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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 505 records · Page 28
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2026

Local Structural Coherence and Interfacial Charge Transfer in Cu 2 ⁢S/Mo⁢S 2 Heterostructure

Precise control over electronic coupling at nanoscale interfaces is critical for designing materials with tunable charge-transfer behavior and catalytic function. Heterostructures with locally coherent interfaces provide a platform for interrogating interfacial charge redistribution in coupled material systems. Here, we report Cu 2 ⁢S/Mo⁢S 2 heterostructures exhibiting nanoscale crystallographic alignment, which are synthesized through a rapid thermal transformation pathway. We employed electrochemical reduction reactions to probe interfacial charge transfer, revealing shifts in product distribution attributable to modified interfacial energetics, even in the absence of optimized catalytic performance. The observed formate Faradaic efficiency suggests that interfacial electronic modulation in the heterostructure shifts product selectivity towards formate, highlighting how interface-driven electronic modulation can direct reaction pathways and influence product selectivity. Optimizing catalyst loading, architecture, and reactor configuration will be critical for future improvement. Structural and compositional integrity were confirmed through powder x-ray diffraction, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. Electron transfer between Cu 2 ⁢S and Mo⁢S 2 domains was further evaluated by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, while selected-area electron diffraction revealed local crystallographic alignment consistent with a local epitaxial relationship at the Cu 2 S/Mo⁢S 2 heterointerface. To illustrate the broader applicability of this approach, a Zn⁢S/Mo⁢S 2 heterostructure was also synthesized using the same microwave strategy, confirming the generalizability of interfacial engineering principles across metal sulfide-Mo⁢S 2 systems. Collectively, these findings demonstrate that controlled local epitaxial alignment serves as an effective design principle for tuning interfacial energetics and catalytic reactivity in complex heterostructure materials.

carbon capture & utilization↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Overview of the MISSE-16 Mission and Preliminary Characterization of Novel Space Weathered Materials

The Materials International Space Station Experiment (MISSE) project is a series of experiments that began in 2001, involving the deployment of external experiment platforms on the International Space Station (ISS). Since then, more than 4,000 materials were tested yielding valuable data and insights into the performance of materials and coatings in the harsh space environment, as well as providing a platform for testing and validating new materials and technologies. The results of the MISSE experiments have contributed to the development of more durable and reliable spacecraft and equipment, as well as improving our understanding of the space environment and its effects on human space exploration. To gain deeper insights into the changes in material properties of both novel and heritage spacecraft materials over the course of a mission, we proposed to enhance the MISSE hardware. This was achieved by integrating a high-resolution camera that can capture both RGB and IR color data, along with an updated illumination scheme. The identical sets of selected materials were mounted on the Zenith, Ram, and Wake faces of the ISS to expose them to predominant vacuum ultraviolet (VUV), atomic oxygen, and high-energy electron conditions. In addition, we exposed flight duplicates of these materials to a simulated space environment, which included sequential exposure to the same irradiation species on the ground. This allowed us to study the effects of space exposure on the materials in a controlled manner and to compare their behavior in both real and simulated space environments. The MISSE-FF flight sample collection comprised different classes of polymers, including polyimides from the Kapton family, manufactured by E.I du Pont de Nemours and Co., Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) materials, liquid crystal polymers, PI/Polyhedral Oligomeric Silsesquioxanes (POSS), and carbon and glass fiber reinforced polymers. The experimental cadence during the MISSE-16 mission (~6 months) included daily images of each sample for the first week, weekly for the next 2 months, and monthly the remaining duration of the mission. This paper will focus on the flight duplicate as well as the postflight optical characterization of novel and heritage materials currently under observation on the MISSE-FF.

Jainisha R Shah↗
DOE OSTI2020

Certifying the Performance of Fixative Technologies under Open Air Demolition Activities for D and D - 20096

