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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 1,279 records · Page 71
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2025

The effect of filament peaking on electron beam weld quality

Electron beam welding uses high intensity beams that are generated by an electron emitting cathode under high vacuum conditions. The cathode, typically a ribbon or wire filament of refractory metal, must be heated to sufficiently high temperatures for electron emission to occur and must be carefully controlled to produce the desired beam current while at the same time optimizing filament lifetime. Traditional methods for doing this in commonly used triode gun assemblies consist of first finding the filament knee point in the filament current versus beam current relationship that produces the desired beam current for a given beam voltage. The filament current is then increased by some amount, typically 5–10%, per conventional wisdom to produce a peaked beam. This investigation studies and quantifies the beam and weld quality produced by underkneed and overpeaked filaments using electron beam diagnostics to measure the power density distribution of these beams. Underkneed filaments are shown to have power densities that drop off very quickly below the traditional knee, resulting in poor weld penetration. Kneed filaments do not reach the full beam intensity and also produce shallow welds. Increasing the filament current 10% above the traditional knee was shown to produce a circular Gaussian-like beam with peaked intensity optimized for welding and for filament lifetime. Further increases in the filament current that produce overpeaked beams do not significantly change the beam or weld quality and would only contribute to a reduced filament lifetime.

Electron Beam Welding↗
DOE OSTI2016

Transformation-induced plasticity in bulk metallic glass composites evidenced by in-situ neutron diffraction

Transformation-induced plasticity in a strain-softening amorphous matrix consisting of austenite B2 phase was studied by in-situ neutron diffraction, coupled with molecular dynamic simulation. It was found that the martensitic transformation from B2 to B19' upon loading commenced at the macroscopic yielding which increased with the decrease of the fraction of the parent austenite B2 phase, and the threshold lattice strain for the martensitic transformation is almost the same in different samples, suggesting that the martensitic transformation in the current glassy matrix is strain-controlled. Analysis of load partition and strain accommodation unveiled that B2 has elastic anisotropy, and the desirable elastic match between B2 and the amorphous matrix ensures a good cooperative deformation. Additionally, molecular dynamic simulation revealed that atoms at the interface between B2 and the amorphous matrix deviated from the standard B2 lattices and acted as nucleation site for the martensitic transformation, eventually giving rise to the strain-controlled martensitic transformation. Our findings provide new insights into the mechanism of phase transformation-mediated plasticity at the microscopic level, and have useful implications for developing novel, high-performance bulk metallic glass composites.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2022

Schmid factor crack propagation and tracking crystallographic texture markers of microstructural condition in direct energy deposition additive manufacturing of Ti-6Al-4V

Metallic additive manufacturing (AM) provides a customizable and tailorable manufacturing process for new engineering designs and technologies. The greatest challenge currently facing metallic AM is maintaining control of microstructural evolution during solidification and any solid state phase transformations during the build process. Ti-6Al-4V has been extensively surveyed in this regard, with the potential solid state and solidification microstructures explored at length. In this study, we evaluate the applicability of previously determined crystallo- graphic markers of microstructural condition observed in electron beam melting powder bed fusion (PBF-EB) builds of Ti-6Al-4V in a directed energy deposition (DED) build process. The aim of this effort is to elucidate whether or not these specific crystallographic textures are useful tools for indicating microstructural conditions in AM variants beyond PBF-EB. Parent β-Ti grain size was determined to be directly related to α-Ti textures in the DED build process, and the solid state microstructural condition could be inferred from the intensity of specific α-Ti orientations. Qualitative trends on the as-solidified β-Ti grain size were also determined to be related to the presence of a fiber texture, and proposed as a marker for as-solidified grain size in any cubic metal melted by AM. Analysis of the DED Ti-6Al-4V build also demonstrated a near complete fracture of the build volume, suspected to originate from accumulated thermal stresses in the solid state. Crack propagation was found to only appreciably occur in regions of slow cooling with large α +β colonies. Schmid factors for the basal and prismatic α-Ti systems explained the observed crack pathway, including slower bifurcation in colonies with lower Schmid factors of both slip systems. Colony morphologies and localized equiaxed β-Ti solidification were also found to originate from build pauses during production and uneven heating of the build edges during deposition. Tailoring of DED Ti-6Al-4V microstructures with the insight gained here is proposed, along with cautionary insight on preventing unplanned build pauses to maintain an informed and controlled thermal environment for microstructural control.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2022

