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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 37 records · Page 2
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2018

Formation mechanisms of boron oxide films fabricated by large-area electron beam-induced deposition of trimethyl borate [Formation Mechanisms of Boron Oxide Fillms Fabricated by Large Area Electron Beam-Induced Deposition of Trimethyl Borate]

Boron-containing materials are increasingly drawing interest for the use in electronics, optics, laser targets, neutron absorbers, and high-temperature and chemically resistant ceramics. In this article, the first investigation into the deposition of boron-based material via electron beam-induced deposition (EBID) is reported. Thin films were deposited using a novel, large-area EBID system that is shown to deposit material at rates comparable to conventional techniques such as laser-induced chemical vapor deposition. The deposition rate and stoichiometry of boron oxide fabricated by EBID using trimethyl borate (TMB) as precursor is found to be critically dependent on the substrate temperature. By comparing the deposition mechanisms of TMB to the conventional, alkoxide-based precursor tetraethyl orthosilicate it is revealed that ligand chemistry does not precisely predict the pathways leading to deposition of material via EBID. Lastly, the results demonstrate the first boron-containing material deposited by the EBID process and the potential for EBID as a scalable fabrication technique that could have a transformative effect on the athermal deposition of materials.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
NASA NTRS1998

Isotopic Enrichment of Boron in the Sputtering of Boron Nitride with Xenon Ions

An experimental study is described to measure the isotopic enrichment of boron. Xenon ions from 100 eV to 1.5 keV were used to sputter a boron nitride target. An ion gun was used to generate the ion beam. The ion current density at the target surface was approximately 30 microA/sq cm. Xenon ions impinged on the target surface at 50 deg angle to the surface normal. Since boron nitride is an insulator, a flood electron gun was used in our experiments to neutralize the positive charge buildup on the target surface. The sputtered secondary ions of boron were detected by a quadrupole mass spectrometer. The spectrometer entrance aperture was located perpendicular to the ion beam direction and 10 mm away from the target surface. The secondary ion flux was observed to be enriched in the heavy isotopes at lower ion energies. The proportion of heavy isotopes in the sputtered secondary ion flux was found to decrease with increasing primary ion energy from 100 to 350 eV. Beyond 350 eV, light isotopes were sputtered preferentially. The light isotope enrichment factor was observed to reach an asymptotic value of 1.27 at 1.5 keV. This trend is similar to that of the isotopic enrichment observed earlier when copper was sputtered with xenon ions in the same energy range.

Ray, P. K.↗
DOE OSTI2022

Boron injection system for controlling a nuclear reaction by delivering boron into a containment vessel

A nuclear power system includes a reactor vessel that includes a reactor core mounted within a volume of the reactor vessel. The reactor core includes one or more nuclear fuel assemblies configured to generate a nuclear fission reaction. The nuclear power system further includes a containment vessel sized to enclose the reactor vessel such that an open volume is defined between the containment vessel and the reactor vessel. A boron injection system is positioned in the open volume of the containment vessel and includes an amount of boron sufficient to stop the nuclear fission reaction or maintain the nuclear fission reaction at a sub-critical state. The boron injection system is positioned to deliver the amount of boron into the open volume.

Linik, Larry↗
DOE OSTI2023

Boron adsorption in clay minerals: Implications for martian groundwater chemistry and boron on Mars

Boron has been detected on Mars in calcium-sulfate veins found within clay mineral rich rocks on Mars by the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) Curiosity rover using Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) analysis. Borates play a vital role in stabilizing ribose on Earth and has been suggested as a key requirement for life. Borate ions readily adsorb to phyllosilicate clay minerals. The discovery of boron on Mars in proximity to phyllosilicate-bearing bedrock may have strong implications for potential past prebiotic conditions on Mars. In this study we generated a suite of clay minerals with adsorbed borate, including both typical terrestrial clay minerals (montmorillonite) and Mars-analog clay minerals (nontronite, saponite, griffithite), to understand controls on borate adsorption and to analyze with LIBS to compare with MSL data. Clay minerals were subjected to mineralogical and chemical analysis before and after adsorption. Adsorption analysis revealed that the Mars analog clay minerals adsorbed less boron than terrestrial counterparts, but within comparable amounts to those detected on Mars and in meteorites. Post-adsorption analysis by X-ray diffraction (XRD) revealed slight changes in the interlayer spacing of many of the clay minerals. Based on the adsorption analysis of the Mars-analog clay minerals, phyllosilicate-bearing bedrock in Gale crater may contain up to 90-110 ppm B. A series of borate-enriched samples were created for analysis of LIBS spectra from ChemCam on the Curiosity rover and SuperCam on the Perseverance Rover. Finally, the results of this study may provide insight into martian groundwater geochemistry processes and the mobility of a key molecule connected with life.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2021

