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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 163 records · Page 9

Machine learning the metastable phase diagram of covalently bonded carbon

Abstract Conventional phase diagram generation involves experimentation to provide an initial estimate of the set of thermodynamically accessible phases and their boundaries, followed by use of phenomenological models to interpolate between the available experimental data points and extrapolate to experimentally inaccessible regions. Such an approach, combined with high throughput first-principles calculations and data-mining techniques, has led to exhaustive thermodynamic databases (e.g. compatible with the CALPHAD method), albeit focused on the reduced set of phases observed at distinct thermodynamic equilibria. In contrast, materials during their synthesis, operation, or processing, may not reach their thermodynamic equilibrium state but, instead, remain trapped in a local (metastable) free energy minimum, which may exhibit desirable properties. Here, we introduce an automated workflow that integrates first-principles physics and atomistic simulations with machine learning (ML), and high-performance computing to allow rapid exploration of the metastable phases to construct “metastable” phase diagrams for materials far-from-equilibrium. Using carbon as a prototypical system, we demonstrate automated metastable phase diagram construction to map hundreds of metastable states ranging from near equilibrium to far-from-equilibrium (400 meV/atom). We incorporate the free energy calculations into a neural-network-based learning of the equations of state that allows for efficient construction of metastable phase diagrams. We use the metastable phase diagram and identify domains of relative stability and synthesizability of metastable materials. High temperature high pressure experiments using a diamond anvil cell on graphite sample coupled with high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) confirm our metastable phase predictions. In particular, we identify the previously ambiguous structure of n -diamond as a cubic-analog of diaphite-like lonsdaelite phase.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

The Profiled Feldman-Cousins Method for Confidence Interval Construction for the Nova 3-Flavor Oscillation Analysis

The small interaction cross-section of neutrinos makes experimental neutrino physics particularly responsive to technological advancements. A significant development leveraged by the NOvA experiment is large-scale parallel processing, enabling novel computational approaches to longstanding experimental challenges. Central to managing the resulting high-throughput data is NOvA’s implementation of the Freight Train model, designed for efficient data production and handling.This dissertation details the methodology and execution of the NOvA 2024 3-Flavor Oscillation Analysis, supported by a comprehensive dataset spanning ten years. It emphasizes frequentist results refined through the Feldman-Cousins (FC) technique, specifically addressing confidence interval corrections in parameter estimation. The computational intensity associated with Feldman-Cousins arises from extensive Monte Carlo simulations, which were substantially mitigated through parallel computing on the Perlmutter supercomputer at the National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center (NERSC), employing the MPI framework.To further enhance computational efficiency, an Importance Sampling method is introduced and evaluated, demonstrating significant potential to reduce complexity, particularly in exploring extreme parameter space regions. This thesis presents both the successful application of advanced computational resources and the development of sophisticated statistical techniques, aiming to enhance the precision and scope of neutrino oscillation analyses.

Dye ajdye11190@gmail.com, Andrew Joseph [Mississip↗

SonicPy: a suite of programs for ultrasound pulse-echo data acquisition and analysis

Sound speed and elastic constants measurements in solids and liquids are commonly performed using the ultrasound pulse-echo technique. Recent advances have expanded the use of this technique at numerous high pressure synchrotron beamlines and offline laboratories. However, the increased experimental throughput has revealed many limitations in existing software for handling the rapid measurement and the subsequent data-reduction. Here, we report the development of a collection of computer programs for sound speed measurements using the ultrasound pulse-echo technique, compatible with stepped multi-frequency, as well as broadband-pulse, couplant-corrected methods. The programs provide a highly interactive graphical interface, enable efficient measurement, exploration and near real-time analysis of the ultrasound data, and contain features useful for working with samples under high pressure and/or high temperature. The included analysis programs can alleviate the time required for data reduction from hours to less than a minute, allowing users to make timely and informed decisions regarding the appropriate experimental parameters.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

Accelerating Discovery of Solid‐State Thin‐Film Metal Dealloying for 3D Nanoarchitecture Materials Design through Laser Thermal Gradient Treatment

