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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 127 records · Page 7
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1990

Chemical reaction of atomic oxygen with evaporated films of copper, part 4

Evaporated copper films were exposed to an atomic oxygen flux of 1.4 x 10(exp 17) atoms/sq cm per sec at temperatures in the range 285 to 375 F (140 to 191 C) for time intervals between 2 and 50 minutes. Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy (RBS) was used to determine the thickness of the oxide layers formed and the ratio of the number of copper to oxygen atoms in the layers. Oxide film thicknesses ranged from 50 to 3000 A (0.005 to 0.3 microns, or equivalently, 5 x 10(exp -9) to 3 x 10(exp -7); it was determined that the primary oxide phase was Cu2O. The growth law was found to be parabolic (L(t) varies as t(exp 1/2)), in which the oxide thickness L(t) increases as the square root of the exposure time t. The analysis of the data is consistent with either of the two parabolic growth laws. (The thin-film parabolic growth law is based on the assumption that the process is diffusion controlled, with the space charge within the growing oxide layer being negligible. The thick-film parabolic growth law is also based on a diffusion controlled process, but space-charge neutrality prevails locally within very thick oxides.) In the absence of a voltage measurement across the growing oxide, a distinction between the two mechanisms cannot be made, nor can growth by the diffusion of neutral atomic oxygen be entirely ruled out. The activation energy for the reaction is on the order of 1.1 eV (1.76 x 10(exp -19) joule, or equivalently, 25.3 kcal/mole).

Fromhold, A. T.↗
NASA NTRS1972

Reflectance of evaporated rhenium and tungsten films in the vacuum ultraviolet from 300 to 2000 A.

Discussion of the dependence of the reflectance of Re and W on the substrate temperature during deposition, film thickness, and aging during exposure to air. Re and W of 99.99% purity were evaporated with a 6-kW fine-focused electron gun and deposited on glass and fused quartz plates of various temperatures ranging from 40 to 500 C. With Re, films of highest reflectance were obtained by evaporation onto unheated substrates, whereas with W, heating of the substrate greatly increased the reflectance of the deposited films. For both metals, the reflectance losses during extended exposure to air remained rather small, indicating that the oxide films formed on both film materials at room temperature were very thin.

Cox, J. T.↗
NASA NTRS1979

The effect of surface oxide layer on the rate of hydrogen emission from aluminum and its alloys in a high vacuum

The influence of surface oxide layers on the kinetics of hydrogen emission at the high vacuum of 10 to the minus 8th power torr was investigated at temperatures from 20 to 450 C using samples of pure AB00 aluminum and the cast alloy AMg. Cast and deformed samples of AMts alloy were used to study the effect of oxide film thickness on the rate of hydrogen emission. Thermodynamic calculations of the reactions of the generation and dissociation of aluminum oxide show that degasification at elevated temperatures (up to 600 C) and high vacuum will not reduce the thickness of artificially-generated surface oxide layers on aluminum and its alloys.

Makarova, V. I.↗
NASA NTRS2007

Optically Transparent Split-Ring Antennas for 1 to 10 GHz

Split-ring antennas made from optically transparent, electrically conductive films have been invented for applications in which there are requirements for compact antennas capable of operation over much or all of the frequency band from 1 to 10 GHz. Primary examples of such applications include wireless local-area networks and industrial, scientific, and medical (ISM) applications. These antennas can be conveniently located on such surfaces as those of automobile windows and display screens of diverse hand-held electronic units. They are fabricated by conventional printed-circuit techniques and can easily be integrated with solid-state amplifier circuits to enhance gain. The structure of an antenna of this type includes an antenna/feed layer supported on the top or outer face of a dielectric (e.g., glass) and, optionally, a ground layer on the bottom or inner face of the substrate. The ring can be in the form of either a conductive strip or a slot in the antenna/feed layer. The ring can be of rectangular, square, circular, elliptical, or other suitable shape and can be excited by means of a microstrip, slot line, or coplanar waveguide. For example, the antenna shown in the figure features a square conductive-strip split ring with a microstrip feed. In general, an antenna fed at its external boundary in the manner of this invention presents very high impedance, thereby creating an impedance-matching problem. Splitting the ring . that is, cutting a notch through the ring . offers a solution to the problem in that the notch fixes the location of maximum electric field, which location is directly related to the impedance. Thus, an excellent impedance match can be achieved through proper choice of the location of the notch. In geometric layout, such a ring antenna structure is typically between 1.4 and 1.3 the size of a patch antenna capable of operating in the same frequency range. This miniaturization of the antenna is desirable, not only because it contributes to overall miniaturization of equipment, but also because minimization of the extent of the optically transparent, electrically conductive film helps to minimize the electrical loss associated with the surface resistance ( 5 ohms per square) of the transparent, electrically conductive film material. Incidentally, even at 5 ohms per square, this surface resistance is significantly less than that of indium tin oxide film (typically > 25 ohms per square), which, heretofore has been the transparent, electrically conductive film material of choice. At the time of writing this article, information on the composition of the lower-resistance film used in the antennas of this invention was not available.

