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At least 235 records · Page 13

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DOE OSTI2014

Reconstruction mechanisms of tantalum oxide coatings with low concentrations of silver for high temperature tribological applications

Silver tantalate (AgTaO{sub 3}) coatings have been found to exhibit outstanding tribological properties at elevated temperatures. To understand the mechanisms involved in the tribological behavior of the Ag-Ta-O system, tantalum oxide coatings with a small content of silver were produced to investigate the metastable nature of this self-lubricating material. The coatings were produced by unbalanced magnetron sputtering, ball-on-disk wear tested at 750 °C, and subsequently characterized by X-ray diffraction, Scanning Auger Nanoprobe, cross-sectional Scanning Electron Microscopy, and Transmission Electron Microscopy. Complementary molecular dynamic simulations were carried out to investigate changes in the chemical and structural properties at the interface due to sliding for films with varying silver content. Both the experimental characterization and the theoretical modeling showed that silver content affects friction and wear, through the role of silver in film reconstruction during sliding. The results suggest that the relative amount of silver may be used to tune film performance for a given application.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

DOE OSTI2016

Chloride ion addition for controlling shapes and properties of silver nanorods capped by polyvinyl alcohol synthesized using polyol method

We report our investigation on the effect of chloride ions on controlling the shapes and properties of silver nanorods (AgNRs) synthesized using a polyol method. In this study, we used polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) as a capping agent and sodium chloride (NaCl) as a salt precursor and performed at the oil bath temperature of 140°C. The chloride ions originating from the NaCl serve to control the growth of the silver nanorods. Furthermore, the synthesized silver nanorods were characterized using SEM and XRD. The results showed that besides being able to control the growth of AgCl atoms, the chloride ions were also able to control the growth of multi-twinned-particles into the single crystalline of silver nanorods by micrometer-length. At an appropriate concentration of NaCl, the diameter of silver nanorods decreased significantly compared to that of without chloride ion addition. This technique may be useful since a particular diameter of silver nanorods affects a particular application in the future.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

DOE OSTI2016

Chloride ion addition for controlling shapes and properties of silver nanorods capped by polyvinyl alcohol synthesized by polyol method

We report our investigation on the effect of chloride ions oncontrolling the shapes and properties of silver nanorods(AgNRs) synthesized using a polyol method. In this study, we used polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) as a capping agent and sodium chloride (NaCl) as asalt precursor and performed at the oilbath temperature of 140 °C. The chloride ions originating from the NaCl serve to control the growth of the silver nanorods. Furthermore, the synthesized silver nanorodswere characterized using UV-VIS, XRD, SEM and TEM. The results showed that besides being able to control the growth of AgCl atoms, the chloride ions were also able to control the growth of multi-twinned-particles into the single crystalline silver nanorods by micrometer-length. At an appropriate concentration of NaCl, the diameter of silver nanorodsdecreased significantly compared to that of without chloride ion addition. This technique may be useful since a particular diameter of silver nanorods affects a particular application in the future.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

DOE OSTI2016

Effect of silver on the shape of palladium nanoparticles

We report a facile route to prepare palladium-silver nanoparticles at considerably low temperature. First the controlled synthesis of palladium nanoparticles was performed via reduction of sodium tetrachloropalladate (II) in ethylene glycol in the presence of PVP(polyvinylpyrrolidone) as capping agent. The reaction was carried out at three different temperatures-80°C, 100°C and 120°C for one hour. Short reaction time and low synthesis temperature adds advantage to this method over others. Formed palladium nanoparticles were nearly spherical with the average particle size of 7.5±0.5 nm, 9.5±0.5 nm and 10.5±0.5 nm at 80°C, 100°C and 120°C respectively. Secondly, the palladium-silver nanoparticles were prepared by the simultaneous reduction of palladium and silver from their respective precursors in ethylene glycol at 100°C (optimized temperature). The shape and size distribution was studied by TEM (Transmission Electron Microscopy). The role of silver in transforming the shape of palladium nanoparticles from spherical to triangular has been discussed. Spherical symmetry of palladium nanoparticles is disturbed by the interaction of silver ions on the crystal facets of palladium nanoparticles. From UV-vis spectra, the absorption maxima of palladium nanoparticles at 205 nm and absorption maxima of palladium-silver nanoparticles at 272 nm revealed the partial evidence of their formation.

