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At least 199 records · Page 11

Phonon-Assisted Intertube Electronic Transport in an Armchair Carbon Nanotube Film

The electrical conductivity of a macroscopic assembly of nanomaterials is determined through a complex interplay of electronic transport within and between constituent nano-objects. Phonons play dual roles in this situation: their increased populations tend to reduce the conductivity via electron scattering, while they can boost the conductivity by assisting electrons to propagate through the potential-energy landscape. Here, we identified a phonon-assisted coherent electron transport process between neighboring nanotubes in temperature-dependent conductivity measurements on a macroscopic film of armchair single-wall carbon nanotubes. Through atomistic modeling of electronic states and calculations of both electronic and phonon-assisted junction conductances, we conclude that phonon-assisted conductance is the dominant mechanism for observed high-temperature transport in armchair carbon nanotubes. The unambiguous manifestation of coherent intertube dynamics proves a single-chirality armchair nanotube film to be a unique macroscopic solid-state ensemble of nano-objects promising for the development of room-temperature coherent electronic devices.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Engineering intricacies of implementing single-atom alloy catalysts for low-temperature electrocatalytic CO 2 reduction

Catalysts research for electrocatalytic CO 2 reduction reactions (CO 2 R) has undergone rapid growth in the last decade. Single-atom alloy catalysts (SAAs) featuring atomically dispersed metal dopants on host metal surfaces have shown promises in boosting CO 2 R yield by optimizing the structure and synergy of the catalytic metals at the atomic scale. Despite the exciting development of SAAs for CO 2 R in fundamental science, dedicated studies for its engineering implementation have been absent. We use this perspective to discuss our non-exhaustive engineering considerations for implementing SAAs for CO 2 R. Here, the perspective starts with a brief overview of the current research status for SAAs in CO 2 R, followed by focal points on structure uncertainties associated with catalyst manufacturing, catalyst layer degradation during reaction, and possibilities for SAAs to mitigate the salt precipitation issue at the device level. We hope our opinions will engage increasing attention toward the engineering catalysis research for applying SAAs to CO 2 R at scale.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Simultaneous quantification of uranium( VI ), samarium, nitric acid, and temperature with combined ensemble learning, laser fluorescence, and Raman scattering for real-time monitoring

In this work, laser-induced fluorescence spectroscopy (LIFS), Raman spectroscopy, and a stacked regression ensemble was developed for near real-time quantification of uranium(VI) (1–100 μg mL –1 ), samarium (0–200 μg mL –1 ) and nitric acid (0.1–4 M) with varying temperature (20 °C–45 °C). LIFS applications range from fundamental lab-scale studies to real-time process monitoring at industrial levels, such as nuclear reprocessing applications, provided the phenomena affecting the fluorescence spectrum are accounted for (e.g., absorption, quenching, complexation). Multiple chemometric models were examined and compared to a more traditional multivariate regression approach called partial least squares (PLS). Results obtained on synthetic samples selected using D-optimal experimental design indicated that a stacked regression method, which included ridge regression, random forest, PLS, and an eXtreme gradient boost algorithm, successfully measured uranium(VI) concentrations directly in nitric acid without measuring luminescence lifetimes or standard addition. The top model resulted in percent root-mean-square error of prediction values of 5.2, 1.9, 3.0, and 2.3% for U(VI), Sm 3+ , HNO 3 , and temperature, respectively. The approach may be useful for quantifying fluorescent fission products (e.g., Sm 3+ ) to provide information on burnup of irradiated nuclear fuel. This novel framework reinforces the applicability of LIFS for real-time applications in nuclear fuel cycle applications.

