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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 OSTI2026

Texture development in magnetostrictive Fe-Ga alloys processed by laser powder bed fusion

Iron-gallium (Fe-Ga, Galfenol) alloys are promising magnetostrictive materials for actuators, sensors, and energy harvesting, but their performance is highly sensitive to microstructure and texture. Additive manufacturing by laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) offers a pathway to engineer texture and integrate functional materials into complex geometries. Here, we fabricate Fe-Ga alloys (Fe 82.2 Ga 17.8 ) by LPBF of gas-atomized powders and systematically optimize laser power and scan speed to maximize density and control texture. Nearly full-density parts (up to 99.6 %) are achieved within a narrow processing window. Electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) reveals a strong <100> fiber texture aligned with the build direction and columnar grains up to 1 mm long. Magnetostriction measurements show saturation magnetostriction of 190 ppm in the build direction. Correlating texture data with macroscopic magnetostriction, we estimate intrinsic magnetostriction constants (λ 100 = 228 ppm, λ 111 = 12 ppm), closely matching single crystal-derived values. These results demonstrate the critical interplay between processing, texture, and functional performance in additively manufactured Fe-Ga alloys and establish LPBF as a viable route for high-performance magnetostrictive materials.

Additive manufacturing↗
DOE OSTI2022

Analysis of ionizing radiation induced DNA damage response in human adult stem cells and differentiated neurons

Findings of neurodegenerative features associated with human radiosensitive syndromes such as Ataxia telangiectasia suggest that DNA repair efficiency is crucial for maintaining the functional integrity of central nervous system. To gain a better understanding of ionizing radiation (IR) induced DNA damage response in undifferentiated and differentiated neural cell types and to evaluate the role of ATM in DNA double strand break (DSB) repair, an in vitro human neural cell differentiation model system was utilized in this study. As compared to adult stem cells, differentiated neurons displayed an attenuated DSB repair response (as judged by the persistence of 53BP1 foci) after IR exposure and the attenuation was even more pronounced in stem cells and neurons after suppression of ATM (Ataxia Telangiectasia Mutated) gene product suggesting the importance of ATM for an optimal DSB repair efficiency in human neural cell types. In corroboration with an attenuated DNA damage response, a sharp decline in the expression levels of several DSB repair genes was observed in neurons. Furthermore, our results suggest that cellular differentiation modulates the expression of several genes thereby compromising the DSB repair fidelity in post mitotic neurons. Further studies are required to verify whether or not ATM mediated exacerbation of DNA repair deficiency in differentiated neurons leads to neurodegeneration.

53 binding protein 1↗
DOE OSTI2021

Analysis of the EMCCD point-source response using x-rays

Electron Multiplying Charge Coupled Devices, EMCCD are used as x-ray detectors. The NSLS-II Soft Inelastic x-ray Scattering (SIX) beam line has two EMCCDs for x-ray detection in the spectrometer arm. The spectrometer with high resolving power disperses x-rays vertically. The x-ray vertical position on the sensor plane is related to its energy. This allows for very accurate x-ray energy measurements through x-ray coordinates. X-rays interact with silicon and create a number of electron-hole pairs proportional to the x-ray energy. Electrons drift and diffuse toward pixel gates and are collected there. The diffused electrons form a charge cloud distributed over several neighboring pixels. This charge sharing enables coordinate measurements with accuracy better than the pixel pitch. The charge distribution shape has to be taken into account to achieve ultimate accuracy in coordinate measurements. In this paper, we present a method of the charge distribution shape analysis and demonstrate its applications. The drift and diffusion of electrons ftom the point of generation to pixel gates results in the bell-shaped electron cloud usually approximated by Gaussian shape. The number of electrons collected under a pixel is proportional to the shape function integral. These electron packets get transferred to the sense node of the output amplifier. The transfer process could introduce distortions to the original charge distribution. For example, during transfers, electrons in the packet could be exposed to traps if they are present in the sensor. The trapping and later the release processes distort the apparent shape of the charge distribution. Therefore, deviations of the charge distribution shape ftom the originally symmetrical form can indicate the presence of trap centers in the sensor and can be used for sensor diagnostics.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗
DOE OSTI2015

