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NASA NTRSDate not supplied

NASA Hypersonic Technology Project (HTP) Sic/Sic Research for Hypersonic Airframe Hot Structures

NASA, DoD, and industry have a vision for reusable hypersonic vehicles (Mach > 5). The realization of this vision will require high-specific-strength, high-temperature, reusable structures. In the sub-sonic and super-sonic flight regimes, high-specific-strength structures can be obtained via the use of aluminum, titanium, and composite materials. In the high-temperature environments associated with hypersonic flight, high specific strength is obtained via refractory-composite materials. NASA Langley Research Center has multiple efforts focused on evaluating refractory-composites for use as airframe hot structures for reusable hypersonic vehicles. Current efforts span the entire building-block approach, including coupon, element, subcomponent, and component manufacturing and testing. The coupon level work includes progressive damage testing and analysis, restrained thermal growth testing, stressed oxidation testing, and evaluation of laminate properties for several layup architectures. Element testing includes evaluation of over-temperature capability and co-processed bonding, fastener development, and analysis and testing of beaded (corrugated) panels. Subcomponent level work includes a solid rocket motor booster fin and a portion of a control surface, and component level work includes a control surface static test article. The current presentation will provide an update of work being performed at NASA, which is expected to transition refractory-composite materials to reusable hypersonic vehicles.

Hot structures↗

DOE OSTI2024

Reactive flash sintering and characterization of bulk high entropy nitrides

Over the past decade, numerous high-entropy ceramics have been synthesized, often displaying attractive properties. However, the study on facile preparation of bulk high entropy nitrides (HEN) are limited, despite its broad potential applications. This research demonstrates for the first time rapid fabrication (within ∼6 min) of bulk high-entropy nitrides, especially (Al 0.17 Nb 0.17 Ta 0.17 Ti 0.32 Zr 0.17 )N, from binary nitride powder mixtures using a highly efficient reactive flash sintering (RFS) technique. X-ray diffraction (XRD) shows the HENs from RFS are near single-phase solid solutions with a rock salt crystal structure, while in situ synchrotron study carried out during RFS captured in real time the formation of HEN, which was preserved upon cooling, suggesting thermodynamic stability of the HEN phase, even up to extreme pressure (∼35.6 GPa). Microscopic analyses using SEM, STEM, and EDS reveal decent uniformity for HEN with no obvious segregation of elements, even to submicron scale. Some properties of the obtained bulk HENs are consistent with expectations. For example, their hardness and bulk modulus are close to estimates based on rule-of-mixture (ROM) values from the constituent binary nitrides. Meanwhile, some other measured properties seem to show surprises. For example, the fracture toughness for the HENs (e.g., 7.81 ± 1.40 MPa•m 1/2 or higher) turns out to be more than double of the expected ROM estimates. The significantly improved fracture toughness is attributed to the observed nano-layered structure of the HENs, despite the HEN’s cubic crystal structure and high hardness. In addition, the oxidation resistance shows improvement up till ∼800°C, possibly due to Ta doping that suppress oxygen vacancy formation in the oxide shell, while the 5-metal HEN of (Al 0.17 Nb 0.17 Ta 0.17 Ti 0.32 Zr 0.17 )N displays superconductivity (T c of ∼5–7 K from magnetism and resistivity measurements, slightly lower than ROM estimate), despite insulating property of starting AlN. Furthermore, future study combining experimental investigation using larger samples to confirm the observed increase in fracture toughness and oxidation resistance, theoretical modeling at different length scale, and more detailed structural/chemical characterization, especially at the atomic scale, are all needed to fully understand the inter-relationships between composition, processing, structure, and novel properties for these HENs and the development of related new materials for different applications.

