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At least 469 records · Page 26
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2015

Passivating boron silicate glasses for co-diffused high-efficiency n-type silicon solar cell application

Doping layers commonly have but one function: supplying the dopants to form a doped region within a substrate. This work presents B doping layers/stacks, which at the same time supply dopant atoms, passivate the B-doped crystalline Si surface sufficiently well (j{sub 0E} < 50 fA/cm{sup 2}), and show optical properties suitable for anti-reflective coating. Furthermore, these boron silicate glasses can act as a barrier against parasitic P in-diffusion during a co-diffusion step. The boron emitters diffused from the inductively coupled plasma plasma-enhanced chemical vapor-deposited B containing SiO{sub x} layers are investigated and optimized concerning passivation quality and contact properties for high-efficiency n-type solar Si cell designs. It is shown that even 10 nm thin SiO{sub x}:B films already allow for suitable emitter sheet resistance for screen-printed contacts. Furthermore, SiO{sub x}:B layers presented here allow for iV{sub OC} values of 675 mV and contact resistivity of 1 mΩcm{sup 2} for commercial Ag instead of Ag/Al pastes on the diffused boron emitter passivated with the SiO{sub x}:B layer supporting the contact formation. All of these properties can be achieved within one single B doping layer/stack.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2012

Crystal Structures of KPC-2[beta]-Lactamase in Complex with 3-Nitrophenyl Boronic Acid and the Penam Sulfone PSR-3-226

Class A carbapenemases are a major threat to the potency of carbapenem antibiotics. A widespread carbapenemase, KPC-2, is not easily inhibited by {beta}-lactamase inhibitors (i.e., clavulanic acid, sulbactam, and tazobactam). To explore different mechanisms of inhibition of KPC-2, we determined the crystal structures of KPC-2 with two {beta}-lactamase inhibitors that follow different inactivation pathways and kinetics. The first complex is that of a small boronic acid compound, 3-nitrophenyl boronic acid (3-NPBA), bound to KPC-2 with 1.62-{angstrom} resolution. 3-NPBA demonstrated a Km value of 1.0 {+-} 0.1 {micro}M (mean {+-} standard error) for KPC-2 and blocks the active site by making a reversible covalent interaction with the catalytic S70 residue. The two boron hydroxyl atoms of 3-NPBA are positioned in the oxyanion hole and the deacylation water pocket, respectively. In addition, the aromatic ring of 3-NPBA provides an edge-to-face interaction with W105 in the active site. The structure of KPC-2 with the penam sulfone PSR-3-226 was determined at 1.26-{angstrom} resolution. PSR-3-226 displayed a K{sub m} value of 3.8 {+-} 0.4 {micro}M for KPC-2, and the inactivation rate constant (kinact) was 0.034 {+-} 0.003 s{sup -1}. When covalently bound to S70, PSR-3-226 forms a trans-enamine intermediate in the KPC-2 active site. The predominant active site interactions are generated via the carbonyl oxygen, which resides in the oxyanion hole, and the carboxyl moiety of PSR-3-226, which interacts with N132, N170, and E166. 3-NPBA and PSR-3-226 are the first {beta}-lactamase inhibitors to be trapped as an acyl-enzyme complex with KPC-2. The structural and inhibitory insights gained here could aid in the design of potent KPC-2 inhibitors.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2012

Infrared luminescence from silicon nanostructures heavily doped with boron

Intense highly polarized radiation from silicon nanostructures heavily doped with boron to 5 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup 21} cm{sup -3} is studied as a function of temperature, forward current, and an additional lateral electric field. The features of the radiation intensity and degree of polarization suggest that an important role in the formation of the luminescence spectra is played by the ordered system of B{sup +}-B{sup -} dipoles, formed as a result of the reconstruction of shallow boron acceptors as centers with negative correlation energy. The results obtained are interpreted within a proposed model based on two-electron adiabatic potentials, according to which radiation results from donor-acceptor recombination via boron dipole center states, involving shallow phosphorus donors.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2018

