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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

Ionic‐Liquid Free and Flexible Transistors Made of 2D Material Inks

The development of thin-film transistors (TFTs) using 2D materials is crucial for enabling scalable, low-cost, and flexible electronics. Currently, 2D TFTs with the highest performance have been achieved by using ionic-liquid gating (ILG), a technique suited for proof-of-concept studies. However, ILG suffers from slow switching speeds, temperature sensitivity, poor long-term stability, and integration challenges, making it unsuitable for practical use. Moreover, typical fabrication methods for 2D TFTs involve harsh conditions such as strong acids or high temperatures (>300 °C), limiting integration with flexible substrates. This work provides the first demonstration of an ILG-free, all-2D-material TFT fabricated onto a flexible substrate. Water-based graphene and hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) inks are printed to deposit the electrodes and dielectric layers, respectively. The MoS 2 channel is produced via supramolecular interfacial self-assembly, yielding uniform, monolayer-rich films transferable to rigid and flexible substrates. The resulting TFTs operate below 3 V, exhibit negligible leakage current, and achieve field-effect mobilities up to 0.46 cm 2 V −1 s −1 (rising to 2.47 cm 2 V −1 s −1 with silver electrodes) measured under ambient conditions, while maintaining excellent mechanical flexibility. This work establishes a low-cost and scalable solution-processable platform for flexible electronics based on 2D materials that match requirements for practical applications.

2D materials↗

Engineering Supramolecular Hybrid Architectures with Directional Organofluorine Bonds

Understanding how chemical modifications alter the atomic‐scale organization of materials is of fundamental importance in materials engineering and the target of considerable efforts in computational prediction. Incorporating covalent and noncovalent interactions in designing crystals while “piggybacking” on the driving force of molecular self‐assembly has augmented efforts to understand the emergence of complex structures using directed synthesis. In this work, microcrystalline powders of the silver 2‐, 3‐, and 4‐fluorobenzenethiolates are prepared and their structures are resolved by small‐molecule serial femtosecond X‐ray crystallography. These three compounds enable the emergence and role of supramolecular synthons in the crystal structures of 3D metal‐organic chalcogenolates to be examined. The unique divergence in their optoelectronic, morphological, and structural behaviors is assessed. The extent of CHF interactions and their influence on the structure and the observed trends in the thermal stability of the crystals are quantified through theoretical calculations and thermogravimetric analysis.

Kotei, Patience A.↗

Nanocomposite Materials for Radionuclide Sequestration from Groundwater Environments

The half-lives of radionuclides range from fractions of a second to billions of years. Since no practical method of altering radioactive decay exists, and since exposure to either the energy emitted from radioactive decay or chemical properties of radionuclides poses dire health risks, radioactive materials must be segregated and controlled. The capture, treatment, and disposition of radioactive materials remain an extraordinary challenge. In here, we focus our attention on the synthesis and characterization of a unique class of nanocomposite materials that have potential for removal of radionuclide contamination. Specifically, we report a simple approach to decorate the surface of iron-based (Fe/FexOy) material with various nano-catalysts. Specifically, copper (Cu), tin (Sn), and silver (Ag) nanoparticles were prepared through two different reduction approaches, namely, citrate and cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) methods, on the iron-based material surface. All samples were characterized by a variety of analytical tools, which included scanning electron microscopy (SEM), electron-dispersive X-ray microanalysis (EDS), and EDS mapping to elucidate materials’ morphology as well as nano-catalysts’ loading and location on the iron-based structures.

