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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 OSTI2023

Entropic control of the free-energy landscape of an archetypal biomolecular machine

Biomolecular machines are complex macromolecular assemblies that utilize thermal and chemical energy to perform essential, multistep, cellular processes. Despite possessing different architectures and functions, an essential feature of the mechanisms of action of all such machines is that they require dynamic rearrangements of structural components. Surprisingly, biomolecular machines generally possess only a limited set of such motions, suggesting that these dynamics must be repurposed to drive different mechanistic steps. Although ligands that interact with these machines are known to drive such repurposing, the physical and structural mechanisms through which ligands achieve this remain unknown. Using temperature-dependent, single-molecule measurements analyzed with a time-resolution-enhancing algorithm, here, we dissect the free-energy landscape of an archetypal biomolecular machine, the bacterial ribosome, to reveal how its dynamics are repurposed to drive distinct steps during ribosome-catalyzed protein synthesis. Specifically, we show that the free-energy landscape of the ribosome encompasses a network of allosterically coupled structural elements that coordinates the motions of these elements. Moreover, we reveal that ribosomal ligands which participate in disparate steps of the protein synthesis pathway repurpose this network by differentially modulating the structural flexibility of the ribosomal complex (i.e., the entropic component of the free-energy landscape). Here, we propose that such ligand-dependent entropic control of free-energy landscapes has evolved as a general strategy through which ligands may regulate the functions of all biomolecular machines. Such entropic control is therefore an important driver in the evolution of naturally occurring biomolecular machines and a critical consideration for the design of synthetic molecular machines.

Science & Technology - Other Topics↗
DOE OSTI2022

The influence of molecular design on structure–property relationships of a supramolecular polymer prodrug

Supramolecular self-assemblies of hydrophilic macromolecules functionalized with hydrophobic, structure-directing components have long been used for drug delivery. In these systems, loading of poorly soluble compounds is typically achieved through physical encapsulation during or after formation of the supramolecular assembly, resulting in low encapsulation efficiencies and limited control over release kinetics, which are predominately governed by diffusion and carrier degradation. To overcome these limitations, amphiphilic prodrugs that leverage a hydrophobic drug as both the therapeutic and structure-directing component can be used to create supramolecular materials with higher loading and controlled-release kinetics using biodegradable or enzymatically cleavable linkers. Here, we report the design, synthesis, and characterization of a library of supramolecular polymer prodrugs based on poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) and the proregenerative drug 1,4-dihydrophenonthrolin-4-one-3-carboxylic acid (DPCA). Structure–property relationships were elucidated through experimental characterization of prodrug behavior in both the wet and dry states using scattering techniques and electron microscopy and corroborated by coarse-grained modeling. Molecular architecture and the hydrophobic-to-hydrophilic ratio of PEG–DPCA conjugates strongly influenced their physical state in water, ranging from fully soluble to supramolecular spherical assemblies and nanofibers. Molecular design and supramolecular structure, in turn, were shown to dramatically alter hydrolytic and enzymatic release and cellular transport of DPCA. In addition to potentially expanding therapeutic options for DPCA through control of supramolecular assemblies, the design principles elaborated here may inform the development of other supramolecular prodrugs based on hydrophobic small-molecule compounds.

77 NANOSCIENCE AND NANOTECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2022

A scalable and tunable thermoreversible polymer for 3D human pluripotent stem cell biomanufacturing

Human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) are an exciting and promising source to enable cell replacement therapies for a variety of unmet medical needs. Though hPSCs can be successfully derived into numerous physiologically relevant cell types, effective translation to the clinic is limited by challenges in scalable production of high-quality cells, cellular immaturity following the differentiation process, and the use of animal-derived components in culture. To address these limitations, we have developed a fully defined, reproducible, and tunable thermoreversible polymer for high-quality, scalable 3D cell production. Our reproducible synthesis method enables precise control of gelation temperature (24°C–32°C), hydrogel stiffness (100–4000 Pa), and the prevention of any unintended covalent crosslinking. After material optimization, we demonstrated hPSC expansion, pluripotency maintenance, and differentiation into numerous lineages within the hydrogel. Overall, this 3D thermoreversible hydrogel platform has broad applications in scalable, high-quality cell production to overcome the biomanufacturing burden of stem cell therapy.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2021

