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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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23 records · Page 2

Evaluation of methods for characterizing the fine particulate matter emissions from aircraft and other diffusion flame combustion aerosol sources

The U. S. Environmental Protection Agency in collaboration with the U. S. Air Force Arnold Engineering Development Complex conducted the VAriable Response In Aircraft nvPM Testing (VARIAnT) 3 and 4 test campaigns to compare nvPM emissions measurements from a variety of diffusion flame combustion aerosol sources (DFCASs), including a Cummins diesel engine, a diesel powered generator, two gas turbine start carts, a J85-GE-5 turbojet engine burning multiple fuels, and a Mini-CAST soot generator. The VARIAnT research program has conducted four test campaigns to date with the VARIAnT 3 and 4 test campaigns focusing on BC mass instrument performance, use of gas turbine engine sources for BC mass instrument calibration, and the characterization of the aerosols produced from the combustion sources. Results from both campaigns revealed agreement of about 20% between the AVL Micro-Soot Sensor, the Cavity Attenuated Phase Shift (CAPS PMSSA) monitor and the thermal-optical reference method for elemental carbon (EC), independent of the calibration source used. For the Artium LII-300, the measured mass concentrations in VARIAnT3 fall within 18% and in VARIAnT4 fall within 32% of the reference EC mass concentration when calibrated on a combustor rig in VARIAnT3 and on a LGT-60 start cart in VARIAnT4, respectively. It was also found that the three mass instrument types (MSS, CAPS PMSSA, and LII-300) can exhibit different BC to reference EC ratios depending on the emission source that appear to correlate to particle geometric mean mobility diameter, morphology, or some other parameter associated with particle geometric mean diameter (GMD) with the LII-300 showing a slightly stronger apparent trend with GMD. Systematic differences in LII-300 measured mass concentrations have been reduced by calibrating with a turbine combustion source (combustor or turbine engine). With respect to the particle size measurements made, the sizing instruments (TSI SMPS, TSI EEPS, and Cambustion DMS 500) were found to be in general agreement in terms of size distributions and concentrations with some exceptions. Teflon filter measurements of the total aerosol mass produced by the various DFCASs differed from the reference EC, BC, and integrated particle sized distribution measured aerosol masses. The Teflon filter measured mass was 30 to 40% greater than the reference EC and 50 to 60% greater than the BC mass for the J85 in both test campaigns. The measurements of particle size distributions and single particle analysis by miniSPLAT indicated the presence of large particles (>100 nm) having more compact morphologies, higher effective density, and a composition dominated by OC and ash. This increased large particle fraction is also associated with higher values of single scattering albedo measured by the CAPS PMSSA instrument and higher OC/EC measurements. These measurements indicate gas turbine engine emissions can be a more heterogeneous mix of particle types beyond the original E31 assumption that it is mainly composed of black carbon.

33 ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS↗

Resonance-Enhanced Excitation of Interlayer Vibrations in Atomically Thin Black Phosphorus

The strength of interlayer coupling critically affects the physical properties of 2D materials such as black phosphorus (BP), where the electronic structure depends sensitively on layer thickness. Rigid-layer vibrations reflect directly the interlayer coupling strength in 2D van der Waals solids, but measurement of these characteristic frequencies is made difficult by sample instability and small Raman scattering cross sections in atomically thin elemental crystals. Here, we overcome these challenges in BP by performing resonance-enhanced low-frequency Raman scattering under an argon-protective environment. Interlayer breathing modes for atomically thin BP were previously unobservable under conventional (nonresonant) excitation but became strongly enhanced when the excitation energy matched the sub-band electronic transitions of few-layer BP, down to bilayer thicknesses. The measured out-of-plane interlayer force constant was found to be 10.1 × 10 19 N/m 3 in BP, which is comparable to graphene. Accurate characterization of the interlayer coupling strength lays the foundation for future exploration of BP twisted structures and heterostructures.

interlayer interaction↗

Intrinsic 1${T}^{{\prime} }$ phase induced in atomically thin 2 H -MoTe 2 by a single terahertz pulse

The polymorphic transition from 2H to 1${T}^{{\prime} }$-MoTe 2 , which was thought to be induced by high-energy photon irradiation among many other means, has been intensely studied for its technological relevance in nanoscale transistors due to the remarkable improvement in electrical performance. However, it remains controversial whether a crystalline 1${T}^{{\prime} }$ phase is produced because optical signatures of this putative transition are found to be associated with the formation of tellurium clusters instead. Here we demonstrate the creation of an intrinsic 1${T}^{{\prime} }$ lattice after irradiating a mono- or few-layer 2H-MoTe 2 with a single field-enhanced terahertz pulse. Unlike optical pulses, the low terahertz photon energy limits possible structural damages. We further develop a single-shot terahertz-pump-second-harmonic-probe technique and reveal a transition out of the 2H-phase within 10 ns after photoexcitation. Our results not only provide important insights to resolve the long-standing debate over the light-induced polymorphic transition in MoTe 2 but also highlight the unique capability of strong-field terahertz pulses in manipulating quantum materials.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Structure, substrate binding and activity of a unique AAA+ protein: the BrxL phage restriction factor

Abstract Bacteriophage exclusion (‘BREX’) systems are multi-protein complexes encoded by a variety of bacteria and archaea that restrict phage by an unknown mechanism. One BREX factor, termed BrxL, has been noted to display sequence similarity to various AAA+ protein factors including Lon protease. In this study we describe multiple CryoEM structures of BrxL that demonstrate it to be a chambered, ATP-dependent DNA binding protein. The largest BrxL assemblage corresponds to a dimer of heptamers in the absence of bound DNA, versus a dimer of hexamers when DNA is bound in its central pore. The protein displays DNA-dependent ATPase activity, and ATP binding promotes assembly of the complex on DNA. Point mutations within several regions of the protein-DNA complex alter one or more in vitro behaviors and activities, including ATPase activity and ATP-dependent association with DNA. However, only the disruption of the ATPase active site fully eliminates phage restriction, indicating that other mutations can still complement BrxL function within the context of an otherwise intact BREX system. BrxL displays significant structural homology to MCM subunits (the replicative helicase in archaea and eukaryotes), implying that it and other BREX factors may collaborate to disrupt initiation of phage DNA replication.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