77 NANOSCIENCE AND NANOTECHNOLOGY↗

DOE OSTI2016

A Water-Based Silver-Nanowire Screen-Print Ink for the Fabrication of Stretchable Conductors and Wearable Thin-Film Transistors

Silver nanowire is a very promising material for fabricating compliant conductors which are essential for stretchable/wearable electronic devices. Screen printing is a cost-effective and scalable technology to fabricate large-area thin film coatings with modest pattern resolution. The biggest challenge to prepare a screen printable silver nanowire ink stems from the low viscosity of silver nanowire dispersions and that the addition of a thickening agent could dramatically increase the inter-nanowire contact resistance in the resulting coating. Herein, we report the synthesis of a water-based silver nanowire ink, which was formulated with low solid contents, high viscosity at 0.1 s -1 shear rate, and appropriate rheological behavior suitable for screen printing. Silver nanowire coating patterns were screen printed with uniform sharp edges, ~50 μm resolution, and electrical conductivity as high as 4.67 × 10 4 S cm -1 . The screen printed silver nanowires were then used to fabricate a composite conductor that retained a conductivity greater than 10,000 S cm -1 under 70% tensile strain. Fully printed and stretchable/wearable thin-film transistor arrays were also fabricated by employing the screen printed composite conductor as the source, drain, and gate, drop cast semiconducting carbon nanotubes as the channel, and a dielectric elastomer. The 10 × 6 thin-film transistor arrays had a fabrication yield of 91.7%, average mobility of 33.8 ± 3.7 cm 2 V -1 s -1 , ON/OFF ratio ~1000, and remained stable during 1,000 cycles of wearing on and peeling off a glass tube with 5 mm diameter.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗

DOE OSTI2013

Silver vanadium diphosphate Ag{sub 2}VP{sub 2}O{sub 8}: Electrochemistry and characterization of reduced material providing mechanistic insights

Silver vanadium phosphorous oxides (Ag{sub w}V{sub x}P{sub y}O{sub z}) are notable battery cathode materials due to their high energy density and demonstrated ability to form in-situ Ag metal nanostructured electrically conductive networks within the cathode. While analogous silver vanadium diphosphate materials have been prepared, electrochemical evaluations of these diphosphate based materials have been limited. We report here the first electrochemical study of a silver vanadium diphosphate, Ag{sub 2}VP{sub 2}O{sub 8}, where the structural differences associated with phosphorous oxides versus diphosphates profoundly affect the associated electrochemistry. Reminiscent of Ag{sub 2}VO{sub 2}PO{sub 4} reduction, in-situ formation of silver metal nanoparticles was observed with reduction of Ag{sub 2}VP{sub 2}O{sub 8}. However, counter to Ag{sub 2}VO{sub 2}PO{sub 4} reduction, Ag{sub 2}VP{sub 2}O{sub 8} demonstrates a significant decrease in conductivity upon continued electrochemical reduction. Structural analysis contrasting the crystallography of the parent Ag{sub 2}VP{sub 2}O{sub 8} with that of the proposed Li{sub 2}VP{sub 2}O{sub 8} reduction product is employed to gain insight into the observed electrochemical reduction behavior, where the structural rigidity associated with the diphosphate anion may be associated with the observed particle fracturing upon deep electrochemical reduction. Further, the diphosphate anion structure may be associated with the high thermal stability of the partially reduced Ag{sub 2}VP{sub 2}O{sub 8} materials, which bodes well for enhanced safety of batteries incorporating this material. - Graphical abstract: Structure and galvanostatic intermittent titration-type test data for silver vanadium diphosphate, Ag{sub 2}VP{sub 2}O{sub 8}. Highlights: ► First electrochemical study of a silver vanadium diphosphate, Ag{sub 2}VP{sub 2}O{sub 8}. ► In-situ formation of Ag{sup 0} nanoparticles was observed upon electrochemical reduction. ► Structural analysis used to provide insight of the electrochemical behavior.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