Structures of minute virus of mice replication initiator protein N-terminal domain: Insights into DNA nicking and origin binding

Members of the Parvoviridae family all encode a non-structural protein 1 (NS1) that directs replication of single-stranded viral DNA, packages viral DNA into capsid, and serves as a potent transcriptional activator. Here we report the X-ray structure of the minute virus of mice (MVM) NS1 N-terminal domain at 1.45 Å resolution, showing that sites for dsDNA binding, ssDNA binding and cleavage, nuclear localization, and other functions are integrated on a canonical fold of the histidine-hydrophobic-histidine superfamily of nucleases, including elements specific for this Protoparvovirus but distinct from its Bocaparvovirus or Dependoparvovirus orthologs. High resolution structural analysis reveals a nickase active site with an architecture that allows highly versatile metal ligand binding. The structures support a unified mechanism of replication origin recognition for homotelomeric and heterotelomeric parvoviruses, mediated by a basic-residue-rich hairpin and an adjacent helix in the initiator proteins and by tandem tetranucleotide motifs in the replication origins. - Highlights: • The structure of a parvovirus replication initiator protein has been determined; • The structure sheds light on mechanisms of ssDNA binding and cleavage; • The nickase active site is preconfigured for versatile metal ligand binding; • The binding site for the double-stranded replication origin DNA is identified; • A single domain integrates multiple functions in virus replication.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2015

Molecular theory and the effects of solute attractive forces on hydrophobic interactions

The role of solute attractive forces on hydrophobic interactions is studied by coordinated development of theory and simulation results for Ar atoms in water. In this paper, we present a concise derivation of the local molecular field (LMF) theory for the effects of solute attractive forces on hydrophobic interactions, a derivation that clarifies the close relation of LMF theory to the EXP approximation applied to this problem long ago. The simulation results show that change from purely repulsive atomic solute interactions to include realistic attractive interactions diminishes the strength of hydrophobic bonds. For the Ar–Ar rdfs considered pointwise, the numerical results for the effects of solute attractive forces on hydrophobic interactions are opposite in sign and larger in magnitude than predicted by LMF theory. That comparison is discussed from the point of view of quasichemical theory, and it is suggested that the first reason for this difference is the incomplete evaluation within LMF theory of the hydration energy of the Ar pair. With a recent suggestion for the system-size extrapolation of the required correlation function integrals, the Ar–Ar rdfs permit evaluation of osmotic second virial coefficients B 2 . Those B 2 ’s also show that incorporation of attractive interactions leads to more positive (repulsive) values. With attractive interactions in play, B 2 can change from positive to negative values with increasing temperatures. Furthermore, this is consistent with the puzzling suggestions of decades ago that B 2 ≈ 0 for intermediate cases of temperature or solute size. In all cases here, B 2 becomes more attractive with increasing temperature.

74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2016

Turning the halide switch in the synthesis of Au–Pd alloy and core–shell nanoicosahedra with terraced shells: Performance in electrochemical and plasmon-enhanced catalysis

Au Pd nanocrystals are an intriguing system to study the integrated functions of localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) and heterogeneous catalysis. Gold is both durable and can harness incident light energy to enhance the catalytic activity of another metal, such as Pd, via the SPR effect in bimetallic nanocrystals. Despite the superior catalytic performance of icosahedral (IH) nanocrystals compared to alternate morphologies, the controlled synthesis of alloy and core shell IH is still greatly challenged by the disparate reduction rates of metal precursors and lack of continuous epigrowth on multiply twinned boundaries of such surfaces. Herein, we demonstrate a one-step strategy for the controlled growth of monodisperse Au Pd alloy and core shell IH with terraced shells by turning an ionic switch between [Br ]/[Cl – ] in the coreduction process. The core shell IH nanocrystals contain AuPd alloy cores and ultrathin Pd shells (<2 nm). They not only display more than double the activity of the commercial Pd catalysts in ethanol electrooxidation attributed to monatomic step terraces but also show SPR-enhanced conversion of 4-nitrophenol. Furthermore, this strategy holds promise toward the development of alternate bimetallic IH nanocrystals for electrochemical and plasmon-enhanced catalysis.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2025

