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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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557 records · Page 9
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2026

Metal–Organic Framework-derived Atomic Metal Sites Promoting Sulfur Cathode for All-Solid-State Lithium–Sulfur Batteries

All-solid-state lithium–sulfur batteries (ASSLSBs) offer high energy density and intrinsic safety; however, they still face major challenges, including sluggish redox kinetics and poor sulfur utilization. Incorporating conductive materials into sulfur cathodes is an effective strategy to mitigate these limitations. Here, a highly conductive cobalt–nitrogen–doped carbon (Co–NC) derived from a metal–organic framework (MOF) is introduced to accelerate charge transfer and promote reversible sulfur conversion. Co−NC provides atomically dispersed Co–N sites and conductive carbon pathways that correlate with improved charge transfer, sulfur utilization, and rate capability. Co–NC@S cathode delivers 1499 mAh g–1 at C/20 with a high sulfur loading (5 mg cm–2) and retains 1292 mAh g–1 after five cycles (vs 443 mAh g–1 without Co–NC). Moreover, Co–NC derived ASSLSB achieves 903 mAh g–1 at 5C at 60 °C. This work provides a practical and effective approach to develop high energy, high-rate ASSLSBs.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2026

Value of Geothermal Energy Storage for Supply-Side and Demand-Side Applications

This report presents the results of a study examining the value potential for geothermal energy storage (GES), a long-duration energy storage resource that stores thermal and/or geomechanical energy in the subsurface. GES could benefit the overall U.S. power system by temporally shifting electricity generation (supply-side) or meeting building heating and cooling load (demand-side). This report analyzes supply-side and demand-side opportunities independently because of differences in applications and models. Currently there is significant uncertainty about the development costs for GES, with only a limited number of demonstration plants for electric energy storage and building heating and cooling storage developments. In this report, we estimate the value of supply-side and demand-side GES to the bulk power system in the contiguous United States. Because of the significant uncertainty about GES development costs, this analysis does not consider GES deployment costs but instead focuses on the value of GES to the U.S. electricity system. The estimated values of GES provide reference points for economically competitive commercial cost targets. Supply-side GES is modeled as part of an enhanced geothermal system (EGS) generation plant in NREL's Regional Energy Deployment System (ReEDS) capacity expansion model (Ho et al. 2021). In contrast to conventional geothermal plants, which generate constant power, EGS plants have unique features that may allow for in-reservoir energy storage for flexible generation. Demand-side GES for heating and cooling, including seasonal hot and cold storage and short-duration heat pump storage, is incorporated into a price-taker model using Cambium electricity marginal cost projections. To establish an upper bound for the value of GES, analysis focused on favorable scenarios for storage with high generation from zero marginal cost, variable renewable energy resources. High penetrations of variable renewable energy generation can increase hourly electricity price variability, which increases the value of temporal energy arbitrage for storage technologies like GES.

15 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2025

Selective Binding and Light-Driven Release of Fluorous PF 6 – and Radioactive 99 TcO 4 – Anions for All-to-Nothing Liquid–Liquid Extraction

The removal of anions from aqueous media using molecular receptors in liquid–liquid extraction is a long-standing strategy to clean up contaminated water sources. Therein, high selectivity is needed to remove specific ions from mixtures of other ions, and high affinity provides extractions at low concentrations. However, the high affinity creates a conundrum by impeding the release of the ions in any stripping steps needed for further processing. To circumvent this problem, light-responsive receptors have been proposed as candidates for turning off the binding, but they are currently untested in liquid–liquid extraction. We tested the feasibility of light-driven release using a cyanostar macrocycle. We demonstrate the selective extraction of PF$^{–}_{6}$ anions over large excesses of competing anions (Cl – , NO$^{–}_{3}$, SO$^{2–}_{4}$) followed by photodriven release for quantitative isolation of the target. Release relies on photoisomerization of the macrocycle’s five stilbenes generating distorted isomers to turn off binding. With modest reversibility, only a single-shot release was demonstrated, akin to photodriven uncaging. These methods were extended to the capture and photodriven release of ReO$^{–}_{4}$ and radioactive 99 TcO$^{–}_{4}$ anions at ∼90% efficiency. Extraction was demonstrated down to the highly dilute 4 ppb levels of the 99 TcO$^{–}_{4}$ anion. Furthermore, this proof-of-concept demonstration verifies the use of a large change in affinity for the all-to-nothing capture and release of target anions between liquid phases.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2022