Flash sintering↗

NASA NTRS1994

Tribological evaluation of an Al2O3-SiO2 ceramic fiber candidate for high temperature sliding seals

A test program to determine the relative sliding durability of an alumina-silica candidate ceramic fiber for high temperature sliding seal applications is described. Pin-on-disk tests were used to evaluate the potential seal material by sliding a tow or bundle of the candidate ceramic fiber against a superalloy test disk. Friction was measured during the tests and fiber wear, indicated by the extent of fibers broken in the tow or bundle, was measured at the end of each test. Test variables studied included ambient temperatures from 25 to 900 C, loads from 1.3 to 21.2 N, and sliding velocities from 0.025 to 0.25 m/sec. In addition, the effects of fiber diameter and elastic modulus on friction and wear were measured. Thin gold films deposited on the superalloy disk surface were evaluated in an effort to reduce friction and wear of the fibers. In most cases, wear increased with test temperature. Friction ranged from 0.36 at 500 C and low velocity (0.025 m/sec) to over 1.1 at 900 C and high velocity (0.25 m/sec). The gold films resulted in satisfactory lubrication of the fibers at 25 C. At elevated temperatures diffusion of substrate elements degraded the films. These results indicate that the alumina-silica (Al2O3-SiO2) fiber is a good candidate material system for high temperature sliding seal applications. More work is needed to reduce friction.

Dellacorte, Christopher↗

NASA NTRS1998

Progressive Failure And Life Prediction of Ceramic and Textile Composites

An engineering approach to predict the fatigue life and progressive failure of multilayered composite and textile laminates is presented. Analytical models which account for matrix cracking, statistical fiber failures and nonlinear stress-strain behavior have been developed for both composites and textiles. The analysis method is based on a combined micromechanics, fracture mechanics and failure statistics analysis. Experimentally derived empirical coefficients are used to account for the interface of fiber and matrix, fiber strength, and fiber-matrix stiffness reductions. Similar approaches were applied to textiles using Repeating Unit Cells. In composite fatigue analysis, Walker's equation is applied for matrix fatigue cracking and Heywood's formulation is used for fiber strength fatigue degradation. The analysis has been compared with experiment with good agreement. Comparisons were made with Graphite-Epoxy, C/SiC and Nicalon/CAS composite materials. For textile materials, comparisons were made with triaxial braided and plain weave materials under biaxial or uniaxial tension. Fatigue predictions were compared with test data obtained from plain weave C/SiC materials tested at AS&M. Computer codes were developed to perform the analysis. Composite Progressive Failure Analysis for Laminates is contained in the code CPFail. Micromechanics Analysis for Textile Composites is contained in the code MicroTex. Both codes were adapted to run as subroutines for the finite element code ABAQUS and CPFail-ABAQUS and MicroTex-ABAQUS. Graphic user interface (GUI) was developed to connect CPFail and MicroTex with ABAQUS.

Xue, David Y.↗

NASA NTRS2006

Modeling the Elastic Modulus of 2D Woven CVI SiC Composites

The use of fiber, interphase, CVI SiC minicomposites as structural elements for 2D-woven SiC fiber reinforced chemically vapor infiltrated (CVI) SiC matrix composites is demonstrated to be a viable approach to model the elastic modulus of these composite systems when tensile loaded in an orthogonal direction. The 0deg (loading direction) and 90deg (perpendicular to loading direction) oriented minicomposites as well as the open porosity and excess SiC associated with CVI SiC composites were all modeled as parallel elements using simple Rule of Mixtures techniques. Excellent agreement for a variety of 2D woven Hi-Nicalon(TradeMark) fiber-reinforced and Sylramic-iBN reinforced CVI SiC matrix composites that differed in numbers of plies, constituent content, thickness, density, and number of woven tows in either direction (i.e, balanced weaves versus unbalanced weaves) was achieved. It was found that elastic modulus was not only dependent on constituent content, but also the degree to which 90deg minicomposites carried load. This depended on the degree of interaction between 90deg and 0deg minicomposites which was quantified to some extent by composite density. The relationships developed here for elastic modulus only necessitated the knowledge of the fractional contents of fiber, interphase and CVI SiC as well as the tow size and shape. It was concluded that such relationships are fairly robust for orthogonally loaded 2D woven CVI SiC composite system and can be implemented by ceramic matrix composite component modelers and designers for modeling the local stiffness in simple or complex parts fabricated with variable constituent contents.

