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At least 307 records · Page 17
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2026

Epitaxial registry and transport properties in V4O7 thin films

We report the growth of V4O7 thin films deposited simultaneously on amorphous SiO2 and crystalline c-cut Al2O3 substrates. x-ray diffraction shows that films grown on SiO2 are polycrystalline with no preferred orientation, while films grown on Al2O3 exhibit a well-defined out-of-plane orientation and an in-plane registry consistent with epitaxial growth. Transmission electron microscopy confirms the crystallographic relationship between the V4O7 film and the Al2O3 substrate. Atomic force microscopy indicates substantially lower surface roughness for films grown on Al2O3 (~6 nm) compared to those grown on SiO2 (~22 nm), and Raman spectroscopy confirms stabilization of the same V4O7 phase on both substrates. Electrical transport measurements reveal a metal–insulator transition near 244 K for both substrates, with thermal hysteresis not exceeding ~1 K. Although the transition temperature remains essentially unchanged, films grown on Al2O3 exhibit higher conductivity over the entire temperature range, exceeding that of films grown on SiO2 by approximately two orders of magnitude at 100 K and by a factor of five at 300 K. These results indicate that the conductivity differences are consistent with variations in microstructural connectivity associated with crystallographic order.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2020

Area-selective atomic layer deposition enabled by competitive adsorption

In this work, we investigate the atomic layer deposition (ALD) of ZrO2 thin films on Cu and SiO2 substrates, using Zr[N(C2H5CH3)]4 as the thin-film precursor, and H2O or O2 as the coreactants. Here, we introduce 3-hexyne as a coadsorbate molecule during the thin-film precursor half-cycle and examine its effect on the selectivity of growth. We find that 3-hexyne strongly inhibits growth on Cu, while having essentially no effect on the growth on SiO2. Calculations using dispersion-inclusive density functional theory verify that 3-hexyne undergoes sp → sp2 rehybridization on Cu, which results in strong chemisorption on the metal surface, while only binding weakly to SiO2 via nonbonded van der Waals/dispersion interactions. After 10 cycles of ALD using 3-hexyne as the coadsorbate, we observed the deposition of ∼1.5 nm of ZrO2 on SiO2. On a Cu substrate, we only detected <0.15 nm of ZrO2 after the same number of cycles of ALD. At this point in the process, we find evidence of the formation of cuprous oxide (Cu2O) from in situ x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and a significant increase in the roughness of the Cu substrate. We conclude that both factors likely contribute to the loss of selectivity due to the formation of sites (e.g., Cu2O) that bind 3-hexyne less strongly and/or an increase in the density of highly reactive sites (e.g., steps, kinks) that promote dissociative chemisorption of the thin-film precursor.

Suh, Taewon (ORCID:0000000163823811)↗
DOE OSTI2024

Nonoxidative dehydrogenation of propane using boron-incorporated silica-supported Pt Sites synthesized by atomic layer deposition

Nonoxidative dehydrogenation of propane to propylene using Pt-based supported catalysts is an active research area in catalysis because catalyst attributes of Pt sites can be controlled by careful design of active sites. One way to achieve this is by the addition of a second metal that may impart a change in the electron density of active sites, which in turn affects catalytic performance. In this study, bimetallic Pt and B sites were deposited on powder SiO2 using atomic layer deposition (ALD). Boron was first deposited on SiO2 via half-cycle ALD using triisoproplyborate as the B source. Following calcination, Pt deposition was performed via half-cycle ALD using trimethyl(methylcyclopentadienyl)platinum(IV) as the Pt source. The synthesized catalysts were reduced under H2 at 550 °C and characterized using inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy for elemental analysis, diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy of adsorbed CO to examine the properties of Pt, and time-resolved X-ray absorption near edge structure spectroscopy to examine the changes in the reducibility of Pt sites. The samples were then tested for nonoxidative dehydrogenation of propane at 550 °C using a fixed-bed plug-flow reactor to examine the role of B on the catalytic performance. Characterization results showed that the addition of B imparted an increase in electron density and affected the reducibility of Pt sites. In addition, incorporating B on SiO2 created anchoring sites for Pt ALD. The amount of Pt deposited on B/SiO2 was 2.2 times that on SiO2. Catalytic activity results revealed the addition of B did not change the initial activity of Pt sites significantly, but improved propylene selectivity from 80% to 87% and stability almost threefold. The enhanced selectivity and stability of PtB/SiO2 is most presumably due to favored desorption of propylene and mitigating coke formation under reaction conditions, respectively.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2020

