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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 1,099 records · Page 61
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2017

Understanding the effects of cationic dopants on α-MnO 2 oxygen reduction reaction electrocatalysis

Nickel-doped α-MnO 2 nanowires (Ni–α-MnO 2 ) were prepared with 3.4% or 4.9% Ni using a hydrothermal method. A comparison of the electrocatalytic data for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in alkaline electrolyte versus that obtained with α-MnO 2 or Cu–α-MnO 2 is provided. In general, Ni-α-MnO 2 (e.g., Ni-4.9%) had higher n values (n = 3.6), faster kinetics (k = 0.015 cm s –1 ), and lower charge transfer resistance (R CT = 2264 Ω at half-wave) values than MnO 2 (n = 3.0, k = 0.006 cm s –1 , R CT = 6104 Ω at half-wave) or Cu–α-MnO 2 (Cu-2.9%, n = 3.5, k = 0.015 cm s –1 , R CT = 3412 Ω at half-wave), and the overall activity for Ni–α-MnO 2 trended with increasing Ni content, i.e., Ni-4.9% > Ni-3.4%. As observed for Cu–α-MnO 2 , the increase in ORR activity correlates with the amount of Mn 3+ at the surface of the Ni–α-MnO 2 nanowire. Examining the activity for both Ni–α-MnO 2 and Cu–α-MnO 2 materials indicates that the Mn 3+ at the surface of the electrocatalysts dictates the activity trends within the overall series. Single nanowire resistance measurements conducted on 47 nanowire devices (15 of α-MnO 2 , 16 of Cu–α-MnO 2 -2.9%, and 16 of Ni–α-MnO 2 -4.9%) demonstrated that Cu-doping leads to a slightly lower resistance value than Ni-doping, although both were considerably improved relative to the undoped α-MnO 2 . As a result, the data also suggest that the ORR charge transfer resistance value, as determined by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, is a better indicator of the cation-doping effect on ORR catalysis than the electrical resistance of the nanowire.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2021

Approaching disorder-tolerant semiconducting polymers

Doping has been widely used to control the charge carrier concentration in organic semiconductors. However, in conjugated polymers, n-doping is often limited by the tradeoff between doping efficiency and charge carrier mobilities, since dopants often randomly distribute within polymers, leading to significant structural and energetic disorder. Here, we screen a large number of polymer building block combinations and explore the possibility of designing n-type conjugated polymers with good tolerance to dopant-induced disorder. We show that a carefully designed conjugated polymer with a single dominant planar backbone conformation, high torsional barrier at each dihedral angle, and zigzag backbone curvature is highly dopable and can tolerate dopant-induced disorder. With these features, the designed diketopyrrolopyrrole (DPP)-based polymer can be efficiently n-doped and exhibit high n-type electrical conductivities over 120 S cm -1 , much higher than the reference polymers with similar chemical structures. This work provides a polymer design concept for highly dopable and highly conductive polymeric semiconductors.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2019

Tungsten oxide nanostructures and nanocomposites for photoelectrochemical water splitting

Hydrogen production from photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting using semiconductor photocatalysts has attracted great attention to realize clean and renewable energy from solar energy. The visible light response of WO 3 with a long hole diffusion length (~150 nm) and good electron mobility (~12 cm 2 V –1 s –1 ) makes it suitable as the photoanode. Yet, WO 3 suffers from issues including rapid recombination of photoexcited electron–hole pairs, photo-corrosion during the photocatalytic process due to the formation of peroxo-species, sluggish kinetics of photogenerated holes, and slow charge transfer at the semiconductor/electrolyte interface. Our report highlights the approaches to overcome these drawbacks of WO 3 photoanodes, including: (i) the manipulation of nanostructured WO 3 photoanodes to decrease the nanoparticle size to promote hole migration to the WO 3 /electrolyte interface which benefits the charge separation; (ii) doping or introducing oxygen vacancies to improve electrical conductivity; exposing high energy crystal surfaces to promote the consumption of photogenerated holes on the high-active crystal face, thereby suppressing the recombination of photogenerated electrons and holes; (iii) decorating with co-catalysts to reduce the overpotential which inhibits the formation of peroxo-species; (iv) other methods such as coupling with narrow band semiconductors to accelerate the charge separation and controlling the crystal phase via annealing to reduce defects. These methods are reviewed with detailed examples.