Morscher, Gregory N.↗

DOE OSTI2020

Mechanism-Based Energy Regularization in Computational Modeling of Quasibrittle Fracture

Abstract Quasibrittle materials are featured by a strain-softening constitutive behavior under many loading scenarios, which could eventually lead to localization instability. It has long been known that strain localization would result in spurious mesh sensitivity in finite element (FE) simulations. Previous studies have shown that, for the case of fully localized damage, the mesh sensitivity can be mitigated through energy regularization of the material constitutive law. However, depending on the loading configuration and structural geometry, quasibrittle structures could exhibit a complex damage process, which involves both localized and diffused damage patterns at different stages of loading. This study presents a generalized energy regularization method that considers the spatial and temporal evolution of damage pattern. The method introduces a localization parameter, which describes the local damage pattern. The localization parameter governs the energy regularization of the constitutive model, which captures the transition from diffused to localized damage during the failure process. The method is cast into an isotropic damage model, and is further extended to rate-dependent behavior. The energy regularization scheme is directly incorporated into the kinetics of damage growth. The model is applied to simulate static and dynamic failures of ceramic specimens. It is shown that the present model is able to effectively mitigate the spurious mesh sensitivity in FE simulations of both types of failure. The present analysis demonstrates the essential role of mechanism-based energy regularization of constitutive relation in FE simulations of quasibrittle fracture.

Mechanics↗

DOE OSTI2025

3D pore structure reconstruction of fluff region in top of EBR-II irradiated fuel by X-ray micro-computed tomography

Metallic fuels comprised of U-Zr binary and U-Pu-Zr ternary alloys are a promising fuel candidate for sodium-cooled fast reactors and possess many advantages over ceramic fuels such as higher uranium density and improved thermal conductivity. Fluff is a highly porous structure forming at the top of metallic fuel slugs during irradiation and was extensively observed in past sodium-cooled fast reactor (SFR) experiments such as Idaho National Laboratory’s Experimental Breeder Reactor II (EBR-II). Previous investigations have shown that fluff is rich in fissile atoms and hence could have neutronics implications, but its formation mechanisms are not understood. In this work, two cube-shaped lift outs were taken from the fluff and bulk fuel regions of a high burnup U-19Pu-10Zr composition EBR-II fuel slug and characterized by micro computed tomography (Micro-CT) and energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDS). This was used to characterize differences in microscale porosity and composition between fluff and bulk fuel, and to support or oppose postulated fluff formation mechanisms. Surface EDS showed minimal differences between the elemental compositions of the fluff and fuel cubes. However, three-dimensional (3D) pore analysis from the tomography scans showed significant differences between the fluff and fuel cube pore size distributions at the microscale level. The high porosity and irregular pore distribution seen in macroscale fluff was also present within the micro-scale fluff cube, having a much higher porosity than the fuel cube which was concentrated in a few large pore networks. In conclusion, these results indicate support for a creep driven mechanism of fluff formation.

