Results for “Critical Material” — Page 9

DOE OSTI2026

Cost Competitive Process of Battery Grade Oxides Preparation from Aged LIBs

The increasing demand for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) is driving development of advanced recycling and refining methods. In this project, new cathode active materials are prepared from recycled lithium battery materials and subsequently electrochemically evaluated in coin cells. In detail, scrap LIBs were mechanically processed into a metal rich black mass, then reductive acid leached into an aqueous metal solution, and finally high-purity metal hydroxide precursor materials were prepared by selective electrochemical flow precipitation. Closed-loop LIB recycling into active electrode materials will enable US manufacturers to break their reliance on foreign sources of critical materials. For example, electroextraction process used here has potential to significantly reduce chemical & water use as well as waste production as compared to traditional metallurgic techniques. To this end, electroextracted materials refined from used batteries were collected and processed to be tested as precursor cathode active material (pCAM). For this project, two samples of high purity recycled NMC hydroxide (~1 kg each) were received from N th Cycle’s Ohio demonstration facility. The NMC compositions of the two materials are similar, and the levels of impurities have been confirmed. Indeed, impurities like copper, boron and sodium are present in quantities that could negatively impact battery performance. However, some studies have demonstrated that the control of the quantity of elements like copper or boron may improve the electrochemistry properties of Lithium-NMC batteries. The principal objective is to determine the electrochemical performance of these 2 NMC hydroxide batches and clearly determine the effect of the impurities on the performance.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗

DOE OSTI2021

The Sensitivity of PBX 9502 to Drilling Operations

Polymer-bonded explosive (PBX) 9502 (95% TATB, 5% Kel-F 800 by weight) is dry-drilled on a CNC milling machine and its thermomechanical response to varying feed rates, drilling speeds, and peck depths with 4 mm and 5 mm diameter drill bits is investigated. The tested samples are affixed to a force sensor that enables recording temporally resolved cutting forces and torques, and a drill-embedded thermocouple yields local temperature data. From the data, an empirical relationship between temperature changes and feed per revolution is developed, which reveals reduced temperatures in higher feed per revolution regimes for PBX 9502. The observed relationship allows extrapolating to temperatures for other hole diameters, indicating increased temperature for smaller diameter drilling across the board. Additional testing was performed with PBX 9501 (95% HMX, 2.5% Estane®, 2.5% BDNPA/BDNPF by weight), albeit over a reduced parameter space, which revealed the opposite behavior for the feed per revolution temperature dependence. It is concluded that both PBX 9502 and PBX 9501 can be dry-drilled efficiently beyond the limits of presently applicable US-DOE standards, where cutting interface temperatures remain far below material critical temperatures. Finally, data reveals that coolant usage in the drilling process for these materials provides a wide safety margin.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

DOE OSTI2022

High-Energy Solid-State Lithium Batteries with Organic Cathode Materials (Final Report)

Organic materials made from abundant elements via low-energy processes are emerging as sustainable and low-cost alternatives to transition metal oxides as the electrode materials for high- energy batteries in the wake of supply chain and environmental issues associated with critical materials during the transition to clean energy. Organic insertion materials (OIMs) offer material- level energy comparable to transition metal oxides, but they have durability difficulties owing to dissolving in common liquid electrolytes. Combining ceramic-based solid electrolytes with organic electrode materials is one intriguing solution. The goal of this project is to design and synthesize high-energy OIMs, to understand the chemical dynamics and mechanical properties at the OIM-sulfide interface during electrochemical cycling, and to develop methods for constructing the optimum cathode microstructure, which will lead to improved electrochemical performance. The project team has accomplished the following over the last four years: (a) demonstrating that the mechanical softness of organic electrode materials is uniquely beneficial in suppressing crack formation at the electrode-electrolyte interface during cell operation; (b) understanding the interaction between cathode microstructure and the mechanical properties of individual components; and (c) establishing predictive control of cathode microstructure by tuning the mechanical properties of solid electrolytes and OIMs; (d) determining the chemical combability of sulfide electrolyte with high-energy OIMs and finally (f) laying out a road map toward a specific energy of 500 Wh kg -1 for solid-state lithium batteries. 14 publications resulted from this project.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗

DOE OSTI2023

Unrealized Critical Lanthanide Extraction from Sea Algae Mining (UNCLE SAM): Domestic production of critical minerals from seawater

