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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 19 records
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2024

How do drought and heat affect the response of soybean seed yield to elevated O3? An analysis of 15 seasons of free-air O3 concentration enrichment (O3-FACE) studies

Over the past 15 years, soybean seed yield response to season-long elevated O3 concentrations [O3] and to year-to-year weather conditions was studied using free-air O3 concentration enrichment (O3-FACE) in the field at the SoyFACE facility in Central Illinois. Elevated [O3] significantly reduced seed yield across cultivars and years. However, our results quantitatively demonstrate that weather conditions, including soil water availability and air temperature, did not alter yield sensitivity to elevated [O3] in soybean.

drought, elevated O3, heat, O3-FACE, soybean, yiel↗
DOE OSTI2025

Relationship between Sodium Content and Copper Activity for High Voltage Stability in O3-Type Layered Oxide Cathodes

Layered oxides with an O3 framework have attracted attention as cathode materials for sodium-ion batteries due to their high discharge capacity. Yet they are hampered for commercialization by poor cyclability due to structural instability during the sodium (de)intercalation process. The introduction of Cu in small fractions to the transition metal layers has been empirically observed to improve reversible specific capacity and cycling stability. Understanding the redox activity of Cu in O3-type Na x TMO 2 materials is crucial, as it could directly influence the charge compensation mechanism, voltage profile, and structural stability. However, the precise role of Cu in O3-type sodium cathodes under high-voltage cycling conditions (>4.1 V) remains insufficiently understood. To close this gap of knowledge, we studied the effect of Cu in two representative layered oxides with the same O3 stacking but different sodium stoichiometry, Na 0.9 Mn 1/2 Fe 1/3 Cu 1/6 O 2 and NaMn 1/2 Fe 1/3 Cu 1/6 O 2 . X-ray spectroscopy reveals that in Na 0.9 Mn 1/2 Fe 1/3 Cu 1/6 O 2 , Cu exhibits dual redox activity, Cu + /Cu 2+ in the pristine state and Cu 2+ /Cu 3+ upon charging in the sodium-deficient material, whereas only the Cu + /Cu 2+ redox couple is observed in the fully stoichiometric layered oxide. Furthermore, the results indicate that even a slight deficiency in sodium can significantly impact the electrochemical performance and material stability and alter the elemental redox activity of Cu.

Batteries↗
DOE OSTI2024

Structure and phase transitions in niobium and tantalum derived nanoscale transition metal perovskites, Ba(Ti,MV)O3, M=Nb,Ta

The prospect of creating ferroelectric or high permittivity nanomaterials provides motivation for investigating complex transition metal oxides of the form Ba(Ti, MV)O3, where M = Nb or Ta. Solid state processing typically produces mixtures of crystalline phases, rarely beyond minimally doped Nb/Ta. Using a modified sol-gel method, we prepared single phase nanocrystals of Ba(Ti, M)O3. Compositional and elemental analysis puts the empirical formulas close to BaTi0.5Nb0.5O3−δ and BaTi0.5Ta0.5O3−δ. For both materials, a reversible temperature dependent phase transition (non-centrosymmetric to symmetric) is observed in the Raman spectrum in the region 533–583 K (260–310 °C); for Ba(Ti, Nb)O3, the onset is at 543 K (270 °C); and for Ba(Ti, Ta)O3, the onset is at 533 K (260 °C), which are comparable with 390–393 K (117–120 °C) for bulk BaTiO3. The crystal structure was resolved by examination of the powder x-ray diffraction and atomic pair distribution function (PDF) analysis of synchrotron total scattering data. It was postulated whether the structure adopted at the nanoscale was single or double perovskite. Double perovskites (A2B′B″O6) are characterized by the type and extent of cation ordering, which gives rise to higher symmetry crystal structures. PDF analysis was used to examine all likely candidate structures and to look for evidence of higher symmetry. The feasible phase space that evolves includes the ordered double perovskite structure Ba2(Ti, MV)O6 (M = Nb, Ta) Fm-3m, a disordered cubic structure, as a suitable high temperature analog, Ba(Ti, MV)O3Pm-3m, and an orthorhombic Ba(Ti, MV)O3Amm2, a room temperature structure that presents an unusually high level of lattice displacement, possibly due to octahedral tilting, and indication of a highly polarized crystal.

