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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

Metal Oxynitrides for the Electrocatalytic Reduction of Nitrogen to Ammonia

The successful deployment of technologies for the electrocatalytic nitrogen reduction reaction (e-NRR) to synthesize ammonia would enable distributed ammonia production with lower greenhouse gas emissions compared to the Haber–Bosch process. However, electrocatalysts that can readily activate N 2 , promote selective ammonia formation over the competing hydrogen evolution reaction, and maintain stability under reaction conditions are needed to enable this technology. Herein, we give our perspective on metal oxynitrides (A x B y O w N z ) as an emerging and underexplored materials class for e-NRR. Furthermore, we contrast the activity, selectivity, and stability of metal oxynitrides with those of their metal nitride and metal oxide counterparts. We discuss the different possible e-NRR reaction mechanisms on metal oxynitrides, emphasize challenges related to using metal oxynitrides for e-NRR, and provide an outlook for future research. Ultimately, the huge design space of metal oxynitrides is ripe for exploration to find catalyst formulations that overcome some of the limitations of traditional metal oxides and metal nitrides for e-NRR.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Nucleation kinetics model for primary crystallization in Al–Y–Fe metallic glass

The high density of aluminum nanocrystals (>10 21 m -3 ) that develop during the primary crystallization in Al-based metallic glasses indicates a high nucleation rate (~10 18 m -3 s -1 ). Several studies have been advanced to account for the primary crystallization behavior, but none have been developed to completely describe the reaction kinetics. Recently, structural analysis by fluctuation electron microscopy has demonstrated the presence of the Al-like medium range order (MRO) regions as a spatial heterogeneity in as-spun Al 88 Y 7 Fe 5 metallic glass that is representative for the class of Al-based amorphous alloys that develop Al nanocrystals during primary crystallization. From the structural characterization, an MRO seeded nucleation configuration is established, whereby the Al nanocrystals are catalyzed by the MRO core to decrease the nucleation barrier. The MRO seeded nucleation model and the kinetic data from the delay time (τ) measurement provide a full accounting of the evolution of the Al nanocrystal density (N v ) during the primary crystallization under isothermal annealing treatments. Moreover, the calculated values of the steady state nucleation rates (J ss ) predicted by the nucleation model agree with the experimental results. Moreover, the model satisfies constraints on the structural, thermodynamic, and kinetic parameters, such as the critical nucleus size, the interface energy, and the volume-free energy driving force that are essential for a fully self-consistent nucleation kinetics analysis. In conclusion, the nucleation kinetics model can be applied more broadly to materials that are characterized by the presence of spatial heterogeneities.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Novel Superionic Na Conductors for Solid‐State Na batteries: Materials and Interface

This project aims to advance the fundamental understanding on how the cation or anion doping influence on the crystal structure, phase stability and ion transport of novel Na superionic conductors. Specifically, we focus on the Na 3-x A x SbS 4-y X y family solid electrolytes (A: cation dopant, X: anion dopant), a class of promising materials for all-solid-state sodium batteries owing to their high ionic conductivity and compositional tunability. By integrating materials synthesis, neutron scattering, and electrochemical characterization and theoretical simulations, this project sees to elucidate 1) how does the synthesis approaches (solid-state reaction, low-temperature reaction) on the phase purity and doping process; 2) how chemical doping (A: cation dopants such as Sn; X: anion dopants such as Se, F) modulate lattice dynamics and Na+ migration as well as interface stability toward Na metal. Specifically, this project’s proposed technology involves three objectives: (1) synthesize novel Na-ion conductors (anion or cation doped Na 3 SbS 4 ) with high phase purity and examine their structural features (e.g., phase stability); (2) understand Na-ion conductive properties of new Na-ion conductors through a combination of experimental characterizations and theoretical simulations; (3) investigate the interface stability of novel Na superionic conductors with electrode materials in solid-state Na batteries. These objectives will be achieved through combined experimental synthesis/characterizations and computational approaches. The obtained knowledge will provide a comprehensive synthesis-structure-property correlation, enabling the rational design of novel solid-state conductors with excellent conductivity and stability.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗

Controlling magnetostructural transition and magnetocaloric effect in multi-component transition-metal-based materials

