Search NASA⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search NASA

Results for “Materials and material systems”

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.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 19 records
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2021

Corrosion resistive materials, systems, and methods of forming and using the materials and systems

A method to reduce corrosion rates of materials at high temperatures may include heating a mixture and applying the heated mixture to a material to be rendered thermodynamically noble. The mixture may include carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide and the material rendered thermodynamically noble may include copper or other material having similar physical properties. The copper or other similar material may be applied to a structural material and provide a surface interfacing with the mixture of carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide to prevent corrosion of the structural material. In some cases, the structural material may form a heat exchanger defining passageways for a working fluid of a power system and/or may form other passageways of the power system. The copper may be applied to the passageways as a protective coating and then made thermodynamically noble at high temperatures after interactions with the mixture of carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide.

Anderson, Mark↗
DOE OSTI2024

Methods, materials systems, and devices for inhibiting infiltration and penetration of molten salts into solid materials

Methods, materials systems, and devices for inhibiting the infiltration and penetration of molten salts into solid materials, including porous materials at temperatures above the solidus temperature of the molten salt. The methods, materials systems, and devices utilize a non-wetted solid that is introduced into pores having entrances at an exterior surface of a porous solid material adapted to contact the molten salt.

Sandhage, Kenneth Henry↗
DOE OSTI2020

Probabilistic learning and updating of a digital twin for composite material systems

This paper presents an approach for characterizing and estimating statistical dependence between a large number of observables in a composite material system. Conditional regression is carried out using the estimated joint density function, permitting a systematic exploration of interdependence between fine scale and coarse observables that can be used for both prognosis and design of complex material systems. An example demonstrates the integration of experimental data with a computational database. The statistical approach is based on the probabilistic learning on manifolds recently developed by the authors. This approach leverages intrinsic structure detected through diffusion on graphs with projected stochastic differential equations to generate samples constrained to that structure.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2022

An economic analysis of the role of materials, system engineering, and performance in electrochemical carbon dioxide conversion to formate

The development of technologies that utilize carbon dioxide is important to mitigating climate change. The electrochemical reduction of carbon dioxide is one technology that can utilize greenhouse gasses that would be otherwise be emitted to the atmosphere by producing chemicals and fuels from carbon dioxide and electricity. Significant progress has been made in the experimental performance of carbon dioxide reduction systems with novel catalyst designs, new materials, and systems engineering; however, no work has linked such changes in stack design and materials to capital costs for the stack itself. In this study, we present an analysis that accounts for and analyzes the impacts of alternative materials and system architectures on manufactured costs of carbon dioxide reduction stacks, thus providing a framework to understand exactly how these advances impact the at-scale capital costs of these systems. Specifically, we consider the impact that the addition of a catholyte buffer layer has on an electrolyzer reducing carbon dioxide to formate, finding that the cost of manufacturing this part only increases stack costs by about $30/m 2 at high manufacturing rates, while previous work finds that this part improves system performance. This work shows that the links between system performance, materials, and costs are nonlinear, and that achieving low-cost scalability requires optimization of not just performance parameters but also the use of low-cost and highly scalable materials. These results bridge experimental and techno-economic analysis of processes for carbon dioxide reduction, informing researchers by providing a quantifiable estimate of the impact of advances in electrochemical carbon dioxide reduction technology on manufactured stack capital costs.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗
DOE OSTI2021

A Circular Economy for Solar Photovoltaic System Materials: Drivers, Barriers, Enablers, and U.S. Policy Considerations