The UNCLE-SAM project, under the Biotechnologies to Ensure a Robust Supply of Critical Materials for Clean Energy program, examined the biomining applications of seaweeds for sustainable, domestic production of critical mineral feedstocks. The ocean is a vast reserve of mineralogical wealth including rare earth elements (REEs) and platinum group metal (PGMs). These elements, categorized as “critical minerals”, are used in telecommunication devices, lasers, LED lighting, turbine generators, electric car motors, jet engine alloys, and many other applications. These critical elements are increasingly vital to a thriving, efficient and sustainable society. However, only a few countries in the global market currently produce and export REEs, leading to potential geopolitical supply disruptions. Marine macroalgae, often referred to as seaweeds, bioconcentrate critical minerals from seawater, including REEs and PGMs. Marine algae cultivation can generate a significant amount of biomass with minimal freshwater, fertilizer, and land requirements. In summary, the UNCLE-SAM project successfully evaluated the technological feasibility for marine macroalgal cultivation as a feedstock for critical minerals, explored the biological capacity of different seaweeds to provide economically relevant domestic mineral production, assessed processing techniques for thermal co-conversion of seaweeds into renewable fuel and mineral feedstocks, and executed techno-economic and lifecycle assessments for identifying the most critical gaps in our current understanding to move the technology into commercially relevant deployment. Further development of this technology could transform the bioproduct and REE mining industries and catalyze the development of a more sustainable future.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2023

UNrealized Critical Lanthanide Extraction from Sea Algae Mining (UNCLE SAM)

The UNCLE-SAM project, under the Biotechnologies to Ensure a Robust Supply of Critical Materials for Clean Energy program, examined the biomining applications of seaweeds for sustainable, domestic production of critical mineral feedstocks. The ocean is a vast reserve of mineralogical wealth including rare earth elements (REEs) and platinum group metal (PGMs). These elements, categorized as “critical minerals”, are used in telecommunication devices, lasers, LED lighting, turbine generators, electric car motors, jet engine alloys, and many other applications. These critical elements are increasingly vital to a thriving, efficient and sustainable society. However, only a few countries in the global market currently produce and export REEs, leading to potential geopolitical supply disruptions. Marine macroalgae, often referred to as seaweeds, bioconcentrate critical minerals from seawater, including REEs and PGMs. Marine algae cultivation can generate a significant amount of biomass with minimal freshwater, fertilizer, and land requirements. In summary, the UNCLE-SAM project successfully evaluated the technological feasibility for marine macroalgal cultivation as a feedstock for critical minerals, explored the biological capacity of different seaweeds to provide economically relevant domestic mineral production, assessed processing techniques for thermal co-conversion of seaweeds into renewable fuel and mineral feedstocks, and executed techno-economic and lifecycle assessments for identifying the most critical gaps in our current understanding to move the technology into commercially relevant deployment. Further development of this technology could transform the bioproduct and REE mining industries and catalyze the development of a more sustainable future.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗

DOE OSTI2025

Scale up production of carbon fibers from petroleum mesophase pitch

This work investigates the scale-up of pitch precursors for the carbon fiber market using mesophase pitch formulated and produced by Advanced Carbon Products Technologies’ (ACPT’s) patented mesophase pitch processing technology. Through use of its patented process, ACPT developed strategic materials by converting petroleum-based pitch into a high-value, low-cost, carbon-rich feedstock for carbon fiber and other materials critical to our national security. The team successfully developed processing criteria for the tailored mesophase pitch material that can be processed further into precursor and carbon fiber. Processability of the mesophase pitch into precursor and carbon fiber was demonstrated at scale. The resulting materials sequester the carbon that would otherwise be burned and released into the atmosphere, making this an environmentally friendly way to produce these materials in the United States.Pitch-based carbon fibers offer a promising pathway toward cost-effective, high-performance materials for structural and high-modulus composite applications; however, adoption has been limited by challenges in precursor processability and scale-up. In this work, tailored isotropic and mesophase petroleum-derived pitch materials were developed and evaluated for precursor and carbon fiber production through a collaborative effort between Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and ACPT. Processing conditions were established at ORNL’s Carbon Fiber Technology Facility to enable stable melt-blowing of pitch-based precursors under continuous operation. Mesophase pitch precursor fibers were produced following oxidation and carbonization, corresponding to a diameter shrinkage of approximately 12%–13% and an estimated mass yield of about 75%–80%. Continuous melt-blowing steady-state operation was demonstrated over time, indicating robust process stability. Melt-blowing was achieved at throughput rates of approximately 20 lb/h⁻¹, validating the commercial viability of petroleum-derived pitch feedstocks for fiber production. Further studies are required to tailor carbon fiber microstructure and properties for specific composite applications.

