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At least 451 records · Page 25
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2025

Report on the Integration of Experimental and Modeling Data for Initial Equivalence Study of Mechanical Performance in Irradiated LPBF 316 Stainless Steel

To ensure the rapid development, deployment, and use of advanced nuclear technologies, faster qualification approaches are needed. Typically, the primary pathway uses traditional data packages consistent with the American Society of Mechanical Engineers Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code, which does not consider the environmental effects the material will experience such as corrosion and radiation damage. Examining radiation effects requires a significant amount of space in US facilities at the Advanced Test Reactor and the High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR) and suffers from natural gradients in temperature and neutron flux profiles. Ion irradiation may enable rapid assessment of radiation-induced damage to a material and is proposed as part of an accelerated materials qualification framework through the Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Technologies program. To enhance the utility of ion irradiation as an examination tool, this report provides the initial assessment of engineering-relevant properties of microstructures produced from ion irradiation in the near-surface volume. Nanoindentation, Vickers hardness, and known tensile properties were brought together with simple mathematical models and experimental data for an initial equivalence study of the mechanical performance of irradiated laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) 316 stainless steels across length scales. Direct observation of the calculated ion irradiation yield stress and measured neutron irradiation yield stress at 2 dpa showed that both datasets exhibit the same trend with irradiation temperature and overlap within an acceptable band of stress values. Ion irradiations at 10 dpa serve as a prediction of properties to compare to postirradiation examination of HFIR-irradiated LPBF 316H further in the program. This work is a significant demonstration of the Licensing Approach with Ions and Neutrons, which uses ion irradiations to generate mechanical property information more rapidly than through neutron irradiations.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
NASA NTRS1982

Elevated temperature properties of aligned ferrous eutectics

Iron base alloys containing aluminum and chromium together with smaller amounts of yttrium and silicon are of interest for high temperature applications. Strengthening an inherently weak but oxidation resistant solid solution matrix with aligned in situ chromium carbides represents an attractive approach to achieving both surface stability and creep resistance at elevated temperatures. Aligned microstructures were produced in alloys of approximately 30 wt % (Cr + Mn), about 3 wt % C and the balance Fe consisting of a gamma matrix and the hexagonal carbide (Cr, Mn, Fe)7C3. The tensile and stress rupture strength to 2000 F of aligned Fe-20 w/t % Cr-10 wt % Mn-3.2 wt % C measured parallel to the carbide reinforcement exceeded those of the strongest iron-nickel superalloys, e.g., CRM-6D developed by Chrysler for automotive turbine application. The cyclic oxidation and sulfidation response of these alloys at elevated temperatures can be markedly improved by aluminum additions.

Lemkey, F. D.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Investigation of reaction kinetics and interfacial phase formation in Ti3Al + Nb composites

Titanium aluminide metal matrix composites are prominent materials systems being considered for high temperature aerospace applications. One of the major problems with this material is the reactivity between existing reinforcements and the matrix after prolonged thermal exposure. This paper presents results from an investigation of reaction kinetics between Ti-14Al-21Nb (wt pct) and SCS-6 fibers and SiC fibers with surface coatings of TiB2, TiC, TiN, W, and Si. Microstructural evaluation of the reaction layers as well as matrix regions around the fibers is presented.

Wawner, F. E.↗
NASA NTRS1996

Test and Analysis of Composite Hat Stringer Pull-off Test Specimens

Hat stringer pull-off tests were performed to evaluate the delamination failure mechanisms in the flange region for a rod-reinforced hat stringer section. A special test fixture was used to pull the hat off the stringer while reacting the pull-off load through roller supports at both stringer flanges. Microscopic examinations of the failed specimens revealed that failure occurred at the ply termination in the flange area where the flange of the stiffener is built up by adding 45/-45 tape plies on the top surface. Test results indicated that the as-manufactured microstructure in the flange region has a strong influence on the delamination initiation and the associated pull-off loads. Finite element models were created for each specimen with a detailed mesh based on micrographs of the critical location. A fracture mechanics approach and a mixed mode delamination criterion were used to predict the onset of delamination and the pull-off load. By modeling the critical local details of each specimen from micrographs, the model was able to accurately predict the hat stringer pull-off loads and replicate the variability in the test results.