Identifying Boron Active Sites for the Oxidative Dehydrogenation of Propane

Oxidative dehydrogenation of propane (ODHP) to propylene could have a significant impact on the production of this critical chemical intermediate, if appropriate catalysts can be discovered. Recently, heterogeneous catalysts based on boron (oxides and nitrides) have been demonstrated to be promising for ODHP, but their active sites have not been conclusively identified. Here, we report that the deposition of differently sized boronic acids into the micropores of silica supports results in different distributions of surface borate species after calcination. Furthermore, these materials, in turn, display a wide range of rates in ODHP but similar selectivity, suggesting that they differ only in the numbers of active sites. Features identified by in situ Raman, IR, and magic-angle-spinning 11 B solid-state NMR spectroscopies are compared to catalyst activity. This correlation identifies the S2 borate species, a hydroxylated nonring boron, as the likely active site and provides a target for directed syntheses of future catalysts.

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

Effect of Solute Elements on Boron Segregation in Boron-Containing Steels

The addition of boron to steel alloys results in an increase in both hardenability and casting defects. The casting difficulties are predicted to stem from a metatectic reaction, δ + γ → L + γ, where a fully solidified material begins to locally remelt as the temperature decreases. Another possible source of casting defects is a boride-rich phase that is predicted to remain liquid at low temperatures. To experimentally determine which reaction is the likely source of the casting defects, the predicted reactions and the effect of solute elements on those reactions are investigated. Levitation zone melting is used to control segregation in a ternary Fe–C–B alloy and a commercial 22MnB5 alloy. Carbon segregation and a peritectic reaction result in a peritectic jump during directional solidification where the first directionally solidified (DS) zone undergoes δ-bcc solidification followed by a peritectic jump to steady state planar solidification of γ-fcc in the second DS zone. The presence of other solute elements in the zone melted 22MnB5 alloy lead to a breakdown in the planar solidification front before steady state solidification could be achieved in the second DS zone. With a cellular solid/liquid interface, boron-rich intercellular liquid formed low melting iron boro-carbide particles. The controlled solidification conditions in a levitation zone melter were unable to prevent ~0.003 wt% boron from segregating to high enough levels to form boride particles. Therefore, it is likely that during commercial casting, the formation of the low melting boride phase from interdendritic segregation is a key source of the casting issues.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2018

Serendipity in Catalysis Research: Boron-Based Materials for Alkane Oxidative Dehydrogenation

In this Account, we will first present our initial discovery of boron nitride (BN) as an unexpected catalyst for the oxidative dehydrogenation of light alkanes. Beyond its surprising activity, BN also drew interest due to its low selectivity to carbon oxides. This observation made BN distinct from previously studied metal oxide catalysts for selective alkane oxidation. Here, we narrowed down its unique reactivity to the oxygen functionalization of the catalyst surface, particularly the formation of B–O species as probed by various spectroscopic techniques. In investigating the critical role of each of the structural elements during ODH, we discovered that not only BN but an entire class of boron-containing compounds are active and selective for the formation of propylene from propane.

03 NATURAL GAS↗
DOE OSTI2018

Simultaneous oxygen and boron trifluoride functionalization of hexagonal boron nitride: a designer cathode material for energy storage

Covalent functionalization is a way to tune the electrochemical properties of hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) monolayers. The wide bandgap insulator h-BN may become metallic conductor upon functionalization with strong oxidants, such as (fluorosulfonyl)oxy radicals (·OSO 2 F), as known since 1978 ( Bartlett et al in J Chem Soc Chem Commun 5:200, 1978), with electrical conductivity of 1.5 S/cm (Shen et al in J Solid State Chem 147:74, 1999) that greatly surpasses commercial cathode material Li x CoO 2 while retaining excellent ionic conductivity. Functionalized boron nitrides (FBN-s) have great potential for cathode applications in energy storage devices, for example, in solid-state batteries. While (fluorosulfonyl)oxy functionalization is unlikely to result in rechargeable cathodes, similarly to graphene fluoride (CF x ), some other FBN-s discussed here may do. In the present work, fluorene, oxygen and combined oxygen and boron trifluoride functionalizations are studied, on the basis of band structure calculations. Due to the open surfaces of FBN-s, fast ionic diffusion with Li, Na and Mg ions is possible, enabling batteries with voltages of 2.1–5.6 V, theoretical energy densities of 800–1200 Wh/kg and fast charge and discharge.

