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At least 379 records · Page 21

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NASA NTRS2023

Lunar Dust Mitigation: A Guide and Reference: First Edition (2021)

On the surface of the Moon, lunar dust specifically presents unique challenges to operations long-term due to regolith particles’ ubiquitous presence in the lunar environment, potential to electrostatically charge and possible chemical reactivity. Whether to avoid exposure, try to remove or simply to tolerate lunar dust infiltrating a system becomes a complex question involving length of required service life, dust effects and critical risks, mass and complexity trades for the entire system. This publication provides a snapshot of advice from topical experts for specific areas of concern to systems targeted for deployment on the lunar surface. Following introductory overview commentary, dust mitigation approaches appropriate to the lunar surface are first addressed for typically static structures such as optical surfaces, radiators, and other thermal control surfaces, followed by regolith exposure concerns for communications equipment and non-optical sensors. The broad topic of mechanisms and mechanical assemblies is broken down to address relevant component level concerns, such as for bearings and for seals. “Soft goods” components of space suits (fabric) specific concerns are discussed, followed finally by brief coverage of human health issues and concerns, though the emphasis of this publication remains with components directly exposed to the harsh lunar surface environment. A description of some lunar surface hazard details, in particular characteristics of lunar surface dust, follows in Appendix A, and more detailed explanations of quantification issues for particulates are in Appendix B. The simple inertial removal of particles from a surface is discussed in Appendix C, followed by a summary of terrestrial best practices for dust mitigation recommended within select industries in Appendix D. The aggregated bibliography of references, while extensive and very useful, should not be construed to be exhaustive and can serve as a constructive start.

dust↗

DOE OSTI2023

Nonvolatile Memristive Effect in Few-Layer CrI 3 Driven by Electrostatic Gating

The potential of memristive devices for applications in nonvolatile memory and neuromorphic computing has sparked considerable interest, particularly in exploring memristive effects in two-dimensional (2D) magnetic materials. However, the progress in developing nonvolatile, magnetic field-free memristive devices using 2D magnets has been limited. In this work, we report an electrostatic-gating-induced nonvolatile memristive effect in CrI 3 -based tunnel junctions. The few-layer CrI 3 -based tunnel junction manifests notable hysteresis in its tunneling resistance as a function of gate voltage. We further engineered a nonvolatile memristor using the CrI 3 tunneling junction with low writing power and at zero magnetic field. We show that the hysteretic transport observed is not a result of trivial effects or inherent magnetic properties of CrI 3 . We propose a potential association between the memristive effect and the newly predicted ferroelectricity in CrI 3 via gating-induced Jahn–Teller distortion. Furthermore, our work illuminates the potential of 2D magnets in developing next-generation advanced computing technologies.

2D magnet↗

NASA NTRS1981

Determining the electron energy distribution near the plasma potential in the earth's ionosphere

A determination of the plasma potential using an electrostatic analyzer is described in which the potential difference between the instrument slit system and surrounding plasma is minimized. Data obtained from rocket-borne instrumentation demonstrate the viability of this technique for electron fluxes between thermal energies (about 0.5 V) and suprathermal energies (many volts).

Sharp, W. E.↗

NASA NTRS1990

Interchange instability of the earth's plasmapause

The factors that affect the interchange instability of the earth's plasmapause are investigated using an extension of Richmond's (1973) procedure based on computing individual particle motions. The effects of particle inertia, centrifugal force, and gravity are estimated. A general differential equation is derived for the time variation of the perturbation potential characterizing an electrostatic ripple with no field-aligned potential drop, which can be solved as an eigenvalue problem to find the linear growth rate. Approximate analytic solutions to this equation were obtained from which it was deduced that the interchange instability is caused by the sharp change in plasma pressure at the plasmapause; its growth rate is limited by ionospheric conductivity and, for very short wavelengths, by the inertia of the magnetospheric particles.