Proper coupling between structural and magnetic transitions is critical for the emergence and control of magnetocaloric effects in solids. We examine the influence of minor substitutional doping (replacing Mn by Cr and Al by Sn) and interstitial doping with B on the magnetic, structural, and magnetocaloric properties of recently discovered Mn 0.5 Fe 0.5 NiSi 0.94 Al 0.06 alloy exhibiting a giant magnetocaloric effect near room temperature. We demonstrate that magnetocaloric properties of the base compound can be controlled and, in some cases, improved by chemical substitutions. First-principles computations elucidate how small changes in the composition affect properties in this family of compounds and, thus, provide useful guidance for the selection of suitable doping elements for such materials. Here the magnetic-field-induced entropy change measured for Mn 0.5 Fe 0.5 NiSi 0.94 Al 0.06 B 0.005 is –22 J/kg K near room temperature for the applied magnetic field of 2 T, and it is among the highest known values for this class of materials.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Coherent photoproduction of ρ0 vector mesons in ultra-peripheral Pb-Pb collisions at $ \sqrt{{\mathrm{s}}_{\mathrm{NN}}} $ = 5.02 TeV

Cross sections for the coherent photoproduction of ρ0 vector mesons in ultra-peripheral Pb-Pb collisions at $ \sqrt{{\mathrm{s}}_{\mathrm{NN}}} $ = 5.02 TeV are reported. The measurements, which rely on the π+π− decay channel, are presented in three regions of rapidity covering the range |y| < 0.8. For each rapidity interval, cross sections are shown for different nuclear-breakup classes defined according to the presence of neutrons measured in the zero-degree calorimeters. The results are compared with predictions based on different models of nuclear shadowing. Finally, the observation of a coherently produced resonance-like structure with a mass around 1.7 GeV/c2 and a width of about 140 MeV/c2 is reported and compared with similar observations from other experiments.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Uncovering a chirally suppressed mechanism of oνββ decay with LHC searches

Δ L = 2 lepton number violation (LNV) at the TeV scale could provide an alternative interpretation of positive signal(s) in future neutrinoless double beta (0 νββ ) decay experiments. An interesting class of models from this point of view are those that at low energies give rise to dimension-9 vector operators and a dimension-7 operator, both of whose 0 νββ -decay rates are “chirally suppressed”. We study and compare the sensitivities of 0 νββ -decay experiments and LHC searches to a simplified model in this class of TeV-scale LNV that is also SU(2) L × U(1) Y gauge invariant. The searches for 0 νββ decay, which are here diluted by a chiral suppression of the vector operators, are found to be less constraining than LHC searches whose reach is increased by the assumed kinematic accessibility of the mediator particles. For the chirally suppressed dimension-7 operator generated by TeV-scale mediators, in contrast, 0 νββ -decay searches place strong constraints on the size of the new Yukawa coupling. Signals of this model at the LHC and 0 νββ -decay experiments are entirely uncorrelated with the observed neutrinos masses, as these new sources of LNV give negligible contributions to the latter. We find the prospects for the high-luminosity LHC and ton-scale 0 νββ -decay experiments to uncover the chirally-suppressed mechanism with TeV-scale LNV to be promising. We also comment on the sensitivity of the 0 νββ -decay lifetime to certain unknown low-energy constants that in the case of dimension-9 scalar operators are expected to be large due to non-perturbative renormalization.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Growth and characterization of large (Y,La)TiO 3 and (Y,Ca)TiO 3 single crystals

The Mott-insulating rare-earth titanates ( R TiO 3 , with R being a rare-earth ion) are an important class of materials that encompasses interesting spin-orbital phases as well as ferromagnet-antiferromagnet and insulator-metal transitions. The growth of these materials has been plagued by difficulties related to overoxidation, which arises from a strong tendency of Ti 3 + to oxidize to Ti 4 + . We describe our efforts to grow sizable single crystals of YTiO 3 , Y 1 - x La x TiO 3 ( x ≤ 0.25 ), and Y 1 - y Ca y TiO 3 ( y ≤ 0.35 ) with the optical traveling-solvent floating-zone technique. Finally, we present sample characterization via chemical composition analysis, magnetometry, charge transport, neutron scattering, x-ray absorption spectroscopy, and x-ray magnetic circular dichroism to understand macroscopic physical property variations associated with overoxidation. Furthermore, we demonstrate a good signal-to-noise ratio in inelastic magnetic neutron scattering measurements of spin-wave excitations. A superconducting impurity phase, found to appear in Ca-doped samples at high doping levels, is identified as TiO.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Anisotropic flow of identified hadrons in $\mathrm{X}$e-$\mathrm{X}$e collisions at $\sqrt{s_{NN}}$ = 5.44 $\mathrm{T}$e$\mathrm{V}$