U.S. Pacific Coast Workshop Report on Preconstruction Research Recommendations (U.S. Offshore Wind Synthesis of Environmental Effects Research (SEER) Project)

In May 2022, the U.S. Offshore Wind Synthesis of Environmental Effects Research (SEER) project team hosted a stakeholder workshop focused on preconstruction (baseline) research needs for potential floating offshore wind (OSW) energy development on the U.S. Pacific Coast, including California, Oregon, and Washington. Prior to the workshop, the SEER team developed a set of initial synthesized research recommendations that were identified based on a review of relevant, publicly available resources and with advisory group input. The workshop covered three marine life breakout groups on subsequent days to discuss research recommendations related to 1) marine mammals and sea turtles, 2) fish and invertebrates, and 3) birds and bats. As part of the workshop, over a hundred participants from the public and private sectors provided feedback on various aspects of the initial research recommendations, including associated data and knowledge gaps, benefits/limitations of available methods and technologies, and technological advancements or infrastructure needed to address the recommendation. Approximately 1,000 total comments were received on the workshop MURAL boards and were synthesized in this report. Based on workshop feedback, SEER developed a final database of over 500 specific research recommendations based on more than 40 resources. In Fall 2022, the full database and a tool with updated synthesized research recommendations were disseminated on Tethys (https://tethys.pnnl.gov) to assist with informing future funding opportunities and research programming. There is a continued need to improve awareness of the potential environmental effects, monitoring technologies, and management strategies for floating OSW energy development on the U.S. Pacific Coast. Coordination of these activities will require the sustained involvement of multiple stakeholders from across sectors. Beyond the baseline considerations discussed in this workshop, future state-of-the-science activities should be planned to consider research needs across wind energy life cycle phases for all relevant wildlife taxa and associated habitat and ecosystem processes.

17 WIND ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2025

Decoupling thermal and irradiation effects on grain boundary segregation

Radiation-induced segregation (RIS) is most often measured by peak solute concentration at a boundary. However, this may give an incomplete picture of segregation quantity and phenomena. Radiation-induced and thermal segregation at grain boundaries was investigated in Fe-9.6 at.% Cr after 9 MeV Fe 3+ ion irradiation at 400 °C. The experimental results were compared to kinetic Monte Carlo (KMC) simulations. The study revealed that Cr enrichment (peak segregation) at the grain boundaries was comparable in both the irradiated and non-irradiated conditions, although irradiation resulted in broader segregation profiles in both experiments and simulations, indicating an overall increase in grain boundary segregation due to irradiation. This broadening is attributed to back diffusion into the grain interior. While it is an established phenomenon, this study offers a quantitative evaluation using experimental data and KMC modeling. Further, these results emphasize the importance of analyzing the entire segregation profile and decoupling the thermal and irradiation contributions to solute segregation.

Grain boundary segregation↗
DOE OSTI2026

A Critical Review of Heliostat Design for Concentrating Solar Thermal Technologies

Heliostat designs have undergone a widespread and eclectic development process, with many unique designs demonstrated. However, recent developments do not show the overall cohort converging toward a globally accepted universal design. Here, this study characterizes heliostats by breaking down and evaluating design traits based on emergent patterns from a comprehensive compilation of known heliostat designs spanning several decades. Four main categories for evaluation emerged: heliostat base, heliostat primary axis, heliostat drive, and facet support. Each of these four categories is further defined by four subtypes so that all heliostats fall into a single subtype within each category. The classified heliostats are ranked, yielding several view slices into the heliostat compilation or a breakdown of heliostats by type. An analysis of the breakdown shows several trends: a scale-up of established designs, new approaches at small to medium scales, and a movement toward greater adoption of linear drives. These trends reflect the most meaningful contributing factors to a proposed trajectory for a new era of heliostat designs striving to meet widely considered cost targets of $\$$50/m 2 or $\$$75/m 2 .

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI1978

An Assessment of the Nevada Test Site for Low-Level Waste Management

This report presents a summary of description information, facilities, and operating practices at the Nevada Test Site. It is concluded that NTS is not only a feasible location for surface and near-surface storage of low-level wastes, but also a potential site for underground storage of higher level wastes.

