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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 199 records · Page 11
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2021

Canted standing spin-wave modes of permalloy thin films observed by ferromagnetic resonance

Non-collinear spin structures in materials that combine perpendicular and in-plane magnetic anisotropies are of great technological interest for microwave and spin wave-assisted magnetization switching. [Co/Pt] multilayers are well-known perpendicular anisotropy materials that have the potential to pin the magnetization of a soft magnetic layer, such as permalloy (Py), that has in-plane anisotropy, thereby forming a magnetic exchange spring. Here we report on multilayered [Co/Pt]/Pt/Py films, where an additional ultrathin Pt spacer has been included to control the coupling between the sub-units with in-plane and perpendicular magnetic anisotropy. Vector network analyser (VNA)-ferromagnetic resonance (FMR) measurements were made to obtain a complete picture of the resonant conditions, while the dynamical response of the sub-units was probed by synchrotron-based element- and phase selective x-ray detected FMR (XFMR). For all samples, only slight pinning of the dynamic magnetization of the Py by the [Co/Pt] was noted, and the FMR results were dominated by the 50 nm thick Py layer. Out-of-plane VNA-FMR maps reveal the presence of additional modes, e.g. a perpendicular standing spin-wave (PSSW) state. However, as the magnetic field is reduced below the saturation field, the PSSW state morphs continuously through a series of canted standing spin-wave (CSSW) states into a horizontal standing spin-wave (HSSW) state. The PSSW, CSSW and HSSW states are well described using a multilayer model of the Py film. The observation of CSSW modes is of particular relevance to microwave assisted magnetic recording, where microwave excitation stimulates precession of a soft layer canted out of plane by a pulsed magnetic field.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2026

Delamination of Multilayer Plastic Films to Recover Polyethylene with Favorable Mechanical Properties

Multilayer plastic films play a critical role in packaging, with each polymer layer contributing specific properties to the multilayer film. Multilayer plastic films are not currently recyclable due to the bound polymers. With multilayer film production of about 20 million metric tons in 2024 and rising, endof- life treatment becomes pressing. This work presents a scalable solvent-based delamination recycling process that is applied to commercial postindustrial multimaterial films to unbind the materials within a multilayer film by dissolving only the adhesive layer and recover polyethylene (PE) as an intact solid film. Solventbased delamination is a simple process that allows the complete recovery of materials and solvents used in the process. The delaminating solvent, 88% formic acid in water, induces delamination of PE/PEI/PET and PE/PU/PET films at 70 °C in under an hour. Recovered PE has no contamination detected by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and mechanical properties on par with those of virgin resin. The recovery of high-quality solid PE film fit for reprocessing, at low operating temperatures and with closed-loop solvent reuse, promotes delamination as a low energy consumption and environmentally friendly recycling process. PE recovered from delamination can be reused in equivalent products, promoting circularity of multimaterial films.

chemical recycling↗
DOE OSTI2021

Role of element-specific damping in ultrafast, helicity-independent, all-optical switching dynamics in amorphous (Gd,Tb)Co thin films

Ultrafast control of the magnetization in ps timescales by fs laser pulses offers an attractive avenue for applications such as fast magnetic devices for logic and memory. However, ultrafast helicity-independent all-optical switching (HI-AOS) of the magnetization has thus far only been observed in Gd-based, ferrimagnetic amorphous (a-) rare earth-transition metal (a-RE-TM) systems, and a comprehensive understanding of the reversal mechanism remains elusive. Here, we report HI-AOS in ferrimagnetic a-Gd 22-x Tb x Co 78 thin films, from x=0 to 18, and elucidate the role of Gd in HI-AOS in a-RE-TM alloys and multilayers. Increasing Tb content results in increasing perpendicular magnetic anisotropy and coercivity, without modifying magnetization density, and slower remagnetization rates and higher critical fluences for switching but still shows picosecond HI-AOS. Simulations of the atomistic spin dynamics based on the two-temperature model reproduce these results qualitatively and predict that the lower damping on the RE sublattice arising from the small spin-orbit coupling of Gd (with L=0) is instrumental for the faster dynamics and lower critical fluences of the Gd-rich alloys. Annealing a-Gd 10 Tb 12 Co 78 leads to slower dynamics which we argue is due to an increase in damping. These simulations strongly indicate that accounting for element-specific damping is crucial in understanding HI-AOS phenomena. The results suggest that engineering the element-specific damping of materials can open up new classes of materials that exhibit low-energy, ultrafast HI-AOS.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2022