Chemistry↗
DOE OSTI2026

Manipulating Na/TM Ratio‐Driven Structural Heterogeneity of O3‐NaNi 1/3 Fe 1/3 Mn 1/3 O 2 Cathode for High‐Voltage Sodium‐Ion Batteries

The stability of O3-type NaNi 1/3 Fe 1/3 Mn 1/3 O 2 under high-voltage cycling is dictated by how synthesis encodes lattice strain and redox heterogeneity. Here, in this study, the role of Na:TM stoichiometry is systematically resolved by tuning the NaOH:precursor ratio during solid-state synthesis. The stoichiometric condition (Na:TM = 1.00) yields minimized microstrain, enabling uniform O3–P3 phase evolution and homogeneous multi-metal redox with preserved octahedral symmetry. In contrast, Na-excess compositions inherit disordered intermediates and heterogeneous distortion fields that trigger abrupt multiphase transitions and promote localized charge redistribution. In situ XRD captures the divergence in phase-transition pathways, TXM resolves particle-level redox heterogeneity, and XANES corroborates a stronger and more reversible Fe redox contribution at stoichiometry, shifting to diminished Fe participation and spatially inhomogeneous redox at higher Na content. These results establish Na:TM stoichiometry as a critical synthesis parameter controlling both structural coherence and redox stability. Electrochemically, the stoichiometric composition exhibits smooth voltage profiles with minimal polarization growth and retains nearly 80% of its initial capacity after 100 cycles even at an extended 4.2 V cutoff, whereas Na-excess compositions show significantly reduced initial coulombic efficiency and rapid voltage fade. Precise stoichiometric tuning provides a scalable route to defect-suppressed O3 frameworks, enabling structurally resilient, high-voltage sodium-layered cathodes.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2025

Single-Crystallization of O3-Type Layered Oxide Cathode for Na-Ion Battery

The development of high-energy-density Na-ion batteries places significant demands on single-crystal layered oxide cathodes, especially for further high-voltage, solid-state battery scenarios. In the O3-type structure, due to the original sluggish Na ion diffusion kinetics (approximately 1 order of magnitude lower than that of Li-ion), and further hindrance against diffusion kinetics caused by single-crystal architecture, these inherent defects lead to the decline in the electrochemical performance. Herein, we demonstrated that the single crystallization of O3-type NaNi 1/3 Fe 1/3 Mn 1/3 O 2 cathode (d 50 = 5.04 μm) aggravates surface-to-bulk phase inhomogeneity distribution, which is attributed to the uneven Na ions extraction. Moreover, the Na-depletion of the surface/shell region not only aggravates Na ion diffusion resistance but also leads to a higher valence state of transition-metal elements (e.g., Ni/Fe) near the surface of the single-crystal particle, which further compromises the cathode-electrolyte interface stability. Furthermore, not limited to revealing the challenges, tuning the particle size and moderating quasi-single-crystal strategies have been proven to effectively mitigate the negative uneven distributions of Na ions, phases, and valence/oxidative states, resulting in efficient modification for single crystallization of Na-layered oxide cathodes.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2026

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

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

acetate vs. sulfate↗
DOE OSTI2026

Coupling Redox Compensation and Interfacial Stabilization in Low-Ni O3-Type Sodium Layered Oxide Cathodes

Low-Ni O3-type sodium layered oxides are attractive cathodes for cost-robust sodium-ion batteries, yet high-voltage cycling is often limited by Fe-driven degradation, including cation migration/dissolution, irreversible slab gliding with large strain, particle cracking, and accelerated interfacial parasitic reactions. Here, in this study, we introduce a redox-interface codesign strategy using stoichiometric, charge-balanced Cu 2+ /Ti 4+ cosubstitution while preserving full Na stoichiometry, transitioning from NaNi 1/4 Fe 1/2 Mn 1/4 O 2 to NaNi 1/4 Fe 1/5 Mn 1/4 Cu 3/20 Ti 3/20 O 2 . With the cosubstitution, Cu and Ti suppress Fe migration and dissolution and facilitate sustained Fe oxidation at high voltage. Meanwhile, Cu is also shown to be redox-active, providing reversible cationic charge compensation that mitigates the capacity penalty typically associated with reducing Fe participation. Operando diffraction and spectroscopy collectively indicate a more reversible high-voltage structural evolution with suppressed Fe-related irreversibility. Particularly, spontaneous Ti enrichment at surface/grain-boundary regions stabilizes the cathode−electrolyte interface and promotes a more NaF-rich interphase signature. This work establishes a generalizable route to reconcile stability and capacity in low-Ni, Fe-containing O3 sodium layered oxide cathodes via compositionally encoded bulk-interfacial coupling.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2025