11 - NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗

NASA NTRS2009

NASA Tech Briefs, November 2009

Topics covered include: Cryogenic Chamber for Servo-Hydraulic Materials Testing; Apparatus Measures Thermal Conductance Through a Thin Sample from Cryogenic to Room Temperature; Rover Attitude and Pointing System Simulation Testbed; Desktop Application Program to Simulate Cargo-Air-Drop Tests; Multimodal Friction Ignition Tester; Small-Bolt Torque-Tension Tester; Integrated Spacesuit Audio System Enhances Speech Quality and Reduces Noise; Hardware Implementation of a Bilateral Subtraction Filter; Simple Optoelectronic Feedback in Microwave Oscillators; Small X-Band Oscillator Antennas; Free-Space Optical Interconnect Employing VCSEL Diodes; Discrete Fourier Transform Analysis in a Complex Vector Space; Miniature Scroll Pumps Fabricated by LIGA; Self-Assembling, Flexible, Pre-Ceramic Composite Preforms; Flight-speed Integral Image Analysis Toolkit; Work Coordination Engine; Multi-Mission Automated Task Invocation Subsystem; Autonomously Calibrating a Quadrupole Mass Spectrometer; Determining Spacecraft Reaction Wheel Friction Parameters; Composite Silica Aerogels Opacified with Titania; Multiplexed Colorimetric Solid-Phase Extraction; Detecting Airborne Mercury by Use of Polymer/Carbon Films; Lattice-Matched Semiconductor Layers on Single Crystalline Sapphire Substrate; Pressure-Energized Seal Rings to Better Withstand Flows; Rollerjaw Rock Crusher; Microwave Sterilization and Depyrogenation System; Quantifying Therapeutic and Diagnostic Efficacy in 2D Microvascular Images; NiF2/NaF:CaF2/Ca Solid-State High-Temperature Battery Cells; Critical Coupling Between Optical Fibers and WGM Resonators; Microwave Temperature Profiler Mounted in a Standard Airborne Research Canister; Alternative Determination of Density of the Titan Atmosphere; Solar Rejection Filter for Large Telescopes; Automated CFD for Generation of Airfoil Performance Tables; Progressive Classification Using Support Vector Machines; Active Learning with Irrelevant Examples; A Data Matrix Method for Improving the Quantification of Element Percentages of SEM/EDX Analysis; Deployable Shroud for the International X-Ray Observatory; Improved Model of a Mercury Ring Damper; Optoelectronic pH Meter: Further Details; X-38 Advanced Sublimator; and Solar Simulator Represents the Mars Surface Solar Environment.

Source record↗

NASA NTRS2007

NASA Tech Briefs, December 2007

Topics include: Ka-Band TWT High-Efficiency Power Combiner for High-Rate Data Transmission; Reusable, Extensible High-Level Data-Distribution Concept; Processing Satellite Imagery To Detect Waste Tire Piles; Monitoring by Use of Clusters of Sensor-Data Vectors; Circuit and Method for Communication Over DC Power Line; Switched Band-Pass Filters for Adaptive Transceivers; Noncoherent DTTLs for Symbol Synchronization; High-Voltage Power Supply With Fast Rise and Fall Times; Waveguide Calibrator for Multi-Element Probe Calibration; Four-Way Ka-Band Power Combiner; Loss-of-Control-Inhibitor Systems for Aircraft; Improved Underwater Excitation-Emission Matrix Fluorometer; Metrology Camera System Using Two-Color Interferometry; Design and Fabrication of High-Efficiency CMOS/CCD Imagers; Foam Core Shielding for Spacecraft CHEM-Based Self-Deploying Planetary Storage Tanks Sequestration of Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes in a Polymer PPC750 Performance Monitor Application-Program-Installer Builder Using Visual Odometry to Estimate Position and Attitude Design and Data Management System Simple, Script-Based Science Processing Archive Automated Rocket Propulsion Test Management Online Remote Sensing Interface Fusing Image Data for Calculating Position of an Object Implementation of a Point Algorithm for Real-Time Convex Optimization Handling Input and Output for COAMPS Modeling and Grid Generation of Iced Airfoils Automated Identification of Nucleotide Sequences Balloon Design Software Rocket Science 101 Interactive Educational Program Creep Forming of Carbon-Reinforced Ceramic-Matrix Composites Dog-Bone Horns for Piezoelectric Ultrasonic/Sonic Actuators Benchtop Detection of Proteins Recombinant Collagenlike Proteins Remote Sensing of Parasitic Nematodes in Plants Direct Coupling From WGM Resonator Disks to Photodetectors Using Digital Radiography To Image Liquid Nitrogen in Voids Multiple-Parameter, Low-False-Alarm Fire-Detection Systems Mosaic-Detector-Based Fluorescence Spectral Imager Plasmoid Thruster for High Specific-Impulse Propulsion Analysis Method for Quantifying Vehicle Design Goals Improved Tracking of Targets by Cameras on a Mars Rover Sample Caching Subsystem Multistage Passive Cooler for Spaceborne Instruments GVIPS Models and Software Stowable Energy-Absorbing Rocker-Bogie Suspensions

