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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

Proteogenomic insights suggest druggable pathways in endometrial carcinoma

We characterized a prospective endometrial carcinoma (EC) cohort containing 138 tumors and 20 enriched normal tissues using 10 different omics platforms. Targeted quantitation of two peptides can predict antigen processing and presentation machinery activity, and may inform patient selection for immunotherapy. Association analysis between MYC activity and metformin treatment in both patients and cell lines suggests a potential role for metformin treatment in non-diabetic patients with elevated MYC activity. PIK3R1 in-frame indels are associated with elevated AKT phosphorylation and increased sensitivity to AKT inhibitors. CTNNB1 hotspot mutations are concentrated near phosphorylation sites mediating pS45-induced degradation of β-catenin, which may render Wnt-FZD antagonists ineffective. Deep learning accurately predicts EC subtypes and mutations from histopathology images, which may be useful for rapid diagnosis. Overall, this study identified molecular and imaging markers that can be further investigated to guide patient stratification for more precise treatment of EC.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

Inhibit the strain accumulation for 5V spinel cathode by mitigating the phase separation during high voltage stage

LiNi 0.5 Mn 1.5 O 4 (LNMO) spinel cathode is a potential cathode material for high-power, low-cost lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) due to its low raw material cost, high operating voltage and efficient lithium-ion transport channel. However, LNMO suffers from structural stability due to the two-phase-transformation during charge/discharge process, leading to poor cycling performance. Here, to address the issues, we have constructed a homogeneous aggregated LNMO cathode with a multifaceted primary particle, namely the LNMO with single-crystal secondary particles (SSP LNMO). Ex situ and in situ characterizations including the synchrotron X-ray diffraction, the neutron diffraction and full pouch cell validated that the SSP LNMO exhibit a single solid-solution reactions with a restrained lattice evolution during the delithiation/lithiation process. This is in contrast to the normal LNMO cathode, which demonstrates a significant two-phase transition from spinel Li 1-x Ni 0.5 Mn 1.5 O 4 to rock-salt MnO 2 at high voltage. Therefore, the SSP LNMO has greatly improved cycle life compared to the normal LNMO cathode. Overall, this study demonstrates the possibility of constructing LNMO based on primary-grain morphology modulation to improve the intrinsic stability of LIBs.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗

Kinetically Controlled Self-Assembly of Binary Polymer-Grafted Nanocrystals into Ordered Superstructures via Solvent Vapor Annealing

Polymer-inorganic nanocomposites based on polymer-grafted nanocrystals (PGNCs) are enabling technologically relevant applications owing to their unique physical, chemical, and mechanical properties. While diverse PGNC superstructures have been realized through evaporation-driven self-assembly, this approach presents multifaceted challenges in experimentally probing and controlling assembly kinetics. Here, we report a kinetically controlled assembly of binary superstructures from a homogeneous disordered PGNC mixture utilizing solvent vapor annealing (SVA). Using a NaZn 13 -type superstructure as a model system, we demonstrate that varying the solvent vapor pressure during SVA allows for exquisite control of the rate and extent of PGNC assembly, providing access to nearly complete kinetic pathways of binary PGNC crystallization. Characterization of kinetically arrested intermediates reveals that assembly follows a multistep crystallization pathway involving spinodal-like preordering of PGNCs prior to NaZn 13 nucleation. Our work opens up new avenues for the synthesis of multicomponent PGNC superstructures exhibiting multifunctionalities and emergent properties through a thorough understanding of kinetic pathways.