Huang, T. S.↗

DOE OSTI2020

MODELING OF ENHANCED AIR DEHUMIDIFICATION THROUGH ELECTRICALLY CHARGED VAPOR CAPTURING ELECTROSTATIC DROPLETS

This paper investigated the potential of a new electrostatic-based water vapor separation system for humidity control in buildings. The Electrospray Vortical Flow eXchanger (EVFX) consists of small electrically charged water droplets released inside air vortexes to attract water vapor molecules, effectively wiping out the humidity from the air. Larger droplets are then removed at the outer wall of the vortex. If a water molecule is placed in a gradient electric field, such a polar molecule experiences a dielectrophoresis force, which moves the molecules and produces a vapor concentration gradient. When the vapor density exceeds the saturation level, nucleation occurs. A thermodynamic model that captures this phenomenon was described in this paper. Electrosprayed droplets were initially charged close to their maximum electrical charge dictated by the Rayleigh limit; these droplets were used as nucleation centers. The high electric charge decreased the pressure of the vapor, which was in equilibrium with the droplets. This enhanced the charged droplets' nucleation and growth that depleted the vapor phase near the droplets, which was compensated for by the dielectrophoresis flow and diffusion. Significant water vapor condensation was predicted for small droplets at a high electrical charge. Beyond a specific droplet size, while the condensation of water vapor was still theoretically possible, it was somewhat limited because the further growth of the large charged droplets was inhibited due to their high inherent water vapor pressure near the surface. A case study illustrated the potentials and limitation of the EVFX for droplets charged to the Rayleigh limit, for which the effective range of diameters resulted between 10 nm up to few micron.

Morcelli, Stefano↗

NASA NTRS1987

Pumping potential wells

Nonmonotonic plasma potential structures are a common feature of many double layers and sheaths. Steady state plasma potential wells separating regions having different plasma potentials are often found in laboratory experiments. In order to exist, all such structures must find a solution to a common problem. Ions created by charge exchange or ionization in the region of the potential well are electrostatically confined and tend to accumulate and fill up the potential well. The increase in positive charge should eliminate the well. Nevertheless, steady state structures are found in which the wells do not fill up. This means that it is important to take into account processes which pump ions from the well. As examples of ion pumping of plasma wells, potential dips in front of a positively biased electron collecting anode in a relatively cold, low density, multidipole plasma are considered. Pumping is provided by ion leaks from the edges of the potential dip or by oscillating the applied potential. In the former case the two-dimensional character of the problem is shown to be important.

Hershkowitz, N.↗

NASA NTRS1987

Pumping potential wells

Nonmonotonic plasma potential structures are a common feature of many double layers and sheaths. Steady state plasma potential wells separating regions having different plasma potentials are often found in laboratory experiments. In order to exist, such structures all must find a solution to a common problem. Ions created by charge exchange or ionization in the region of the potential well are electrostatically confined and tend to accumulate and fill up the potential well. The increase in positive charge should eliminate the well. Nevertheless, steady state structures are found in which the wells do not fill up. This means that it is important to take into account processes which 'pump' ions from the well. As examples of ion pumping of plasma wells, potential dips in front of a positively biased electro collecting anode in a relatively cold, low density multidipole plasma is considered. Pumping is provided by ion leaks from the edges of the potential dip or by oscillating the applied potential. In the former case the two dimensional character of the problem is shown to be important.

Hershkowitz, N.↗

DOE OSTI2023

Numerical Methods to Evaluate Hyperelastic Transducers: Hexagonal Distributed Embedded Energy Converters

Hexagonal distributed embedded energy converters, also known as hexDEECs, are centimeter-scale energy transducers that leverage variable capacitance to generate electricity when their hyperelastic structure is dynamically deformed. To better understand, characterize, and optimize hexDEEC designs, a series of numerical methods and techniques were developed to model the hyperelastic mechanics of hexDEECs, electrostatic properties, and electricity generation characteristics. The numerical methods developed for the hyperelastic structural analysis were corroborated by empirical results from another study, and the models and equations for capacitance, electrostatic forces, and electrical potential energy were derived from fundamental electrostatic equations. These methods and techniques were implemented within the STAR-CCM+ multiphysics software Version 2020.3 (15.06.008) environment. Results from this analysis revealed methodologies and techniques necessary to model the energy converters, which will enable future exploration and optimization of more specific designs and corresponding applications.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗

NASA NTRS1976

Gridless retarding potential analyzer for use in very-low-energy charged particle detection

The theory of the hyperbolic retarding potential analyzer in the electrostatic mode is developed in detail and verified in the laboratory. A monoenergetic electron beam is used for the laboratory investigation. The analyzer (acronym HARP) has advantages over other conventional electrostatic analyzers; among them are less contact potential influence and high throughput because of the symmetry shape of the analyzer. The most useful application of the HARP is in detecting low-energy charged particles. A sample of low-energy particle data obtained in the earth's ionosphere is given.

