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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 235 records · Page 13
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2023

High resolution, high conductivity components by aerosol jet printing

Highly conductive electrical traces formed over mechanical steps or on non-planar surfaces with linewidths of 10 to 100 μm and a method for forming such electrical traces are disclosed. The method employs two steps, with the first step using an aerosol jet printing (AJP) process to form thin electrical traces that serve as the seed layers for the second step. The first step preferably employs multiple passes with the AJP to create multiple seed sub-layers with improved continuity and conductivity. In the second step, the seed layers are subjected to an electrodeposition process that forms the bulk of the thickness of the electrical traces. The electrodeposition process may include one, two, or three phases at corresponding low or high biases, with low biases providing denser, more highly conductive plating sub-layers, while high biases provide plating sub-layers having better gap bridging properties.

Lavin, Judith Maria↗
DOE OSTI2022

Retail Rate Projections for Long-Term Electricity System Models

Electricity prices reported in most electricity-system planning studies leave out many price components and do not translate into retail rates, making it difficult to interpret how projected electricity system changes will impact costs to consumers. Full transmission costs are left out of many studies; distribution and administration costs are similarly excluded or highly simplified. Here, we present a detailed bottom-up accounting method for projecting future retail electricity rates in the United States. Making the simplifying assumption that each state is served by an investor-owned utility (IOU), we translate projected generation and transmission capacity and costs from the Regional Energy Deployment System (ReEDS) capacity-expansion model into IOU balance sheet expenditures, accounting for depreciation, taxes, and the breakdown between operating and capitalized (rate-based) expenses. Distribution, administration, and intra-regional transmission costs are projected forward based on empirical trends over the past decade. Modeled bottom-up electricity rates are compared to historical rates from 2010-2019, and the sensitivity of modeled rates to a range of financing and modeling assumptions is explored. Distribution and administration rate components account for roughly 40% (4.4 ¢/kWh) of the projected national-average retail rate over 2020-2050 under central assumptions.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗
DOE OSTI2021

The rise of electric vehicles—2020 status and future expectations

Electric vehicles (EVs) are experiencing a rise in popularity over the past few years as the technology has matured and costs have declined, and support for clean transportation has promoted awareness, increased charging opportunities, and facilitated EV adoption. Suitably, a vast body of literature has been produced exploring various facets of EVs and their role in transportation and energy systems. This paper provides a timely and comprehensive review of scientific studies looking at various aspects of EVs, including: (a) an overview of the status of the light-duty-EV market and current projections for future adoption; (b) insights on market opportunities beyond light-duty EVs; (c) a review of cost and performance evolution for batteries, power electronics, and electric machines that are key components of EV success; (d) charging-infrastructure status with a focus on modeling and studies that are used to project charging-infrastructure requirements and the economics of public charging; (e) an overview of the impact of EV charging on power systems at multiple scales, ranging from bulk power systems to distribution networks; (f) insights into life-cycle cost and emissions studies focusing on EVs; and (g) future expectations and synergies between EVs and other emerging trends and technologies. The goal of this paper is to provide readers with a snapshot of the current state of the art and help navigate this vast literature by comparing studies critically and comprehensively and synthesizing general insights. This detailed review paints a positive picture for the future of EVs for on-road transportation, and the authors remain hopeful that remaining technology, regulatory, societal, behavioral, and business-model barriers can be addressed over time to support a transition toward cleaner, more efficient, and affordable transportation solutions for all.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗
DOE OSTI2024

Effects of Normal and Lateral Electric Fields on Membrane Mechanical Properties

As a core component of biological and synthetic membranes, lipid bilayers are key to compartmentalizing chemical processes. Bilayer morphology and mechanical properties are heavily influenced by electric fields such as those caused by biological ion concentration gradients. We present atomistic simulations exploring the effects of electric fields applied normally and laterally to lipid bilayers. We find that normal fields decrease membrane tension, while lateral fields increase it. Free energy perturbation calculations indicate the importance of dipole-dipole interactions to these tension changes, especially for lateral fields. We additionally show that membrane area compressibilities can be related to their cohesive energies, allowing us to estimate changes in membrane bending rigidity under applied fields. We find that normal fields decrease bending rigidity, while lateral fields increase it. Furthermore, these results point to the use of directed electric fields to locally control membrane stiffness, thereby modulating associated cellular processes.

