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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 217 records · Page 12
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2018

Enhancing Cooperativity in Bifunctional Acid–Pd Catalysts with Carboxylic Acid-Functionalized Organic Monolayers

Here, cooperative catalysts containing a combination of noble metal hydrogenation sites and Bronsted acid sites are critical for many reactions, including the deoxygenation (DO) of biomass-derived oxygenates in the upgrading of pyrolysis oil. One route toward the design of cooperative catalysts is to tether two different catalytically active functions so that they are in close proximity while avoiding undesirable interactions that can block active sites. Here, we deposited carboxylic acid (CA)-functionalized organophosphonate monolayers onto Al 2 O 3 -supported Pd nanoparticle catalysts to prepare bifunctional catalysts containing both Bronsted acid and metal sites. Modification with phosphonic acids (PAs) improved activity and selectivity for gas-phase DO reactions, but the degree of improvement was highly sensitive to both the presence and positioning of the CA group, suggesting a significant contribution from both the PA and CA sites. Short spacer lengths of 1-2 methylene groups between the phosphonate head and CA tail were found to yield the best DO rates and selectivities, whereas longer chains performed similarly to self-assembled monolayers having alkyl tails. Results from a combination of density functional theory and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy suggested that the enhanced catalyst performance on the optimally positioned CAs was due to the generation of strong acid sites on the Al 2 O 3 support adjacent to the metal. Furthermore, the high activity of these sites was found to result from a hydrogen-bonded cyclic structure involving cooperativity between the phosphonate head group and CA tail function. More broadly, these results indicate that functional groups tethered to supports via organic ligands can influence catalytic chemistry on metal nanoparticles.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2021

Molecular Insight into the β-Sheet Twist and Related Morphology of Self-Assembled Peptide Amphiphile Ribbons

Self-assembly of high-aspect-ratio filaments containing β-sheets has attracted much attention due to potential use in bioengineering and biomedicine. However, precisely predicting the assembled morphologies remains a grand challenge because of insufficient understanding of the self-assembly process. We employed an atomistic model to study the self-assembly of peptide amphiphiles (PAs) containing valine–glutamic acid (VE) dimeric repeats. By changing of the sequence length, the assembly morphology changes from flat ribbon to left-handed twisted ribbon, implying a relationship between β-sheet twist and strength of interstrand hydrogen bonds. The calculations are used to quantify this relationship including both magnitude and sign of the ribbon twist angle. Interestingly, a change in chirality is observed when we introduce the RGD epitope into the C-terminal of VE repeats, suggesting arginine and glycine’s role in suppressing right-handed β-sheet formation. Furthermore, this study provides insight into the relationship between β-sheet twist and self-assembled nanostructures including a possible design rule for PA self-assembly.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2021

Organic Modifiers Promote Furfuryl Alcohol Ring Hydrogenation via Surface Hydrogen-Bonding Interactions

Interactions between surface adsorbed species can affect catalyst reactivity, and thus, the ability to tune these interactions is of considerable importance. Deposition of organic modifiers provides one method of intentionally introducing controllable surface interactions onto catalyst surfaces. In this study, Pd/Al2O 3 catalysts were modified with either thiol or phosphonic acid (PA) ligands and tested in the hydrogenation of furanic species. The thiol modifiers were found to inhibit ring hydrogenation (RH) activity, with the degree of inhibition trending with the thiol surface coverage. This suggests that thiols do not strongly interact with the reactants and simply serve to block active sites on the Pd surface. PAs, on the other hand, were found to enhance RH when furfuryl alcohol (FA) was used as the reactant. Density functional theory calculations suggested that this enhancement was due to hydrogen-bonding interactions between FA-derived surface intermediates and PA modifiers. Here, installation of hydrogen-bonding groups on the Pd surface served to preferentially stabilize RH product states. Furthermore, the promotional effect on the RH of FA was observed to be greater when a higher-coverage PA was used, providing a rate more than twice that of the unmodified Pd/Al2O 3 . The results of this work suggest that organic ligands can be designed to impart tunable surface interactions on heterogeneous catalysts, providing an additional method of controlling catalytic performance.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗
DOE OSTI2022