SCILLA ozone (O3) airborne data

Ozone mixing ratios in ppb are measured using a Teledyne API Model T400U. The analyzer uses UV absorption at 254 nm to determine O3 concentration. Sampled air was pulled from above the Naval Postgraduate School’s (NPS) Twin Otter aircraft through a rear-facing, ¼” OD PFA Teflon tube. The sample stream was split between several other gas analyzers (CO, NOx, and H2O) and an oxidation flow reactor. The data were recorded at 0.1 Hz.

Ozone concentration↗
DOE OSTI2024

Enhancements of electric field and afterglow of non-equilibrium plasma by Pb(ZrxTi1−x)O3 ferroelectric electrode

Abstract Manipulating surface charge, electric field, and plasma afterglow in a non-equilibrium plasma is critical to control plasma-surface interaction for plasma catalysis and manufacturing. Here, we show enhancements of surface charge, electric field during breakdown, and afterglow by ferroelectric barrier discharge. The results show that the ferroelectrics manifest spontaneous electric polarization to increase the surface charge by two orders of magnitude compared to discharge with an alumina barrier. Time-resolved in-situ electric field measurements reveal that the fast polarization of ferroelectrics enhances the electric field during the breakdown in streamer discharge and doubles the electric field compared to the dielectric barrier discharge. Moreover, due to the existence of surface charge, the ferroelectric electrode extends the afterglow time and makes discharge sustained longer when alternating the external electric field polarity. The present results show that ferroelectric barrier discharge offers a promising technique to tune plasma properties for efficient plasma catalysis and electrified manufacturing.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2025

Elucidating the phase transformations and grain growth behavior of O3-type sodium-ion layered oxide cathode materials during high temperature synthesis

Understanding the formation mechanism of layered oxide cathodes via solid-state synthesis is imperative to achieving controllability over their materials properties and electrochemical behaviors. In this work, we investigate the phase and microstructure evolution during the synthesis of NaNi 1/3 Fe 1/3 Mn 1/3 O 2 , a model sodium-ion layered oxide cathode, using a combination of imaging, diffraction, and spectroscopic techniques. We unravel the synthetic mechanistic pathways involved in the high-temperature calcination reaction, as well as elaborate the synthesis-microstructure-performance relationship of this material. The formation of the final layered oxide phase involves a gradual transformation through a sodiated oxyhydroxide intermediate. During the reaction, the precursor dehydration reaction dominates at 250–550 °C, while the major sodiation reaction occurs at 550–850 °C. Alongside multiple stages of phase transformations, the final grain structure formation occurs through the continuous growth of the (003) and (104) facets. During the reaction, Mn acts as the charge-compensating element and exhibits depth-dependent characteristics. When the sodiation reaction dominates over dehydration, the reaction intermediates undergo gradual electronic structure changes with increasing temperature, as indicated by the spectral features of TM3d-O2p hybrid states. Calcination duration is also a critical parameter governing the microstructure, surface reactivity, phase fraction distribution and electrochemical performance of the material. The optimal calcination duration was determined to be 18 hours at 850 °C under the conditions evaluated here. Calcination beyond this duration was found to be detrimental to electrochemical performance due to Na and O loss and heterogeneous sodium distribution throughout the particles. Our work sheds light on the complex crystallographic-chemical-microstructural evolution of sodium ion layered oxide cathodes and provides insight into precisely tuning material properties which are intimately linked to battery performances.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2025

Search for continuous gravitational wave signals from luminous dark photon superradiance clouds with LVK O3 observations