08 HYDROGEN↗
DOE OSTI2023

Spin and orbital metallic magnetism in rhombohedral trilayer graphene

We provide a theoretical interpretation of the metallic broken spin-valley (flavor) symmetry states recently discovered in hole-doped rhombohedral trilayer (ABC) graphene in large electric displacement fields. Our conclusions about the phase diagram and phase transitions combine insights from ABC graphene electronic structure models and mean-field theory, and are guided by the precise magneto-oscillation Fermi-surface-area measurements of recent experiments. We find that the principle of momentum-space condensation plays a key role in determining Fermi-surface reconstructions enabled by broken flavor symmetries when the single-particle bands imply thin annular Fermi seas. The reconstructed Fermi sea consists of one large outer Fermi-surface-enclosed majority-flavor states in reciprocal-space area A maj and one or more small inner holelike Fermi-surface-enclosed minority-flavor states in A min that are primarily responsible for nematic order. The competing ground states (valley-Ising, valley-XY, and spin-polarized state) have different A maj /A min and exchange energy maximizes this ratio and selects valley-XY nematic metal as the lowest-energy state. Here, we discuss how the nematic pockets explain the observed fractionalization of quantum oscillation frequencies, and propose anisotropic transport and the nonlinear Hall effect as additional observables.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2020

Phase diagram of infinite layer praseodymium nickelate Pr 1– x Sr x NiO 2 thin films

In this paper, we report the phase diagram of infinite layer Pr 1-x Sr x NiO 2 thin films synthesized via topotactic reduction from the perovskite precursor phase using CaH 2 . Based on the electrical transport properties, we find a doping-dependent superconducting dome extending between x = 0.12 and 0.28, with a maximum superconducting transition temperature T c of 14 K at x = 0.18, bounded by weakly insulating behavior on both sides. In contrast to the narrower dome observed in Nd 1–x Sr x NiO 2 , a local T c suppression near x = 0.2 was not observed for the Pr 1-x Sr x NiO 2 system. Normal state Hall effect measurements indicate mixed carrier contributions of both electrons and holes, and show a sign change in the Hall coefficient as functions of temperature and x, quite similar to that in Nd 1-x Sr x NiO 2 . Also similar is the observation of a minimum in the normal state resistivity associated with the superconducting compositions. These findings indicate an infinite layer nickelate phase diagram that is relatively insensitive to the rare-earth element, but suggest that disorder arising from the variations of the ionic radii on the rare-earth site affects the superconducting dome.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2016

High Powered Tests of Dielectric Loaded High Pressure RF Cavities for Use in Muon Cooling Channels

Bright muon sources require six dimensional cooling to achieve acceptable luminosities. Ionization cooling is the only known method able to do so within the muon lifetime. One proposed cooling channel, the Helical Cooling Channel, utilizes gas filled radio frequency cavities to both mitigate RF breakdown in the presence of strong, external magnetic fields, and provide the cooling medium. Engineering constraints on the diameter of the magnets within which these cavities operate dictate the radius of the cavities be decreased at their nominal operating frequency. To accomplish this, one may load the cavities with a larger dielectric material. Alumina of purities ranging from 96 to 99.8% was tested in a high pressure RF test cell at the MuCool Test Area at Fermilab. The results of breakdown studies with pure nitrogen gas, and oxygen-doped nitrogen gas indicate the peak surface electric field on the alumina ranges between 10 and 15 MV/m. How these results affect the design of a prototype cooling channel cavity will be discussed.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗
NASA NTRS1971

Photoemf in cadmium sulfide

Theoretical and experimental investigations on CdS single crystals and CuxS:CdS photovoltaic cells prepared from CdS single crystals by a chemical-dip procedure are described. The studies are aimed at clarifying cell mechanisms which affect key cell properties (efficiency, reliability, and lifetime) by examining the properties of intrinsic and extrinsic defects in the junction and surface regions and their effects on carrier transport through these regions. The experimental research described includes studies of thermal, infrared, and field quenching of acceptor-doped CdS crystals; investigation of optical and electrical properties of CuxS:CdS photovoltaic cells (current-voltage characteristics, spectral distribution of photocurrent and photovoltage) and the dependence of these properties on temperature and light intensity; measurement of changes, as a result of heat treatment in ultrahigh vacuum, in the spectral distribution of photoconductivity at room temperature and liquid nitrogen temperature, the luminescence spectrum at liquid nitrogen temperature, and the thermally stimulated current curves of CdS crystals; determination of the effect of irradiation with 150 keV (maximum) X-rays on the spectral distribution of photoconductivity and thermally-stimulated current of CdS crystals; and studies of the effect of growth conditions on the photoconductive properties of CdS crystals.