Li, Jian↗
NASA NTRS2010

Optical Structural Health Monitoring Device

This non-destructive, optical fatigue detection and monitoring system relies on a small and unobtrusive light-scattering sensor that is installed on a component at the beginning of its life in order to periodically scan the component in situ. The method involves using a laser beam to scan the surface of the monitored component. The device scans a laser spot over a metal surface to which it is attached. As the laser beam scans the surface, disruptions in the surface cause increases in scattered light intensity. As the disruptions in the surface grow, they will cause the light to scatter more. Over time, the scattering intensities over the scanned line can be compared to detect changes in the metal surface to find cracks, crack precursors, or corrosion. This periodic monitoring of the surface can be used to indicate the degree of fatigue damage on a component and allow one to predict the remaining life and/or incipient mechanical failure of the monitored component. This wireless, compact device can operate for long periods under its own battery power and could one day use harvested power. The prototype device uses the popular open-source TinyOS operating system on an off-the-shelf Mica2 sensor mote, which allows wireless command and control through dynamically reconfigurable multi-node sensor networks. The small size and long life of this device could make it possible for the nodes to be installed and left in place over the course of years, and with wireless communication, data can be extracted from the nodes by operators without physical access to the devices. While a prototype has been demonstrated at the time of this reporting, further work is required in the system s development to take this technology into the field, especially to improve its power management and ruggedness. It should be possible to reduce the size and sensitivity as well. Establishment of better prognostic methods based on these data is also needed. The increase of surface roughness with fatigue is closely connected to the microstructure of the metal, and ongoing research is seeking to connect this observed evidence of the fatigue state with microstructural theories of fatigue evolution to allow more accurate prognosis of remaining component life. Plans are also being discussed for flight testing, perhaps on NASA s SOFIA platform.

Buckner, Benjamin D.↗
NASA NTRS2006

Multimode-Guided-Wave Ultrasonic Scanning of Materials

Two documents discuss a method of characterizing advanced composite materials by use of multimode-guided ultrasonic waves. A transmitting transducer excites modulated (e.g., pulsed) ultrasonic waves at one location on a surface of a plate specimen. The waves interact with microstructure and flaws as they propagate through the specimen to a receiving transducer at a different location. The received signal is analyzed to determine the total (multimode) ultrasonic response of the specimen and utilize this response to evaluate microstructure and flaws. The analysis is performed by software that extracts parameters of signals in the time and frequency domains. Scanning is effected by using computer-controlled motorized translation stages to position the transducers at specified pairs of locations and repeating the measurement, data-acquisition, and data-analysis processes at the successive locations. One document presents results of a scan of a specimen containing a delamination.

Roth, Don↗
DOE OSTI2022

Effect of Applied Stress on the Selective Oxidation of Alloy 600 Exposed to PWR Primary Water and Rhines Pack Environments

A mechanistic understanding of corrosion and oxidation processes is crucial to ensure long-term resistance to stress corrosion cracking of Ni-base structural alloys in pressurized water reactor (PWR) primary and secondary systems. Aqueous corrosion of Ni-base alloys under PWR primary water conditions was previously compared to gaseous oxidation with comparable oxygen potentials. However, those studies considered only stress-free conditions, which removes a critical parameter for understanding stress corrosion behaviors. A significant knowledge gap exists for the role of applied stresses on selective internal oxidation in gaseous environments. A micro-4-point-bend jig was designed to facilitate stress in a Rhines Pack set-up. Selective oxidation at different stress and strain conditions was investigated in a series of Rhines Pack experiments for Alloy 600. Focused ion beam milling enabled the extraction of site-specific specimens containing selected high-energy grain boundaries from tensile and compressive stress regions. Analytical transmission electron microscopy was employed to analyze the microstructure and chemical composition of the resulting oxides. Protective surface oxide films and selective intergranular oxides were observed at different conditions. The implications of these fundamental differences are discussed relative to intergranular attack and stress corrosion cracking mechanisms in PWR primary water.