Boron–Carbon Nanocomposites Fabricated at High Pressures and Temperatures

Interaction of amorphous boron and C{sub 60} fullerite is analyzed at pressures of 2.0 and 7.7. GPa and temperatures of 600–1800°C. Effect of pressure and temperature on the material structure is studied, temperatures for synthesis of boron carbide and diamond are found, and the sequence of transformations of the carbon component is determined. Ultrasonic method is used to measure elastic moduli of the samples, and the dependences of the moduli on the structure are analyzed. It is demonstrated that the boron–carbon nanocomposite synthesized at relatively low pressure (2.0 GPa) and temperature (about 1000°C) exhibits high elastic parameters (bulk modulus, B ≈ 75.3–84.0 GPa; Young modulus, E ≈ 108–119 GPa; and shear modulus, G ≈ 43–47 GPa at a density of about 2.2 g/cm{sup 3}). The results can be used for development of novel nanocomposite materials.

77 NANOSCIENCE AND NANOTECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2017

Advances in boronization on NSTX-Upgrade

Boronization has been effective in reducing plasma impurities and enabling access to higher density, higher confinement plasmas in many magnetic fusion devices. The National Spherical Torus eXperiment, NSTX, has recently undergone a major upgrade to NSTX-U in order to develop the physics basis for a ST-based Fusion Nuclear Science Facility (FNSF) with capability for double the toroidal field, plasma current, and NBI heating power and increased pulse duration from 1–1.5 s to 5–8 s. A new deuterated tri-methyl boron conditioning system was implemented together with a novel surface analysis diagnostic. We report on the spatial distribution of the boron deposition versus discharge pressure, gas injection and electrode location. The oxygen concentration of the plasma facing surface was measured by in-vacuo XPS and increased both with plasma exposure and with exposure to trace residual gases. This increase correlated with the rise of oxygen emission from the plasma.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2012

Boron-10 Lined Proportional Counter Wall Effects

The Department of Energy Office of Nuclear Safeguards (NA-241) is supporting the project 'Coincidence Counting With Boron-Based Alternative Neutron Detection Technology' at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) for development of an alternative neutron coincidence counter. The goal of this project is to design, build and demonstrate a boron-lined proportional tube based system in the configuration of a coincidence counter. This report provides information about how variations in proportional counter radius and gas pressure in a typical coincident counter design might affect the observed signal from boron-lined tubes. A discussion comparing tubes to parallel plate counters is also included.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2014

Materials Development for Boron Phosphide Based Neutron Detectors: Final Technical Report

The project goal was to improve the quality of boron phosphide (BP) by optimizing its epitaxial growth on single crystal substrates and by producing bulk BP single crystals with low dislocation densities. BP is potentially a good semiconductor for high efficiency solid state neutron detectors by combining neutron capture and charge creation within the same volume. The project strategy was to use newly available single crystal substrates, silicon carbide and aluminum nitride, engineered to produce the best film properties. Substrate variables included the SiC polytype, crystallographic planes, misorientation of the substrate surface (tilt direction and magnitude) from the major crystallographic plane, and surface polarity (Si and C). The best films were (111)BP on silicon-face (0001) 4H-SiC misoriented 4° in the [1-100] direction, and BP on (100) and (111) 3C-SiC/Si; these substrates resulted in films that were free of in-plane twin defects, as determined by x-ray topography. The impact of the deposition temperature was also assessed: increasing the temperature from 1000 °C to 1200 °C produced films that were more ordered and more uniform, and the size of individual grains increased by more than a factor of twenty. The BP films were free of other compounds such as icosahedral boron phosphide (B 12 P 2 ) over the entire temperature range, as established by Raman spectroscopy. The roughness of the BP films was reduced by increasing the phosphine to diborane ratio from 50 to 200. Bulk crystals were grown by reacting boron dissolved in nickel with phosphorus vapor to precipitate BP. Crystals with dimensions up to 2 mm were produced.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2024

Data and figures for "Integrated modeling of boron powder injection for real-time plasma-facing component conditioning"

