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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
NASA NTRS1973

Development of and dynamic studies concerning a cable boom system prototype

The conception of a cable boom system for a scientific spin stabilized satellite led to a flat cable stowed on a drum with a flexlead without conversion to avoid slip rings and to facilitate automatic restowage from any state of deployment. Some dynamic features of the extended cable boom and especially the comparison between round and flat cables were investigated in a phenomenological study using a test rig capable of inducing lateral, torsional and thermal cycling disturbances separately or in any combination.

Bring, G.↗
DOE OSTI2015

Electronic excitation induced amorphization in titanate pyrochlores: an ab initio molecular dynamics study

In this study, the response of titanate pyrochlores (A 2 Ti 2 O 7 , A = Y, Gd and Sm) to electronic excitation is investigated utilizing an ab initio molecular dynamics method. All the titanate pyrochlores are found to undergo a crystalline-to-amorphous structural transition under a low concentration of electronic excitations. The transition temperature at which structural amorphization starts to occur depends on the concentration of electronic excitations. During the structural transition, O 2 -like molecules are formed, and this anion disorder further drives cation disorder that leads to an amorphous state. This study provides new insights into the mechanisms of amorphization in titanate pyrochlores under laser, electron and ion irradiations.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2020

STEPS: A Portable Numerical Simulation Toolkit for Electrical Power System Dynamic Studies

Numerical simulation is the key technique for large scale power system analysis. Redistribution of global renewable power via international interconnections requires new simulation tools to study the interconnected systems with different nominal frequencies as a whole. In this paper we introduce an open source simulation toolkit for electrical power systems (STEPS) which is hosted at Github. Its kernel is coded in C++ with major functions of power flow and electro-mechanical dynamic simulation. Flexible options are provided and configurable to improve power flow solution and dynamic simulation. Common devices and models are supported in STEPS for AC/DC hybrid system studies. Studies of interconnected systems with different nominal frequencies is supported in STEPS for research of international interconnection. Application program interfaces are provided and wrapped with Python to enable high-level interfaces for general applications. STEPS is thread safe and parallel computation is supported in both kernel and script levels to accelerate simulation. It is portable and works on Windows and GNU/Linux platforms. Cases from small to large scale systems are thoroughly tested to validate the toolkit with commercial packages as benchmarks.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2016

Influence of Surface Morphology on the Shear-Induced Wear of Alkylsilane Monolayers: Molecular Dynamics Study

Chemisorbed alkylsilane monolayer coatings have been shown to possess favorable lubrication properties; however, film degradation prevents the widespread use of these materials as lubricants in micro- and nanoelectromechanical systems (MEMS/NEMS). In this work, molecular dynamics (MD) simulations are used to provide insight into the conditions that promote the degradation and wear of these materials. This is achieved through removal of interfacial chain-substrate bonds during shear and the examination of the mobility of the resulting free, unbound chains. Specific focus is given to the effects of surface morphology, which has been shown previously to strongly influence frictional forces in monolayer systems. In-plane order of chain attachments is shown to lead to pressure-induced orientational ordering of monolayers, promoting film stability. This behavior is lost as nonideality is introduced into the substrate and chain patterning on the surface becomes disordered. The presence of surface roughness is found to reduce film stability, with localization of wear observed for chain attachment sites nearest the interface of contact. Furthermore, the influence of substrate nonideality on monolayer degradation is shown to diminish as chain length is increased.

99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS↗
DOE OSTI2013

Molecular Dynamics Study of Freezing Point and Solid-Liquid Interfacial Free Energy of Stockmayer Fluids

Freezing temperatures of Stockmayer fluids with different dipolar strength at zero pressure are estimated and computed using three independent molecular-dynamics (MD) simulation methods, namely, the superheating-undercooling method, the constant-pressure and constant-temperature (NPT) two phase coexistence method, and the constant-pressure and constant-enthalpy (NPH) coexistence method. The best estimate of the freezing temperature (in reduced unit) for the Stockmayer (SM) fluid with a reduced dipole moment is 0.656±0.001, 0.726±0.002 and 0.835±0.005, respectively. The freezing temperature increases with the dipolar strength. The solid-liquid interfacial free energies of the (111), (110) and (100) interface are calculated for the first time using two independent methods, namely, the cleaving-wall method and the interfacial fluctuation method. Both methods predict that the interfacial free energy increases with the dipole moment. Although the interfacial fluctuation method suggests a weaker interfacial anisotropy, particularly for strongly dipolar SM fluids, both methods predicted the same trend of interfacial anisotropy, that is, .

