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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 145 records · Page 8
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2023

Theory-Enabled High-Throughput Screening of Ion Dissociation Explains Conductivity Enhancements in Diluted Ionic Liquid Mixtures

The growing demand for room-temperature ionic liquids (RTILs) for energy applications necessitates the development of an efficient screening platform. Here, in this study, we successfully developed a fully automated high-throughput RTIL screening platform specifically designed for assessing ionic conductivity. By utilizing the 96 wells of a microtiter plate as individual electrolysis cells, we measured the ionic conductivity of 22 different RTILs, encompassing various combinations of cations and anions, and benchmarked the values with existing literature. We also employed the screening platform to investigate the conductivities of RTIL mixtures with a nonaqueous solvent, ethylene glycol (EG). Specific combinations of RTILs with EG result in approximately 200% enhancement in the conductivity values compared to the pure RTILs. To understand the underlying mechanisms responsible for this enhancement, we developed a theoretical framework for ionic conductivity that considers factors such as the degree of dissociation, viscous forces, and molal volume of the RTIL-EG mixtures. The optimized electrolyte mixture was then employed in the migration-assisted moisture gradient (MAMG) CO 2 capture process to study the effects of improved ionic conductivity on the energy efficiency of the process. Notably, the enhanced conductivity of the RTIL-EG mixture led to a nearly 50% reduction in energy consumption for capturing CO 2 . These outcomes highlight the effectiveness of our strategy in screening RTILs and improving existing processes. Moreover, this fully automated high-throughput setup, combined with the developed theoretical framework, provides a comprehensive platform for screening and studying RTIL mixtures with different solvents, enabling their application in various fields.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2026

Predicting the High-Temperature Oxidation Response of Nickel Superalloys Using CALPHAD-Enhanced Machine Learning

Structural materials such as Ni-based superalloys used in high-temperature power cycles are routinely exposed to toxic environments including high temperature and pressure, aqueous and gas corrosion, etc. Here, we present a physics-informed machine learning approach to predict the oxidation response of diverse Ni-superalloys. First, a high-fidelity experimental dataset is curated from typical oxidation mass-change experiments in air, covering 25+ elements and different physical behavior such as parabolic growth, non-parabolic growth, and oxide spallation. Second, the dataset is featurized using thermophysical, chemical, and mechanical properties obtained from high-throughput CALPHAD calculations. Third, several machine learning models are developed to identify key features related to mass-change characteristics and model the mass-change curve for various alloys. Finally, the model is deployed to rapidly screen over a new composition space and down-select candidate alloys with high oxidation resistance for experimental validation.

CALPHAD↗
DOE OSTI2024

Fully ab-initio all-electron calculation of dark matter-electron scattering in crystals with evaluation of systematic uncertainties

We calculate target-material responses for dark matter–electron scattering at the all-electron level using atom-centered Gaussian basis sets. The all-electron effects enhance the material response at high momentum transfers from dark matter to electrons, q ≳ O ( 10 α m e ) , compared to calculations using conventional plane wave methods, including those used in ; this enhances the expected event rates at energy transfers E ≳ 10 eV , especially when scattering through heavy mediators. We carefully test a range of systematic uncertainties in the theory calculation, including those arising from the choice of basis set, exchange-correlation functional, number of unit cells in the Bloch sum, k -mesh, and neglect of scatters with very high momentum transfers. We provide state-of-the-art crystal form factors, focusing on silicon and germanium. Our code and results are made publicly available as a new tool, called (“”). Published by the American Physical Society 2024

Dreyer, Cyrus E.↗
DOE OSTI2026

Solar-Tracker Diffuse-Response Algorithm for Balancing Energy Gain and Mechanical Wear in Photovoltaic Systems

Single-axis solar tracking maximizes photovoltaic energy production under clear-sky conditions; however, its effectiveness decreases under cloudy and overcast skies, where diffuse irradiance dominates and the optimal module orientation changes. Conventional tracking algorithms either neglect sky conditions or rely on simplified diffuse-response strategies that may trigger frequent tracker repositioning under variable cloud cover, leading to increased mechanical wear with marginal energy gains. This work proposes an enhanced diffuse-response tracking algorithm that explicitly accounts for both the intensity and temporal persistence of cloudiness. By requiring overcast conditions to persist for a minimum duration before reorienting the tracker to a diffuse-stow position, the proposed approach reduces unnecessary movements while preserving the benefits of diffuse-response operation. The algorithm is evaluated through numerical simulations based on historical meteorological data and validated using field measurements on monofacial and bifacial photovoltaic strings. The results show that the proposed strategy reduces excess tracker movement from 114% to 0.16% while maintaining nearly the same energy yield. Compared to a conventional diffuse-response algorithm, the associated energy reduction is minimal (≈0.17%) relative to the ≈0.37% yield gain observed at the studied location. These findings demonstrate that incorporating cloudiness duration enables a practical compromise between energy performance and tracker durability, particularly for monofacial photovoltaic systems.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2024