As PV capacity increases, owners are also decommissioning older system assets. Estimates based on a 30-year lifetime assumption found that cumulative U.S. end-of-life (EoL) PV modules could total one million metric tons (Mt) by 2030 and up to 10 million Mt by 2050 (Weckend, Wade, and Heath 2016). Beyond maintenance replacements, early retirements that are due to efficiency upgrades and extreme weather, as well as PV deployment beyond earlier expectations, would increase these projections. PV system owners must evaluate equipment management options for used modules and system components retired during maintenance activities, refurbishment, repowering and system decommissioning. PV manufacturers must also evaluate material management options from customer returns, defects, and scrap. Management options for early retired and EoL PV system material include reuse, repair for reuse, recycling-based resource recovery, storage, and disposal. Disposal of PV system material increases the burden on landfill capacity, while reuse, repair for reuse, and recycling-based resource recovery (reuse/repair/recovery) options salvage valuable materials and provide secondary market opportunities and ancillary benefits (Weckend, Wade, and Heath 2016; EPA 2019c; SWEEP 2019). PV system owners may also decide store used modules and components as spares, or in the interim before a reuse or EoL management decision is made. Despite potential secondary market opportunities and the potential benefits associated with the repair/reuse/recovery of PV system material, anecdotal evidence suggests that in the United States decommissioned PV modules are stored, landfilled or otherwise disposed of (Salim et al. 2019; CPUC 2019b; DTSC 2019b; NREL 2019a). Some modules are being disposed of in municipal nonhazardous landfills and federally regulated hazardous treatment, storage, and disposal facilities, and others are being stored in warehouses until economically viable repair/reuse/recycling becomes available (CPUC 2019b; DTSC 2019b; NREL 2019a; Libby and Shaw 2018). As awareness of current practices grows, and the demand for critical PV module material increases, U.S. industry stakeholders, regulators, and policymakers are starting to (1) consider solutions to drive and enable environmentally sustainable materials management decisions and behaviors and (2) identify barriers to a circular economy for PV system materials. Circular economy principles attempt to transition from a "take-make-consume-dispose" linear economic system to a circular system that allows for the long life, and the reuse/repair/recovery of products and materials (Ellen MacArthur Foundation 2020). We begin this report by summarizing the drivers, barriers, and enablers to a circular economy for PV system materials in the United States. We then report on our analysis of federal and state regulatory considerations that may impact the repair/reuse/recovery of PV materials, and potential civil and criminal liabilities associated with noncompliance. We then discuss state policies and initiatives in the United States that expressly address PV system decommissioning and repair/reuse/recovery of PV materials. We conclude by providing case studies of U.S. business models for the repair/reuse/recovery of PV system materials. Our results are based on legal and literature-based research and interviews with solar industry stakeholders, regulators, and policymakers.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2020

Dual Material System for Polymer Large Scale Additive Manufacturing

Big Area Additive Manufacturing (BAAM) technology allows for manufacturing of large-scale objects with a potential to reduce energy embedded in products, reduce or eliminate energy necessary for transportation of goods along with reducing the lead time and cost in some cases. Over the last few years, Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) has been focusing on large-scale printing of single material systems, typically un-reinforced or short fiber reinforced polymers, in order to address needs in stiffness-limited applications. This paper describes the development of a multi-material large-scale AM system through a collaboration with Cincinnati Inc. and Performance Feed Screw Inc. Modifications to the Big Area Additive Manufacturing (BAAM) system includes a new extruder design to accommodate a dual feed system, an expanded two-dryer system with a capacity of 273 kg/dryer, and a system that is capable of mixing pelletized materials up to 60Kg/hr. This article highlights the advantages and limitations of the multi-material system as well as potential applications.

Smith, Tyler↗
DOE OSTI2021

Interfacial thermal transport in spin caloritronic material systems

Interfaces often govern the thermal performance of nanoscale devices and nanostructured materials. As a result, accurate knowledge of thermal interface conductance is necessary to model the temperature response of nanoscale devices or nanostructured materials to heating. Here, we report the thermal boundary conductance between metals and insulators that are commonly used in spin-caloritronic experiments. We use time-domain thermoreflectance to measure the interface conductance between metals such as Au, Pt, Ta, Cu, and Al with garnet and oxide substrates, e.g., NiO, yttrium iron garnet (YIG), thulium iron garnet (TmIG), Cr 2 O 3 , and sapphire. We find that, at room temperature, the interface conductance in these types of material systems range from 50 to 300 MW m –2 K –1 . Furthermore, we also measure the interface conductance between Pt and YIG at temperatures between 80 and 350 K. At room temperature, the interface conductance of Pt/YIG is 170 MW m –2 K –1 and the Kapitza length is ~40 nm. A Kapitza length of 40 nm means that, in the presence of a steady-state heat current, the temperature drop at the Pt/YIG interface is equal to the temperature drop across a 40-nm-thick layer of YIG. At 80 K, the interface conductance of Pt/YIG is 60 MW m –2 K –1 , corresponding to a Kapitza length of ~300 nm.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2022

Enhanced resonant ultrasound spectroscopy for measurement of the elastic properties of multi-material systems

Understanding the elastic properties of materials is critical for their safe incorporation and predictable performance. Current methods of bulk elastic characterization often have notable limitations for in situ structural applications, with usage restricted to simple geometries and material distributions. To address these existing issues, this study sought to expand the capabilities of resonant ultrasound spectroscopy (RUS), an established nondestructive evaluation method, to include the characterization of isotropic multi-material samples. In this work, finite-element-based RUS analysis consisted of numerical simulations and experimental testing of composite samples comprised of material pairs with varying elasticity and density contrasts. Utilizing genetic algorithm inversion and mode matching, our results demonstrate that elastic properties of multi-material samples can be reliably identified within several percent of known or nominal values using a minimum number of identified resonance modes, given sample mass is held consistent. The accurate recovery of material properties for composite samples of varying material similarity and geometry expands the pool of viable samples for RUS and advances the method towards in situ inspection and evaluation.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2024

A Bulk versus Nanoscale Hydrogen Storage Paradox Revealed by Material-System Co-Design