Inserting a Low-Refractive-Index Dielectric Rear Reflector into PERC Cells: Challenges and Opportunities

One of the simplest and most effective ways to reduce the operating temperature of photovoltaic systems in the field is to reflect unusable, 'sub-bandgap' light with energies below the cell absorber's bandgap energy. In this work, low-refractive index SiO2 nanoparticle films inserted between c-Si wafers and metal electrodes significantly increase the reflectance of sub-bandgap light in fabricated test structures. These films are then integrated into the standard PERC fabrication sequence, revealing that the reflection benefits remains after some processing steps but are lost in certain conditions. The SiO2 nanoparticle films are easily ablated during laser contact opening, but are undesirably etched during post-laser cleaning. After Al metallization, the fully fabricated devices show enhanced sub-bandgap reflection when annealed at moderate temperatures, but energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy shows that high-temperature firing causes unwanted Al penetration into the SiO2 nanoparticle film, compromising reflection.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2020

Materials Data on Si6O13 by Materials Project

(SiO2)12O2 is Low Tridymite-like structured and crystallizes in the hexagonal P6/mcc space group. The structure is three-dimensional and consists of two hydrogen peroxide molecules and one SiO2 framework. In the SiO2 framework, Si is bonded to four O atoms to form corner-sharing SiO4 tetrahedra. There is three shorter (1.62 Å) and one longer (1.63 Å) Si–O bond length. There are four inequivalent O sites. In the first O site, O is bonded in a bent 150 degrees geometry to two equivalent Si atoms. In the second O site, O is bonded in a bent 150 degrees geometry to two equivalent Si atoms. In the third O site, O is bonded in a linear geometry to two equivalent Si atoms. In the fourth O site, O is bonded in a bent 150 degrees geometry to two equivalent Si atoms.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2020

Materials Data on Si17CO34 by Materials Project

C(SiO2)17 is beta Tridymite-derived structured and crystallizes in the cubic Fd-3m space group. The structure is three-dimensional and consists of eight methane molecules and one SiO2 framework. In the SiO2 framework, there are three inequivalent Si sites. In the first Si site, Si is bonded to four equivalent O atoms to form corner-sharing SiO4 tetrahedra. All Si–O bond lengths are 1.60 Å. In the second Si site, Si is bonded to four O atoms to form corner-sharing SiO4 tetrahedra. There is one shorter (1.60 Å) and three longer (1.61 Å) Si–O bond length. In the third Si site, Si is bonded to four O atoms to form corner-sharing SiO4 tetrahedra. There are a spread of Si–O bond distances ranging from 1.61–1.63 Å. There are four inequivalent O sites. In the first O site, O is bonded in a linear geometry to two Si atoms. In the second O site, O is bonded in a linear geometry to two equivalent Si atoms. In the third O site, O is bonded in a linear geometry to two Si atoms. In the fourth O site, O is bonded in a linear geometry to two equivalent Si atoms.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2020