Shyn, T. W.↗

DOE OSTI2024

AI-assisted discovery of high-temperature dielectrics for energy storage

Abstract Electrostatic capacitors play a crucial role as energy storage devices in modern electrical systems. Energy density, the figure of merit for electrostatic capacitors, is primarily determined by the choice of dielectric material. Most industry-grade polymer dielectrics are flexible polyolefins or rigid aromatics, possessing high energy density or high thermal stability, but not both. Here, we employ artificial intelligence (AI), established polymer chemistry, and molecular engineering to discover a suite of dielectrics in the polynorbornene and polyimide families. Many of the discovered dielectrics exhibit high thermal stability and high energy density over a broad temperature range. One such dielectric displays an energy density of 8.3 J cc −1 at 200 °C, a value 11 × that of any commercially available polymer dielectric at this temperature. We also evaluate pathways to further enhance the polynorbornene and polyimide families, enabling these capacitors to perform well in demanding applications (e.g., aerospace) while being environmentally sustainable. These findings expand the potential applications of electrostatic capacitors within the 85–200 °C temperature range, at which there is presently no good commercial solution. More broadly, this research demonstrates the impact of AI on chemical structure generation and property prediction, highlighting the potential for materials design advancement beyond electrostatic capacitors.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗

NASA NTRS1993

Interaction of field-aligned cold plasma flows with an equatorially-trapped hot plasma - Electrostatic shock formation

Effects of equatorially trapped hot plasma on the highly supersonic cold-plasma flow occurring during early stage plasmaspheric refilling are studied by means of numerical simulations. It is shown that the equatorially trapped hot ions set up a potential barrier for the cold ion beams and facilitate formation of electrostatic shocks by reflecting them from the equatorial region. Simulations with and without the hot plasma show different flow properties; the formation of electrostatic shocks occur only in the former case. The simulation with the hot plasma also reveals that the magnetic trapping in conjunction with the evolution of the electrostatic potential barrier produces ion velocity distribution functions consisting of a cold core and a hot ring in the perpendicular velocity. Such a distribution function provides a source of free energy for equatorial waves. The corresponding electron population is warm and field-aligned.

Singh, Nagendra↗

NASA NTRS1982

Electrostatic disturbance forces on a 3-axis drag-free sensor

The electrostatic analysis of a multiple-capacitance 3-axis drag-free sensor is presented in this paper. The instrument consists of a proof-mass (a dense metallic ball) floating freely inside a spherical cavity enclosed by the sensor plates and the shield. Since the ball and the cavity are not necessarily concentric, the problem in three-dimensional potential theory for electrostatics is solved by the method of boundary perturbations and specifically in terms of spherical harmonics. The capacitance outputs of the instrument and the electrostatic forces acting on the system are derived as non-linear functions of the ball position, ball charge and the sensor plate potentials. The instrument sensitivity and cross-coupling effects are discussed. The analysis may also be useful for electrostatic gyros and suspensions.

Hagstrom, T.↗

NASA NTRS1985

Electrostatic ion cyclotron waves in a plasma with an ion beam and counterstreaming bulk electrons - Waves in the zero-frequency band

A common feature of the auroral plasma in the region above field-aligned (parallel) potential drops are electrostatic hydrogen cyclotron (EHC) waves. The present paper has the objective to show that wave excitation in the zero-frequency band can occur when the ion beams and the current-carrying bulk electrons counterstream. The instability mechanism involves the Landau interaction of the slow (negative energy) ion-beam-cyclotron waves with the drifting electrons and also with the target (background) ions. Only the latter resonant interaction between the beam and the target ions was considered by Okuda and Nishikawa (1984). In this study, it is shown that an electron drift makes an additional unstable contribution to the waves in the zero-frequency band, including those discussed by Okuda and Nishikawa.

Singh, N.↗

NASA NTRS2010

Electron Trapping and Charge Transport by Large Amplitude Whistlers

Trapping of electrons by magnetospheric whistlers is investigated using data from the Waves experiment on Wind and the S/WAVES experiment on STEREO. Waveforms often show a characteristic distortion which is shown to be due to electrons trapped in the potential of the electrostatic part of oblique whistlers. The density of trapped electrons is significant, comparable to that of the unperturbed whistler. Transport of these trapped electrons to new regions can generate potentials of several kilovolts, Trapping and the associated potentials may play an important role in the acceleration of Earth's radiation belt electrons.