Lee, Richard Q.↗
NASA NTRS1956

Friction, Wear, and Surface Damage of Metals as Affected by Solid Surface Films

As predicted by friction theory, experiments showed that friction and surface damage of metals can be reduced by solid surface films. The ability of materials to form surface films that prevent welding was a very important factor in wear of dry and boundary lubricated surfaces. Films of graphitic carbon on cast irons, nio on nickel alloys, and feo and fe sub 3 o sub 4 on ferrous materials were found to be beneficial. Abrasive films such as fe sub 2 o sub 3 or moo sub 3 were definitely detrimental. It appears that the importance of oxide films to friction and wear processes has not been fully appreciated.

Bisson, Edmond E↗
NASA NTRS2019

Applications of Atomic Layer Deposition in the Modification of Carbon Nanotubes

Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD) is a cost-effective nanoadditive-manufacturing technique that allows for conformal coating of substrates with atomic control in a benign temperature and pressure environment. Using paired precursor gases, thin films can be deposited on flat or textured surfaces ranging from glass, polymers, aerogels, and metals. Through atomic layer control, where single layers of atoms are deposited, fabrication of metal transparent films, nano-laminates, and coatings of nano-channels and pores is achievable. Reaction mechanisms in ALD are normally self-limiting, allowing for atomically accurate control of nanometer (nm) thicknesses. Therefore, high uniformity and precise thickness control make ALD an attractive process for the creation of novel nano-scale devices. Decreases in resistivity and density of electrical wire are needed to improve the function of electronics, electric motors and cables. Such improvements may be accomplished by adding ballistically conducting, metallic carbon nanotubes (CNT) to Cu. ALD was used to coat multiple substrates including CNT with Cu in an effort to make CNT-Cu composites which is more conductive and less dense than Cu. In addition, ALD can be used to as a method to deposit the catalyst layer seed layer for CNT growth using Ni. The ALD of copper metallic films can follow multiple reaction pathways depending on the ALD precursors used. For this work the reaction pathway was deposition of copper oxide and then post process annealing in a hydrogen environment. Copper(II) diacetylacetonate (Cu(acac)2) and ozone are used as precursors for copper oxide. As-deposited copper oxide films prepared at 180°C resulted in a growth per cycle of 1.0 A/cycle with low film resistivity.

Dwivedi, Vivek H.↗
NASA NTRS2017

Corrosion on Mars: An Investigation of Corrosion Mechanisms Under Relevant Simulated Martian Environments

This one-year project was selected by NASA's Science Innovation Fund in FY17 to address Corrosion on Mars which is a problem that has not been addressed before. Corrosion resistance is one of the most important properties in selecting materials for landed spacecraft and structures that will support surface operations for the human exploration of Mars. Currently, the selection of materials is done by assuming that the corrosion behavior of a material on Mars will be the same as that on Earth. This is understandable given that there is no data regarding the corrosion resistance of materials in the Mars environment. However, given that corrosion is defined as the degradation of a metal that results from its chemical interaction with the environment, it cannot be assumed that corrosion is going to be the same in both environments since they are significantly different. The goal of this research is to develop a systematic approach to understand corrosion of spacecraft materials on Mars by conducting a literature search of available data, relevant to corrosion in the Mars environment, and by performing preliminary laboratory experiments under relevant simulated Martian conditions. This project was motivated by the newly found evidence for the presence of transient liquid brines on Mars that coincided with the suggestion, by a team of researchers, that some of the structural degradation observed on Curiosity's wheels may be caused by corrosive interactions with the brines, while the most significant damage was attributed to rock scratching. An extensive literature search on data relevant to Mars corrosion confirmed the need for further investigation of the interaction between materials used for spacecraft and structures designed to support long-term surface operations on Mars. Simple preliminary experiments, designed to look at the interaction between an aerospace aluminum alloy (AA7075-T73) and the gases present in the Mars atmosphere, at 20degC and a pressure of 700 Pa, showed that there is an interaction between the small amount of oxygen present in the Mars gas and the alloy when there is a scratch that removes the protective aluminum oxide film. Further studies are needed to consider many other important components of the Mars environment that can affect this interaction such as: the effect of oxidants, the effect of radiation on their oxidizing properties and the possible catalytic effects of the clays present in the Martian regolith. The results of this one-year project provide strong justification for further investigation of the corrosion mechanism of materials relevant to long-term surface operations in support of future human exploration missions on Mars.

