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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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All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2016

ISS Robotic Student Programming

The SPHERES facility is a set of three free-flying satellites launched in 2006. In addition to scientists and engineering, middle- and high-school students program the SPHERES during the annual Zero Robotics programming competition. Zero Robotics conducts virtual competitions via simulator and on SPHERES aboard the ISS, with students doing the programming. A web interface allows teams to submit code, receive results, collaborate, and compete in simulator-based initial rounds and semi-final rounds. The final round of each competition is conducted with SPHERES aboard the ISS. At the end of 2017 a new robotic platform called Astrobee will launch, providing new game elements and new ground support for even more student interaction.

competition↗
NASA NTRS2016

ISS Robotic Student Programming

The SPHERES (Synchronized Position Hold Engage and Reorient Experimental Satellite) facility is a set of three free-flying satellites launched in 2006. In addition to scientists and engineers, middle- and high-school students program the SPHERES during the annual Zero Robotics programming competition. Zero Robotics conducts virtual competitions via simulator and on SPHERES aboard the ISS (International Space Station), with students doing the programming. A web interface allows teams to submit code, receive results, collaborate, and compete in simulator-based initial rounds and semi-final rounds. The final round of each competition is conducted with SPHERES aboard the ISS. At the end of 2017 a new robotic platform called Astrobee will launch, providing new game elements and new ground support for even more student interaction.

competition↗
DOE OSTI2022

Building the Next Generation Through 20 Years of Solar Decathlon: From Collegiate Prize to Multifaceted Clean Energy Workforce Program: Preprint

The U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon, initiated in 2002 as a collegiate competition that challenges student teams to design and build high-performance, low-carbon buildings powered by renewables, has always been about developing students to be the next generation of buildings professionals. As we celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Solar Decathlon in 2022, this paper highlights its evolution from a singular prize to a multi-faceted platform preparing the broader buildings workforce to address the challenges of climate change. The original program challenged students to design and construct a residence. To improve the accessibility of the competition, the Design Challenge -- a 1-2 semester design-only competition-- was added to the Solar Decathlon platform. The Solar Decathlon has also scaled globally with events in Europe, the Middle East, China, Latin America and the Caribbean, Africa, and India. In 2021, the Solar Decathlon broadened its reach once again by introducing Solar Decathlon Pro, a zero-energy design practicum for professional architects and engineers. This paper utilizes participation data, surveys, alumni profiles, project submissions, and more to understand how changes to the program have expanded program reach to minority-serving institutions, environmental justice communities, and impacted the building industry's capacity to construct high performance and zero energy buildings. As one of the oldest federal government prizes, the Solar Decathlon offers a roadmap for dramatically increasing prize impact and demonstrates that it continues to push boundaries to tackle decarbonization and environmental justice.

build↗
DOE OSTI2022

Solar Decathlon Celebrates 20 Years of Building Impact

The U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon® is a collegiate competition that has inspired students worldwide to enter the clean energy workforce since its inception. Celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2022, the Solar Decathlon has challenged more than 25,000 students to create efficient, affordable buildings powered by renewables, while promoting student innovation, STEM education, and workforce development opportunities in the buildings industry. Compelling graphics, videos, and visuals are being developed to launch a 20th anniversary campaign in January 2022. These graphics include an interactive 20th anniversary infographic, a "Solar Decathlon - By the Numbers" video, and a graphic highlighting the diverse group of more than 25,000 past participants. In presenting these graphics at the ACEEE summer 2022 panel, attendees will be exposed to the latest communications techniques to apply to their own work. The Solar Decathlon invests in compelling visuals to recruit and inspire an imaginative and diverse group of participants each year - something that organizations of all sizes in the energy efficiency sector also need to do as they recruit for new talent. The Virtual Village of the 2020 Build Challenge homes (with more than 11,000 unique views) and the map of past competition houses highlight the competition's emphasis on multimedia that connects with competitors and the general public. Using more than 4,400 publicly available photos, including engaging virtual event snapshots with Department of Energy leaders, the Solar Decathlon captures the innovate ideas of the Build Challenge and Design Challenge teams in a way that everyone can understand.

