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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 343 records · Page 19
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Low-Temperature Formation of Carbonaceous Grains from PAHs

Astronomical observations have detected interstellar carbon in the form of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons(PAHs) as well as carbonaceous dust, confirming its presence in both gaseous and solid phases. The goal of this study is to experimentally investigate low-temperature chemical pathways between these two phases in order to better understand the evolution of cosmic carbon. Cosmic dust analogs are produced in the supersonic expansion of an argon jet seeded with aromatic molecules: benzene, naphthalene, anthracene, phenanthrene, and pyrene. These are prototype aromatic molecules of compact and non compact structure, and are used to evaluate the effect of precursor structure on the molecular complexity of the resulting grains. The seeded jet is exposed to an electrical discharge and the carbonaceous grains are collected and probed ex situ via laser desorption mass spectrometry. Mass spectra reveal a rich molecular diversity within the grains, including fragments of the parent molecule but also growth into larger complex organic molecules (COMs). In all experiments, the largest number of products is found in the m/z range 200-250, and C16H10 (attributed to pyrene and/or its isomers) is found to be a dominant product, pointing at the formation of this stable PAH as a preferential route in the growth to larger PAHs. Comparison to mass spectra from the Murchison meteorite reveals a similar dominance of compounds related toC16H10 at m/z = 202. Evidence of the methyl addition-cyclization mechanism in the anthracene experiment is reported. PAH structure is found to impact the dust production yield, as seen by the greater yield for the anthracene compared to the phenanthrene experiment. PAH growth at low temperatures via barrierless routes involving the addition of alkyl- and phenyl-type radicals is suggested as a viable pathway to COMs. These results suggest that PAH growth and dust formation from PAHs are feasible at low temperatures in photon-dominated regions and circumstellar envelopes.

L Gavilan↗
DOE OSTI2025

Low-Temperature Processing of Pyrolysis Bio-Oil for Sustainable Biographite Production

Catalytic graphitization of pyrolysis bio-oil with iron (Fe) can produce an anode material for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) at a moderate temperature. The key challenge to scaling up the process is foaming, which occurs due to the oxidation of Fe by the organic acids present in bio-oil. This study explored five different pathways to control foaming in bio-oil upon Fe addition, including (i) defoamers use, (ii) use of iron oxide (Fe2O3) as graphitization catalyst, (iii) pH adjustment of bio-oil, (iv) bio-oil coking (300-500 degrees C), and (v) low-temperature pretreatment of bio-oil (150-200 degrees C). The low-temperature pretreatment successfully avoided foaming by removing the volatile acids in bio-oil. The bio-oil was solidified and powdered for even mixing with the Fe catalyst. The biographite catalytically prepared at 1500 degrees C following this pathway demonstrated nearly theoretical specific gravimetric capacity (~370 mAh/g), high initial Coulombic efficiency (90.03%), and minimal capacity fading after 50 cycles in LIB half-cells. The low-temperature pretreatment pathway also addressed the viscosity, swelling, and aging issues associated with bio-oil processing and will make scale-up endeavors more attainable.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗
DOE OSTI2022

Isoxazole-Based Electrolytes for Lithium Metal Protection and Lithium-Sulfurized Polyacrylonitrile (SPAN) Battery Operating at Low Temperature

A new electrolyte system using isoxazole as the salt dissolving solvent has been developed and studied for lithium metal batteries. By using fluoroethylene carbonate (FEC) as an additive and 1,1,2,2-tetrafluoroethyl-2,2,3,3-tetrafluoropropyl ether (TTE) as a diluent for localized high concentration electrolyte (LHCE), isoxazole-based electrolytes were successfully implemented in lithium metal batteries, demonstrating excellent lithium metal protection capability. Utilizing several advanced characterization techniques (including synchrotron-based X-ray absorption spectroscopy and photoelectron spectroscopy), the solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) formed on the Li-metal anode after employing these electrolytes was thoroughly investigated. The high ionic conductivity of isoxazole at low temperature and the low impedance of SEI formed in LHCE significantly improved the low-temperature performance of Li-sulfurized polyacrylonitrile (SPAN) batteries, delivering 273.8 mAh g −1 capacity at −30 °C with 99.85% capacity retention after 50 cycles.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2021

Technology Assessment on Low-Temperature Waste Heat Recovery in Industry

The purpose of this report is to discuss the magnitude of low-temperature waste heat available in the US manufacturing sector and to identify current and emerging low-temperature heat recovery technologies and equipment. The primary focus of the study is on the industries that produce the lowest-temperature waste heat: the chemical, primary metal, petroleum, nonmetallic mineral, fabricated metal, food, paper, and wood industries. In addition to identifying the waste streams, their characteristics, and currently available heat recovery technologies, the study also explored future research opportunities and economic barriers for recovery technology implementation. Special attention was given to applicable heat to power conversion technologies such as the organic Rankine cycle, thermoelectric conversion, and the supercritical CO 2 cycle. The study included investigations in research and new developments, including turbine and heat exchanger cost for waste heat to power systems, size, efficiency, and intermittency of waste heat streams.

30 DIRECT ENERGY CONVERSION↗
DOE OSTI2020

Raman studies of hydrogen trapped in As 4 O 6 ·2H 2 at high pressure and low temperature

In this work, Raman spectroscopic measurements of the arsenolite–hydrogen inclusion compound As 4 O 6 ·2H 2 were performed in diamond anvil cells at high pressure and variable temperature down to 80 K. The experimental results were complemented by ab initio molecular dynamics simulations and phonon calculations. Observation of three hydrogen vibrons in As 4 O 6 ·2H 2 is reported in the entire temperature and pressure range studied (up to 24 GPa). While the experiments performed with protium and deuterium at variable temperatures allowed for the assignment of two vibrons as Q 1 (1) and Q 1 (0) transitions of ortho and para spin isomers of hydrogen trapped in the inclusion compound, the origin of the third vibron could not be unequivocally established. Low-temperature spectra revealed that the lowest-frequency vibron is actually composed of two overlapping bands of A g and T 2g symmetries dominated by H 2 stretching modes as predicted by our previous density functional theory calculations. We observed low-frequency modes of As 4 O 6 ·2H 2 vibrations dominated by H 2 “librations,” which were missed in a previous study. A low-temperature fine structure was observed for the J = 0 → 2 and J = 1 → 3 manifolds of hydrogen trapped in As 4 O 6 ·2H 2 , indicating the lifting of degeneracy due to an anisotropic environment. A non-spherical distribution was captured by molecular dynamics simulations, which revealed that the trajectory of H 2 molecules is skewed along the crystallographic $\langle$111$\rangle$ direction. Last but not least, low-temperature synchrotron powder x-ray diffraction measurements on As 4 O 6 ·2H 2 revealed that the bulk structure of the compound is preserved down to 5 K at 1.6 GPa.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
NASA NTRS1968

Viscosity and density of methanol/water mixtures at low temperatures

Viscosity and density are measured at low temperatures for three methanol/water mixtures. Viscosity is determined by a modified falling cylinder method or a calibrated viscometer. Density is determined by the volume of each mixture contained in a calibrated glass cell placed in a constant-temperature bath.

Austin, J. G.↗