Superradiance clouds of kinetically mixed dark photons around spinning black holes can produce observable multimessenger electromagnetic and gravitational wave signals. The cloud generates electric fields of up to a teravolt-per-meter, which leads to a cascade production of charged particles, yielding a turbulent quasiequilibrium plasma around the black hole, and resulting in electromagnetic fluxes ranging from supernova to pulsar-like luminosities. For stellar mass black holes, such systems resemble millisecond pulsars and are expected to emit pulsating radio waves and continuous gravitational waves (CWs) within the LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA (LVK) sensitivity band. We select 44 sources with approximately coincident frequencies or positive frequency drifts from existing pulsar catalogs as potential candidates of long-lasting superradiance clouds around old Galactic black holes. For a subset of 34 sources that are well measured and have not been previously targeted, we perform the first search for CW emission in LVK data from the third observing run. We find no evidence of a CW signal and place 95% confidence level upper limits on the emitted strain amplitude. We interpret these results, together with limits from previous searches, in terms of the underlying dark photon theory by performing an analysis of the expected signals from superradiance clouds from Galactic black holes. Finally, we find that, even for moderately spinning black holes, the absence of an observed CW signal disfavors a discrete set of dark photon masses between about 10 −13 and 10 −12 eV/c 2 and kinetic mixing couplings in the range of 10 −9 –10 −7 , subject to assumptions about the properties of the black hole population and the cloud’s electromagnetic emission.

astronomical black holes↗
DOE OSTI2025

Characterization of Performance Degradation Mechanisms in Low-Cost High Throughput DI-O3 Layer for Passivated Contact Silicon Solar Cells

Characterization and mitigating performance limiting defects in Silicon (Si) PV is one of key areas to be addressed to improve PV hardware costs and energy yield in order to lower the levelized cost of energy (LCOE) of installed PV cost to $0.02/kWh. As Si PV cells efficiencies have surpassed 22% and approaching 23%, the recombination at the metal contacts have become the focus point to be addressed. Passivated contact technologies—having a heterojunction with a band-gap larger than silicon between the metal and silicon—have emerged as a great potential for future highand ultrahigh-efficiency solar cells, as it concurrently reduces recombination and increases carrier selectivity, by incorporating thin films within the contact structure. Passivated contact Si solar cell technologies use a wide variety of tunnel layers—playing a crucial role to passivate metal contacts and tunnel charge carriers—including stoichiometric silicon oxide (SiO 2 ) grown by thermal oxidation and Low-Pressure Chemical Vapor Deposition (LPCVD) technique and silicon oxide (SiO x ) by hot nitric acid. However, thorough investigations on understanding the failure and performance degradation mechanisms associated with tunnel layers are still limited to date. Unlocking those degradation characteristics in crucial tunnel layers could improve the reliability and energy yield of passivated contact Si solar cells. Besides, the technique of growing aforementioned tunneling layers are low throughput, and requires high temperature processes and/or a vacuum environment. In this project, we investigated the performance degradation mechanisms of a low-cost high-throughput ozonated oxide (DI-O 3 ) tunnel layer for the passivated contact Si solar cells.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2025

Source attribution of near-surface ozone pollution in Jiangsu Province of China over 2013–2019

Near-surface ozone (O3) is one of the most severe air pollutants in China, particularly over densely populated Jiangsu Province in the Yangtze River Delta. In this study, an O3 source tagging technique is utilized in a chemistry-climate model to quantify the source contributions of various emission sectors and regions for nitrogen oxides (NOx) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) to O3 concentrations in Jiangsu Province during 2013–2019. The results show that the near-surface O3 in Jiangsu Province is mainly contributed by surrounding and remote anthropogenic NOx emissions through long-range transport. Local anthropogenic NOx emissions account for only 13 % and 18 % of the annual and summertime mean near-surface O3 in Jiangsu Province, respectively. Anthropogenic NOx emissions from the surface transportation, industry, and energy sectors account for 21 %, 22 % and 20 % of the annual mean near-surface O3 concentration in Jiangsu Province, respectively. Biogenic and anthropogenic VOCs emissions each explains one-third of the annual mean near-surface O3 concentration in Jiangsu, while methane and stratospheric chemical production contribute 21 % and 6 %, respectively. The sources from stratospheric production, aircraft, lightning, and foreign emissions are the primary contributors to O3 in the mid- and high troposphere. During high pollution days in Jiangsu Province, the near-surface O3 concentrations increase with the maximum exceeding 20 ppb, which is attributed to both the enhanced photochemical production and regional transport in favorable meteorological conditions.