collegiate competition↗
DOE OSTI2024

Polysilaketals: High‐Performance Polyether‐Based Electrolytes with Tunable Disubstituted Silane Linkers

Abstract Polymer electrolytes exhibit higher energy density and improved safety in lithium‐ion batteries relative to traditionally used liquid electrolytes but are currently limited by their lower electrochemical performance. Aiming to access polymer electrolytes with competitive electrochemical properties, we developed the anionic ring‐opening polymerization (AROP) of cyclic silaketals to synthesize amorphous silicon‐containing polyether‐based electrolytes with varying substituent bulk of the general formula [OSi(R) 2 (CH 2 CH 2 O) 2 ] n (R=alkyl, phenyl). As opposed to previously reported uncontrolled polycondensation routes toward low molecular weight polysilaketals, AROP allows access to targeted molecular weights above the entanglement threshold of the polymers. The polysilaketal with the lowest steric bulk (P(OSi Me,Me ‐2EO)) exceeds the conductivity of poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO), a leading polymer electrolyte. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first solid polymer electrolyte to achieve this benchmark. Steric bulk in polysilaketals was found to impart stability and two bulkier polysilaketals, P(OSi Et,Et ‐2EO) and P(OSi Me,Ph ‐2EO), exhibited higher current fractions than PEO over a wide range of salt loadings. Moreover, the efficacy of P(OSi Et,Et ‐2EO) was competitive with that of PEO. Taken together, the tunable and competitive electrochemical properties of polysilaketals validate the systematic incorporation of silyl groups as a strategy to access high performance polymer electrolytes.

Rugh, Haley J.↗
DOE OSTI2025

Polysilaketals: High‐Performance Polyether‐Based Electrolytes with Tunable Disubstituted Silane Linkers

Polymer electrolytes exhibit higher energy density and improved safety in lithium-ion batteries relative to traditionally used liquid electrolytes but are currently limited by their lower electrochemical performance. Aiming to access polymer electrolytes with competitive electrochemical properties, we developed the anionic ring-opening polymerization (AROP) of cyclic silaketals to synthesize amorphous silicon-containing polyether-based electrolytes with varying substituent bulk of the general formula [OSi(R)2(CH2CH2O)2]n (R=alkyl, phenyl). As opposed to previously reported uncontrolled polycondensation routes toward low molecular weight polysilaketals, AROP allows access to targeted molecular weights above the entanglement threshold of the polymers. The polysilaketal with the lowest steric bulk (P(OSiMe,Me-2EO)) exceeds the conductivity of poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO), a leading polymer electrolyte. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first solid polymer electrolyte to achieve this benchmark. Steric bulk in polysilaketals was found to impart stability and two bulkier polysilaketals, P(OSiEt,Et-2EO) and P(OSiMe,Ph-2EO), exhibited higher current fractions than PEO over a wide range of salt loadings. Moreover, the efficacy of P(OSiEt,Et-2EO) was competitive with that of PEO. Taken together, the tunable and competitive electrochemical properties of polysilaketals validate the systematic incorporation of silyl groups as a strategy to access high performance polymer electrolytes.

Rugh, Haley J↗
DOE OSTI2024

Converting Second‐Order Saddle Points to Transition States: New Principles for the Design of 4π Photoswitches

Abstract Molecular photoswitches have demonstrated potential for storing solar energy at the molecular level, with power densities comparable to commercial batteries and hydroelectric energy storage. However, development of efficient photoswitches is hindered by limitations in cyclability and optical properties of existing materials. We here demonstrate that certain limitations in photoswitches based on electrocyclizations stem from the issue of controlling competition between Woodward‐Hoffmann allowed and forbidden pathways. Our approach moves beyond the traditional view of activation barriers and reveals that second‐order saddle points are crucial in dictating the competition between disrotatory and conrotatory pathways. These insights suggest new opportunities to manipulate the competition between these pathways through geometric constraints, fundamentally altering the connectivity of the potential energy surface. Our study also emphasizes the necessity of multi‐reference methods and the need to conduct higher‐dimensional explorations for competing pathways beyond photoswitch design.