Solid-Binding Proteins: Bridging Synthesis, Assembly, and Function in Hybrid and Hierarchical Materials Fabrication

There is considerable interest in the development of hybrid organic–inorganic materials because of the potential for harvesting the unique capabilities that each system has to offer. Proteins are an especially attractive organic component owing to the high amount of chemical information encoded in their amino acid sequence, their amenability to molecular and computational (re)design, and the many structures and functions they specify. Genetic installation of solid-binding peptides (SBPs) within protein frameworks affords control over the position and orientation of adhesive and morphogenetic segments, and a path toward predictive synthesis and assembly of functional materials and devices, all while harnessing the built-in properties of the host scaffold. Furthermore, we review the current understanding of the mechanisms through which SBPs bind to technologically relevant interfaces, with an emphasis on the variables that influence the process, and highlight the last decade of progress in the use of solid-binding proteins for hybrid and hierarchical materials synthesis.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2024

Investigating the impact of donor atoms of single-source precursors on f-element nanomaterial formation and mechanisms of initial bond cleavage

Nanotechnology is advancing exponentially, with novel discoveries and applications emerging every day across various fields, including environmental remediation, biomedicine, electronics, and textiles. Nanoparticles (NPs) are defined as particles with sizes ranging from 1 to 100 nm, and their properties are influenced by factors such as composition, phase, size, and shape. Single-source precursors (SSPs) offer a promising method for controlling the synthesis of phase-pure nanoparticles with the desired stoichiometry and have been successfully applied to prepare transition metal and lanthanide NPs. SSPs are molecular compounds that contain all the necessary components to form the final nanomaterial and decompose under mild conditions, such as heating, to create the solid-state product. The objective of this work was to garner a mechanistic understanding of cerium oxide NP formation from cerium SSPs. To achieve these goals, first, ligands with oxygen and sulfur donor atoms were synthesized; among the array of ligands synthesized, some were novel. These ligands were then chelated to cerium ions to synthesize cerium precursors. Initially, known cerium alkoxide precursors were synthesized. Subsequently, these basic cerium complexes were further manipulated through acid-base protonolysis reactions to install a diverse set of ligands. Within this body of work, 10 novel cerium precursors were successfully synthesized. The ligands and the SSPs were analyzed using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and thermogravimetric analysis coupled with differential scanning calorimetry (TGA-DSC). These SSPs were then introduced to a collision-induced dissociation mass spectrometer (CID-MS), and their dissociation pathways were studied.

37 - INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL AND ANALYTICAL C↗
DOE OSTI2024

Embedded Fluidic Sensing and Control with Soft Open‐Cell Foams

Abstract The synthesis of soft matter intelligence with circuit‐driven logic has enabled a new class of robots that perform complex tasks or conform to specialized form factors in unique ways that cannot be realized through conventional designs. Translating this hybrid approach to fluidic systems, the present work addresses the need for sheet‐based circuit materials by leveraging the innate porosity of foam—a soft material—to develop pneumatic components that support digital logic, mixed‐signal control, and analog force sensing in wearables and soft robots. Analytical tools and experimental techniques developed in this work serve to elucidate compressible gas flow through porous sheets, and to inform the design of centimeter‐sized foam resistors with fluidic resistances on the order of 10 9 Pa s m −3 . When embedded inside soft robots and wearables, these resistors facilitate diverse functionalities spanning both sensing and control domains, including digital logic using textile logic gates, digital‐to‐analog signal conversion using ladder networks, and analog sensing of forces up to 40 N via compression‐induced changes in resistance. By combining features of both circuit‐based and materials‐based approaches, foam‐enabled fluidic circuits serve as a useful paradigm for future hybrid robotic architectures that fully embody the sensing and computing capabilities of soft fluidic materials.