Achieving SEI preformed graphite in flow cell to mitigate initial lithium loss

The irreversible lithium loss due to the formation of solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) in the initial cycle on the graphite anode greatly reduces the overall cell energy density of lithium ion batteries, that is, the lost Li ions from forming SEI lead to the decrease of Li ions for the intercalation. The method of cathode prelithiation has been widely explored to compensate this lithium loss. However, these cathode additives with high lithium contents inevitably lower the loading of the cathode active materials. In this work, we report a novel approach to solve this challenge, a facile graphite prelithiation method by preforming SEI layers on the surface of graphite powders (Pre-SEI graphite) utilizing a specially designed flow cell. The Li accommodation in the graphite anode can be controlled by the operating time and current density in the flow cell for the electrochemical SEI formation. As a result, we demonstrate a 10% initial Columbic efficiency increase of the LiFePO 4 electrode in a full cell configuration using the Pre-SEI graphite, compared with the pristine graphite anode. The electrochemical preformation of SEI on the graphite powders offers a complete solution to offset initial lithium loss without a sacrifice of active cathode material loading.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2025

Cement and concrete as carbon sinks: Transforming a climate challenge into a carbon storage opportunity

Cement and concrete, while traditionally recognized as the main contributors to anthropogenic CO 2 emissions, also have untapped capacity to serve as substantial and scalable carbon sinks. This perspective examines how engineered mineral carbonation can transform cement-based materials into functional carbon storage systems, generating both environmental and economic value. We review the fundamental mechanisms of CO 2 uptake in cementitious systems, highlighting current limitations in reaction kinetics, phase control, and durability under varying environmental conditions. Emphasis is placed on the utilization of alkaline industrial residues and emerging magnesium-based cements, which offer synergistic pathways for carbon sequestration and circular resource use. We further assess the performance trade-offs associated with CO 2 uptake and the feasibility of deploying these technologies on industrial scales. A strategic roadmap is proposed that integrates scientific innovation, regulatory alignment, and carbon accounting in the life cycle to accelerate the adoption of carbon-storing concrete. This perspective provides a comprehensive framework to advance cement and concrete as engineered carbon sinks and supports the transition to a climate-positive construction industry.

Carbon storage↗
DOE OSTI2026

Corroborating VNA and thermal measurements of transmission loss on the DIII-D ECH waveguide system

Electron cyclotron heating (ECH) and current drive (ECCD) will play a large role in tokamak-based fusion reactors. At the DIII-D tokamak, 110 GHz microwaves injected into the plasma can provide core heating and current drive as well as impurity control, neoclassical tearing mode mitigation, and breakdown assistance. Understanding the physics of these processes relies on accurate estimates of injected ECH power. DIII-D’s ECH system consists of six MW-class Microwave Power Products (MPP) gyrotron microwave sources. Operating the gyrotrons far from the tokamak removes them from magnetic field interference, so 31.75 mm inner-diameter corrugated waveguides transmit the microwave power the 80 m from the gyrotrons to steerable launchers in the tokamak chamber. Estimates of injected power rely on knowing the generated power at the source and then subtracting transmission loss. Conventional transmission loss measurements based on calorimetric dummy loads are onerous and only possible during extended maintenance periods. This work examines two tools that provide more flexibility for the transmission loss measurements. Furthermore, a resistive temperature detector (RTD) array installed along a waveguide measures heat lost to the transmission line, and low power time domain reflectometry (TDR) measurements with a vector network analyzer (VNA) allows loss measurements without burdensome hardware modifications.

