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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 451 records · Page 25
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1987

Na/beta-alumina/NaAlCl4, Cl2/C circulating cell

A study was made of a high specific energy battery based on a sodium negative electrode and a chlorine positive electrode with molten AlCl3-NaCl electrolyte and a solid beta alumina separator. The basic performance of a Na beta-alumina NaAlCl4, Cl2/C circulating cell at 200 C was demonstrated. This cell can be started at 150 C. The use of melting sodium chloroaluminate electrolyte overcomes some of the material problems associated with the high working temperatures of present molten salt systems, such as Na/S and LiAl/FeS, and retains the advantages of high energy density and relatively efficient electrode processes. Preliminary investigations were conducted on a sodium-chlorine static cell, material compability, electrode design, wetting, and theoretical calculations to assure a better chance of success before assembling a Na/Cl2 circulating cell. Mathematical models provide a theoretical explanation for the performance of the NaCl2 battery. The results of mathematical models match the experimental results very well. According to the result of the mathematical modeling, an output at 180 mA/sq cm and 3.2 V can be obtained with optimized cell design.

Cherng, Jing-Yih↗
DOE OSTI2023

Cost analysis of hydrogen production by high-temperature solid oxide electrolysis

In this study, we estimate construction and operation costs of gigawatt-scale solid oxide electrolysis (SOE) facilities for producing high purity hydrogen gas from water. Manufacturing and assembly costs for two types of SOE cell stacks are estimated using a detailed design for manufacture and assembly (DFMA®) analysis. Modular balance of plant (BOP) process equipment is designed and sized with Aspen®, and cost estimated using equipment vendor quotes. Factory and on-site assembly and installation costs for SOEC stack and BOP equipment integration into modular SOE process units are calculated using a simplified DFMA® method. Total stack costs on a stack input power (SIP) basis reduce to <$100/kW e DC SIP for >500 MW e DC SIP /year production rates with electrode cermet, interconnects, and high-temperature heat treatments dominating the total cost. Integration of stacks with larger BOP equipment operating at higher pressures offers ~36% cost reduction in total facility capital cost due to an economies of physical scale effect since BOP equipment comprises >50% of facility costs. Optimized H 2 prices decrease from ~$\$$4/kgH 2 to ~$\$$2/kgH 2 for 1 GWe DCSIP facilities using $\$$0.025/kWh electricity price. All costs are reported in 2021 US dollars.

08 HYDROGEN↗
NASA NTRS2004

Lightweight Stacks of Direct Methanol Fuel Cells

An improved design concept for direct methanol fuel cells makes it possible to construct fuel-cell stacks that can weigh as little as one-third as much as do conventional bipolar fuel-cell stacks of equal power. The structural-support components of the improved cells and stacks can be made of relatively inexpensive plastics. Moreover, in comparison with conventional bipolar fuel-cell stacks, the improved fuel-cell stacks can be assembled, disassembled, and diagnosed for malfunctions more easily. These improvements are expected to bring portable direct methanol fuel cells and stacks closer to commercialization. In a conventional bipolar fuel-cell stack, the cells are interspersed with bipolar plates (also called biplates), which are structural components that serve to interconnect the cells and distribute the reactants (methanol and air). The cells and biplates are sandwiched between metal end plates. Usually, the stack is held together under pressure by tie rods that clamp the end plates. The bipolar stack configuration offers the advantage of very low internal electrical resistance. However, when the power output of a stack is only a few watts, the very low internal resistance of a bipolar stack is not absolutely necessary for keeping the internal power loss acceptably low.

Narayanan, Sekharipuram↗
NASA NTRS1991

Advances in the design of common pressure vessel nickel hydrogen batteries for aerospace applications

Over 7000 low-earth-orbit (LEO) cycles were demonstrated on a full-size aerospace common pressure vessel (CPV) prototype. The battery demonstrated the capability of the basic CPV design to meet the life and reliability requirements of aerospace missions. Subsequent design modifications have been employed to address the shortcomings of the original design and several new prototypes have been fabricated. These include a 12-cell 125 amp-hour geosynchronous earth-orbit (GEO) battery and a 22-cell 10.5 amp-hour LEO battery. Cells for an 80-cell battery intended to demonstrate the high voltage capability of the CPV design have also been fabricated. In addition, assembly of a 20-cell aircraft starting battery prototype is in progress, and testing of a group of 12-volt, 160 amp-hour terrestrial batteries is continuing.

