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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 55 records · Page 3
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1971

Orthopyroxene and orthopyroxene-bearing rock fragments rich in K, REE, and P in Apollo 14 soil sample 14163.

Orthopyroxene of various compositions are reported in the less than 1 mm fines in lunar soil sample 14163. The mineral occurs as individual grains and as a major and minor constituent in lithic fragments. K is not positively correlated with REE and P in the orthopyroxene-containing igneous rock fragments studied. Although an X-ray powder pattern of the rare earth element containing calcium phosphate is that of whitlockite, it is tentatively concluded that the weak pattern observed results from an intimate admixture of a major amount of an amorphous phosphate of unknown composition with a lesser amount of crystalline whitlockite.

Fuchs, L. H.↗
NASA NTRS1979

REE patterns versus the origin of the basaltic achondrites

The spectral uniqueness of asteroid 4 Vesta has led to suggestions that it is the eucrite parent body. However, there exist other basaltic achondrite types besides eucrites; either they also came from Vesta or else there exist other achondrite parent bodies. Howardites appear to be mixtures of eucrites and diogenites, and mesosiderites mixtures of eucrites or howardites and iron; thus one may infer that all four classes come from the same parent body. The REE patterns of eucrites and diogenites are modeled in order to test this hypothesis; eucrites can be made easily, but the patterns of diogenites are more difficult to match. The other basaltic achondrites are so rare that one cannot argue from statistics of abundances against a disrupted parent body for their origin. Pallasites and most irons likely had an origin separate from eucrites, again in parent bodies since disrupted.

Consolmagno, G. J.↗
NASA NTRS1984

Partition coefficients of Hf, Zr, and REE between phenocrysts and groundmasses

Partition coefficients of Hf, Zr, and REE between olivine, orthopyroxene, clinopyroxene, plagioclase, garnet, amphibole, ilmenite, phlogopite, and liquid are presented. Samples consist of megacrysts in kimberlite, phenocrysts in alkaline basalts, tholeiitic basalts and andesitic to dacitic rocks, and synthetic garnet and clinopyroxene in Hawaiian tholeiites. The Hf-Lu and Zr-Lu elemental fractionations are as large as the Lu-Sm or Lu-Nd fractionation. The Hf and Zr partition coefficients between mafic phenocrysts and liquids are smaller than the Lu partition coefficients, but are similar to the Nd or Sm partition coefficients. The Hf and Zr partition coefficients between ilmenite, phlogopite, and liquid are larger than the Lu partition coefficients for these minerals and their corresponding liquids. The Hf-Zr elemental fractionation does not occur except for extreme fractionation involving Zr-minerals and extremely low fO2. These data have an important bearing on chronological and petrogenetic tracer studies involving the Lu-Hf isotopic system.

Fujimaki, H.↗
NASA NTRS1983

Sm-Nd isotopic systematics and REE abundance studies of the ALH-765 eucrite

Analyses of Sm-Nd systematics and REE concentrations were carried out for the whole rock and mineral separates from the ALH-765 meteorite. A Sm-Nd age of 4.52 + or - 0.09 (2 sigma) b.y. and an initial Nd-143/Nd-144 ratio of 0.50675 + or 0.00011 (2 sigma) have been obtained. The previously reported Ce irregularities have been re-examined in this work. The large Ce anomalies and some minor Sm-Nd system disturbances observed for the meteorite may be interpreted as results of terrestrial weathering effects.

Nakamura, N.↗
NASA NTRS1989

An ion microprobe study of the intra-crystalline behavior of REE and selected trace elements in pyroxene from mare basalts with different cooling and crystallization histories

The effects of crystallization interaction on the trace element zoning characteristics of pyroxenes are analyzed using electron and ion microprobe techniques. Four pigeonite basalts with similar isochemical composition, but different cooling rates and crystallization histories are studied. Pyroxene quadrilaterals displaying crystallization trends are presented. The crystal chemical rationalization of REE zoning, pattern shapes, and abundances are examined. The data reveal that the trace element zoning characteristics in pyroxene and the partitioning of trace elements between pyroxene and the melt are related to the interaction between the efficiency of the crystallization process, the kinetics at the crystal-melt interface, the kinetics of plagioclase nucleation and the characteristics of the crystal chemical substitutions in the pyroxene and the associated crystallizing phase.