Evaluation of two inoculation routes of an adenovirus-mediated viral protein inhibitor in a Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever mouse model

Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus (CCHFV) is a tick-borne nairovirus with a wide geographic spread that can cause severe and lethal disease. No specific medical countermeasures are approved to combat this illness. The CCHFV L protein contains an ovarian tumor (OTU) domain with a cysteine protease thought to modulate cellular immune responses by removing ubiquitin and ISG15 post-translational modifications from host and viral proteins. Viral deubiquitinases like CCHFV OTU are attractive drug targets, as blocking their activity may enhance cellular immune responses to infection, and potentially inhibit viral replication itself. We previously demonstrated that the engineered ubiquitin variant CC4 is a potent inhibitor of CCHFV replication in vitro. A major challenge of the therapeutic use of small protein inhibitors such as CC4 is their requirement for intracellular delivery, e.g., by viral vectors. In this study, we examined the feasibility of in vivo CC4 delivery by a replication-deficient recombinant adenovirus (Ad-CC4) in a lethal CCHFV mouse model. Since the liver is a primary target of CCHFV infection, we aimed to optimize delivery to this organ by comparing intravenous (tail vein) and intraperitoneal injection of Ad-CC4. While tail vein injection is a traditional route for adenovirus delivery, in our hands intraperitoneal injection resulted in higher and more widespread levels of adenovirus genome in tissues, including, as intended, the liver. However, despite promising in vitro results, neither route of in vivo CC4 treatment resulted in protection from a lethal CCHFV infection.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2021

Twin-boundary-mediated flexoelectricity in LaAlO 3

Flexoelectricity has garnered much attention owing to its ability to bring electromechanical functionality to nonpiezoelectric materials and its nanoscale significance. In order to move towards a more complete understanding of this phenomenon and improve the efficacy of flexoelectric-based devices, it is necessary to quantify microstructural contributions to flexoelectricity. Here we directly measure the flexoelectric response of bulk centrosymmetric LaAlO 3 crystals with different twin-boundary microstructures. We show that twin-boundary flexoelectric contributions are comparable to intrinsic contributions at room temperature and enhance the flexoelectric response by ~4× at elevated temperatures. Additionally, we observe time-dependent and nonlinear flexoelectric responses associated with strain-gradient-induced twin-boundary polarization. Finally, these results are explained by considering the interplay between twin-boundary orientation, beam-bending strain fields, and pinning site interactions, and directly demonstrate that macroscopic flexoelectric responses are very sensitive to structural defects.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2020

Warm Arctic, Cold Siberia Pattern: Role of Full Arctic Amplification Versus Sea Ice Loss Alone

The effect of future Arctic amplification (AA) on the extratropical atmospheric circulation remains unclear in modeling studies. Using a collection of coordinated atmospheric and coupled global climate model perturbation experiments, we find an emergent relationship between the high-latitude 1,000–500 hPa thickness response and an enhancement of the Siberian High in winter. This wave number-1-like sea level pressure anomaly pattern is linked to an equatorward shift of the eddy-driven jet and a dynamical cooling response in eastern Asia. Additional simulations, where AA is imposed directly into the model domain by nudging, demonstrate how the sea ice forcing is insufficient by itself to capture the vertical extent of the warming and by extension the amplitude of the response in the Siberian High. Additionally, this study demonstrates the importance of the vertical extent of the tropospheric warming over the polar cap in revealing the “warm Arctic, cold Siberia” anomaly pattern in future projections.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2022

Synthesis, Crystal and Electronic Structures, Nonlinear Optical Properties, and Magnetic Properties of Two Thiophosphates: KInP 2 S 7 and KCrP 2 S 7