Self-Sensing Composites via an Embedded 3D-Printed PVDF-MoS 2 Nanosensor for Structural Health Monitoring

Carbon fiber (CF)-reinforced epoxy composites are widely used in vehicle applications, where early damage detection is crucial for reliability and safety. To address this need, we developed a self-sensing epoxy/CF composite by embedding a PVDF-MoS 2 nanosensor via an embedded 3D printing method. By harnessing the intrinsic curing kinetics of epoxy, we tailored its rheological properties to optimize the embedded printing process, enabling precise and reliable support for sensor filaments without compromising the composite’s structural and functional integrity. Through comprehensive rheological and kinetic analysis, we established a quantitative relationship among curing temperature, conversion rate, and resulting yield modulus─defining a narrow processing window essential for successful sensor integration. Specifically, we identified that an epoxy yield modulus range of 180–294 Pa and a conversion rate below 10% are critical to support the PVDF-MoS 2 filament architecture. Here, this embedded 3D printing method produces complex and multimaterial PVDF-MoS 2 sensors within an epoxy matrix with minimal deformation and reduced postprocessing, which is scalable and adaptable for industrial applications. Under cyclic loading, the embedded sensors exhibited stable signals under constant loads and increased voltage signals in response to crack formation (17–35% higher) and catastrophic failure (1 order of magnitude higher), effectively capturing structural changes in real time. This study demonstrates the potential of PVDF-MoS 2 nanocomposite sensor materials for real-time structural health monitoring in epoxy–CF composite systems, enabling early detection of defects and stress anomalies, significantly reducing the risk of unexpected failures, and enhancing structural reliability.

PVDF-MoS2 sensor↗
DOE OSTI2021

Spin splitting of dopant edge state in magnetic zigzag graphene nanoribbons

Spin-ordered electronic states in hydrogen-terminated zigzag nanographene give rise to magnetic quantum phenomena that have sparked renewed interest in carbon-based spintronics. Zigzag graphene nanoribbons (ZGNRs)-quasi one-dimensional semiconducting strips of graphene bounded by parallel zigzag edges-host intrinsic electronic edge states that are ferromagnetically ordered along the edges of the ribbon and antiferromagnetically coupled across its width. Despite recent advances in the bottom-up synthesis of GNRs featuring symmetry protected topological phases and even metallic zero mode bands, the unique magnetic edge structure of ZGNRs has long been obscured from direct observation by a strong hybridization of the zigzag edge states with the surface states of the underlying support. Here, we present a general technique to thermodynamically stabilize and electronically decouple the highly reactive spin-polarized edge states by introducing a superlattice of substitutional N-atom dopants along the edges of a ZGNR. First-principles GW calculations and scanning tunnelling spectroscopy reveal a giant spin splitting of low-lying nitrogen lone-pair flat bands by an exchange field (~850 tesla) induced by the ferromagnetically ordered edge states of ZGNRs. Finally, our findings directly corroborate the nature of the predicted emergent magnetic order in ZGNRs and provide a robust platform for their exploration and functional integration into nanoscale sensing and logic devices.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2022

Covalently integrated silica nanoparticles in poly(ethylene glycol)-based acrylate resins: thermomechanical, swelling, and morphological behavior