Zagrodnik, Jeffrey P.↗
NASA NTRS1978

Ultra-thin silicon solar cells for high performance panel applications

Solar cells have been fabricated which achieved the highest power to mass ratios and radiation stability yet reported for silicon devices. The thinnest cells (.04 mm) had initial efficiencies in excess of 2 watts per gram (AMO) and 1.7 watts per gram after an irradiation of 1 x 10 to the 15th equivalent 1 MeV electrons per square centimeter. The cells have been successfully interconnected by welding and filtered using a FEP bonded, ceria-doped microsheet of six mil thickness. Handling losses during cell manufacture and panel assembly may be minimized through the use of an integral reinforcing perimeter or ribs which remove almost all restrictions on cell thickness and area. Such a cell is typically composed of a main section which can be as thin as 0.015 mm and is supported at the edge by a thicker border (0.20 mm) of silicon.

Gay, C. F.↗
NASA NTRS2005

Pre-biotic stage of life origin under non-photosynthetic conditions

Spontaneous assembling of a simplest bacterial cell even if all necessary molecules are present in a solution seems to be extremely rare event and from the scientific standpoint has to be considered as impossible. Therefore, a predecessor of a living cell has to be very simple for providing its self-assembling and at the same time it should be able of progressive increase in complexity. Now phase-separated particles, first of all micelles, are put forward as possible predecessors of living cell. According to the offered working concept only phase-separated particles possessing autocatalytic properties can be considered as predecessors of living cells. The first stage of evolution of these phase-separated autocatalytic systems is the appearance of pre-biotic metabolism providing synthesis of amphiphiles for formation of capsules of these systems. This synthesis is maintained by the energy of a base reaction being a component of a planet-chemical cycle. Catalytic system providing functioning of pre-biotic metabolism is based on multivariate oligomeric autocatalyst, which reproduces itself from monomers, penetrating the particles from the outside. Since the autocatalyst realizes random polymerization then a collection of other oligomers possessing different catalytic functions is produced. In the paper the functioning of multivariate oligomeric autocatalyst in flow reactor is analyzed. c2005 Published by Elsevier Ltd on behalf of COSPAR.

Biogenesis↗
DOE OSTI2020

Patterned electrode catalyst

Disclosed herein are embodiments of a patterned electrode comprising regions of catalyst and segregating regions that separate the regions of catalyst. The segregating regions may be regions of non-catalytic material. The catalyst regions may correspond to the channels of a flow field. The electrode provides improved fuel cell performance, particularly at high current densities. The electrode may be for all suitable applications, such as in a membrane electrode assembly and/or a fuel cell. Also disclosed is a method for making the patterned electrode. The method may comprise using masks to apply the catalyst and non-catalyst material to a substrate.

Macauley, Natalia↗
NASA NTRS2023

Microbial Bioburden on NASA Cleanroom Surfaces: Cell Counting and Fluorescence in situ Hybridization

Spacecraft assembly cleanrooms can harbor a low number of microbial cells that could contaminate hardware designed for life detection missions (known as “bioburden”). We are evaluating epifluorescence microscopy and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) as rapid, accurate, and cost-effective methods to complement other contamination detection techniques. This study is part of a larger effort to characterize background organic contamination and the efficacy of cleaning procedures in Johnson Space Center (JSC) Astromaterials Curation Laboratories and Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) spacecraft assembly rooms. The low level of biomass required careful use of blanks during each stage of sample collection and preparation. FISH was performed using general archaeal and bacterial probes, as well as some group-specific probes. While some active bacteria were identified, a large majority of them were dead or inactive, and thus were difficult to identify by standard FISH. Our results are consistent with other studies that show that the bioburden present in clean rooms includes active, dormant, and dead cells.

C J Huff↗
NASA NTRS1981

Development and fabrication of a solar cell junction processing system

A solar cell junction processing system was developed and fabricated. A pulsed electron beam for the four inch wafers is being assembled and tested, wafers were successfully pulsed, and solar cells fabricated. Assembly of the transport locks is completed. The transport was operated successfully but not with sufficient reproducibility. An experiment test facility to examine potential scaleup problems associated with the proposed ion implanter design was constructed and operated. Cells were implanted and found to have efficiency identical to the normal Spire implant process.