Chemistry↗
DOE OSTI2022

Accelerated beta radiation aging of interlayer titanium nitride in gallium nitride contacts

Currently, there is no good way to determine the influence of the radiation on the aging of betavoltaic electrical contacts. Here, this work tested a method to accelerate the aging of the contacts inside a betavoltaic by enhancing energy deposition within the interfacial region of interest. An electrical contact of gold-titanium on gallium nitride was aged by exposure to tritium betas and electrons in a beamline. The interface stoichiometry was compared to the electrical performance of the contact. The method to age the betavoltaic component could help predict lifetime performance of the internal electrical contacts and provide assurance of deployment reliability.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2022

c -axis transport in UTe 2 : Evidence of three-dimensional conductivity component

Here we study the temperature dependence of electrical resistivity for currents directed along all crystallographic axes of the spin-triplet superconductor UTe 2 . We focus particularly on an accurate determination of the resistivity along the c axis (ρ c ) by using a generalized Montgomery technique that allows extraction of crystallographic resistivity components from a single sample. In contrast to expectations from the observed highly anisotropic band structure, our measurement of the absolute values of resistivities in all current directions reveals a surprisingly nearly isotropic transport behavior at temperatures above Kondo coherence, with ρ c ~ ρ b ~ 2 ρ a , that evolves to reveal qualitatively distinct behaviors on cooling. The temperature dependence of ρ c exhibits a peak at a temperature much lower than the onset of Kondo coherence observed in ρ a and ρ b , consistent with features in magnetotransport and magnetization that point to a magnetic origin. A comparison to the temperature-dependent evolution of the scattering rate observed in angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy experiments provides important insights into the underlying electronic structure necessary for building a microscopic model of superconductivity in UTe 2 .

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2022

The Third Dimension of Ferroelectric Domain Walls

Abstract Ferroelectric domain walls are quasi‐2D systems that show great promise for the development of nonvolatile memory, memristor technology, and electronic components with ultrasmall feature size. Electric fields, for example, can change the domain wall orientation relative to the spontaneous polarization and switch between resistive and conductive states, controlling the electrical current. Being embedded in a 3D material, however, the domain walls are not perfectly flat and can form networks, which leads to complex physical structures. In this work, the importance of the nanoscale structure for the emergent transport properties is demonstrated, studying electronic conduction in the 3D network of neutral and charged domain walls in ErMnO 3 . By combining tomographic microscopy techniques and finite element modeling, the contribution of domain walls within the bulk is clarified and the significance of curvature effects for the local conduction is shown down to the nanoscale. The findings provide insights into the propagation of electrical currents in domain wall networks, reveal additional degrees of freedom for their control, and provide quantitative guidelines for the design of domain‐wall‐based technology.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2024

Correlating microstructure and mechanical properties of harvested high dose Zorita light water reactor internals