Materials Data on Si17O37 by Materials Project

(SiO2)34(O2)3 is Low Tridymite-like structured and crystallizes in the monoclinic C2/m space group. The structure is three-dimensional and consists of twelve water molecules and one SiO2 framework. In the SiO2 framework, there are eleven inequivalent Si sites. In the first Si site, Si is bonded to four O atoms to form corner-sharing SiO4 tetrahedra. There are a spread of Si–O bond distances ranging from 1.62–1.64 Å. In the second Si site, Si is bonded to four O atoms to form corner-sharing SiO4 tetrahedra. There is one shorter (1.62 Å) and three longer (1.63 Å) Si–O bond length. In the third Si site, Si is bonded to four O atoms to form corner-sharing SiO4 tetrahedra. There are a spread of Si–O bond distances ranging from 1.61–1.64 Å. In the fourth Si site, Si is bonded to four O atoms to form corner-sharing SiO4 tetrahedra. There is three shorter (1.62 Å) and one longer (1.63 Å) Si–O bond length. In the fifth Si site, Si is bonded to four O atoms to form corner-sharing SiO4 tetrahedra. There is three shorter (1.62 Å) and one longer (1.63 Å) Si–O bond length. In the sixth Si site, Si is bonded to four O atoms to form corner-sharing SiO4 tetrahedra. There are a spread of Si–O bond distances ranging from 1.61–1.64 Å. In the seventh Si site, Si is bonded to four O atoms to form corner-sharing SiO4 tetrahedra. There is one shorter (1.62 Å) and three longer (1.63 Å) Si–O bond length. In the eighth Si site, Si is bonded to four O atoms to form corner-sharing SiO4 tetrahedra. There is three shorter (1.61 Å) and one longer (1.63 Å) Si–O bond length. In the ninth Si site, Si is bonded to four O atoms to form corner-sharing SiO4 tetrahedra. All Si–O bond lengths are 1.63 Å. In the tenth Si site, Si is bonded to four O atoms to form corner-sharing SiO4 tetrahedra. There are a spread of Si–O bond distances ranging from 1.61–1.64 Å. In the eleventh Si site, Si is bonded to four O atoms to form corner-sharing SiO4 tetrahedra. There is one shorter (1.62 Å) and three longer (1.64 Å) Si–O bond length. There are twenty-one inequivalent O sites. In the first O site, O is bonded in a bent 150 degrees geometry to two Si atoms. In the second O site, O is bonded in a linear geometry to two equivalent Si atoms. In the third O site, O is bonded in a bent 150 degrees geometry to two equivalent Si atoms. In the fourth O site, O is bonded in a bent 150 degrees geometry to two Si atoms. In the fifth O site, O is bonded in a bent 150 degrees geometry to two Si atoms. In the sixth O site, O is bonded in a bent 150 degrees geometry to two Si atoms. In the seventh O site, O is bonded in a bent 150 degrees geometry to two Si atoms. In the eighth O site, O is bonded in a bent 150 degrees geometry to two Si atoms. In the ninth O site, O is bonded in a linear geometry to two equivalent Si atoms. In the tenth O site, O is bonded in a bent 150 degrees geometry to two Si atoms. In the eleventh O site, O is bonded in a bent 150 degrees geometry to two Si atoms. In the twelfth O site, O is bonded in a bent 150 degrees geometry to two Si atoms. In the thirteenth O site, O is bonded in a bent 150 degrees geometry to two Si atoms. In the fourteenth O site, O is bonded in a bent 150 degrees geometry to two Si atoms. In the fifteenth O site, O is bonded in a bent 150 degrees geometry to two Si atoms. In the sixteenth O site, O is bonded in a bent 120 degrees geometry to two Si atoms. In the seventeenth O site, O is bonded in a bent 150 degrees geometry to two Si atoms. In the eighteenth O site, O is bonded in a distorted bent 120 degrees geometry to two Si atoms. In the nineteenth O site, O is bonded in a linear geometry to two Si atoms. In the twentieth O site, O is bonded in a bent 150 degrees geometry to two Si atoms. In the twenty-first O site, O is bonded in a bent 150 degrees geometry to two Si atoms.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2020