Wang, J.↗
DOE OSTI2015

Coarse-grained molecular dynamics study of membrane fusion: Curvature effects on free energy barriers along the stalk mechanism

The effects of membrane curvature on the free energy barrier for membrane fusion have been investigated using coarse-grained molecular dynamics (CG-MD) simulations, assuming that fusion takes place through a stalk intermediate. Free energy barriers were estimated for stalk formation as well as for fusion pore formation using the guiding potential method. Specifically, the three different geometries of two apposed membranes were considered: vesicle–vesicle, vesicle–planar, and planar–planar membranes. The free energy barriers for the resulting fusion were found to depend importantly on the fusing membrane geometries; the lowest barrier was obtained for vesicular membranes. Further, lipid sorting was observed in fusion of the mixed membranes of dimyristoyl phosphatidylcholine and dioleoyl phosphatidylethanolamine (DOPE). Specifically, DOPE molecules were found to assemble around the stalk to support the highly negative curved membrane surface. A consistent result for lipid sorting was observed when a simple continuum model (CM) was used, where the Helfrich energy and mixing entropy of the lipids were taken into account. However, the CM predicts a much higher free energy barrier than found using CG-MD. This discrepancy originates from the conformational changes of lipids, which were not considered in the CM. The results of the CG-MD simulations reveal that a large conformational change in the lipid takes place around the stalk region, which results in a reduction of free energy barriers along the stalk mechanism of membrane fusion.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Effect of Aromaticity on Soot Formation: A Reactive Molecular Dynamics Study

This study investigates the formation of soot from n-dodecane and its blend with m-xylene under pyrolytic and low-oxygen conditions with reactive molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. ReaxFF force field is used to simulate the interactions of fuel and oxygen molecules at engine-relevant conditions (2500-3500 K and 70-75 bar). Fuel molecules with carbon atom density of 0.03 g/cm 3 are dispersed into a cube and constant temperature simulations are carried out with a Nosé-Hoover thermostat. Pyrolysis of n-dodecane and the chemical pathway towards the formation of aromatic hydrocarbons are investigated. The initial pyrolysis rate of n-dodecane is observed to be slightly higher with the addition of aromatic compounds and oxygen. While the first aromatics formed from the decomposed n-dodecane are phenyl radicals at 2500 K, decomposition of the aliphatic fuel compound is observed to be necessary to build a carbon cluster, and eventually soot. Morphological properties of the created soot particles are also analyzed. The maturity, size and aromatics content of the soot particle are slightly affected with the addition of m-xylene and oxygen at 3500 K within the 3 ns simulation time possibly due the formation of larger and more condensed aromatic rings, resulting in larger soot molecules. The outcomes of this study provide important insights into the formation mechanism of soot and its morphological characteristics depending on varying fuel concentrations at pyrolysis and low oxygen engine conditions. Results of this analysis will further contribute to the understanding of contrail formation on generated soot particles originated from the combustion of different chemical components with particle chemistry matching companion experiments.

soot formation↗
DOE OSTI2015

An eight-dimensional quantum dynamics study of the Cl + CH{sub 4}→ HCl + CH{sub 3} reaction

In this work, the later-barrier reaction Cl + CH{sub 4} → HCl + CH{sub 3} is investigated with an eight-dimensional quantum dynamics method [R. Liu et al., J. Chem. Phys. 137, 174113 (2012)] on the ab initio potential energy surface of Czakó and Bowman [J. Chem. Phys. 136, 044307 (2012)]. The reaction probabilities with CH{sub 4} initially in its ground and vibrationally excited states are calculated with a time-dependent wavepacket method. The theoretical integral cross sections (ICSs) are extensively compared with the available experimental measurements. For the ground state reaction, the theoretical ICSs excellently agree with the experimental ones. The good agreements are also achieved for ratios between ICSs of excited reactions. For ICS ratios between various states, the theoretical values are also consistent with the experimental observations. The rate constants over 200-2000 K are calculated and the non-Arrhenius effect has been observed which is coincident with the previous experimental observations and theoretical calculations.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2023

The impact of physiologically relevant temperatures on physical properties of thylakoid membranes: a molecular dynamics study