stress, 4-point-bend, selective oxidation, Alloy 6↗
DOE OSTI2025

Microstructural evaluation of thin-wall sections of 316L stainless steel produced by laser powder-bed fusion processing

Laser powder bed fusion (LBPF) is a method of additive manufacturing (AM) that offers a means to fabricate complex components with features which rely upon the mechanical integrity of thin-wall (less than 0.4 mm thick) structures. The microstructure of a 316L AM thin wall is investigated as metallographically prepared from a cylindrical shell. Optimization is pursued through mechanical polishing and chemical etching to minimize the effects of surface roughness. Microanalysis measurements of the sectioned component reveal the sample has high microstructural fidelity, uniform composition and phase content across grain as well as powder layer boundaries within the thin wall. The results are attributed to a uniform thermal gradient at the part scale during rapid solidification.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2026

Enhancing fatigue life of aluminum alloy castings through cavitation water jet peening: Experiments and simulations

This study presents an investigation into the enhancement of the fatigue life of aluminum castings through the application of cavitation water-jet peening (CWJP). CWJP harnesses the impacts of water cavitation to induce surface compressive residual stress within metallic materials. In this work, CWJP was applied to a high pressure die-cast (HPDC) Al–Si alloy A380 with three different water-jet traverse velocities. The fatigue-life improvement, evaluated in a 4-point bending configuration (stress ratio R = 0.1), was found to vary with applied stress level and ranges from 1.6 to 10 times that of the parent alloy. The data also shows that decreasing the traverse velocity results in greater compressive residual stresses within the surface layer and a concurrent increase in surface roughness. This residual stress layer extends to a depth of 400 μm below the surface, as confirmed by through-thickness residual stress and microhardness measurements. CWJP treatment effectively slows down fatigue crack propagation, as evidenced by microstructural observations of narrower striation spacing. Simulations reveal that compressive residual stresses, in addition to surface hardening during CWJP, are key to improving fatigue life. A 20% increase in surface hardness and 150 MPa compressive residual stress imposed by CWJP process provides an average 5-fold enhancement of fatigue life across different stress levels. This study demonstrates the potential of CWJP as an effective surface treatment to enhance the fatigue life of aluminum castings, such as HPDC components for automotive applications.

Al casting↗
DOE OSTI2026

Neutron Diffraction Residual Stress Characterization of Large-Scale Components by WA-DED

Two large scale 316L stainless steel cylindrical shells were fabricated by wire arc directed energy deposition (WA DED). Residual stresses were measured by neutron diffraction, and the microstructure and mechanical properties of the printed material were characterized. Longitudinal and transverse residual stresses were compressive at the inner diameter, near neutral at mid wall, and tensile at the outer diameter; radial (through thickness) residual stresses were relatively low in magnitude, and peak tensile residual stresses occurred at the outer diameter surface along the longitudinal direction. The printed 316L SS exhibited a heterogeneous microstructure with finely dispersed δ ferrite, and demonstrated high yield and tensile strengths with large elongation and ductile fracture at ambient temperature and at 250 °C. These results indicate that the outer diameter surface and near surface regions—where tensile residual stress is highest—are the most vulnerable to residual stress–sensitive failure modes, such as stress corrosion cracking and fatigue.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2021

Topological surface conduction in Kondo insulator YbB 12

Kondo insulators have recently aroused great interest because they are promising materials that host a topological insulator state caused by the strong electron interactions. Moreover, recent observations of the quantum oscillations in the insulating state of Kondo insulators have come as a great surprise. Here, we investigate the surface electronic state of a prototype Kondo insulator YbB 12 , we measured the transport properties of single crystals and microstructures. In all samples, the temperature dependence of the electrical resistivity is insulating at high temperatures and the resistivity exhibits a plateau at low temperatures. The magnitude of the plateau value decreases with reducing sample thickness, which is quantitatively consistent with the surface electronic conduction in the bulk insulating YbB 12 . Moreover, the magnetoresistance of the microstructures exhibits a weak-antilocalization effect at low field. These results are consistent with the presence of a topologically protected surface state, suggesting that YbB 12 is a candidate material for a topological Kondo insulator. The high field resistivity measurements up to µ 0 H = 50 T of the microstructures provide supporting evidence that the quantum oscillations of the resistivity in YbB 12 occurs in the insulating bulk.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2025