Source record↗

NASA NTRS2013

Unit-Sphere Anisotropic Multiaxial Stochastic-Strength Model Probability Density Distribution for the Orientation of Critical Flaws

Models that predict the failure probability of monolithic glass and ceramic components under multiaxial loading have been developed by authors such as Batdorf, Evans, and Matsuo. These "unit-sphere" failure models assume that the strength-controlling flaws are randomly oriented, noninteracting planar microcracks of specified geometry but of variable size. This report develops a formulation to describe the probability density distribution of the orientation of critical strength-controlling flaws that results from an applied load. This distribution is a function of the multiaxial stress state, the shear sensitivity of the flaws, the Weibull modulus, and the strength anisotropy. Examples are provided showing the predicted response on the unit sphere for various stress states for isotropic and transversely isotropic (anisotropic) materials--including the most probable orientation of critical flaws for offset uniaxial loads with strength anisotropy. The author anticipates that this information could be used to determine anisotropic stiffness degradation or anisotropic damage evolution for individual brittle (or quasi-brittle) composite material constituents within finite element or micromechanics-based software

Nemeth, Noel↗

DOE OSTI2024

High-Efficiency and Low-Carbon Energy Storage and Power Generation System for Electric Aviation

This report summarizes the work performed by University of California San Diego (UCSD) – Honeywell Aerospace (Honeywell) team for the U.S. Department of Energy/Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (DOE/ARPA-E) under Phase 1 (April 2021 – October 2023) project, Cooperative Agreement DE-AR0001347 entitled “High-Efficiency and Low-Carbon Energy Storage and Power Generation System for Electric Aviation”. The main objective of this project is to develop and demonstrate an energy storage and power generation (ESPG) system operating on bio liquid natural gas (LNG) for electric aviation applications. The ESPG system concept in this project is a fuel cell, battery, and gas turbine hybrid system that incorporates an innovative solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) technology. This SOFC technology has two main novel elements: (i) a lightweight and compact stack architecture that consists of cells and cell modules in electrical parallel and series connections (the module design) and (ii) exceptionally high performance, direct methane thin-film cells on porous substrate made by sputtering deposition process. This fuel cell has the specific power and volumetric power density suitable for electric aviation applications. Based on the current status of the SOFC technology, the Phase 1 work focused on the following activities: (i) ESPG System Modeling – to design and optimize an aircraft SOFC-based ESPG system concept that met the performance, weight and cost targets; (ii) Cell Material Development and Scaleup – to demonstrate scalability of the sputtering process for manufacture of thin-film SOFC cells of practical sizes, confirm the exceptional performance of sputtered cells, improve cell stability and durability for operation with hydrogen and methane fuel, and develop a suitable electrically conducting porous substrate to replace the current non-conducting ceramic substrate; (iii) Stack Development – to design and manufacture stack components for the stack architecture, evaluate and select a suitable sealant, and build and operate multi-cell stacks to demonstrate stack operation, and (iv) Technology to Market – to develop business models and commercialization plans, conduct various market and technology analysis and estimate SOFC and ESPG system costs.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗

DOE OSTI2021

Immobilization of cesium and iodine into Cs 3 Bi 2 I 9 perovskite-silica composites and core-shell waste forms with high waste loadings and chemical durability

Cs$_3$Bi$_2$I$_9$, a defect perovskite derivative, is a potential host phase to immobilize iodine and cesium with high waste loadings. In this work, two strategies were explored to form Cs$_3$Bi$_2$I$_9$-silica composites and a core-shell structure in order to improve chemical durability of waste form materials meanwhile maintaining high waste loadings. Cs$_3$Bi$_2$I$_9$ loadings as high as 70 wt.% were incorporated into a silica matrix to form silica-ceramic composites, and 20 wt.% Cs$_3$Bi$_2$I$_9$ was encapsulated into silica to form a core–shell structure by low temperature spark plasma sintering. Chemical durability of the composite and core-shell waste forms was evaluated by semi-dynamic leaching experiments, and Cs and I were incongruently released from waste form matrices. A BiOI alteration layer formed, acting as a passivation layer to reduce the release of radionuclides. The long-term iodine release rate was low (30 mg m$^{-2}$ day$^{-1}$) for the 70 wt.%Cs$_3$Bi$_2$I$_9$–silica composite leached in deionized water at 90 °C, which can be further reduced to 5 × 10$^{-3}$ mg m$^{-2}$ day$^{-1}$ for the 20 wt.% core-shell structure. This work highlights a robust way to immobilize the highly mobile radionuclides with high waste loadings through encapsulation into durable matrices and a surface passivating mechanism that can greatly reduce the elemental transport from waste form materials and significantly enhance their chemical durability.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