Rajappan, Anoop↗
DOE OSTI2020

Fe-Exchanged Small-Pore Zeolites as Ammonia Selective Catalytic Reduction (NH 3 -SCR) Catalysts

Cu-exchanged small-pore zeolites have been extensively studied in the past decade as state-of-the-art selective catalytic reduction (SCR) catalysts for diesel engine exhaust NOx abatement for the transportation industry. During this time, Fe-exchanged small-pore zeolites, e.g., Fe/SSZ-13, Fe/SAPO-34, Fe/SSZ-39 and high-silica Fe/LTA, have also been investigated but much less extensively. In comparison to their Cu-exchanged counterparts, such Fe/zeolite catalysts display inferior low-temperature activities, but improved stability and high-temperature SCR selectivities. Such characteristics entitle these catalysts to be considered as key components of highly efficient emission control systems to improve the overall catalyst performance. In this short review, recent studies on Fe-exchanged small-pore zeolite SCR catalysts are summarized, including (1) the synthesis of small-pore Fe/zeolites; (2) nature of the SCR active Fe species in these catalysts as determined by experimental and theoretical approaches, including Fe species transformation during hydrothermal aging; (3) SCR reactions and structure-function correlations; and (4) a few aspects on industrial applications.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2024

Understanding and Tailoring Diffusion and Co-Adsorption Inside the Confined Pores of Metal-Organic Frameworks (Final Scientific/Technical Report for Award DE-SC0019902)

The aim of this program was to gain a fundamental understanding of the behavior of various guest molecules in nano-confined environments, such as metal organic frameworks (MOFs), using a combination of novel synthesis, ab initio modeling, and in situ characterization. Through this project, we developed a concise understanding of the mechanisms that control adsorption/desorption of gaseous molecules and their mixtures, leading to design/synthesis guidelines for MOFs with desired functionality. We further developed methods to disentangle kinetic from thermodynamic effects during adsorption, as well as to characterize the interactions at play. In the first funding cycle, the focus was on the unambiguously characterization of co-adsorption and diffusion of gasses/vapors and their mixtures. In the second funding cycle, the focus was on characterizing the effects of the nano-confinement on the kinetics and thermodynamics of adsorption processes inside MOFs, again with an emphasis on mixtures of gasses and vapors. The nano-confinement can tip the thermodynamic vs. kinetic balance, and current understanding and theory based on single-component analysis can lead to incorrect predictions for mixtures. This is of particular interest in real-world applications, where gasses/vapors are typically mixed, contain impurities, or are often exposed to humid conditions. Our main findings were: (i) within confined environments the adsorption behavior of mixed gasses/vapors can be drastically different from the “sum” of the corresponding single phases; (ii) co-adsorption is often competitive and detrimental to performance, but it can also be cooperative and beneficial; (iii) in some co-adsorbed gasses/vapors, molecules that are strongly bound in the single-component phase can be replaced by molecules that are nominally weaker bound (molecular exchange) due to guest-guest interactions that lower the kinetic barriers and favor the final adsorption state; (iv) kinetic and thermodynamic effects can be precisely controlled through pore-size engineering and synthesis; and, (v) kinetic effects can be identified and disentangled from thermodynamic effects during adsorption through a series of sequential and simultaneous gas loading measurements. The short-term goal of this program was the controlling and understanding of common MOF systems in real-world situations where gasses/vapors are mixed, which will have an important impact on industrial processes and applications from gas storage and sequestration to catalysis and sensors. The long-term goals include the development of theoretical and experimental methods for gaining a fundamental understanding of adsorption/reaction processes within MOFs, as well as new guidelines for synthesizing MOFs with tailored physical and chemical properties.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2023

Bioinspired mineralizing microenvironments generated by liquid-liquid phase coexistence