Fabrication of Nb3Sn by Magnetron Sputtering for Superconducting Radiofrequency Application

Particle accelerators are considered as an important device that has wide applications in cancer treatment, sterilizing waste, preserving foods, ion implantation in semiconductor industry, and in production of isotopes for medical applications. Superconducting radiofrequency (SRF) cavities are the building blocks of a linear particle accelerator. Current particle accelerators use niobium (Nb) superconductors as the sheet material to fabricate a single SRF cavity for particle acceleration. With better superconducting properties (critical temperature Tc ~ 18.3 K, superheating field Hsh~ 400 mT), Nb3Sn is considered a potential candidate in SRF technology. Magnetron sputtering is a promising deposition method to fabricate Nb3Sn thin films inside SRF cavities. Superconducting Nb3Sn films were fabricated on Nb and sapphire substrates by magnetron sputtering from a single stoichiometric Nb3Sn target, by multilayer sputtering of Nb and Sn followed by annealing, and by co-sputtering of Nb and Sn followed by annealing. The variation of morphological and superconducting properties was investigated for different substrate temperatures, annealing temperatures, annealing durations, and thicknesses. The film properties were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). The films had crystalline Nb3Sn structure without any presence of poor superconducting Nb6Sn5 and NbSn2 phases. The highest Tc of the films fabricated from the stoichiometric target, multilayer sputtering and co-sputtering were 17.44, 17.93, and 17.66 K respectively. Finally, a cylindrical sputter coater with two identical magnetrons was designed and commissioned to fabricate Nb3Sn films inside a 2.6 GHz SRF cavity. The magnetrons were installed facing opposite to each other in a custom designed vacuum chamber and multilayers of Nb and Sn films on 1 cm2 Nb substrates replicating the beam tubes and equator locations of the cavity and the coated multilayered films were annealed at 950 °C for 3 h. The XRD of the as?deposited and annealed films confirmed the formation of Nb3Sn after the annealing. The dissertation discusses the fabrication process, characterized results of the fabricated films, the design of the cylindrical sputter coater and the preliminary data obtained from the sputter coater.

Sayeed, Md Nizam↗
NASA NTRS1993

In orbit degradation of EUV optical components in the wavelength range 10-40 nm AO 138-3

A complement of EUV optical components, including mirrors and thin film filters, was flown as part of the Long Duration Exposure Facility (LDEF) AO 138-3. The most original amongst these components were multilayered interference reflectors for the 10-40 nm wavelength range. Very moderate degradation was observed for those components which were exposed to the sun. The degradation is compatible with the deposition of a few nanometers of absorbing material on the surface of the samples.

Delaboudiniere, J. P.↗
NASA NTRS2005

NASA Tech Briefs, April 2005

Gas-Tolerant Device Senses Electrical Conductivity of Liquid Nanoactuators Based on Electrostatic Forces on Dielectrics Replaceable Microfluidic Cartridges for a PCR Biosensor CdZnTe Image Detectors for Hard-X-Ray Telescopes High-Aperture-Efficiency Horn Antenna Full-Circle Resolver-to-Linear-Analog Converter Continuous, Full-Circle Arctangent Circuit Advanced Three-Dimensional Display System Automatic Focus Adjustment of a Microscope Topics covered include: FastScript3D - A Companion to Java 3D; Generating Mosaics of Astronomical Images; Simulating Descent and Landing of a Spacecraft; Simulating Vibrations in a Complex Loaded Structure; Rover Sequencing and Visualization Program; Software Template for Instruction in Mathematics; Support for User Interfaces for Distributed Systems; Nanostructured MnO2-Based Cathodes for Li-Ion/Polymer Cells; Multi-Layer Laminated Thin Films for Inflatable Structures; Two-Step Laser Ranging for Precise Tracking of a Spacecraft; Growing Aligned Carbon Nanotubes for Interconnections in ICs; Multilayer Composite Pressure Vessels; Texturing Blood-Glucose-Monitoring Optics Using Oxygen Beams; Fault-Tolerant Heat Exchanger; Atomic Clock Based on Opto-Electronic Oscillator; Microfocus/Polycapillary-Optic Crystallographic X-Ray Sys; Depth-Penetrating Luminescence Thermography of Thermal- Barrier Coatings; One-Dimensional Photonic Crystal Superprisms; Measuring Low-Order Aberrations in a Segmented Telescope; Mapping From an Instrumented Glove to a Robot Hand; Application of the Hilbert-Huang Transform to Financial Data; Optimizing Parameters for Deep-Space Optical Communication; and Low-Shear Microencapsulation and Electrostatic Coating.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1995