38 RADIATION CHEMISTRY, RADIOCHEMISTRY, AND NUCLEA↗

Data, model inputs, and analysis scripts associated with a manuscript on stream intermittency controls across spatial scales in Pacific Northwest watersheds

NOTE: The manuscript associated with this data package is currently in review. The data may be revised based on reviewer feedback. Upon manuscript acceptance, this data package will be updated with the final dataset and additional metadata. This data package is associated with the manuscript "Hydroclimatic Memory and Watershed Template Shape Stream Intermittency: Multi-scale Attribution Using Process-based Simulation and Explainable ML" by Niroula et al. (2026), submitted to Water Resources Research (WRR). The study investigates the dominant controls on stream intermittency across local, reach, and watershed scales using a coupled process-based simulation and explainable machine-learning framework. Long-term daily simulations from the Advanced Terrestrial Simulator (ATS) were used to generate wetness states and ponded-depth responses over river-corridor cells. These ATS outputs were then aggregated across scales and used to train XGBoost (eXtreme Gradient Boosting) models. SHAP (SHapley Additive exPlanations) was applied to quantify the relative importance of hydroclimatic forcings, watershed template attributes, and antecedent-memory effects in shaping intermittency behavior. The analysis is carried out for three contrasting Pacific Northwest watersheds: Oak Creek (OCW), American River Watershed (ARW), and H.J. Andrews (HJA). Across these testbeds, the package contains ATS-ready watershed inputs, ATS run configuration and selected output files, model-evaluation data products, intermittency-analysis datasets, machine-learning target-feature tables, SHAP outputs, and notebooks used to organize, analyze, and visualize results. At a high level, the package documents a workflow in which ATS provides the physically based simulation backbone and explainable machine learning is used as a post-processing attribution tool. The contents are intended to support interpretation of the manuscript figures and results, provide context for how intermittency metrics were generated at multiple scales, and preserve the key artifacts needed to understand and reuse the analysis workflow. The package contains a high-level directory summary file (`summary.txt`) and four main content folders (1) `evaluation_plots` contains evaluation figures and supporting evaluation datasets; (2) `intermittency_plots` contains intermittency-focused analysis notebook and prepared datasets; (3) `ml-training-and-shap_values_plots` contains ML training inputs, SHAP outputs, and figure-generation notebooks; and (4) `watershed_mesh_and_ats_input` contains ATS model setup materials, forcing inputs, geometry, and selected run files. More specifically, the `evaluation_plots` folder contains the notebook used for ATS evaluation plotting and site-specific evaluation datasets. These include evapotranspiration and water-balance products for three watersheds, as well as an Oak Creek field-measurement discharge file. The `intermittency_plots` folder contains the notebook used for intermittency analysis and the prepared datasets used to analyze intermittent and non-intermittent wetness behavior across the study watersheds. The `ml-training-and-shap_values_plots` folder contains notebooks and outputs for the machine-learning and explainability workflow. This includes the main XGBoost and SHAP notebook(s), a beeswarm plotting notebook, target-feature tables for machine-learning training, SHAP summary tables, and per-sample SHAP value archives. The `watershed_mesh_and_ats_input` folder contains ATS-related watershed inputs and supporting materials. This includes mesh and shape products, ATS-readable LAI and meteorological forcing inputs, selected ATS spinup and transient-run files, and a watershed workflow example notebook. Subdirectories are organized by watershed where applicable.All files are .cpg (codepage files), .csv (comma-separated values), .dbf (database files), .exo (Exodus mesh format), .h5 (HDF5 format), .ipynb (Jupyter notebooks), .pkl (Python pickle), .prj (projection files), .sh (shell scripts), .shp (shapefile geometry), .shx (shapefile index), .txt (text files), or .xml (markup data).

Advanced Terrestrial Simulator↗

A unique van Hove singularity in kagome superconductor CsV 3-x Ta x Sb 5 with enhanced superconductivity

Van Hove singularity (VHS) has been considered as a driving source for unconventional superconductivity. A VHS in two-dimensional (2D) materials consists of a saddle point connecting electron-like and hole-like bands. In a rare case, when a VHS appears at Fermi level, both electron-like and hole-like conduction can coexist, giving rise to an enhanced density of states as well as an attractive component of Coulomb interaction for unconventional electronic pairing. However, this van Hove scenario is often destroyed by an incorrect chemical potential or competing instabilities. Here, by using angle-resolved photoemission measurements, we report the observation of a VHS perfectly aligned with the Fermi level in a kagome superconductor CsV 3-x Ta x Sb 5 (x~ 0.4), in which a record-high superconducting transition temperature is achieved among all the current variants of AV 3 Sb 5 (A = Cs, Rb, K) at ambient pressure. Doping dependent measurements reveal the important role of van Hove scenario in boosting superconductivity, and spectroscopic-imaging scanning tunneling microscopy measurements indicate a distinct superconducting state in this system.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Understanding of A-site deficiency in layered perovskites: promotion of dual reaction kinetics for water oxidation and oxygen reduction in protonic ceramic electrochemical cells