High Temperature Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cells with High Phosphoric Acid Retention

Phosphoric acid loss poses immense hurdles for the durability of high-temperature polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (HT-PEMFCs). Here we report quaternary ammonium-biphosphate ion-pair HT-PEMFCs that do not lose phosphoric acids under normal and accelerated stress conditions. Additionally, our energetics study explains the acid loss behavior of the conventional phosphoric acid-polybenzimidazole (PA-PBI) system by two mechanisms. If PA loss occurs via acid evaporation, the acid loss is constant over time. On the other hand, when water activity in the PA-PBI system is high, exponential decay of PA loss occurs via the water replacement mechanism. Combined 31 P NMR and computational studies show that the proposed ion-pair system has six times higher interaction energy, which allows for containing all PAs in the membrane electrode assemblies under a broad range of operating conditions. In addition, polar interactions between the phosphonic acid ionomer and phosphoric acid explain acid retention in the electrodes of the ion-pair HT-PEMFCs.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2012

Antitumor Activity of Peptide Amphiphile Nanofiber-Encapsulated Camptothecin

Self-assembling peptide amphiphile (PA) nanofibers were used to encapsulate camptothecin (CPT), a naturally occurring hydrophobic chemotherapy agent, using a solvent evaporation technique. Encapsulation by PA nanofibers was found to improve the aqueous solubility of the CPT molecule by more than 50-fold. PAs self-assembled into nanofibers in the presence of CPT as demonstrated by transmission electron microscopy. Small-angle X-ray scattering results suggest a slight increase in diameter of the nanofiber to accommodate the hydrophobic cargo. In vitro studies using human breast cancer cells show an enhancement in antitumor activity of the CPT when encapsulated by the PA nanofibers. In addition, using a mouse orthotopic model of human breast cancer, treatment with PA nanofiber-encapsulated CPT inhibited tumor growth. These results highlight the potential of this model PA system to be adapted for delivery of hydrophobic therapies to treat a variety of diseases including cancer.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2016

Structure and mechanism of the essential two-component signal-transduction system WalKR in Staphylococcus aureus

Most low GC Gram-positive bacteria possess an essential walKR two-component system (TCS) for signal transduction involved in regulating cell wall homoeostasis. Despite the well-established intracellular regulatory mechanism, the role of this TCS in extracellular signal recognition and factors that modulate the activity of this TCS remain largely unknown. Here we identify the extracellular receptor of the kinase ‘WalK’ (erWalK) as a key hub for bridging extracellular signal input and intracellular kinase activity modulation in Staphylococcus aureus . Characterization of the crystal structure of erWalK revealed a canonical Per-Arnt-Sim (PAS) domain for signal sensing. Single amino-acid mutation of potential signal-transduction residues resulted in severely impaired function of WalKR. A small molecule derived from structure-based virtual screening against erWalK is capable of selectively activating the walKR TCS. Lastly, the molecular level characterization of erWalK will not only facilitate exploration of natural signal(s) but also provide a template for rational design of erWalK inhibitors.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2025

Mapping in situ the assembly and dynamics in aqueous supramolecular polymers

Supramolecular polymers, bonded through directional non-covalent interactions, closely mimic dynamic behaviors of biological nanofibers. However, the complexity of assembly pathways makes it highly challenging to unravel the nature of supramolecular dynamics in aqueous environments. Here we introduce a precise combinatorial titration methodology to probe in situ the assembly of peptide amphiphiles (PAs). This approach reveals a binary assembly mechanism governed by equilibrium between spheroidal micelles and β-sheet polymers. Weakening hydrogen bonding shifts the equilibrium towards micelles and decreases the internal structural order of filamentous polymers, promoting supramolecular dynamics. Extending this methodology to two-component copolymerization systems, we find a surprising tendency to form blocky nanostructures with reduced internal phase separation as the mismatch in peptide sequence decreases. Interestingly, while well-mixed copolymers acquire different dynamics, mismatched ones retain the characteristic supramolecular motion of their homopolymer counterparts. These critical insights into supramolecular dynamics offer strategies to tailor the dynamic functions of supramolecular nanomaterials.