ECH↗
DOE OSTI2022

A concurrent irradiation-mechanics multiscale coupling model

The vast majority of our current knowledge regarding the basic mechanisms controlling irradiation effect on mechanical properties is based almost entirely on the results of post-irradiation experiments or theoretical models. However, the concurrent effects of irradiation, mechanical stress, and thermal damage on the failure phenomena of materials and components remain largely unexplored due to its internal multiscale-multiphysics coupling nature. Here, we present here a concurrent irradiation-mechanics multiscale coupling model. The concurrent evolutions of nanoscale irradiation defect clusters, microscale dislocation configurations, and mechanical responses are well captured based on coupling cluster dynamics, discrete dislocation dynamics, and the finite element methods using an effective time marching scheme. Model predictions of defect densities and size are in general agreement with experimental observations. Irradiation hardening is shown to take place also in samples undergoing concurrent irradiation-mechanical loading, similar to samples tested post-irradiation. However, the occurrence of plastic flow localization and dislocation channel formation is not accompanied with apparent yield drop (softening) under concurrent irradiation-mechanical loading conditions, which is different from the post-irradiation case.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2014

Failure analysis of pinch-torsion tests as a thermal runaway risk evaluation method of Li-Ion Cells

Recently a pinch-torsion test is developed for safety testing of Li-ion batteries (Ren et al., J. Power Source, 2013). It has been demonstrated that this test can generate small internal short-circuit spots in the separator in a controllable and repeatable manner. In the current research, the failure mechanism is examined by numerical simulations and comparisons to experimental observations. Finite element models are developed to evaluate the deformation of the separators under both pure pinch and pinch-torsion loading conditions. It is discovered that the addition of the torsion component significantly increased the maximum principal strain, which is believed to induce the internal short circuit. In addition, the applied load in the pinch-torsion test is significantly less than in the pure pinch test, thus dramatically improving the applicability of this method to ultra-thick batteries which otherwise require heavy load in excess of machine capability. It is further found that the separator failure is achieved in the early stage of torsion (within a few degree of rotation). Effect of coefficient of friction on the maximum principal strain is also examined.

finite element analysis↗
DOE OSTI2025

Processing-dependent chemical ordering in Cu 3 Au characterized via non-destructive Bragg coherent diffraction imaging

Of current importance for alloy design is controlling chemical ordering through processing routes to optimize an alloy's mechanical properties for a desired application. However, characterization of chemical ordering remains an ongoing challenge, particularly when nondestructive characterization is needed. Here, in this study, Bragg coherent diffraction imaging is used to reconstruct morphology and lattice displacement in model Cu 3 Au nanocrystals that have undergone different heat treatments to produce variation in chemical ordering. The magnitudes and distributions of the scattering amplitudes (proportional to electron density) and lattice strains within these crystals are then analyzed to correlate them to the expected amount of chemical ordering present. Nanocrystals with increased amounts of ordering are found to generally have less extreme strains present and reduced strain distribution widths. In addition, statistical correlations are found between the spatial arrangement of scattering amplitude and lattice strains.

Warren, Nathaniel [Pennsylvania State Univ., Unive↗
DOE OSTI2017

Revisiting the impact of age and molecular subtype on overall survival after radiotherapy in breast cancer patients

Adjuvant radiotherapy (RT) in breast cancer (BC) is often used to eradicate remaining tumor cells following surgery with the goal of maximizing local control and increasing overall survival. The current study investigated the impact of age and BC molecular subtype on overall survival after RT using a meta-analysis of the METABRIC and TCGA BC patient cohorts. We found that RT significantly prolonged survival across the whole BC patient population. The survival benefit of RT was predominantly observed in stage II BC patients treated with breast conserving surgery. Patients were then stratified by age and molecular subtype to investigate survival rate associated with RT. An increase in survival for the luminal-A and basal BC molecular subtypes was observed after RT. Stratifying patients based on age revealed that increased survival was restricted to younger patients (≤60 years of age at diagnosis). There was a significant survival benefit of radiotherapy for younger patients with tumors of the luminal A and basal molecular subtypes. Patients with other breast tumor subtypes or older breast cancer patients did not seem to benefit effects of RT. Therefore, alternate local treatment strategies should be considered for older, luminal B, and HER2 driven BC patients.