052002* -- Nuclear Fuels-- Waste Disposal & Storag↗
DOE OSTI2026

Community Resilience Through Rapid Restoration Leveraging Distributed Energy Resources (DERs) and Low-Cost Sensors

Equitable and automated bottoms-up power restoration following an extreme event will be demonstrated at a site in Puerto Rico. To do so, the team will develop enhanced grid situational awareness techniques integrating behind-the-meter (BTM) distributed energy resources (DER) discovery, impedance sweeping based outage boundary detection, and feasible restoration path identification algorithms. Resilience metric will be developed and incorporated along with situational awareness information in a distributed Model Predictive Control (MPC)-based restoration optimization algorithm to control and mobilize grid assets. These algorithms will be validated through power hardware-in-the-loop experiments and ultimately, a site demonstration to show that outage recovery time and total recovered load could be improved by >20% over the baseline.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
DOE OSTI2026

Rinse-Free, Sodium-Efficient Synthesis of O3-Type Layered Oxide Materials Enabled by Acetate Precursors

Sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) are a sustainable alternative to lithium-ion systems for global electrification, with O3-type layered oxide cathodes offering high specific capacity and feasibility of scalable synthesis. Industrial co-precipitation synthesis of these cathodes typically uses transition metal sulfates, requiring extensive water rinsing to remove Na 2 SO 4 impurities, a process that consumes significant water and risks residual inactive phases if incomplete. Here, this work introduces a rinse-free, resource-efficient approach using metal acetate precursors. Residual sodium acetate in non-rinsed precursors decomposes during sintering to generate Na 2 CO 3 in situ, partially substituting an external sodium resource (e.g., NaOH and Na 2 CO 3 ) and reducing its consumption by ∼18–20%. Phase-pure O3-Na 1.0 Ni 1/3 Fe 1/3 Mn 1/3 O 2 (NFM111) cathodes synthesized via this method exhibit microstructure and electrochemical performance comparable to rinsed sulfate-derived counterparts, with initial capacities of 141 mAh g −1 at C/20 (7.5 mA g −1 ). By eliminating rinsing and minimizing sodium reagent use, this acetate-based route enhances sustainability and scalability of layered oxide production for SIBs.

acetate vs. sulfate↗
DOE OSTI2026

Role of Amorphous Chains in Nanoplastic Formation from Semicrystalline Polymers

Semicrystalline polymers, e.g., polyethylene terephthalate (PET), release micro- (100 nm to 1 mm) and nanoplastics (up to 100 nm) [MNPL] when they are degraded under quiescent conditions. However, the exact molecular mechanisms leading to material fragmentation into MNPL are unknown. Here, we monitor the evolution of chain molecular weight and the MNPL production kinetics during hydrolysis of PET pellets. We find that only ~0.6% of the amorphous phase ester bonds are hydrolyzed at the onset of MNPL release. Then, by combining a random scission model with measured amorphous spacings, we estimate that only ~15% of the stress transmitters in the amorphous phase, namely, bridges and entangled loops, have failed by this point. Thus, spontaneous fragmentation of the semicrystalline nanostructure occurs despite significant intercrystalline connectivity. We resolve this apparent contradiction by proposing that fragmentation can only occur when progressive tie-chain scission causes the material to undergo the ductile/brittle transition. Mechanistically, we speculate that the internal stresses responsible for material fragmentation are caused by processing (i.e., residual stresses) and/or sample densification induced by chemi-crystallization. We discuss additional factors that may affect our analysis and thus require further investigation, such as skin-core effects, preferential degradation of stress transmitters and/or recrystallization processes.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