This dataset contains raw and processed data, as well as supplementary figures used in the paper titled "Integrated modeling of boron powder injection for real-time plasma-facing component conditioning." The data includes simulation results for boron transport and deposition in DIII-D tokamak scenarios, and processed plots. It provides insights into the effects of boron powder injection on plasma-facing component conditioning and surface composition.

ablative particle injection↗
DOE OSTI2025

Nanometer Resolution Structure‐Emission Correlation of Individual Quantum Emitters via Enhanced Cathodoluminescence in Twisted Hexagonal Boron Nitride

Understanding the atomic structure of quantum emitters, often originating from point defects or impuritie, is essential for designing and optimizing materials for quantum technologies such as quantum computing, communication, and sensing. Despite the availability of atomic-resolution scanning transmission electron microscopy and nanoscale cathodoluminescence microscopy, experimentally determining the atomic structure of individual emitters is challenging due to the conflicting needs for thick samples to generate strong cathodoluminescence signals and thin samples for structural analysis. To overcome this challenge, significantly enhanced cathodoluminescence at twisted interfaces is leveraged to achieve sub-nanometer localization precision for the first time in mapping individual quantum emitters in carbon-implanted hexagonal boron nitride. This unprecedent spatial sensitivity, together with correlative electron energy loss spectroscopy quantitative scanning transmission electron microscopy imaging, and first principles density functional theory calculations, enables the identification of the atomic structure of the 440 nm blue emitter in hexagonal boron nitride as a substituted vertical carbon dimer. Building on the atomic structure insights, nanoscale spatially precise creation of blue emitters is demonstrated by electron beam irradiation of carbon-coated hexagonal boron nitride. This advancement in correlating atomic structures with optical properties lays the foundation for a deeper understanding and precise engineering of quantum emitters, significantly advancing the development of cutting-edge quantum information technologies.

2D material↗
DOE OSTI2018

Kinetics Analysis of Boron Removal from Silicon through Reactions with CaO-SiO{sub 2} and CaO-SiO{sub 2}-Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} Slags

Different types of slags have been used to refine silicon, particularly for removing boron impurity from metallurgical grade (MG) silicon. Although a number of slags have been used for silicon refining, there is limited information about boron removal kinetics, particularly during the refining reaction with CaO-SiO{sub 2}-Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} slags. This article investigates the boron removal kinetics using the CaO-SiO{sub 2}-Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} slag systems in the temperature range 1773 K to 1873 K (1500 °C to 1600 °C). All the results obtained in the present study provide a strong indication that the rate limiting step of the slag-silicon reaction kinetics was mass transport in the liquid slag. It was also shown in the study that as the reaction temperature is increased, the mass transfer coefficient is also increased. At any particular reaction temperature, adding alumina in the CaO-SiO{sub 2} slag was shown to decrease the mass transfer coefficient, which is consistent with the substantially higher viscosity of the alumina bearing slags over the CaO-SiO{sub 2} slag. The mass transfer coefficients were determined to be between 1.23 × 10{sup −6} and 2.82 × 10{sup −6} ms{sup −1}, with activation energies between 64 and 109 kJ/mol, respectively.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2019

Effect of Boron Addition on Creep Strain during Impression Creep of P91 Steel

In an attempt to understand the effect of boron addition on creep deformation behavior under high stress and high temperature in martensitic P91 steel, impression creep tests were carried out on boron-free P91 (P91) and boron-added P91 (P91B) steels. The experimental program consisted of three steps, i.e., characterization of as-received steels by microhardness, optical microscopy (OM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), electron backscattered diffraction (EBSD) and wavelength-dispersive spectroscopy (WDS); impression creep tests at 445 MPa and 625 °C on as-received steels; characterization at deformed plastic zones of impression-crept specimens by microhardness, OM, EBSD, TEM and WDS. Impression creep tests were run till a depth of penetration of 1.8 mm was achieved for both cases which ensured a sufficient plastic zone underneath indenter for subsequent microstructural investigations. Coarsening of M{sub 23}C{sub 6} carbides was observed in P91 steel during high-temperature creep loading, which leads to extensive strain hardening in deformed plastic region, resulting in impaired creep performance. On the contrary, dynamic recrystallization in P91B steel results in formation of small strain-free grains during creep loading which are responsible for increased resistance of the material to shear stresses during an impression creep test.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2019