Thin‐film solid‐state metal dealloying (thin‐film SSMD) is a promising method for fabricating nanostructures with controlled morphology and efficiency, offering advantages over conventional bulk materials processing methods for integration into practical applications. Although machine learning (ML) has facilitated the design of dealloying systems, the selection of key thermal treatment parameters for nanostructure formation remains largely unknown and dependent on experimental trial and error. To overcome this challenge, a workflow enabling high‐throughput characterization of thermal treatment parameters is demonstrated using a laser‐based thermal treatment to create temperature gradients on single thin‐film samples of Nb‐Al/Sc and Nb‐Al/Cu. This continuous thermal space enables observation of dealloying transitions and the resulting nanostructures of interest. Through synchrotron X‐ray multimodal and high‐throughput characterization, critical transitions and nanostructures can be rapidly captured and subsequently verified using electron microscopy. The key temperatures driving chemical reactions and morphological evolutions are clearly identified. While the oxidation may influence nanostructure formation during thin‐film treatment, the dealloying process at the dealloying front involves interactions solely between the dealloying elements, highlighting the availability and viability of the selected systems. Further, this approach enables efficient exploration of the dealloying process and validation of ML predictions, thereby accelerating the discovery of thin‐film SSMD systems with targeted nanostructures.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Thermophilic Chassis-Enabled High-Throughput Selection of a Thermostable Fluorogenic Reporter

Thermostable proteins show increased shelf life and performance at elevated temperatures and under harsh conditions, resulting in lower costs for various industrial and biotechnological applications. However, due to a limited understanding of the relationship between stability and function, protein stabilization remains primarily a trial-and-error approach. Therefore, building a combinatorial library of mutations predicted to improve stability, followed by experimental testing, represents a markedly improved methodology. However, the lack of high-throughput approaches to screen even a moderately sized library presents a major bottleneck in the field. Here, in this study, we use a thermophile, Parageobacillus thermoglucosidasius (Ptherm) to rapidly screen combinatorial libraries consisting of rationally designed thermostabilizing mutations (∼10 3 –10 4 ) of a mesophilic fluorescent reporter, Y-FAST. On a Petri dish, microbial growth at an elevated temperature and exposure to fluorogen yielded several colonies of Ptherm that showed distinct fluorescence at 55 and 68 °C in our two sequentially generated libraries using Rosetta and ProteinMPNN, respectively. The Y-FAST variants isolated from fluorescent colonies were brighter than Y-FAST and showed higher resistance to thermal and chemical denaturation. AlphaFold-predicted structures and MD simulations revealed stability-enhancing salt bridges and hydrogen bond networks in the isolated FAST variants. The moderately thermostable FAST (tsFAST) and hyperstable FAST (hsFAST) were then demonstrated as translation reporters for protein expression and folding at elevated temperatures, such as 55 and 68 °C. Our approach of combinatorial library generation and high-throughput screening in a thermophilic chassis could, in principle, be extended to other proteins fused to these translation reporters. Furthermore, the hsFAST protein is small─half the size of the green fluorescent protein─and does not require oxygen for maturation, making it ideal for engineering extremophilic anaerobes for biosensing and bioconversion.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

Uncertainty-Aware Machine Learning for Small-Angle X-ray Scattering Analysis in Autonomous Experimentation