Chemistry↗
DOE OSTI2024

Implications of increased spatial and trophic overlap between juvenile Pacific salmon and Sablefish in the northern California Current

Abstract Objective The study was designed to assess long-term variability in the distribution of juvenile Pacific salmon Oncorhynchus spp. and Sablefish Anoplopoma fimbria. The study also evaluated whether Sablefish and Pacific salmon shared food resources and looked to characterize Sablefish during an understudied period of their life cycle. Methods To meet the objectives, the study used data from 26 years of surface trawls conducted in Oregon and Washington coastal waters (1998–2023). Spatial–temporal models were used to measure changes in abundance and distribution of Pacific salmon and Sablefish along with covariates of ocean temperature. The study evaluated trophic characteristics of Pacific salmon and Sablefish from 2020 for differences. The temporal variation in size and diets of Sablefish were also analyzed, along with energy density of fish caught in 2020. Result The spatial–temporal model demonstrated that there has been a nearshore expansion of juvenile Sablefish over the past 26 years that was correlated with increased ocean temperature. The nearshore expansion of Sablefish resulted in increased spatial and trophic overlap with juvenile Pacific salmon. While feeding in nearshore waters, juvenile Sablefish demonstrated competitive feeding advantages over juvenile Pacific salmon during a critical phase of salmonid early marine life history. Juvenile Sablefish exhibited significant ontogenetic diet and energetic shifts, and even the smallest (68–80 mm fork length) were piscivorous. Conclusions If juvenile Sablefish numbers continue to increase relative to Pacific salmon, they could exert more competitive pressure, especially if food resources become limited. Pacific salmon may experience adverse effects from competition, regardless of whether or not juvenile Sablefish, which have recently expanded into nearshore waters, successfully recruit to the adult population.

Daly, Elizabeth A. (ORCID:0000000195334457)↗
DOE OSTI2021

Science Personality and STEM Ambassador

Dr. Amy Elliott has had unique opportunities to serve as a STEM role model through her various media production projects. Her debut on screen was as a competitor on an engineering reality show competition called “The Big Brain Theory,” aired by The Discovery Channel. Following this competition, Dr. Elliott served as an on-camera host for RoboNation’s water-based, annual collegiate competitions and for The Science Channel’s viral video show, “Outrageous Acts of Science.” Dr. Elliott also serves as volunteer pit-crew for Green Envy Racing, a woman-lead race team that seeks to set and speed records with electric motorcycles. Because of Dr. Elliott’s public exposure, she was selected as an IF/THEN Ambassador by the American Associate for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), a program that seeks to highlight women as STEM role models. Dr. Elliott’s work in 3D printing is frequently a source of inspiration for her.

Elliott, Amy↗
DOE OSTI2023

Variable renewable energy deployment in low-emission scenarios: The role of technology cost and value

While rapid deployment of variable renewable energy (VRE) technologies, namely wind and solar PV, is often projected in 2C pathways generated by integrated assessment models, there is a wide range in projected VRE deployment by mid-century. Such differences could be the result of differences in assumptions about future technology costs and/or differences in model approaches for capturing other aspects of technology competitiveness. Here we introduce a consistent competitiveness metric, profitability-adjusted levelized cost of electricity (or PLCOE), to an integrated assessment model (EPPA) to evaluate the representation of technology competition, including VRE, in low-emission scenarios. We show that representing the value of technology (alongside cost) may significantly impact VRE deployment relative to scenarios without such an adjustment. In addition, we show that varying VRE costs by about 35% in 2050 results in differences in VRE deployment that span much of the range in outcomes (over the same period) observed in likely 2C scenarios assessed by the IPCC, suggesting that both cost and value are key drivers of VRE deployment in such scenarios. Given the central role that VRE technologies play in the electricity mix across most scenarios, we also find that alternative cost assumptions for VRE technologies can lead to changes in electricity prices, the associated demand for electricity, and total final and primary energy consumption. However, the demand for fuels other than electricity is relatively insensitive to VRE assumptions in the 2C scenarios considered here.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗
DOE OSTI2026