Biominerals such as bones, teeth and shells exhibit improved mechanical properties and intricate morphologies not seen in nonbiologically-produced minerals of ostensibly the same composition. These remarkable properties of biogenic minerals are thought to arise due to precise local control over the mineral deposition process, including organic and inorganic inclusions. Understanding how Biology controls the local reaction environment during formation of these materials to control their composition, structure, and properties is a grand challenge that promises to enable new routes to high-performance materials. This project developed multi-compartment bioinspired microreactors as artificial mineralizing vesicles, and used them to understand and control formation of inorganic/organic composite solid materials. A major emphasis was on developing all-aqueous emulsions in which each droplet was a structured microreactor with two or more adjacent phases. This approach provided local control over reaction environment including availability of inclusions such as polypeptides and metal ions, while being sufficiently simple to produce large populations of essentially identical multiphase reactor droplets simultaneously within a batch. Organic/inorganic composite materials could be produced with very high organic content that stabilized the inorganic portions as amorphous materials (e.g., amorphous calcium carbonate) by preventing the typical conversion to more thermodynamically crystalline forms (e.g., calcite). These stabilized amorphous composites could be stored indefinitely and converted to crystalline forms later by removal of the organic inclusions via, for example, heating. Compositional gradients in the organic and inorganic components were embedded during synthesis due to the evolution of the reaction microenvironment, and despite the complexity of this process it occurred similarly across the population of reactive droplets and was hence encoded into the population of resulting composite particles. The approach developed here allows pre-structuring of reactive microenvironments to control the spatiotemporal reaction environment, which is an important step towards rational design and on-demand production of complex functional materials with desired composition, optical properties, and mechanical response.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2023

Accelerated Synthesis of Ordered Mesoporous Carbons Using Plasma

Conventional ordered mesoporous carbon (OMC) production usually requires long processing times in the carbonization step to achieve desired temperatures through controlled ramps. To enable expedited materials discovery, developing advanced manufacturing capability with significantly improved throughput is highly desired. Current approaches for accelerating the synthesis of OMCs include using microwave and Joule heating. However, both methods rely on the introduction of additional components, such as microwave absorbers and electrically conductive agents, within the bulk materials to impart the ability to reach high carbonization temperatures. This work demonstrates accelerated synthesis and functionalization of OMCs through the use of a dielectric barrier discharge plasma, where carbonization can be accomplished within 15 min using 30 W plasma sources, representing more than an order of magnitude increase in polymer-to-carbon conversion kinetics compared to that of a traditionally pyrolyzed analogue. Particularly, the ability of performing rapid carbonization without the use of additional substrates within the OMC precursor systems is advantageous. A systematic investigation of how plasma power, time, and gas atmosphere impact the resulting OMC pore textures and properties is performed, demonstrating the broad applicability of plasma-enabled carbonization methods. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the plasma treatment strategy can be extended to incorporate heteroatoms into the carbon framework by introducing ammonia gas, resulting in OMCs with a nitrogen content up to 4.7 at %, as well as non-Pluronic templating systems for synthesizing OMC with pore sizes larger than 10 nm. As employing a plasma source for materials pyrolysis is an industrially relevant approach, our system can be extended toward scaled synthesis of OMCs with much faster production rates.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2023

Engineering Robust Metallic Zero-Mode States in Olympicene Graphene Nanoribbons

Metallic graphene nanoribbons (GNRs) represent a critical component in the toolbox of low-dimensional functional materials technology serving as 1D interconnects capable of both electronic and quantum information transport. The structural constraints imposed by on-surface bottom-up GNR synthesis protocols along with the limited control over orientation and sequence of asymmetric monomer building blocks during the radical step-growth polymerization have plagued the design and assembly of metallic GNRs. Here, we report the regioregular synthesis of GNRs hosting robust metallic states by embedding a symmetric zero-mode (ZM) superlattice along the backbone of a GNR. Tight-binding electronic structure models predict a strong nearest-neighbor electron hopping interaction between adjacent ZM states, resulting in a dispersive metallic band. First-principles density functional theory-local density approximation calculations confirm this prediction, and the robust, metallic ZM band of olympicene GNRs is experimentally corroborated by scanning tunneling spectroscopy.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2024

Nanoconfined Interfaces for Highly Selective Separation of Critical Rare Earth Elements