Hunyadi Murph, Simona E.↗

The effects of electrically exploding gold bridgewires into inert and explosive powder beds

Abstract The particle velocity created in beds of both low-density inert sugar and explosive PETN as a function of distance from an exploding bridgewire was measured using optical velocimetry and a silvered PMMA window. As expected, more violent bridge-bursts (from a greater-stored-energy capacitive discharge unit) resulted in greater particle velocities and a better supported compaction wave in sugar. In all cases, ramp waves, not shocks, were observed in the inert sugar. Large window velocities were observed for very powerful bursts (up to 270 m/s), but bursts required for stochastic detonator operation conditions resulted in sugar/PMMA window velocities of only 8–10 m/s 0.85 mm from the bridge location. In contrast, after a distance of only 0.65 mm, a building shock wave was observed in PETN under both threshold and reliable firing conditions. Subsequently a hot-spot-driven shock-to-detonation (SDT) process was observed prior to full detonation. The measured buildup process accounts for $$\approx $$ ≈ 66% of the so-called excess transit time (ETT) between the observed and theoretical total function time for the particular exploding-bridge-wire (EBW) detonator studied. The remainder must occur in the powerful output pellet region. In contrast to a common understanding, the ETT is found to be a weak function of the discharge energy. Thus, the operation of the detonator after a bridge-burst energy-to-powder reaction transition process is found to be hot-spot-driven SDT in both the low- and high-density pellets.

45 MILITARY TECHNOLOGY, WEAPONRY, AND NATIONAL DEF↗

Extrapolating Contaminant Effects from Individuals to Populations: A Case Study on Nanoparticle Toxicity to Daphnia Fed Environmentally Relevant Food Levels

Ecological risk assessment (ERA) is charged with assessing the likelihood a chemical will have adverse environmental or ecological effects. When assessing the risk of a potential contaminant to biological organisms, ecologists are most concerned with the sustainability of populations of organisms, rather than protecting every individual. However, ERA most commonly relies on data on the effect of a potential contaminant on individuals because these experiments are more feasible than costly population-level exposures. In this work, we address the challenge of extrapolating these individual-level results to predict population-level effects. Previous per-capita population growth rate estimates calculated from individual-level exposures of Daphnia pulicaria to silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) at different food rations predict a critical daily food requirement for daphnid populations exposed to 200 μg/L AgNPs to avoid extinction. To test this, we exposed daphnid populations to the same AgNP concentration at three different food inputs, with the lowest ration close to the extinction threshold predicted from data on individuals. The two populations with the higher food inputs persisted, and the population with the lowest food input went extinct after 50 days but did persist through two generations. Further, we demonstrate that we can extrapolate between these levels of biological organization by parameterizing an individual-level biomass model with data on individuals’ response to AgNPs and using these parameters to predict the outcome for control and AgNP-exposed populations. Key to successful extrapolation is careful modeling of temporal changes in resource density, driven by both the experimental protocols and feedback from the consumer. The implication for ecotoxicology is that estimates of extinction thresholds based on studies of individuals may be reliable predictors of population outcomes, but only with careful treatment of resource dynamics.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

All-aerosol-jet-printed highly sensitive and selective polyaniline-based ammonia sensors: a route toward low-cost, low-power gas detection

In this work, we report the design and scalable fabrication of a low-cost and low-power polyaniline-based (PANI) ammonia (NH3) gas sensor on polyimide (PI) substrates using additive manufacturing techniques. The silver interdigitated electrode (IDE) arrays and conducting polymer films are printed onto PI using a direct-write technology of aerosol-jet printing. Morphological characteristics are examined by scanning electron microscopy and energy-dispersive X-ray analysis which reveal homogeneously printed PANI film on the IDE platform. The gas sensing performance is evaluated in the analytical early leak detection range of 5–1000 ppm NH3 in air as a function of both thermal (23 °C, 50 °C, 80 °C) and relative humidity (RH = 0%, 30%, 50%) exposures. The sensor exhibits sensitivity down to 5 ppm NH3 with a sub-ppm detection limit and good repeatability. We observe rapid NH3 detection at 0% RH with very extended times for equilibration and recovery. However, at both 30 and 50% RH, the room temperature response and recovery times are reduced to only about 1 min and 5 min, respectively. Experiments also reveal good sensitivity toward the analyte even at higher operating temperatures. Present results merit the practical application of aerosol-jet-printed, low-power sensors for industrial applications where low-level hazardous gas detection is essential.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Comparison of microprecipitation methods for polonium source preparation for alpha spectrometry

Detection of radioactive isotopes of polonium is important for understanding natural processes, management and assessment of radioactive waste, and nuclear forensics applications. Further, the most common methods for preparation of polonium samples for alpha spectrometry are electrodeposition and spontaneous deposition which are time consuming. Here, we compare three approaches utilizing rapid microprecipitation from bismuth phosphate, copper sulfide, or tellurium alongside traditional spontaneous deposition methods. From these experiments, results show that copper sulfide microprecipitation recoveries are similar to spontaneous deposition on silver and less time consuming with an approximate five-fold decrease in preparation time, including in the presence of complex matrices like seawater.