Comparative assessment of new oxygen carrier materials for gas switching reforming of natural gas: Techno-economics assessment, life cycle analysis, and experimental insights

The increasing demand for hydrogen and the CO 2 intensity of natural gas (NG) reforming motivate the development of low-carbon-emission hydrogen production technologies. Gas Switching Reforming (GSR) with integrated CO 2 capture, a technology based on Chemical Looping Reforming (CLR), has been experimentally proven and shows potential for scale-up. In this study, select oxygen carriers (OC) (NiO/Al 2 O 3 , Fe 2 O 3 -CeO 2 /Al 2 O 3 , and magnetite) were tested in methane steam reforming in a fixed bed reactor to determine their relative reactivities under relevant conditions for GSR (800 °C, 7 bar total pressure). Process models were then developed to perform techno-economic analysis (TEA) of GSR for hydrogen production (GSR-H 2 ) and a combined cycle (GSR-CC) in which high-purity H 2 is fired in a gas turbine to produce electricity. Operating at 10 bar and 1100 °C and with the additional recovery steps implemented increased H 2 production by ∼ 30% and improved efficiency relative to prior studies. For GSR-H 2 , the levelized cost of hydrogen (LCOH) is 1.61–1.64 $/kg-H 2 , competitive with a reference SMR case, though operating and maintenance costs are higher due to increased electricity demand. GSR-CC has a significantly higher levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) than its reference NGCC (natural gas combined cycle) plant, suggesting it is less competitive; however, increasing production scale could make it more attractive. Life-cycle results for GSR-H 2 indicate NG consumption drives ∼ 75% of total global warming impacts (∼2.3 kg CO 2 eq/kg H 2 ). An environmental, health, and safety screening suggests iron-based carriers are comparatively safer, whereas NiO may pose greater risks. Overall, GSR-H 2 is a scalable, competitive option for hydrogen production using nickel and non-nickel OC.

03 NATURAL GAS↗
DOE OSTI2020

The European wood pellets for heating market - Price developments, trade and market efficiency

Competitive international markets imply adjustments towards competitive spatial equilibrium in which excess from one market is transferred to another and prices are equilibrated except for remaining differences that can be assigned to transfer costs. The European market for wood pellets used in small-scale heating systems has been expanding significantly over the past decade. Small scale pellet heating is arguably a mature technology, but whether the market is mature is another question. In this paper we analyse recent data on trade flows and price developments between Italy, Austria, Germany and France to understand the developments of wood pellet market efficiency and to draw conclusions about market function. The objective of this study is to establish a framework to test the European residential wood pellet market for competitive spatial equilibrium using modern trade theory. We find mainly inefficiently integrated markets with remaining positive marginal profits and detectable arbitrageurs’ activity. Based on a thorough discussion of these findings and the underlying data we outline possible methodology advancements and list policy recommendations to secure access and affordability of this renewable heating commodity in the long run.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2021

Effects of red imported fire ant ( Solenopsis invicta ) control on carrion use by vertebrate scavengers

