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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 307 records · Page 17
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2015

Transport properties of cubic crystalline Ge 2 Sb 2 Te 5 : a potential low-temperature thermoelectric material.

Ge 2 Sb 2 Te 5 (GST) has been widely used as a popular phase change material. In this study, we show that it exhibits high Seebeck coe cients 200 - 300 μV/K in its cubic crystalline phase (c-GST) at remarkably high p-type doping levels of 1 10 19 - 6 10 19 cm -3 at room temperature. More importantly, at low temperature (T = 200 K), the Seebeck coe cient was found to exceed 200 μV/K for a doping range 1 10 19 - 3.5 10 19 cm -3 . Given that the lattice thermal conductivity in this phase has already been measured to be extremely low ( 0.7 W/m-K at 300 K), our results suggest the possibility of using c-GST as a low-temperature thermoelectric material.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2016

Study of CdTe/CdS solar cell at low power density for low-illumination applications

In this paper, we numerically investigate CdTe/CdS PV cell properties using a simulation program Solar Cell Capacitance Simulator in 1D (SCAPS-1D). A simple structure of CdTe PV cell has been optimized to study the effect of temperature, absorber thickness and work function at very low incident power. Objective of this research paper is to build an efficient and cost effective solar cell for portable electronic devices such as portable computers and cell phones that work at low incident power because most of such devices work at diffused and reflected sunlight. In this report, we simulated a simple CdTe PV cell at very low incident power, which gives good efficiency.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2016

Magneto-transport analysis of an ultra-low-density two-dimensional hole gas in an undoped strained Ge/SiGe heterostructure

We report the magneto-transport, scattering mechanisms, and effective mass analysis of an ultra-low density two-dimensional hole gas capacitively induced in an undoped strained Ge/Si{sub 0.2}Ge{sub 0.8} heterostructure. This fabrication technique allows hole densities as low as p ∼ 1.1 × 10{sup 10 }cm{sup −2} to be achieved, more than one order of magnitude lower than previously reported in doped Ge/SiGe heterostructures. The power-law exponent of the electron mobility versus density curve, μ ∝ n{sup α}, is found to be α ∼ 0.29 over most of the density range, implying that background impurity scattering is the dominant scattering mechanism at intermediate densities in such devices. A charge migration model is used to explain the mobility decrease at the highest achievable densities. The hole effective mass is deduced from the temperature dependence of Shubnikov-de Haas oscillations. At p ∼ 1.0 × 10{sup 11 }cm{sup −2}, the effective mass m* is ∼0.105 m{sub 0}, which is significantly larger than masses obtained from modulation-doped Ge/SiGe two-dimensional hole gases.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2016

Improvement of the electrochromic response of a low-temperature sintered dye-modified porous electrode using low-resistivity indium tin oxide nanoparticles

An indium tin oxide (ITO) nanoparticle-based porous electrode sintered at low temperatures was investigated as a transparent electrode for electrochromic displays (ECDs). The electrochromic (EC) response of the dye-modified ITO porous electrode sintered at 150 °C, which exhibited a generally low resistivity, was markedly superior to that of a conventional dye-modified TiO{sub 2} porous electrode sintered at the same temperature. Moreover, the EC characteristics of the dye-modified ITO porous electrode sintered at 150 °C were better than those of the high-temperature (450 °C) sintered conventional dye-modified TiO{sub 2} porous electrode. These improvements in the EC characteristics of the dye-modified ITO porous electrode are attributed to its lower resistivity than that of the TiO{sub 2} porous electrodes. In addition to its sufficiently low resistivity attained under the sintering conditions required for flexible ECD applications, the ITO porous film had superior visible-light transparency and dye adsorption capabilities. We conclude that the process temperature, resistivity, optical transmittance, and dye adsorption capability of the ITO porous electrode make it a promising transparent porous electrode for flexible ECD applications.