Small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) is a powerful high-throughput characterization tool for probing nanoscale structure in native sample environments, providing real-time morphological information such as nanoparticle size and shape during synthesis. However, automated SAXS data analysis for extracting meaningful structural parameters is non-trivial and remains a bottleneck in closed-loop experimentation towards autonomous materials discovery, which demands fast, reliable, and uncertainty-aware data analysis. Here, we develop a machine-learning approach for automated SAXS analysis tailored to closed-loop nanoparticle synthesis. A Random Forest (RF) regression model is trained on 100,000 synthetic SAXS curves generated from polydisperse spherical nanoparticles with realistic background contributions. Using normalized one-dimensional SAXS intensity profiles as input, the RF model directly predicts nanoparticle radius, size polydispersity, and background parameters, while the ensemble standard deviation across trees provides built-in uncertainty quantification (UQ). On synthetic data, we show that combining fit-quality metrics (R 2 , MAE) with thresholds on prediction uncertainty reliably identifies accurate parameter estimates without access to ground truth. We then apply the trained model to 365 experimental SAXS profiles of citrate-reduced gold nanoparticles synthesized using an automated droplet-flow microreactor with in situ SAXS at a synchrotron beamline, classifying the results into high- and low-confidence subsets based on UQ metrics. Finally, we integrate RF-based SAXS analysis into a simulated closed-loop optimization campaign using Gaussian process Bayesian optimization to minimize nanoparticle polydispersity, benchmarking against conventional automated Levenberg–Marquardt fitting. The RF-guided campaign exhibits substantially faster convergence and lower relative opportunity cost (∼0.07 vs ∼0.3), demonstrating that uncertainty-aware machine-learning SAXS analysis significantly enhances the efficiency and robustness of autonomous nanomaterials synthesis workflows.

Bayesian optimization↗

Data-driven discovery of a formation prediction rule on high-entropy ceramics

The interest in high entropy ceramics (HECs) has increased steadily due to their superior properties. However, the prediction of their formation still poses challenges for the discovery of new systems. Here, we discover a rational rule for designing single-phase high entropy metal diborides (HEBs) using data-driven approach. The machine learning (ML) model is trained on data collected via high-throughput experiments (HTEs). K nearest neighbor (KNN) model shows an experimental validation accuracy of 93.75%. By implementing interpretable ML method, we demonstrate that a mismatch of the bonds between boron and transition metals (δ B-TM ) dominates the formation of HEBs. We propose an empirical rule that HEBs favor forming a single phase when δ B-TM < 3.66; otherwise, multiphase. The rule has a high accuracy of 93.33% for new HEBs predictions. In addition, we contribute 165 high quality HEBs data in total, which can promote the development of materials informatics in HEBs. Furthermore, this data-driven strategy can be expanded to accelerate the search for new HECs, paving a pathway to design novel HECs with superior properties rapidly.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Artificial-Intelligence Aided Design and Synthesis of Novel Layered 2D Multi-Principal Element Materials for Energy Storage (Final Report)

This DOE-EPSCoR project aimed to predict, synthesize, and characterize novel layered two-dimensional (2D) high-entropy materials (HEMs). These 2D-HEMs, composed of multiple principal elements in nearly equal concentrations, are distinct from traditional 2D materials (typically containing two or three elements) and conventional alloys (dominated by a single primary element with minor secondary additions). Their unique structural and compositional features enable significant lattice strain accommodation, resulting in enhanced electrode performance and potential applications in catalysis, hydrogen storage, sensing, quantum information technologies, and flexible electronics. The research focused on addressing four fundamental questions: (i) What combinations of elements can form stable and synthesizable 2D-HEMs? (ii) What mechanisms drive the stability and synthesizability of crystalline single-phase 2D-HEMs? (iii) How do local chemical disorder and defects influence the macroscopic electronic and mechanical properties? and (iv) What charge storage mechanisms are active in selectively synthesized 2D-HEMs for battery and supercapacitor electrode applications? To achieve these goals, the project employed an integrated theory-experiment approach, incorporating high-throughput first-principles calculations, theoretical modeling, data mining, experimental synthesis, and advanced characterization techniques. The advanced computing resources and state-of-the-art experimental characterization facilities at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) were leveraged through collaboration. Beyond scientific advancements, the project contributed to workforce development. Two postdoctoral researchers and three graduate students at the University of Maine were trained through co-advising by ORNL scientists and collaborative interactions, strengthening their expertise in cutting-edge materials science.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

A Cellular Automaton Simulation for Predicting Phase Evolution in Solid-State Reactions