Nanocomposites integrate functional nanofillers into viscoelastic matrices for electronics, lightweight structural materials, and tissue engineering. Herein, the effect of methacrylate-functionalized (MA-SiO 2 ) and vinyl-functionalized (V-SiO 2 ) silica nanoparticles on the thermal, mechanical, physical, and morphological characteristics of poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) nanocomposites was investigated. The gel fraction of V-SiO 2 composites decreases upon addition of 3.8 wt% but increases with further addition (>7.4 wt%) until it reaches a plateau at 10.7 wt%. The MA-SiO 2 induced no significant changes in gel fraction and both V-SiO 2 and MA-SiO 2 nanoparticles had a negligible impact on the nanocomposite glass transition temperature and water absorption. The Young's modulus and ultimate compressive stress increased with increasing nanoparticle concentration for both nanoparticles. Due to the higher crosslink density, MA-SiO 2 composites reached a maximum mechanical stress at a concentration of 7.4 wt%, while V-SiO 2 composites reached a maximum at a concentration of 10.7 wt%. Scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and small-angle X-ray scattering revealed a bimodal size distribution for V-SiO 2 and a monomodal size distribution for MA-SiO 2 . Although aggregates were observed for both nanoparticle surface treatments, V-SiO 2 dispersion was poor while MA-SiO 2 were generally well-dispersed. Finally, these findings lay the framework for silica nanofillers in PEG-based nanocomposites for advanced manufacturing applications.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2025

3D printing of architected sulfur cathodes with dual-site atomic catalysts for accelerated polysulfide kinetics and Li-ion transport in high areal-loading lithium–sulfur batteries

The practical deployment of lithium–sulfur batteries (LSBs) is hindered by fundamental limitations in conventional slurry-cast cathodes, including poor sulfur utilization, sluggish ion transport, and low areal capacity, particularly in thick electrodes required for high energy density. To address these challenges, we present direct ink writing (DIW) as an additive manufacturing strategy to fabricate advanced current-collector-free, 3D-printed sulfur cathodes (3DP S@CoNi-DSACs/NC) with hierarchically porous architectures that enhance lithium-ion diffusion, promote electrolyte penetration, and reduce interfacial resistance. The synergistic effects of Co/Ni dual-atom sites accelerate redox kinetics and mitigate polysulfide shuttling. As a result, the optimized 3DP cathode with a sulfur loading of 5.4 mg cm −2 demonstrated excellent rate capability, delivering a high reversible capacity of 1041.4 mAh g −1 at 1C with 85.5% capacity retention after 1000 cycles, significantly outperforming its cast counterpart. Remarkably, even at a higher sulfur loading of 8.1 mg cm −2 , the 3DP cathode maintains outstanding performance, achieving a discharge capacity of 1538.4 mAh g −1 and an areal capacity of 12.5 mAh cm −2 at 0.1C. This study not only demonstrates the functional integration of catalytically active materials into 3D printable sulfur cathode architectures but also offers a scalable and transformative platform for building high-performance LSBs beyond conventional electrode manufacturing methods.

3D electrode↗
DOE OSTI2025

Thoroughly testing and integrating hundreds of Pull Requests per month: ROOT’s new Cost-efficient and Feature Rich GitHub-based CI

ROOT is an open source framework, freely available on GitHub, at the heart of data acquisition, processing and analysis of HE(N)P experiments, and beyond. It is developed collaboratively: contributions are not authored only by ROOT team members, but also by the user community at large: developers and scientists from universities, labs as well as the private sector. More than 1500 GitHub Pull Requests are merged on average per year. It is in this context that code integration acquires a primary role. The review of code contributions isn’t enough: not only they need to be thoroughly reviewed, they also need to be thoroughly tested through a powerful CI infrastructure on several different platforms to comply with the high code quality standards of the project. Since the end of 2023, ROOT moved its continuous integration system from Jenkins to GitHub Actions. In this contribution, we characterise the transition to the GitHub CI, focussing on our strategy, its implementation and the lessons learned, as well as the advantages the new system offers with respect to the previous one. Particular emphasis will be given to the evaluation of the cost-benefit ratio for Jenkins and GitHub Actions for the ROOT project. We also describe how we manage to run in less than one hour thousands of unit, integration, functional and end-to-end tests on different flavours of Windows, four versions of macOS, as well as about ten of the most used Linux distributions, taking advantage of the CERN computing infrastructure.