Electro-Optically Active Monomers: Synthesis and Characterization of Thin Films of Liquid Crystalline Substituted Polyacetylenes

The overall objective of this study was the description of the behavior of mesogen substituted acetylene monomers and polymers in monolayer films at the air/water interface and as multilayer films including the formation of such films. Fundamental knowledge to be gained would include the effect of balancing hydrophilic and hydrophobic tendencies in a molecule more complex than the classical fatty acids or lipids. The effect of molecular shape on the packing and thus the ultimate stability of monolayers formed from these new molecules was explored. The work takes on the challenge of preorienting monomers in well-ordered arrays prior to attempting polymerization with the hope that order would be preserved in any resulting polymer. New knowledge gained with regard to the acetylenic monomers includes processing of the acetylene monomer into multi-layer films, followed by the design and synthesis of a second generation of improved monomer structure for superior LBK film transfer properties. A third generation of acetylenic monomer was synthesized which approaches more closely the goal of solid state polymerization of these materials. A parallel study took a different approach. The materials are pre-formed poly(phenylene-acetylene) polymers so questions about reactivity are mute. The materials are a variation on the well-known hairy-rod polymers with regard to their Langmuir film-forming properties. Overall, the goal was to demonstrate that these polymers could be processed into NLO materials with novel polar order.

Duran, R. S.↗
DOE OSTI2022

Improved Polypropylene Thermoformability through Polyethylene Layering

Due to its low cost, stiffness, and recyclability, isotactic polypropylene (iPP) is an excellent candidate for packaging applications. However, iPP is notoriously difficult to thermoform due to its low melt strength. The addition of just 10 thin layers of high-molecular-weight, linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE) into iPP sheets by coextrusion significantly increased extensional viscosity and reduced sag. Both LLDPE and iPP were metallocene-catalyzed with excellent adhesion as measured in our previous work. Here, we performed a series of hot tensile tests and sheet sag measurements to determine the properties of the iPP sheet and the multilayer sheet between 130 and 180 °C. To evaluate the thermoformability of these multilayer sheets, truncated conical cups were positive vacuum formed at different temperatures and heating times, and the crush strength was measured. Cups that released easily from the mold with good shape retention and a crush strength within 80% of the maximum value were used to define a temperature–time thermoformability window. We estimated the maximum stress that occurred during the thermoforming process to be 5 MPa. Layer thicknesses before and after thermoforming were used to estimate an average strain of 0.78. The thin LLDPE layers decreased the yield stress below 5 MPa. This enabled thermoforming at sheet temperatures as low as 150 °C. The immiscible LLDPE interfaces increased extensional viscosity, which decreased sag in the multilayer sheets compared to iPP. This broadened the thermoforming range to temperatures as high as 180 °C and allowed longer heating times. These highly thermoformable, layered sheets may be recycled as iPP since they contain only 8% of LLDPE.

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

From Deposition to Encapsulation: Roll-to-roll manufacturing of organic light emitting devices for lighting (Final Report)

Organic light emitting devices (OLEDs) are promising solid state light sources due to their high efficiency, high color quality and flexible form factors. The key to enable low cost OLED lighting, is to rapidly fabricate thin film organic layers on a continuous flexible roll, called R2R processing. This project aims to investigate the feasibility of mass production of OLED lighting using the R2R process, from deposition to encapsulation. A high efficiency white OLED is fabricated on 10 cm-wide substrate rolls in a pilot R2R tool comprising of two different organic deposition: vacuum thermal evaporation (VTE) and organic vapor phase deposition (OVPD). A high quality encapsulation process to package OLEDs is demonstrated using an atomic layer deposition tool integrated to the R2R system without air exposure. The method to achieve ultrahigh deposition rates required by R2R processing is demonstrated by OVPD. Uniform organic semiconductor thin films grown by OVPD at rates as high as 50 Å/s are achieved. A comprehensive numerical model that is capable of simulating complex, multilayer WOLED structures is developed to provide an alternative to experimental iterations of OLED design and tests. A cost estimate on the R2R production of WOLEDs for lighting is developed. Assuming a WOLED luminance of 10 klm/m 2 , the cost of a WOLED light engine is anticipated to be $\$ 12.5$ /klm. With incremental reduction in material and driver costs and improved luminance, the cost of WOLED lighting can be reduced to $\$ 6.3$ /klm in the near term. These findings suggest OLED lighting can be volume manufactured by R2R vapor deposition methods with much reduced costs compared to current batch processing methods, potentially positioning WOLEDs for use in numerous premium lighting applications.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2024