Role of Titanium, Carbon, Boron, and Zirconium in Carbide and Porosity Formation during Equiaxed Solidification of Nickel-Based Superalloys

This work analyses the effect of Ti in the MC carbide formation and also in the γ/γ´ eutectic promotion in two nickel-based alloys melted under vacuum conditions and solidified into ceramic molds. The role of boron, carbon and zirconium on the porosity level after solidification of both alloys was also investigated; since the alloys were vacuum melted, it is assumed that the observed porosity is due to micro-shrinkage. The chemical compositions for two alloys were: 20.2Cr-13.7Co-4.78Mo-1.19Al-0.69Ti-0.08C-2.34Fe for Alloy 1, and 20.5Cr-15.6Co5.03Mo-1.57Al-3.42Ti-0.15C-1.64Fe-0.076Zr-0.01%B for Alloy 2. Results showed a higher volume fraction of MC carbides and the γ/γ´ eutectic for the Alloy 2 with higher titanium content since this element is a carbide and γ/γ´ eutectic promoter. The porosity level in the Alloy 2, with higher amounts of carbon, boron and zirconium was considerably lower than that for the Alloy 1. These results are discussed in terms of different phenomena caused by the segregating effects of boron, carbon and zirconium towards the interdendritic regions and the formation of zirconium carbides that produce an expansion in volume when they are formed at the end of the solidification process.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2019

Effect of Boron Micro-alloying on Microstructure and Corrosion Behavior of Dual-Phase Steel

The present work aims to understand the effect of boron (B) as a micro-alloying element on the mechanical properties and corrosion behavior of a dual-phase steel that was prepared from boron-added steel via hot rolling. The ‘B’ micro-alloying increased the volume fraction of martensite from ~ 25 to 50% and improved the hardenability as compared to unalloyed DP steel subjected to similar rolling and heat treatment conditions. The yield strength, tensile strength and corrosion resistance of boron-added DP steel significantly improved from 405 to 690 MPa, 632 to 890 MPa and 0.125 to 0.110 mm/year, respectively, as compared to the unalloyed DP steel.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2022

Activating dislocation mediated plasticity in boron carbide through Al-doping

Dislocation slip, deformation twinning, phase transformations, and fast fracture are energy dissipation mechanisms that accommodate mechanical loading in materials. The energetically unfavorable formation of dislocation attributes to the ease of cracking and the low damage tolerance observed in superhard ceramics, notably boron carbide. Here, this work demonstrates that room temperature dislocation slip can be enabled in boron carbide by altering its chemistry through Al doping. The activation of dislocation slip is mechanistically explained by quantum mechanics simulations and electron microscopy, which indicate that strain energy is released through basal icosahedral slip facilitated by icosahedral rotation and chain bond breaking and reconfiguring. The new insight gained through this work suggests that atomic doping could be an effective strategy to tune deformation mechanisms in boron carbide, which provides a significant potential for limiting amorphization and catastrophic failure, and opens a new strategy to enhance damage tolerance in brittle ceramics.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2017

High efficiency screen-printed n-type silicon solar cell using co-diffusion of APCVD boron emitter and POCl 3 back surface field

We present the fabrication and analysis of Passivated Emitter and Rear Totally Diffused (PERT) solar cells on n-type silicon using a co-diffusion process. In a single high temperature step, a BSG/SiO x stack deposited by APCVD and a POCl 3 back surface field diffuse into the wafer to form the boron doped emitter and phosphorus doped back surface field. The SiO x layer on top of BSG acts as a masking layer to prevent cross-doping of phosphorus as well as a blocking layer for boron out-diffusion. This resulted in an initial sheet resistance of 76 Ω with good uniformity and a final p + emitter sheet resistance of 97 Ω after boron rich layer removal. Additionally, bulk lifetime was investigated before and after the high temperature step that resulted in an increase from 1.2 ms to 1.5 ms due to a POCl 3 gettering effect. Finally, a peak cell efficiency of 20.3% was achieved and each recombination component in terms of saturation current density was calculated and analyzed to understand the cell for further efficiency enhancement.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2021