Bunker, S.↗
NASA NTRS2007

NASA Tech Briefs, June 2007

Topics covered include: High-Accuracy, High-Dynamic-Range Phase-Measurement System; Simple, Compact, Safe Impact Tester; Multi-Antenna Radar Systems for Doppler Rain Measurements; 600-GHz Electronically Tunable Vector Measurement System; Modular Architecture for the Measurement of Space Radiation; VLSI Design of a Turbo Decoder; Architecture of an Autonomous Radio Receiver; Improved On-Chip Measurement of Delay in an FPGA or ASIC; Resource Selection and Ranking; Accident/Mishap Investigation System; Simplified Identification of mRNA or DNA in Whole Cells; Printed Multi-Turn Loop Antennas for RF Biotelemetry; Making Ternary Quantum Dots From Single-Source Precursors; Improved Single-Source Precursors for Solar-Cell Absorbers; Spray CVD for Making Solar-Cell Absorber Layers; Glass/BNNT Composite for Sealing Solid Oxide Fuel Cells; A Method of Assembling Compact Coherent Fiber-Optic Bundles; Manufacturing Diamond Under Very High Pressure; Ring-Resonator/Sol-Gel Interferometric Immunosensor; Compact Fuel-Cell System Would Consume Neat Methanol; Algorithm Would Enable Robots to Solve Problems Creatively; Hypothetical Scenario Generator for Fault-Tolerant Diagnosis; Smart Data Node in the Sky; Pseudo-Waypoint Guidance for Proximity Spacecraft Maneuvers; Update on Controlling Herds of Cooperative Robots; and Simulation and Testing of Maneuvering of a Planetary Rover.

Source record↗
DOE OSTI2020

Nanostructured catalyst supports

The present invention relates to SiC nanostructures, including SiC nanopowder, SiC nanowires, and composites of SiC nanopowder and nanowires, which can be used as catalyst supports in membrane electrode assemblies and in fuel cells. The present invention also relates to composite catalyst supports comprising nanopowder and one or more inorganic nanowires for a membrane electrode assembly.

30 DIRECT ENERGY CONVERSION↗
NASA NTRS1977

Bioorganic chemistry and the emergence of the first cell

It is suggested that the best way to study the evolution of cells from primordial compounds is to attempt to assemble a protocell, i.e., a primordial cell. Simulation of processes that occurred in archaic times would require inductive reasoning and constructionist techniques rather than the analytic approach in which cell components are separated and studied in isolation. Advantages to primordial life which would result from protocell formation are surveyed, and the proteinoid microsphere, a model of the protocell, is discussed. A photoreactive proteinoid is considered.

Fox, S. W.↗
NASA NTRS2019

Short Course on Lithium-Ion Batteries: Fundamental Concepts, Battery Safety, and Modeling Techniques

When developing this course several years back I asked myself, "What do I think the TFAWS community needs to know about lithium-ion batteries and why should they care?" I think the answers to these questions can be boiled down to the following statements: 1. Lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery electrical performance and efficiency are heavily driven by thermal conditions. 2. Li-ion battery assemblies can experience single cell thermal runaway events which can lead to cell-to-cell propagation; these are thermally driven failure events that can be controlled with effective thermal management systems. 3. Knowledge of BOTH Li-ion battery fundamentals AND traditional thermal design principles are required to develop safe battery assemblies that are both gravimetrically and volumetrically optimized.This year the Short Course on Lithium-ion Batteries will be presented in a 2-part series. The first portion, "Fundamentals, Battery Safety, and Thermal Runaway," will focus on educating participants on the fundamental aspects of Li-ion batteries and on battery safety related topics (i.e. thermal runaway, cell-to-cell propagation, safe handling practices, et...). The second portion, "Practical Thermal Simulation Techniques," will provide participants with a real time demonstration of how to use Thermal Desktop to model of Li-ion battery assemblies. This part of the lesson will cover geometry simplification, mesh development, boundary conditions, and heat loads for both nominal operations (charge and discharge) and for thermal runaway events.

Walker, William↗
DOE OSTI2025

Hemicellulose Modulates Nanoscale Lignin Architecture in Synthetic Plant Cell Walls

Cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin─the most abundant biopolymers on Earth─compose the structural matrix of plant biomass, providing renewable resources critical to bioenergy and sustainable materials. Despite their importance, the nanoscale mechanochemical processes underlying lignocellulose assembly during plant secondary cell wall formation remain poorly understood, hindering advancements in biomass conversion technologies. Here, in this study, we synthesize a biomimetic model system comprising cellulose–hemicellulose nanofibrils (CHN) to examine guaiacyl lignin polymerization in a physiologically relevant context. Using advanced nanocharacterization─scattering-type scanning near-field optical microscopy (s-SNOM) with infrared nanospectroscopy coupled to solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR)─we reveal that hemicellulose presence considerably modulates lignin deposition and alters its interunit bond distribution. Specifically, hemicellulose-rich environments dramatically reduce lignin deposition by approximately 50% and yield highly condensed lignin structures characterized by severely reduced β–O–4′ linkages (<2%) and suppressed β–β′ linkages. Conversely, cellulose-alone scaffolds support notably higher β–O–4′ content (∼10%), resulting in a more uniform nanoscale lignin coating. Our work helps explain how accessible hemicellulose sites, both sterically and chemically, direct radical coupling during lignification, fundamentally reshaping lignin’s nanoscale architecture. These findings deepen our mechanistic understanding of plant cell wall biosynthesis and inform strategies aimed at enhancing biomass deconstruction efficiency for sustainable bioenergy applications.

NMR↗
DOE OSTI2024

Comparative Study on the Photoelectrochemical Hydrogen Production from the Layout Optimization in a Unit Cell

Solar-driven water splitting is achieved by connecting photovoltaics with electrolysis. Recently, integrated approaches of the two configurations for photoelectrochemical reactions have shown great potential in a combined unit, but strategies to address further material and cell development face significant scientific challenges. Here, in this work, we present an experimental demonstration of photoelectrochemical (PEC) unit-cells with efficient separate dual compartments for oxygen evolution and hydrogen evolution reactions. The design and fabrication of cell architectures with various degrees of integration are investigated efficient and sustainable PEC processes. The effect of the nanostructured silicon (Si) photoelectrodes, including the adoption of layer architectures, surface protection layer deposition, and membrane electrode assembly is further studied to optimize the design parameters of the PEC unit-cells. This developed PEC cell with the Si photocathode achieved a photocurrent density of -4.8 mA cm –2 at -2.0 V cell and -2.87 mA cm –2 at -1.6 V cell . It clearly provides a critical milestone for unbiased solar water splitting. Practical solar to hydrogen (STH) can be directly estimated in investigating PEC performance in this unit-cell as assembled with a solar cell. It is a significantly meaningful step forward in practical solar fuel production.

08 HYDROGEN↗
DOE OSTI2025

Single-nuclei transcriptome analysis of IgM+ cells isolated from channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus) spleen

Catfish production is the primary aquaculture sector in the United States, and the key cultured species is channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus). The major causes of production losses are pathogenic diseases, and the spleen, an important site of adaptive immunity, is implicated in these diseases. To examine the channel catfish immune system, single-nuclei transcriptomes of sorted and captured IgM + cells were produced from adult channel catfish. Three channel catfish (~1 kg) were euthanized, the spleen dissected, and the tissue dissociated. The lymphocytes were isolated using a Ficoll gradient and IgM + cells were then sorted with flow cytometry. The IgM + cells were lysed and single-nuclei libraries generated using a Chromium Next GEM Single Cell 3’ GEM Kit and the Chromium X Instrument (10x Genomics) and sequenced with the Illumina NovaSeq X Plus sequencer. The reads were aligned to theI. punctatusreference assembly (Coco_2.0) using Cell Ranger, and normalization, cluster analysis, and differential gene expression analysis were carried out with Seurat. Across the three samples, approximately 753.5 million reads were generated for 18,686 cells. After filtering, 10,637 cells remained for the cluster analysis. The cluster analysis identified 16 clusters which were classified as B cells (10,276), natural killer-like (NK-like) cells (178), T cells or natural killer cells (45), hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPC)/megakaryocytes (MK) (66), myeloid/epithelial cells (40), and plasma cells (32). The B cell clusters were further defined as different populations of mature B cells, cycling B cells, and plasma cells. The plasma cells highly expressedighmand we demonstrated that the secreted form of the transcript was largely being expressed by these cells. This atlas provides insight into the gene expression of IgM + immune cells in channel catfish. The atlas is publicly available and could be used garner more important information regarding the gene expression of splenic immune cells.

Immunology↗
NASA NTRS1982

Work Station For Inverting Solar Cells

Final work station along walking-beam conveyor of solar-array assembly line turns each pretabbed solar cell over, depositing it back-side-up onto landing pad, which centers cell without engaging collector surface. Solar cell arrives at inverting work station collector-side-up with two interconnect tabs attached to collector side. Cells are inverted so that second soldering operation takes place in plain view of operator. Inversion protects collector from damage when handled at later stages of assembly.

Feder, H.↗