77 NANOSCIENCE AND NANOTECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2017

Evaluation of low-frequency operational limit of proposed ITER low-field-side reflectometer waveguide run including miter bends

The present design concept for the ITER low-field-side reflectometer transmission line (TL) consists of an ~40 m long, 6.35 cm diameter helically corrugated waveguide (WG) together with ten 90° miter bends. This paper presents an evaluation of the TL performance at low frequencies (33-50 GHz) where the predicted HE11 mode ohmic and mode conversion losses start to increase significantly. Quasi-optical techniques were used to form a near Gaussian beam to efficiently couple radiation in this frequency range into the WG. We observed that the output beams from the guide remained linearly polarized with cross-polarization power levels of ~1.5%-3%. The polarization rotation due to the helical corrugations was in the range ~1°-3°. The radiated beam power profiles typically show excellent Gaussian propagation characteristics at distances >20 cm from the final exit aperture. The round trip propagation loss was found to be ~2.5 dB at 50 GHz and ~6.5 dB at 35 GHz, showing an inverse increase with frequency. This was consistent with updated calculations of miter bend and ohmic losses. At low frequencies (33-50 GHz), the mode purity remained very good at the exit of the waveguide, and the losses are perfectly acceptable for operation in ITER. Finally, the primary challenge may come from the future addition of a Gaussian telescope and other filter components within the corrugated guide, which will likely introduce additional perturbations to the beam profile and an increase in mode-conversion loss.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗
DOE OSTI2018

Demonstration of fast-electron populations in a low-pressure, low-power, magnetized RF plasma source

Using x-ray spectroscopy, we demonstrate the existence of 0.3–6 keV electrons in a low-pressure, low-power, magnetized plasma source, heated by an external radio-frequency antenna located at one end of an axisymmetric tandem mirror. X-ray measurements on low-bulk-temperature, T e,b ~ 4 eV, hydrogen, neon, argon, and gas-mixture plasmas show spectra with high-energy tails having a near-Maxwellian form with T e,f up to 650 eV. Furthermore, the fast electrons producing these x-rays have densities in the range of 10 7 –10 9 cm –3 0.01%–1% of the bulk plasma density (up to 3 × 10 11 cm –3 ), and so carry a significant fraction of the plasma energy and represent an important mechanism relevant to power coupling and heat flow in similar plasma sources.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2012

VERY LOW MASS STELLAR AND SUBSTELLAR COMPANIONS TO SOLAR-LIKE STARS FROM MARVELS. I. A LOW-MASS RATIO STELLAR COMPANION TO TYC 4110-01037-1 IN A 79 DAY ORBIT

TYC 4110-01037-1 has a low-mass stellar companion, whose small mass ratio and short orbital period are atypical among binary systems with solar-like (T{sub eff} {approx}< 6000 K) primary stars. Our analysis of TYC 4110-01037-1 reveals it to be a moderately aged ({approx}<5 Gyr) solar-like star having a mass of 1.07 {+-} 0.08 M{sub Sun} and radius of 0.99 {+-} 0.18 R{sub Sun }. We analyze 32 radial velocity (RV) measurements from the SDSS-III MARVELS survey as well as 6 supporting RV measurements from the SARG spectrograph on the 3.6 m Telescopio Nazionale Galileo telescope obtained over a period of {approx}2 years. The best Keplerian orbital fit parameters were found to have a period of 78.994 {+-} 0.012 days, an eccentricity of 0.1095 {+-} 0.0023, and a semi-amplitude of 4199 {+-} 11 m s{sup -1}. We determine the minimum companion mass (if sin i = 1) to be 97.7 {+-} 5.8 M{sub Jup}. The system's companion to host star mass ratio, {>=}0.087 {+-} 0.003, places it at the lowest end of observed values for short period stellar companions to solar-like (T{sub eff} {approx}< 6000 K) stars. One possible way to create such a system would be if a triple-component stellar multiple broke up into a short period, low q binary during the cluster dispersal phase of its lifetime. A candidate tertiary body has been identified in the system via single-epoch, high contrast imagery. If this object is confirmed to be comoving, we estimate it would be a dM4 star. We present these results in the context of our larger-scale effort to constrain the statistics of low-mass stellar and brown dwarf companions to FGK-type stars via the MARVELS survey.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2011