Boeer, K. W.↗
DOE OSTI2022

Atomic-scale 3D imaging of individual dopant atoms in an oxide semiconductor

The physical properties of semiconductors are controlled by chemical doping. In oxide semiconductors, small variations in the density of dopant atoms can completely change the local electric and magnetic responses caused by their strongly correlated electrons. In lightly doped systems, however, such variations are difficult to determine as quantitative 3D imaging of individual dopant atoms is a major challenge. We apply atom probe tomography to resolve the atomic sites that donors occupy in the small band gap semiconductor Er(Mn,Ti)O 3 with a nominal Ti concentration of 0.04 at. %, map their 3D lattice positions, and quantify spatial variations. Our work enables atomic-level 3D studies of structure-property relations in lightly doped complex oxides, which is crucial to understand and control emergent dopant-driven quantum phenomena.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2022

Electrical Analysis of Pulsed Laser Annealed Poly-Si:Ga/SiOx Passivating Contacts

High-efficiency single crystalline silicon (c-Si) solar cells require precise control of dopant diffusion profiles and highly active doping concentrations through thermal annealing. Conventional furnace annealing has been successfully employed for dopant diffusion in aluminum back-surface field (Al-BSF), passivated emitter and rear contact (PERC), and Topcon cells. However, furnace annealing limits some next-generation polycrystalline silicon (poly-Si) on SiOx passivating contacts. This limitation largely affects p-type passivating contacts by not being able to: 1) control the dopant diffusion accurately to prevent B segregation at the SiOx and c-Si interface; and 2) provide highly activated doping concentrations for low contact resistivity. In this contribution, we use a nanosecond excimer laser to examine the passivation quality and electrical performance of both B- and Ga-doped poly-Si/SiOx passivating contacts. The core of this method is to take advantage of the nonequilibrium nature of the anneal through rapid melting and recrystallizing the poly-Si in a short timescale and to achieve doping concentrations above the solid solubility limit. Simulations were performed on polished surfaces to visualize the doping diffusion profiles under different laser conditions, and secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) was used to verify the experimental diffusion profiles post pulsed laser melting (PLM). The results show the dopant diffusion profiles can be tuned precisely through PLM. The electrical analysis using VdP-Hall measurements reveals that the active doping concentration reached 10^21 cm-3 for B and ~2×10^21 cm-3 for Ga in poly-Si, far exceeding their solid solubility limit in Si, with a nearly 100% dopant activation achieved for B, and 20% for Ga. This highly activated dopant profile results in a low contact resistivity of <15 mO·cm^2 for B-doped contacts and <40 mO·cm^2 for Ga-doped contacts. We demonstrate that the passivation quality of the laser annealed contacts shows a linear dependency with the laser energy density and the number of pulses. PLM was also performed on random pyramid textured samples, and we found that preferential melting exists for the tips of pyramids, which can be pursued further for selective pinhole opening. Additionally, we perform thermal stability tests of these hyperdoped passivating contacts and show that under certain laser conditions, the B-doped samples exhibit good thermal stability with near full activation for temperatures up to 800°C. Lastly, we transfer this technique to a larger area by overlapping laser spots and show uniform passivation quality and electrical performance. We are currently implementing this PLM annealed p-type passivating contacts into double-side back-junction poly-Si/SiOx passivating contact devices. Our results show that PLM can not only enable the next generation of high-efficiency c-Si photovoltaics technology but can also benefit the c-Si integrated circuit industry through hyperdoping other semiconductors with atoms that may otherwise have a low solubility.

doping diffusion profile↗
DOE OSTI2013

Femtosecond laser diagnostics of the built-in electric field across the p{sup +}-Si/SiO{sub 2} interface and its ultrafast shielding

Ultrafast shielding of the built-in electric field E{sub 0} across the p{sup +}-Si/SiO{sub 2} interface of boron doped Si upon near infrared femtosecond (fs) laser pulse irradiation (73 {+-} 5 fs, 35 GW/cm{sup 2}{<=} I{sub peak}{sup ({omega})} {<=} 115 GW/cm{sup 2}) is shown to be dominated by electron-hole (e-h) pairs generated via two-photon absorption (TPA), whereas contributions from one-photon absorption (OPA) appear negligible. E{sub 0} shows up in the instantaneous signal I{sup (2{omega})}(t Almost-Equal-To 0) Almost-Equal-To I{sup (2{omega})}(E{sub 0}) of the Electric Field Induced Second Harmonic (EFISH). Its power law is derived from the linear log I{sup (2{omega})}(E{sub 0}) vs. log (I{sub peak}{sup ({omega})}){sup n} plots of six fs laser wavelengths 741.2 nm {<=} {lambda} {<=} 801.0 nm for the first time. These reveal 1.2 {<=} n({lambda}) {<=} 2.1 with the minimum at {lambda} = 752.4 nm (2h{nu} = 3.3 eV) related to resonantly enhanced TPA. Shielding of E{sub 0} by e-h pairs from OPA cannot be detected by EFISH in the same fs laser pulse as their generation requires relatively slow electron-phonon coupling.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2025