First N 2 Profile for Venus’ Deep Lower Atmosphere

We present the first N 2 profile for Venus’ deep lower atmosphere (<15 km) and a constrained isotopic composition for cloud N 2 [1]. This work directly addresses unresolved questions for Venus using legacy observations. Prior to this work, there were no reported measurements for N 2 abundances at <15 km and the isotopic composition remained unconstrained [2]. The N 2 parameters are critical to understanding the evolution and thermal properties of the atmosphere [3-7]. Our N 2 results were obtained by re-analysis of data acquired in 1978 by the Pioneer Venus Large Probe Neutral Mass Spectrometer (LNMS) [8]. The archived mass spectra from 64.2 to 0.2 km were treated using the analytical procedures specifically developed for the LNMS [9-11]. Judicious peak fitting permitted disambiguation of (A) N 2 + and CO + at 28 u and (B) 14 N 15 N+, 13 CO + , and C 2 H 5 + at 29 u. Quality controls included comparing the (A) LNMS CO + /CO 2 + ratios to the NIST database and literature and (B) fitted counts for CO + to the expected counts of CO + calculated from C 18 O + and 13 CO + using the LNMS 16 O/ 18 O and 12 C/ 13 C ratios (obtained from CO 2 ). Our results show that N 2 is uniformly mixed across the deep lower atmosphere between ~0.2 and 15 km (2.49 ± 0.10 v%). In contrast, N 2 is non-uniformly mixed across the sub-cloud atmosphere and clouds (~15–59 km), where N 2 abundances increase by ~ 2-fold between ~15 km (2.45 ± 0.32 v%) and ~59-51 km (5.21 ± 0.18 v%). Using the cloud data, we also obtained a constrained 15 N/ 14 N ratio (2.93×10 -3 ± 0.13×10 -3 ) and δ 15 N value (-204 ± 35‰). Thus, the LNMS results [1] suggest that (A) the atmosphere is unstable at <15 km, (B) N 2 is not well-mixed >15 km, and (C) the cloud δ 15 N falls between Earth and the solar wind [12, 13]. Comparisons of the N 2 abundances and isotopic compositions for nitrogen, carbon, and oxygen to other Venus measurements will be discussed.

deep lower atmosphere↗
DOE OSTI2026

Hund's coupling governed orbital-selective superconductivity in Ba 1−𝑥 ⁢K 𝑥⁢ Fe 2 ⁢As 2

Understanding how strong electronic correlations shape superconductivity remains a central challenge in quantum materials. In multiorbital systems, correlations driven by Hund's coupling can differentiate the behavior of individual orbitals, producing the so-called Hund's metal state. How such orbital-selectivity also governs superconducting pairing, however, has remained largely unexplored experimentally. Here, in this study, we use high-resolution angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy to systematically map the superconducting gap structure across the phase diagram of the representative iron-based superconductor Ba 1−x K x Fe 2 As 2 . We find that superconductivity evolves in a strongly orbital-dependent manner: the gap associated with the d xy orbital collapses beyond optimal doping while pairing on the d xz /d yz orbitals persists. This behavior mirrors the orbital-selective correlations observed in the normal state and reveals a direct connection between Hund's metal physics and the superconducting pairing landscape. Our results demonstrate that superconducting gaps themselves can serve as a sensitive probe of orbital-dependent correlations and suggest that Hund's coupling plays a central role in shaping pairing in multiorbital superconductors.

Corbae, Elena [SLAC National Accelerator Laborator↗
DOE OSTI2026

Performance of Heterostructural TaC/AlGaN Schottky Diodes Based on First Principles Electronic Structure Properties

Advances in ultra-wide bandgap materials, such as high Al-content AlxGa1-xN (AlGaN), are essential for next generation power electronics, but the requirement for lattice matched substrates is currently a significant obstacle. Recently, conductive TaC has emerged as a promising virtual substrate for AlGaN heteroepitaxy, with wurtzite (0001) AlxGa1-xN lattice-matched to rocksalt (111) TaC at x ~ 0.5. Thus, understanding and controlling the electronic properties of the TaC/AlGaN interface is key for developing technological applications based on TaC/AlGaN devices. Using density functional theory and electronic structure calculations, we here investigate TaC/Al0.5Ga0.5N interfaces, where we include explicit alloy models in the slab calculations. We predict the Schottky barrier height and the electric field discontinuity resulting from interface charges. Considering all possible combinations of (Ta, C) substrate termination, (Al/Ga, N) nucleation, and (Al/Ga, N) polarity, we construct a chemical potential phase diagram to identify the stable interfaces that can be accessed through variation of the synthesis conditions. The predicted interface electronic properties are implemented in device performance simulations to demonstrate a practical design for a strain-free, high-efficiency TaC/AlGaN Schottky diode with a low barrier height and without interface charges, underscoring the potential of TaC as a substrate for ultra-wide bandgap devices.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Motor Configuration Selection for A New Technical Challenge to Develop A 5 MW Cryogenic Motor and Drive