Microstructure Scale Lithium-Ion Battery Modeling: Part III. When and Where Lithium Plating Occurs and its Correlation with the Electrode Microstructure

Li-ion battery performance and degradation are closely related to the cell’s underlying electrode microstructure. Electrode microstructures are typically characterized with volume-averaged properties that neglect the impact of local heterogeneities. However, local heterogeneities create hot spots that can trigger degradation onset. Herein, a microstructure scale electrochemical model is used to investigate the impact of microstructure heterogeneity on lithium plating. The model predicts lithium plating is not uniform, even when considering a relatively small portion of the electrode (a cross-sectional area of 154×144 µm 2 ), preferring to plate on larger particles as compared to smaller particles. While local heterogeneities control where plating occurs, the model predicts that volume-averaged properties control when plating occurs. Additionally, the model predicts that the active material specific surface area has a linear relationship with the plating onset. However, the linear relationship between increased active material surface area and delayed plating response appears to be sensitive to the microstructure feature used to increase the active interface area. Here, a comparative case-study is explored where the specific surface area is increased by either reducing the active material particle diameter, adding open-porosity cracks, or increasing the active material surface roughness. The model predicts that increasing the specific surface area by reducing the active material particle diameter is the most effective strategy for delaying lithium plating. At 6C, reducing particle size is shown to be 3 and 20 times more effective than, respectively, adding open-porosity cracks and increasing surface roughness. A dual-layer electrode architecture combining gradations both for average properties and uniformities is eventually proposed to improve homogeneous material utilization and reduce degradation at high charge rates.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2020

Carbide Particle Redistribution in U-10Mo Alloy during Hot and Cold Rolling Processes: Synthetic Microstructure-Based Finite-Element Approach

The influence of initial carbide particle distribution features on particle fracture and the evolution of stringer distribution within an alloy of uranium with 10 weight percent molybdenum during cold rolling was investigated in this study. This work will provide guidance to casting optimization work and identify actionable process changes to eliminate the surface features directly attributed to carbides. In a previous study, various synthetic microstructure-based finite-element (FE) models were generated with consideration of different parameters (i.e., particle shape, particle volume fraction, and particle distribution), and used to examine the effects of hot rolling on the microstructure evolution. In this study, microstructures after ~80% hot rolling were used as the initial microstructures for the subsequent cold rolling simulation. Plane-strain compression loading was employed in the FE models to simulate cold rolling with reductions from ~80% to ~94%. Stringer analyses with the consideration of particle fracture were then performed with the simulated cold rolling results. The results of void evolution analyses show that microstructures with elliptical particles incorporate a much larger (almost double) void volume fraction than those with circular particles, indicating that the elliptical particles are fractured more easily than the circular ones. The results from the fracture mode analyses show that, under the adopted simple compression loading assumption, almost all the particles (i.e., >99%) were fractured by tensile separation. The results of stringer analyses show that, during cold rolling, the stringer volume fractions increase substantially due to the particle fracture, especially for the microstructures with the elliptical particles, and that the stringer volume fractions from stringers comprising many particles tend to increase faster. The maximum stringer lengths for the microstructures with circular particles tend to remain constant or decrease during cold rolling, whereas those for elliptical particles tend to slightly increase after a slight decrease. The number of particles at the surface increases very rapidly due to particle fracture during cold rolling.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
NASA NTRS1990

Revealing the microstructure of materials

The objectives are to demonstrate how the microstructure of materials may be revealed by abrasive polishing and chemical etching, and to illustrate how microstructural information is used to monitor manufacturing processes, provide in-depth inspection, and perform failure analysis. Microstructural analysis is the procedure used to reveal the internal microstructural details of a material or part by sectioning and polishing the cut surface so that it may be examined under a suitable microscope. A printed wiring board was selected as the test material because it contains both metals and nonmetals that have distinctive microstructures, and because this technique is used throughout the electronic industry as a key quality control tool. The three principle component materials in printed circuit boards are glass/epoxy laminates faced with copper foil; copper, deposited by both electroless and electrolytic plating; and tin/lead solder. Sample preparation, mounting, grinding, polishing, and examination and analysis are discussed.