Piparo, Danilo [CERN]↗
DOE OSTI2014

The finite and large-N behaviors of independent-value matrix models

We investigate the finite and large N behaviors of independent-value O(N)-invariant matrix models. These are models defined with matrix-type fields and with no gradient term in their action. They are generically nonrenormalizable but can be handled by nonperturbative techniques. We find that the functional integral of any O(N) matrix trace invariant may be expressed in terms of an O(N)-invariant measure. Based on this result, we prove that, in the limit that all interaction coupling constants go to zero, any interacting theory is continuously connected to a pseudo-free theory. This theory differs radically from the familiar free theory consisting in putting the coupling constants to zero in the initial action. The proof is given for generic, finite-size matrix models, whereas, in the limiting case N → ∞, we succeed in showing this behavior for restricted types of actions using a particular scaling of the parameters.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2014

Composite modulation of Fano resonance in plasmonic microstructures by electric-field and microcavity

Composite modulation of Fano resonance by using electric-field and microcavity simultaneously is realized in a plasmonic microstructure, which consists of a gold nanowire grating inserted into a Fabry-Perot microcavity composited of a liquid crystal layer sandwiched between two indium tin oxide layers. The Fano resonance wavelength varies with the applied voltage and the microcavity resonance. A large shift of 48 nm in the Fano resonance wavelength is achieved when the applied voltage is 20 V. This may provide a new way for the study of multi-functional integrated photonic circuits and chips based on plasmonic microstructures.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2015

Fabrication and optical properties of multishell InAs quantum dots on GaAs nanowires

Hybrid nanostructures combining nanowires with quantum dots promote the development of nanoelectronic and nanophotonic devices with integrated functionalities. In this work, we present a complex nanostructure with multishell quantum dots grown on nanowires. 1–4 shells of Stranski-Krastanov InAs quantum dots are grown on the sidewalls of GaAs nanowires by metal organic chemical vapor deposition. Different dot shells are separated by 8 nm GaAs spacer shells. With increasing the number of shells, the quantum dots become sparser and tend to align in one array, which is caused by the shrinkage of facets on which dots prefer to grow as well as the strain fields produced by the lower set of dots which influences the migration of In adatoms. The size of quantum dots increases with the increase of shell number due to enhanced strain fields coupling. The spectra of multishell dots exhibit multiwavelength emission, and each peak corresponds to a dot shell. This hybrid structure may serve as a promising element in nanowire intermediate band solar cells, infrared nanolasers, and photodetectors.