New computational tools for solid-state synthesis recipe design are needed in order to accelerate the experimental realization of novel functional materials proposed by high-throughput materials discovery workflows. This work contributes a cellular automaton simulation framework for predicting the time-dependent evolution of intermediate and product phases during solid-state reactions as a function of precursor choice and amount, reaction atmosphere, and heating profile. The simulation captures the effects of reactant particle spatial distribution, particle melting, and reaction atmosphere. Reaction rates based on rudimentary kinetics are estimated using density functional theory data from the Materials Project and machine learning estimators for the melting point and the vibrational entropy component of the Gibbs free energy. The resulting simulation framework allows for the prediction of the likely outcome of a reaction recipe before any experiments are performed. We analyze five experimental solid-state recipes for BaTiO 3 , CaZrN 2 , and YMnO 3 found in the literature to illustrate the performance of the model in capturing reaction selectivity and reaction pathways as a function of temperature and precursor choice. This simulation framework offers an easier way to optimize existing recipes, aid in the identification of intermediates, and design effective recipes for yet unrealized inorganic solids in silico .

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

High-throughput oxidation screening and down-selection of refractory high entropy alloys in the Al-Cr-Mo-Nb-Ta-Ti system

Rapid experimentation and characterization are ever-present needs in the discovery of high entropy alloys. High entropy alloy systems are difficult to survey with systematic composition sweeps using traditional synthesis methods. The number of distinct compositions in even a four-element system is experimentally intractable. Exploration of these, and higher-element systems, necessitates thermodynamic prediction coupled with an automated sample creation method and a rapid screening methodology to effectively down-select alloys with targeted properties. As a result, a high-throughput method for evaluating the oxidation performance of refractory high entropy alloys was developed and tested. The six-element system of aluminum, chromium, molybdenum, niobium, tantalum, and titanium was evaluated for single phase stability and short-duration oxidation resistance. Target compositions were initially determined via thermodynamic predictions of single-phase stability across a wide temperature range. A twenty-five-sample build plate was produced using directed energy deposition additive manufacturing. After fabrication, the twenty-five 1 cm 3 samples were heat treated and characterized for composition and phase identification. The build plate was exposed to a high temperature oxidizing environment at 1000 °C for three hours. After oxidation, the composition, morphology, and chemistry of the oxides formed were characterized. Of the twenty-five samples produced, nine exhibited a favorable oxidation response, from which a single-phase BCC alloy at a composition of Al 13 Cr 7 Mo 19 Nb 18 Ta 26 Ti 17 was identified as the alloy with the most protective oxidation coating with a thin, adherent oxide scale. Finally, the complete experimental down-selection—from machine setup to final alloy identification—required approximately 45 labor hours, demonstrating a rapid validation for alloy discovery.

Additive manufacturing↗

Accuracy of DFT computed oxygen-vacancy formation energies and high-throughput search of solar thermochemical water-splitting compounds

The enthalpy change involved in metal oxide reduction is a key quantity in various processes related to energy conversion and storage, and is of particular interest for computational prediction. Often this prediction involves the simulation of a high temperature reduction process with a 0K methodology like density functional theory (DFT), and it is not infrequent for the high temperature and 0K stable crystal structures to differ. This introduces a conundrum with regards to the choice of crystal structure to utilize in the computation, with approaches in the literature varying and experimental validation remaining scarce. In this work we address both the crystal structure conundrum and the experimental validation, and then apply the insights we gain to guide a high-throughput search for new materials for solar thermochemical water-splitting applications. By computing the DFT+U oxygen vacancy formation energy (ΔE vf ) of a selection of ABO 3 compounds and comparing different crystal structures for each composition, we highlight the issues that arise when the structure utilized in the computation is dynamically unstable at 0K, namely the presence of an artificial lowering of ΔE vf , and the lack of convergence of ΔE vf with cell size. We solve these limitations by identifying and employing a suitable surrogate dynamically stable structure. We then validate the predictive power of our calculations against appositely generated experimental measurements of reduction enthalpy for a series of Hubbard U values, finding an accuracy ranging between 0.2-0.6 eV/O. In light of such conclusions, we revise and expand a previous a high-throughput DFT study on ABO 3 perovskite oxides. As a result, we provide a list of candidate STCH materials, highlight trends with redox-active cation and structural distortion, and identify Mn 4+ , Mn 3+ and Co 3+ as the most promising redox-active cations.

