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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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All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2025

Microstructure-Based Degradation Modeling in Solid Oxide Cells

The presentation is intended for a graduate class in Georgia Southern University taught by Dr. Hayri Sezer on electrochemistry, SOFC and Li ion battery. It summaries NETL's recent works on microstructure-based modeling of degradation in solid oxide cells. It covers the degradation mechanism of Ni coarsening, Ni migration and the build-up of oxygen partial pressure inside the electrolyte. The phase-field models developed for Ni coarsening and migration are reviewed and the results are compared to experiments in literature to examine different diffusion mechanisms (Ni self-diffusion, Ni(OH)2 diffusion in pores and Ni(OH) surface diffusion) and driving forces (Ni(OH)x concentration and Ni-YSZ contact angle change). It also demonstrates the developed model for oxygen partial pressure and shows that the predicted oxygen partial pressure can explain the Ni oxidation in the hydrogen electrode and crack growth on the electrolyte-oxygen electrode interface under certain operating conditions.

nickel coarsening↗
DOE OSTI2026

Planar Systems for Quantum Information

This project aims to develop two‐dimensional (2D) moiré materials as a quantum simulator to implement model Hamiltonians and their phase diagrams. Progress in quantum information science (QIS) requires the development of advanced quantum materials systems. The rich family of layered van der Waals materials and their heterostructures present opportunities to create previously unrealized types of applications for QIS. Specifically, when two layers of van der Waals materials are overlaid with a small twist angle or/and lattice mismatch, a moiré superlattice with a period of about ten nanometers is formed. This provides a periodic trapping potential for electrons. Electrons can tunnel between the traps and repel each other by their mutual Coulomb interactions. The platform of 2D moiré materials provides many attractive features, including tunability of length and energy scales, charge density, and even lattice symmetry. It presents new possibilities for realizing quantum simulation of the many-body physics in a solid-state platform. This integrated team of six investigators seeks to develop relevant theoretical treatments to link ab-initio studies of 2D moiré materials to model Hamiltonians and to evaluate correlated phases predicted by these model Hamiltonians in the relevant regimes. On the experimental side, the team aims to develop methods to realize a homogeneous and highly controlled potential landscape for the electrons and to initiate, protect, and measure their quantum many-body states.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2020

The Scattering of Phonons by Infinitely Long Quantum Dislocations Segments and the Generation of Thermal Transport Anisotropy in a Solid Threaded by Many Parallel Dislocations

A canonical quantization procedure is applied to the interaction of elastic waves—phonons—with infinitely long dislocations that can oscillate about an equilibrium, straight line, configuration. The interaction is implemented through the well-known Peach–Koehler force. For small dislocation excursions away from the equilibrium position, the quantum theory can be solved to all orders in the coupling constant. We study in detail the quantum excitations of the dislocation line and its interactions with phonons. The consequences for the drag on a dislocation caused by the phonon wind are pointed out. We compute the cross-section for phonons incident on the dislocation lines for an arbitrary angle of incidence. The consequences for thermal transport are explored, and we compare our results, involving a dynamic dislocation, with those of Klemens and Carruthers, involving a static dislocation. In our case, the relaxation time is inversely proportional to frequency, rather than directly proportional to frequency. As a consequence, the thermal transport anisotropy generated on a material by the presence of a highly-oriented array of dislocations is considerably more sensitive to the frequency of each propagating mode, and, therefore, to the temperature of the material.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2012

Solid-State Selective 13C Excitation and Spin Diffusion NMR to Resolve Spatial Dimensions in Plant Cell Walls