HELIUM SHELL DETONATIONS ON LOW-MASS WHITE DWARFS AS A POSSIBLE EXPLANATION FOR SN 2005E

Recently, several Type Ib supernovae (SNe; with the prototypical SN 2005E) have been shown to have atypical properties. These SNe are faint (absolute peak magnitude of {approx} - 15) and fast SNe that show unique composition. They are inferred to have low ejecta mass (a few tenths of a solar mass) and to be highly enriched in calcium, but poor in silicon elements and nickel. These SNe were therefore suggested to belong to a new class of calcium-rich faint SNe explosions. Their properties were proposed to be the result of helium detonations that may occur on helium accreting white dwarfs. In this paper, we theoretically study the scenario of helium detonations and focus on the results of detonations in accreted helium layers on low-mass carbon-oxygen (CO) cores. We present new results from one-dimensional simulations of such explosions, including their light curves and spectra. We find that when the density of the helium layer is low enough the helium detonation produces large amounts of intermediate elements, such as calcium and titanium, together with a large amount of unburnt helium. Alternatively, enough carbon enrichment of the accreted helium as a result of convective undershoot at the early stages of the runaway can avoid the production of iron group elements as the alpha particles are consumed avoiding iron production. Our results suggest that the properties of calcium-rich faint SNe could indeed be consistent with the helium-detonation scenario on small CO cores. Above a certain density (larger CO cores) the detonation leaves mainly {sup 56}Ni and unburnt helium, and the predicted spectrum will unlikely fit the unique features of this class of SNe. Finally, none of our studied models reproduces the bright, fast-evolving light curves of another type of peculiar SNe suggested to originate in helium detonations (SNe 1885A, 1939B, and 2002bj).

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2012

RAPID ASSOCIATION REACTIONS AT LOW PRESSURE: IMPACT ON THE FORMATION OF HYDROCARBONS ON TITAN

Photochemical models of Titan's atmosphere predict that three-body association reactions are the main production route for several major hydrocarbons. The kinetic rate constants of these reactions strongly depend on density and are therefore only important in Titan's lower atmosphere. However, radiative association reactions do not depend on pressure. The possible existence of large rates at low density suggests that association reactions could significantly affect the chemistry of Titan's upper atmosphere and better constraints for them are required. The kinetic parameters of these reactions are extremely difficult to constrain by experimental measurements as the low pressure of Titan's upper atmosphere cannot be reproduced in the laboratory. However, in the recent years, theoretical calculations of kinetics parameters have become more and more reliable. We therefore calculated several radical-radical and radical-molecule association reaction rates using transition state theory. The calculations indicate that association reactions are fast even at low pressure for adducts having as few as four C atoms. These drastic changes have however only moderate consequences for Titan's composition. Locally, mole fractions can vary by as much as one order of magnitude but the column-integrated production and condensation rates of hydrocarbons change only by a factor of a few. We discuss the impact of these results for the organic chemistry. It would be very interesting to check the impact of these new rate constants on other environments, such as giant and extrasolar planets as well as the interstellar medium.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

A FRAMEWORK FOR CHARACTERIZING THE ATMOSPHERES OF LOW-MASS LOW-DENSITY TRANSITING PLANETS

We perform modeling investigations to aid in understanding the atmospheres and composition of small planets of ∼2-4 Earth radii, which are now known to be common in our Galaxy. GJ 1214b is a well-studied example whose atmospheric transmission spectrum has been observed by many investigators. Here we take a step back from GJ 1214b to investigate the role that planetary mass, composition, and temperature play in impacting the transmission spectra of these low-mass low-density (LMLD) planets. Under the assumption that these planets accrete modest hydrogen-dominated atmospheres and planetesimals, we use population synthesis models to show that predicted metal enrichments of the H/He envelope are high, with metal mass fraction Z{sub env} values commonly 0.6-0.9, or ∼100-400+ times solar. The high mean molecular weight of such atmospheres (μ ≈ 5-12) would naturally help to flatten the transmission spectrum of most LMLD planets. The high metal abundance would also provide significant condensible material for cloud formation. It is known that the H/He abundance in Uranus and Neptune decreases with depth, and we show that atmospheric evaporation of LMLD planets could expose atmospheric layers with gradually higher Z{sub env}. However, values of Z{sub env} close to solar composition can also arise, so diversity should be expected. Photochemically produced hazes, potentially due to methane photolysis, are another possibility for obscuring transmission spectra. Such hazes may not form above T{sub eq} of ∼800-1100 K, which is testable if such warm, otherwise low mean molecular weight atmospheres are stable against atmospheric evaporation. We find that available transmission data are consistent with relatively high mean molecular weight atmospheres for GJ 1214b and 'warm Neptune' GJ 436b. We examine future prospects for characterizing GJ 1214b with Hubble and the James Webb Space Telescope.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

Planet hunters. VII. Discovery of a new low-mass, low-density planet (PH3 C) orbiting Kepler-289 with mass measurements of two additional planets (PH3 B and D)