Thylakoid membranes are energy-converting membranes with a unique lipid composition. Though the membranes are primarily composed of proteins, their photosynthetic function is strongly influenced by the lipid constituents. Here we characterize, with molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, lipid bilayers with compositions representative of plant thylakoid membranes. We determine, in a wide range of temperatures, the physical parameters of the model membranes which are relevant for the photosynthetic function. We found a marked impact of temperature on membrane permeability due to a combination of increased compressibility and curvature of the membrane at elevated temperatures. With increasing temperatures, we observed increasingly smeared transmembrane density profiles of the membrane forming lipid headgroups predicting increased membrane flexibility. The diffusion coefficient of the lipids increased with temperature without apparent specificity for lipid species. Instead of a comprehensive experimental dataset in the relevant temperature range, we quantitatively compared and validated our MD results with MD simulations on a dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine model system.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2023

Molecular Dynamic Studies of Dye–Dye and Dye–DNA Interactions Governing Excitonic Coupling in Squaraine Aggregates Templated by DNA Holliday Junctions

Dye molecules, arranged in an aggregate, can display excitonic delocalization. The use of DNA scaffolding to control aggregate configurations and delocalization is of research interest. Here, we applied Molecular Dynamics (MD) to gain an insight on how dye–DNA interactions affect excitonic coupling between two squaraine (SQ) dyes covalently attached to a DNA Holliday junction (HJ). We studied two types of dimer configurations, i.e., adjacent and transverse, which differed in points of dye covalent attachments to DNA. Three structurally different SQ dyes with similar hydrophobicity were chosen to investigate the sensitivity of excitonic coupling to dye placement. Each dimer configuration was initialized in parallel and antiparallel arrangements in the DNA HJ. The MD results, validated by experimental measurements, suggested that the adjacent dimer promotes stronger excitonic coupling and less dye–DNA interaction than the transverse dimer. Additionally, we found that SQ dyes with specific functional groups (i.e., substituents) facilitate a closer degree of aggregate packing via hydrophobic effects, leading to a stronger excitonic coupling. This work advances a fundamental understanding of the impacts of dye–DNA interactions on aggregate orientation and excitonic coupling.

77 NANOSCIENCE AND NANOTECHNOLOGY↗
NASA NTRS2020

Ultrafast Melting at Metal-Semiconductor Interfaces: A Molecular Dynamics Study

Quantifying the thermodynamics of interfacial melting is important for several applications such as laser machining and designing radiation hardened electronic devices. Due to the short time and length scales that are involved in the process, molecular simulations provide an ideal path for understating the interfacial melting phenomena. In this work we investigate tungsten (W) – silicon carbide (SiC) interfaces which are relevant in modern high-power electronic devices. Classical molecular dynamics simulations along with the two-temperature model (TTM) were used to study the radiation induced melting of the interface while a neural network-based machine learning framework was used to track the transient re-crystallization process. The damage endured by the semiconductor at the interface following the radiation event is discussed in detail while the re-crystallization of the metal is described in terms of the classical nucleation theory.

Ashwin Ravichandran↗
DOE OSTI2019

Effect of Domain Size, Boundary, and Loading Conditions on Mechanical Properties of Amorphous Silica: A Reactive Molecular Dynamics Study

Mechanical properties are very important when choosing a material for a specific application. They help to determine the range of usefulness of a material, establish the service life, and classify and identify materials. The size effect on mechanical properties has been well established numerically and experimentally. However, the role of the size effect combined with boundary and loading conditions on mechanical properties remains unknown. In this paper, by using molecular dynamics (MD) simulations with the state-of-the-art ReaxFF force field, we study mechanical properties of amorphous silica (e.g., Young’s modulus, Poisson’s ratio) as a function of domain size, full-/semi-periodic boundary condition, and tensile/compressive loading. We found that the domain-size effect on Young’s modulus and Poisson’s ratio is much more significant in semi-periodic domains compared to full-periodic domains. The results, for the first time, revealed the bimodular and anisotropic nature of amorphous silica at the atomic level. We also defined a “safe zone” regarding the domain size, where the bulk properties of amorphous silica can be reproducible, while the computational cost and accuracy are in balance.

bimodular materials↗
DOE OSTI2024

Effects of Nonequilibrium Atomic Structure on Ionic Diffusivity in LLZO: A Classical and Machine Learning Molecular Dynamics Study