Science & Technology - Other Topics↗
DOE OSTI2017

Templated self-assembly of one-dimensional CsPbX 3 perovskite nanocrystal superlattices

Ordered self-assembled arrays or superstructures of nanocrystals (NCs) have attracted intense research interest due to their ability to translate valuable nanoscale properties to larger length scales. Numerous techniques have been explored to induce self-assembly into various superstructures. Here we investigated a simple kinetic approach to form self-assembled one-dimensional perovskite CsPbX 3 (X: halides) nanocrystal arrays templated inside a pod shaped inert lead sulfate (PbSO 4 ) scaffold. Both the solvent effects, and the self-assembly process and mechanism, are systematically studied based on a uniform procedure developed to generate CsPbX 3 nanocrystal superlattices with different sizes and compositions. The formation of one-dimensional (1D) chains of NCs within a half-cylindrical pod of PbSO 4 reflects a balance between solvophobicity and solvophilicity of the components. By reducing the size of NCs, we successfully realized 2D superlattices with two or three rows of close-packed CsPbBr 3 NCs, in addition to single string-of-pearl type 1D assemblies. The superlattices can be assembled both inside and outside of the half-cylindrical shells by regulating the reaction conditions. The self-assembly behavior is reminiscent of the host-guest systems of organic molecular species where supramolecular recognition rules apply to give well-defined complexes. The current study opens a door for controlling self-assembled nanostructures of CsPbX 3 NCs, and provides an attainable platform for future optoelectronic devices.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2021

Design principles of tandem cascade photoelectrochemical devices

Cascade photoelectrocatalysis (PEC) is a possible method to improve the selectivity of solar-driven CO 2 reduction (CO 2 R). This concept can be realized by coupling different CO 2 R catalysts to different subcells in a multijunction photovoltaic (PV) stack. Efficient implementation will require careful tuning of the photocurrents and design of the photovoltages provided by the subcells to the CO 2 R catalysts in such a way as to facilitate the target reaction. Here, we outline the design principles of the tandem PEC approach using two-step conversion of CO 2 to ethylene in aqueous electrolyte, via a CO intermediate, as a model system. To perform this reaction, the first coupled PV-catalyst component should provide 4 electrons to reduce 2 molecules of CO 2 to CO; the second component should provide 8 electrons to reduce 2 CO molecules to C 2 H 4 . Based on known CO 2 R catalysts, the overpotential required to produce CO can be less than that required to reduce it to ethylene, creating the opportunity for improved efficiency. Cascade PEC can be realized in a three-terminal tandem (3TT) configuration using III–V-semiconductor based subcells coupled to Au (produces CO intermediate) and Cu (converts CO to ethylene). The current to each catalyst can be controlled by the area of the subcell exposed to the electrolyte, and the photovoltage is determined by the materials selected and device configuration. Operating conditions are found by simulating the coupled system using the open-source circuit simulator SPICE (Simulation Program with Integrated Circuits Emphasis). We identify conditions under which a 3TT configuration can have a higher solar to chemical conversion efficiency compared to a two-terminal two-junction tandem (2T 2J) with the same absorbers and a Cu catalyst only. We also show that 3TT PEC devices can be less sensitive to variations in catalyst activity compared to 2T devices. Lastly, we discuss the applications of cascade PEC to CO 2 reduction, using different intermediates, and to other chemical networks.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2025

Visualizing diverse lithium growth and stripping behaviors in anode-free solid-state batteries with operando X-ray tomography

Anode-free solid-state batteries (SSBs), which eliminate the need for lithium metal use during cell assembly, have the potential to enable high energy densities and simplified manufacturing. However, the factors that control lithium growth/stripping at the anode current collector are not well understood. Here, we use operando X-ray microcomputed tomography to comprehensively image and quantify lithium deposition and stripping under various conditions in three different Li|Li 6 PS 5 Cl|current collector cells, revealing diverse behavior that depends on interface morphology, cell resistance, and solid-state electrolyte (SSE) microstructure. A cell with high resistance exhibits extensive lithium filament growth across the entire current collector interface, with filaments that grow around pre-existing pores in the SSE rather than lithium filling these pores. Lithium filament formation is partially reversible, with the cracks shrinking as lithium metal is stripped. Uniform lithium deposition is achievable at low current densities in low-resistance cells, whereas higher current densities in these cells cause an increase in interfacial roughness, which is correlated with subsequent filamentary growth at the edges of the cell. These results provide insight into filamentary vs. planar lithium growth and highlight that the evolution of lithium is sensitively dependent on SSE microstructure and electrochemical processes.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2016