99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS↗

NASA NTRS1994

Self contamination effects in the TAUVEX UV Telescope: Ground testing and computer simulation

The contamination effects due to outgassing from construction materials of the TAUVEX (Tel Aviv University UV Telescope) were evaluated using a combination of ground testing and computer simulations. Tests were performed from the material level of the system level including: (1) High sensitivity CVCM(10(exp -3 percent) measurements of critical materials. (2) Optical degradation measurements of samples specially contaminated by outgassing products at different contamination levels. (3) FTIR studies of chemical composition of outgassed products on above samples. (4) High resolution AFM studies of surface morphology of contaminated surfaces. The expected degradation of TAUVEX performance in mission was evaluated applying a computer simulation code using input parameters determined experimentally in the above tests. The results have served as guidelines for the proper selection of materials, cleanliness requirements, determination of the thermal conditions of the system and bakeout processes.

Lifshitz, Y.↗

DOE OSTI2023

DFT (and DMFT) for DFT users

The interesting properties of f -electron systems comes from a simultaneous existence of free and discrete level electrons. The challenge we have is to describe free electrons and discrete level electrons equally well in a unified picture. The ELF index can be used to find regions in real space where discrete level physics needs to be taken into account. We have identified the HO gas as a model system that can be used to gain insight about this kind of physics. We will use the HO gas model system for creating a functional suitable for these systems via the subsystem functional scheme. With a predictive capability for the rare earths and lanthindes, we can identify new materials with new/improved properties. This is crucial for, e.g., developing material and technology substitutes for addressing the challenges associated with the use of rare earth elements and other critical materials.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

DOE OSTI2024

Proliferation Detection via Acoustic Monitoring of Pyroprocessing Equipment and Related Systems

In support of nuclear safeguards and nonproliferation, this effort is leveraging acoustic and seismic sensors to advance detection of pyroprocessing activities. Pyroprocessing, or electrochemical processing, is a method of separating irradiated nuclear fuel into its actinide and fission product components, enabling the reuse of fuel materials and reducing the radiotoxicity of the remaining waste. Verification and accountability in the process poses several challenges because of the high radiation environment and the presence of material holdup through the facility. Irregular or unaccounted-for equipment operation can signify diversion or misuse of critical materials. Acoustic and seismic sensors offer the capability to identify periods of equipment operation and help verify adherence to accountancy records.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗

DOE OSTI2022

Manufacturing Processes for Permanent Magnets: Part I—Sintering and Casting

Abstract Permanent magnets (PMs) produce magnetic fields and maintain the field even in the presence of an opposing magnetic field. Electrical machines using permanent magnets are more efficient than those without. Currently, all known strong magnets contain rare earth (RE) elements, and they are core components of a wide range of applications including electric vehicles and wind turbines. RE elements such as Nd and Dy have become critical materials due to the growing demand and constrained supply. Improving the manufacturing process is effective in mitigating the RE criticality issue by reducing waste and improving parts consistency. In this article, the state of the industry for PM is reviewed in detail considering both the technical and economic drivers. The importance of RE elements is discussed along with their economic importance to green energy. The conventional sintering and casting manufacturing processes for commercial magnets, including Nd-Fe-B, Sm-Co, Alnico, and ferrite, are described in detail.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Tomography Analysis of Orion Artemis 1 Heatshield Sample

