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At least 73 records · Page 4

Soil biogeochemical properties and metrics of tree-mycorrhizal dominance for a 25-Ha forest in South Central Indiana, USA.

This data package contains a dataset used in the papers “Seeing the forest for all the trees: Mycorrhizal-associated nutrient economies are modulated by stem density and the synchrony between overstory and understory communities” and “Mycorrhizal associations of tree species influence soil nitrogen dynamics via effects on soil acid–base chemistry”. Four csv files are included along with a dataset. The dataset features chemical soil properties for a single sampling campaign within the 25 Ha Lilly-Dickey Woods Smithsonian Forest Global Earth Observatory (ForestGEO) plot in South Central Indiana, USA (ldw_dat_raw.csv). Also included are separate files focused on pH (pH_data.csv), carbon and nitrogen (CN_data.csv), and nitrification rates (Nitrification_data.csv). These variables are commonly associated with the tree-mycorrhizal dominance of forest stands. In these data subsets, each soil variable was matched to a 10 meter radius neighborhood wherein metrics of tree-mycorrhizal dominance (basal area, stem count, importance value, etc.) were calculated. Models between these soil variables and dominance metrics were used to investigate how different assessments of mycorrhizal associated nutrient economies (MANE) capture these relationships. This research was performed as a part of the Smithsonian ForestGEO project. This data package can be used to explore spatial variability in soil chemistry within a mature hardwood forest, or it can be combined with the included tree data, other fine-scale spatial information, or other tree inventory data for the site to evaluate how soil chemistry varies with tree community composition or edaphic or topographic properties.

Craig, Matthew [ORNL] (ORCID:0000000288907920)↗

Synthesis, Crystal and Electronic Structures, Nonlinear Optical Properties, and Magnetic Properties of Two Thiophosphates: KInP 2 S 7 and KCrP 2 S 7

Two thiophosphates, KInP 2 S 7 and KCrP 2 S 7 , were structurally characterized without investigating any optical properties. Herein in this work, KInP 2 S 7 and KCrP 2 S 7 were revisited to investigate their optical and magnetic properties, respectively. Pure polycrystalline samples and crystals of KInP 2 S 7 and KCrP 2 S 7 were grown by high temperature solid state reactions, where mm-sized crystals of KCrP 2 S 7 were collected. KCrP 2 S 7 is isostructural to KInP 2 S 7 , which features a layered structure. KInP 2 S 7 and KCrP 2 S 7 possess close relationship to the layered thiophosphate M 2 P 2 S 6 (M = Fe, Co, Zn, etc.). The bonding pictures of KInP 2 S 7 were studied using the electron localization function (ELF) coupled with crystal orbital Hamilton population (COHP) calculations. The intrinsically distorted [PS 4 ] tetrahedra and [InS 6 ] octahedra are made by strong covalent P-S interactions and ionic In-S interactions, respectively. Electronic structure analysis confirmed that the optical properties of KInP 2 S 7 are mainly contributed to by [PS 4 ] tetrahedra together with small amounts of the contributions coming from [InS 6 ] octahedra. Magnetic measurement on mm-sized crystals of KCrP 2 S 7 verified that there is an antiferromagnetic transition around 21 K, and the Cr atoms are trivalent. KInP 2 S 7 is predicated to be an indirect bandgap semiconductor of 2.38 eV, which is confirmed by the UV-Vis measurement of 2.4(1) eV. KInP 2 S 7 is not a type-I phase-matching material and exhibits moderate second harmonic generation (SHG) response (0.51 × AgGaS 2 , sample of particle size of 100 µm). The laser damage threshold (LDT) of KInP 2 S 7 is very high of 5.2 × AgGaS 2 . Bandgap engineering were undergone to enhance the SHG response of KInP 2 S 7 .

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Structure-to-property Relationships in Addition Cured Polymers 2: Resin Tg Composite Initial Mechanical Properties of Norbornenyl Cured Polyimide Resins

PRM (polymerization of monomeric reactants) methodology was used to prepare thirty different polyimide oligomeric resins. Monomeric composition as well as chain length between sites of crosslinks were varied to examine their effects on glass transition temperature (Tg) of the cured/postcured resins. An almost linear correlation of Tg versus molecular distance between the crosslinks was observed. An attempt was made to correlate Tg with initial mechanical properties (flexural strength and interlaminar shear strength) of unidirectional graphite fiber composites prepared with these resins. However, the scatter in mechanical strength data prevented obtaining as clear a correlation as was observed for the structural modification/crosslink distance versus Tg. Instead, only a range of composite mechanical properties was obtained at the test temperatures studied (room temperature, 288 and 316 C). Perhaps more importantly, what did become apparent during the attempted correlation study was: (1) that PMR methodology could be used to prepare composites from resins that contain a wide variety of monomer modifications, and (2) that these composites almost invariably provided satisfactory initial mechanical properties as long as the resins selected were melt processable.