Due to aviation’s appreciable and growing share of humanity’s impact on our environment and estimates that CO2emissions only account for 34% of aviation’s total effective radiative forcing [1], there is a need to reach beyond climate goals that focus only on CO2emissions, such as the US Aviation Climate Action Plan’s [3] goal to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.There is motivation to develop technology that pushes toward future large transport aircraft with net zero climate impact that are highly electrified (i.e., have higher power electrical propulsion system components). This paper describes a new, 6-year technical challenge to address this need by developing a 5 MW superconducting motor and cryogenic drive. Section 1 will detail the motivation for this work. Section 2 will describe the technical challenge and the selected specifications for the motor. Section 3 will present the results of a motor configuration trade study and the down selection of one configuration to develop a detailed design for. The technical challenge focuses on the design of a5 MW superconducting motor and cryogenic drive and demonstration of it at a 2+ MW scale to achieve TRL 3. Both fully superconducting (superconducting stator and rotor) and fully cryogenic (superconducting rotor and cryogenic stator) machine configurations will be explored. An emphasis will be placed on addressing the key tall poles for high power superconducting machines. Further details will be included in the full paper. The requirements and goals of the motor will be detailed. The rated speed (2,000 to 3,000 rpm) is defined to be appropriate for directly driving multi-MW fans or propellers. A range of rated speed is permitted because the motor is not designed for a specific aircraft and to provide design flexibility if AC losses in the stator winding are found to be a significant constraint (i.e., a lower speed can be selected to reduce electrical frequency). Relatively conservative requirements for efficiency (99%) and specific power (20 kW/kg) are defined, because TRL advancement and pushing toward flight readiness is emphasized over performance optimization. However, more aggressive efficiency and specific power goals are specified (99.9% and 40 kW/kg). The 3rd section will present the results of a motor configuration trade study. The study started with a qualitative assessment of sixteen motor configurations based on geometric, mechanical, thermal, and electromagnetic criteria. This assessment has been completed with three evaluators scoring all nine criteria. A configuration down select was made by prioritizing the sixteen configurations into four tiers based on each configuration’s total score and consideration of manufacturability, complexity, and support hardware (e.g., rotary vacuum seals, bearings). Configurations in priority A and B will be further evaluated through quantitative assessments, whereas those in priority C will only be further evaluated if time permits and priority D will not be further evaluated. Eight of the sixteen configurations were down selected for quantitative assessment, which will include analytical calculations and low-to moderate-fidelity finite element analysis to produce a preliminary Pareto front of efficiency versus specific power for each configuration. This assessment emphasizes the calculation of AC losses in the stator winding and an exploration of thermal management approaches to remove that heat and maintain cryogenic temperature. The final paper will include a description of each motor configuration that was considered. The quantitative assessments are underway, and an assessment of one configuration is complete for multiple stator conductor options. The remaining assessments are scheduled to be completed by late March so that the final down select to one configuration can be included in this paper.

Net Zero↗
NASA NTRS2026

In-Space Demonstration of Spray-on Solar White Paint

Discs coated with spray-on solar white and two similar thermal control coatings were flown in low earth orbit for roughly five hours. While in orbit, the coated discs were exposed to direct sunlight and to deep space for short intervals. Measurements of disc temperatures showed that the spray-on solar white coating had the lowest absorption of sunlight. Numerical modeling was used to infer that spray-on solar white had a solar absorptance between 0.02 and 0.04 and a thermal emittance between 0.93 and 0.99, both of which are consistent with terrestrial laboratory measurements.

Solar White↗
DOE OSTI2026

Phase diagram and spectroscopic signatures of a supersolid in the quantum ising magnet K 2 Co(SeO 3 ) 2

Supersolid phases are quantum-entangled states of matter exhibiting the dual characteristics of superfluidity and solidity. Theory predicts that hard-core bosons on a triangular lattice can form such phases at half filling and near complete filling. Leveraging an exact mapping between bosons and spin-$\frac{1}{2}$ degrees of freedom, here we show that these phases are realized in the triangular-lattice antiferromagnet K 2 Co(SeO 3 ) 2 . At zero field, neutron diffraction reveals the development of quasi-two-dimensional $\sqrt3$ x $\sqrt3$ magnetic order with Z 3 translational symmetry breaking (solidity), though with reduced amplitude indicating strong quantum fluctuations. These fluctuations manifest as equidistant bands of continuum neutron scattering, where the lowest-energy mode is gapless at K ($\frac{1}{3}$ $\frac{1}{3}$), consistent with broken U(1) spin rotational symmetry (superfluidity). For c-axis-oriented magnetic fields near saturation, we find a second phase consistent with a high-field supersolid. These two supersolids are separated by a pronounced 1/3 magnetization plateau phase that supports coherent spin waves, from which we determine the underlying spin Hamiltonian.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