The Orion spacecraft, under NASA's Artemis program, is an integral step in humanity's ambitions of deep space exploration, including our return to the Moon and subsequent mission to Mars. The performance of Orion's heatshield is central to ensuring the safety and success of such missions. This presentation offers a comprehensive overview of the process used in and findings derived from tomography scans of an Artemis 1 heatshield sample executed at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory's Advanced Light Source. These tomography scans captured high-resolution X-Ray images of the heatshield's microstructure, allowing advanced imaging to be employed for 3D image segmentation and visualization of the sample. The Porous Media Analysis (PuMA) software stands central to our analysis, offering robust computational algorithms and methodologies to digitally compute properties of the heatshield material. The presentation discusses the following derived metrics: - Volume fractions, representing the spatial distribution and amounts of various components throughout the heatshield’s depth. - Porosity and crack distributions, offering insights into the void space within the material, critical for understanding the heatshield's structural integrity. - Fiber orientation, detailing the alignment and arrangement of fibers, significant for material orthotropy. - Permeability estimates, quantifying the passage of gas through the material, relevant for re-entry conditions and pyrolysis gasses. One distinctive feature of this study is the comparative evaluation against data obtained from tomography scans of the Exploration Flight Test-1 (EFT-1) heatshield. Such a comparison offers multiple insights, including evaluation of the consistency and repeatability of manufacturing processes as well as understanding of any evolutionary changes in heatshield design or material properties.

Micro-tomography↗

NASA NTRS2016

NASA Collaborative Approach Mitigates Environmentally-Driven Obsolescence

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) missions, like Department of Defense (DoD) organizations, require the rigorous testing and qualification of critical materials. Obsolescence supply risks created by environmental requirements can affect the cost, schedule and performance of NASA missions and the resilience of critical infrastructure. The NASA Technology Evaluation for Environmental Risk Mitigation (TEERM) Principal Center helps to identify obsolescence supply risks driven by environmental requirements and works proactively with NASA Centers and Programs, the DoD, the European Space Agency (ESA) and other agencies and partners to identify and evaluate environmentally friendly alternatives. TEERM tracks environmental regulations, identifies the potential loss of material availability and works with NASA programs and Centers to evaluate potential impacts through a risk assessment approach. TEERM collaborative projects identify, demonstrate and evaluate commercially viable alternative technologies and materials. A major focus during the Space Shuttle Program was the need to replace ozone depleting substances that were used in spray foam and cleaning applications. The potential obsolescence of coatings containing hexavalent chromium and the risks associated with lead free solder were also of concern for the Space Shuttle and present ongoing risks to new programs such as the Space Launch System. One current project teams NASA and ESA in the evaluation and testing of individual coatings and coating systems as replacements for hexavalent chromium coatings in aerospace applications. The proactive, collaborative approach used by TEERM helps reduce the cost burden on any one team partner, reduces duplication of effort, and enhances the technical quality and overall applicability of the testing and analysis.

environmentall-driven obsolescence↗

DOE OSTI2023

CalTestBed - OnTo Technology - Characterization of Recycled Cathode and Anode Particles as a Function of Process Step (Final Report)

Onto Technology carries out advanced Li-ion battery recycling for industry and. has the only patented technology to produce manufacturing quality electrode materials from recycled batteries. The technology can resolve ongoing cost problems for the industry in life-cycle and conservation of critical materials. Under the Cal TestBed program, Onto Technology teamed with principal investigators at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, who performed tests to evaluate the electrochemical performance of refurbished electrode materials. Other tests to determine structure and morphology of the refurbished materials carried out at LBNL included X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM).

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

DOE OSTI2023

Characterization and Recovery of Critical Metals from Municipal Solid Waste Incineration Ashes

The dependence on international supplies and lack of diverse supplies of critical materials (such as rare earth elements, REEs) have prompted the US to explore new sources and develop environmentally friendly technologies for critical metal extraction, processing, and manufacturing. Secondary wastes have been explored for the recovery of REEs. Municipal solid waste (MSW) is a large solid waste stream and may constitute the largest resource for REEs and other critical metals; yet its incineration ashes (MSWI ashes) have received limited attention in terms of critical metal recovery. On the other hand, management of MSWI ashes also presents significant challenges both operationally and financially, such as landfill costs, volume reduction, and contaminant immobilization. To address the challenges associated with the management of and resource recovery from MSWI ashes, this project developed a closed-loop, integrated, scalable, and environmentally friendly waste management and resource recovery system. This system is characterized with maximum recovery of REEs, production of additional salable products, minimal production of secondary waste, and high immobilization of heavy metal contaminants.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