DOE OSTI2015

Screen printed silver top electrode for efficient inverted organic solar cells

Highlights: • Screen printing of silver pattern. • X-ray diffraction pattern confirmed the face centered cubic structure of silver. • Uniform surface morphology of silver pattern with sheet resistance of 0.06 Ω/sq. • The power conversion efficiency of fabricated solar cell is found to be 2.58%. - Abstract: The present work is mainly focused on replacement of the vacuum process for top electrode fabrication in organic solar cells. Silver top electrode deposited through solution based screen printing on pre-deposited polymeric thin film. The solution based printing technology provides uniform top electrode without damaging the underlying organic layers. The surface crystallinity and surface morphology of silver top electrode are examined through X-ray diffraction, field-emission scanning electron microscope and atomic force microscope. The purity of silver is examined through X-ray energy dispersive spectroscopy. The top electrode exhibits face centered cubic structure with homogeneous morphology. The sheet resistance of top electrode is found to be 0.06 Ω/sq and an average pattern thickness of ∼15 μm. The power conversion efficiency is 2.58%. Our work demonstrates that the solution based screen printing is a significant role in the replacement of vacuum process for the fabrication of top electrode in organic solar cells.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

DOE OSTI2017

Ultralight Conductive Silver Nanowire Aerogels

Low-density metal foams have many potential applications in electronics, energy storage, catalytic supports, fuel cells, sensors, and medical devices. Here in this work, we report a new method for fabricating ultralight, conductive silver aerogel monoliths with predictable densities using silver nanowires. Silver nanowire building blocks were prepared by polyol synthesis and purified by selective precipitation. Silver aerogels were produced by freeze-casting nanowire aqueous suspensions followed by thermal sintering to weld the nanowire junctions. As-prepared silver aerogels have unique anisotropic microporous structures, with density precisely controlled by the nanowire concentration, down to 4.8 mg/cm 3 and an electrical conductivity up to 51 000 S/m. Lastly, mechanical studies show that silver nanowire aerogels exhibit “elastic stiffening” behavior with a Young’s modulus up to 16 800 Pa.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

DOE OSTI2018

Synthesis of Silver Nanowires with Reduced Diameters Using Benzoin-Derived Radicals to Make Transparent Conductors with High Transparency and Low Haze

Reducing the diameter of silver nanowires has been proven to be an effective way to improve their optoelectronic performance by lessening light attenuation. The state-of-the-art silver nanowires are typically around 20 nm in diameter. Here in this paper we report a modified polyol synthesis of silver nanowires with average diameters as thin as 13 nm and aspect ratios up to 3000. The success of this synthesis is based on the employment of benzoin-derived radicals in the polyol approach and does not require high-pressure conditions. The strong reducing power of radicals allows the reduction of silver precursors to occur at relatively low temperatures, wherein the lateral growth of silver nanowires is restrained because of efficient surface passivation. The optoelectronic performance of as-prepared 13 nm silver nanowires presents a sheet resistance of 28 Ω sq -1 at a transmittance of 95% with a haze factor of ~1.2%, comparable to that of commercial indium tin oxide (ITO).

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

DOE OSTI2010

Electrodeposited Silver Nanoparticles Patterned Hexagonally for SERS

We have fabricated hexagonally patterned silver nanoparticles for surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) by electrodepositing silver on the surface of an aluminum plate prepared by completely removing the oxide from anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) templates. Even after completely removing the oxide, well-ordered hexagonal patterns, similar to the shape of graphene, remained on the surface of the aluminum plate. The borders of the hexagonal pattern protruded up to form sorts of nano-mountains at both the sides and apexes of the hexagon, with the apexes protruding even more significantly than the sides. The aluminum plate prepared by completely removing the oxide has been used in the preparation of SERS substrates by sputter-coating of gold or silver on it. Instead of sputter-coating, here we have electro-deposited silver on the aluminum plate. When silver was electro-deposited on the plate, silver nanoparticles were made along the hexagonal margins.