Measurements of elliptic (v 2 ) and triangular (v 3 ) flow coefficients of π ± , K ± , $p+\bar{p}$, $K$$^{0}_{S}$, and $Λ+\bar{Λ}$ obtained with the scalar product method in Xe-Xe collisions at $\sqrt{s_{NN}}$ = 5.44 TeV are presented. The results are obtained in the rapidity range |y| < 0.5 and reported as a function of transverse momentum, p T , for several collision centrality classes. The flow coefficients exhibit a particle mass dependence for p T < 3 GeV/c, while a grouping according to particle type (i.e., meson and baryon) is found at intermediate transverse momenta (3 < p T < 8 GeV/c). The magnitude of the baryon v 2 is larger than that of mesons up to p T = 6 GeV/c. The centrality dependence of the shape evolution of the p T -differential v 2 is studied for the various hadron species. The v 2 coefficients of π ± , K ± , and $p+\bar{p}$ are reproduced by MUSIC hydrodynamic calculations coupled to a hadronic cascade model (UrQMD) for p T < 1 GeV/c. A comparison with v n measurements in the corresponding centrality intervals in Pb-Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{NN}}$ = 5.02 TeV yields an enhanced v 2 in central collisions and diminished value in semicentral collisions.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

cymyc: $\underline{C}$alabi-$\underline{Y}$au $\underline{M}$etrics, $\underline{Y}$ukawas, and $\underline{C}$urvature

We introduce cymyc, a high-performance Python library for numerical investigation of the geometry of a large class of string compactification manifolds and their associated moduli spaces. We develop a well-defined geometric ansatz to numerically model tensor fields of arbitrary degree on a large class of Calabi-Yau manifolds. cymyc includes a machine learning component which incorporates this ansatz to model tensor fields of interest on these spaces by finding an approximate solution to the system of partial differential equations they should satisfy.

differential and algebraic geometry↗

Real-time discovery of AT2020xnd: a fast, luminous ultraviolet transient with minimal radioactive ejecta

ABSTRACT The many unusual properties of the enigmatic AT2018cow suggested that at least some subset of the empirical class of fast blue optical transients (FBOTs) represents a genuinely new astrophysical phenomenon. Unfortunately, the intrinsic rarity and fleeting nature of these events have made it difficult to identify additional examples early enough to acquire the observations necessary to constrain theoretical models. We present here the Zwicky Transient Facility discovery of AT2020xnd (ZTF20acigmel, the ‘Camel’) at z = 0.243, the first unambiguous AT2018cow analogue to be found and confirmed in real time. AT2018cow and AT2020xnd share all key observational properties: a fast optical rise, sustained high photospheric temperature, absence of a second peak attributable to ejection of a radioactively heated stellar envelope, extremely luminous radio, millimetre, and X-ray emission, and a dwarf-galaxy host. This supports the argument that AT2018cow-like events represent a distinct phenomenon from slower-evolving radio-quiet supernovae, likely requiring a different progenitor or a different central engine. The sample properties of the four known members of this class to date disfavour tidal disruption models but are consistent with the alternative model of an accretion powered jet following the direct collapse of a massive star to a black hole. Contextual filtering of alert streams combined with rapid photometric verification using multiband imaging provides an efficient way to identify future members of this class, even at high redshift.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Strangeness enhancement at its extremes: multiple (multi-)strange hadron production in pp collisions at \(\sqrt{s}=5.02\) TeV

The probability to observe a specific number of strange and multi-strange hadrons (nS), denoted as P(nS), is measured by ALICE at midrapidity (|y| < 0.5) in $$\sqrt{s}=5.02$$ TeV proton-proton (pp) collisions, dividing events into several multiplicity-density classes. Exploiting, for the first time, a technique based on counting the number of strange-particle candidates event-by-event, this measurement allows one to extend the study of strangeness production beyond the mean of the distribution. This constitutes a new test bench for production mechanisms, probing events with a large imbalance between strange and non-strange content. The analysis of a large-statistics data sample makes it possible to extract P(nS) up to a maximum nS of 7 for $${\text{K}}_{\text{S}}^{0}$$, 5 for Λ and $$\overline{\Lambda }$$, 4 for Ξ− and $${\overline{\Xi } }^{+}$$, and 2 for Ω− and $${\overline{\Omega } }^{+}$$. From this, the probability of producing strange hadron multiplets per event is calculated, thereby enabling the extension of the study of strangeness enhancement to extreme situations where several strange quarks hadronize in a single event at midrapidity. Moreover, comparing hadron combinations with different u and d quark compositions and equal overall s quark content, the contribution to the enhancement pattern coming from non-strangeness related mechanisms is isolated. The results are compared with state-of-the-art phenomenological models implemented in commonly used Monte Carlo event generators, including PYTHIA 8 Monash 2013, PYTHIA 8 with QCD-based Color Reconnection and Rope Hadronization (QCD-CR + Ropes), and EPOS LHC, which incorporates both partonic interactions and hydrodynamic evolution. These comparisons show that the new approach dramatically enhances the sensitivity to the different underlying physics mechanisms modeled by each generator.