The average spatial dimensions between major biopolymers within the plant cell wall can be resolved using a solid-state NMR technique referred to as a {sup 13}C cross-polarization (CP) SELDOM (selectively by destruction of magnetization) with a mixing time delay for spin diffusion. Selective excitation of specific aromatic lignin carbons indicates that lignin is in close proximity to hemicellulose followed by amorphous and finally crystalline cellulose. {sup 13}C spin diffusion time constants (T{sub SD}) were extracted using a two-site spin diffusion theory developed for {sup 13}C nuclei under magic angle spinning (MAS) conditions. These time constants were then used to calculate an average lower-limit spin diffusion length between chemical groups within the plant cell wall. The results on untreated {sup 13}C enriched corn stover stem reveal that the lignin carbons are, on average, located at distances {approx}0.7-2.0 nm from the carbons in hemicellulose and cellulose, whereas the pretreated material had larger separations.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗
DOE OSTI2014

Structure and water exchange dynamics of hydrated oxo halo ions in aqueous solution using QMCF MD simulation, large angle X-ray scattering and EXAFS

Theoretical ab initio quantum mechanical charge field molecular dynamics (QMCF MD) has been applied in conjunction with experimental large angle X-ray scattering (LAXS) and EXAFS measurements to study structure and dynamics of the hydrated oxo chloro anions chlorite, ClO 2 – , chlorate, ClO 3 – , and perchlorate, ClO 4 – . In addition, the structures of the hydrated hypochlorite, ClO – , bromate, BrO 3 – , iodate, IO 3 – and metaperiodate, IO 4 – , ions have been determined in aqueous solution by means of LAXS. The structures of the bromate, metaperiodate, and orthoperiodate, H 2 IO 6 3– , ions have been determined by EXAFS as solid sodium salts and in aqueous solution as well. The results show clearly that the only form of periodate present in aqueous solution is metaperiodate. The Cl–O bond distances in the hydrated oxo chloro anions as determined by LAXS and obtained in the QMCF MD simulations are in excellent agreement, being 0.01–0.02 Å longer than in solid anhydrous salts due to hydration through hydrogen bonding to water molecules. The oxo halo anions, all with unit negative charge, have low charge density making them typical structure breakers, thus the hydrogen bonds formed to the hydrating water molecules are weaker and more short-lived than those between water molecules in pure water. The water exchange mechanism of the oxo chloro anions resembles those of the oxo sulfur anions with a direct exchange at the oxygen atoms for perchlorate and sulfate. Here, the water exchange rate for the perchlorate ion is significantly faster, τ 0.5 = 1.4 ps, compared to the hydrated sulfate ion and pure water, τ 0.5 = 2.6 and 1.7 ps, respectively. The angular radial distribution functions show that the chlorate and sulfite ions have a more complex water exchange mechanism. As the chlorite and chlorate ions are more weakly hydrated than the sulfite ion the spatial occupancy is less well-defined and it is not possible to follow any well-defined migration pattern as it is difficult to distinguish between hydrating water molecules and bulk water in the region close to the ions.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2019

The role of titanium-oxo clusters in the sulfate process for TiO 2 production

TiO 2 is manufactured for white pigments, solar cells, self-cleaning surfaces and devices, and other photocatalytic applications. The industrial synthesis of TiO 2 entails: (1) the dissolution of ilmenite ore (FeTiO 3 ) in aqueous sulfuric acid which precipitates the Fe while retaining the Ti in solution, followed by (2) dilution or heating the Ti sulfate solution to precipitate the pure form of TiO 2 . The underlying chemistry of these processing steps remains poorly understood. Here we show that the dissolution of a simple Ti IV -sulfate salt, representative of the industrial sulfate process for the production of TiO 2 , immediately self-assembles into a soluble Ti-octadecameric cluster, denoted as {Ti 18 }. We observed {Ti 18 } in solution by small-angle X-ray scattering and Ti extended X-ray absorption fine structure (Ti-EXAFS) analysis, and ultimately crystallized it for absolute identification. The {Ti 18 } metal-oxo cluster was previously reported as a polycation; but shown here, it can also be a polyanion, dependent on the number of sulfate ligands it carries. After immediate self-assembly, the {Ti 18 }-cluster persists until TiO 2 precipitates, with no easily identified structural intermediates in the solution or solid state, despite the fact that the atomic arrangement of {Ti 18 } differs vastly from that of titania. The evolution from solution phase {Ti 18 } to precipitated TiO 2 nanoparticles was detailed by X-ray scattering and Ti-EXAFS. Here, we offer a hypothesis for the key mechanism of complete separation of Fe from Ti in the industrial sulfate process. These findings also highlight the emerging importance of the unusual Ti(Ti) 5 pentagonal building unit, featured in {Ti 18 } as well as other early d 0 transition metal-oxo clusters including Nb, Mo and W. Finally, this study presents an example of crystal growth mechanisms in which the observed “pre-nucleation cluster” does not necessarily predicate the structure of the precipitated solid.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2023