We report the discovery of one newly confirmed planet (P = 66.06 days, R {sub P} = 2.68 ± 0.17 R {sub ⊕}) and mass determinations of two previously validated Kepler planets, Kepler-289 b (P = 34.55 days, R {sub P} = 2.15 ± 0.10 R {sub ⊕}) and Kepler-289-c (P = 125.85 days, R {sub P} = 11.59 ± 0.10 R {sub ⊕}), through their transit timing variations (TTVs). We also exclude the possibility that these three planets reside in a 1:2:4 Laplace resonance. The outer planet has very deep (∼1.3%), high signal-to-noise transits, which puts extremely tight constraints on its host star's stellar properties via Kepler's Third Law. The star PH3 is a young (∼1 Gyr as determined by isochrones and gyrochronology), Sun-like star with M {sub *} = 1.08 ± 0.02 M {sub ☉}, R {sub *} = 1.00 ± 0.02 R {sub ☉}, and T {sub eff} = 5990 ± 38 K. The middle planet's large TTV amplitude (∼5 hr) resulted either in non-detections or inaccurate detections in previous searches. A strong chopping signal, a shorter period sinusoid in the TTVs, allows us to break the mass-eccentricity degeneracy and uniquely determine the masses of the inner, middle, and outer planets to be M = 7.3 ± 6.8 M {sub ⊕}, 4.0 ± 0.9M {sub ⊕}, and M = 132 ± 17 M {sub ⊕}, which we designate PH3 b, c, and d, respectively. Furthermore, the middle planet, PH3 c, has a relatively low density, ρ = 1.2 ± 0.3 g cm{sup –3} for a planet of its mass, requiring a substantial H/He atmosphere of 2.1{sub −0.3}{sup +0.8}% by mass, and joins a growing population of low-mass, low-density planets.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2017

Feasibility study of SiGHT: a novel ultra low background photosensor for low temperature operation

Rare event search experiments, such as those searching for dark matter and observations of neutrinoless double beta decay, require ultra low levels of radioactive background for unmistakable identification. In order to reduce the radioactive background of detectors used in these types of event searches, low background photosensors are required, as the physical size of these detectors become increasing larger, and hence the number of such photosensors used also increases rapidly. Considering that most dark matter and neutrinoless double beta decay experiments are turning towards using noble liquids as the target choice, liquid xenon and liquid argon for instance, photosensors that can work well at cryogenic temperatures are required, 165 K and 87 K for liquid xenon and liquid argon, respectively. The Silicon Geiger Hybrid Tube (SiGHT) is a novel photosensor designed specifically for use in ultra low background experiments operating at cryogenic temperatures. It is based on the proven photocathode plus silicon photomultiplier (SiPM) hybrid technology and consists of very few other, but also ultra radio-pure, materials like fused silica and silicon for the SiPM. Lastly, the introduction of the SiGHT concept, as well as a feasibility study for its production, is reported in this article.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2017

Activation of surface lattice oxygen in single-atom Pt/CeO 2 for low-temperature CO oxidation

To improve fuel efficiency, advanced combustion engines are being designed to minimize the amount of heat wasted in the exhaust. Hence, future generations of catalysts must perform at temperatures that are 100°C lower than current exhaust-treatment catalysts. Achieving low-temperature activity, while surviving the harsh conditions encountered at high engine loads, remains a formidable challenge. In this study, we demonstrate how atomically dispersed ionic platinum (Pt 2+ ) on ceria (CeO 2 ), which is already thermally stable, can be activated via steam treatment (at 750°C) to simultaneously achieve the goals of low-temperature carbon monoxide (CO) oxidation activity while providing outstanding hydrothermal stability. A new type of active site is created on CeO 2 in the vicinity of Pt 2+ , which provides the improved reactivity. These active sites are stable up to 800°C in oxidizing environments.

