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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 361 records · Page 20
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2023

Regiospecific Incorporation of Acetylene Linker in High‐Electron Mobility Dimerized Acceptors for Organic Solar Cells with High Efficiency (18.8%) and Long 1‐Sun Lifetime (> 5000 h)

Abstract The commercialization of organic solar cells (OSCs) requires both high power conversion efficiency (PCE) and long‐term stability. However, the lifetime of the OSCs containing small‐molecule acceptors (SMA) should be significantly enhanced. In this study, a series of planarity‐controlled is developed, high electron mobility dimerized SMAs (DSMAs) and realize OSCs with high‐performance (PCE = 18.8%) and high‐stability ( t 80% lifetime = 5380 h under 1‐Sun illumination). An acetylene linker with a planar triple bond is designed for dimerization of SMA units to afford the high backbone planarity necessary to achieve high crystallinity and electron mobility. To further engineer the molecular conformation and electron mobility of the DSMAs, different regioisomers of a Y‐based SMA are dimerized to yield three regioisomerically distinct DSMAs, denoted as DYA‐I, DYA‐IO, and DYA‐O, respectively. It is found that the crystallinity, electron mobility, and glass transition temperature of the DSMAs gradually increase in the order of DYA‐O, DYA‐IO, and DYA‐I, which, in turn, enhance the PCE and device stability of the resulting OSCs; DYA‐O (PCE = 16.45% and t 80% lifetime = 3337 h) < DYA‐IO (PCE = 17.54% and t 80% lifetime = 4255 h) < DYA‐I (PCE = 18.83% and t 80% lifetime = 5380 h).

Chemistry↗
DOE OSTI2025

Structural Basis of Sequential Enantioselective Epoxidation by a Flavin‐Dependent Monooxygenase in Lasalocid A Biosynthesis

Abstract Polyether polyketides are a structurally diverse group of natural products known for their antimicrobial and antiproliferative activities. Lasalocid A is a canonical natural polyether produced by the soil bacteriumStreptomyces lasalocidi. In lasalocid A biosynthesis, a polyene polyketide intermediate is converted into a bisepoxide by the flavin‐dependent monooxygenase enzyme Lsd18. Remarkably, Lsd18 acts on two distinct C═C groups in the substrate molecule, forming two (R,R) epoxides. We have determined the X‐ray crystal structures of Lsd18 in the substrate‐free, substrate‐bound, and product‐bound forms. Our work has revealed that Lsd18 has an extra‐large substrate‐binding pocket that allows the polyene to adopt different conformations within the enzyme pocket. This feature enables Lsd18 to epoxidate both of the C═C groups. Additionally, a subpocket located near the Lsd18 active site controls stereoselectivity by dictating which face of the C═C group is placed next to the flavin. Molecular understanding of how Lsd18 transforms a polyene into a bisepoxide during lasalocid A biosynthesis lays the foundation for the production of designer polyethers for drug development.

Chemistry↗
DOE OSTI2025

Circumventing Radical Generation on Fe–V Atomic Pair Catalyst for Robust Oxygen Reduction and Zinc–Air Batteries

Iron–nitrogen–carbon (Fe–N–C) catalysts are considered the most active platinum-free alternative for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), yet the generated reactive oxygen species (ROS) from general mechanistic pathway rapidly impair the ORR activity and stability of Fe–N–C. Herein, we establish and report an ORR pathway-switching strategy to circumvent ROS generation and fundamentally improve the activity and stability of Fe–N–C via DFT guided catalyst design. The constructed Fe–V atomic pair catalyst (Fe 1 V 1 -NC) with N 2 Fe-N 2 -VN 2 configuration enables side-on adsorption of O 2 and subsequent direct-breaking of the O═O bond to form O*, thereby avoiding the formation of ROS radicals. Importantly, there is intersite electron interaction between FeN 4 and VN 4 , which further boosts the ORR activity. Consequently, Fe 1 V 1 -NC exhibits outstanding ORR activity with onset and half-wave (E 1/2 ) potentials at 1.02 and 0.89 V versus RHE, respectively, in 0.1 M KOH. Record-high stability is achieved on Fe 1 V 1 -NC with a minimal decay in E 1/2 by 16 mV over 50000 cycles, surpassing Fe–N–C counterpart and most of the catalysts reported to date. The Fe 1 V 1 -NC-based zinc-air battery reported here demonstrates exceptional durability up to 400 h at 10 mA·cm −2 . This work identifies the intrinsic correlation between ORR pathway, activity, and stability, advancing development of stable catalytic systems.