Industrial demand for rare earth elements (REEs) has surged over the past three decades due to their unique properties that support sustainable energy and new technologies. Separating individual REEs is challenging and hazardous, typically done through liquid-liquid extraction. There is an urgent need for environmentally friendly and efficient separation technologies for REEs. Porous materials offer promising advances for sustainable REE separation via ion-selective capture. We hypothesize that REE separation can be efficiently achieved in reactive nanopores, such as Zr(IV) and Cr(III) metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), through surface functionalization. By integrating material synthesis, interfacial chemistry experiments, theory, computation, and machine learning, we gained insights into the chemical factors controlling REE speciation and their competitive adsorption on MOFs. Our findings show that these materials’ selectivity can be tuned by surface functionalization. The machine learning component addressed ion-specific diffusion based on MOF topology and chemistry.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2024

Synthesis of Correct Digital Controller Models from Specifications by Model Transformation (21-0320)

The design of high consequence controllers (in weapons systems, autonomy, etc.) that do what they are supposed to do is a significant challenge. Testing simply does not come close to meeting the requirements for assurance. Today circuit designers at Sandia (and elsewhere) typically capture the core behavior of their components using state models in tools such as STATEFLOW. They then check that their models meet certain requirements (e.g. “The system bus must not deadlock” or “both traffic lights at an intersection must not be green at the same time”) using tools called model checkers. If the model checker returns “yes” then the property is guaranteed to be satisfied by the model. However, there are several drawbacks to this industry practice: (1) there is a lot of detail to get right, this is particularly challenging when there are multiple components requiring complex coordination (2) any errors returned by the model checker have to be traced back through the design and fixed, necessitating rework, (3) there are severe scalability problems with this approach, particularly when dealing with concurrency. All this places high demands on the designers who now face not only an accelerated schedule but also controllers of increasing complexity. This report describes a new and fundamentally different approach to the construction of safety-critical digital controllers. Instead of directly constructing a complete model and then trying to verify it, the designer can start with an initial abstract (think “sketch”) model plus the requirements, from which a correct concrete model is automatically synthesized. There is no need for post-hoc verification of required functional properties. Having tool to carry this out will significantly impact the nation’s ability to ensure the safety of high-consequence digital systems. The approach has been implemented in a prototype tool, along with a suite of examples, including ones that reflect actual problems faced by designers. Our approach operates on a variant of Statecharts developed at Sandia called Qspecs. Statecharts are a widely used formalism for developing concurrent reactive systems, supporting scalability through allowing state models containing composite states, which are the serial or parallel composition of substates which can themselves contain statecharts. Statecharts enable an incremental style of development, in which states are progressively refined to incorporate greater detail in an incremental model of software development. Our approach formulates a set of constraints from the structure of the models and the requirements and propagates these constraints to a fixpoint. The solution to the constraints is an inductive invariant along with guards on the transitions. We also show how our approach extends to implementation refinement, decomposition, composition, and elaboration. We currently handle safety requirements written in LTL (Linear Temporal Logic)

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2022

Coherent approach to two-dimensional heterolayered oxychalcogenides using molten hydroxides.

Heterolayered structures consist of two or more different types of layer and can exhibit exceptional physical properties. Rational routes to synthesize new members of such compounds are required because most of these compounds have been discovered unintentionally. So far there is no generic method to vertically stack chemically different layers to form two-dimensional compounds owing to a lack of understanding of the synthesis of these materials. Here we report the use of molten hydroxides as unconventional solutions for the rapid stacking of oxide and chalcogenide layers with precise composition control. In addition, the crystal growth of heterolayered phases can be achieved by the reaction of different components at their diffusion front in molten hydroxides. This approach creates conditions in which the building blocks for each heterolayer can coexist, enabling heterolayered structures and bypassing the challenges of traditional solid-state chemistry methods where short reactant diffusion lengths predominate. This crystal growth methodology for heterolayers is also applicable to systems that do not form congruent melts at high temperatures.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2021