Molecular self-assembly↗
DOE OSTI2022

A multimodal approach to revisiting oxidation defects in Cr 2 O 3

The oxidation of chromium in air at 700 °C was investigated with a focus on point defect behavior and transport during oxide layer growth. A comprehensive set of characterization techniques targeted characteristics of chromium oxide microstructure and chemical composition analysis. TEM showed that the oxide was thicker with longer oxidation times and that, for the thicker oxides, voids formed at the metal/oxide interface. PAS revealed that the longer the oxidation time, there was an overall reduction in vacancy-type defects, though chromium monovacancies were not found in either case. EIS found that the longer oxidized material was more electrochemically stable and that, while all oxides displayed p-type character, the thicker oxide had an overall lower charge carrier density. Together, the results suggest anion oxygen interstitials and chromium vacancy cluster complexes drive transport in an oxidizing environment at this temperature, providing invaluable insight into the mechanisms that regulate corrosion.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2017

Photosensing and Thermosensing by Phytochrome B Require Both Proximal and Distal Allosteric Features within the Dimeric Photoreceptor

Phytochromes (Phys) encompass a diverse collection of bilin-containing photoreceptors that help plants and microorganisms perceive light through photointerconversion between red light (Pr) and far-red light (Pfr)-absorbing states. In addition, Pfr reverts thermally back to Pr via a highly enthalpic process that enables temperature sensation in plants and possibly other organisms. Through domain analysis of the Arabidopsis PhyB isoform assembled recombinantly, coupled with measurements of solution size, photoconversion, and thermal reversion, we identified both proximal and distal features that influence all three metrics. Included are the downstream C-terminal histidine kinase-related domain known to promote dimerization and a conserved patch just upstream of an N-terminal Period/Arnt/Sim (PAS) domain, which upon removal dramatically accelerates thermal reversion. We also discovered that the nature of the bilin strongly influences Pfr stability. Whereas incorporation of the native bilin phytochromobilin into PhyB confers robust Pfr → Pr thermal reversion, that assembled with the cyanobacterial version phycocyanobilin, often used for optogenetics, has a dramatically stabilized Pfr state. Taken together, we conclude that Pfr acquisition and stability are impacted by a collection of opposing allosteric features that inhibit or promote photoconversion and reversion of Pfr back to Pr, thus allowing Phys to dynamically measure light, temperature, and possibly time.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2024

Comprehensive characterization of the structure of Zr-based metallic glasses

Structure of metallic glasses fascinates as the generic amorphous structural template for ubiquitous systems. Its specification necessitates determination of the complete hierarchical structure, starting from short-range-order (SRO) → medium-range-order (MRO) → bulk structure and free volume (FV) distribution. This link has largely remained elusive since previous investigations adopted one-technique-at-a-time approach, focusing on limited aspects of any one domain. Reconstruction of structure from experimental data inversion is non-unique for many of these techniques. As a result, complete and precise structural understanding of glass has not emerged yet. In this work, we demonstrate the first experimental pathway for reconstruction of the integrated structure, for and glasses. Our strategy engages diverse (×7) multi-scale techniques [XAFS, 3D-APT, ABED/NBED, FEM, XRD, PAS, FHREM] on the same glass. This strategy complemented mutual limitations of techniques and corroborated common parameters to generate complete, self-consistent and precise parameters. Further, MRO domain size and inter-void separation were correlated to identify the presence of FV at MRO boundaries. This enabled the first experimental reconstruction of hierarchical subset: SRO → MRO → FV → bulk structure. The first ever image of intermediate region between MRO domains emerged from this link. We clarify that determination of all subsets is not our objective; the essence and novelty of this work lies in directing the pathway towards finite solution, in the most logical and unambiguous way.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2020