Fe-N-C↗
DOE OSTI2015

Non‐invasive imaging of cellulose microfibril orientation within plant cell walls by polarized Raman microspectroscopy

ABSTRACT Cellulose microfibrils represent the major scaffold of plant cell walls. Different packing and orientation of the microfibrils at the microscopic scale determines the macroscopic properties of cell walls and thus affect their functions with a profound effect on plant survival. We developed a polarized Raman microspectroscopic method to determine cellulose microfibril orientation within rice plant cell walls. Employing an array of point measurements as well as area imaging and subsequent Matlab‐assisted data processing, we were able to characterize the distribution of cellulose microfibril orientation in terms of director angle and anisotropy magnitude. Using this approach we detected differences between wild type rice plants and the rice brittle culm mutant, which shows a more disordered cellulose microfibril arrangement, and differences between different tissues of a wild type rice plant. This novel non‐invasive Raman imaging approach allows for quantitative assessment of cellulose fiber orientation in cell walls of herbaceous plants, an important advancement in cell wall characterization. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2016;113: 82–90. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Sun, Lan↗
DOE OSTI2023

Meeting Report on the 3rd Chinese American Society for Mass Spectrometry Conference—Advancing Biological and Pharmaceutical Mass Spectrometry

Following the highly successful Chinese American Society for Mass Spectrometry (CASMS) conferences in the previous 2 years, the 3rd CASMS Conference was held virtually on August 28–31, 2023, using the Gather. Town platform to bring together scientists in the MS field. The conference offered a 4-day agenda with a scientific program consisting of two plenary lectures, and 14 parallel symposia in which a total of 70 speakers presented technological innovations and their applications in proteomics and biological MS and metabo-lipidomics and pharmaceutical MS. In addition, 16 invited speakers/panelists presented at two research-focused and three career development workshops. Moreover, 86 posters, 12 lightning talks, 3 sponsored workshops, and 11 exhibitions were presented, from which 9 poster awards and 2 lightning talk awards were selected. Furthermore, the conference featured four young investigator awardees to highlight early-career achievements in MS from our society. In conclusion, the conference provided a unique scientific platform for young scientists (i.e. graduate students, postdocs, and junior faculty/investigators) to present their research, meet with prominent scientists, learn about career development, and job opportunities (http://casms.org).

96 KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT AND PRESERVATION↗
DOE OSTI2019

Facile Synthesis of Fe/N/S‐Doped Carbon Tubes as High‐Performance Cathode and Anode for Microbial Fuel Cells

Abstract As a renewable energy technology, microbial fuel cell (MFC) has been attracting increasing attention in recent decades. However, practical applications of MFCs has been hampered by the unsatisfactory electrode performance, in particular, at the cathode. Herein, Fe/N/S‐doped carbon hollow tubes were prepared by a facile two‐stage procedure involving hydrothermal treatment and pyrolysis at controlled temperatures. Electrochemical studies showed that the obtained samples exhibited an apparent electrocatalytic activity towards oxygen reduction reaction in both alkaline and acidic media, a performance comparable to that of commercial Pt/C, and the sample prepared at 800 °C stood out as the best among the series with a half‐wave potential of +0.81 V vs. RHE and an electron transfer number of 3.98 at +0.6 V vs. RHE. The Fe/N/S‐doped carbon tubes also exhibited a remarkable performance as an MFC anode by facilitating bacterial growth and electron transfer between the biofilm and electrode. In fact, an MFC based on the carbon tubes as both cathode and anode showed a markedly higher performance (maximum power density 479 W m −3 ) than the control MFC based on a graphene aerogel anode and Pt/C cathode (359 W m −3 ). These results suggest that Fe/N/S‐doped carbon composites can be used for the fabrication of high‐efficiency MFC electrodes.

Yang, Wei↗
DOE OSTI2023

Accelerated Characterization of Electrode‐Electrolyte Equilibration

Operational durability is poorly characterized by traditional (photo)electrocatalyst discovery workflows, creating a barrier to scale-up and deployment. Corrosion is a prominent degradation mechanism whose thermodynamics depend on the concentration of corrosion products in electrolyte. We present an automated system for characterizing the equilibration of (photo)electrodes with dissolved metals in electrolyte for a given electrode, pH, and electrochemical potential. Automation of electrode selection, electrolyte preparation, and electrolyte aliquoting enables rapid identification of self-passivating electrodes and estimation of the equilibrium dissolved metals concentrations. The technique is demonstrated for metal oxide photoanodes in alkaline electrolyte, where BiVO 4 is found to continually corrode, in agreement the literature. An amorphous Ni−Sb−O photoanode is found to passivate with a Ni-rich coating on the order of 1 monolayer with less than 1 μM total dissolved metals in electrolyte, demonstrating its suitability for durable photoelectrochemical operation. The automation and throughput of the instrument are designed for incorporation in accelerated electrocatalyst discovery workflows so that durability can be considered on equal footing with activity.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2016