Al0 0.3 Ga 0.7 N PN diode with breakdown voltage >1600 V

Demonstration of Al0 0.3 Ga 0.7 N PN diodes grown with breakdown voltages in excess of 1600 V is reported. The total epilayer thickness is 9.1 μm and was grown by metal-organic vapour-phase epitaxy on 1.3-mm-thick sapphire in order to achieve crack-free structures. A junction termination edge structure was employed to control the lateral electric fields. A current density of 3.5 kA/cm 2 was achieved under DC forward bias and a reverse leakage current <3 nA was measured for voltages <1200 V. The differential on-resistance of 16 mΩ cm 2 is limited by the lateral conductivity of the n-type contact layer required by the front-surface contact geometry of the device. An effective critical electric field of 5.9 MV/cm was determined from the epilayer properties and the reverse current–voltage characteristics. To our knowledge, this is the first aluminium gallium nitride (AlGaN)-based PN diode exhibiting a breakdown voltage in excess of 1 kV. Finally, we note that a Baliga figure of merit (V br 2 /R spec,on ) of 150 MW/cm 2 found is the highest reported for an AlGaN PN diode and illustrates the potential of larger-bandgap AlGaN alloys for high-voltage devices.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2012

Spectroscopic investigation of nitrogen doped graphene

Current research efforts are aimed at controlling the electronic properties via doping graphene. Previously, dopant-induced changes in the Fermi velocity were observed to result in an effectively downshifted Raman peak below the G Prime -band for n-doped carbon nanotubes. However, in the case of N-doped graphene, we find that several Raman features vary depending upon both dopant concentration and its bonding environment. For instance, only pyridinic/pyrrolic dopants were observed to result in intense D/D Prime -bands with a concomitant downshift in the G Prime -band. Here, we correlate x-ray photoelectron measurements with Raman spectra to elucidate effects of dopant bonding configuration on vibrational properties of graphene.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2014

Spin transistor operation driven by the Rashba spin-orbit coupling in the gated nanowire

A theoretical description has been proposed for the operation of the spin transistor in the gate-controlled InAs nanowire. The calculated current-voltage characteristics show that the electron current flowing from the source (spin injector) to the drain (spin detector) oscillates as a function of the gate voltage, which results from the precession of the electron spin caused by the Rashba spin-orbit interaction in the vicinity of the gate. We have studied the operation of the spin transistor under the following conditions: (A) the full spin polarization of electrons in the contacts, zero temperature, and the single conduction channel corresponding to the lowest-energy subband of the transverse motion and (B) the partial spin polarization of the electrons in the contacts, the room temperature, and the conduction via many transverse subbands taken into account. For case (A), the spin-polarized current can be switched on/off by the suitable tuning of the gate voltage, for case (B) the current also exhibits the pronounced oscillations but with no-zero minimal values. The computational results obtained for case (B) have been compared with the recent experimental data and a good agreement has been found.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2014

Theoretical simulation of carrier capture and relaxation rates in quantum-dot semiconductor optical amplifiers

Based on Auger scattering mechanism, carrier-carrier scattering dynamics between the two-dimensional carrier reservoir (also called wetting layer, i.e., WL) and the confined quantum dot ground and first excited state in quantum-dot semiconductor optical amplifiers (QD-SOAs) are investigated theoretically in this paper. The scattering rates for independent electron and hole densities are calculated. The results show an ultra-fast carrier capture (relaxation) rate up to 1 ps{sup −1}, and there is a complex dependence of the Coulomb scattering rates on the WL electron and hole densities. In addition, due to the different effective mass and the level distribution, the scattering rates for electron and hole are very different. Finally, in order to provide a direction to control (increase or decrease) the input current in realistic QD-SOA systems, a simple method is proposed to determine the trends of the carrier recovery rates with the WL carrier densities in the vicinity of the steady-state.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2015

Surface acoustic wave propagation in graphene film

Surface acoustic wave (SAW) propagation in a graphene film on the surface of piezoelectric crystals was studied at the BESSY II synchrotron radiation source. Talbot effect enabled the visualization of the SAW propagation on the crystal surface with the graphene film in a real time mode, and high-resolution x-ray diffraction permitted the determination of the SAW amplitude in the graphene/piezoelectric crystal system. The influence of the SAW on the electrical properties of the graphene film was examined. It was shown that the changing of the SAW amplitude enables controlling the magnitude and direction of current in graphene film on the surface of piezoelectric crystals.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