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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 1,477 records · Page 82

Atomic layer deposition of 2D and 3D standards for synchrotron-based quantitative composition and structure analysis methods

Atomic layer deposition (ALD) is a scalable deposition technique known for producing uniform, conformal films of a wide range of compounds on nearly any substrate material. These traits make it an ideal deposition method for producing films to replace the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) standards and create Standard Reference Materials (SRMs) on a wide range of relevant two-dimensional and three-dimensional substrates. The use of SRM from NIST for quantitative analysis of chemical composition using synchrotron based x-ray fluorescence (SR-XRF) and scanning transmission x-ray microscopy (STXM) is common. Such standards, however, can suffer from inhomogeneity in chemical composition and thickness and often require further calculations, based on sample mounting and detector geometry, to obtain quantitative results. These inhomogeneities negatively impact the reproducibility of the measurements and the quantitative measure itself. Utilizing Rutherford backscattering, x-ray reflectivity, quartz crystal microbalance, STXM, and SR-XRF, the authors show that ALD is capable of producing high quality standards that are homogenous over scales ranging from nanometers to 100s of micrometers.

Becker, Nicholas G.↗

Chiral Majorana fermion modes in a quantum anomalous Hall insulator–superconductor structure

Majorana fermion is a hypothetical particle that is its own antiparticle. We report transport measurements that suggest the existence of one-dimensional chiral Majorana fermion modes in the hybrid system of a quantum anomalous Hall insulator thin film coupled with a superconductor. As the external magnetic field is swept, half-integer quantized conductance plateaus are observed at the locations of magnetization reversals, giving a distinct signature of the Majorana fermion modes. This transport signature is reproducible over many magnetic field sweeps and appears at different temperatures. This finding may open up an avenue to control Majorana fermions for implementing robust topological quantum computing.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Structural and functional ramifications of antigenic drift in recent SARS-CoV-2 variants

Defenses against SARS-CoV-2 variants Our key defense against the COVID-19 pandemic is neutralizing antibodies against the SARS-CoV-2 virus elicited by natural infection or vaccination. Recent emerging viral variants have raised concern because of their potential to escape antibody neutralization. Wang et al . identified four antibodies from early-outbreak convalescent donors that are potent against 23 variants, including variants of concern, and characterized their binding to the spike protein of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Yuan et al . examined the impact of emerging mutations in the receptor-binding domain of the spike protein on binding to the host receptor ACE2 and to a range of antibodies. These studies may be helpful for developing more broadly effective vaccines and therapeutic antibodies. —VV

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

Cloud, Aerosol and Boundary Layer Structure across the Northeast Pacific Stratocumulus-Cumulus Transition as observed during CSET

During the Cloud System Evolution in the Trades (CSET) field study, 14 research flights of the National Science Foundation G-V sampled the stratocumulus-cumulus transition between Northern California and Hawaii and its synoptic variability. The G-V made vertically resolved measurements of turbulence, cloud microphysics, aerosol characteristics, and trace gases. It also carried dropsondes and a vertically pointing W-band radar and lidar. This paper summarizes these observations with the goals of fostering novel comparisons with theory, models and reanalyses, and satellite-derived products. A longitude-height binning and compositing strategy mitigates limitations of sparse sampling and spatiotemporal variability. Typically, a 1-km-deep decoupled stratocumulus-capped boundary layer near California evolved into 2-km-deep precipitating cumulus clusters surrounded by patches of thin stratus that dissipated toward Hawaii. Low cloud cover was correlated with estimated inversion strength more than with cloud droplet number, even though the thickest clouds were generally precipitating and ultraclean layers indicative of aerosol-cloud-precipitation interaction were common west of 140 degrees W. Accumulation-mode aerosol concentration correlated well with collocated cloud droplet number concentration and was typically largest near the surface. Aitken mode aerosol concentration was typically larger in the free troposphere. Wildfire smoke produced spikes of aerosol and trace gases on some flights. CSET data are compared with space-time collocated output from MERRA-2 reanalysis and from the CAM6 climate model run with winds and temperature nudged toward this reanalysis. The reanalysis compares better with the observed relative humidity than does nudged CAM6. Both vertically diffuse the stratocumulus cloud layer versus observations. MERRA-2 slightly underestimates in situ carbon monoxide measurements and underestimates ozone depletion within the boundary layer.

Bretherton, Christopher S.↗

Infusible thermoplastic resin based sandwich structures for wind blade applications and the influence of scrim on facesheet to core interface debonding

Infusible thermoplastic Elium® family of resins from Arkema have garnered much attention in recent years as a possible replacement for thermoset resins in laminate and sandwich composite manufacturing for wind blade applications due to its ease of recyclability and the ability to utilize existing manufacturing processes without imposing complicated variations. However, physical and mechanical properties of the proposed Elium® based thermoplastic composites must be comparable to existing epoxy (thermoset) based composites using manufacturing processes relevant for large wind turbine blades. A 13-meter-long demonstration blade was manufactured for that purpose and sandwich samples were obtained from that project for a detailed study. This paper details three-point flexural properties of unidirectional E-glass fiber reinforced acrylic and epoxy based sandwich panels with identical balsa wood core materials. In addition, to evaluate the relative merit considering debond failure mode, the interfacial critical strain energy release rate, predominantly in mode-1, was compared via single cantilever beam testing. In sandwich composites constructed with balsa wood core material, resin uptake by the balsa core is traditionally impeded via the insertion of a scrim material at the facesheet to core interface. Results revealed that inclusion of scrim mesh layer at the facesheet to core interface reduced flexural properties and strain energy release rates in panels infused with acrylic resin but did not significantly reduce these properties in epoxy infused facesheets.

Engineering↗