08 HYDROGEN↗

CERBERUS: A Multi-Purpose Spectrometer and Alignment Station at SNS

In order to maximally utilize the existing beam ports at the Spallation Neutron Source, development and installation of a new neutron instrument is proposed at beam port 16a within building 8700 at Oakridge National Laboratory. Said instrument will provide nominally equal neutron beam access for three main science purposes; (1) as an alignment station for proposed single-crystal spectrometer samples to be run across the facility, (2) as a Near-Infrared (>100meV) filter analyzer spectrometer, nearly identical to that which was previously housed at the Lujan Center in Los Alamos, and (3) as a high-throughput nuclear cross-section measurement station. These three experimental applications would require no substantial technical developments, are complimentary in their technical requirements, and provide a worth-while capability that is infinitely beyond the current use of the 16a beam port at the First Target Station within the SNS complex. All three methods would enhance the facility’s science contributions, while accommodating two niche experiment methods that may not be strong enough to stand on their own.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

Structure prediction of porous organic crystals

In this work, we explore the possibility of applying automated crystal structure prediction to reproduce the experimentally identified metastable porous polymorphs. Using our recently developed High-Throughput Organic Crystal Structure Prediction ( HTOCSP ) framework, we conducted a systematic study on five representative organic crystalline systems including hydrogen-bonded frameworks (HOFs), featured by the presence of significant porosity, in conjunction with different choices of energy models from classical, machine learning force fields, tight binding to density functional theory. Our results suggest that the current structure generation framework, with careful selection of symmetry conditions, is likely to generate rather complex and abundant metastable crystal candidates for porous crystals. In conjunction with the recent advance in universal machine learning force fields, it becomes possible to identify experimental structures as the energetically favorable candidates from a simple energy versus density analysis, thus paving the way for computational design of complex porous materials with the target systems prior to the experimental synthesis and characterization.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Optimal Decision Making in High-Throughput Virtual Screening Pipelines

ABSTRACT Effective selection of the potential candidates that meet certain conditions in a tremendously large search space has been one of the major concerns in many real-world applications. In addition to the nearly infinitely large search space, rigorous evaluation of a sample based on the reliable experimental or computational platform is often prohibitively expensive, making the screening problem more challenging. In such a case, constructing a high-throughput screening (HTS) pipeline that pre-sifts the samples expected to be potential candidates through the efficient earlier stages, results in a significant amount of savings in resources. However, to the best of our knowledge, despite many successful applications, no one has studied optimal pipeline design or optimal pipeline operations. In this study, we propose two optimization frameworks, applying to most (if not all) screening campaigns involving experimental or/and computational evaluations, for optimally determining the screening thresholds of an HTS pipeline. We validate the proposed frameworks on both analytic and practical scenarios. In particular, we consider the optimal computational campaign for the long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) classification as a practical example. To accomplish this, we built the high-throughput virtual screening (HTVS) pipeline for classifying the lncRNA. The simulation results demonstrate that the proposed frameworks significantly reduce the effective selection cost per potential candidate and make the HTS pipelines less sensitive to their structural variations. In addition to the validation, we provide insights on constructing a better HTS pipeline based on the simulation results.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

In-Situ SEM High Strain Rate Testing of Large Diameter Micropillars Followed by TEM and EBSD Postmortem Analysis