Chemistry↗
DOE OSTI2021

Stacking-engineered ferroelectricity in bilayer boron nitride

Stacking a ferroelectric Properties of layered van der Waals structures can depend sensitively on the stacking arrangement of constituent layers. This phenomenon has been exploited to engineer superconducting, correlated insulator, and magnetic states. Two groups now show that ferroelectricity can also be engineered through stacking: Parallel-stacked bilayers of hexagonal boron nitride exhibit ferroelectric switching even though the bulk material is not ferroelectric (see the Perspective by Tsymbal). To explore these phenomena, Yasuda et al. used transport measurements, whereas Vizner Stern et al. focused on atomic force microscopy. Science , abd3230 and abe8177, this issue p. 1458 and p. 1462 ; see also abi7296, p. 1389

Science & Technology - Other Topics↗
DOE OSTI2026

Subterahertz Spin Relaxation Dynamics of Boron-Vacancy Centers in Hexagonal Boron Nitride

Quantum sensors based on spin defects have become powerful tools for detecting faint magnetic signals, yet their operation remains confined to low magnetic fields and gigahertz frequencies. Extending such sensors into high-field (>0.3 T) and subterahertz regimes would enable quantum metrology across a wide range of electromagnetic phenomena and scientific applications, but has proven challenging. Here, we demonstrate that negatively charged boron vacancies ($V^−_B$) in hexagonal boron nitride can function as relaxation-based quantum sensors operating up to 0.2 terahertz and 7 T fields. Their uniform spin-orientation and persistent spin-contrast at high fields enable measurement of intrinsic spin relaxation across unexplored field regimes. We reveal a crossover in relaxation behavior, initially decreasing at low fields before rising at higher fields, consistent with the emergence of single-phonon-induced resonant noise at subterahertz frequencies. These results establish $V^−_B$ centers as a versatile platform for quantum sensing in the subterahertz, high-field regime.

boron-vacancies↗
DOE OSTI2019

From Highly Purified Boron Nitride to Boron Nitride-Based Heterostructures: An Inorganic Precursor-Based Strategy

The current approaches used to fabricate hexagonal boron nitrides (h-BN) from boron trioxide and urea always results in contamination of the h-BN product with carbon/oxygen. Thus, discovering a facile way of mass producing high-purity h-BN remains a challenge. A simple yet highly efficient thermal treatment approach to large-scale fabrication of nanoporous h-BN with high yield, high purity, and high crystallinity is described using NaNH 2 and NaBH 4 as the oxygen- and carbon-free precursors. The unique properties of inorganic metal salts, i.e., high melting point and strong electrostatic interaction with carbon substrates, render this strategy suitable for the production of homogeneous h-BN/mesoporous carbon and h-BN/carbon nanotube heterostructures of high crystallinity, high h-BN dispersity, and with a strong interfacial effect. Therefore, these unique features make them promising candidates for supercapacitor applications, resulting a significantly enhanced specific capacitance. This study provides new insight into the fabrication of high-purity h-BN and h-BN-based heterostructures thus expanding their application in the field of energy storage and transformation.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2020

Recent Advances in the Understanding of Boron-Containing Catalysts for the Selective Oxidation of Alkanes to Olefins

The production of ethylene and propylene through aerobic alkane oxidation without significant coproduction of CO and CO 2 (CO x ) presents a challenge to academic and industrial researchers alike. Recently, boron-containing materials such as hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) have been identified as active and selective catalysts for the oxidative dehydrogenation (ODH) of propane to propylene with minimal CO x selectivity. Additionally, high olefin selectivity is also obtained in the oxidation of other alkanes and other materials such as metal borides and supported B/SiO 2 have been successfully applied to this transformation. Here, recent advances in the understanding of these catalysts in the oxidation of light alkanes are presented here providing a framework for further study of this exciting field.

03 NATURAL GAS↗
DOE OSTI2019

Insights into Boron-Based Polyanion-Tuned High-Nickel Cathodes for High-Energy-Density Lithium-Ion Batteries

Ultrahigh-Ni layered oxide cathodes (Ni content > 90%) are at the forefront for potentially enabling higher-energy density lithium-ion batteries. Unfortunately, they suffer from rapid capacity fade, poor thermal stability, and increased air sensitivity. Introduction of boron-based polyanion into layered cathodes has been found to be effective in stabilizing high-Ni cathodes, but the mechanism behind it is not yet fully understood. To develop a better understanding, we present here an extensive characterization of the ultrahigh-Ni cathode LiNi 0.94 Co 0.06 O 2 (NC) and B 2 O 3 -LiNi 0.94 Co 0.06 O 2 (B-NC). The B-NC delivers a capacity of 223 mA h g -1 with 80% capacity retention after 400 cycles in full cells with graphite anodes, superior to 61% retention for NC. In-depth interphase investigations reveal that the improved cyclability is attributed to the development of a well-passivated boron/phosphorus-rich cathode-electrolyte interphase in B-NC. Moreover, B-NC demonstrates a considerably enhanced air-exposure and thermal stability. A 30-day air-stored B-NC delivers a discharge capacity of 125 mA h g -1 at 10C rate, in sharp contrast to 65 mA h g -1 for the stored NC. Finally, this work advances the understanding of the effect boron-based polyanion insertion into layered oxides has on battery performance and offers a viable strategy for developing practically viable ultra-high-Ni cathodes with high-energy density.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