ozone pollution↗
DOE OSTI2024

The role of Li doping in layered/layered Na x Li y Ni 0.4 Fe 0.2 Mn 0.4 O 2 intergrowth electrodes for sodium ion batteries

Here, the layered NaTMO 2 (TM = Ni, Fe, Mn) materials with the O3-type structure are attractive as positive electrodes for sodium ion batteries because of their high theoretical capacity. Additionally, Li doping in these materials has been shown to offer substantial enhancements to their electrochemical properties by promoting the formation of intergrowth structures, which are combinations of specific phases. However, the mechanism by which the intergrowth modifies the electrochemical properties is often unclear. Systematic variation of Li content in Na x Li y Ni 0.4 Fe 0.2 Mn 0.4 O 2 (NFM-Li y ) was conducted to identify its role in structural modification and electrochemical performance. Li contents of 0.15 and greater generate a layered/layered Na-O3/Li-O’3 intergrowth structure. 7 Li and 23 Na nuclear magnetic resonance and x-ray absorption spectroscopy identify that when the total solubility for alkali ions in the layered structure is exceeded, Li continues to form the Li-O’3 phase while the excess Na forms residual sodium compounds such as Na 2 O. Higher Li content is associated with improved capacity retention in the initial cycles from the superior stability of the mechanically linked NaO3/Li-O’3 structure that suppresses the P3 to OP2 phase transition during charge. However, high Li contents are associated with increased rates of parasitic side reactions that reduce long-term cycling stability. These side reactions are associated with the instability of the cathode-electrolyte interphase, which can be partially mitigated by atomic layer deposition (ALD) coating with alumina, which significantly enhances the capacity retention and Coulombic efficiency over many cycles. Overall, we find that the layered/layered Na-O3/Li-O’3 intergrowth structure is able to provide structural stability and suppress undesired phase transformations but is overwhelmed by the increased reactivity of the surface if not protected by surface coating.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2024

EPCAPE-PT-LANL Measurements: PM Modulair 1

Coastal cities offer a unique environment for studying aerosol-cloud interactions and the effects of urban emissions on cloud properties. As part of the Eastern Pacific Cloud Aerosol Precipitation Experiment (EPCAPE), the Partitioning Thrust by Los Alamos National Laboratory (EPCAPE-PT-LANL) was conducted. Our campaign focused on measuring the optical and chemical properties of aerosols and their interactions within marine stratocumulus clouds in La Jolla, California. EPCAPE-PT-LANL enhances the primary goals of EPCAPE through innovative observations of vapor-phase transitions between aerosols and cloud droplets, the impact of black carbon on aerosol-cloud dynamics, and the effects of cloud processing on aerosol optical properties. Instrument: Quant-AQ MODULAIR. Mounted external to the instrument container, near the GCVI inlet. The MODULAIR™ air quality monitor uses the same patent-pending PM sensor found in the MODULAIR™-PM and adds four gas-phase measurements (CO, NO, NO2, and O3) to provide an all-in-one solution. Files data_10sec_Quant_Gas.csv, data_10min_Quant_Gas.csv Header: - CO[ppb]: Concentration of carbon monoxide (CO) measured at the time of sampling, expressed in parts per billion (ppb) - NO[ppb]: Concentration of nitric oxide (NO) measured at the time of sampling, expressed in parts per billion (ppb). - O3[ppb]: Concentration of ozone (O3) measured at the time of sampling, expressed in parts per billion (ppb). - Temperature[C]: The ambient temperature at the time of the measurement, expressed in degrees Celsius. - RelativeHumidity[%]: The relative humidity at the time of the measurement, expressed as a percentage. Files data_10sec_Quant_PM.csv, data_10min_Quant_PM.csv Header: - PM1[ug/m3]: Concentration of particulate matter with a diameter of 1 micron or less, measured in micrograms per cubic meter (µg/m³). - PM2-5[ug/m3]: Concentration of particulate matter with a diameter of 2.5 microns or less measured in micrograms per cubic meter (µg/m³). - PM10[ug/m3]: Concentration of particulate matter with a diameter of 10 microns or less, measured in micrograms per cubic meter (µg/m³). - Temperature[C]: The ambient temperature at the time of the measurement, expressed in degrees Celsius. - RelativeHumidity[%]: The relative humidity at the time of the measurement, expressed as a percentage.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