38 RADIATION CHEMISTRY, RADIOCHEMISTRY, AND NUCLEA↗

Advanced Manufacturing of Printed Melt Wire Chips for Cheap, Compact Passive In-Pile Temperature Sensors

Melt wires are a passive sensor used to determine peak temperatures during a test. Traditional melt wires are commonly used in test reactor experiments such as in the Advanced Test Reactor (ATR). However, the conditions within a reactor present significant challenges towards test design due to space limitations and the harsh environment. For example, some test capsules have only a couple millimeters in diameter available for instrumentation, which is too small to accommodate a traditional melt wire package, and they are ultimately filled to capacity when they are immersed in molten metal. To enable instrumentation for space limited applications, peak temperature sensing capabilities paired with additive manufacturing options have been utilized to develop printed melt wires for peak irradiation temperature detection. Here, we report on the fabrication of miniaturized melt wire chips with a melting temperature ~960 °C with printed silver nanoparticle ink. This study will advance the development of unique temperature sensors capable of sensing user specified temperature ranges within the harsh environment of irradiation testing.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

Enhanced liquid metal wetting on oxide surfaces via patterned particles

Liquid metals typically do not intrinsically wet oxide surfaces due to chemical dissimilarity, preventing the formation of well-bonded interfaces in many applications. This paper investigates how the wetting and spreading of liquid silver (Ag) droplets on oxide surfaces can be enhanced via patterned nickel (Ni) particles using multiscale modeling. First, a force field (FF) for an Ag/yttria-stabilized-zirconia system was developed by fitting the interfacial binding energy to density-functional theory (DFT) calculations. Then, molecular dynamics (MD) simulations using these FF parameters revealed that the good wetting of Ag on Ni caused Ag droplets to be attracted to the Ni particles, promoting spreading. Thus, the optimal hexagonal Ni pattern was shown to enhance the wetting area by 224% compared to a bare oxide surface. Second, an analytical model predicting the maximum possible enhancement in wetting area as a function of the intrinsic wetting angle, size of the Ag droplet, and size of the Ni particles was derived and validated with MD simulations, to generalize this method to other substrates. Here, both the analytical model and MD results suggested that the ability of Ni patterns to enhance the Ag wetting area becomes more significant as the wettability of substrate becomes worse.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Hall–Petch strengthening limit through partially active segregation in nanocrystalline Ag-Cu alloys

The breakdown from grain-size strengthening to softening mechanisms is generally well understood for high-purity nanocrystalline materials when the mean grain size decreases to the nanometer range. In nanocrystalline alloys, however, the stabilization of nanosized grains by grain-boundary solute segregation complicates the above mechanisms. Moreover, current segregation models have little predictive power for determining the optimal solute content that maximizes Hall-Petch strengthening effects. In this article, using large-scale hybrid Monte-Carlo/molecular dynamic simulations, we present a systematic study of the Hall–Petch breakdown in Cu-segregated Ag alloys with grain sizes ranging from 8 nm to 59 nm, where three concentration-dependent regimes of plasticity are described: (1) Classical segregation strengthening behavior at low solute contents, (2) shear band-induced softening at high solute contents, and (3) a previously unknown, but extended plateau of maximum strengths for intermediate solute contents from 4 to 15 at.%, which we term as nanocrystalline Sterling silver. We find that flow strengths in nanocrystalline Sterling alloys naturally exhibit a zero-slope limit at the smallest grain sizes that is well below the ideal Hall–Petch strengthening trend. This phenomenon results from partially active grain-boundary segregation that acts to influence interfacial plasticity in some, but not all, grain boundary regions. Our findings amplify the atomic nature of solute segregation and interaction at grain boundaries and its complex roles on grain boundary-mediated plasticity mechanisms in nanocrystalline alloys.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