Protonic ceramic electrochemical cells (PCECs) are promising solid-state energy conversion devices which enable the conversion of energy between electricity and hydrogen at intermediate temperatures. Rapid conversion between chemical and electrical energy via PCEC technology will assist in overcoming grand challenges in energy storage. To achieve highly efficient reversible operation between hydrogen production and electricity generation, boosting water-oxidation and oxygen reduction activities of the oxygen electrode while maintaining the durable operation is one of the early-stage technical opportunities. In this study, an A-site deficient layered perovskite (PrBa 0.8 Ca 0.2 ) 0.95 Co 2 O 6–δ has been developed as an oxygen electrode for a PCEC which presents superior electrochemical performances. The electrolysis current density reached as high as –0.72 A cm –2 at 1.3 V, and a peak power density of 0.540 W cm –2 was obtained at 600 °C in electrolysis and fuel cell mode, respectively. The PCEC with the new electrode shows good durability under practical operating conditions for 160 hours in both operating modes with no observable degradation. Here, the reversibility between the electrolysis and fuel cell mode is also successfully demonstrated.

30 DIRECT ENERGY CONVERSION↗

Independent Fuel Property Effects of Fuel Volatility on Low Temperature Heat Release and Fuel Autoignition (Final Report)

This Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) project between Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), and Shell Global Solutions (Shell) was initiated as part of a Directed Funding Opportunity (DFO) call for proposals from the Co-Optimization of Fuels and Engines (Co-Optima) initiative. Shell had observed that volatile fuels suppress low temperature heat release (LTHR) more than expected based on conventional gasoline autoignition metrics: research octane number (RON) and motor octane number (MON). The role of LTHR contributes to autoignition phenomena for both boosted spark ignition (BSI) and advanced compression ignition (ACI) combustion modes. ACI combustion modes are applicable to large engines in the hard-to-electrify applications such as off-road, rail, and marine. Thus, having a reliable understanding of autoignition phenomena, including being able to accurately account for the effects of fuel volatility, is particularly important as new synthetic and bio-fuel compositions are considered.This CRADA project aimed to test the hypothesis that the decreased LTHR is due to preferential evaporation of multicomponent fuels when using direct injection (DI) fueling technology, creating composition and reactivity stratification. A custom set of fuels was designed and blended to test this hypothesis by Shell, with experimental engine studies at ORNL and engine combustion modeling by ANL. However, the initial experimental findings did not show the expected effect of fuel volatility suppressing LTHR. Instead, the LTHR propensity observed was independent of the fuel volatility. Due to the unexpected experimental result, the remainder of the experimental effort was redirected to study the effect of fuel volatility on emissions under spark-ignited cold-start conditions. However, as with the LTHR experiments, the cold start effort did not show a meaningful effect of fuel volatility on cold start emissions. Meanwhile, improved engine CFD models have been developed for both LTHR and cold start operations for the Shell fuels with different volatilities. While the simulation efforts were not pursued further due to the insignificant effects of fuel volatility as shown in experiments, the models developed can be easily retooled for off-road, rail, and marine applications.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗

Silicon Carbide Diodes Characterization at High Temperature and Comparison With Silicon Devices