Two thiophosphates, KInP 2 S 7 and KCrP 2 S 7 , were structurally characterized without investigating any optical properties. Herein in this work, KInP 2 S 7 and KCrP 2 S 7 were revisited to investigate their optical and magnetic properties, respectively. Pure polycrystalline samples and crystals of KInP 2 S 7 and KCrP 2 S 7 were grown by high temperature solid state reactions, where mm-sized crystals of KCrP 2 S 7 were collected. KCrP 2 S 7 is isostructural to KInP 2 S 7 , which features a layered structure. KInP 2 S 7 and KCrP 2 S 7 possess close relationship to the layered thiophosphate M 2 P 2 S 6 (M = Fe, Co, Zn, etc.). The bonding pictures of KInP 2 S 7 were studied using the electron localization function (ELF) coupled with crystal orbital Hamilton population (COHP) calculations. The intrinsically distorted [PS 4 ] tetrahedra and [InS 6 ] octahedra are made by strong covalent P-S interactions and ionic In-S interactions, respectively. Electronic structure analysis confirmed that the optical properties of KInP 2 S 7 are mainly contributed to by [PS 4 ] tetrahedra together with small amounts of the contributions coming from [InS 6 ] octahedra. Magnetic measurement on mm-sized crystals of KCrP 2 S 7 verified that there is an antiferromagnetic transition around 21 K, and the Cr atoms are trivalent. KInP 2 S 7 is predicated to be an indirect bandgap semiconductor of 2.38 eV, which is confirmed by the UV-Vis measurement of 2.4(1) eV. KInP 2 S 7 is not a type-I phase-matching material and exhibits moderate second harmonic generation (SHG) response (0.51 × AgGaS 2 , sample of particle size of 100 µm). The laser damage threshold (LDT) of KInP 2 S 7 is very high of 5.2 × AgGaS 2 . Bandgap engineering were undergone to enhance the SHG response of KInP 2 S 7 .

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2020

Metribuzin resistance via enhanced metabolism in a multiple herbicide resistant Lolium rigidum population

Abstract BACKGROUND The photosystem II (PSII)‐inhibiting herbicides are important for Australian farmers to control Lolium rigidum Gaud. and other weed species in trazine tolerant (TT)‐canola fields. A L. rigidum population (R) collected from a TT‐canola field from Western Australia showed multiple resistance to PSII, acetyl‐coenzyme A carboxylase (ACCase) and acetolactate synthase (ALS) inhibitors. The mechanisms of multiple resistance in this R population were determined. RESULTS The R population showed a low‐level (about 3.0‐fold) resistance to the PSII‐inhibiting herbicides metribuzin and atrazine. Sequencing of the psbA gene revealed no differences between the R and susceptible (S) sequences. Furthermore, [ 14 C]‐metribuzin experiments found no significant difference in metribuzin foliar uptake and translocation between the R and S plants. However, [ 14 C]‐metribuzin metabolism in R plants was 2.3‐fold greater than in S plants. The cytochrome P450 monooxygenase inhibitor piperonyl butoxide (PBO) enhanced plant mortality response to metribuzin and atrazine in both R and S populations. In addition, multiple resistance to ALS and ACCase inhibitors are due to known resistance mutations in ALS and ACCase genes. CONCLUSION The results demonstrate that enhanced metribuzin metabolism likely involving cytochrome P450 monooxygenase contributes to metribuzin resistance in Lolium rigidum. This is the first report of metabolic resistance to the PSII‐inhibiting herbicide metribuzin in Australian Lolium rigidum . © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry

Ma, Hongju↗
DOE OSTI2020

Thermal Decoherence of Superradiance in Lead Halide Perovskite Nanocrystal Superlattices

Recent experiments by Rainò et al. have documented cooperative emission from CsPbBr 3 nanocrystal superlattices, exhibiting the hallmarks of low-temperature superradiance. In particular, the optical response is coherent and the radiative decay rate is increased by a factor of 3, relative to that of individual nanocrystals. However, the increase is 6 orders of magnitude smaller than what is theoretically expected from the superradiance of large assemblies, consisting of 10 6 –10 8 interacting nanocrystals. In this report we develop a theoretical model of superradiance for such systems and show that thermal decoherence is largely responsible for the drastic reduction of the radiative decay rate in nanocrystal superlattices. Our theoretical approach explains the experimental results, provides insight into the design of small nanocrystal superlattices, and shows a 4 orders of magnitude enhancement in superradiant response. These quantitative predictions pave the path toward observing superradiance at higher temperatures.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2022

Reply to “Comment on ‘Quasielastic lepton scattering and back-to-back nucleons in the short-time approximation’ ”

We briefly review the concept of scaling and how it occurs in quasielastic electron and neutrino scattering from nuclei, and then the particular approach to scaling in the short-time approximation. We show that, while two-nucleon currents do significantly enhance the transverse electromagnetic response, they do not spoil scaling, but in fact enhance it. We provide scaling results obtained in the short-time approximation that verify this claim. The enhanced scaling is not 'accidental' as claimed in Ref. [1] but rather reflects the dominant role played by pion exchange interactions and currents in the quasielastic regime.