Intercalation Pseudocapacitance of Exfoliated Molybdenum Disulfide for Ultrafast Energy Storage

In this study, we report intercalation pseudocapacitance of 250 F g -1 for exfoliated molybdenum disulfide (MoS 2 ) in non-aqueous electrolytes that contain lithium ions. The exfoliated MoS 2 shows surface-limited reaction kinetics with high rate capability up to 3 min of charge or discharge. The intercalation pseudocapacitance originates from the extremely fast kinetics due to the enhanced ionic and electronic transport enabled by the slightly expanded layer structure as well as the metallic 1T-phase. The exfoliated MoS 2 could be also used in a Li-Mg-ion hybrid capacitor, which shows full cell specific capacitance of 240 F g -1 .

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2022

Performance and power modeling and prediction using MuMMI and 10 machine learning methods

Energy-efficient scientific applications require insight into how high performance computing system features impact the applications' power and performance. This insight can result from the development of performance and power models. Here, in this article, we use the modeling and prediction tool MuMMI (Multiple Metrics Modeling Infrastructure) and 10 machine learning methods to model and predict performance and power consumption and compare their prediction error rates. We use an algorithm-based fault-tolerant linear algebra code and a multilevel checkpointing fault-tolerant heat distribution code to conduct our modeling and prediction study on the Cray XC40 Theta and IBM BG/Q Mira at Argonne National Laboratory and the Intel Haswell cluster Shepard at Sandia National Laboratories. Our experimental results show that the prediction error rates in performance and power using MuMMI are less than 10% for most cases. By utilizing the models for runtime, node power, CPU power, and memory power, we identify the most significant performance counters for potential application optimizations, and we predict theoretical outcomes of the optimizations. Based on two collected datasets, we analyze and compare the prediction accuracy in performance and power consumption using MuMMI and 10 machine learning methods.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗
DOE OSTI2017

Bioderived Muconates by Cross-Metathesis and Their Conversion into Terephthalates

Polyethylene terephthalate that is 100 % bioderived is in great demand in the market guided by the ever-more exigent sustainability regulations with the challenge of producing renewable terephthalic acid remaining. Renewable terephthalic acid or its precursors can be obtained by Diels–Alder cycloaddition and further dehydrogenation of biomass-derived muconic acid. The cis,cis isomer of the dicarboxylic acid is typically synthesized by fermentation with genetically modified microorganisms, a process that requires complex separations to obtain a high yield of the pure product. Moreover, the cis isomer has to be transformed into the trans,trans form and has to be esterified before it is suitable for terephthalate synthesis. To overcome these challenges, we investigated the synthesis of dialkyl muconates by cross-metathesis. The Ru-catalyzed cross-coupling of sorbates with acrylates, which can be bioderived, proceeded selectively to yield diester muconates in up to 41 % yield by using very low catalyst amounts (0.5–3.0 mol %) and no solvent. In the optimized procedure, the muconate precipitated as a solid and was easily recovered from the reaction medium. Analysis by GC–MS and NMR spectroscopy showed that this method delivered exclusively the trans,trans isomer of dimethyl muconate. The Diels–Alder reaction of dimethyl muconate with ethylene was studied in various solvents to obtain 1,4-bis(carbomethoxy)cyclohexene. The cycloaddition proceeded with very high conversions (77–100 %) and yields (70–98 %) in all of the solvents investigated, and methanol and tetrahydrofuran were the best choices. Next, the aromatization of 1,4-bis(carbomethoxy)cyclohexene to dimethyl terephthalate over a Pd/C catalyst resulted in up to 70 % yield in tetrahydrofuran under an air atmosphere. Because of the high yield of the reaction of dimethyl muconate to 1,4-bis(carbomethoxy)cyclohexene, no separation step was needed before the aromatization. This is the first time that cross-metathesis is used to produce bioderived trans,trans-muconates as precursors to renewable terephthalates, important building blocks in the polymer industry.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2019

Iridium-based Catalysts for Electrocatalytic Water Splitting

We report that chemical energy conversion/storage through water splitting for hydrogen production has been recognized as the ideal solution to the transient nature of renewable energy sources. Solid polymer electrolyte (SPE) water electrolysis is one of the most practical ways to produce pure H2. Electrocatalysts are key materials in the SPE water electrolysis. At anode side, electrode materials catalyzing the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) require properties. Among the reported materials, only iridium presents high activity and is more stable. In this article, an application overview of single iridium metal and its oxide catalysts; binary, ternary and multi-component catalysts of iridium oxides; and supported composite catalysts for the OER in SPE water electrolysis is presented. Two main strategies to improve the activity of an electrocatalyst system, i.e., increasing the number of active sites and the intrinsic activity of each active site were reviewed with detailed examples. Finally, the challenges and perspectives in this field are also discussed.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2019