Commercially available silicon carbide (SiC) Schottky diodes from different manufacturers rated at 200, 300, 600, and 1200 V, were electrically tested and characterized as a function of temperature up to 300 C. Electrical tests included both steady state and dynamic tests. Steady state tests produced forward and reverse I-V characteristic curves. Transient tests evaluated the switching performance of the diodes in either a hard-switched DC to DC buck converter or a half-bridge boost converter. For evaluation and comparison purposes, the same tests were performed with current state-of-the-art ultra fast silicon (Si) pn-junction diodes of similar ratings and also a Si Schottky diode. The comparisons made were forward voltage drop at rated current, reverse current at rated voltage, and turn-off peak reverse recovery current and reverse recovery time. In addition, efficiency measurements were taken for the buck DC to DC converter using both the SiC Schottky diodes and the Si pn-junction diodes at different temperatures and frequencies. The test results showed that at high temperature, the forward voltage drop for SiC Schottky diodes is higher than the forward drop of the ultra fast Si pn-junction diodes. As the temperature increased, the forward voltage drop of the SiC Schottky increased while for the ultra fast Si pn-junction diodes, the forward voltage drop decreased as temperature increased. For the elevated temperature steady state reverse voltage tests, the SiC Schottky diodes showed low leakage current at their rated voltage. Likewise, for the transient tests, the SiC Schottky diodes displayed low reverse recovery currents over the range of temperatures tested. Conversely, the Si pn-junction diodes showed increasing peak reverse current values and reverse recovery times with increasing temperature. Efficiency measurements in the DC to DC buck converter showed the advantage of the SiC Schottky diodes over the ultra fast Si pn-junction diodes, especially at the higher temperatures and higher frequencies.

Lebron-Velilla, Ramon C.↗

Ram-jet Performance

The ram jet is basically one of the most dimple types of aircraft engine. It consists only of an inlet diffuser, a combustion system, and an exit nozzle. A typical ram-jet configuration is shown in figure 128. The engine operates on the Brayton cycle, and ideal cycle efficiency depends only on the ratio of engine to ambient pressure. The increased, engine pressures are obtained by ram action alone, and for this reason the ram jet has zero thrust at zero speed. Therefore, ram-jet-powered aircraft must be boosted to flight speeds close to a Mach number of 1.0 before appreciable thrust is generated by the engine. Since pressure increases are obtained by ram action alone, combustor-inlet pressures and temperatures are controlled by the flight speed, the ambient atmospheric condition, and by the efficiency of the inlet diffuser. These pressures and temperatures, as functions of flight speed and altitude, are shown in figure 129 for the NACA standard atmosphere and for practical values of diffuser efficiency. It can be seen that very wide ranges of combustor-inlet temperatures and pressures may be encountered over the ranges of flight velocity and altitude at which ram jets may be operated. Combustor-inlet temperatures from 500 degrees to 1500 degrees R and inlet pressures from 5 to 100 pounds per square inch absolute represent the approximate ranges of interest in current combustor development work. Since the ram jet has no moving parts in the combustor outlet, higher exhaust-gas temperatures than those used in current turbojets are permissible. Therefore, fuel-air ratios equivalent to maximum rates of air specific impulse or heat release can be used, and, for hydrocarbon fuels, this weight ratio is about 0.070. Lower fuel-air ratios down to about 0.015 may also be required to permit efficient cruise operation. This fuel-air-ratio range of 0.015 to 0.070 used in ram jets can be compared with the fuel-air ratios up to 0.025 encountered in current turbojets. Ram-jet combustor-inlet velocities range from 150 to 400 feet per second. These high linear velocities combined with the relatively low pressure ratios obtainable in ram jets require that the pressure drop through the combustor be kept low to avoid excessive losses in cycle efficiency. It has been estimated that, for a long-range ram-jet engine, an increase in pressure loss of one dynamic head would require a compensating 1-percent increase in combustion efficiency. Therefore, combustor pressure-loss coefficients (pressure drop/impact pressure) of the order of 1 to 4 are found in most current engines. The operating conditions described impose major problems in the design of stable and efficient ram-jet combustion systems. This chapter presents a survey of ram-jet combustor research and, where possible, points out criteria that may be useful in the design of ram-jet combustion systems.

Cervenko, A. J.↗

Controlled freezing of biological samples

Apparatus consists of thermocouple connected to semiconductor reference junction. Junction is connected to amplifier that boosts signal by 1,000. High-level signal is displayed on recorder and fed into second amplifier where it is compared with signal from potentiometer of programmed dc reference in bag-temperature programer. Difference in signals indicates output voltage. Remaining circuitry provides zero-phase, time-proportion control of heaters such that heater power is directly proportional to error signal.