Here, in this study, microstructural studies and micro-mechanical testing of an ex-plant material harvested from the decommissioned pressurized water reactor (PWR) is carried out. Irradiated 304 stainless steel (SS) components were harvested by the Electric Power Research Institute, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and members of the José Cabrera Nuclear Power Station (Zorita) in Spain. The bi-crystalline micro-tensile specimens, atom probe tomography (APT) tips, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) lamellae were fabricated from the baffle plate materials irradiated to 0.05, 15 and 50 dpa to elucidate microstructural, microchemical, and local mechanical properties changes as a function of dose. TEM and APT studies reveal radiation induced Ni, Cr, and Si rich precipitates in the 15 dpa sample that become smaller and partially redissolve into the matrix of the 50 dpa sample (decreasing size and number density). Dislocation loop and cavity number density and size were quantified as a function of dose as well as swelling. Intergranular Ni and Si enrichments with concomitant Fe and Cr depletion were observed in the 15 dpa sample and were more pronounced in the 50 dpa sample. Micro-tensile testing performed in the scanning electron microscope (SEM) at room temperature and 300 °C shows that the material's local yield strength and ultimate tensile strength decreases with increased dose and elevated test temperature and provides further insights via localized strain mapping. Current and previous mechanical data was compared with calculated values using the dispersed barrier hardening model with inputs of dislocation loops, precipitates, and cavities from microstructural characterization.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2026

Efficient Low-Temperature Direct Lithium Extraction from Chloride Brines Enabled by High-Capacity Sorbent

The demand for lithium, a key component in rechargeable batteries for electric vehicles and renewable energy storage systems, has surged in recent years. Meeting this demand requires efficient extraction methods that are both environmentally friendly and economically viable. This study investigates the utilization of the high-capacity sorbent amorphous aluminum hydroxide for enabling efficient direct lithium extraction at low temperatures. Traditional extraction methods often involve acid-leaching and energy-intensive processes that are not only expensive but also environmentally taxing. In contrast, our approach leverages the exceptional sorption properties of amorphous aluminum hydroxide to facilitate lithium extraction directly from brine, achieving extraction efficiencies of 94.4% in case 1 and 96.2% in case 2 at low temperatures. Kinetic modeling using the Avrami–Erofe’ev framework reveals a nucleation-growth mechanism ( n = 0.71, k = 0.131 h –1 ), providing quantitative insights into the solid-state phase transformation process. This method significantly reduces energy consumption and minimizes the environmental footprint. Through systematic experimentation and optimization, we demonstrate the effectiveness and scalability of our approach, highlighting its potential to revolutionize lithium extraction processes. Our findings highlight the potential of high-capacity sorbents, particularly amorphous aluminum hydroxide toward sustainable lithium production, contributing to the advancement of clean-energy technologies.

anions↗
DOE OSTI2024

Fault localization in a microfabricated surface ion trap using diamond nitrogen-vacancy center magnetometry

Here, as quantum computing hardware becomes more complex with ongoing design innovations and growing capabilities, the quantum computing community needs increasingly powerful techniques for fabrication failure root-cause analysis. This is especially true for trapped-ion quantum computing. As trapped-ion quantum computing aims to scale to thousands of ions, the electrode numbers are growing to several hundred, with likely integrated photonic components also adding to the electrical and fabrication complexity, making faults even harder to locate. In this work, we used a high-resolution quantum magnetic imaging technique, based on nitrogen-vacancy centers in diamond, to investigate short-circuit faults in an ion trap chip. We imaged currents from these short-circuit faults to ground and compared them to intentionally created faults, finding that the root cause of the faults was failures in the on-chip trench capacitors. This work, where we exploited the performance advantages of a quantum magnetic sensing technique to troubleshoot a piece of quantum computing hardware, is a unique example of the evolving synergy between emerging quantum technologies to achieve capabilities that were previously inaccessible.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2019

Computation and consequences of high order amplitude- and parameter-dependent tune shifts in storage rings for high precision measurements

Nonlinear effects of the various electric field and magnetic field components of storage rings to confine the particles and bend their trajectory can cause substantial amplitude-dependent tune shifts within the beam. Furthermore, tune shifts are often sensitive to variations of system parameters, e.g. total particle momentum offsets $δp$. Such amplitude- and parameter-dependent tune shifts influence the dynamics and stability of a beam in particle storage rings. Thus, it is critical for high precision measurements to analyze and understand these influences. On this basis, we present in this paper normal form methods for the calculation of high order amplitude and system parameter dependencies of the horizontal and vertical tunes in storage rings using the differential algebra (DA) framework within COSY INFINITY. A storage ring is simulated using COSY INFINITY to generate a DA Poincaré return map describing the transverse phase space behavior after each revolution in the storage ring. The map is expanded around the parameter-dependent closed orbit of the system before transforming the resulting map into normal form coordinates to extract the high order tune dependencies on the phase space amplitude and variation in the system parameters. As a specific example, a storage ring similar to the Storage Ring of the Muon g-2 Experiment at Fermilab (E989) is investigated.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗
DOE OSTI2023