Composite Fermi Liquid at Zero Magnetic Field in Twisted MoTe 2

Here, the pursuit of exotic phases of matter outside of the extreme conditions of a quantizing magnetic field is a long-standing quest of solid state physics. Recent experiments have observed spontaneous valley polarization and fractional Chern insulators in zero magnetic field in twisted bilayers of MoTe 2 , at partial filling of the topological valence band (ν =-2/3 and -3/5). We study the topological valence band at half filling, using exact diagonalization and density matrix renormalization group calculations. We discover a composite Fermi liquid (CFL) phase even at zero magnetic field that covers a large portion of the phase diagram near twist angle ~3.6°. The CFL is a non-Fermi liquid phase with metallic behavior despite the absence of Landau quasiparticles. We discuss experimental implications including the competition between the CFL and a Fermi liquid, which can be tuned with a displacement field. The topological valence band has excellent quantum geometry over a wide range of twist angles and a small bandwidth that is, remarkably, reduced by interactions. These key properties stabilize the exotic zero field quantum Hall phases. Finally, we present an optical signature involving “extinguished” optical responses that detects Chern bands with ideal quantum geometry.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2020

Bio-inspired gas sensing: boosting performance with sensor optimization guided by “machine learning”

The performance of existing gas sensors often degrades in field conditions because of the loss of measurement accuracy in the presence of interferences. Thus, new sensing approaches are required with improved sensor selectivity. We are developing a new generation of gas sensors, known as multivariable sensors, that have several independent responses for multi-gas detection with a single sensor. In this study, we analyze the capabilities of natural and fabricated photonic three-dimensional (3-D) nanostructures as sensors for the detection of different gaseous species, such as vapors and non-condensable gases. We employed bare Morpho butterfly wing scales to control their gas selectivity with different illumination angles. Next, we chemically functionalized Morpho butterfly wing scales with a fluorinated silane to boost the response of these nanostructures to the vapors of interest and to suppress the response to ambient humidity. Further, we followed our previously developed design rules for sensing nanostructures and fabricated bioinspired inorganic 3-D nanostructures to achieve functionality beyond natural Morpho scales. These fabricated nanostructures have embedded catalytically active gold nanoparticles to operate at high temperatures of ≈300 °C for the detection of gases for solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) applications. Our performance advances in the detection of multiple gaseous species with specific nanostructure designs were achieved by coupling the spectral responses of these nanostructures with machine learning (a.k.a. multivariate analysis, chemometrics) tools. Our newly acquired knowledge from studies of these natural and fabricated inorganic nanostructures coupled with machine learning data analytics allowed us to advance our design rules for sensing nanostructures toward the required gas selectivity for numerous gas monitoring scenarios at room and high temperatures for industrial, environmental, and other applications.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2019

Mechanisms of Enhanced Thermal Stability of Polarization in Lead-Free (Bi 1/2 Na 1/2 ) 0.94 Ba 0.06 TiO 3 /ZnO Ceramic Composites