Nelson, James A.↗
NASA NTRS2019

An Investigation into the Grain Structure of Impact Ice

To design effective anti-icing and de-icing technology for aircraft, scientists and engineers must obtain a fundamental understanding of the microstructural characteristics of impact ice. This study investigates the effects of icing parameters, such as airspeed and liquid water content (LWC), on impact ice microstructure near the interface to a metal substrate. Ice samples were accreted in the NASA Glenn Icing Research Tunnel and tested in the NASA Revolutionary Icing Materials Evaluation Laboratory. A microtome was used to shave down the ice to a thickness of < 1 mm for examination under a microscope. Samples were imaged at multiple magnifications using bright field imaging. The average grain size was determined for each sample in accordance with ASTM standard methods, and relationships between airspeed, LWC, and grain size were identified. It was observed that the average grain area in a given cross-section was linearly related to the distance of the cross-section from the metal surface. Finally, the effects of annealing and sublimation on the microstructure were also explored. Results show significant variation in the grain structure, suggesting a means by which icing condition influences adhesion strength.

grain↗
DOE OSTI2021

Distribution of Bound and Free Water in Anatomical Fractions of Pine Residues and Corn Stover as a Function of Biological Degradation

Biomass quality is influenced by water’s abundance, distribution, and status in relation to other chemical species within the polymer matrix. Water interacts with polymers that make up the cell walls, and these interactions govern the physical and chemical changes that occur during the storage and preprocessing of biomass feedstocks. Time-domain nuclear magnetic resonance (TD-NMR) was employed to explore variations in the physical constraints of water within the lignocellulosic microstructure in distinct anatomical fractions of biomass and as a function of biological degradation. The Carr–Purcell–Meiboom–Gill sequence, when combined with knowledge of the chemical composition and physical structure of pine residues and corn stover anatomical fractions, gives an accurate measurement of the bound and free water. In this work, the impacts of storage and biological degradation were investigated to elucidate changes in the status and distribution of water within distinct plant tissues. We also investigate how degradation during storage affects water interactions in different pine residues (e.g., bark, branch, and needle) and corn stover (e.g., cob, leaf, and stalk) anatomical fractions using transverse relaxation times (T2). As demonstrated herein, TD-NMR provides quantitative data on lignocellulosic biomass–water interactions within anatomical fractions, which can further aid in the investigation of preprocessing effects on feedstock quality. Our findings suggest that biological heating enhances biomass–water interactions at the cellular and macromolecular scale. In addition, analysis of three-dimensional scanning electron microscopy reconstructions indicates that surface roughness wavelengths align with microscale roughness, suggesting that pine forestry residue and corn stover particles have primarily hydrophobic exterior surfaces. Furthermore, this study offers multiscale insights into understanding the microstructure, wettability, and chemical environment that dictate diffusion, enzyme access, and recalcitrance of lignocellulosic biomass.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗
DOE OSTI2023

Laboratory-Scale Coal-Derived Graphene Process (Final Report)