THz generation by exchange-coupled spintronic emitters

Abstract The mechanism of THz generation in ferromagnet/metal (F/M) bilayers has been typically ascribed to the inverse spin Hall effect (ISHE). Here, we fabricated Pt/Fe/Cr/Fe/Pt multilayers containing two back-to-back spintronic THz emitters separated by a thin ( t Cr ≤ 3nm) wedge-shaped Cr spacer. In such an arrangement, magnetization alignment of the two Fe films can be controlled by the interplay between Cr-mediated interlayer exchange coupling (IEC) and an external magnetic field. This in turn results in a strong variation of the THz amplitude A , with A ↑ ↓ reaching up to 14 times A ↑ ↑ (arrows indicate the relative alignment of the magnetization of the two magnetic layers). This observed functionality is ascribed to the interference of THz transients generated by two closely spaced THz emitters. Moreover, the magnetic field dependence A ( H ) shows a strong asymmetry that points to an additional performance modulation of the THz emitter via IEC and multilayer design.

Adam, Roman↗
DOE OSTI2020

In-plane Néel wall chirality and orientation of interfacial Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya vector in magnetic films

The interfacial Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction (DMI) is of great interest as it can stabilize chiral spin structures in thin films. Experiments verifying the orientation of the interfacial DMI vector remain rare, in part due to the difficulty of separating vector components of DMI. In this study, Fe/Ni bilayers and Co/Ni multilayers were deposited epitaxially onto Cu(001) and Pt(111) substrates, respectively. By tailoring the effective anisotropy, spin reorientation transitions (SRTs) are employed to probe the orientation of the DMI vector by measuring the spin structure of domain walls on both sides of the SRTs. In our results, the interfacial DMI is found to be sufficiently strong to stabilize chiral Néel walls in the out-of-plane magnetized regimes, while achiral Néel walls are observed in the in-plane magnetized regimes. Furthermore, these findings experimentally confirm that the out-of-plane component of the DMI vector is insignificant in these fcc(001) and fcc(111) oriented interfaces, even in the presence of atomic steps.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2025

Tailored topotactic chemistry unlocks heterostructures of magnetic intercalation compounds

The construction of thin film heterostructures has been a widely successful archetype for fabricating materials with emergent physical properties. This strategy is of particular importance for the design of multilayer magnetic architectures in which direct interfacial spin-spin interactions between magnetic phases in dissimilar layers lead to emergent and controllable magnetic behavior. However, crystallographic incommensurability and atomic-scale interfacial disorder can severely limit the types of materials amenable to this strategy, as well as the performance of these systems. Here, we demonstrate a method for synthesizing heterostructures comprising magnetic intercalation compounds of transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs), through directed topotactic reaction of the TMD with a metal oxide. The mechanism of the intercalation reaction enables thermally initiated intercalation of the TMD from lithographically patterned oxide films, giving access to a family of multi-component magnetic architectures through the combination of deterministic van der Waals assembly and directed intercalation chemistry.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2022

Pulsed laser deposition and structural evolution of BaF 2 nanolayers in Eu-doped BaF 2 /Al 2 O 3 layered optical nanocomposite thin films

Here, we have developed a pulsed laser deposition (PLD) geometry for the growth of uniform BaF 2 nanoscale thin films, through control of the deposition conditions. Our goal is to use the BaF 2 layers with controllable structure as component layers in layered optical nanocomposites. The structure of the BaF 2 nanolayer evolves as a function of the layer thickness: BaF 2 grows via a layer-by-layer growth mode on Al 2 O 3 ; the layers are amorphous for a thickness < 3 nm, and then become nanocrystalline as the layer thickness increases. The BaF 2 nanocrystals have an FCC crystal structure with a weak < 111 > texture that becomes stronger for thicker films. We then demonstrate that our BaF2 films can be introduced into layered Al 2 O 3 /BaF 2 /EuO x nanocomposite films, which allows for control of the relative position of the Eu ions and the BaF 2 layer. Cross-section samples of the multilayered films show interfacial intermixing between the layers, which is related to implantation during the PLD process. This intermixing enables the incorporation of Eu ions into BaF 2 layers and form a thin Eu-doped BaF 2 nanolayer at the interface. The layered nanocomposite films show photoluminescence (PL) emission from Eu 3+ ions, and the PL intensity changes can be correlated with the crystallinity and crystal size changes in the BaF 2 layer. Our results provide guidance for achieving thin film nanocomposite materials with controllable structure and photoluminescence behavior for light emitting diodes, photovoltaics and other optical applications.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
NASA NTRS2004