Carrion is an important resource, and competition for carrion by microbial, invertebrate, and vertebrate scavenging communities is great. In particular, carrion is important to facultative and obligate vertebrate scavengers globally, and these species provide an irreplaceable ecological service by efficiently removing carcasses, which potentially harbor pathogens, from the environment. Although vertebrates efficiently acquire carcasses, they compete intensively with invertebrate and microbial communities, especially during warmer months when invertebrate and microbial activity peaks. The presence of invasive invertebrates may further exacerbate competition among scavenging groups; however, little is known about how invasive invertebrates can influence invertebrate scavenger dynamics and ultimately competition with vertebrate scavengers. The red imported fire ant (Solenopsis invicta; RIFA) is an invasive species of particular interest in North America, as it is a dominant predator and decomposer throughout much their range. We hypothesized that in areas where abundant, RIFA can outcompete vertebrates for carrion resources, altering nutrient cycling and food web dynamics. We tested this hypothesis by experimentally excluding RIFA from rabbit carcasses and found strong seasonal effects in our data; however, surprisingly, we found no effect of RIFA control on vertebrate scavenging efficiency, rates of carcass detection, carcass persistence, or the richness of local scavengers. Rather, we observed a highly efficient vertebrate scavenging community that assimilated 87.4% of carcasses during our study. Furthermore, this high rate of vertebrate scavenging efficiency was maintained in both control (93.0%) and RIFA treatment (81.8%) sites, suggesting presence of abundant RIFA populations did not limit vertebrate acquisition of carrion. Future research should focus on the interactions of RIFA with the remaining invertebrate scavenging community to further investigate whether RIFA impact the assimilation of carrion resources within invertebrate communities.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2025

Life cycle assessment of a novel gas switching reforming for sustainable hydrogen production with CO2 capture

Gas switching reforming for hydrogen production (GSR-H2) presents an efficient, low-carbon hydrogen production method that incorporates integrated carbon capture, offering efficiency gains over traditional methods such as proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolysis, steam methane reforming (SMR) and the newer method of chemical looping reforming (CLR). GSR-H2 has been demonstrated in lab scale which operates as an exothermic process that eliminates the need for additional natural gas combustion, using its own waste heat to generate process steam and partially offset energy usage through electricity production. Beyond its thermal self-sufficiency, GSR-H2 advances upon CLR by integrating all reaction stages within a single reactor cluster, eliminating the complexities of solid circulation, reducing capital costs, and enhancing overall process efficiency. This streamlined design simplifies scale-up and enables inherent CO2 separation with minimal energy penalty, making GSR-H2 a highly competitive pathway for low-carbon hydrogen production. This study presents the first life cycle assessment (LCA) of GSR-H2, offering a novel evaluation of this new process’s environmental impacts across diverse energy scenarios. Key findings reveal that in the renewables-powered scenario, GSR-H2 achieves a GWP of 2.77 kg CO2 eq per kg H2, a substantial improvement over SMR’s 10.4 kg CO2 eq and close to the low emissions of CLR (1.84 kg CO2 eq) and PEM electrolysis (1.85 kg CO2 eq). These results demonstrate GSR-H2’s competitive advantage as a lower-emission alternative, combining design simplicity and efficiency gains, especially in renewable-integrated systems. These results establish GSR-H2 as a competitive, scalable option for hydrogen production, particularly in decarbonization efforts.

03 NATURAL GAS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Bulk Anion Recognition Kinetically Holds Back Interfacial Adsorption

The competition between bulk and interfacial phenomena underlies many key processes in complex chemical phenomena and transport. While competitive processes are often framed in a thermodynamic context, opportunities to leverage transient species found away from equilibrium can provide a kinetic handle to achieve unconventional reaction outcomes. In this work, we outfit an iminoguanidinium headgroup capable of selective SO 4 2– complexation with alkyl tails of varying complexity to probe competitive bulk and interfacial reaction pathways and tune kinetic pathways for selective chemical separations. Using sum frequency generation (SFG) vibrational spectroscopy we unexpectedly find that adsorption of ligands to the air–aqueous interface was dramatically slowed down for species with increasingly hydrophobic tails. Underlying this phenomenon, we show that the formation of bulk colloidal species with differing propensities for SO 4 2– inhibited surface adsorption via a kinetic bottleneck in the exchange of molecular extractants with colloidal aggregates. This kinetic effect could open up avenues to access unconventional selectivity via complexation of strongly coordinating species in the bulk phase, allowing for more weakly coordinating species to transport via interfacial mechanisms. Furthermore, this work broadly probes nonequilibrium phenomena in chemical separations that arise through unexpected interfacial events that are neglected in traditional equilibrium descriptions.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2025