77 NANOSCIENCE AND NANOTECHNOLOGY↗

Stability enhancement module for grid-following converters: Hardware implementation and validation

Low-frequency oscillations limit power delivery of voltage-source converter interfaced resources, for example, wind and solar, operating in grid-following control mode. Our prior research identified the instability mechanism as the coupling between real power and voltage at point of common coupling. In turn, a stability enhancement control was proposed to weaken the coupling by introducing a simple voltage-based feedback loop. The stability enhancement control has been validated via electromagnetic transient simulation testbeds. The objectives of this paper are (a) to provide a more insightful explanation of the enhancement module by examining the impedance of the grid-following converter and (b) to verify the performance of the stability module using a hardware testbed. The theoretic examination demonstrates that stability enhancement module effectively reduces the negative resistance effect of $Z_{qq}$ and thus boosts stability. The experimental research leads to a hardware testbed of a grid-following converter with the ability of demonstrating low-frequency oscillations. Finally, the experimental results demonstrate the efficacy of the proposed stability enhancement control and the readiness of commercial realization of the stability enhancement unit.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Direct Observation of Bandgap Oscillations Induced by Optical Phonons in Hybrid Lead Iodi.de Perovskites

Hybrid organic-inorganic perovskites such as methylammonium lead iodide have emerged as promising semiconductors for energy-relevant applications. The interactions between charge carriers and lattice vibrations, giving rise to polarons, have been invoked to explain some of their extraordinary optoelectronic properties. Here, time-resolved optical spectroscopy is performed, with off-resonant pumping and electronic probing, to examine several representative lead iodide perovskites. The temporal oscillations of electronic bandgaps induced by coherent lattice vibrations are reported, which is attributed to antiphase octahedral rotations that dominate in the examined 3D and 2D hybrid perovskites. The off-resonant pumping scheme permits a simplified observation of changes in the bandgap owing to the A(g) vibrational mode, which is qualitatively different from vibrational modes of other symmetries and without increased complexity of photogenerated electronic charges. The work demonstrates a strong correlation between the lead-iodide octahedral framework and electronic transitions, and provides further insights into the manipulation of coherent optical phonons and related properties in hybrid perovskites on ultrafast timescales.

coherent optical phonons↗

Benzimidazole Based Hole‐Transporting Materials for High‐performance Inverted Perovskite Solar Cells

Abstract Interfaces play a decisive role in perovskite solar cells’ power conversion efficiency and their long‐term durability. Small‐molecule hole‐transporting materials (HTMs) have grabbed enormous attention due to their structural flexibility, material properties, and stabilities, allowing for improved operational durability in perovskite photovoltaics. This study synthesizes and investigates a new class of benzimidazole‐based small molecules, named YJS001 and YJS003 , serving as the HTMs to enable high‐efficiency mixed‐cation mixed‐halide perovskite solar cells. The benzimidazole‐based materials are dopant‐free HTMs composed of donor and acceptor building blocks that are designed to engineer the energy level alignment near the HTM/perovskite interface. Mixed‐cation mixed‐halide perovskites can be grown uniformly on both HTMs with large crystalline grains. It is discovered that the donor‐rich YJS003 ‐based solar cell exhibits a high open‐circuit voltage of 1.09 V with a champion power conversion efficiency of over 20%. Power‐dependent current–voltage characteristics of the solar cells are analyzed, from which the high performance of YJS003's excellent hole mobility and well‐aligned energy level is attributed. This work introduces a new class of benzimidazole‐based small molecules as HTMs, that paves the path for dopant free interface material development for commercialization of perovskite solar cells.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗

Efficient Energy Funneling in Quasi‐2D Perovskites: From Light Emission to Lasing

Abstract Quasi‐2D Ruddlesden–Popper halide perovskites with a large exciton binding energy, self‐assembled quantum wells, and high quantum yield draw attention for optoelectronic device applications. Thin films of these quasi‐2D perovskites consist of a mixture of domains having different dimensionality, allowing energy funneling from lower‐dimensional nanosheets (high‐bandgap domains) to 3D nanocrystals (low‐bandgap domains). High‐quality quasi‐2D perovskite (PEA) 2 (FA) 3 Pb 4 Br 13 films are fabricated by solution engineering. Grazing‐incidence wide‐angle X‐ray scattering measurements are conducted to study the crystal orientation, and transient absorption spectroscopy measurements are conducted to study the charge‐carrier dynamics. These data show that highly oriented 2D crystal films have a faster energy transfer from the high‐bandgap domains to the low‐bandgap domains (<0.5 ps) compared to the randomly oriented films. High‐performance light‐emitting diodes can be realized with these highly oriented 2D films. Finally, amplified spontaneous emission with a low threshold 4.16 µJ cm −2 is achieved and distributed feedback lasers are also demonstrated. These results show that it is important to control the morphology of the quasi‐2D films to achieve efficient energy transfer, which is a critical requirement for light‐emitting devices.