Department of Energy (DOE) facilities undergoing deactivation and decommissioning (D and D) activities struggle with safety concerns of residual radioactive contamination leftover after gross decontamination efforts have concluded. The positive effects of implementing fixative technologies for decommissioning and maintenance is known across the DOE complex. However, there is no standardized metric in place that quantifies the performance of these technologies such as incombustible fixative platforms that immobilize the contamination in a solid polymer material under normal operating conditions or when exposed to stressors. The primary focus of this research is to provide the empirical data necessary to properly characterize the effects of implementing fixative technologies on mitigating the release of contamination. In addition, this effort has been used to identify and establish uniform testing protocols to quantify operational parameters of fixating platforms and properly credit such systems under a variety of operational conditions and stressors that can arise during open air demolition efforts (e.g. impact, water, thermal, etc.). The established protocols will be provided to the ASTM International E10.03 Subcommittee on Radiological Protection for Decontamination and Decommissioning of Nuclear Facilities and Components for the potential of formal standardization. Attributes to be addressed during testing are material compromise from impact stress, thermal stress for incombustible fixative materials, and immobilization factors (how well an immobilizing platform is capable of retaining fixated material during thermal and impact stressors). In developing these test methods, a greater understanding of the material's behavior under anticipated and unanticipated events, such as decommissioning activities and contingency events as outlined in the Basis of Interim Operations (BIO), can be successfully characterized. There are several key components of the experimental methodology that is essential in empirically certifying fixative technologies. A surrogate contaminant with a unique signature has been utilized with the implementation of a uniform contamination process of test coupons that is quantifiable and replicable for direct fixative comparisons. A modular test chamber has also been used to apply the various stressors of interest. Collection of released contamination that includes airborne and resettled contaminant particles and analyzed using mass spectrometry. This research directly supports DOE complex-wide concerns in terms of final disposition of nuclear facilities and the considerations made during their time between ceasing facility operation and final disposition. The results of this effort aims to provide a standardized road map and logical decision flow to better facilitate fixative technologies into D and D activities required to achieve the desired facility end state. (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Polymer Aerogels for Lunar Applications and Beyond

As the Space Community endeavors to reach new heights of exploration, materials for extreme environment are on the forefront of research. One such material would include polymer aerogels; lightweight solids with nano-scale pore size, high internal surface area, low thermal conductivity, and extremely high porosities. Due to these interesting properties, aerogels are ideal as thermal insulators but are by no means limited to this application. The high porosity and surface area also make aerogels an ideal host system for particle incorporation for applications such as catalyst supports, sensor platforms, and vibro-acoustic mitigating materials. Polymer aerogels also have the potential to combat issues found in extraterrestrial environments such as dust and radiation mitigation. Herein, current research will be discussed as it pertains to Space exploration.

Stephanie Vivod↗
DOE OSTI2025

A Synthetic Pathway for Producing Carbon Dots for Detecting Iron Ions Using a Fiber Optic Spectrometer

Iron detection is of growing importance in the critical minerals sector, where unwanted iron ions are typically removed during the processing of target critical metals. The ideal sensor should utilize inexpensive, scalable materials along with a low-cost, robust, and easy-to-use analysis platform. Here, we demonstrate a simple acid–base synthesis of luminescent iron-responsive carbon dots by reacting ethanolamine, phosphoric acid, and m-phenylenediamine. The carbon dots exhibit selective, iron-specific emission quenching, with the ability to detect part-per-billion levels of iron ions even in 0.1 M HCl. After benchmarking the purified materials using a commercial spectrometer, a “low-cost” process is demonstrated in which carbon dots with minimal purification are coupled with a portable fiber-optic spectrometer for analyzing iron content. Carbon dot-coated paper strips are also evaluated as another convenient platform for iron analysis. Taken together, the sensing material and platforms demonstrated here are well-suited for detecting trace quantities of iron in environmentally relevant conditions, with potential applications in tracking iron removal processes during critical mineral production as one exciting area of interest.

acid mine draining↗
NASA NTRS2018

Degradation of Intercalated Graphite Epoxy Composites Exposed to Low Earth Orbit

Four different graphite fiber/epoxy composites were exposed to the wake-side low Earth orbit (LEO) environment on the Optical Reflector Materials Experiment III (ORMatE-III) platform mounted on the exterior of the ISS for two years in order to determine their long term durability in the space environment. Three of the composite samples used bromine intercalated P100 fibers and one used pristine P100 fibers. One of the P100-Br samples was coated with a protective SiO2 layer, and half of another was coated with SiO2. Results were compared with the EOIM-III experiment which exposed the same materials in LEO in the ram direction for 42 h on the Space Shuttle. Although the atomic oxygen (AO) fluence of the ORMatE-III samples was one-third of the EOIM-III exposure, the resulting effects were qualitatively the same. Both found that SiO2 coated intercalated graphite composites showed no AO erosion, verifying that conventional protection strategies are applicable to bromine intercalated composites. Both found that bromine intercalation does not alter the AO erosion rates of graphite fiber/epoxy composites. Both found no bromine was detected to have migrated into the surrounding epoxy, even for highly eroded fibers and epoxy, allaying fears that bromination could compromise the properties of the epoxy. And both found no corrosive bromine was detected to have been released by the fibers allaying fears that outgassing could degrade sensitive electronics. The uncoated EOIM-III samples suffered slightly greater erosion resulting in a slightly higher solar absorptance. The general conclusion is that ram AO exposure had very similar effects on graphite fiber epoxy composites in both the EOIM-III and ORMatE-III experiments, and in neither case did bromine intercalation of the fibers substantially influence that degradation.