DOE OSTI2022

Stresses within rare-earth doped yttria-stabilized zirconia thermal barrier coatings from in-situ synchrotron X-ray diffraction at high temperatures

There is a growing interest for smart coatings that can be integrated into turbine engines for in-situ temperature measurements or health monitoring. The addition of rare-earth dopants into standard thermal barrier ceramic top coat materials is used to obtain luminescent coatings that enable spectral measurements, for real-time temperature or health monitoring. The thermomechanical performance and durability of such novel coating compositions in extreme environments still remains to be evaluated. Consequently, the ability to manufacture sensor coatings which present suitable thermal properties needs to be demonstrated. For this study, highly luminescent erbium and europium doped yttria-stabilized zirconia and state-of-the-art yttria-stabilized zirconia coatings manufactured by air plasma spray were characterized to determine the effects of the embedded rareearth dopants on coating internal strain and stress and to quantify and compare their high temperature response using synchrotron X-ray diffraction. In-situ depth-resolved strain measurements were performed at 15 μm intervals along the depth of the coatings to evaluate materials response at key locations, specifically at layer interfaces. In-plane stress was calculated for the coatings and a finite element model was implemented to supplement the results and enable further predictions. The results show that the sensor coatings that were manufactured in this work revealed only minor variations in the strain response of sensor coatings under a typical thermal cycle and especially at temperatures closer to that of gas turbine operating conditions, compared to state-of-the-art coatings. This work demonstrates the viability of manufacturing rare-earth doped yttria-stabilized zirconia coatings that provide beneficial spectroscopic monitoring capabilities while having minimal impact on the thermomechanical response of the thermal barrier coatings.

Air plasma spray↗

NASA NTRS2007

NASA Tech Briefs, September 2007

Topics covered include; Rapid Fabrication of Carbide Matrix/Carbon Fiber Composites; Coating Thermoelectric Devices To Suppress Sublimation; Ultrahigh-Temperature Ceramics; Improved C/SiC Ceramic Composites Made Using PIP; Coating Carbon Fibers With Platinum; Two-Band, Low-Loss Microwave Window; MCM Polarimetric Radiometers for Planar Arrays; Aperture-Coupled Thin-Membrane L-Band Antenna; WGM-Based Photonic Local Oscillators and Modulators; Focal-Plane Arrays of Quantum-Dot Infrared Photodetectors; Laser Range and Bearing Finder With No Moving Parts; Microrectenna: A Terahertz Antenna and Rectifier on a Chip; Miniature L-Band Radar Transceiver; Robotic Vision-Based Localization in an Urban Environment; Programs for Testing an SSME-Monitoring System; Cathodoluminescent Source of Intense White Light; Displaying and Analyzing Antenna Radiation Patterns; Payload Operations Support Team Tools; Space-Shuttle Emulator Software; Soft Real-Time PID Control on a VME Computer; Analyzing Radio-Frequency Coverage for the ISS; Nanorod-Based Fast-Response Pressure-Sensitive Paints; Capacitors Would Help Protect Against Hypervelocity Impacts; Diaphragm Pump With Resonant Piezoelectric Drive; Improved Quick-Release Pin Mechanism; Designing Rolling-Element Bearings; Reverse-Tangent Injection in a Centrifugal Compressor; Inertial Measurements for Aero-assisted Navigation (IMAN); Analysis of Complex Valve and Feed Systems; Improved Path Planning Onboard the Mars Exploration Rovers; Robust, Flexible Motion Control for the Mars Explorer Rovers; Solar Sail Spaceflight Simulation; Fluorine-Based DRIE of Fused Silica; Mechanical Alloying for Making Thermoelectric Compounds; Process for High-Rate Fabrication of Alumina Nanotemplates; Electroform/Plasma-Spray Laminates for X-Ray Optics; An Automated Flying-Insect Detection System; Calligraphic Poling of Ferroelectric Material; Blackbody Cavity for Calibrations at 200 to 273 K; KML Super Overlay to WMS Translator; High-Performance Tiled WMS and KML Web Server; Modeling of Radiative Transfer in Protostellar Disks; Composite Pulse Tube; Photometric Calibration of Consumer Video Cameras; Criterion for Identifying Vortices in High- Pressure Flows; Amplified Thermionic Cooling Using Arrays of Nanowires; Delamination-Indicating Thermal Barrier Coatings; Preventing Raman Lasing in High-Q WGM Resonators; Procedures for Tuning a Multiresonator Photonic Filter; Robust Mapping of Incoherent Fiber-Optic Bundles; Extended-Range Ultrarefractive 1D Photonic Crystal Prisms; Rapid Analysis of Mass Distribution of Radiation Shielding; Modeling Magnetic Properties in EZTB; Deep Space Network Antenna Logic Controller; Modeling Carbon and Hydrocarbon Molecular Structures in EZTB; BigView Image Viewing on Tiled Displays; and Imaging Sensor Flight and Test Equipment Software.