Kellogg, P. J.↗

NASA NTRS2006

Potential Polymeric Sphere Construction Materials for a Spacecraft Electrostatic Shield

An electrostatic shielding concept for spacecraft radiation protection under NASA s Exploration Systems Research and Technology Program was evaluated for its effectiveness and feasibility. The proposed shield design is reminiscent of a classic quadrupole with positively and negatively charged spheres surrounding the spacecraft. The project addressed materials, shield configuration, power supply, and compared its effectiveness to that of a passive shield. The report herein concerns the identification of commercially available materials that could be used in sphere fabrication. It was found that several materials were needed to potentially construct the spheres for an electrostatic shield operating at 300 MV.

Smith, Joseph G., Jr.↗

DOE OSTI2025

Probing specific ion effects at air-aqueous dibutyl phosphate interfaces using vibrational sum frequency generation spectroscopy

Molecular properties at air–liquid and liquid–liquid interface hold the key to many processes involving molecular transport across phase boundaries from aerosol formation to carbon cycling and material separation using solvent extraction techniques. Using dibutyl phosphate (DBP) as a representative for partially aqueous soluble surfactants, the specific ion effect (SIE) of the Hofmeister series cations Cs + , Na + , Li + , and Mg 2+ on the partition and interaction between surfactant molecules and water molecules in the air–aqueous interface are investigated using vibrational sum frequency generation spectroscopy and surface tension measurements. In the presence of 1 mM and 1M bulk aqueous phase ionic strength salt concentrations, fundamental qualitative relationships are observed for the salting out of DBP relative to bulk aqueous phase nitrate salt concentrations and the specific cations species. At 1 mM ionic strength, the interfacial charge and hence the interfacial potential modulates the electrostatic interactions; in particular, the counter cations partially screen the negatively charged interface induced by the DBP in a direct Hofmeister order. At 1M ionic strength, the electric field at the interface or interfacial potential is effectively neutralized, and the counter cations promote the partitioning of DBP to the interface depending on their specific interaction with the DBP head group and metal ion hydration properties. The present results lay a foundation to study SIEs of heavier metals on hydrophobic-aqueous DBP interfaces.

Louie, Christina [Washington State University, Pul↗

DOE OSTI2026

Polywell Revisited

The Polywell fusion concept, originally proposed by Robert W. Bussard in 1985, has been investigated for over four decades as a potential solution for achieving net fusion energy in a compact and economically viable reactor. It combines two distinct approaches: high-beta magnetic cusp confinement of electrons using polyhedral coil configurations and electrostatic ion confinement via a potential well formed by injected electron beams. While the hybrid nature of the Polywell system offers advantages in plasma stability and engineering simplicity, previous efforts have been limited by persistent challenges in achieving sufficient plasma confinement required to generate a net energy gain. Here, in this study, we examine previous works and identify limitations of several Polywell embodiments that have historically impeded progress. We present an updated Polywell physics model incorporating experimental findings and recent first-principles particle-in-cell simulations. This updated model outlines a credible path toward overcoming confinement losses and achieving net energy gain using deuterium-tritium (D-T) fuels. Our findings provide a renewed scientific basis for the continued development of the Polywell fusion concept as a practical and scalable approach to fusion energy.

Electrostatic potential well↗

DOE OSTI2024

Colloidal Stability of PFSA-Ionomer Dispersions Part II: Determination of Suspension pH Using Single-Ion Potential Energies

Perfluorosulfonic acid (PFSA) ionomers serve a vital role in the performance and stability of fuel-cell catalyst layers. These properties, in turn, depend on the colloidal processing of precursor inks. Here, to understand the colloidal structure of fuel-cell catalyst layers, we explore the aggregation of PFSA ionomers dissolved in water/alcohol solutions and relate the predicted aggregation to experimental measurements of solution pH. Not all side chains contribute to measured pH because of burying inside particle aggregates. To account for the measured degree of dissociation, a new description is developed for how PFSA aggregates interact with each other. The developed single-counterion electrostatic repulsive pair potential from Part I is incorporated into the Smoluchowski collision-based kinetics of interacting aggregates with buried side chains. We demonstrate that the surrounding solvent mixture affects the degree of aggregation as well as the pH of the system primarily through the solution dielectric permittivity, which drives the strength of the interparticle repulsive energies. Successful pH prediction of Nafion ionomer dispersions in water/n-propanol solutions validates the numerical calculations. Nafion-dispersion pH measurements serve as a surrogate for Nafion particle-size distributions. The model and framework can be leveraged to explore different ink formulations.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