Nie, Lei (ORCID:0000000343593451)↗
DOE OSTI2020

Low Temperature Sequential Melting and Anion Retention in Simplified Low Activity Waste

This study seeks to understand the low temperature reactions of the salt phase that occur during the vitrification of Hanford Low Activity Waste (LAW). Salts (such as nitrates, sulfates, carbonates, halides, etc.) play a key role in these low temperature reactions as they sequentially melt, decompose, and volatilize during batch-to-glass conversion. To further understand these complex processes, simplified LAW melts containing oxyanion salts (sodium salts of carbonate, sulfate, and/or nitrate) and early melting glass formers (boric acid) have been evaluated using thermal analysis, infrared absorption spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction. Results from this study indicate that the volatilization behavior of particular salts is influenced by the presence or absence of other salts. Here, NaNO 3 volatilization is decreased by the presence of Na 2 SO 4 . The addition of either Na 2 SO 4 or NaNO 3 to the system may enhance the volatilization of Na 2 CO 3 . In all cases, Na 2 SO 4 was retained after melting and was often found to be in two different crystalline phases upon quenching.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2016

Identification of Differential Gene Expression Patterns after Acute Exposure to High and Low Doses of Low-LET Ionizing Radiation in a Reconstituted Human Skin Tissue

Our goal here was to identify dose and temporal dependent radiation responses in a complex tissue, reconstituted human skin. Direct sequencing of RNA (RNA-seq) was used to quantify altered transcripts following exposure to 0.1, 2 and 10 Gy of ionizing radiation at 3 and 8 hours. These doses include a low dose in the range of some medical diagnostic procedures (0.1 Gy), a dose typically received during radiotherapy (2.0 Gy) and a lethal dose (10 Gy). These doses could be received after an intentional or accidental radiation exposure and biomarkers are needed to rapidly and accurately triage exposed individuals. A total of 1701 genes were deemed to be significantly affected by high dose radiation exposure with the majority of genes affected at 10 Gy. A group of 29 genes including GDF15, BBC3, PPM1D, FDXR, GADD45A, MDM2, CDKN1A, TP53INP1, CYCSP27, SESN1, SESN2, PCNA, and AEN were similarly altered at both 2 and 10 Gy, but not 0.1 Gy, at multiple time points. A much larger group of up regulated genes, including those involved in inflammatory responses, was significantly altered only after a 10 Gy exposure. At high doses, down regulated genes were associated with cell cycle regulation and exhibited an apparent linear response between 2 and 10 Gy. While only a handful of genes were significantly affected by 0.1 Gy exposure using stringent statistical filters, groups of related genes regulating cell cycle progression and inflammatory responses consistently exhibited opposite trends in their regulation compared to the high dose exposures. Differential regulation of PLK1 signaling at low and high doses was confirmed using qRT-PCR. These results indicate that some alterations in gene expression are qualitatively different at low and high doses of radiation in this model system.

62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE↗
DOE OSTI2018

Low‐Field Borehole NMR Applications in the Near‐Surface Environment

Core Ideas Low‐field borehole NMR characterizes subsurface heterogeneities from pore to macro scales. Borehole NMR is sensitive to biogeochemical processes and conversions in the subsurface. Development of borehole NMR benefits hydrogeology, soil management, and engineering. The inherent heterogeneity of the near subsurface (<200 m below the ground surface) presents challenges for agricultural water management, hydrogeologic characterization, and engineering, among other fields. Borehole nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) has the potential not only to describe this heterogeneity in space nondestructively but also to monitor physical and chemical changes in the subsurface with time. Nuclear magnetic resonance is sensitive to parameters of interest like porosity and permeability, saturation, fluid viscosity, and formation mineralogy. Borehole NMR tools have been used to measure soil moisture in model soils, and recent advances in low‐field borehole NMR instrumentation allow estimation of hydraulic properties of unconsolidated aquifers. We also demonstrate the potential for low‐field borehole NMR tools to monitor field‐relevant biogeochemical processes like biofilm accumulation and microbially induced calcite precipitation at laboratory and field scales. Finally, we address some remaining challenges and areas of future research, as well as other possible applications where borehole NMR could provide valuable complementary data.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
NASA NTRS1972

Silicon solar cell development and radiation effects study for low temperature and low illumination intensity operation, volume 2

The results are presented of a study to determine the effect of in-situ proton irradiation upon low temperature, low intensity performance of several cell types. The cell types were selected in an attempt to distinguish variations in temperature-dependent radiation resistance which could be attributed to the n-p or p-n structure, diffused or implanted junctions, crucible grown or float-zone type base material, and high or low base resistivity. The results indicate that while expected variations of performance occur at room temperature, all cell types degrade more or less similarly at lower temperatures with normalized degradation becoming increasingly rapid as temperature is reduced. Recommendations for an optimized cell for Jupiter probe use are included along with a definition of the testing required on these cells to insure good performance characteristics.

Kirkpatrick, A. R.↗