(Bi 1/2 Na 1/2 )TiO 3 -based solid solutions, one of the major systems of lead-free piezoelectric ceramics, exhibit a low thermal depolarization temperature ( T d ~100°C). It was reported that by incorporating 30 mol% ZnO particles to form a ceramic composite of (Bi 1/2 Na 1/2 ) 0.94 Ba 0.06 TiO 3 /ZnO, the depolarization process can be shifted up to ~250 °C. In the present work, a variety of advanced transmission electron microscopy techniques, including in situ heating, annular bright-field, high-angle annular dark-field, geometric phase analysis, energy-dispersive spectrum and electron energy-loss spectroscopy, are employed to investigate the underlying mechanisms for the enhanced thermal stability of polarization in the composite. Furthermore, it is found that the abrupt depolarization in (Bi 1/2 Na 1/2 ) 0.94 Ba 0.06 TiO 3 at T d becomes diffused over a wide temperature window up to the temperature at maximum dielectric constant ( T m ) under the combined actions of the incorporation of Zn into the perovskite lattice, the presence of residual stresses, and the pinning effect on micron-sized domains provided by ZnO particles.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2024

Quantification of carbon phases in detonation soot

Soot is a powdery substance composed of solid residues that results from the incomplete combustion of hydrocarbons. Soot holds valuable information because its chemical makeup can provide answers for condensed carbon kinetics in HE detonations by quantitively identifying what carbon species remain. For carbon-rich explosives, this is particularly important because carbon kinetics is a major pathway for energy release. Current efforts have been able to qualitatively identify the carbons and confirm their presence, but we haven’t been able to successfully quantify them. For example, small angle x-ray diffraction has been fielded to qualitatively identify carbon phases as a function of time during a detonation (work by Trevor Willey and Mike Nielson). Other work (ice experiments) has focused on measuring the “effective” static cold curve equation of state (EOS) of the recovered carbon soots.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
NASA NTRS1976

Methods for data reduction and loads analysis of Space Shuttle Solid Rocket Booster model water impact tests

The methodology used to predict full scale space shuttle solid rocket booster (SRB) water impact loads from scale model test data is described. Tests conducted included 12.5 inch and 120 inch diameter models of the SRB. Geometry and mass characteristics of the models were varied in each test series to reflect the current SRB baseline configuration. Nose first and tail first water entry modes were investigated with full-scale initial impact vertical velocities of 40 to 120 ft/sec, horizontal velocities of 0 to 60 ft/sec., and off-vertical angles of 0 to plus or minus 30 degrees. The test program included a series of tests with scaled atmospheric pressure.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1987

Quantum efficiencies of imaging detectors with alkali halide photocathodes. I - Microchannel plates with separate and integral CsI photocathodes

Measurements and comparisons have been made of the quantum efficiencies of microchannel plate (MCP) detectors in the far-UV (below 2000-A) wavelength range using CsI photocathodes (a) deposited on the front surfaces of microchannel plates and (b) deposited on solid substrates as opaque photocathodes with the resulting photoelectrons input to microchannel plates. The efficiences were measured in both pulse-counting and photodiode modes of operation. Typical efficiencies are about 15 percent at 1216 A for a CsI-coated MCP compared with 65 percent for an opaque CsI photocathode MCP detector. Special processing has yielded an efficiency as high as 20 percent for a CsI-coated MCP. This may possibly be further improved by optimization of the tilt angle of the MCP channels relative to the front face of the MCP and incident radiation. However, at present there still remains a factor of at least 3 quantum efficiency advantage in the separate opaque CsI photocathode configuration.

Carruthers, George R.↗
DOE OSTI2019

A sparse Gaussian sigmoid basis function approximation of hyperspectral data for detection of solids

We define a new characterization of emissivity and reflectance curves for compositional exploitation of hyperspectral data. Here, our method decomposes each spectrum into a sparse set of Gaussian sigmoid components using penalized regression. Detection is based on the combination of Gaussian sigmoid components unique to a target material. Focusing on the presence of spectral upslopes and downslopes rather than spectral correlations makes detection more robust to both target variation and spectral variability from atmosphere and background encountered during the collection process. We present simulation studies that demonstrate the potential to reduce false positive rates without compromising sensitivity. Characterization of long–wave infrared (LWIR) experimental data validates our method using minerals of different particle sizes, measurement angles, and collection conditions.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗
DOE OSTI2015

Supramolecular Assembly of Tris(4-carboxyphenyl)arenes: Relationship between Molecular Structure and Solid-State Catenation Motifs