The Energy & Environmental Research Center (EERC) conducted a laboratory-scale coal-derived graphene (CDG) project focused on developing a technological process for making graphene from four U.S. domestic coal or coal wastes, including lignite from North Dakota, subbituminous coal from Wyoming, bituminous coal from Utah, and anthracite from Pennsylvania. The project was divided into two performance or budget periods (BPs), with BP1 comprising the up-front laboratory experiments to make graphene materials from coal beginning on May 1, 2020, to April 30, 2022. BP2 was conducted from May 1, 2022, to April 30, 2023, and was focused on analyzing the CDG process economic feasibility and the technical gaps for technological scale-up and commercialization. During this project, a few different coal-derived high-value products have been demonstrated, including graphite, graphene oxide (GO), reduced graphene oxide (rGO), and graphene quantum dots (GQDs). A new graphite microstructure was discovered and named “croissant graphite” because of the exterior morphological and textural resemblance to croissant food items sold in commercial groceries stores. The new graphite structure and the associated preparation from coal or coal waste feedstocks has been the subject of a U.S. patent application. The systematic experimental processes involving coal cleaning, upgrading, and conversion to high-value carbon products culminated into a developed upgraded coal-to-products (UCP) technology that is being pursued for potential fast-track commercialization, if funding is available. It is envisioned that commercialization of the UCP technology would increase consumption of U.S. domestic coals or coal wastes to make environmentally sustainable high-value products for the electronics industry, high-energy-storage applications, and clean energy technologies such as electric vehicle (EV) lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), for which graphite has become a critical mineral commodity. Croissant graphite microstructures, when observed by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), display wavy surface morphology and often grow from a base that is made of graphitized particles with honeycomb-like layers, which are believed to be graphene layers. While more studies are needed to fully ascertain the mechanisms of the croissant graphite microstructure formation, it is postulated that their growth may begin from curling of the graphene sheets into ribbon-like structures, and continuous growth and densification of the ribbon-like structures forms croissant microstructures. Additional studies are ongoing to evaluate the electrochemical performance of croissant graphite for LIB applications and to determine the experimental conditions necessary to tune on/off croissant formation so that it can be either optimized or suppressed depending on performance evaluation results. In addition to the discovery of croissant graphite, the graphitization process from the four coal ranks in general was successful. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis showed that the degree of graphitization (DoG) ranged from 12% to 80% in an early sample set, and further optimization on lignite coal produces a DoG of about 92%, which was spectacular to see as lignite is the lowest-rank coal. Thus, it is expected that the graphitization performance for higher-rank coals will be similar or better when optimized as well. The coal-derived graphite was used to make GO and rGO. Analytical characterization, e.g., by methods such as Raman spectroscopy, XRD, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and FESEM, showed that the sequence of converting the coal to graphite, exfoliating it to GO, and then chemically reducing the GO to rGO was successful. Although coal naturally contains aromatic compounds and some relatively small-sized condensed aromatic units, it does not contain graphene sheets. In the UCP process, the aromatic domains in the coals, particularly low-rank coals, are concentrated and condensed further into graphene sheets, which are ordered into a 3D stack during graphitization. The synthesized graphite is then unpacked by methods such as exfoliation to various graphene products. GQDs were synthesized from all four coal types, and their optical properties were demonstrated to be tunable by the coal precursor preprocessing treatments. In all four coal types, enhanced optical properties were observed for the produced GDQs with incremental improvements made to the coal precursors. GQDs produced from raw coal samples displayed lower ultraviolet–visible (UV–Vis) spectroscopy absorbance intensity compared to those obtained from cleaned and upgraded coal residues. The photoluminescence (PL) intensities also varied with pretreatment conditions and with the concentration of GQDs in aqueous solutions. GQDs obtained from anthracite show longer emission wavelengths and can be excited by visible light as opposed to GQDs derived from the other coal ranks. UV fluorescence 3D maps and spectra revealed that the emission wavelength at which the GQDs solutions display the highest intensity was slightly redshifted based on the coal precursor pretreatments. In low-rank coal (lignite and subbituminous) samples, two clusters were observed in the maps for GQDs, which may suggest that there are potentially two types of fluorophores in solution or two main size populations. The ability to tune the properties of GQDs based on processing methods can be exploited to make GQDs for various optical display or optoelectronics applications. The results also highlight the importance of removing coal-borne impurities to improve the quality of the coal precursor for preparation of graphene products. Coal and/or coal wastes preprocessing methods were