The Effect of Grain Boundary Facet Junctions on Segregation and Embrittlement

Junctions are discontinuities in flat grain boundaries that arise in all polycrystalline materials and are thought to play important roles in the response of a grain boundary network to thermal and mechanical loads. A key open question concerns the mechanisms by which solute segregation to junctions impacts properties of the grain boundary. Here, in this work, we investigate the influence of grain boundary facet junctions on solute embrittlement, and we present an analytical model that uses the hydrostatic stress field contributed by dislocations at multiple junctions to describe these effects. Specifically, we study junctions between {112} facets of various lengths in Au $\langle111\rangle$ Σ3 tilt grain boundaries. Copper and silver solutes are employed to determine if the effect of junctions on solute segregation and embrittlement is dependent on size relative to the host. Combined, atomistic simulation data and the analytical model show that Cu and Ag have opposite segregation responses to junctions due to the sign of the hydrostatic stress field induced by junctions. However, a positive shift in the embrittling potency is computed near junctions regardless of solute type or the stress state of the segregation site. Hence, for the conditions studied, junctions consistently shift the energetic landscape towards embrittlement.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

High Speed In-situ X-ray Imaging of 3D Freeze Printing of Aerogels

3D freeze printing (3DFP) combines drop-on-demand (DOD) inkjet printing with freeze casting to fabricate lightweight and multifunctional aerogels with customized geometries. Freeze casting is an efficient and easily implemented method capable of fabricating porous, sponge-like structures for many different applications. This process enables tailoring the microstructure of the final product (i.e., pore morphology, alignment, average size distribution, etc.) by controlling the fabrication conditions and freezing kinetics. Furthermore, its combination with DOD printing provides the capability of engineering the macrostructure without relying on a mold as reported for 3D freeze-printed aerogels made from graphene, silver nanowires, and other nanocomposites. In this paper, we performed in-situ X-ray imaging to understand the inside process dynamics in 3DFP using a commercially available colloidal silica ink. We investigated the 3DFP process with the following hierarchy: first, single droplets; then, uniform lines obtained from coalescence of droplets; and finally, three consecutive lines deposited layer by layer. With the help of X-ray imaging, the importance of the balance between material deposition and freezing rates was shown in-situ by the observation inside of the freeze front following the tip of the printed line. The effects of the substrate temperature on the elimination of undesired interfacial boundaries were also shown by the observed ice crystals penetrating from lower to upper layer.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

The oxygen stable isotope composition of CRM 125-A UO 2 standard reference material

While there is a clear need for standardized reference materials for analytical calibrations and for inter-laboratory comparisons, there are not currently any for the oxygen stable isotopic composition of uranium oxides. In this paper we summarize the results from four laboratories by seven different methods of oxygen stable isotope analyses using fluorination techniques of CRM 125-A UO 2 Standard Reference Material. We synthesize these data and methods to arrive at a consensus oxygen stable isotope composition for CRM 125-A $δ$ 18 O = -9.63‰ (±0.29‰) VSMOW. We discuss methodological differences between analytical approaches, including furnace vs laser heating, fluorination using BrF 5 or ClF 3 , as well as calibration strategies. We highlight the potential effects of calibration scale compression from single-point calibrations using reference material with $δ$ 18 O values having a large relative difference from the sample being analyzed. We demonstrate how calibration scale compression can yield differences in calibrated $δ$ 18 O values up to ~2‰ for samples with ~20‰ difference from a single reference material, if the calibration slope of different analytical systems differs by 0.1. In conclusion, we suggest the use of liquid water calibration standards sealed in silver capillary tubes for multi-point calibrations of fluorination analysis systems.