Pastore, S. (ORCID:0000000217357618)↗
DOE OSTI2023

Influence of atomic ordering and cerium doping on magnetostrictive Fe-Al alloys

Magnetostrictive iron-aluminum alloys can be a low-cost, mechanically stable alternative to iron-gallium and rare earth-iron alloys. The magnetostrictive performance of polycrystalline Fe-Al (alfenol) with 13–24 at. % Al was investigated, studying the role of compositional variation and thermal history. It was found that rapid cooling enhances the magnetostrictive response, and peak magnetostriction was found in Fe 78 Al 22 by high temperature annealing followed by quenching. Synchrotron diffraction enabled a direct correlation of magnetostrictive behavior and the transition from short-range order to long-range ordered cluster domains in the material which can be suppressed by rapid cooling. Following recent success of doping Fe-Ga with rare earth elements, we investigated the influence of Ce doping on improving magnetostriction and found that Fe-Al shows negligible solubility for cerium, inhibiting potential magnetostriction enhancement. In conclusion, our results illustrate the complex interplay between phase stability, ordering, and optimized magnetostrictive response.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2021

Inhibition of Rev-erbα ameliorates muscular dystrophy

Highlights: • Rev-erbα ablation in mdx mice protects against muscle damage and wasting. • Loss of Rev-erbα promoted regenerative myogenesis in mdx mice. • Rev-erbα deficiency in dystrophic muscle reduced inflammatory response. • Loss of Rev-erbα in mdx primary myoblasts promoted proliferation and differentiation. Duchene muscular dystrophy leads to progressive muscle structural and functional decline due to chronic degenerative-regenerative cycles. Enhancing the regenerative capacity of dystrophic muscle provides potential therapeutic options. We previously demonstrated that the circadian clock repressor Rev-erbα inhibited myogenesis and Rev-erbα ablation enhanced muscle regeneration. Here we show that Rev-erbα deficiency in the dystrophin-deficient mdx mice promotes regenerative myogenic response to ameliorate muscle damage. Loss of Rev-erbα in mdx mice improved dystrophic pathology and muscle wasting. Rev-erbα-deficient dystrophic muscle exhibit augmented myogenic response, enhanced neo-myofiber formation and attenuated inflammatory response. In mdx myoblasts devoid of Rev-erbα, myogenic differentiation was augmented together with up-regulation of Wnt signaling and proliferative pathways, suggesting that loss of Rev-erbα inhibition of these processes contributed to the improvement in regenerative myogenesis. Collectively, our findings revealed that the loss of Rev-erbα function protects dystrophic muscle from injury by promoting myogenic repair, and inhibition of its activity may have therapeutic utilities for muscular dystrophy.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2020

Enhanced magnetocaloric performance in manganite bilayers

Bilayer films of La 0.8 Sr 0.2 MnO 3 and La 0.7 Ca 0.3 MnO 3 with different layer thicknesses and stacking sequences were synthesized via pulsed laser deposition. The magnetic properties and magnetocaloric effects were systematically investigated. We found that the phase transition associated with the layers tends to merge together at an optimal thickness and a stacking sequence. The operating temperature span of the entropy change broadens at the expense of its magnitude, leading to an enhancement of the refrigerant capacity by over 40%. The optimized bilayer film possesses a refrigerant capacity of ~6.0J/kg, compared to a value of ~4.2J/kg for the single-phase films. The phase transition broadening induced by epitaxial strain is responsible for the enhanced window of operating temperature as well as refrigerant capacity. Finally, the design principle developed here may be applied to ferroelastic and ferroelectric materials to enhance elastocaloric and electrocaloric effects.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2021

A multidimensional stability framework enhances interpretation and comparison of carbon cycling response to disturbance