Shearer, C. K.↗
NASA NTRS1993

REE and other trace lithophiles in MAC88177, LEW88280 and LEW88763

In order to investigate the petrogenesis of primitive achondrites, we have carried out precise isotope dilution analyses of REE, Sr, Ba, Rb, K, Li, Ca, Mg, and Fe for three new meteorites: (Lodranites) MAC88177, LEW88280, (Brachinite) LEW88763, together with analyses for Acapulco. Present results are compared with those of other primitive achondrites previously reported by us and others.

Nakamura, N.↗
NASA NTRS1994

Synthetic and natural Nakhla pyroxenes: Parent melt composition and REE partition coefficients

Nakhla is one of the SNC meteorites, generally believed to be of martian origin. It is composed mainly of cumulus augite, in which primary igneous zoning is apparently preserved, and which serves as a recorder of the composition of Nakhla's parent melt and the conditions under which it crystallized. Knowledge of the composition and petrogenesis of this parent melt may help unravel Nakhla's relationship to the other SNC's, and provide clues to martian petrogenesis in general. This abstract reports new results of an ongoing study in which we are (1) comparing the major and minor element compositions of synthetic pyroxenes crystallized from various proposed parent melt compositions with those in Nakhla pyroxene to constrain the composition of the parent melt, and (2) measuring minor and trace element partition coefficients, particularly those of the REE, in order to obtain the most applicable D values with which to invert the natural pyroxene compositions to obtain the trace element composition of the parent melt. Results suggest that recent estimates of Nakhla's parent melt composition are too aluminous, and that mafic or ultramafic melts are more likely candidates.

Mckay, G.↗
NASA NTRS2001

REE and Strontium Partition Coefficients for Nakhla Pyroxenes

We present new partition coefficients for REE and Sr determined using a synthetic melt that crystallizes pyroxenes very similar in composition to Nakhla pyroxene cores. We believe these are the most appropriate partition coefficients to use in studying Nakhla Additional information is contained in the original extended abstract..

Oe, K.↗
NASA NTRS2003

Oxygen Fugacity of the Martian Mantle From Pyroxene/Melt Partitioning of REE

This study is part of an ongoing effort to calibrate the pyroxene/melt REE oxybarometer for conditions relevant to the martian meteorites. Redox variations have been reported among the shergottites. Wadhwa used the Eu and Gd augite/melt partitioning experiments of McKay, designed for the LEW86010 angrite, to infer a range of fo2 for the shergottites. Others inferred fo2 using equilibria between Fe-Ti oxides. There is fairly good agreement between the Fe-Ti oxide determinations and the estimates from Eu anomalies in terms of which meteorites are more or less oxidized. The Eu anomaly technique and the Fe-Ti oxide technique both essentially show the same trend, with Shergotty and Zagami being the most oxidized and QUE94201 and DaG 476 being the most reduced. Thus, the variation in fo2 appears to be both real and substantive. However, although the redox trends indicated by the two techniques are similar, there is as much as two log unit offset between the results of three researchers. One explanation for this offset is that the Eu calibration used for the shergottites was actually designed for the LEW86010 angrite, a silica-undersaturated basalt whose pyroxene (diopside) compositions are rather extreme. To correct this, experiments have been conducted on the redox relationship of Eu partitioning relative to Sm and Gd for pyroxene/melt compositions more relevant to Martian meteorites. We report here preliminary results for experiments on pigeonite/melt partitioning as a function of fO2.

Musselwhite, D. S.↗
DOE OSTI2026

Microchannel-based Membrane-less Extraction of Li from Unconventional Lithium Sources & the Separation of REE