Intercalated graphite↗
DOE OSTI2023

An Inverse-Designed Nanophotonic Interface for Excitons in Atomically Thin Materials

Efficient nanophotonic devices are essential for applications in quantum networking, optical information processing, sensing, and nonlinear optics. Extensive research efforts have focused on integrating two-dimensional (2D) materials into photonic structures, but this integration is often limited by size and material quality. Here, we use hexagonal boron nitride (hBN), a benchmark choice for encapsulating atomically thin materials, as a waveguiding layer while simultaneously improving the optical quality of the embedded films. When combined with a photonic inverse design, it becomes a complete nanophotonic platform to interface with optically active 2D materials. Grating couplers and low-loss waveguides provide optical interfacing and routing, tunable cavities provide a large exciton-photon coupling to transition metal dichalcogenide (TMD) monolayers through Purcell enhancement, and metasurfaces enable the efficient detection of TMD dark excitons. This work paves the way for advanced 2D-material nanophotonic structures for classical and quantum nonlinear optics.

2D materials↗
DOE OSTI2024

Design, Control and Application of Next Generation Qubits

Design, Control and Application of Next Generation Qubits Arun Bansil, Northeastern University (Principal Investigator) Claudio Chamon, Boston University (Co-Investigator) Adrian Feiguin, Northeastern University (Co-Investigator) Liang Fu, MIT (Co-Investigator) Eduardo Mucciolo, Univ. of Central Florida (Co-Investigator) Qimin Yan, Temple University (Co-Investigator) The quest for developing technologies for manipulating and storing information quantum mechanically is currently led by approaches that include Josephson-junctions, ion-traps, and qubits generated by defect spins in solids. Topological qubits, however, are inherently more robust to decoherence by environmental effects, and should be able to sprint ahead once practical barriers have been overcome. At the present stage of the development of the field, it is important to explore a variety of architectures and materials beyond the conventional paradigms in order to seed breakthroughs toward building a scalable quantum computer. Our comprehensive theoretical research program involved four interconnected thrusts as follows. • A materials discovery effort in two-dimensional compounds in search of materials to support Majorana zero modes and defect structures suitable as qubits. • Exploration of architectures for topological quantum computation by investigating both superconducting Majorana qubits, and robust platforms for braiding with new “meta-materials” built of arrays of Majorana qubits. • Investigation of properties of hybrid metal-organic qubits based on transition-metal centers in graphene, and molecular crystals of polyaromatic complexes with embedded transition-metal atoms. • Development of tensor-network and semiclassical approaches to study decoherence in the presence of random and dispersive spin baths, and NV centers in diamond. The full spectrum of theoretical and numerical approaches was used to address the goals of this project including first-principles, density-matrix-renormalization group, tensor networks, and data-driven high-throughput approaches using materials database and machine-learning.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
NASA NTRS2026

Mechanical Design and Operation of a Novel Lunar Environment Structural Test Rig (LESTR)

The Lunar Environment Structural Test Rig (LESTR) was developed to address a critical gap in mechanical property data for metal alloy wire materials under lunar-relevant conditions down to 40 K. Conventional aerospace material databases provide thermophysical properties for bulk metals over a wide temperature range, but validated mechanical and physical property data below 77 K, particularly for small-diameter wires, remain limited and are generally the exception rather than the rule. These conditions are essential for Artemis mission hardware such as shape memory alloy (SMA) rover tires. LESTR’s design requirements were to combine a high-stiffness electrodynamic load frame with closed- cycle cryogenic cooling, high-vacuum capability (10–6 torr), and noncontact optical strain measurement to enable tensile, four-point bend, and fatigue testing of wires or other materials and geometries at temperatures from 40 to 125 K. These considerable requirements were merged with the need to lower the barrier of testing for the end user as measured in terms of cost-per-test cycle, safety improvement, and reduction in upkeep costs associated with state-of-the-art solutions associated with cryomechanical material characterization. The system incorporates modular gripping and alignment fixtures; precision thermal management using cryocoolers and embedded heaters; and integrated instrumentation for displacement, load, temperature, and vacuum control. Calibration procedures establish correlations between tooling and specimen temperature, ensuring accurate thermal conditions across the design envelope unbound by cryofluid conditions in heritage immersion-based test systems. Initial validation tests using Inconel (Special Metals Corp.) wire demonstrated accurate ultimate strength and post-yield behavior. The load frame operation was also verified under representative service conditions, including thermal cycling and prolonged fatigue loading. By generating mechanical property data at ultralow temperatures, LESTR fills a critical gap in existing materials databases and provides a scalable platform for iterative alloy development and durability assessment for planetary hardware. This capability supports NASA’s long-term objectives for surface exploration by enabling design confidence for components operating in extreme cryogenic environments.