Source record↗

DOE OSTI2021

Chemical Heterogeneity in PAN/LLZTO Composite Electrolytes by Synchrotron Imaging

Solid polymer/ceramic composite electrolytes are promising for batteries due to their attractive thermal stability and mechanical properties. Chemical heterogeneity in solid composite electrolytes, such as the inhomogeneity in the ceramic phase and salt distribution at the polymer/ceramic interface, is critical to the performance of solid composite electrolytes. However, such heterogeneity has not been well understood yet. In this work, we use Synchrotron-based X-ray fluorescence imaging (XRF) and Transmission X-ray Microscope (TXM) to image nanoscale chemical heterogeneity in polyacrylamide/Li 7+x La 3 Zr 2–x Ta x O 12 (LLZTO) composite electrolytes and investigate the effects of lithium salt, salt concentration, and plasticizer. We find that LLZTO particles show strong inter- and intra-particles chemical heterogeneities, and the off-stoichiometry of Zr in an LLZTO particle is unlikely to be only balanced by Ta substitution. Moreover, statistical analysis suggests that LiI tends to accumulate at the ceramic/polymer interface at a low concentration of 5 wt%, but no such tendency was observed in samples with 10 wt% LiI. However, composite electrolytes with LiTFSI show interfacial accumulation at both 5 wt% and 10 wt%. Furthermore, this report provides insight into element distributions in solid composite electrolytes, and we hope further researches can shed light on the connections between chemical heterogeneity and ionic transport pathway inside.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

NASA NTRS2004

NASA Tech Briefs, May 2004

Topics include: Embedded Heaters for Joining or Separating Plastic Parts; Curing Composite Materials Using Lower-Energy Electron Beams; Aluminum-Alloy-Matrix/Alumina-Reinforcement Composites; Fibrous-Ceramic/Aerogel Composite Insulating Tiles; Urethane/Silicone Adhesives for Bonding Flexing Metal Parts; Scalable Architecture for Multihop Wireless ad Hoc Networks; Improved Thermoplastic/Iron-Particle Transformer Cores; Cooperative Lander-Surface/Aerial Microflyer Missions for Mars Exploration Dual-Frequency Airborne Scanning Rain Radar Antenna System Eight-Channel Continuous Timer Reduction of Phase Ambiguity in an Offset-QPSK Receiver Ambient-Light-Canceling Camera Using Subtraction of Frames Lightweight, Flexible, Thin, Integrated Solar-Power Packs Windows(Registered Trademark)-Based Software Models Cyclic Oxidation Behavior Software for Analyzing Sequences of Flow-Related Images Improved Ball-and-Socket Docking Mechanism Two-Stage Solenoid Ordered Nanostructures Made Using Chaperonin Polypeptides Low-Temperature Plasma Functionalization of Carbon Nanotubes Improved Cryostat for Cooling a Wide Panel Current Pulses Momentarily Enhance Thermoelectric Cooling Hand-Held Color Meters Based on Interference Filters Calculating Mass Diffusion in High-Pressure Binary Fluids Fresnel Lenses for Wide-Aperture Optical Receivers Increasing Accuracy in Computed Inviscid Boundary Conditions Higher-Order Finite Elements for Computing Thermal Radiation Radar for Monitoring Hurricanes from Geostationary Orbit Time-Transfer System for Two Orbiting Spacecraft