Proton affinities of pertechnetate (TcO 4 - ) and perrhenate (ReO 4 - )

The anions pertechnetate, TcO 4 - , and perrhenate, ReO 4 - , exhibit very similar chemical and physical properties. Revealing and understanding disparities between them enhances fundamental understanding of both. Electrospray ionization generated the gas-phase proton bound dimer (TcO 4 - )(H + )(ReO 4 - ). Collision induced dissociation of the dimer yielded predominantly HTcO 4 - and ReO 4 - , which according to Cooks’ kinetic method indicates that the proton affinity (PA) of TcO 4 - is greater than that of Re O 4 - . Density functional theory computations agree with the experimental observation, providing PA[TcO 4 - ] = 300.1 kcal mol -1 and PA[ReO 4 - ] = 297.2 kcal mol -1 . Attempts to rationalize these relative PAs based on elementary molecular parameters such as atomic charges indicate that the entirety of bond formation and concomitant bond disruption needs to be considered to understand the energies associated with such protonation processes. Although in both the gas and solution phases, TcO 4 - is a stronger base than ReO 4 - , it is noted that the significance of even such qualitative accordance is tempered by the very different natures of the underlying phenomena.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2020

Determinants for proton location and electron coupled proton transfer in hydrogen bonded pentafluorophenol-anion clusters

This work aims to reveal the determinant factors for proton locations and electron coupled proton transfer (ECPT) in biologically relevant hydrogen bonded systems. Pentafluorophenol-anion clusters [C6F5O-•H+•A-]- are chosen to model active sites of biological functions, with the anion A- being systematically varied to ensure the proton affinities (PAs) of the anions well cover the referenced PA of C6F5O- from being appreciably smaller, similar, and to significantly larger. Negative ion photoelectron spectroscopy of these clusters provides spectroscopic evidence showing that proton location in the anionic state is largely following the PA prediction, while ECPT is observed only for the clusters with the anion possessing the electron binding energy (EBE) significantly larger than that of the referenced C6F5O-. Theoretical calculations suggest these clusters are stabilized by forming single strong hydrogen bond between donor and acceptor, and the associated charge and MO analyses fully support the experimental observations. The current holistic cluster model study indicates that PA is the right determinant that can be used to predict the proton location and describe hydrogen bonding structures, while both PA and EBE of anionic groups play important roles in facilitating ECPT process. This work was supported by U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Office of Basic Energy Sciences, Division of Chemical Science, Geosciences, and Biosciences (X.-B.W.), and performed using EMSL, a national scientific user facility sponsored by DOE’s Office of Biological and Environmental Research and located at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, which is operated by Battelle Memorial Institute for the DOE. Part of this work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No-11604046 for JZ; No. 11727810 for ZRS), as well as “Chenguang Program” by Shanghai Education Development Foundation, Shanghai Municipal Education Commission (No. 16CG38) and Natural Science Foundation of Shanghai (No. 16ZR1448100) (JZ).