Abstract The concept of stability is central to the study and sustainability of vital ecosystem goods and services as disturbances increase globally. While ecosystem ecologists, including carbon (C) cycling scientists, have long‐considered multiple dimensions of disturbance response, our discipline lacks an agreed‐upon analytical framework for characterizing multidimensional stability. Here, we advocate for the broader adoption of a standardized and normalized multidimensional stability framework for analyzing disturbance response. This framework includes four dimensions of stability: the degree of initial change in C fluxes (i.e., resistance ); rate (i.e., resilience ) and variability (i.e., temporal stability ) of return to pre‐disturbance C fluxes; and the extent of return to pre‐disturbance C fluxes (i.e., recovery ). Using this framework, we highlight findings not readily seen from analysis of absolute fluxes, including trade‐offs between initial and long‐term C flux responses to disturbance; different overall stability profiles among fluxes; and, using a pilot dataset, similar relative stability of net primary production following fire and insect disturbances. We conclude that ecosystem ecologists’ embrace of a unifying multidimensional stability framework as a complement to approaches focused on absolute C fluxes could advance global change research by aiding in the novel interpretation, comprehensive synthesis, and improved forecasting of ecosystems’ response to an increasing array of disturbances.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2021

Melanoma Cell Intrinsic GABAA Receptor Enhancement Potentiates Radiation and Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor Response by Promoting Direct and T Cell-Mediated Antitumor Activity

Most patients with metastatic melanoma show variable responses to radiation therapy and do not benefit from immune checkpoint inhibitors. Improved strategies for combination therapy that leverage potential benefits from radiation therapy and immune checkpoint inhibitors are critical.

62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE↗
DOE OSTI2022

Proteomic and phosphoproteomic measurements enhance ability to predict ex vivo drug response in AML

Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) affects 20,000 patients in the US annually with a five-year survival rate of approximately 25%. One reason for the low survival rate is the high prevalence of clonal evolution that gives rise to heterogeneous sub-populations of leukemic cells with diverse mutation spectra, which eventually leads to disease relapse. This genetic heterogeneity drives the activation of complex signaling pathways that is reflected at the protein level. This diversity makes it difficult to treat AML with targeted therapy, requiring custom patient treatment protocols tailored to each individual’s leukemia. Toward this end, the Beat AML research program prospectively collected genomic and transcriptomic data from over 1000 AML patients and carried out ex vivo drug sensitivity assays to identify genomic signatures that could predict patient-specific drug responses. However, there are inherent weaknesses in using only genetic and transcriptomic measurements as surrogates of drug response, particularly the absence of direct information about phosphorylation-mediated signal transduction. As a member of the Clinical Proteomic Tumor Analysis Consortium, we have extended the molecular characterization of this cohort by collecting proteomic and phosphoproteomic measurements from a subset of these patient samples (38 in total) to evaluate the hypothesis that proteomic signatures can improve the ability to predict response to 26 drugs in AML ex vivo samples. In this work we describe our systematic, multi-omic approach to evaluate proteomic signatures of drug response and compare protein levels to other markers of drug response such as mutational patterns. We explore the nuances of this approach using two drugs that target key pathways activated in AML: quizartinib (FLT3) and trametinib (Ras/MEK), and show how patient-derived signatures can be interpreted biologically and validated in cell lines. In conclusion, this pilot study demonstrates strong promise for proteomics-based patient stratification to assess drug sensitivity in AML.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2025

Cybersecurity Incident Response Guide for Wind

As wind energy systems become increasingly digitized and interconnected, they face a growing array of cyber threats that can disrupt operations, compromise safety, and trigger cascading impacts across the energy ecosystem. The Wind Incident Response Guide provides a structured, wind-specific framework for preparing for, detecting, responding to, and recovering from cyber incidents. Drawing on lessons from field demonstrations, cyber-physical testbeds, and stakeholder engagement across the wind sector, this guide integrates technical, operational, and regulatory considerations to support asset owners, operators, and responders. It outlines key roles and responsibilities, maps incident response phases to wind-specific scenarios, and highlights applicable laws, regulations, standards, and best practices. By tailoring general cybersecurity principles to the unique architectures and operational constraints of wind systems—including remote access, legacy components, and environmental interfaces—this guide aims to enhance resilience, reduce response time, and support coordinated action across public and private stakeholders. It is intended as a practical resource for utilities, developers, regulators, and emergency managers working to secure the future of wind energy.

17 - WIND ENERGY↗