This final report provides an overview of the Project's entire duration, covering July 1, 2021 to December 31, 2023. It primarily focuses on the achievements, technological developments, and unique challenges the team faced while working on separating and extracting Lithium from produced waters. The project's primary aim was to create an integrated, high-throughput, membrane-less, and modular microfluidic platform that could extract Lithium from unconventional sources. We have successfully met all goals and milestones envisioned in the SOPO document. The most critical primary milestones, including the Go-No-Go milestone (refer to the Gantt chart in the Appendices), were successfully accomplished. We demonstrated phase separation (>90%) and extraction (>85%) performance in the MPSE using synthetic, and representative produced water composition feed at 50 ml/min total flow through MPSE 36. We have also performed a parametric study of the MPSE operations, beyond the scope of SOPO, exploring operating conditions of current and broader interest. The extended investigation of operational parameters is concurrent with our efforts to seek further development of the MPSE technology beyond the scope of the Project. Along these lines of development, we have made efforts to be responsive to DOE calls for technological developments of other types of resources (beyond PW) for the recovery of Critical Materials and higher TRL development (beyond TRL 4). During the work on this Project, we developed and implemented three innovative technical approaches that emerged from our efforts to successfully meet the Project milestones. The innovative & original technical approaches developed and implemented in this Project are now the contributions to process engineering that could be clearly credited to the Project. First, Convergent Design Approach is a comprehensive feedforward & feedback loop of four design phases: i) design for functionality, ii) design for manufacturing, iii) design for sustainability, and iv) design for market. Next was Process Intensification. A major aim of this Project was to create an innovative phase separation & extraction microscale-based technology for Li separation – thus the words microchannel-based in the Project title. A microscale-based technology is intrinsically in the center of the Process Intensification domain as defined by its unique principles. Therefore, Process Intensification was implicitly envisioned in the Project’s SOPO. Lastly, Time Scale Analysis is a novel tool for discovering the needs and directions of Process Intensification implementations in any process technology. This Project is fully credited for developing and implementing the three novel technical approaches mentioned above. These are general contributions to process engineering that emerged from this Project. Beyond the original SOPO scope, the OSU-U.Pitt research group utilized a Convergent Design methodology, integrating first-principles mathematical modeling with experimental validation on the Minimum Development Vehicle. By creating these Digital Twins, the team rapidly assessed manufacturing iterations to support TEA analysis. This framework further enabled the development of advanced Surface Modification Techniques, where hydrophobic and oleophobic coating strategies were optimized via Digital Twin tools and validated through rigorous 100-hour longevity testing. TEA Analysis: The closing efforts of this Project were focused on the TEA analysis. TEA analysis had two primary functions: i) enabling critical assessments of design variations withing 10 the Concurrent Design Approach, thus enabling evolution of the MPSE design to reach faster- better-cheaper alternatives; and ii) to create a bridge between the accomplishments of this Project and future projects of higher TRL, beyond TRL 6 level. It is important to note that the TEA model created in the Project stirred the technological solutions for the recovery of critical materials toward a vision of a very profitable modular plant that has unique zero-waste water discharge signature. More importantly, thanks to our experimental performance data and conservative assumptions, the TEA model predicts minimal technological and investment risks. Low cost of a modular unit of a nominal capacity of [1000 tons of Li 2 CO 3 /year] positions the MPSE based technology within the reach of community investors, thus offering a paradigm shift in the development of critical technologies. The project successfully navigated two primary challenges: solvent selection and manufacturing adaptation. Restricted by the SOPO to existing literature for lithium recovery, the team identified a critical need for a "material excellence program" to develop next-generation solvents, eventually concluding with a preliminary investigation into promising Ionic Liquids (ILs). Simultaneously, COVID-19 supply chain disruptions forced a pivot from traditional manufacturing to advanced additive methods at ATAMI-OSU. By transitioning from stainless steel to 3D-printed polymer substrates, the team achieved a transformative three-order-of- magnitude reduction in manufacturing costs and compressed prototyping timelines from several months to just two days. The MPSE technology offers significant energy, environmental, and economic advantages by overcoming the traditional bottlenecks of phase-separation hardware and contactor size. Unlike conventional mixer-settlers or membrane-based systems, MPSE operates without moving parts or fouling-prone membranes, achieving robust performance even with challenging, viscous, or particulate-heavy feeds. Key performance metrics include an energy intensity reduction of 5–50x (3–40 kJ/m 3 ) compared to incumbent technologies and a dramatic reduction of processing time to under 60 seconds, which drastically reduces the physical plant footprint. These technical efficiencies translate into superior economic outcomes; for a 100 t/year Li 2 CO 3 facility, implementing MPSE is projected to nearly halve contactor CAPEX (from $\$$6.08M to $\$$3.01M) and significantly increase the project's Net Present Value (NPV), derisking new investment and enabling distributed critical-mineral processing configurations. The commercialization of MPSE technology is being spearheaded by Vigsur Dynamics Inc., which has adopted a structured, parallel approach to technical and business development since its formation in January 2026. Following extensive customer discovery and engagement with the Oregon State University accelerator, Vigsur Dynamics is working to establish a business model that transitions from pilot demonstrations to modular hardware sales, ultimately aiming for a "build-own-operate" service strategy. Current technical milestones—including 100 hours of continuous operation, superior energy efficiency, and successful 6-unit modular scale-up— provide a foundation for this transition. Backed by ongoing IP licensing and a growing network of industrial and venture advisors, the company is actively de-risking the platform to replace conventional mixer-settler systems in the critical minerals market.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