Engineering Papers⌕ Search

SEARCH · Engineering Papers

Results for “Conductivity”

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.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 289 records · Page 16
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2014

High Conduction Neutron Absorber to Simulate Fast Reactor Environment in an Existing Test Reactor

A need was determined for a thermal neutron absorbing material that could be cooled in a gas reactor environment without using large amounts of a coolant that would thermalize the neutron flux. A new neutron absorbing material was developed that provided high conduction so a small amount of water would be sufficient for cooling thereby thermalizing the flux as little as possible. An irradiation experiment was performed to assess the effects of radiation and the performance of a new neutron absorbing material. Neutron fluence monitors were placed inside specially fabricated holders within a set of drop-in capsules and irradiated for up to four cycles in the Advanced Test Reactor. Following irradiation, the neutron fluence monitor wires were analyzed by gamma and x-ray spectrometry to determine the activities of the activation products. The adjusted neutron fluences were calculated and grouped into three bins – thermal, epithermal and fast to evaluate the spectral shift created by the new material. Fluence monitors were evaluated after four different irradiation periods to evaluate the effects of burn-up in the absorbing material. Additionally, activities of the three highest activity isotopes present in the specimens are given.

Reactor dosimetry, advanced test reactor, Al3Hf sh↗
DOE OSTI2020

Acidity of surface-infiltrated binary oxides as a sensitive descriptor of oxygen exchange kinetics in mixed conducting oxides

Improving the kinetics of O 2 reduction on oxide surfaces is critical in many energy and fuel conversion technologies. Here we show that the acidity scale for binary oxides is a powerful descriptor for tuning and predicting oxygen surface exchange kinetics on mixed conducting oxides. By infiltrating a selection of binary oxides from strongly basic (Li 2 O) to strongly acidic (SiO 2 ) onto the surface of Pr 0.1 Ce 0.9 O 2-δ samples, it was possible to vary the chemical surface exchange coefficient k chem by 6 orders of magnitude, with basic oxides such as Li 2 O increasing k chem by nearly 1,000 times, with surface concentrations as low as 50 ppm impacting k chem . Strikingly, although the pre-exponential of k chem scales linearly with the acidity of the infiltrated binary oxide, there is nearly no change in the activation energy. Here, the origin of these dramatic changes is proposed to arise from the systematic increase in electron concentration at the Pr 0.1 Ce 0.9 O 2-δ surface with the decreasing acidity of the infiltrated binary oxide.

30 DIRECT ENERGY CONVERSION↗
DOE OSTI2015

P-type conductivity in annealed strontium titanate

Hall-effect measurements indicate p-type conductivity in bulk, single-crystal strontium titanate (SrTiO{sub 3}, or STO) samples that were annealed at 1200°C. Room-temperature mobilities above 100 cm{sup 2}/V s were measured, an order of magnitude higher than those for electrons (5-10 cm{sup 2}/V s). Average hole densities were in the 10{sup 9}-10{sup 10} cm{sup −3} range, consistent with a deep acceptor.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2015

In situ characterization of the formation of a mixed conducting phase on the surface of yttria-stabilized zirconia near Pt electrodes

The electrochemical reactions of solid oxide fuel cells occur in the region where gas-phase species, electrode, and electrolyte coincide. When the electrode is an ionic insulator and the electrolyte is an electronic insulator, this triple phase boundary is assumed to have atomic dimensions. For this study, we use photoemission electron microscopy to show that the reduced surface of the electrolyte yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) has a sharp electronic metal-insulator boundary near Pt negative electrodes. The electronic conductivity of the reduced YSZ allows for oxygen reduction, allowing the reduced YSZ to behave as an extended triple phase boundary. This extended triple phase boundary can be many microns in size, depending on oxygen pressure, temperature, applied voltage, and time.

30 DIRECT ENERGY CONVERSION↗
DOE OSTI2019

Conductivity of Composite Films Based on Conductive Polymer PEDOT:PSS, Graphene Oxide and Nanoparticles TiO{sub 2} for Contact Layers of Perovskite Photovoltaic Structures

The electrical properties of composite films based on conductive polymer PEDOT: PSS, graphene oxide (GO), and titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO{sub 2}) (PEDOT: PSS– TiO{sub 2} and GO–TiO{sub 2}) used as contact layers of organic and perovskite photovoltaic structures have been studied. As a result of the study of morphology by atomic force microscopy, it was found that the PEDOT: PSS–TiO{sub 2} and GO–TiO{sub 2} films have a globular structure with a grain size of ~200–300 nm. The current–voltage characteristics of the PEDOT: PSS–TiO{sub 2} and GO–TiO{sub 2} films are measured in the temperature range of 80–300 K, the dependences of the resistivity versus temperature, ρ(T), which have an activation character, are obtained. It is established that as the temperature decreases, the ρ(T) dependences show a transition from large values of the activation energy (570 meV and 329 meV) to lower values (25 meV and 2.2 meV) for the PEDOT: PSS–TiO{sub 2} and GO–TiO{sub 2} films, respectively. The mechanisms of transport of charge carriers in the materials studied are discussed.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2025

Modified Data Collection And Analysis Codes Of Using Tcm (thermal Conductivity Microscope) To Measure Thermal Conductivity And Diffusivity

The "data collection" basically involves setting up the thermal wave frequency, laser scan distance, and other parameters related to the experimental setup. The modification of this code is minor and the details of this code can be found in the earlier patent ("thermal conductivity microscope"). The "data analysis" instead, replaces the simplified analytical model by a more complete analytical model, and used a "thermoquadruple" method to solve the analytical model. The efficiency is orders of magnitude improved and the accuracy is also better. Meanwhile, the previous model can only handle a two-layer sample structure. The new, complete model can handle materials with multiple layers (any given number), which is necessary to handle post ion irradiated materials.

Hua, Zilong [Idaho National Laboratory (INL), Idah↗