Kelvin Probe Force Microscopy Imaging of Plasticity in Hydrogenated Perovskite Nickelate Multilevel Neuromorphic Devices

Ion drift in nanoscale electronically inhomogeneous semiconductors is among the most important mechanisms being studied for designing neuromorphic computing hardware. However, nondestructive imaging of the ion drift in operando devices directly responsible for multiresistance states and synaptic memory represents a formidable challenge. Here, we present Kelvin probe force microscopy imaging of hydrogen-doped perovskite nickelate device channels subject to high-speed electric field pulses to directly visualize proton distribution by monitoring surface potential changes spatially, which is also supported with finite element-based electric field distribution studies. First-principles calculations provide mechanistic insights into the origin of surface potential changes as a function of hydrogen donor doping that serves as the contrast mechanism. We demonstrate 128 (7-bit) nonvolatile conductance levels in such devices relevant to in-memory computing applications. The synaptic plasticity measurements are implemented in spiking neural networks and show promising results for classification (SciKit Learn’s Iris and Wine data sets) and control (OpenAI’s CartPole-v1 and BipedalWalker-v3) simulation tasks.

Kelvin probe force microscopy↗
DOE OSTI2022

Selective thermal neutron transmutation doping with Gd masks in GaN semiconductors

For the first time, selective neutron transmutation doping was successfully performed on GaN through Gd masks, showing the feasibility of patternable doping through neutron irradiations. In collaborating with Oak Ridge National Laboratory, GaN with Gd masks was irradiated by directional neutrons. By using the Gd properties with high neutron absorption cross-sections, it was confirmed that the area covered by Gd masks on GaN was completely shielded from neutrons, and the uncovered area was doped with the generated Ge and 14 C. Property differences were clearly identified in various ways when comparing the area exposed by neutrons and the area unexposed by neutrons. The discoloration by the ejected protons and elastic scattering of neutrons appeared only in the exposed area while the unexposed area remained the same as before irradiation. The aspect ratio of the patterned profile of GaN was estimated by comparing patterns on the front and backside. From energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy spectra and secondary ion mass spectrometry measurement, the concentration difference between Ge and 14 C as well as the exact concentration of produced 14 C was also checked. Further, Schottky barrier diodes on the selectively doped GaN were fabricated and investigated to study the electrical properties.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2014

Photovoltaic solar cell

A photovoltaic solar cell for generating electricity from sunlight is disclosed. The photovoltaic solar cell comprises a plurality of spaced-apart point contact junctions formed in a semiconductor body to receive the sunlight and generate the electricity therefrom, the plurality of spaced-apart point contact junctions having a first plurality of regions having a first doping type and a second plurality of regions having a second doping type. In addition, the photovoltaic solar cell comprises a first electrical contact electrically connected to each of the first plurality of regions and a second electrical contact electrically connected to each of the second plurality of regions, as well as a passivation layer covering major surfaces and sidewalls of the photovoltaic solar cell.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2011

The magnetic properties of Bi{sub 0.9}Ba{sub 0.1}Fe{sub 0.81}M{sub 0.09}Ti{sub 0.1}O{sub 3} solid solutions (M = Co, Mn, Sc, Al)