77 NANOSCIENCE AND NANOTECHNOLOGY↗

DOE OSTI2014

Silver nanoplates with ground or metastable structures obtained from template-free two-phase aqueous/organic synthesis

Silver has unique electrical, catalytic, and plasmonic characteristics and has been widely sought for fabrication of nanostructures. The properties of silver nanostructures are intimately coupled to the structure of silver crystals. Two crystal structures are known for silver: the stable (ground) state cubic face centered 3C-Ag structure and the metastable hexagonal 4H-Ag structure. Recently, Chackraborty et al. [J. Phys.: Condens. Matter 23, 325401 (2011)] discovered a low density, highly reactive metastable hexagonal 2H-Ag structure accessible during electrodeposition of silver nanowires in porous anodic alumina templates. This 2H-Ag structure has enhanced electrical and catalytic characteristics. In the present work we report template-free synthesis of silver nanoplates with the metastable 2H-Ag crystal structure, which appears together with the ground 3C-Ag and the metastable 4H-Ag structures in a two-phase solution synthesis with citric acid as the capping agent. The capacity of citric acid to stabilize both the stable and the metastable structures is explained by its preferential binding to the close packed facets of Ag crystals, which are the (111) planes for 3C-Ag and the (0001) planes for 4H-Ag and 2H-Ag. Nanoplate morphology and structure are characterized using scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and transmission electron microscopy. The synthesized nanoplates have thickness from 15 to 17 nm and edge length from 1 to 10 μm. Transmission electron microscopy selected area electron diffraction is used to uniquely identify and distinguish between nanoplates with 2H-Ag or 4H-Ag or 3C-Ag structures.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

DOE OSTI2016

Advanced fabrication of single-crystalline silver nanopillar on SiO{sub 2} substrate

Nanoscale crystallographic textures have received very little attention in research on surface plasmons using metallic nanostructures. A single-crystalline metallic nanostructure with a controlled crystallographic texture is expected to reduce optical losses. We elucidated the grain growth mechanism in silver thin films deposited on a highly transparent SiO{sub 2} substrate by electron backscatter diffraction methods with nanoscale resolution. At higher substrate temperatures, the grain growth was facilitated but the preferred orientation was not achieved. Moreover, we fabricated a single-crystalline silver nanopillar in a (111)-oriented large growing grain, which was controlled by varying the substrate temperature during film deposition by focused ion-beam milling. Furthermore, the light intensity of the scattering spectrum was measured for a single-crystalline silver nanopillar (undersurface diameter: 200 nm) for which surface plasmon resonance was observed. The single-crystalline silver nanopillar exhibits a stronger and sharper spectrum than the polycrystalline silver nanopillar. These results can be applied to the direct fabrication of a single-crystalline silver nanopillar using only physical processing.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

DOE OSTI2016

Preparation of silver nanoparticles at low temperature

Silver from ancient time is used as antimicrobial agent in the bulk form but now with the advancement in nanotechnology silver in the form of nanoparticles shown potential effect against microbes which make us easy to fight with many diseases plants and animals. In this work silver nanoparticles were synthesized by chemical routes using sodium borohydride as reducing agent at low temperature. The particles were characterized through UV-Visible spectroscopy as well as X-Ray Diffraction. The UV-visible spectra of silver nanoparticles exhibited absorption at 425 cm; the crystallite size of the particles is between 19nm to 39nm. EDAX graph shows two peaks of silver and oxygen. Water absorbed by silver nanoparticles was removed by the calcinations.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

DOE OSTI2022

Reliability and Lifetime Prediction Model of Sintered Silver Under High-Temperature Cycling