Materials Data on Si9C10NO18 by Materials Project

(C)9CN(SiO2)9 is Low Tridymite-derived structured and crystallizes in the monoclinic Cm space group. The structure is three-dimensional and consists of six ethyne molecules, four hydrogen cyanide molecules, eighteen methane molecules, two propane molecules, and one SiO2 framework. In the SiO2 framework, there are nine inequivalent Si4+ sites. In the first Si4+ site, Si4+ is bonded to four O2- atoms to form corner-sharing SiO4 tetrahedra. There is two shorter (1.62 Å) and two longer (1.63 Å) Si–O bond length. In the second Si4+ site, Si4+ is bonded to four O2- atoms to form corner-sharing SiO4 tetrahedra. There are a spread of Si–O bond distances ranging from 1.61–1.63 Å. In the third Si4+ site, Si4+ is bonded to four O2- atoms to form corner-sharing SiO4 tetrahedra. There is two shorter (1.62 Å) and two longer (1.63 Å) Si–O bond length. In the fourth Si4+ site, Si4+ is bonded to four O2- atoms to form corner-sharing SiO4 tetrahedra. There are a spread of Si–O bond distances ranging from 1.62–1.64 Å. In the fifth Si4+ site, Si4+ is bonded to four O2- atoms to form corner-sharing SiO4 tetrahedra. There are a spread of Si–O bond distances ranging from 1.62–1.64 Å. In the sixth Si4+ site, Si4+ is bonded to four O2- atoms to form corner-sharing SiO4 tetrahedra. There is one shorter (1.62 Å) and three longer (1.63 Å) Si–O bond length. In the seventh Si4+ site, Si4+ is bonded to four O2- atoms to form corner-sharing SiO4 tetrahedra. There is one shorter (1.62 Å) and three longer (1.63 Å) Si–O bond length. In the eighth Si4+ site, Si4+ is bonded to four O2- atoms to form corner-sharing SiO4 tetrahedra. There is one shorter (1.62 Å) and three longer (1.63 Å) Si–O bond length. In the ninth Si4+ site, Si4+ is bonded to four O2- atoms to form corner-sharing SiO4 tetrahedra. There is one shorter (1.62 Å) and three longer (1.63 Å) Si–O bond length. There are twenty-one inequivalent O2- sites. In the first O2- site, O2- is bonded in a bent 150 degrees geometry to two Si4+ atoms. In the second O2- site, O2- is bonded in a bent 150 degrees geometry to two equivalent Si4+ atoms. In the third O2- site, O2- is bonded in a bent 150 degrees geometry to two Si4+ atoms. In the fourth O2- site, O2- is bonded in a bent 150 degrees geometry to two equivalent Si4+ atoms. In the fifth O2- site, O2- is bonded in a bent 150 degrees geometry to two Si4+ atoms. In the sixth O2- site, O2- is bonded in a bent 150 degrees geometry to two equivalent Si4+ atoms. In the seventh O2- site, O2- is bonded in a bent 150 degrees geometry to two Si4+ atoms. In the eighth O2- site, O2- is bonded in a bent 150 degrees geometry to two equivalent Si4+ atoms. In the ninth O2- site, O2- is bonded in a bent 150 degrees geometry to two Si4+ atoms. In the tenth O2- site, O2- is bonded in a bent 150 degrees geometry to two Si4+ atoms. In the eleventh O2- site, O2- is bonded in a bent 150 degrees geometry to two Si4+ atoms. In the twelfth O2- site, O2- is bonded in a bent 150 degrees geometry to two Si4+ atoms. In the thirteenth O2- site, O2- is bonded in a bent 150 degrees geometry to two Si4+ atoms. In the fourteenth O2- site, O2- is bonded in a bent 150 degrees geometry to two Si4+ atoms. In the fifteenth O2- site, O2- is bonded in a bent 150 degrees geometry to two Si4+ atoms. In the sixteenth O2- site, O2- is bonded in a bent 150 degrees geometry to two Si4+ atoms. In the seventeenth O2- site, O2- is bonded in a bent 150 degrees geometry to two Si4+ atoms. In the eighteenth O2- site, O2- is bonded in a bent 150 degrees geometry to two equivalent Si4+ atoms. In the nineteenth O2- site, O2- is bonded in a bent 150 degrees geometry to two Si4+ atoms. In the twentieth O2- site, O2- is bonded in a bent 150 degrees geometry to two equivalent Si4+ atoms. In the twenty-first O2- site, O2- is bonded in a bent 150 degrees geometry to two Si4+ atoms.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2020

Materials Data on Si17NO34 by Materials Project

(SiO2)34N2 is beta Tridymite-derived structured and crystallizes in the cubic Fd-3m space group. The structure is three-dimensional and consists of eight ammonia molecules and one SiO2 framework. In the SiO2 framework, there are three inequivalent Si sites. In the first Si site, Si is bonded to four equivalent O atoms to form corner-sharing SiO4 tetrahedra. All Si–O bond lengths are 1.59 Å. In the second Si site, Si is bonded to four O atoms to form corner-sharing SiO4 tetrahedra. There is one shorter (1.60 Å) and three longer (1.61 Å) Si–O bond length. In the third Si site, Si is bonded to four O atoms to form corner-sharing SiO4 tetrahedra. There are a spread of Si–O bond distances ranging from 1.61–1.63 Å. There are four inequivalent O sites. In the first O site, O is bonded in a linear geometry to two equivalent Si atoms. In the second O site, O is bonded in a linear geometry to two Si atoms. In the third O site, O is bonded in a linear geometry to two Si atoms. In the fourth O site, O is bonded in a linear geometry to two equivalent Si atoms.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2020