Origin of Heating-Induced Softening and Enthalpic Reinforcement in Elastomeric Nanocomposites

Molecular simulations demonstrate that the enthalpic softening of elastomeric nanocomposites upon heating can arise naturally from a Poisson’s ratio mismatch between elastomer and nanoparticle networks, providing a more parsimonious explanation for this phenomenon than the widely accepted interpretation based on glassy interparticle bridging. Despite a century of use, the mechanism of nanoparticle-driven mechanical reinforcement of elastomers is unresolved. Here, a major hypothesis attributes it to glassy interparticle bridges, supported by an observed inversion of the variation of the modulus E(T) on heating – from entropic stiffening in elastomers to enthalpic softening in nanocomposites. Here, molecular simulations reveal that elastomer enthalpic softening can instead emerge from a competition over the preferred volumes between elastomer and nanoparticulate networks. A theory for this competition accounting for softening of the bulk modulus on heating predicts the simulated E(T) inversion, suggesting that reinforcement is driven by a volume-competition mechanism unique to cocontinuous systems of soft and rigid networks.

Biopolymers↗
DOE OSTI2024

Ecological trade-offs drive phenotypic and genetic differentiation of Arabidopsis thaliana in Europe

Plant diversity is shaped by trade-offs between traits related to competitive ability, propagule dispersal, and stress resistance. However, we still lack a clear understanding of how these trade-offs influence species distribution and population dynamics. In Arabidopsis thaliana , recent genetic analyses revealed a group of cosmopolitan genotypes that successfully recolonized Europe from its center after the last glaciation, excluding older (relict) lineages from the distribution except for their north and south margins. Here, we tested the hypothesis that cosmopolitans expanded due to higher colonization ability, while relicts persisted at the margins due to higher tolerance to competition and/or stress. We compared the phenotypic and genetic differentiation between 71 European genotypes originating from the center, and the south and north margins. We showed that a trade-off between plant fecundity and seed mass shapes the differentiation of A. thaliana in Europe, suggesting that the success of the cosmopolitan groups could be explained by their high dispersal ability. However, at both north and south margins, we found evidence of selection for alleles conferring low dispersal but highly competitive and stress-resistance abilities. This study sheds light on the role of ecological trade-offs as evolutionary drivers of the distribution and dynamics of plant populations.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2024

Optimal thermodynamic conditions to minimize kinetic by-products in aqueous materials synthesis

Abstract Phase diagrams offer substantial predictive power for materials synthesis by identifying the stability regions of target phases. However, thermodynamic phase diagrams do not offer explicit information regarding the kinetic competitiveness of undesired by-product phases. Here we propose a quantitative and computable thermodynamic metric to identify synthesis conditions under which the propensity to form kinetically competing by-products is minimized. We hypothesize that thermodynamic competition is minimized when the difference in free energy between a target phase and the minimal energy of all other competing phases is maximized. We validate this hypothesis for aqueous materials synthesis through two empirical approaches: first, by analysing 331 aqueous synthesis recipes text-mined from the literature; and second, by systematic experimental synthesis of LiIn(IO 3 ) 4 and LiFePO 4 across a wide range of aqueous electrochemical conditions. Our results show that even for synthesis conditions that are within the stability region of a thermodynamic Pourbaix diagram, phase-pure synthesis occurs only when thermodynamic competition with undesired phases is minimized.

Wang, Zheren (ORCID:0000000227429451)↗