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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
DOE OSTI2018

Atomic-scale imaging of ultrafast materials dynamics

The advent of short-pulse electron and x-ray sources has enabled pump-probe approaches for elucidating ultrafast materials dynamics. From such studies, a comprehensive picture of the time-dependent evolution of the initial steps of energy deposition, propagation, relaxation, and conversion in a wide range of materials can be generated. In this article, we provide an overview of the capabilities of femtosecond electron and x-ray scattering for resolving structural dynamics of materials. With such approaches, time resolutions are ultimately limited by the durations of the electron and x-ray pulses, and dynamics can be studied at length scales spanning atomic to mesoscale dimensions. The articles in this issue represent a cross section of the vigorous activity occurring in the study of light-induced ultrafast materials dynamics as it relates to charge carriers, surfaces and interfaces, lattice-coupling mechanisms, coherent structural motions, and next-generation instrument development. Here, the approaches highlighted here are leading to new physical insights, new possibilities for engineering the properties of matter, and ultimately, a new understanding of materials functionality on ultrasmall and ultrashort spatiotemporal scales.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2016

Analysis of compositional uniformity in Al{sub x}Ga{sub 1−x}N thin films using atom probe tomography and electron microscopy

Calculated frequency distributions of atom probe tomography reconstructions (∼80 nm field of view) of very thin Al{sub x}Ga{sub 1−x}N (0.18 ≤ x ≤ 0.51) films grown via metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy on both (0001) GaN/AlN/SiC and (0001) GaN/sapphire heterostructures revealed homogeneous concentrations of Al and chemically abrupt Al{sub x}Ga{sub 1−x}N/GaN interfaces. The results of scanning transmission electron microscopy and selected area diffraction corroborated these results and revealed that neither superlattice ordering nor phase separation was present at nanometer length scales.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2015

Effects of Laser Energy and Wavelength on the Analysis of LiFePO4 Using Laser Assisted Atom Probe Tomography

The effects of laser wavelength (355 nm and 532 nm) and laser pulse energy on the quantitative accuracy of atom probe tomography (APT) examinations of LiFePO4 (LFP) are considered. A systematic investigation of ultraviolet (UV, 355 nm) and green (532 nm) laser assisted APT of LFP has revealed distinctly different behaviors. With the use of UV laser the major issue was identified as the preferential loss of oxygen (up to 10 at. %) while other elements (Li, Fe and P) were observed to be close to nominal ratios. Lowering the laser energy per pulse to 1 pJ increased the observed oxygen concentration to near its correct stoichiometry and was well correlated with systematically higher concentrations of 16O2+ ions. This observation supports the premise that lower laser energies lead to a higher probability of oxygen molecule ionization. Conversely, at higher laser energies the resultant lower effective electric field reduces the probability of oxygen molecule ionization. Green laser assisted field evaporation led to the selective loss of Li (~50% deficiency) and correct ratios of the remaining elements, including the oxygen concentration. The loss of Li is explained by selective dc evaporation of lithium between laser pulses and relatively negligible oxygen loss as neutrals during green-laser pulsing. Lastly, plotting of multihit events on a Saxey plot for the straight-flight path data (green laser only) revealed a surprising dynamic recombination process for some molecular ions mid-flight.

Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory↗
DOE OSTI2015

Atomic force microscopy based nanoindentation study of onion abaxial epidermis walls in aqueous environment

An atomic force microscopy based nanoindentation method was employed to study how the structure of cellulose microfibril packing and matrix polymers affect elastic modulus of fully hydrated primary plant cell walls. The isolated, single-layered abaxial epidermis cell wall of an onion bulb was used as a test system since the cellulose microfibril packing in this cell wall is known to vary systematically from inside to outside scales and the most abundant matrix polymer, pectin, can easily be altered through simple chemical treatments such as ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid and calcium ions. Experimental results showed that the pectin network variation has significant impacts on the cell wall modulus, and not the cellulose microfibril packing.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2015

Atomic disorder in Gd 2 Zr 2 O 7 pyrochlore

Gd 2 Zr 2 O 7 pyrochlore with different degrees of cation disorder were synthesized by isothermal annealing at various temperatures (1100–1550 °C), and the related changes in the structure were investigated by ambient and high pressure x-ray diffraction (XRD) measurements. Unit cell parameters increase almost linearly with increasing treatment temperature. The degree of cation order in pyrochlore also increases with the increase of temperature, but saturates at ~60%. The compressibility of the pyrochlore structures decreases when the degree of cation order increases. Lastly, high pressure XRD measurements also indicate that the phase stability of Gd 2 Zr 2 O 7 is not very sensitive to the degree of atomic disorder in the pyrochlore structure.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2015

Intrinsic differences in atomic ordering of calcium (alumino)silicate hydrates in conventional and alkali-activated cements