Coated U3Si2 pellets with enhanced water and steam oxidation resistance

A method of forming a water resistant boundary on a fissile material for use in a water cooled nuclear reactor is described. The method comprises coating the fissile material, such as a pellet of U3Si2 and/or the grain boundaries, to a desired thickness with a suitable coating material, such as atomic layer deposition or a thermal spray process. The coating material may be any non-reactive material with a solubility at least as low as that of UO2. Exemplary coating materials include ZrSiO4, FeCrAl, Cr, Zr, Al—Cr, CrAl, ZrO2, CeO2, TiO2, SiO2, UO2, ZrB2, Na2O—B2O3—SiO2—Al2O3 glass, Al2O3, Cr2O3, carbon, and SiC, and combinations thereof. The water resistant layer may be overlayed with a burnable absorber layer, such as ZrB2 or B2O3—SiO2 glass.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
DOE OSTI2021

Study of the crystal structure of SnS thin films by atomic layer deposition

Tin monosulfide, SnS, absorbs visible light and holds promise for thin-film photovoltaics. However, the optoelectronic properties of this material vary among the different structural phases, and control over the phase of vapor deposited SnS thin films is not well understood. In order to study the phases and crystallographic orientations of SnS films, films with thicknesses of 90 nm–750nm were prepared by atomic layer deposition (ALD) at temperatures between 80 °C and 200 °C on amorphous silicon dioxide (a-SiO2) and single-crystal sodium chloride (NaCl). We show that the crystal structures and orientations of the ALD-SnS thin films vary with deposition temperature, film thickness, and substrate. We confirm the presence of metastable cubic π-SnS in co-existence with the thermodynamically stable orthorhombic α-SnS and find that the π phase is more prevalent at lower deposition temperatures. The films grown on a-SiO2 are textured, the degree of texturing increases with lower temperature or higher thickness, and the deposited phase is also thickness dependent. Upon annealing, which is known to promote SnS grain growth, all films revert to orthorhombic α-SnS. The films grown on the NaCl(100) substrate exhibit a much higher degree of texturing and show different preferred orientations dependent on the phase: π-(400) and α-(111) or α-(040). In addition, we demonstrate a proof-of-concept device made from the highly oriented SnS grown on NaCl.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2026

Quadratic magnetoresistance across the insulator–metal transition in V4O7 thin films

We present a comparative magnetotransport study of V4O7 thin films grown simultaneously on single-crystal Al2O3 (r-cut) and amorphous SiO2 substrates, to examine substrate-induced effects on electronic transport across the insulator–metal transition (IMT). Temperature-dependent resistivity reveals a broad electronic ordering regime below the IMT, with both films exhibiting similar transition temperatures but differing by nearly an order of magnitude in absolute resistivity. Despite this strong substrate dependence of the resistivity scale, the magnetoresistance remains predominantly quadratic in magnetic field over wide temperature intervals for both substrates. Analysis of the quadratic magnetoresistance defines an effective mobility scale that evolves systematically across the IMT and exhibits a similar temperature dependence for the two films. Structural characterization, including atomic-resolution scanning transmission electron microscopy of the V4O7/Al2O3 interface and azimuthal X-ray diffraction measurements, reveals a sharp interface and well-defined in-plane crystallographic registry for the r-cut film, in contrast to the rotationally averaged in-plane structure expected for films grown on amorphous SiO2. These results indicate that while substrate-controlled structural registry modifies the resistivity scale, the quadratic magnetotransport response across the IMT remains largely robust, providing a consistent diagnostic of electronic transport in V4O7 thin films.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2026