Zhang, Jian↗
DOE OSTI2011

Post-growth annealing induced change of conductivity in As-doped ZnO grown by radio frequency magnetron sputtering

Arsenic-doped ZnO films were fabricated by radio frequency magnetron sputtering method at a relatively low substrate temperature of 200 deg. C. Post-growth annealing in air was carried out up to a temperature of 1000 deg. C. The samples were characterized by Hall measurement, positron annihilation spectroscopy (PAS), secondary ion mass spectroscopy (SIMS), and cathodoluminescence (CL). The as-grown sample was of n-type and it converted to p-type material after the 400 deg. C annealing. The resulting hole concentration was found to increase with annealing temperature and reached a maximum of 6 x 10{sup 17} cm{sup -3} at the annealing temperature of 600 deg. C. The origin of the p-type conductivity was consistent with the As{sub Zn}(V{sub Zn}){sub 2} shallow acceptor model. Further increasing the annealing temperature would decrease the hole concentration of the samples finally converted the sample back to n-type. With evidence, it was suggested that the removal of the p-type conductivity was due to the dissociation of the As{sub Zn}(V{sub Zn}){sub 2} acceptor and the creation of the deep level defect giving rise to the green luminescence.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2014

A futuristic approach towards interface layer modifications for improved efficiency in inverted organic solar cells

Inverted polymer Solar Cells of the classical poly (3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT):(6,6)-phenyl-C{sub 61}butyric acid methyl ester (PC{sub 61}BM) blend on indium tin oxide substrates were fabricated, which shows improved device performance, by using a facile solution–processed ZnO-polyelectrolytes [poly (diallyldimethylammonium chloride) (PDADMAC), Poly (acrylic acid sodium salt) (PAS), poly (4-styrenesulfonic acid) (PSS), and Polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP)] nanocomposite as a cathode interface layer compared to devices using pristine ZnO as cathode buffer layer in ambient conditions. The devices with different combinations of polyelectrolyte with ZnO show different improvements in the device efficiency. The combinations of ZnO with PVP and PDADMAC show highest amount of improvements in the efficiency by a factor of ∼17–19. The improvement of the efficiency may be due to various phenomena, such as the passivation of ZnO surface as well as bulk traps, work function modification, improved energy level alignment, improved electronic coupling of the inorganic/organic interface, improved light harvesting, and decrease of surface as well as bulk charge recombination in the device. The introduction of polyelectrolyte into ZnO inhibits the aggregation of ZnO nanoparticles yielding the large area ZnO nanoclusters; and hence, forming the uniform film of ZnO resulting in the modifications of morphology as well as electronic structure of ZnO-polyelectrolyte nano-composite favouring better electronic coupling between cathode and active layer and hence enhancing the current and, consequently, the efficiency. This simple low temperature ZnO-polyelectrolyte nanocomposite based protocol proposed for cathode interface layer modification may be very much useful for roll to roll industrial manufacturing of organic solar cells.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2014

Thermal evolution of defects in undoped zinc oxide grown by pulsed laser deposition

Undoped ZnO films are grown by pulsed laser deposition on c-plane sapphire with different oxygen pressures. Thermal evolutions of defects in the ZnO films are studied by secondary ion mass spectroscopy (SIMS), Raman spectroscopy, and positron annihilation spectroscopy (PAS), and with the electrical properties characterized by the room temperature Hall measurement. Oxygen deficient defect related Raman lines 560 cm{sup −1} and 584 cm{sup −1} are identified and their origins are discussed. Thermal annealing induces extensive Zn out-diffusion at the ZnO/sapphire interface and leaves out Zn-vacancy in the ZnO film. Two types of Zn-vacancy related defects with different microstructures are identified in the films. One of them dominates in the samples grown without oxygen. Annealing the sample grown without oxygen or growing the samples in oxygen would favor the Zn-vacancy with another microstructure, and this Zn-vacancy defect persists after 1100 °C annealing.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2014

A study of vacancy defects related to gray tracks in KTiOPO{sub 4} (KTP) using positron annihilation

For the first time to our knowledge, positron annihilation spectroscopy (PAS) was used to study vacancy defects in KTiOPO{sub 4} (KTP) single crystals. Positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy combined with dielectric measurements identified the existence of oxygen vacancies and reflected the concentration of vacancy defects in three samples. The vacancy defects in KTP do not consist of monovacancies, but rather vacancy complexes. Doppler broadening indicates that the vacancy defects are distributed uniformly. A relationship is established where a crystal with a low oxygen vacancy concentration and a highly balanced stoichiometry has a higher resistance to gray track formation.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2015