Perchlorates↗
NASA NTRS1992

The interaction of atomic oxygen with thin copper films

A source of thermal, ground-state atomic oxygen has been used to expose thin copper films at a flux of 1.4 x 10 exp 17 atoms/sq cm s for times up to 50 min for each of five temperatures between 140 and 200 C. Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy was used to characterize the oxide formed during exposure. The observations are consistent with the oxide phase Cu2O. The time dependence and the temperature dependence of the oxide layer thickness can be described using oxide film growth theory based on rate limitation by diffusion. Within the time and temperature ranges of this study, the growth of the oxide layers is well described by the equation L(T,t) = 3.6 x 10 to 8th exp(- 1.1/2k sub B T)t exp 1/2, where L,T, and t are measured in angstroms, degrees Kelvin, and minutes, respectively. The deduced activation energy is 1.10 +/- 0.15 eV, with the attendant oxidation rate being greater than that for the corresponding reaction in molecular oxygen.

Gibson, B. C.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Effects of microstructure and nonstoichiometry on electrical properties of vanadium dioxide films

Voided growth structures of sputter-deposited films affect strongly their optical and electrical properties. Vanadium dioxide is an interesting material to study effects of film microstructure and nonstoichiometry on electrical properties because its phase transition makes it possible to investigate electrical behavior both in a semiconducting phase and in a metallic phase. Vanadium oxide films were deposited with different vanadium oxygen ratios for substrate temperatures between 250 and 550 C by dc reactive magnetron sputtering. The resistivity ratios between a semiconducting phase and a metallic phase are limited to 1000 order by voided boundaries and oxygen vacancies. The voided boundaries are defined by columnar structure and agglomerated grain growth. The results emphasize the necessity of a combination of deposition to obtain the film with a favorable structure and postdeposition annealing to control the film stoichiometry.

Kusano, Eiji↗
NASA NTRS1992

Environmental effects on friction and wear of diamond and diamondlike carbon coatings

Reciprocating sliding friction experiments were conducted with a natural diamond flat, diamond film, and low and high density diamondlike carbon (DLC) films in contact with pin specimens of natural diamond and silicon nitride (Si3N4) both in humid air and dry air nitrogen. The results indicated that for natural diamond pin contacts the diamond films and the natural diamond flat were not susceptible to moisture but that moisture could increase both the coefficient of friction and the wear factors of the DLC films. The coefficients of friction and wear factors of the diamond films were generally similar to those of the natural diamond flat both in humid air and dry air nitrogen. In dry nitrogen the coefficients of friction of the high density DLC films in contact with pin specimens of both diamond and Si3N4 were generally low (about 0.02) and similar to those of the natural diamond flat and the diamond films. The wear factors of the materials in contact with both natural diamond and Si3N4 were generally in the ascending order of natural diamond flat, diamond film, high density DLC film, and low density DLC film. The moisture in the environment increased the coefficients of friction for Si3N4 pins in contact with all the materials. This increase in friction is due to the silicon oxide film produced on the surface of Si3N4 pins in humid air.

Miyoshi, Kazuhisa↗
NASA NTRS1958

Experimental Behavior of Pentaborane-Air Combustion Products During Expansion in a Convergent Divergent Nozzle

In order to evaluate the post combustion behavior of boric oxide, pentaborane-air mixtures, burned to completion at a combustor pressure of 3 atmospheres, were expanded through a 7.1-inch-long convergent-divergent nozzle having a 4-inch-diameter throat and an exit-to-throat area ratio of 1.68. The experimentally determined thrust performance was in good agreement with the ideal equilibrium performance at stagnation temperatures of 3300 deg R and lower. The boric oxide vapor at the combustor exit required about 400 F deg supercooling before any condensed phase was observed. For a given thrust, fuel consumption was as much as 20 percent greater than predicted from vapor-pressure data for combustor outlet temperatures i n the vicinity of 3600 deg R. A similar result could be expected in full-scale engines, since the test combustor provided an unusually long dwell time and a highly turbulent environment. During the expansion process, the vapor (when present) did not condense to the extent predicted for an equilibrium expansion process. Moreover, condensation was observed only i n the form of small, abrupt phase changes i n the subsonic flow near the throat. Friction, due to liquid boric oxide films on the nozzle surfaces, was negligible when the surface temperature was above 800 F.