LESTR↗
DOE OSTI2025

Electrically Reconfigurable Liquid Metal Nanophotonic Platform for Color Display and Imaging

Dynamically tunable optical materials and device architectures are essential for future photonic technologies, yet conventional solid metals lack the intrinsic tunability required for advanced functionalities. Gallium-based liquid metals (LMs) present an appealing alternative thanks to their distinctive mechanical and optical properties; however, their practical integration in tunable photonic elements remains largely unexplored. Here, in this study, an electrochemically controlled nanophotonic platform is demonstrated that integrates a dynamically reconfigurable LM ground plane with gold nanoantenna arrays within a microfluidic system, enabling precise and reversible modulation of optical resonances across the visible to mid-infrared spectral ranges. By employing moderate operational voltages (1.5–3.0 V), real-time tuning of high-resolution structural color patterns is achieved through nanoscale control of the interfacial gap between the LM and Au nanoantennas. This innovative platform facilitates electrically programmable, high-contrast color patterns suitable for dynamic optical displays, secure anti-counterfeiting labels, and imaging applications. Additionally, this platform enables tunable mid-infrared spectral responses, which may be utilized for chemical and biological sensing applications. This versatile integrated LM-based nanophotonic platform opens new paths toward multifunctional, actively tunable/reconfigurable photonic device and system technologies.

Imaging↗
DOE OSTI2021

Quantum Spin-Valley Hall Kink States: From Concept to Materials Design

We propose a general and tunable platform to realize high-density arrays of quantum spin-valley Hall kink (QSVHK) states with spin-valley-momentum locking based on a two-dimensional hexagonal topological insulator. Through the analysis of Berry curvature and topological charge, the QSVHK states are found to be topologically protected by the valley-inversion and time-reversal symmetries. Remarkably, the conductance of QSVHK states remains quantized against both nonmagnetic short- and long-range and magnetic long-range disorder, verified by the Green-function calculations. Based on first-principles results and our fabricated samples, we show that QSVHK states, protected with a gap up to 287 meV, can be realized in bismuthene by alloy engineering, surface functionalization, or electric field, supporting nonvolatile applications of spin-valley filters, valves, and waveguides even at room temperature.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2022

A Low-Voltage Layered Na 2 TiGeO 5 Anode for Lithium-Ion Battery

Titanium-based anode materials have achieved much progress with the wide studies in lithium-ion batteries. However, these known materials usually possess high discharge voltage platforms and limited energy densities. In this work, a titanium-based oxide of Na 2 TiGeO 5 with layered structure, two-dimensional lamellar frame and exposed highly active (001) facet, exhibiting good electrochemical performance in terms of high capacity (410 mAh g –1 with a current density of 50 mA g –1 ), excellent rate capability and cycling stability with no obvious capacity attenuation after 4000 cycles, is reported. The appropriate discharge voltage plateau at around 0.2 V endows the Na 2 TiGeO 5 anode material high security compared with graphite and high energy density compared with spinel Li 4 Ti 5 O 12 . Combining the electrochemical tests and the density functional theory calculations, the Li + storage mechanism of Na 2 TiGeO 5 is elucidated and the conversion reaction process is revealed. More importantly, this study provides a way to develop low-voltage and high-capacity titanium-based anode materials for efficient energy storage.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2022

Proximity-induced collective modes in an unconventional superconductor heterostructure

Unconventional superconductors have been long sought for their potential applications in quantum technologies and devices. A key challenge impeding this effort is the difficulty associated with probing and characterizing candidate materials and establishing their order parameter. Here we present a platform that allows one to spectroscopically probe unconventional superconductivity in thin-layer materials via the proximity effect. Here we show that inducing an s-wave gap in a sample with an intrinsic d-wave instability leads to the formation of bound states of quasiparticle pairs, which manifest as a collective mode in the d-wave channel. This finding provides a way to study the underlying pairing interactions vicariously through the collective mode spectrum of the system. Upon further cooling of the system we observe that this mode softens considerably and may even condense, signaling the onset of time-reversal symmetry-breaking superconductivity. Therefore, our proposal also allows for the creation and study of these elusive unconventional states.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2021

Leveraging Exchange Kinetics for the Synthesis of Atomically Precise Porous Catalysts