The crystal structures of seven 1,3,5-tris(4-carboxyphenyl)arenes with functionalized central arene rings are reported. The formation of (6,3) hcb hexagonal sheets as a result of carboxylic acid dimer formation was observed in most of the crystal structures, with the exception of two compounds with functional groups capable of forming hydrogen bonds, namely, 2,4,6-tris(4-carboxyphenyl)-1,3-diaminobenzene and 2,4,6-tris(4-carboxyphenyl)-3-methylaniline. These structures were found to incorporate THF solvent molecules in their hydrogen-bonding motif, giving rise to distorted pseudohexagonal arrays. Functional groups on the central ring were found to influence stacking distances, stacking offsets, inclination angles, degree of catenation, and dimensions of solvent-occupied channels. To better understand and appreciate these complicated crystal structures, they were categorized into four distinct stacking/catenation families: simple stacking, single-layer offset catenation, double-layer offset catenation, and rotated-layer catenation. Here, the unique structure of the unfunctionalized parent compound 1,3,5-tris(4-carboxyphenyl)benzene is rationalized in light of the structural behavior of its derivatives.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2014

Structure and Dynamics of Brachypodium Primary Cell Wall Polysaccharides from Two-Dimensional 13 C Solid-State Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy

The polysaccharide structure and dynamics in the primary cell wall of the model grass Brachypodium distachyon are investigated for the first time using solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). While both grass and non-grass cell walls contain cellulose as the main structural scaffold, the former contains xylan with arabinose and glucuronic acid substitutions as the main hemicellulose, with a small amount of xyloglucan (XyG) and pectins, while the latter contains XyG as the main hemicellulose and significant amounts of pectins. We labeled the Brachypodium cell wall with 13 C to allow two-dimensional (2D) 13 C correlation NMR experiments under magic-angle spinning. Well-resolved 2D spectra are obtained in which the 13 C signals of cellulose, glucuronoarabinoxylan (GAX), and other matrix polysaccharides can be assigned. The assigned 13 C chemical shifts indicate that there are a large number of arabinose and xylose linkages in the wall, and GAX is significantly branched at the developmental stage of 2 weeks. 2D 13 C– 13 C correlation spectra measured with long spin diffusion mixing times indicate that the branched GAX approaches cellulose microfibrils on the nanometer scale, contrary to the conventional model in which only unbranched GAX can bind cellulose. The GAX chains are highly dynamic, with average order parameters of 0.4. Biexponential 13 C T 1 and 1 H T 1ρ relaxation indicates that there are two dynamically distinct domains in GAX: the more rigid domain may be responsible for cross-linking cellulose microfibrils, while the more mobile domain may fill the interfibrillar space. This dynamic heterogeneity is more pronounced than that of the non-grass hemicellulose, XyG, suggesting that GAX adopts the mixed characteristics of XyG and pectins. Moderate differences in cellulose rigidity are observed between the Brachypodium and Arabidopsis cell walls, suggesting different effects of the matrix polysaccharides on cellulose. These data provide the first molecular-level structural information about the three-dimensional organization of the polysaccharides in the grass primary wall.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2023

Signatures of the exciton gas phase and its condensation in monolayer 1T-ZrTe 2

The excitonic insulator (EI) is a Bose-Einstein condensation (BEC) of excitons bound by electron-hole interaction in a solid, which could support high-temperature BEC transition. The material realization of EI has been challenged by the difficulty of distinguishing it from a conventional charge density wave (CDW) state. In the BEC limit, the preformed exciton gas phase is a hallmark to distinguish EI from conventional CDW, yet direct experimental evidence has been lacking. Here we report a distinct correlated phase beyond the 2×2 CDW ground state emerging in monolayer 1T-ZrTe 2 and its investigation by angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) and scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). The results show novel band- and energy-dependent folding behavior in a two-step process, which is the signatures of an exciton gas phase prior to its condensation into the final CDW state. Our findings provide a versatile two-dimensional platform that allows tuning of the excitonic effect.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