07 ISOTOPE AND RADIATION SOURCES↗

Preparation of a 73 As source sample for application in an offline ion source

For the generation of beams with the offline ion source at the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams (FRIB), suitable source samples are required. Arsenic-73 is a frequently requested user beam due to its significance in nuclear structure studies and astrophysics. In this work, we outline the process of preparing a 73 As source sample, containing (5.76 ± 0.37)∗10 14 atoms of 73 As, which was successfully used to generate a 73 As beam for a multi-day user experiment. Silver arsenate was chosen as the chemical form, due to its favorable volatility within the designated operating temperature range. We refined the precipitation method using stable arsenic prior to its application with the 73 As sample, resulting in precipitation yields of (99.4 ± 4.5)%.

As-73↗

Measurement and analysis of the Doppler broadened energy spectra of gamma radiation originating from the annihilation of positrons incident on clean and adsorbate-covered surfaces

We present measurements and theoretical modeling demonstrating the capability of coincidence Doppler broadened (CDB) annihilation gamma spectroscopy to provide element-specific information from the topmost atomic layer of surfaces. Our measurements show that the energy spectra of Doppler-shifted annihilation gamma photons emitted following the annihilation of positrons from the topmost atomic layers of clean and adsorbate covered surfaces of gold (Au), silver (Ag) and copper (Cu) differ significantly. The shape of the Doppler-broadened gamma spectrum, as analyzed using ratio curves, indicates that the elemental composition of the surface can still be identified despite contributions from positronium annihilation and a significant reduction in core electron annihilation. We estimate the chemical composition of the various probed surfaces by modeling the ratios of the measured Doppler spectra with respect to the Doppler spectra from a clean Cu surface using a linear combination of calculated ratio curves. The fitting of the experimental ratio curves was used to obtain an estimate of the elemental composition of Cu surfaces with sulfur segregation, oxygen adsorption, a thin film of Selenium (Se), and a single layer of graphene (SLG). A similar analysis was performed on the Ag surface with environmental adsorbates, the same surface after argon ion sputtering, as well as a sputter cleaned Au surface. The surface compositions obtained from the analysis of the CDB data were compared to the compositions obtained using positron annihilation induced Auger electron spectroscopy (PAES). Our results show that CDB can detect, identify, and quantify, sub-monolayer adsorbates and a single atomic layer deposited on metal substrates.

Lotfimarangloo, Sima [Univ. of Texas, Arlington, T↗

Material erosion measurements and expected operational lifetime of a deployable photon sieve payload

Spacecraft operating in low-Earth orbit are subjected to a number of hazardous environmental constituents that can lead to decreased system performance and reduced operational lifetimes. Due to their thermal, optical, and mechanical properties, polymers are used extensively in space systems; however they are particularly susceptible to material erosion and degradation as a result of exposure to the LEO environment. The focus of this research is to examine the material erosion and mass loss experienced by a custom Kaptonlike polyimide due to exposure in a simulated low-earth orbit environment. The deployable membrane telescope design discussed in this research is named Peregrine and is the scientific payload for FalconSat-7, a 3U cubesat designed and developed at the United States Air Force Academy (USAFA) for the purpose of demonstrating the capability of deployable membrane telescope technology on a nanosatellite platform. In addition to the polymer samples, chrome, silver and gold specimens will be examined to measure the oxidation rate and act as a control specimen, respectively. A magnetically filtered atomic oxygen plasma source has previously been developed and characterized for the purpose of simulating the low-Earth orbit environment. The plasma source can be operated at a variety of discharge currents and gas flow rates, of which the plasma parameters downstream of the source are dependent. The characteristics of the generated plasma were examined as a function of these operating parameters to optimize the production of O + ions with energy relevant to LEO applications. The erosion yield of the Kapton-like polyimide was experimentally determined to be 2.84 x 10 -24 cm 3 per atom which is in close agreement when compared to the on-orbit measurement for reaction efficiency of Kapton HN. We report the experimentally determined reaction rate for the Kapton-like polyimide was used to estimate the operational lifetime of the photon sieve during the solar conditions expected beginning in May 2019. The effective lifetime is estimated between 126 and 153 days.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