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have attracted significant attention as porous catalyst platforms due to the synthetic modularity of these materials and the diversity of lattice-confined catalytic active sites that are readily embedded within periodic crystalline frameworks. MOFs offer platforms to heterogenize molecular catalysts, stabilize novel coordination motifs, and leverage confinement effects in catalysis. Crystallinity allows diffraction-based methods to be employed in the characterization of these catalysts. Access to crystalline MOFs typically requires reversible construction of the metal-ligand (M-L) bonds that connect the SBUs, which provides a mechanism to anneal defects during crystallization. While the required M-L bond reversibility is often promoted by synthesis at elevated temperature, access to crystalline materials based on either transition metals with characteristic slow exchange kinetics or highly basic donor ligands remains a synthetic challenge. Here in this paper, we highlight synthetic strategies that leverage M-L exchange kinetics to access MOFs based on kinetically inert ions and extensions of these strategies to the assembly of atomically precise multimetallic materials.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2022

Super-porous Pt/CuO/Pt hybrid platform for ultra-sensitive and selective H 2 O 2 detection

A super-porous Pt/CuO/Pt hybrid electrode is demonstrated with extremely high sensing performance parameters for the hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ) detection. A unique physiochemical approach is adapted for the fabrication of 3-D super-porous Pt/CuO/Pt sensing platform. Here, the super-porous Pt/CuO/Pt hybrid platform demonstrates a superior sensitivity of 16,694 µA mM -1 cm -2 with a limit of detection of 2.91 nM (S/N = 3). It also demonstrates an excellent selectivity against the interfering molecules such as NaCl, fructose, ascorbic acid, citric acid, dopamine and glucose with a wide linear range. The demonstrated performance ranks the Pt/CuO/Pt hybrid platform as one of the best H 2 O 2 sensors as summarized in the Table 2. The super-porous CuO layer is fabricated by a dynamic hydrogen bubbling technique of electrochemical deposition and metallic Pt NP decoration is achieved by the physical vapor deposition (PVD) and post-annealing. The super-porous CuO layer offers a drastically improved electrochemical active surface area, and the Pt NP decoration offers a significantly improved conductivity and improved charge accumulation for the H 2 O 2 reduction. The DFT simulations confirm the predominance of CuO over Cu 2 O and Pt over Pd for the H 2 O 2 detection based on the adsorption energy, density of states and charge accumulation calculations.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2024

Material assembly from collective action of shape-changing polymers

Some animals form transient, responsive and solid-like ensembles through dynamic structural interactions. These ensembles demonstrate emergent responses such as spontaneous self-assembly, which are difficult to achieve in synthetic soft matter. In this work, we use shape-morphing units comprising responsive polymers to create solids that self-assemble, modulate their volume and disassemble on demand. The ensemble is composed of a responsive hydrogel, liquid crystal elastomer or semicrystalline polymer ribbons that reversibly bend or twist. The dispersions of these ribbons mechanically interlock, inducing reversible aggregation. The aggregated liquid crystal elastomer ribbons have a 12-fold increase in the yield stress compared with cooled dispersion and contract by 34% on heating. Ribbon type, concentration and shape dictate the aggregation and govern the global mechanical properties of the solid that forms. Coating liquid crystal elastomer ribbons with a liquid metal begets photoresponsive and electrically conductive aggregates, whereas seeding cells on hydrogel ribbons enables self-assembling three-dimensional scaffolds, providing a versatile platform for the design of dynamic materials.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2023

Quantum simulation of an exotic quantum critical point in a two-site charge Kondo circuit

Tuning a material to the cusp between two distinct ground states can produce physical properties that are unlike those in either of the neighbouring phases. Advances in the fabrication and control of quantum systems have raised the tantalizing prospect of artificial quantum simulators that can capture such behaviour. A tunable array of coupled qubits should have an appropriately rich phase diagram, but realizing such a system with either tunnel-coupled semiconductor quantum dots or metal nanostructures has proven difficult. The challenge for scaling up to clusters or lattices is to ensure that each element behaves essentially identically and that the coupling between elements is uniform, while also maintaining tunability of the interactions. Here we study a nanoelectronic circuit comprising two coupled hybrid metal–semiconductor islands, combining the strengths of both materials to form a potentially scalable platform. The semiconductor component allows for controllable inter-site couplings at quantum point contacts, while the metal component’s effective continuum of states means that different sites can be made equivalent by tuning local potentials. The couplings afforded by this architecture can realize an unusual quantum critical point resulting from frustrated Kondo interactions. In this study, the observed critical behaviour matches theoretical predictions, verifying the success of our experimental quantum simulation.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