77 NANOSCIENCE AND NANOTECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2015

Monitoring system for the quality assessment in additive manufacturing

Additive Manufacturing (AM) refers to a process by which a set of digital data -representing a certain complex 3dim design - is used to grow the respective 3dim real structure equal to the corresponding design. For the powder-based EOS manufacturing process a variety of plastic and metal materials can be used. Thereby, AM is in many aspects a very powerful tool as it can help to overcome particular limitations in conventional manufacturing. AM enables more freedom of design, complex, hollow and/or lightweight structures as well as product individualisation and functional integration. As such it is a promising approach with respect to the future design and manufacturing of complex 3dim structures. On the other hand, it certainly calls for new methods and standards in view of quality assessment. In particular, when utilizing AM for the design of complex parts used in aviation and aerospace technologies, appropriate monitoring systems are mandatory. In this respect, recently, sustainable progress has been accomplished by joining the common efforts and concerns of a manufacturer Additive Manufacturing systems and respective materials (EOS), along with those of an operator of such systems (MTU Aero Engines) and experienced application engineers (Carl Metrology), using decent know how in the field of optical and infrared methods regarding non-destructive-examination (NDE). The newly developed technology is best described by a high-resolution layer by layer inspection technique, which allows for a 3D tomography-analysis of the complex part at any time during the manufacturing process. Thereby, inspection costs are kept rather low by using smart image-processing methods as well as CMOS sensors instead of infrared detectors. Moreover, results from conventional physical metallurgy may easily be correlated with the predictive results of the monitoring system which not only allows for improvements of the AM monitoring system, but finally leads to an optimisation of the quality and insurance of material security of the complex structure being manufactured. Both, our poster and our oral presentation will explain the data flow between the above mentioned parties involved. A suitable monitoring system for Additive Manufacturing will be introduced, along with a presentation of the respective high resolution data acquisition, as well as the image processing and the data analysis allowing for a precise control of the 3dim growth-process.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2015

Atomic layer deposition of perovskite oxides and their epitaxial integration with Si, Ge, and other semiconductors

Atomic layer deposition (ALD) is a proven technique for the conformal deposition of oxide thin films with nanoscale thickness control. Most successful industrial applications have been with binary oxides, such as Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} and HfO{sub 2}. However, there has been much effort to deposit ternary oxides, such as perovskites (ABO{sub 3}), with desirable properties for advanced thin film applications. Distinct challenges are presented by the deposition of multi-component oxides using ALD. This review is intended to highlight the research of the many groups that have deposited perovskite oxides by ALD methods. Several commonalities between the studies are discussed. Special emphasis is put on precursor selection, deposition temperatures, and specific property performance (high-k, ferroelectric, ferromagnetic, etc.). Finally, the monolithic integration of perovskite oxides with semiconductors by ALD is reviewed. High-quality epitaxial growth of oxide thin films has traditionally been limited to physical vapor deposition techniques (e.g., molecular beam epitaxy). However, recent studies have demonstrated that epitaxial oxide thin films may be deposited on semiconductor substrates using ALD. This presents an exciting opportunity to integrate functional perovskite oxides for advanced semiconductor applications in a process that is economical and scalable.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2016

Optical arc sensor using energy harvesting power source

Wireless sensors without external power supply gained considerable attention due to convenience both in installation and operation. Optical arc detecting sensor equipping with self sustaining power supply using energy harvesting method was investigated. Continuous energy harvesting method was attempted using thermoelectric generator to supply standby power in micro ampere scale and operating power in mA scale. Peltier module with heat-sink was used for high efficiency electricity generator. Optical arc detecting sensor with hybrid filter showed insensitivity to fluorescent and incandescent lamps under simulated distribution panel condition. Signal processing using integrating function showed selective arc discharge detection capability to different arc energy levels, with a resolution below 17 J energy difference, unaffected by bursting arc waveform. The sensor showed possibility for application to arc discharge detecting sensor in power distribution panel. Also experiment with proposed continuous energy harvesting method using thermoelectric power showed possibility as a self sustainable power source of remote sensor.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2016

First results from solid state neutral particle analyzer on experimental advanced superconducting tokamak

Full function integrated, compact solid state neutral particle analyzers (ssNPA) based on absolute extreme ultraviolet silicon photodiode have been successfully implemented on the experimental advanced superconducting tokamak to measure energetic particle. The ssNPA system has been operated in advanced current mode with fast temporal and spatial resolution capabilities, with both active and passive charge exchange measurements. It is found that the ssNPA flux signals are increased substantially with neutral beam injection (NBI). The horizontal active array responds to modulated NBI beam promptly, while weaker change is presented on passive array. Compared to near-perpendicular beam, near-tangential beam brings more passive ssNPA flux and a broader profile, while no clear difference is observed on active ssNPA flux and its profile. Significantly enhanced intensities on some ssNPA channels have been observed during ion cyclotron resonant heating.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