Background Dislocation dynamic simulations are intended as a tool to understand and predict the mechanical behavior of metallic materials, but its prediction has never been directly verified by experiments due to differences in specimen strain rate and size. Objective In this work, a comprehensive experimental framework is proposed to attempt direct comparison between experiments and discrete dislocation dynamics (DDD) modelling. Methods By integrating high-throughput sample fabrication and a customized testing apparatus, the sample size and strain rate typically employed in DDD simulations are explored experimentally. Constitutive properties such as stress-strain response are measured, and microstructural information is obtained from transmission electron microscopy (TEM) imaging, electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD), and TEM-based orientation mapping. Results Magnesium and copper were selected, as case studies, to demonstrate the newly developed experimental procedure. Measured stress-strain responses for Mg are consistent with those obtained with a miniaturized Hopkison bar experiments. Furthermore, by exploiting the validated workflow, the effect of strain rate on micropillar heterogeneous deformation and associated dislocation plasticity were revealed. Conclusion The work establishes a methodology for the systematic study of not only metals but also other materials and structures at the microscale and high strain rates.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Novel ceramic capacitors with ultrahigh energy density and efficiency (Final Technical Report)

Antiferroelectric ceramics are a special class of material that have shown great potential as the dielectric in electrical capacitors due to their high energy- and power-density. During each charge-discharge cycle, the ceramic undergoes transformation to a ferroelectric phase and resumes its antiferroelectric phase. The hysteresis associated with the transitions leads to a mediocre energy efficiency and service lifetime of antiferroelectric capacitors and, hence, their almost absence in commercial products. Under the support of this research project, we first formulated a universal lattice-compatibility theory that included electrostatic polarization energy along with elastic energy and thermal energy to understand the origin of the hysteresis in antiferroelectric oxides. Guided by this compatibility theory, we conducted high-throughput density functional theory (DFT) calculations to assess chemical modifiers and their effect on crystal structures of 400+ PbZrO 3 -based compositions. Down-selected compositions were experimentally validated for their suppressed hysteresis and higher energy efficiency. The verified low-hysteresis compositions were then expanded to an antiferroelectric ceramic library with nearly 500 new compositions (more than 1,500 samples) using high-throughput experiments involving ceramic synthesis and property screening. The large quantity of data generated (theory and experimental) in these tasks were processed by machine-learning techniques and identified trends were fed to the next iteration. In the end, we successfully discovered four compositions with near-zero hysteresis, yielding a world-record energy efficiency of 98.2% at an energy density of 3.0 J/cm 3 . Furthermore, our antiferroelectric ceramic capacitor reaches 79.5 million charge-discharge cycles lifetime, a factor of 80 enhancement over previous antiferroelectric ceramics with large hysteresis. These research accomplishments have not only met the milestones set in the SOPO, but also led to two patent filings, three journal publications (one of them was in Advanced Materials, impact factor 29.4), and nine oral presentations at various venues. Through the course of the project, three postdocs, four Ph.D. students, and one M.S. student were trained. In short, our project established a new methodology in searching next-generation functional ceramics on the fundamental side and discovered several high-efficiency antiferroelectric compositions for capacitors on the applied side. Once fabricated into the multilayer form for commercial applications, these ceramic capacitors can potentially enable the high temperature high power density DC-link capacitors that are critical for the next generation inverters in electric vehicles. The project also significantly contributed to the nation’s workforce development in the STEM fields.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Examination of Replicate Syntheses of Metal Organic Frameworks as a Window into Reproducibility in Materials Chemistry

Replicate experiments are a useful tool in understanding the repeatability of scientific measurements. In 2019, a systematic search for replicate syntheses of a collection of 130 metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) found that 89% of these materials had no reported replicate syntheses apart from the original publications identifying the material (Agrawal, M. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 2020, 117, 877−88210.1073/pnas.1918484117). A potential weakness of that search was that only 5–11 years had elapsed since the original publication of each material. Here, this analysis is extended to all publications 11–17 years after the original publication. Although this extended time period identifies more repeat syntheses, 83% of the materials still have no reported replicate syntheses. We also consider how appropriately selected Density Functional Theory (DFT) calculations can provide corroboration for the experimentally reported crystal structures. By using data from previous high-throughput DFT studies, corroborating evidence from DFT was available for 17% of the 130 structures for which no replicate syntheses are available. In total, approximately 1/3 of the 130 MOFs have data associated with replicate synthesis experiments and/or directly corroborating DFT calculations.

Sholl, David S. [Oak Ridge National Laboratory (OR↗