Commercial Vehicle Electrification Evaluation Toolkit (CVEET)

The CVEET can identify and characterize charging and battery capacity challenges for class 3-8 commercial vehicle electrification, including battery electric and plug in hybrid vehicles for various trucks, vans and buses, over a wide range of vehicle operation. The tool can help build the understanding of the impact of commercial vehicle electrification on energy consumption, payload penalty, and GHG (i.e., CO2) emissions. The tool employs a quantitative approach to estimate electric vehicle energy consumption, characterize component performance and determine appropriate charging assumptions to conduct a comprehensive priority analysis of MD/HD vehicle electrification using public domain data.

Gao, Zhiming↗
DOE OSTI2026

Annual Supply Chain for Photovoltaics (ASC-PV) in the United States: 2024 in Review

This report analyzes U.S. PV and BESS supply chains and costs in 2024, for PV module and battery technologies, structural and electrical balance of system (BOS) components, as well as PV recycling. The report concludes with an analysis of technology installation trends, government support for domestic manufacturing, manufacturing jobs, and the domestic content of PV systems installed in the United States in 2024.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2021

Actinic and electron beam radiation curable water based electrode binders and electrodes incorporating same

A process for manufacturing an electrode utilizing electron beam (EB) or actinic radiation to cure the electrode binder is provided. A process is also disclosed for mixing specific actinic or EB radiation curable polymer precursors with electrode solid particles to form an aqueous mixture, application of the mixture to an electrode current collector, followed by the application of actinic or EB radiation to the current collector for curing the polymer, thereby binding the electrode binder to the current collector. Lithium ion batteries, electric double layer capacitors, and components produced therefrom are also provided.

Voelker, Gary E.↗
DOE OSTI2022

Design and Performance of lithium-Ion Batteries for Achieving Electric Vehicle Takeoff, Flight, and Landing

Today, the burgeoning drive towards global urbanization with over half the earth’s population living in cities, has created major challenges with regards to intracity and intercity transit and mobility. This problem is compounded due to the fact that almost always urbanization and increase in standard of living drives individual automobile ownerships. Over 95% of automobiles are presently powered by some form of fossil fuel and as an unintended consequence, urban centers have also been centers for peak greenhouse gas emissions, a major contributor to global climate change. A revolutionary solution to this conundrum is flight capable electric automobiles or electric aerial vehicles that can tackle both urban mobility and climate change challenges. For such advanced electric platforms, energy storage and delivery component is the vital component towards achieving takeoff, flight, cruise, and landing. The requirements and duty cycle demands on the energy storage system is drastically different when compared to the performance metrics required for terrestrial electric vehicles. As the widely deployed lithium ion-based battery systems are often the primary go-to energy storage choice in electric vehicle related applications, it is imperative that performance metrics and specifications for such batteries towards areal electric vehicles need to be established. In this nascent field, there exists ample opportunities for battery material innovations, understanding degradation mechanism, battery design, development and deployment of battery control and management systems. Thus, this chapter comprehensively discusses battery requirements and identifies battery material chemistries suitable for handling aerial electric automobile duty cycles. The chapter also discusses the battery cell-level metrics pertaining to electrochemical, chemical, mechanical, and structural parameters. Furthermore, specific models for battery degradation, state of health (SOH), capacity and models for full cell performance and degradation are also discussed here. Finally, the chapter also discusses battery safety and future directions of batteries that would power these next generation urban electric aircrafts.