The atomic structures of calcium silicate hydrate (C–S–H) and calcium (–sodium) aluminosilicate hydrate (C–(N)–A–S–H) gels, and their presence in conventional and blended cement systems, have been the topic of significant debate over recent decades. Previous investigations have revealed that synthetic C–S–H gel is nanocrystalline and due to the chemical similarities between ordinary Portland cement (OPC)-based systems and low-CO{sub 2} alkali-activated slags, researchers have inferred that the atomic ordering in alkali-activated slag is the same as in OPC–slag cements. Here, X-ray total scattering is used to determine the local bonding environment and nanostructure of C(–A)–S–H gels present in hydrated tricalcium silicate (C{sub 3}S), blended C{sub 3}S–slag and alkali-activated slag, revealing the large intrinsic differences in the extent of nanoscale ordering between C–S–H derived from C{sub 3}S and alkali-activated slag systems, which may have a significant influence on thermodynamic stability, and material properties at higher length scales, including long term durability of alkali-activated cements.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2016

Exploring Pore Formation of Atomic Layer-Deposited Overlayers by in Situ Small- and Wide-Angle X-ray Scattering

In this work, we explore the pore structure of overcoated materials by in situ synchrotron small- and wide-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS)/(WAXS). Thin films of aluminum oxide (Al2O3) and titanium dioxide (TiO2) with thicknesses of 4.9 and 2.5 nm, respectively, are prepared by atomic layer deposition (ALD) on non-porous nanoparticles. In situ X-ray measurements reveal that porosity is induced in the ALD films by annealing the samples at high temperature. Moreover, this pore formation can be attributed to densification resulting from an amorphous to crystalline phase transition of the ALD films as confirmed by high resolution X-ray diffraction (XRD) and pair distribution function (PDF). Simultaneous SAXS/WAXS results not only show that the porosity is formed by this phase transition but also that the pore size increases with temperature.

Li, Tao↗
DOE OSTI2014

Epitaxial c-axis oriented BaTiO{sub 3} thin films on SrTiO{sub 3}-buffered Si(001) by atomic layer deposition

Atomic layer deposition (ALD) of epitaxial c-axis oriented BaTiO{sub 3} (BTO) on Si(001) using a thin (1.6 nm) buffer layer of SrTiO{sub 3} (STO) grown by molecular beam epitaxy is reported. The ALD growth of crystalline BTO films at 225 °C used barium bis(triisopropylcyclopentadienyl), titanium tetraisopropoxide, and water as co-reactants. X-ray diffraction (XRD) reveals a high degree of crystallinity and c-axis orientation of as-deposited BTO films. Crystallinity is improved after vacuum annealing at 600 °C. Two-dimensional XRD confirms the tetragonal structure and orientation of 7–20-nm thick films. The effect of the annealing process on the BTO structure is discussed. A clean STO/Si interface is found using in-situ X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and confirmed by cross-sectional scanning transmission electron microscopy. The capacitance-voltage characteristics of 7–20 nm-thick BTO films are examined and show an effective dielectric constant of ∼660 for the heterostructure.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2014

Anharmonicity and atomic distribution of SnTe and PbTe thermoelectrics

The structure and lattice dynamics of rock-salt thermoelectric materials SnTe and PbTe are investigated with single crystal and powder neutron diffraction, inelastic neutron scattering (INS), and first-principles simulations. Our first-principles calculations of the radial distribution function (RDF) in both SnTe and PbTe show a clear asymmetry in the first nearest-neighbor (1NN) peak, which increases with temperature, in agreement with experimental reports (Ref. 1,2). We show that this peak asymmetry for the 1NN Sn–Te or Pb–Te bond results from large-amplitude anharmonic vibrations (phonons). No atomic off-centering is found in our simulations. In addition, the atomic mean square displacements derived from our diffraction data reveal stiffer bonding at the anion site, in good agreement with the partial phonon densities of states from INS, and first-principles calculations. In conclusion, these results provide clear evidence for large-amplitude anharmonic phonons associated with the resonant bonding leading to the ferroelectric instability.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2014

Evolution of atomic structure during nanoparticle formation

Understanding the mechanism of nanoparticle formation during synthesis is a key prerequisite for the rational design and engineering of desirable materials properties, yet remains elusive due to the difficulty of studying structures at the nanoscale under real conditions. Here, the first comprehensive structural description of the formation of a nanoparticle, yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ), all the way from its ionic constituents in solution to the final crystal, is presented. The transformation is a complicated multi-step sequence of atomic reorganizations as the material follows the reaction pathway towards the equilibrium product. Prior to nanoparticle nucleation, reagents reorganize into polymeric species whose structure is incompatible with the final product. Instead of direct nucleation of clusters into the final product lattice, a highly disordered intermediate precipitate forms with a local bonding environment similar to the product yet lacking the correct topology. During maturation, bond reforming occurs by nucleation and growth of distinct domains within the amorphous intermediary. The present study moves beyond kinetic modeling by providing detailed real-time structural insight, and it is demonstrated that YSZ nanoparticle formation and growth is a more complex chemical process than accounted for in conventional models. This level of mechanistic understanding of the nanoparticle formation is the first step towards more rational control over nanoparticle synthesis through control of both solution precursors and reaction intermediaries.

solar (photovoltaic), electrodes - solar, charge t↗