To improve the performance of electrochemical devices, it is essential to understand the effects of nonequilibrium motifs in solids, such as grain boundaries, amorphous phases, and highly strained regions, on atomic-scale transport and stability. Molecular dynamics simulations are used to explore the combined effect of far-from-equilibrium atomic structures and the choice of interatomic potential on ionic diffusivity predictions for Li 7 La 3 Zr 2 O 12 (LLZO), a promising solid electrolyte for all-solid-state batteries. Amorphization and high strain are considered using both classical Buckingham interatomic potentials and machine learning force fields. Here we find that both crystalline expansion and amorphization tend to slow diffusion, although the different physical encodings in the two potentials impact the properties in different ways. We trace these variations to a combination of structural and transport factors, the contributions of which are deconvoluted computationally. Graph-based analysis reveals that the variations for amorphous LLZO arise from the connectivity of diffusion pathways within the predicted structures, which generally correlates with diffusivity and is notably higher for structures generated by the machine learning force fields. Our study provides additional insight into the relationship between atomic structure and diffusivity in LLZO, while also highlighting the need for care in choosing and validating potentials to simulate far from equilibrium structures.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2015

The interstitialcy diffusion in FCC copper: A molecular dynamics study

Damage of materials due to neutron irradiation occurs via energetic cascades caused by energetic primary knock-on atoms (PKA) created by the energetic neutron as it passes through the material. These cascades result in creation of Frenkel Pairs (interstitials and vacancies). The interstitials and vacancies diffuse and recombine to (I) nullify the damage when an interstitial recombines with a vacancy, (II) form interstitial clusters when two or more interstitials recombine, and (III) form vacancy clusters when several vacancies come together. The latter two processes result in change of material properties. Interstitial diffusion has reported time-scales of microseconds and vacancy diffusion has diffusion time-scales of the order of seconds. We have carried out molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of interstitial diffusion in crystal Cu to study the mechanism of diffusion. It is found that interstitialcy diffusion – wherein an interstitial displaces a lattice atom thereby making the lattice atom an interstitial – has time-scales of a few tens of pico-seconds. Therefore we propose that the “interstitialcy diffusion” mechanism could play a major part in the diffusive-recombinations of the Frenkel Pairs created during the cascade.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2014

A molecular dynamics study on slow ion interactions with the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon molecule anthracene

Atomic collisions with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) molecules are astrophysically particularly relevant for collision energies of less than 1 keV. In this regime, the interaction dynamics are dominated by elastic interactions. We have employed a molecular dynamics simulation based on analytical interaction potentials to model the interaction of low energy hydrogen and helium projectiles with isolated anthracene (C{sub 14}H{sub 10}) molecules. This approach allows for a very detailed investigation of the elastic interaction dynamics on an event by event basis. From the simulation data the threshold projectile kinetic energies above which direct C atom knock out sets in were determined. Anthracene differential energy transfer cross sections and total (dissociation) cross sections were computed for a wide range of projectile kinetic energies. The obtained results are interpreted in the context of PAH destruction in astrophysical environments.

74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS↗
NASA NTRS1981

Dynamic study of the upper Sao Francisco River and the Tres Marias reservoir using MSS/LANDSAT images

The use of LANDSAT multispectral ban scanner imagery to verify the relationship between the behavior of the Tres Marias reservoir and the dynamics of the Sao Francisco River supply basin is described. The dispersion of suspended sediments and their concentration in the surface layers of the water are considered. A five year survey of the region during both dry and rainy seasons was performed. The drainage network was analyzed based on the patterns of dessication, water rises and soil use in the supply basin. Surface layers of the reservoir were tabulated as a function of the levels of gray in the imagery. In situ observations of water depth and reflectance were performed. Ground truth and LANDSAT data were correlated to determine the factors affecting the dynamics of the supply basin.

Dejesusparada, N.↗
DOE OSTI2018

Molecular Dynamics Study of Combustion Reactions in a Supercritical Environment. Part 2: Boxed MD Study of CO + OH → CO 2 + H Reaction Kinetics

Oxy-fuel combustion technology holds a great promise in both increasing the efficiency of the energy conversion and reducing environmental impact. Yet, effects of the higher pressures and replacement of the nitrogen with carbon dioxide diluent are not well understood at present. The title reaction is one of the most important processes in combustion. Despite numerous studies, the effects of supercritical carbon dioxide environment did not receive much attention in the past. In this work, we report the results of boxed molecular dynamics simulations of these effects at QM/MM theory level with periodical boundary conditions. The free energy barriers for HOCO intermediate formation and decomposition were tabulated in a wide range of pressures (1–1000 atm) and temperatures (400–1600 K). Pressure dependence of calculated rate constants for these reaction steps and overall reaction were analyzed. We discovered that the CO 2 environment may increase these rate constants up to a factor of 25, at near critical conditions. At higher temperatures, this effect weakens significantly. Numerical values for parameters of extended Arrhenius equation, suitable for combustion kinetic modeling are reported.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