Abualrob, I J↗

Exotic Meson Photoproduction at GlueX – Search for the hybrid candidate Y

Understanding the hadron spectrum is one of the primary goals of non-perturbative QCD. Many predictions have experimentally been confirmed, others still remain under experimental investigation. Of particular interest is how gluonic excitations give rise to states with constituent glue. One class of such states are hybrid mesons that are predicted by theoretical models and Lattice QCD calculations. Searching for and understanding the nature of these states is a primary physics goal of the GlueX experiment at the CEBAF accelerator at Jefferson Lab. A search for a JPC = 1-- hybrid meson candidate, the Y (2175), in phi(1020)pi+pi+ and phi(1020)f0(980) channels in photoproduction on a proton target has been conducted. A first measurement of non-resonant phi(1020)pi+pi+ and phi(1020)f0(980) total cross sections in photoproduction has been performed. An upper limit on the resonance production cross section for the Y (2175) -> phi(1020)pi+pi+ and Y (2175) -> phi(1020)f0(980) channels are estimated. Since the analysis essentially depends on the quality of the charged kaon identification, also an optimization of particle identification through an improvement of the energy loss estimation in the CDC by a truncated mean method has been investigated.

Hamdi, Abdennacer↗

Uncovering the Network Modifier for Highly Disordered Amorphous Li‐Garnet Glass‐Ceramics

Abstract Highly disordered amorphous Li 7 La 3 Zr 2 O 12 (aLLZO) is a promising class of electrolyte separators and protective layers for hybrid or all‐solid‐state batteries due to its grain‐boundary‐free nature and wide electrochemical stability window. Unlike low‐entropy ionic glasses such as Li x PO y N z (LiPON), these medium‐entropy non‐Zachariasen aLLZO phases offer a higher number of stable structure arrangements over a wide range of tunable synthesis temperatures, providing the potential to tune the LBU‐Li + transport relation. It is revealed that lanthanum is the active “network modifier” for this new class of highly disordered Li + conductors, whereas zirconium and lithium serve as “network formers”. Specifically, within the solubility limit of La in aLLZO, increasing the La concentration can result in longer bond distances between the first nearest neighbors of Zr─O and La─O within the same local building unit (LBU) and the second nearest neighbors of Zr─La across two adjacent network‐former and network‐modifier LBUs, suggesting a more disordered medium‐ and long‐range order structure in LLZO. These findings open new avenues for future designs of amorphous Li + electrolytes and the selection of network‐modifier dopants. Moreover, the wide yet relatively low synthesis temperatures of these glass‐ceramics make them attractive candidates for low‐cost and more sustainable hybrid‐ or all‐solid‐state batteries for energy storage.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Amantadine interactions with phase separated lipid membranes

Amantadine, a small amphilphic organic compound that consists of an adamantane backbone and an amino group, was first recognized as an antiviral in 1963 and received approval for prophylaxis against the type A influenza virus in 1976. Since then, it has also been used to treat Parkinson’s disease-related dyskinesia and is being considered as a treatment for corona viruses. Since amantadine usually targets membrane-bound proteins, its interactions with the membrane are also thought to be important. Biological membranes are now widely understood to be laterally heterogeneous and certain proteins are known to preferentially co-localize within specific lipid domains. Does amantadine, therefore, preferentially localize in certain lipid composition domains? To address this question, here, we studied amantadine’s interactions with phase separating membranes composed of cholesterol, DSPC (1,2-distearoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine), POPC (1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-glycero-3-phosphocholine), and DOPC (1,2-dioleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine), as well as single-phase DPhPC (1,2-diphytanoyl-sn-glycero-3-phos-phocholine) membranes. From Langmuir trough and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) measurements, we determined, respectively, that amantadine preferentially binds to disordered lipids, such as POPC, and lowers the phase transition temperature of POPC/DSPC/cholesterol mixtures, implying that amantadine increases membrane disorder. Further, using droplet interface bilayers (DIBs), we observed that amantadine disrupts DPhPC membranes, consistent with its disordering properties. Finally, we carried out molecular dynamics (MD) simulations on POPC/DSPC/cholesterol membranes with varying amounts of amantadine. Consistent with experiment, MD simulations showed that amantadine prefers to associate with disordered POPC-rich domains, domain boundaries, and lipid glycerol backbones. Since different proteins co-localize with different lipid domains, our results have possible implications as to which classes of proteins may be better targets for amantadine.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Avoiding biases in binned fits

Abstract Binned maximum likelihood fits are an attractive option when analysing large datasets, but require care when computing likelihoods of continuous PDFs in bins.For many years the widely used statistical modelling package evaluated probabilities at the bin centre, leading to significant biases for strongly curved probability density functions.We demonstrate the biases with real-world examples, and introduce a PDF class to that removes these biases.The physics and computation performance of this new class are discussed.

Instruments & Instrumentation↗