Lei, Lei↗

A Garnet-Type Solid-Electrolyte-Based Molten Lithium–Molybdenum–Iron(II) Chloride Battery with Advanced Reaction Mechanism

Solid-electrolyte-based molten-metal batteries have attracted considerable attention for grid-scale energy storage. Although ZEBRA batteries are considered one of the promising candidates, they still have the potential concern of metal particle growth and ion exchange with the β”-Al 2 O 3 electrolyte. Herein, a Li 6.4 La 3 Zr 1.4 Ta 0.6 O 12 solid-electrolyte-based molten lithium–molybdenum–iron(II) chloride battery (denoted as Li–Mo–FeCl 2 ) operated at temperature of 250 °C, comprising a mixture of Fe and LiCl cathode materials, a Li anode, a garnet-type Li-ion ceramic electrolyte, and Mo additive, is designed to overcome these obstacles. Different from conventional battery reaction mechanisms, this battery revolutionarily synchronizes the reversible Fe–Mo alloying–dealloying reactions with the delithiation–lithiation processes, meaning that the porous Mo framework derived from Fe–Mo alloy simultaneously suppresses the growth of pure Fe particles. By adopting a Li anode and a Li-ion ceramic electrolyte, the corrosion problem between the cathode and the solid electrolyte is overcome. With similar battery cost ($12 kWh –1 ), the theoretical energy density of Li–Mo–FeCl 2 battery surpasses that of a Na–FeCl 2 ZEBRA battery over 25%, to 576 Wh kg –1 and 2216 Wh L –1 , respectively. Experimental results further prove this cell has excellent cycling performance (472 mAh g LiCl –1 after 300 cycles, 50 mg active material) and strong tolerance against the overcharge–overdischarge (3–1.6 V) and freezing–thawing (25–250 °C) incidents.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Lattice-Distortion-Enhanced Yield Strength in a Refractory High-Entropy Alloy

Severe distortion is one of the four core effects in single-phase high-entropy alloys (HEAs) and contributes significantly to the yield strength. However, the connection between the atomic-scale lattice distortion and macro-scale mechanical properties through experimental verification has yet to be fully achieved, owing to two critical challenges: 1) the difficulty in the development of homogeneous single-phase solid-solution HEAs and 2) the ambiguity in describing the lattice distortion and related measurements and calculations. Here, a single-phase body-centered-cubic (BCC) refractory HEA, NbTaTiVZr, using thermodynamic modeling coupled with experimental verifications, is developed. Compared to the previously developed single-phase NbTaTiV HEA, the NbTaTiVZr HEA shows a higher yield strength and comparable plasticity. The increase in yield strength is systematically and quantitatively studied in terms of lattice distortion using a theoretical model, first-principles calculations, synchrotron X-ray/neutron diffraction, atom-probe tomography, and scanning transmission electron microscopy techniques. These results demonstrate that severe lattice distortion is a core factor for developing high strengths in refractory HEAs.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

3D Artificial Solid-Electrolyte Interphase for Lithium Metal Anodes Enabled by Insulator–Metal–Insulator Layered Heterostructures

Despite considerable efforts to prevent lithium (Li) dendrite growth, stable cycling of Li metal anodes with various structures remains extremely difficult due to the direct contact of the liquid electrolyte with Li. Rational design of solid-electrolyte interphase (SEI) for 3D electrodes is a promising but still challenging strategy for preventing Li dendrite growth and avoiding lithium–electrolyte side reactions in Li-metal batteries. Here, a 3D architecture is constructed with g-C 3 N 4 /graphene/g-C 3 N 4 insulator–metal–insulator sandwiched nanosheets to guide uniform Li plating/stripping in the van der Waals gap between the graphene and the g-C 3 N 4 , and the function of which can be regarded as a 3D artificial SEI. Li deposition on the surface of g-C 3 N 4 is suppressed due to its insulating nature. However, its uniform lithiophilic sites and nanopore channels enable homogeneous lithium plating between the graphene and the g-C 3 N 4 , prohibiting the direct contact of the electrolyte with the Li metal. The use of the g-C 3 N 4 -layer-modified 3D anode enables long-term Li deposition with a high Coulombic efficiency and stable cycling of full cells under high cathode loading, limited Li excess, and lean electrolyte conditions. The concept of a 3D artificial SEI will shed light on developing safe and stable Li-metal anodes.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗

3D Quantum Anomalous Hall Effect in Magnetic Topological Insulator Trilayers of Hundred‐Nanometer Thickness

Magnetic topological states refer to a class of exotic phases in magnetic materials with the non-trivial topological property determined by magnetic spin configurations. An example of such states is the quantum anomalous Hall (QAH) state, which is a zero magnetic field manifestation of the quantum Hall effect. Current research in this direction focuses on QAH insulators with a thickness of less than 10 nm. Here, molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) is employed to synthesize magnetic TI trilayers with a thickness of up to ≈106 nm. It is found that these samples exhibit well-quantized Hall resistance and vanishing longitudinal resistance at zero magnetic field. By varying the magnetic dopants, gate voltages, temperature, and external magnetic fields, the properties of these thick QAH insulators are examined and the robustness of the 3D QAH effect is demonstrated. The realization of the well-quantized 3D QAH effect indicates that the nonchiral side surface states of the thick magnetic TI trilayers are gapped and thus do not affect the QAH quantization. The 3D QAH insulators of hundred-nanometer thickness provide a promising platform for the exploration of fundamental physics, including axion physics and image magnetic monopole, and the advancement of electronic and spintronic devices to circumvent Moore's law.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Giant Apparent Optical Circular Dichroism in Thin Films of Bismuth-Based Hybrid Organic-Inorganic Metal Halide Semiconductor Through Preferred Orientation

Introducing chirality into organic/inorganic hybrid materials can impart chiroptical properties such as circular dichroism. The ability to tune chiroptical properties in self-assembled materials can have important implications for spintronic and optoelectronic applications. Here, a chiral organic cation, (R/S)-4-methoxy-a-methylbenzylammonium, is incorporated to synthesize the bismuth-based hybrid organic-inorganic metal halide semiconductor, (R/S-MeOMePMA)BiI4. Thin films of this Bi-based compound demonstrate large chiroptical responses, with circular dichroism anisotropy (gCD) values up to ˜0.1, close to the highest value observed in another chiral metal-halide semiconductor, (R-MBA2CuCl4). Detailed investigation reveals that this large gCD in (R/S-MeOMePMA)BiI4 is caused by the apparent CD effect. Careful selection of deposition conditions and the concomitant thin-film orientation enables the control of gCD, with maximum value observed when its thin film has a well-crystallized preferred (001) orientation parallel to the substrate. The results support a growing body of evidence that low symmetry plays an important role in achieving unusually large gCD in these chiral metal-halide materials and provides design rules for achieving large chiroptical response via morphology control.

chiroptic response↗

Deformation Behaviors in Single BCC‐Phase Refractory Multi‐Principal Element Alloys under Dynamic Conditions

The mechanical behavior and microstructural evolution of a BCC-phase NbTaTiV refractory multi-principal element alloy (RMPEA) is studied over a wide range of strain rates (10 −3 to 10 3 s −1 ) and temperatures (room temperature to 850 °C). The mechanical property of present RMPEA shows less strain-rate dependence and strong resistance to softening at high temperatures. Under high strain-rate loading, the formation of thin type-I twins is observed, which could lead to an increase in strain-hardening rates. However, this hardening mechanism competes with adiabatic heating effects, resulting in the deterrence of strain-hardening behaviors. In contrast, substantial strain-hardening occurs at cryogenic temperatures due to the formation of twins, which act as stronger barriers to dislocation motion and interact with each other. To further understand the different strain-hardening behaviors, density functional theory (DFT) calculations predict relatively low stacking fault energies and high twinning stress for the NbTaTiV RMPEA.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