PENTABORANE↗
NASA NTRS1989

The effects of surface films on mechanical behavior of B2 ordered intermetallic alloys

Surface films deposited on body-centered cubic metals can greatly reduce the yield and flow stresses and increase the ductility at low homologous temperatures. This softening process is associated with the ability of the film-substrate interface to generate large populations of mobile edge dislocations. This phenomenon is extended to B2 ordered intermetallic alloys, which display many deformation characteristics of bcc metals. Single crystal NiAl coated with thermally formed oxide films and polycrystalline FeAl with electrochemically formed Fe-Al-O films display film softening at and below room temperature. The extent of film softening is shown to depend on many factors, including crystal orientation, deformation temperature, operative slip systems, film thickness, film adherence, and film and substrate properties.

Noebe, R. D.↗
NASA NTRS1998

Fundamentals of Passive Oxidation In SiC and Si3N4

The very slow oxidation kinetics of silicon carbide and silicon nitride, which derive from their adherent and passivating oxide films, has been explored at length in a broad series of studies utilizing thermogravimetric analysis, electron and optical micrography, energy dispersive spectrometry, x-ray diffractometry, micro-analytical depth profiling, etc. Some interesting microstructural phenomena accompanying the process of oxidation in the two materials will be presented. In Si3N4 the oxide is stratified, with an SiO2 topscale (which is relatively impervious to O2)underlain by a coherent subscale of silicon oxynitride which is even less permeable to O2- Such "defence in depth" endows Si3N4 with what is perhaps the highest oxidation resistance of any material, and results in a unique set of oxidation processes. In SiC the oxidation reactions are much simpler, yet new issues still emerge; for instance, studies involving controlled devitrification of the amorphous silica scale confirmed that the oxidation rate of SiC drops by more than an order of magnitude when the oxide scale fully crystallizes.

Thomas-Ogbuji, Linus U.↗
NASA NTRS1983

Method of forming oxide coatings

This invention is concerned with an improved plating process for covering a substrate with a black metal oxide film. The invention is particularly directed to making a heating panel for a solar collector. A compound is electrodeposited from an aqueous solution containing cobalt metal salts onto a metal substrate. This compound is converted during plating into a black, highly absorbing oxide coating which contains hydrated oxides. This is achieved by the inclusion of an oxidizing agent in the plating bath. The inclusion of an oxidizing agent in the plating bath is contrary to standard electroplating practice. The hydrated oxides are converted to oxides by treatment in a hot bath, such as boiling water. An oxidizing agent may be added to the hot liquid treating bath.

Mcdonald, G. E.↗
NASA NTRS1980

Occurrence of cohesion of metals during combined plastic deformation

Experiments were conducted to study the cohesion of metals with surface films of varying thickness and hardness. It was established that the deformation necessary for the occurrence of cohesion is determined by the correlation of mechanical properties of the films and the base metal. The greater the relative hardness of the film the lower the deformation necessary for the occurrence of cohesion. The films are as plastic as the base metal prevent cohesion, since in this case it is impossible for sections of metal to appear that are free of contaminants. The physical perculiarities of metals that determine their capability for coalescence under conditions of dry friction are the relative hardness and plasticity of the oxide films formed on their surface under atmospheric conditions.

Aynbinder, S. G.↗
NASA NTRS1982

Gas-phase hydrogen permeation through alpha-titanium - Surface film and dimensional effects

The process of hydrogen transport through alpha-Ti involves simultaneous diffusion and phase boundary reactions at both surfaces, with the relative effect on each surface depending on the extent of surface contamination as well as the physical dimensions of the titanium membrane used. It is shown by the present study that hydrogen permeation in commercially pure alpha-Ti increases exponentially with temperature and is dependent on the first power of the input pressure, whether the surface is as-polished, preoxidized or prenitrided. Permeation decreases in the case of the as-polished condition if nitride or oxide films are formed at the surface in contact with source hydrogen, while increasing slightly for the same condition if such films are formed at the hydrogen exit surface.

Shah, K. K.↗
NASA NTRS1989

CCD imaging sensors

A method for promoting quantum efficiency (QE) of a CCD imaging sensor for UV, far UV and low energy x-ray wavelengths by overthinning the back side beyond the interface between the substrate and the photosensitive semiconductor material, and flooding the back side with UV prior to using the sensor for imaging. This UV flooding promotes an accumulation layer of positive states in the oxide film over the thinned sensor to greatly increase QE for either frontside or backside illumination. A permanent or semipermanent image (analog information) may be stored in a frontside SiO.sub.2 layer over the photosensitive semiconductor material using implanted ions for a permanent storage and intense photon radiation for a semipermanent storage. To read out this stored information, the gate potential of the CCD is biased more negative than that used for normal imaging, and excess charge current thus produced through the oxide is integrated in the pixel wells for subsequent readout by charge transfer from well to well in the usual manner.

Janesick, James R.↗