Enhanced coercivity in Fe5C2/SiO2 core/shell nanocrystals

Rod-shaped Fe5C2 and core/shell Fe5C2/SiO2 nanocrystals were synthesized via a solution-based chemical method. Structural analysis confirmed the monoclinic phase of Fe5C2 with space group C2/c. Zero-field-cooling (ZFC) and field-cooling (FC) magnetization curves revealed distinct magnetic behaviors: uncoated Fe5C2 exhibited a low-temperature FC plateau indicative of strong dipolar interactions, while Fe5C2/SiO2 showed a monotonic increase in FC magnetization, suggesting reduced dipolar interactions due to SiO2 surface passivation. Isothermal remanent magnetization (IRM) and DC demagnetization (DCD) measurements supported this trend, with δM plots confirming weaker dipolar interactions in the coated sample. Bloch’s law fitting of temperature-dependent saturation magnetization showed a smaller Bloch’s constant for pure Fe5C2 and a larger value for Fe5C2/SiO2, reflecting enhanced surface disorder and reduced exchange coupling in the latter. Notably, Fe5C2/SiO2 demonstrated increased coercivity, attributed to decreased dipolar interaction and elevated surface anisotropy. Kneller’s law fitting yielded higher blocking temperatures for Fe5C2 (476 K) than Fe5C2/SiO2 (456 K), highlighting the impact of dipolar interactions on magnetic relaxation. These findings illustrate how SiO2 coatings effectively modulate dipolar interactions and enhance coercivity in Fe5C2 nanocrystals.

Joshi, Pramanand [Department of Physics, Universit↗
DOE OSTI2022

NOMAD total scattering dataset for SMC data challenge

The data provided for this challenge was measured using the Nanoscale-Ordered Materials Diffractometer (NOMAD) at the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The data is stored in a hdf5 file following the NeXus standard and can be read with tools built for either. While the NeXus format is self-describing, there is benefit to explaining some details. The data is stored in 4 NXentries in the file. The NXentries that begin with 'amorphous_SiO2' are for the amorphous data, and the NXentries that begin with 'crystalbolite_SiO2' are for the crystalline material. Solutions that were produced by the scientist are in the entries that end with '_byhand'. Each of the NXdata groups are the plottable data with the 'signal', axes, and (in the case of by-hand components) 'auxiliary_signals' describing which fields should be used. The by-hand component ranges are listed in a 'component' attribute of the various signals. The filtered Sr data is the Fourier transform of the combined components. The data can be quickly viewed using tools such as Nexpy or HDFview. Most languages have libraries that can work with HDF5 (eg. H5py for python) a partial list is provided at https://manual.nexusformat.org/utilities.html The data can be quickly viewed using tools such as Nexpy or HDFview. https://neutrons.ornl.gov/nomad https://www.hdfgroup.org/solutions/hdf5 https://www.nexusformat.org/

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2025

AUTOIGNITION DELAY TIMES FOR REFORMATE GAS MIXTURES FROM METHANE GAS ENGINES

Methane slip is a prominent issue in natural gas reciprocating engines that are used in transportation and marine applications. The incomplete combustion that results in methane slip can be resolved with the introduction of hydrogen within the combustion mixture to improve methane oxidation and further enable combustion within the engine crevices where methane has previously remained unreacted. Steam methane reforming (SMR) is a common method used to produce hydrogen and can be used to design an onboard device to reduce methane slip from reciprocating engines. The development of this reformer device requires the validation of high-fidelity chemical kinetic models at the low temperatures of the crevice volumes of these engines. In this work, auto-ignition data is obtained using a shock tube at lean (φ—0.714 or λ—1.4) and stoichiometric (φ, λ = 1) equivalence ratios spanning a temperature range of 1042–1234 K at the 80-bar operating pressure of the test engine. Blends of methane, hydrogen, and reformate products from the SMR reaction are shock-heated in synthetic air, with the ignition delay time measured using an OH* chemiluminescence detector at 310 nm and a CH* detector at 430 nm. The experimental results are compared to several state-of-the-art chemical kinetic mechanisms from the literature. In general, most of the mechanisms show very good agreement with experiments at higher temperatures, with simulation results showing little deviation from experiments at lower temperatures. A sensitivity analysis was conducted, and the results reveal that the reaction H2 + CH3O2 = H + CH3O2H has a very significant role in determining low-temperature ignition delay times (IDTs) of SMR mixtures. These findings provide valuable insights into the chemical kinetics governing methane reformate combustion and contribute to the optimization of onboard reformer designs aimed at mitigating methane slip in natural gas-fueled engines.