Understanding the setting and hardening process of wollastonite-based brushite cement. Part 2: Influence of the boron and aluminum concentrations in the mixing solution

The mixing solution of wollastonite-based brushite cement is a phosphoric acid solution containing metallic cations and borax. This work complements a previous study devoted to the influence of the H{sub 3}PO{sub 4} concentration, Ca/P and liquid-to-solid (l/s) ratios on the setting and hardening process of the binder by providing new insight into the role of aluminum and boron. Boron retards the setting and decreases the heat released during the process. It also contributes to reduce the macroporosity of the hardened material but yields to poor compressive strength. With aluminum in the mixing solution, the mechanical properties are greatly improved thanks to the precipitation of an amorphous aluminophosphate which increases the density of the cement matrix. But aluminum alone leads to fast setting. A joint addition of boron and aluminum to the mixing solution makes it possible to get a material with optimized properties both in fresh and hardened states.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2020

UO 2 + 5 vol% ZrB 2 nano composite nuclear fuels with full boron retention and enhanced oxidation resistance

The boron isotope ( 10 B) can be used as a neutron absorber in UO 2 to control the reactivity of nuclear fuel pellets, however, the boron source can react with oxygen source in UO 2 to form B 2 O 3 that vaporize readily at temperatures above 1200 °C. Unfortunately, the sintering of UO 2 fuel requires hours holding at high temperature (>1700 °C), resulting in an inevitable B loss during sintering and unpredictable B concentration in final product. It is challenging to incorporate boron through a conventional sintering method. In this work, we demonstrated that spark plasma sintering (SPS), a field assisted sintering technology, can effectively densify UO 2 + 5 vol% ZrB 2 composite fuel pellets by rapid consolidation at 1600 °C for a short duration of 5 min under an applied pressure of 40 MPa. Further, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) measurements confirm that ZrB 2 is fully retained inside the composite fuel pellets. Inside the composite fuel pellets, nano sized ZrB 2 particles are uniformly distributed along the grain boundaries of the UO 2 matrix. The ZrB 2 particle transforms to a glassy B 2 O 3 phase covering the sample surface and grain boundaries of UO 2 matrix after a simple post-sintering annealing at 1000 °C in flowing Argon gas for 4 h. The formed glassy B 2 O 3 slows down the diffusion of oxygen ions and postpones the onset temperature for oxidation of UO 2 from 400 °C to 550 °C. This study demonstrates the capability of SPS, an advanced fuel manufacturing technique, to achieve a full retention of ZrB 2 in UO 2 oxide fuel and increase oxidation resistance through a simple post-sintering annealing. The reported work holds great engineering potential for development of advanced oxide fuel for nuclear application.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
DOE OSTI2015

Consolidation of cubic and hexagonal boron nitride composites

When we Consolidate cubic boron nitride (cBN) it typically requires either a matrix of metal bearing materials that are undesirable for certain applications, or very high pressures within the cBN phase stability field that are prohibitive to manufacturing size and cost. We present new methodology for consolidating high stiffness cBN composites within a hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) matrix (15–25 vol%) with the aid of a binder phase (0–6 vol%) at moderate pressures (0.5–1.0 GPa) and temperatures (900–1300 °C). The composites are demonstrated to be highly tailorable with a range of compositions and resulting physical/mechanical properties. Ultrasonic measurements indicate that in some cases these composites have elastic mechanical properties that exceed those of the highest strength steel alloys. Moreover, two methods were identified to prevent phase transformation of the metastable cBN phase into hBN during consolidation: 1. removal of hydrocarbons, and 2. increased cBN particle size. Lithium tetraborate worked better as a binder than boron oxide, aiding consolidation without enhancing cBN to hBN phase transformation kinetics. These powder mixtures consolidated within error of their full theoretical mass densities at 1 GPa, and had only slightly lower densities at 0.5 GPa. This shows potential for consolidation of these composites into larger parts, in a variety of shapes, at even lower pressures using more conventional manufacturing methods, such as hot-pressing.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