Life Cycle Analysis of Decentralized Preprocessing Systems for Fast Pyrolysis Biorefineries with Blended Feedstocks in the Southeastern United States

Blending biomass feedstock is an enticing approach to mitigate supply chain risks that are common challenges for large-scale biomass utilization. Understanding the potential environmental benefits of biofuels produced from blended biomass and identifying driving parameters are critical for the supply chain design. Herein, a cradle-to-gate life cycle analysis model for fast pyrolysis biorefineries converting blended feedstocks (pine residues and switchgrass) with traditional centralized and alternative decentralized preprocessing sites, so-called depots, is explained. Different scenarios are developed to investigate the impacts of parameters such as feedstock blending ratios, biorefinery and depot capacities, preprocessing technologies, and allocation methods. The life-cycle energy consumption and global warming potential (GWP) of biofuel production with depots vary between 0.7–1.1 MJ MJ -1 and 43.2–76.6 g CO 2 eq. MJ -1 , respectively. The results are driven by biorefinery processes and depot preprocesses. A decentralized design reduces the energy consumption of the biorefinery but increases the overall life-cycle energy and GWP. Such increases can be significantly mitigated by increasing switchgrass content as the energy consumption at the depot is driven largely by the higher moisture content of pine feedstocks. Allocation methods have a further impact on the results but do not change the major trends and overall conclusions.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗
DOE OSTI2022

Isolation, Characterization, and Depolymerization of L -Cysteine Substituted Eucalyptus Lignin

Lignin condensation reactions are hard to avoid or control during separation, which is a deterrent to lignin isolation and post-conversation, especially for the full utilization of lignocelluloses. Selective protection of β-aryl ether linkages in the isolation process is crucial to lignin valorization. Herein, a two-step acid/alkali separation method assisted with l-cysteine for eucalyptus lignin separation is developed, and the isolated L -cysteine lignins (LCLs) are comprehensively characterized by 2D NMR, 31 P NMR, thioacidolysis, etc. Compared to the two-step control treatment, a much higher β-O-4 content is preserved without reducing the separation efficiency assisted by L -cysteine, which is also significantly higher than alkali lignin and kraft lignin. The results of hydrogenolysis show that LCLs generate a much higher monomer yield than that of control sample. Structural analysis of LCLs suggests that lignin condensation reaction, to some extent, is suppressed by adding L -cysteine during the two-step acid/alkali separation. Further, mechanistic studies using dimeric model compound reveals that L -cysteine may be the α-carbon protective agent in the two-step separation. The role of L -cysteine in the two-step lignin isolation method provides novel insights to the selective fractionation of lignin from biomass, especially for the full valorization of lignocellulosic biomass.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗
DOE OSTI2022

Benzotriazole‐Based Nonfused Ring Acceptors for Efficient and Thermally Stable Organic Solar Cells

Abstract Nonfused ring acceptors (NFRAs) have attracted significant attention for nonfullerene organic solar cells (OSCs) owing to their chemical tunability and facile synthesis. In this study, a benzotriazole‐based NFRA with chlorinated end groups (Triazole‐4Cl) is developed to realize highly efficient and thermally stable NFRA‐based OSCs; an analogous NFRA with nonchlorinated end groups (Triazole‐H) is synthesized for comparison. Triazole‐4Cl film exhibits the high‐order packing structure and the near‐infrared absorption capability, which are advantageous in charge transport and light harvesting of the resulting OSCs. In particular, the strong crystalline behavior of Triazole‐4Cl results in enhanced self‐aggregation, leading to high charge carrier mobility. Owing to these properties, a PBDB‐T (polymer donor):Triazole‐4Cl OSC demonstrates a high short‐circuit current, fill factor, and power conversion efficiency (PCE = 10.46%), outperforming a PBDB‐T:Triazole‐H OSC (PCE = 7.65%). In addition, the thermal stability of a PBDB‐T:Triazole‐4Cl OSC at an elevated temperature of 120 °C exceeds that of a PBDB‐T:Triazole‐H OSC. This is mainly attributed to the significantly higher cold crystallization temperature of Triazole‐4Cl (205.9 °C). This work provides useful guidelines for the design of NFRAs to achieve efficient and thermally stable NFRA‐based OSCs.

Polymer Science↗