringent safety and environmental regulations. In this FY-21 document, the $/kgU results in 2017 USD from the unpublished 2018 interim study (Williams and Ganda 2018) can be escalated to 2020 USD using a factor of 1.052. The literature-based unit cost (or price) data from previous (2004–2017) AFC-CBRs are escalated to 2020 USD using factors from Chapter 8 of the main FY-21 AFC-CBR document. This data, in addition to the results of the updated bottom-up estimate, are used to define the “what-it-takes” (WIT) range for the unit fabrication costs for conventional ceramic UOX light-water reactor (LWR) fuel. This FY-23 document also includes calculated unit costs for accident-tolerant LWR fuels (ATFs) of three different types. Some of these fuels constitute a ceramic pelletized form with fuel meat uranium compounds other than UO2 (a.k.a.,. UOX), thus the change in the title of this module in which the word “UO2” is changed to “Uranium-based Ceramic.”

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
DOE OSTI2026

MARVEL Lessons Learned – 2026 Edition Fabrication, Fuel Procurement, Quality Assurance, and Safety Basis

The Microreactor Applications Research Validation and Evaluation (MARVEL) project is intended to be among the first U.S. advanced reactor demonstrations in four decades. By virtue of being sponsored directly by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), the reactor is expected to benefit the broader nuclear community by exercising design processes, safety reviews, and supply chains. This project is committed to publicly documenting key lessons learned along the way toward demonstration. Building on a 2025 report that focused on lessons learned from guard vessel fabrication and Primary Coolant Apparatus Test (PCAT) testing (Abou-Jaoude et al. 2025), this 2026 edition captures findings spanning structural fabrication, quality assurance (QA), reactivity control system (RCS) assembly, fuel fabrication and shipment, safety basis development, balance-of-plant design, and overall reactor design.

21 - SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLAN↗
DOE OSTI2022

A Reactive Inkjet Printing Process for Fabricating Biodegradable Conductive Zinc Structures

A novel reactive inkjet printing (RIJ) process for fabricating environmentally benign, conductive zinc structures on biodegradable substrates is reported. A precursor consisting of oxidized zinc microparticles is formulated into a viscous ink for high‐resolution, high‐repeatability screen printing. A single RIJ process is performed to selectively dispense an acid‐based oxide etching agent onto the screen‐printed zinc ink to significantly improve its electrical conductivity, up to 4 × 10 4 S m −1 . The RIJ process enables precise control of the amount of deposited etching agent, allowing control of conductivity and avoiding damage caused by excessive acid exposure. The RIJ process deposits the etching agent selectively on the screen‐printed, water‐soluble zinc patterns, thus preserving the print fidelity by avoiding ink smearing that can occur when using a blanket treatment such as submersion. A printed biodegradable antenna with a minimum feature size of 500 μm for use with a batteryless radio frequency identification (RFID) chip is fabricated as demonstration. Due to the higher ink conductivity and improved pattern fidelity, the antenna fabricated by the RIJ process shows a ≈2.2× increase in reading distance compared with a similar antenna that is screen printed and activated using a drop‐casting process.

Sui, Yongkun↗
DOE OSTI2021

A Fabrication Strategy for Reconfigurable Millimeter–Scale Metamaterials

Rather than depending on material composition to primarily dictate performance metrics, metamaterials can leverage geometry to achieve specific properties of interest. For example, reconfigurable metamaterials have enabled programmable shape transformations, tunable mechanical properties, and energy absorption. While several methods exist to fabricate such structures, they often place severe restrictions on manufacturing materials, or require significant manual assembly. Moreover, these arrays are typically composed of unit cells that are either macro–scale or micro–scale in dimension. Here, the fabrication gap is bridged, and laminate manufacturing is used to develop a method for designing reconfigurable metamaterials at the millimeter–scale, that is compatible with a wide range of materials, and that requires minimal manual assembly. In addition to showing the versatility of this fabrication method, how the use of laminate manufacturing affects the behavior of these multi–component arrays is also characterized. To this end, a numerical model that captures the deformations exhibited by the structures is developed, and an analytic model that predicts the strain of the structure under compressive stress is built. Overall, this approach can be leveraged to develop millimeter–scale metamaterials for applications that require reconfigurable materials, such as in the design of tunable acoustics, photonic waveguides, and electromagnetic devices.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2023

Photo-Curing 3D Printing of Thermosetting Sacrificial Tooling for Fabricating Fiber-Reinforced Hollow Composites

Carbon fiber-reinforced hollow composites play a vital role in lightweighting modern cars and aircrafts. Fabrication of such hollow composites with seamless internal finish requires sacrificial tooling that can be used under pressure and high temperature. For the very first time, high performance sacrificial tooling that can be used to fabricate fiber-reinforced hollow composites is produced using photocuring 3D printing technology. This is achieved by developing UV-curable resins containing highly soluble yet hydrolysable acetal acrylate cross-linker and hydrophilic 4-acryloylmorpholine monomer. It is found that the cross-linker content greatly affects the printing speed. Further, the widely adopted UV post-curing method is found to have negligible impact on improving the thermal-mechanical properties of printed structures. Additionally, after thermal post-treatment, printed sacrificial tooling exhibits a heat deflection temperature of 112 °C at 0.455 MPa and an average coefficient of linear thermal expansion of 59 ppm °C -1 between 30 and 100 °C. As a result, printed tooling enables fabrication of carbon fiber-reinforced hollow composites with complex geometry, which shows a tensile strength of 802 MPa and an elastic modulus of 50.2 GPa.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2020

Photonic devices fabricated from (111)‐oriented single crystal diamond

Abstract Diamond is a material of choice in the pursuit of integrated quantum photonic technologies. So far, the majority of photonic devices fabricated from diamond are made from (100)‐oriented crystals. In this work, we demonstrate a methodology for the fabrication of optically active membranes from (111)‐oriented diamond. We use a liftoff technique to generate membranes, followed by chemical vapor deposition of diamond in the presence of silicon to generate homogenous silicon vacancy color centers with emission properties that are superior to those in (100)‐oriented diamond. We further use the diamond membranes to fabricate microring resonators with quality factors exceeding ~ 3000. Supported by finite‐difference time‐domain calculations, we discuss the advantages of (111)‐oriented structures as building blocks for quantum nanophotonic devices. image

Regan, Blake↗