Spin and Orbital Effects on Asymmetric Exchange Interaction in Polar Magnets: M(IO 3 ) 2 (M = Cu and Mn)

We report magnetic polar materials feature an astonishing range of physical properties, such as magnetoelectric coupling, chiral spin textures, and related new spin topology physics. This is primarily attributable to their lack of space inversion symmetry in conjunction with unpaired electrons, potentially facilitating an asymmetric Dzyaloshinskii–Moriya (DM) exchange interaction supported by spin–orbital and electron–lattice coupling. However, engineering the appropriate ensemble of coupled degrees of freedom necessary for enhanced DM exchange has remained elusive for polar magnets. Here, we study how spin and orbital components influence the capability of promoting the magnetic interaction by studying two magnetic polar materials, α-Cu(IO 3 ) 2 ( 2 D) and Mn(IO 3 ) 2 ( 6 S), and connecting their electronic and magnetic properties with their structures. The chemically controlled low-temperature synthesis of these complexes resulted in pure polycrystalline samples, providing a viable pathway to prepare bulk forms of transition-metal iodates. Rietveld refinements of the powder synchrotron X-ray diffraction data reveal that these materials exhibit different crystal structures but crystallize in the same polar and chiral P2 1 space group, giving rise to an electric polarization along the b-axis direction. The presence and absence of an evident phase transition to a possible topologically distinct state observed in α-Cu(IO 3 ) 2 and Mn(IO 3 ) 2 , respectively, imply the important role of spin–orbit coupling. Neutron diffraction experiments reveal helpful insights into the magnetic ground state of these materials. While the long-wavelength incommensurability of α-Cu(IO 3 ) 2 is in harmony with sizable asymmetric DM interaction and low dimensionality of the electronic structure, the commensurate stripe AFM ground state of Mn(IO 3 ) 2 is attributed to negligible DM exchange and isotropic orbital overlapping. The work demonstrates connections between combined spin and orbital effects, magnetic coupling dimensionality, and DM exchange, providing a worthwhile approach for tuning asymmetric interaction, which promotes evolution of topologically distinct spin phases.

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

Doping of Cr in Graphene Using Electron Beam Manipulation for Functional Defect Engineering

Chromium atoms in graphene have been proposed to exhibit magnetic moments and spin-selective conducting states depending on the local bonding geometry within the graphene structure, which could lead to interesting applications in spintronics. Despite this interest, there are few direct experimental reports of Cr dopants in graphene even though it is theorized to be stable. Here, we demonstrate the introduction of single Cr dopant atoms into the graphene lattice and onto graphene edges through the controlled use of a focused electron beam in a scanning transmission electron microscope. Here, we show local control of doping locations, and when coupled with targeted in situ milling during scanning of the e-beam, these strategies demonstrate an important component of the fabrication of tailored nanostructured devices in the electron microscope. The approach is validated with first-principles calculations to understand synthesis pathways during fabrication and reveal the energetics and local properties of Cr atoms embedded in graphene; for example, Cr doping can convert graphene into a magnetic and semiconducting material, which suggests Cr-doped graphene can be used as a building block for potential electronic devices and a means to construct them.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2023

Walking the ‘design–build–test–learn’ cycle: flux analysis and genetic engineering reveal the pliability of plant central metabolism