DOE OSTI2020

Controlled evolution of rare earth phosphate in coal ash slag

Coal ash slag as a waste by-product, is generated from commercial processes that include gasification facilities, power plants, and steelmaking industries. Some is recycled into construction materials, insulation fibers, and used as a soil neutralizer, but the majority is still discarded. Coal ash slag exhibit trace amounts of critical materials including rare earth elements (REEs). An economically viable extraction of REEs from the coal ash would lower the production costs, addressing the availability and environmental concerns. In nature, most REEs exist as phosphate such as monazite but its synthetic evolution in coal ash slag has never been reported. In industrial processes, P may originate from coal, additives, and/or refractory liners. REEs may be extracted by first concentrating REEs into phosphates, sulphide, or fluorides [1], or carbonates [2]. In this work, P-enriched coal ash slag bearing REEs was first melted above 1600 °C, then crystallization behaviors in the melt during controlled cooling was studied. REE phosphate coprecipitated with mullite and hematite with mullite being the first crystal to form on cooling. The REEs were rejected from the molten slag, mullite, and hematite, and tended to segregate only to the phosphate phase with REE concentration as high as 58 wt.% in the structure.

Nakano, Jinichiro↗

DOE OSTI2021

Controlled evolution of rare earth phosphate in coal ash slag

Coal ash slag as a waste by-product, is generated from commercial processes that include gasification facilities, power plants, and steelmaking industries. Some is recycled into construction materials, insulation fibers, and used as a soil neutralizer, but the majority is still discarded. Coal ash slag exhibit trace amounts of critical materials including rare earth elements (REEs). An economically viable extraction of REEs from the coal ash would lower the production costs, addressing the availability and environmental concerns. In nature, most REEs exist as phosphate such as monazite but its synthetic evolution in coal ash slag has never been reported. In industrial processes, P may originate from coal, additives, and/or refractory liners. REEs may be extracted by first concentrating REEs into phosphates, sulphide, or fluorides [1], or carbonates [2]. In this work, P-enriched coal ash slag bearing REEs was first melted above 1600 °C, then crystallization behaviors in the melt during controlled cooling was studied. REE phosphate coprecipitated with mullite and hematite with mullite being the first crystal to form on cooling. The REEs were rejected from the molten slag, mullite, and hematite, and tended to segregate only to the phosphate phase with REE concentration as high as 58 wt.% in the structure.

Nakano, Jinichiro↗

DOE OSTI2021

Be like Oppenheimer: Donate your weapons information for the next generation of LANL researchers

You can follow the Lab’s first physicists, J. Robert Oppenheimer, Richard Feynman, Hans Bethe, and so many others through the years, plus know your information is helping future researchers — just like our first scientists did for you. How? Donate your physical or digital classified weapons records to the Lab’s National Security Research Center (NSRC), said Riz Ali, NSRC Director. The NSRC houses 80 years’ worth of one-of-kind records, which total in the millions and include nearly every medium imaginable. It is the Laboratory’s largest collection of research materials and the largest classified library of any Department of Energy lab. It all started with Oppenheimer, our first Lab director, and his Technical Library that was established during the Manhattan Project, which was the U.S. government’s top-secret effort to create the first atomic bombs to help end World War II. “Few NSRC patrons are aware that most of its vital materials come from the Lab’s own workforce,” said Chris C’de Baca, the NSRC’s Group Leader. “A significant portion of our critical material — which today’s researchers access regularly — is a direct contribution from research scientists. If people don’t contribute, then we won’t have the information we need when people come to the NSRC for research.”

96 KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT AND PRESERVATION↗

DOE OSTI2020

Experimental methodology and theoretical framework in describing constrained plastic flow of FCC microscale tensile specimens

Small scale mechanical testing (SSMT) allows for the quantification of the mechanical responses for microscale and nanoscale material volumes. It has significant potential in improving our fundamental understanding of plastic deformation and in providing an engineering solution for testing complex and/or critical materials. Importantly, previous studies have revealed that plastic intermittency, manifested as strain bursts, are characteristic of the plastic flow behavior at the small length scale. In this work, interfacial constraint has been utilized to suppress strain bursts in order to stabilize plasticity. A new parameter, blocked volume ratio (BVR), is introduced to quantify the degree of constraint for a microscale specimen due to an interface. Here, we showed that the plastic flow behavior in FCC Ni-based metals is highly dependent on the BVR of the specimen.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