Cygnarowicz, T. A.↗

Systematic Phase Curve Study of Known Transiting Systems from Year One of the TESS Mission

We present a systematic phase curve analysis of known transiting systems observed by the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) during year one of the primary mission. Using theoretical predictions for the amplitude of the planetary longitudinal atmospheric brightness modulation, stellar ellipsoidal distortion and Doppler boosting, as well as brightness considerations to select targets with likely detectable signals, we applied a uniform data processing and light-curve modeling framework to fit the full-orbit phase curves of 22 transiting systems with planet-mass or brown dwarf companions, including previously published systems. Statistically significant secondary eclipse depths and/or atmospheric brightness modulation amplitudes were measured for HIP 65A, WASP-18, WASP-19, WASP-72, WASP-100, WASP-111, WASP-121, and WASP-122/KELT-14. For WASP-100b, we found marginal evidence that the brightest region of the atmosphere is shifted eastward away from the substellar point. We detected significant ellipsoidal distortion signals in the light curves of HIP 65A, TOI-503, WASP-18, and WASP-30, with HIP 65A, TOI-503 and WASP-18 also exhibiting Doppler boosting. The measured amplitudes of these signals agree with the predictions of theoretical models. Combining the optical secondary eclipse depths with previously published Spitzer 3.6 and 4.5 μm measurements, we derived dayside brightness temperatures and visible-light geometric albedos for a subset of the analyzed systems. We also calculated updated transit ephemerides combining the transit timings from the TESS light curves with previous literature values.

Ian Wong↗

High-entropy electrolytes in boosting battery performance

Abstract Entropy, once overlooked, is an essential aspect of electrolytes. Recently emerged high-entropy electrolytes with multiple components provide vast compositional space and interfacial chemistry possibilities for electrolyte design. It is noteworthy that high-entropy electrolytes exhibit extraordinarily high ionic conductivity at low temperatures, thereby creating a new direction for batteries to operate at ultra-low temperatures. This commentary discusses the underlying mechanism, challenges encountered, and potential solutions of high-entropy electrolyte design in the hope of sparking future research in this subject.

Xu, Jijian (ORCID:0000000177270488)↗

Aluminized alloy boosts turbine blade life

Description of an aluminized alloy coating technique that involves first the application of a ductile, oxidation-resistant overlay, such as NiCrAl, which is then partially aluminized. The duplex protective system has performance advantages over conventional aluminide coatings in that it provides higher-temperature hot corrosion resistance over a longer service life.

Gedwill, M. A.↗

Feedback in the dark: a critical examination of CMB bounds on primordial black holes

Abstract If present in the early universe, primordial black holes (PBHs) would have accreted matter and emitted high-energy photons, altering the statistical properties of the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB). This mechanism has been used to constrain the fraction of dark matter that is in the form of PBHs to be much smaller than unity for PBH masses well above one solar mass. Moreover, the presence of dense dark matter mini-halos around the PBHs has been used to set even more stringent constraints, as these would boost the accretion rates.In this work, we critically revisit CMB constraints on PBHs taking into account the role of the local ionization of the gas around them. We discuss how the local increase in temperature around PBHs can prevent the dark matter mini-halos from strongly enhancing the accretion process, in some cases significantly weakening previously derived CMB constraints. We explore in detail the key ingredients of the CMB bound and derive a conservative limit on the cosmological abundance of massive PBHs.