Two-dimensional NMR measurement and point dipole model prediction of paramagnetic shift tensors in solids

A new two-dimensional Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) experiment to separate and correlate the first-order quadrupolar and chemical/paramagnetic shift interactions is described. This experiment, which we call the shifting-d echo experiment, allows a more precise determination of tensor principal components values and their relative orientation. It is designed using the recently introduced symmetry pathway concept. A comparison of the shifting-d experiment with earlier proposed methods is presented and experimentally illustrated in the case of {sup 2}H (I = 1) paramagnetic shift and quadrupolar tensors of CuCl{sub 2}⋅2D{sub 2}O. The benefits of the shifting-d echo experiment over other methods are a factor of two improvement in sensitivity and the suppression of major artifacts. From the 2D lineshape analysis of the shifting-d spectrum, the {sup 2}H quadrupolar coupling parameters are 〈C{sub q}〉 = 118.1 kHz and 〈η{sub q}〉 = 0.88, and the {sup 2}H paramagnetic shift tensor anisotropy parameters are 〈ζ{sub P}〉 = − 152.5 ppm and 〈η{sub P}〉 = 0.91. The orientation of the quadrupolar coupling principal axis system (PAS) relative to the paramagnetic shift anisotropy principal axis system is given by (α,β,γ)=((π)/2 ,(π)/2 ,0). Using a simple ligand hopping model, the tensor parameters in the absence of exchange are estimated. On the basis of this analysis, the instantaneous principal components and orientation of the quadrupolar coupling are found to be in excellent agreement with previous measurements. A new point dipole model for predicting the paramagnetic shift tensor is proposed yielding significantly better agreement than previously used models. In the new model, the dipoles are displaced from nuclei at positions associated with high electron density in the singly occupied molecular orbital predicted from ligand field theory.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2015

Damage imaging using Lamb waves for SHM applications

2-D ultrasonic arrays, due to their beam-steering capability and all azimuth angle coverage are a very promising tool for the inspection of plate-like structures using Lamb waves (LW). Contrary to the classical linear phased arrays (PAs) the 2D arrays enable unequivocal defect localization and they are even capable of mode selectivity of the received LWs . Recently, it has been shown that multistatic synthetic focusing (SF) algorithms applied for 2D arrays are much more effective than the classical phase array mode commonly used in NDT. The multistatic SF assumes multiple transmissions of elements in a transmitting aperture and off-line processing of the data acquired by a receiving aperture. In the simplest implementation of the technique, only a single multiplexed input and a number of output channels are required, which results in significant hardware simplification compared with the PA systems. On the one hand implementation of the multistatic SF to 2D arrays creates additional degrees of freedom during the design of the array topology, which complicates the array design process. On the other hand, it enables designing sparse arrays with performance similar to that of the fully populated dense arrays. In this paper we present a general systematic approach to the design and optimization of imaging systems based on the 2D array operating in the multistatic mode. We start from presenting principles of the SF schemes applied to LW imaging. Then, we outline the coarray concept and demonstrate how it can be used for reducing number of elements of the 2D arrays. Finally, efficient tools for the investigation and experimental verification of the designed 2D array prototypes are presented. The first step in the investigation is theoretical evaluation performed using frequency-dependent structure transfer function (STF), which enables approximate simulation of an array excited with a tone-burst in a dispersive medium. Finally, we show how scanning laser vibrometer, sensing waves in multiple points corresponding to the locations of the 2D receiving array elements, can be used as a tool for rapid experimental verification of the developed topologies. The presented methods are discussed in terms of the beampatterns and sparse versions of the fully populated array topologies are be presented. The effect of apodization applied to the array elements is also investigated. Both simulated and experimental results are included.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