Although excellent reliability has been reported for sintered silver as a die-attach material under both thermal and power cycling loads in power electronics applications, the promise of this material as a large-area attachment at temperatures beyond 200 degrees C needs to be investigated. This paper presents insights into the thermomechanical behavior and reliability of sintered silver under extreme thermal cycling conditions. In this study, we bonded sintered silver samples and subjected it to a thermal cycling profile of -40 °C to 200 °C with high ramp rates. We periodically monitored samples under thermal cycling to detect the presence of any failure mechanisms using a scanning acoustic microscope. We also included 95Pb5Sn solder in the study to obtain reference data. Results show the occurrence of cracks in sintered silver followed by a rapid rate of crack growth that exceeded the failure criterion in just 50 cycles. The predominant failure mechanism we observed was adhesive failure. As a large-area attachment, solder exhibited a higher reliability than sintered silver but failed within 100 cycles. Finally, we performed thermomechanical modeling to compute strain energy density values and correlated these with the experimentally observed crack growth rates to formulate a lifetime prediction model for sintered silver.

30 DIRECT ENERGY CONVERSION↗

NASA NTRS2019

Initial Trade Study for In-line Silver Sensor for Spacecraft Potable Water Systems

Ionic silver is currently baselined as the biocide for microbial control in potable water systems for future space exploration missions. In-line monitoring of silver ion concentration is desired for system feedback control to introduce and maintain sufficient and safe levels of biocide in the water. To date, NASA testing of silver biocide system prototypes has made use of an Ion-Selective Electrode (ISE) for in-line silver concentration measurements. However, known issues with ISE technology have continued to motivate a search for alternate sensor systems. Although devices capable of detecting silver are available for terrestrial applications, these systems are generally not well-suited for the unique demands of spaceflight. Desired attributes include: low weight, volume, and power consumption; stable, autonomous, and in-line measurement capability; long calibration lifetime; and limited maintenance requirements. This paper provides the results from a preliminary trade study conducted on three candidate silver sensor technologies: ISEs, Anodic Stripping Voltammetry (ASV), and Fiber Optic Chemical Sensors (FOCS). The review of these technologies includes the rationale for their selection, an overview of the principles of their operation, and a detailed assessment of their strengths and weaknesses relative to the anticipated requirements of future spacecraft applications. The study concluded that none of the currently-available versions of these technologies is suitable for immediate application to spacecraft systems; further technology development should be considered. To that end, recommendations for forward development work have been proposed and provided herein.

Potable Water↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Silver Electrolysis for Disinfection of Spacecraft Potable Water: 2023 Update

Anodic dissolution of silver electrodes, or “silver electrolysis,” is being investigated as a means of introducing biocidal silver into potable water on exploration spacecraft. Last year’s paper reported a fault condition termed “electrode bridging,” in which silver deposits on interelectrode wetted materials, eventually bridging the electrode gap and providing an alternate conduction pathway that diminishes the silver output of the reactor. Since then, two strategies have been developed that prevent this fault from occurring: 1) increasing the frequency of polarity reversal and 2) separating the active surface of the electrode from the interelectrode wetted material. These strategies were tested independently, and in both cases, the reactor performed as expected with no occurrence of bridging for at least one crew-year equivalent of cumulative operation. Additional tests were conducted at varying levels of influent dissolved oxygen to better understand the nature of the cathode reaction and its impact on reactor performance. Results indicate that the primary cathode reaction is the reduction of dissolved oxygen, which could imply a dependence of reactor performance on dissolved oxygen concentration. However, it was found that at the typical oxygen concentrations anticipated for spacecraft processed water, the impact on silver electrolysis performance was negligible. Finally, multiphysics modelling of the reactor fluid mechanics and electrochemistry was undertaken to provide the capability to optimize the design of a future reactor prototype.

silver electrolysis↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Silver Electrolysis for Disinfection of Spacecraft Potable Water: 2023 Update

silver electrolysis↗

DOE OSTI2012

Impact of Pretreatment and Aging on the Iodine Capture Performance of Silver-Exchanged Mordenite - 12314