Metal hydrides are serious contenders for materials-based hydrogen storage to overcome constraints associated with compressed or liquefied H 2 . Their ultimate performance is usually evaluated using intrinsic material properties without considering a systems design perspective. An illustrative case with startling implications is (LiNH 2 +2LiH). Using models that simulate the storage system and associated fuel cell of a light-duty vehicle (LDV), the performance of the bulk hydrides is compared with a nanoscaled version in porous carbon (PC), (LiNH 2 +2LiH)@(6-nm PC). Using experimental material properties, the simulations show that (LiNH 2 +2LiH)@(6-nm PC) counterintuitively has higher usable gravimetric and volumetric capacities than the bulk counterpart on a system basis despite having lower capacities on a materials-only basis. Nanoscaling increases the thermal conductivity and lowers the desorption enthalpy, which consequently increases heat management efficiency. In a simulated drive cycle for fuel cell-powered LDV, the fuel cell is inoperable using bulk (LiNH 2 +2LiH) as the storage material but completes the drive cycle using the nanoscale material. Further, these results challenge the notion that nanoscaling incurs mass and volume penalties. Instead, the synergistic nanoporous host-hydride interaction can favorably modulate chemical and heat transfer properties. Moreover, a co-design approach considering application-specific tradeoffs is essential to accurately assess a material's potential for real-world hydrogen storage.

08 HYDROGEN↗
DOE OSTI2024

A Novel Approach to Investigate Thermal Protection Systems Materials

The Koo Research Group (KRG) at The University of Texas at Austin (UT) and KAI has specialized in “Ablation Research” for more than fifteen years. Recently, the group has developed several incredibly unique capabilities that can advance “Thermal Protection Systems (TPS) Materials Research & Development” using an integrated experimental and numerical approach. The paper aims to introduce the methodology KRG has developed to solve this challenging problem. It will discuss how the KRG develops “Process-Properties-Performance” relationships of novel TPS materials in a systematical approach using (a) processing and fabrication, (b) thermal characterization of properties, (c) aerothermal testing, (d) microstructures characterization and analysis, and (e) numerical modeling. Progress and challenges of this research will also be discussed.

Engineering↗
DOE OSTI2024

Difficult Measurements of Materials Systems at Cryogenic Temperatures: Cryo-EELS and Cryo-4D-STEM

Scanning/transmission electron microscopy (S/TEM) in materials science has traditionally been accomplished at room temperature due to their solid state in this temperature range and relative insensitivity to radiolysis damage. Cooling to cryogenic temperatures tended to introduce instabilities such as vibration and drift and can lead to the buildup of carbon contamination or ice reducing contrast. The need to expand TEM experimental techniques into new fields such as quantum and battery materials led to new efforts to reduce these instabilities while achieving temperatures at or well below liquid nitrogen (77 K). Further, developments in detector and spectrometer technology brought new capabilities for high resolution electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) and scanning nanodiffraction (4D-STEM). These experimental modalities can require even tighter controls of drift, vibration, and exposure time. Here this presentation will discuss accomplishing difficult experiments at cryogenic temperatures in honor of the late Dr. Lena Kourkoutis who inspired and led many such experiments.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2020

Additive Manufacturing of Energy Harvesting Material System for Active Wireless MEMS Sensors

Combustion systems make up a large sum of the world’s yearly energy production despite advances in renewable energy sources. Precise control of pressure and temperature in combustion chambers allows for lower carbon emissions, and overall higher efficiency. Wireless temperature and pressure sensors are critical for the operation of combustion chambers. Energy harvesters have emerged as a viable way to power wireless sensors when heat and mechanical energy are available. Lithium niobate (LNB), barium titanate (BTO), and lead zirconate titanate (PZT) pyroelectric ceramics were studied and fabricated through additive manufacturing (AM) for use as energy harvesting structures in combustion environments. The electric power generation potential of LNB and PZT ceramics was studied by varying the temperature from 50 to 60 °C and by introducing cyclic compression loads of 2000 N amplitude. It was found that thermal energy conversion had the highest output of 500 nW and that combined thermal and mechanical conversion did not increase the harvesting potential because of the competing contributions of both effects. Powder bed and slurry extrusion AM methods were used to fabricate BTO and PZT ceramic structures. Optimization of the powder-based binder jetting method produced BTO ceramics with a relative density of 36.77% a piezoelectric coefficient of 153 pC/N. The density of the ceramics increased up to 56% when increasing the saturation of binder in the powder to because of liquid phase sintering. Finally, PZT structures were manufactured through AM and fin features were added to the design to enhance the heat transfer along the material. The harvested power density of the flat samples was 3.643 μW/cm 3 and of the finned samples was 3.034 μW/cm3. This research paves the ways for the development of self-powered wireless sensors in critical areas of operation such as combustion.

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT↗