developed and applied to clean and upgrade the coal precursors prior to graphitization and subsequent conversion to graphene products. The preprocessing methods involve high specific-gravity separations, mineral acid cleaning (no hydrofluoric acid), and subsequent upgrading by reducing the coal-borne heteroatom (nitrogen, sulfur, and oxygen) content using proprietary chemical agents. Analytical characterization revealed that the preprocessing steps were successful, with ash reductions that range from 38% to 80% and residual ash content that was below the 5 wt% initial target. Based on proximate and ultimate analysis, the heteroatom reduction reactions produced upgraded coal residues with the oxygen content reduced by 8% to 24%, with additional reductions in the nitrogen and sulfur contents. An initial assessment of the waste streams from the UCP process shows very small to negligible environmental impact due to CO 2 , NO x , and SO x because most process steps are performed under inert atmosphere with argon. Consequently, reactive oxygen environments that tend to create these species are avoided. The inorganic and potentially hazardous species are released into aqueous waste streams that are easy to handle for proper disposal. The liquid waste streams were found to contain low-level concentrations of rare-earth elements (REEs), which could be concentrated and recovered as value-added by-products. Additionally, the volatile and gaseous fractions from carbonization and heat treatment contain useful organic compounds that can also be recovered as potential valuable by-products. Thus, the UCP technology is considered an environmentally sustainable and promising emerging technology for making high-value products from coal and coal wastes, with potential additional value-added by-products. Analysis of potential markets for the coal-derived carbon products shows a strong demand in both niche market sectors and across a wide variety of other industrial sectors. Graphite is currently considered a critical mineral commodity that has a large and growing demand in the LIB industry for EV applications. Based on data from Fortune Business Insights (2022) and Marketwatch (2023) reports, the average global graphite market is projected to reach about 33 billion by 2028, growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of about 7%, with much of this growth expected to be in the LIB industry. GO and rGO have strong market potentials in various application areas, such as coatings for anticorrosion, anti-icing, and antimicrobial protection, thermal barriers, wear resistance, sensors, additive manufacturing such as 3D inks, and others. GQDs are the emerging key player in the bioimaging, photovoltaics, and light-emitting diodes (LEDs) applications, with the potential to replace traditional semiconductor quantum dots (SQDs), which are based on metallic systems that are more toxic and more expensive. Biomedical applications of GQDs are becoming more attractive because of low to no toxicity and extremely low cost compared to SQDs. The major challenges for scale-up and commercialization of coal-derived carbon products such as graphene vary from the inherent attributes of graphene itself to reluctance to accept graphene in new manufacturing processes because of the uncertainty of the unknown. The 2D nature of graphene materials with a thickness of one atom presents significant challenges to proper handling/processing, and process scale-up becomes difficult because it requires high-end, expensive equipment, even for routine handling and analysis for quality assurance and control. Pristine graphene can also be extremely difficult to work into other matrices, thus hindering downstream processibility, especially at large scale. Currently, the cost of graphene and graphene products is still high and presents an economic risk that tends to slow down investment in scaling up emerging technologies. The lack of a standard for graphene materials for quality assurance and quality control poses a great challenge not only for the markets but also for commercialization efforts. A first-look economic feasibility analysis of the UCP technology provided valuable information that suggests the UCP process would be feasible, especially when it is scaled to a pilot scale and could be more competitive at the full scale. Graphitization was found to be the most energy-consuming and most capital-intensive step in the overall process. In small laboratory- and bench-scale experiments, labor is a significant contributor to the total process costs. Although these energy, capital, and labor constraints contribute to a higher selling price for the product, a preliminary economic model suggests that the process would be feasible at large scale when the process is fully integrated, optimized, and automated.

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT↗
NASA NTRS1988

Fluoride glass: Crystallization, surface tension

Fluoride glass was levitated acoustically in the ACES apparatus on STS-11, and the recovered sample had a different microstructure from samples cooled in a container. Further experiments on levitated samples of fluoride glass are proposed. These include nucleation, crystallization, melting observations, measurement of surface tension of molten glass, and observation of bubbles in the glass. Ground experiments are required on sample preparation, outgassing, and surface reactions. The results should help in the development and evaluation of containerless processing, especially of glass, in the development of a contaminent-free method of measuring surface tensions of melts, in extending knowledge of gas and bubble behavior in fluoride glasses, and in increasing insight into the processing and properties of fluoride glasses.

Doremus, R. H.↗