Volatile gas emissions from a nuclear fuel recycle facility in the United States are governed by several key regulations, including 10 CFR 20, 40 CFR 61, and 40 CFR 190. Under 40 CFR 190, the total quantity of iodine that may be released to the environment from the entire fuel cycle is limited to 5 millicuries of I-129 per gigawatt-year of electrical energy produced by the fuel cycle. With a reasonable engineering margin, an iodine decontamination factor (DF) of approximately 1000 will be required for the complete fuel cycle. Off-gas treatment in a fuel reprocessing plant must address several gas streams containing iodine, among a number of volatile radionuclides. Past research and developmental activities identified silver-exchanged mordenite (AgZ) as a very promising sorbent based on its acid resistance, relatively high iodine and methyl iodide capacity, and high achievable DF. Recent studies at ORNL have focused on the impacts of long-term exposure to simulated off-gas streams (aging) and pretreatment on the iodine adsorption performance of hydrogen-reduced silver-exchanged mordenite (Ag{sup 0}Z). Experiments were conducted to determine the effects of long-term exposure to both dry and moist air on the iodine sorption capacity of Ag{sup 0}Z. The data indicates that aging reduces the capacity of Ag{sup 0}Z, which must be accounted for to prevent degradation of DF. Because of its high acid resistance, a AgZ sorbent has been selected specifically for application in treating off-gas streams containing iodine. While extensive tests have been conducted in the United States on a form of this sorbent, the specific material previously tested is no longer commercially available and similar materials are currently being evaluated. As part of this evaluation, tests were conducted to determine the iodine sorption properties of this replacement media and the effects of long-term (up to 6 months) exposure to simulated off-gas streams. The ultimate goal is to develop an understanding of the fundamental phenomena that controls aging for this material and other zeolites that could be considered for use in off-gas treatment in the future. The trends in the study results indicate that the amount of elemental silver observed by XRD increases from 0.3 wt% in vendor-supplied AgZ to approximately 5 wt% by reducing the material with hydrogen. The study also concluded that aging decreases the quantity of elemental silver in the material. After 2 months of aging, the Ag{sup 0} content of an experimental sample was reduced from 5 wt% to about 1.3 wt%. The form into which the elemental silver is converted during aging was not determined. Experimental tests have been initiated to study how aging of Ag{sup 0}Z impacts iodine loading on the zeolite. Loading tests with un-aged Ag{sup 0}Z resulted in an 81% silver utilization. The loading capacity of iodine on Ag{sup 0}Z was reduced with aging in dry air. Material aged for 6 months in dry air had a 40% reduction in iodine loading capacity. Under moist-air aging conditions, a significant decrease in the rate and total loading (∼45% of theoretical) of iodine uptake can be observed beginning with the shortest aging period (i.e., after 1 month) when compared with the loading curve using Ag{sup 0}Z with no aging. Increasing exposure time to the humid air used to age the Ag{sup 0}Z beyond 1 month resulted in a slight additional reduction in capacity to about 35% of theoretical at 2 months. Virtually identical capacity was observed with 4 months of aging. Compared to the non-aged material, the 1 month dry-air aged Ag{sup 0}Z shows about a 35% reduction (approximate) in iodine loading capacity and the 6 month dry-air aged Ag{sup 0}Z shows about a 50% reduction. These studies generated several questions that will be addressed in future tests. They include the following: Is there indeed degradation over time (in storage) in the iodine adsorption performance of Ag{sup 0}Z? Once reduced, how should the Ag{sup 0}Z be stored- under a hydrogen atmosphere, an inert atmosphere, a desiccant, or some other method or combination of methods? Does Ag{sup 0}Z have a 'shelf life' that must be considered after receipt from a vendor and before use in a plant? Also, how should a column of Ag{sup 0}Z be stored offline in a processing plant (parallel column) arrangement? Future tests will also include increasingly challenging aging environments such as acid vapor conditions. (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