Fraze, Matthew↗
DOE OSTI2024

Alpha-Quartz Plastic Strength Investigation Via Diffraction Experiments on Novaculite Using A D-Dia and Elastic Plastic Self- Consistent Interpretation [Thesis}

X-Ray Tomography. Porosity is commonly measured using mercury injection (MI) or water immersion porosimeter (WIP). Both MI and WIP utilize pressure to fill open voids with mercury or water respectively. A measure of the volume change of the sample is then used to estimate the percentage of open voids. However, for the purpose of rheological study it is important to get an accurate measure of open and closed voids. X-ray tomography has been selected as it offers a three-dimensional view into the sample that can quantify all pores limited only by the voxel size which is in the micron range for this study. Radiographs for tomography were collected at the Material Science and Technology Division at Los Alamos National Lab using the Carl Zeiss Xradio 520 instrument and Scout-and-Scan version 16.1 operating software. Two samples were imaged, the starting material and the deformed sample SiO2_65. 3001 radiographs were taken of the starting material with a 6 second exposure time using a 4x objective lens. The x-ray beam was set to 60 kilovoltage peak (kVp) and 5 watts. 1901 radiographs were taken of SiO2_65 with a 25 second exposure time using a 10x objective lens. The x-ray beam was set to 80 kVp and 7 watts. Radiograph files were analyzed by Brian Patterson using Avizo. Void and inclusion volumes were output by voxel sized (1.03 μm) slices, used to calculate a total percentage volume for the starting material.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2024

Development of Manganese and Iron Mixed Metal Oxides for Thermochemical Energy Storage

Energy storage plays an essential role for sustainable and renewable energy use in an effort to reduce carbon emissions. Thermochemical energy storage (TCES) is a favorable alternative to fossil fuel energy systems and a promising solution to the intermittency problem of renewable energy sources (such as solar energy). TCES stores energy in the form of chemical bonds using reversible redox reactions (such as manganese metal oxides). This study developed manganese oxide (Mn2O3) and iron oxide (Fe2O3) with an inert dispersant of silicon dioxide (SiO2) (Mn-Fe-Si) for potential large scale energy storage application. These metal oxides are nontoxic, cheap, and relatively abundant. The materials were prepared with varying metal oxide content using physical mixing in a ball mill, pressure pelletization and calcination at different temperatures. Redox cycle tests were conducted using differential scanning calorimetry combined with thermogravimetric analysis (TGA-DSC). The Mn-Fe-Si materials had higher cyclability and energy release compared to the pure metal oxides and manganese oxide with SiO2. The calcination temperature had a significant effect on releasable energy due to the interactions between the oxides. The Mn-Fe-Si mixture calcined at high temperature (1000oC) showed the highest average energy storage density.

Wilkinson, Olivia↗
DOE OSTI2021

Composition and Pressure Effects on Partitioning of Ferrous Iron in Iron-Rich Lower Mantle Heterogeneities

Both seismic observations of dense low shear velocity regions and models of magma ocean crystallization and mantle dynamics support enrichment of iron in Earth’s lowermost mantle. Physical properties of iron-rich lower mantle heterogeneities in the modern Earth depend on distribution of iron between coexisting lower mantle phases (Mg,Fe)O magnesiowüstite, (Mg,Fe)SiO3 bridgmanite, and (Mg,Fe)SiO3 post-perovskite. The partitioning of iron between these phases was investigated in synthetic ferrous-iron-rich olivine compositions (Mg0.55Fe0.45)2SiO4 and (Mg0.28Fe0.72)2SiO4 at lower mantle conditions ranging from 33–128 GPa and 1900–3000 K in the laser-heated diamond anvil cell. The resulting phase assemblages were characterized by a combination of in situ X-ray diffraction and ex situ transmission electron microscopy. The exchange coefficient between bridgmanite and magnesiowüstite decreases with pressure and bulk Fe# and increases with temperature. Thermodynamic modeling determines that incorporation and partitioning of iron in bridgmanite are explained well by excess volume associated with Mg-Fe exchange. Partitioning results are used to model compositions and densities of mantle phase assemblages as a function of pressure, FeO-content and SiO2-content. Unlike average mantle compositions, iron-rich compositions in the mantle exhibit negative dependence of density on SiO2-content at all mantle depths, an important finding for interpretation of deep lower mantle structures.

Dorfman, Susannah M. (ORCID:0000000239689592)↗