Source record↗

NASA NTRS1992

Development of braided rope seals for hypersonic engine applications: Flow modeling

A new type of engine seal is being developed to meet the needs of advanced hypersonic engines. A seal braided of emerging high temperature ceramic fibers comprised of a sheath-core construction was selected for study based on its low leakage rates. Flexible, low-leakage, high temperature seals are required to seal the movable engine panels of advanced ramjet-scramjet engines either preventing potentially dangerous leakage into backside engine cavities or limiting the purge coolant flow rates through the seals. To predict the leakage through these flexible, porous seal structures new analytical flow models are required. Two such models based on the Kozeny-Carman equations are developed herein and are compared to experimental leakage measurements for simulated pressure and seal gap conditions. The models developed allow prediction of the gas leakage rate as a function of fiber diameter, fiber packing density, gas properties, and pressure drop across the seal. The first model treats the seal as a homogeneous fiber bed. The second model divides the seal into two homogeneous fiber beds identified as the core and the sheath of the seal. Flow resistances of each of the main seal elements are combined to determine the total flow resistance. Comparisons between measured leakage rates and model predictions for seal structures covering a wide range of braid architectures show good agreement. Within the experimental range, the second model provides a prediction within 6 to 13 percent of the flow for many of the cases examined. Areas where future model refinements are required are identified.

Mutharasan, Rajakkannu↗

DOE OSTI2023

Understanding the Influence of Li 7 La 3 Zr 2 O 12 Nanofibers on Critical Current Density and Coulombic Efficiency in Composite Polymer Electrolytes

Composite polymer electrolytes (CPEs)are attractive materials for solid-state lithium metal batteries, owing to their high ionic conductivity from ceramic ionic conductors and flexibility from polymer components. As with all lithium metal batteries, however, CPEs face the challenge of dendrite formation and propagation. Not only does this lower the critical current density (CCD) before cell shorting, but the uncontrolled growth of lithium deposits may limit Coulombic efficiency (CE) by creating dead lithium. Here, we present a fundamental study on how the ceramic components of CPEs influence these characteristics. CPE membranes based on poly-(ethylene oxide) and lithium bis-(trifluoro methane sulfonyl)-imide(PEO-LiTFSI) with Li 7 La 3 Zr 2 O 12 (LLZO) nanofibers were fabricated with industrially relevant roll-to-roll manufacturing techniques. Galvanostatic cycling with lithium symmetric cells shows that the CCD can be tripled by including 50 wt % LLZO, but half-cell cycling reveals that this comes at the cost of CE. Varying the LLZO loading shows that even a small amount of LLZO drastically lowers the CE, from 88% at 0 wt % LLZO to 77% at just 2 wt % LLZO. Mesoscale modeling reveals that the increase in CCD cannot be explained by an increase in the macroscopic or microscopic stiffness of the electrolyte; only the microstructure of the LLZO nanofibers in the PEO-LiTFSI matrix slows dendrite growth by presenting physical barriers that the dendrites must push or grow around. This tortuous lithium growth mechanism around the LLZO is corroborated with mass spectrometry imaging. In conclusion, this work highlights important elements to consider in the design of CPEs for high-efficiency lithium metal batteries.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