Astronomy & Astrophysics↗

Accretion Disks Around Binary Black Holes of Unequal Mass: GRMHD Simulations Near Decoupling

We report on simulations in general relativity of magnetized disks onto black hole binaries. We vary the binary mass ratio from 1:1 to 1:10 and evolve the systems when they orbit near the binary disk decoupling radius. We compare (surface) density profiles, accretion rates (relative to a single, non-spinning black hole), variability, effective alpha-stress levels and luminosities as functions of the mass ratio. We treat the disks in two limiting regimes: rapid radiative cooling and no radiative cooling. The magnetic field lines clearly reveal jets emerging from both black hole horizons and merging into one common jet at large distances. The magnetic fields give rise to much stronger shock heating than the pure hydrodynamic flows, completely alter the disk structure, and boost accretion rates and luminosities. Accretion streams near the horizons are among the densest structures; in fact, the 1:10 no-cooling evolution results in a refilling of the cavity. The typical effective temperature in the bulk of the disk is approx. 10(exp5) (M / 10(exp 8)M solar mass (exp -1/4(L/L(sub edd) (exp 1/4K) yielding characteristic thermal frequencies approx. 10 (exp 15) (M /10(exp 8)M solar mass) (exp -1/4(L/L (sub edd) (1+z) (exp -1)Hz. These systems are thus promising targets for many extragalactic optical surveys, such as LSST, WFIRST, and PanSTARRS.

Supermassive↗

Sustainble dropwise condensation enabled ultraefficient heat pipes

Heat pipes play a critical role in determining the operations, safety, and energy efficiency of electronics. The main focus to improve the heat pipe performance is on the evaporator design or wicking structures. However, the intrinsic limitation comes from the condenser, which is fundamentally constrained by inefficient filmwise condensation (FWC). In this study, we successfully achieved a peak effective thermal conductivity (k eff ) of ~140 kW/(m·K) on widely used groove heat pipes by implementing sustainable dropwise condensation (DWC) and integrating with enhanced evaporator. To better understand the working mechanisms of the ultraefficient heat pipe, both the evaporator and condenser of the heat pipes have been modified accordingly. Our results show that up to 296% enhancements on the k eff can be achieved under various inclination angles by only inducing DWC in the condenser section. The drawback of temperature fluctuations induced by DWC in smooth heat pipes appears to be effectively solved using the grooves-wicking structure. Furthermore, by integrating the nanostructured evaporator, the k eff of the heat pipe can be boosted up to 517% compared to conventional groove heat pipes. This study, for the first time, demonstrates the huge potential of engineering both the condenser and evaporator simultaneously in developing ultraefficient heat pipes.

42 ENGINEERING↗

An Experimental Investigation of Sintered Particle Effect on Heat Transfer Performance in an “Annular Flow” Evaporation Tube

Wicking structures have been widely used within passive heat transfer devices with high heat fluxes, such as heat pipes, to enhance their thermal performance. While wicking structures promote capillary pumping of the working fluid and thin film evaporation, they can result in capillary evaporation and further enhance the evaporation heat transfer. In this study, a 0.5 mm thick layer of 105 µm sintered copper particles was added to the inner wall of a copper tube, aiming to form an “annular flow” and enhance the heat transfer characteristics by taking advantage of thin film and capillary evaporation. Acetone was chosen as the working fluid, and the performance of an evaporation tube was tested for power inputs of 10, 30, 50, and 70 W. For each power input, trials were run at inclination angles varying from -90 deg to 90 deg to investigate the capillary effects. The temperature measurements showed that the temperature distribution along the evaporation tube is always downward sloping, meaning the temperature at the fluid inlet is larger than the outlet. In conclusion, results show that an “annular flow” formed by a thin layer of sintered particles can promote thin film and capillary evaporation and, therefore, boost the evaporation heat transfer coefficient.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Return to Jupiter - Project Galileo

The mission profile, instrumentation, and mission objectives of the Galileo probe are described. Scheduled for Shuttle launch in 1986, with a boost from the Centaur upper stage, the probe will require over 2 yr to reach the Jovian system. An atmospheric entry probe will be released during Jupiter approach, and the orbiting module will relay the temperature, pressure, radio signals, spectroscopy, magnetometry, and particle counts, originating from the parachuting probe. The orbiting module will then continue on to a series of flybys and orbits around the Jovian moons by using a gravity assist from Jupiter after each pass of a moon. The orbiter will record spectrometric, radiometric, dust, visual, magnetic, and radio propagation data. The television camera is a CCD device with 640,000 diodes forming an 800 x 800 array in one square centimeter.

Johnson, T. V.↗