Graphical abstract: In Bi{sub 0.9}Ba{sub 0.1}Fe{sub 0.9}Ti{sub 0.1}O{sub 3} solid solution, both magnetic ions (Co{sup 3+}, Mn{sup 3+}) and nonmagnetic ions (Sc{sup 3+}, Al{sup 3+}) were chosen to partially replace Fe{sup 3+}. Their magnetic properties were carefully investigated. Figures show M-H loops at RT of Co{sup 3+} doped sample (left) and Sc{sup 3+} substituted solid solution (right). Highlights: {yields} The electrical resistivity of BiFeO{sub 3} is enhanced by forming solid solution with BaTiO{sub 3}. {yields} We replace Fe{sup 3+} by both magnetic ions Co{sup 3+}, Mn{sup 4+} and nonmagnetic ions Sc{sup 3+}, Al{sup 3+} to investigate the magnetic properties. {yields} Structure-magnetic property relationship has been established by Rietveld refinement. -- Abstract: Solid solutions with general formula Bi{sub 0.9}Ba{sub 0.1}Fe{sub 0.81}M{sub 0.09}Ti{sub 0.1}O{sub 3} (M = Co, Mn, Sc, Al) together with parental Bi{sub 0.9}Ba{sub 0.1}Fe{sub 0.9}Ti{sub 0.1}O{sub 3} were prepared by the traditional solid state reaction method. Their structural, room temperature magnetic, and dielectric properties were investigated. X-ray diffraction analysis indicated that all samples maintained original R3c space group. M-H hysteresis loop of Co{sup 3+} doped sample saturated at an applied field of 1 T with spontaneous magnetization of 1.735 emu/g, while Mn{sup 4+} substitution enhanced the magnetization of Bi{sub 0.9}Ba{sub 0.1}Fe{sub 0.9}Ti{sub 0.1}O{sub 3} less strongly; addition of Sc{sup 3+} helped decrease magnetic coercive field while Al{sup 3+} modified sample exhibited paramagnetic M-H hysteresis loop. Differential scanning calorimetry was applied to determine the Neel temperature (T{sub N}) and the T{sub N} for undoped, Co{sup 3+}, Mn{sup 4+}, Sc{sup 3+}, Al{sup 3+} doped solid solutions were 318.1, 324.3, 335.7, 293.9 and 295.8 respectively. Sc{sup 3+} substitution had little influence on the dielectric properties of Bi{sub 0.9}Ba{sub 0.1}Fe{sub 0.9}Ti{sub 0.1}O{sub 3} while Al{sup 3+} doping improved its dielectric constant. In contrast, Co{sup 3+}, Mn{sup 4+} doped samples showed decreased permittivity but inhibited tan {delta} at frequencies larger than 30 kHz.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2012

Thermoelectric properties of Bi{sub 2}Te{sub 3}, Sb{sub 2}Te{sub 3} and Bi{sub 2}Se{sub 3} single crystals with magnetic impurities

Temparature dependence of Seebeck coefficients S, electrical conductivity, heat conductivity k and dimensionless thermoelectric figure of merit ZT of p-Bi{sub 2}Te{sub 3}, Sb{sub 2}Te{sub 3} and n-Bi{sub 2}Se{sub 3}-doped by Fe or Cr were carried out in the temperature interval 7 150 K. - Graphical abstract: Temparature dependence of Seebeck coefficients S, electrical conductivity {sigma}, heat conductivity k and dimensionless thermoelectric figure of merit ZT of p-Bi{sub 2}Te{sub 3}, Sb{sub 2}Te{sub 3} and n-Bi{sub 2}Se{sub 3} doped by Fe or Cr were measured in the temperature interval 7 150 K up to ZT=0.4 as shown in figure. Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Fe and Cr act as donors in Bi{sub 2}Te{sub 3}, Sb{sub 2}Te{sub 3} and Bi{sub 2}Se{sub 3.} Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The Seebeck coefficient increases in p-Bi{sub 2-x}Fe{sub x}Te{sub 3} and Sb{sub 2-x}Cr{sub x}Te{sub 3}. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Dimensionless figure of merit ZT increased up to 0.4 in Cr-doped Sb{sub 2}Te{sub 3} at T=300 K.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2014

Strong electroluminescence from SiO{sub 2}-Tb{sub 2}O{sub 3}-Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} mixed layers fabricated by atomic layer deposition

We report on the bright green electroluminescence (EL) with power efficiencies up to 0.15% of SiO{sub 2}-Tb{sub 2}O{sub 3}-mixed layers fabricated by atomic layer deposition and partly co-doped with Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}. The electrical, EL, and breakdown behavior is investigated as a function of the Tb and the Al concentration. Special attention has been paid to the beneficial role of Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} co-doping which improves important device parameters. In detail, it increases the maximum EL power efficiency and EL decay time, it nearly doubles the fraction of excitable Tb{sup 3+} ions, it shifts the region of high EL power efficiencies to higher injection currents, and it reduces the EL quenching over the device lifetime by an approximate factor of two. It is assumed that the presence of Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} interferes the formation of Tb clusters and related defects. Therefore, the system SiO{sub 2}-Tb{sub 2}O{sub 3}-Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} represents a promising alternative for integrated, Si-based light emitters.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