Oilseeds are of great economic importance for food and animal feed and their contribution to renewable energy production. Soybean seeds (Glycine max (L.) Merr.) contain c. 40% protein, 20% oil, and 30% carbohydrate (Song et al., 2023). Due to the massive scale of soybean production worldwide, even small improvements in seed protein and oil content make economic sense (Song et al., 2023). Successful manipulation of seed composition largely depends on a thorough understanding of the processes and pathways involved in the biosynthesis of fatty acids and amino acids, which are the building blocks of lipids and proteins. Rational engineering of the synthesis of storage reserves, that is, the rerouting of metabolic flux in central metabolism, is difficult to accomplish due to the complexity of the central metabolic network, the intricate regulation of its enzymes at multiple levels, and the often-unpredictable effects of genetic manipulation (Sweetlove et al., 2017). Therefore, the advancement of our understanding of central metabolism and its control of carbon partitioning requires following an iterative ‘design–build–test–learn’ (DBTL) cycle (Lin & Eudes, 2020) where metabolic flux analysis and hypothesis testing by transgenic approaches are important components. Previous metabolic studies on soybeans using isotopic tracers and metabolic flux analysis have provided insight into how lipid and protein biosynthesis occurs simultaneously during seed development (Allen et al., 2009; Allen & Young, 2013; Kambhampati et al., 2021). In an article published in this issue of New Phytologist, Morley et al. (2023; 1834–1851) put the insights they have gained into the delivery of metabolic precursors and energy cofactors to oil synthesis to the test and arrive at a successful metabolic engineering design. They show that an increase in seed oil content in soybeans can be achieved by overexpression of malic enzyme (ME) during seed development. Malic enzyme refers to a class of decarboxylating malate dehydrogenase enzymes that oxidize malate with NAD + or NADP + as redox cofactor while generating pyruvate and CO 2 . Like higher plants in general, soybean has distinct NADH- or NADPH-producing ME isoforms localized to the cytosol, plastid, or mitochondria (Gerrard Wheeler et al., 2016). As Morley et al. show, an increase in seed oil can be achieved in particular when a NADP+-dependent enzyme isoform (EC 1.1.1.40) is overexpressed in the plastid. Given the complex compartmentalization of pyruvate, malate, and redox metabolism (Fig. 1), increased oil production appears to depend on additional pyruvate and reducing equivalents being produced in the same compartment where de novo fatty acid biosynthesis occurs: the plastid.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2026

Intelligent Experiments through Real-Time AI: Fast Data Processing and Autonomous Detector Control for High-Energy Nuclear Experiments

The aim of this project is to develop software and hardware for fast real-time data processing and autonomous detector control and calibration for the sPHENIX and the future EIC experiments. Below summarizes Georgia Tech team efforts in the past year: 1. We developed a real-time clustering algorithm and FPGA-based pipeline architecture for processing fired pixel data from ALPIDE sensors in sPHENIX experiments. Our Columnar Clustering Co-Design introduces a hardware-aware, stream-friendly approach that segments pixel data by column pairs using a Column Pair Clustering (CPC) strategy, followed by Cluster Stitching to merge adjacent subclusters. Implemented in Vitis HLS, the pipeline comprises five stages—read-in, subclustering, stitching, analysis, and write-out—connected by tagged HLS streams with custom end-of-event signaling for robust synchronization. We designed a pipelined dataflow model optimized for throughput, low latency, and minimal buffering, enabling scalable clustering across events of arbitrary size. Our system maintains spatial precision via center-of-mass and shape key extraction and efficiently handles edge cases such as fragmented or nested clusters. Compared against DBSCAN in both software and hardware, our approach demonstrates competitive performance under FPGA constraints. 2. We also conducted a comprehensive algorithm-to-hardware co-design of connected component analysis tailored for sPHENIX experiments, focusing on real-time, low-latency processing using FPGAs and High-Level Synthesis (HLS). Starting from a Python-based particle tracking pipeline, the team translated the core logic—graph traversal via DFS and Union-Find—into an HLS-compatible C++ model, replacing dynamic memory and recursion with static arrays and pipelined control flow. The final design includes a fully streamed and dataflow-compatible Union-Find kernel optimized across five iterations, incorporating loop pipelining, array partitioning, AXI/FIFO interface tuning, and function flattening. Experimental results show up to 14.8× speedup over the CPU baseline, reducing per-graph latency to 1.58 μs and demonstrating strong resource efficiency with only ~7k LUTs and zero BRAM usage. The design maintains functional correctness against the Python reference using a Python-based C-simulation framework and Mean Squared Error metrics. This work validates the potential of HLS-driven FPGA designs for edge-level HEP data acquisition, laying a scalable foundation for future integration with real-time detector pipelines and multi-graph processing systems.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