Amin, Ruhul↗
DOE OSTI2023

Stress characterization for friction-stir-welded electric vehicle battery trays with application of neutron diffraction

The battery tray is an essential component that protects and controls battery-cell temperatures in electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles. The functional stress limit of the battery tray heavily depends on the residual stress acquired from the manufacturing process. Consequently, exceeding the stress limit of the battery tray during operation could compromise the battery-cell banks and may risk the vehicle's safety. Hence, understanding residual stress formation is vital for design and safety concerns. Here, in the current study, AA 6061-plates were friction stir welded to an A365 high-pressure die-cast battery tray to create sealed coolant channels in the battery tray. However, this multi-material lap friction stir weld introduces residual stress into the battery tray, resulting in distortion. This distortion was mitigated using burnishing or coining operations, though straightening the battery tray had initially unknown effects on the residual stress. Therefore, neutron diffraction was utilized to characterize residual stresses after straightening. The results indicate that the friction stir welding (FSW) operation generated residual stresses exceeding the yield strength of the material, consequently deforming the battery tray by ±3 mm from the pre-weld geometry. The burnishing operation reduced the residual stresses below the material's yield strength while restoring the tray to within ±0.75 mm of the pre-weld geometry. Similarly, the coining operation restored the battery tray to within ±0.75 mm of the pre-weld geometry, however, increasing the number of locations where the residual stress exceeds the yield strength of the material.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2020

Electro-osmo-dialysis through nanoporous layers physically conjugated to micro-perforated ion-exchange membranes: Highly selective accumulation of trace coions

This study explores theoretically and numerically the phenomenon of counter-flow accumulation of trace coions during electro-osmo-dialysis through composite membranes containing nanoporous and perforated ion-exchange layers. The combination of charged nanopores and perforations allows electroosmosis, and ion concentration polarization appears near the ion-exchange layer. Accumulation of trace coions occurs because their advective and electromigration flow velocity components have opposite signs and are locally compensating in depletion regions where electric fields are high. This local compensation of flow components can give rise to high accumulation factors (>1000 in some cases) for trace coions at some distance from the interface between the nanoporous and ion-exchange layers. Moreover, the extent of this accumulation depends on the trace-coion diffusion coefficient. The resulting selectivity between different coions might serve as a basis for environmentally friendly separation of ionic species such as synthetic peptides or rare-earth elements. For example, a periodic process might include accumulation followed by species release into smaller volumes of solution. For both rare-earth ions and peptide-like species, the accumulation selectivity between ions with small differences in mobilities depends on system parameters such as nanoporous-layer thickness, distance between the perforations, and the zeta potential of the nanopore surface. Here, the use of optimal values of these membrane parameters may enable tuning of the electro-osmo-dialysis system for separation of specific ions. Modelling reveals that despite inhomogeneous patterns of fluid and ion flows close to the nanoporous/perforated ion-exchange interface, at relatively short distances from this interface (less than half the distance between the perforations) all the flows become practically one-dimensional (1D). Similarly, the concentration profiles of trace coions also become 1D. The flow one-dimensionality at short distances from the current-polarized interface enables a simple 1D approximation that is useful for an approximate analysis of trends in this multi-parameter system.

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

Financing Federal Microgrids [Slides]

A microgrid can enhance a site’s electrical power system during normal operations, as well as provide reliable backup power to critical loads when electric utility power is interrupted. When components of a microgrid (and potentially the entire system) can be justified economically and paid for out of energy savings or avoided costs, implementation by one of several privately financed federal procurement mechanisms is possible. However, it is typically difficult to achieve enough savings and avoided costs to cover the design, equipment, and installation of certain microgrid components that are required to integrate the system. This presentation explores procurement options and agreements that may be useful to federal agencies interested in implementing microgrids at their sites. This information will be most useful to agencies when they are exploring electric energy system resilience options and/or considering different procurement options to meet their needs.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