In situ Pulsed Laser Deposition of C-Axis Oriented MgB2 Films and Their Characterization

The recent discovery of an intermetallic superconductor MgB2 has renewed interest in the area of superconductivity not only because of fundamental understanding of superconductivity but also due to its potential applicability in devices such as thermal detectors. Considerable amount of research has been devoted to obtain MgB2 films by an all in situ growth technique. We have grown MgB2 thin films by an all in situ pulsed laser deposition process from pure B and Mg targets. Ultrathin layers of B and Mg were deposited in a multilayer configuration. Hundreds of such Mg-B bilayers with a capping Mg layer on the top were deposited on sapphire substrate. These depositions were done in high vacuum (approx. 10(exp -7) Torr) and at room temperature. After deposition, such a configuration was annealed at high temperature for a short time in a forming gas (4% H2 in Ar). The best films, obtained by this procedure, showed superconducting transition temperature approx. 30 K. These films have been characterized by x-ray diffraction, Rutherford Backscattering Spectrometry, AC susceptibility-, resistivity- (with and without magnetic field) and 1/f noise-measurements. The physical properties of these films will be presented and discussed.

Shinde, Sanjay↗
DOE OSTI2020

Thickness-Tunable Self-Assembled Colloidal Nanoplatelet Films Enable Ultrathin Optical Gain Media

We propose and demonstrate construction of highly uniform, multilayered superstructures of CdSe/CdZnS core/shell colloidal nanoplatelets (NPLs) using liquid interface self-assembly. These NPLs are sequentially deposited onto a solid substrate into slabs having monolayer-precise thickness across tens of cm(2) areas. Because of near-unity surface coverage and excellent uniformity, amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) is observed from an uncharacteristically thin film having 6 NPL layers, corresponding to a mere 42 nm thickness. Furthermore, systematic studies on optical gain of these NPL superstructures having thicknesses ranging from 6 to 15 layers revealed the gradual reduction in gain threshold with increasing number of layers, along with a continuous spectral shift of the ASE peak (similar to 18 nm). These observations can be explained by the change in the optical mode confinement factor with the NPL waveguide thickness and propagation wavelength. This bottom-up construction technique for thickness-tunable, three-dimensional NPL superstructures can be used for large-area device fabrication.

Erdem, Onur↗
DOE OSTI2022

Direct current magnetic Hall probe technique for measurement of field penetration in thin film superconductors for superconducting radio frequency resonators

Superconducting Radio Frequency (SRF) cavities used in particle accelerators are typically formed from or coated with superconducting materials. Currently, high purity niobium is the material of choice for SRF cavities that have been optimized to operate near their theoretical field limits. This brings about the need for significant R & D efforts to develop next generation superconducting materials that could outperform Nb and keep up with the demands of new accelerator facilities. To achieve high quality factors and accelerating gradients, the cavity material should be able to remain in the superconducting Meissner state under a high RF magnetic field without penetration of quantized magnetic vortices through the cavity wall. Therefore, the magnetic field at which vortices penetrate a superconductor is one of the key parameters of merit of SRF cavities. Techniques to measure the onset of magnetic field penetration on thin film samples need to be developed to mitigate the issues with the conventional magnetometry measurements that are strongly influenced by the film orientation and shape and edge effects. In this work, we report the development of an experimental setup to measure the field of full flux penetration through films and multi-layered superconductors. Our system combines a small superconducting solenoid that can generate a magnetic field of up to 500 mT at the sample surface and three Hall probes to detect the full flux penetration through the superconductor. We report this setup can be used to study alternative materials that could potentially outperform niobium, as well as superconductor–insulator–superconductor (SIS) multilayer coatings on niobium.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