Alston, W. B.↗

Space environmental effects on graphite-epoxy compressive properties and epoxy tensile properties

This study characterizes the effects of electron radiation and temperature on a graphite-epoxy composite material. Compressive properties of the T300/934 material system were obtained at -250 F (-157 C), room temperature, and 250 F (121 C). Tensile specimens of the Fiberite 934 epoxy resin were fabricated and tested at room temperature and 250 F (121 C). Testing was conducted in the baseline (nonirradiated) and irradiated conditions. The radiation exposure was designed to simulate 30 year, worst-case exposure in geosynchronous Earth orbit. Mechanical properties tended to degrade at elevated temperature and improve at cryogenic temperature. Irradiation generally degraded properties at all temperatures.

Fox, Derek J.↗

The sensitivity of mechanical properties of TFRS composites to variations in reaction zone size and properties

The properties of tungsten fiber reinforced superalloys (TFRS) composites are calculated using a 3-component micromechanical model. The properties and size of the reaction zone are varied and the effect of these variations on the composite properties are studied. Results are presented in graphical and tabular form. Post-matrix yield behavior is examined in terms of the tangent modulus of the composite and measures of the effective strength of the lamina.

Craddock, James N.↗

Structure-to-property relationships in addition cured polymers. II - Resin Tg and composite initial mechanical properties of norbornenyl cured polyimide resins

PRM (polymerization of monomeric reactants) methodology was used to prepare thirty different polyimide oligomeric resins. Monomeric composition as well as chain length between sites of crosslinks were varied to examine their effects on glass transition temperature (Tg) of the cured/postcured resins. An almost linear correlation of Tg versus molecular distance between the crosslinks was observed. An attempt was made to correlate Tg with initial mechanical properties (flexural strength and interlaminar shear strength) of unidirectional graphite fiber composites prepared with these resins. However, the scatter in mechanical strength data prevented obtaining as clear a correlation as was observed for the structural modification/crosslink distance versus Tg. Instead, only a range of composite mechanical properties was obtained at the test temperatures studied (room temperature, 288 and 316 C). Perhaps more importantly, what did become apparent during the attempted correlation study was: (1) that PMR methodology could be used to prepare composites from resins that contain a wide variety of monomer modifications, and (2) that these composites almost invariably provided satisfactory initial mechanical properties as long as the resins selected were melt processable.

Alston, William B.↗

Properties and Performance Attributes of Novel Co-extruded Polyolefin Battery Separator Materials: Electrical Properties - Part 2

As NASA prepares for its next era of manned spaceflight missions, advanced energy storage technologies are being developed and evaluated to address and enhance future mission needs and technical requirements. Cell-level components for advanced lithium-ion batteries possessing higher energy, more reliable performance and enhanced, inherent safety characteristics have been under development within the NASA infrastructure. A key component for safe and reliable cell performance is the cell separator, which separates the two energetic electrodes and functions to inhibit the occurrence of an internal short circuit but preserves an ionic current. Recently, a new generation of co-extruded separator films has been developed by ExxonMobil Chemical and introduced into their battery separator product portfolio. Several grades of this new separator material were evaluated with respect to dynamic mechanical properties and safety-related performance attributes, and the results of these evaluations were previously reported in "Part 1: Mechanical Properties" of this publication. This current paper presents safety-related performance results for these novel materials obtained by employing a complementary experimental methodology, which involved the analysis of separator impedance characteristics as a function of temperature. The experimental results from this study are discussed with respect to potential cell safety enhancement for future aerospace as well as for terrestrial energy storage needs, and they are compared with pertinent mechanical properties of these materials, as well as with current state-of-the practice separator materials.

Baldwin, Richard S.↗

Computational study of the effect of core–skin structure on the mechanical properties of carbon nanofibers

The effect of the core–skin structure on the mechanical properties of carbon nanofibers is investigated in large-scale molecular dynamics simulations of tensile deformation of carbon nanofibers with the core–skin and homogeneous structures. Contrary to an established notion of the deleterious effect of the skin layer on the strength of carbon fibers, the presence of a high-quality skin layer is found to increase both the Young’s modulus and tensile strength of the nanofiber. A detailed analysis of the fracture process indicates that the nanofiber strengthening is related to the ability of skin layer to suppress crack nucleation at the core–skin interface. Furthermore, the computational predictions suggest that the design of new approaches to carbon fiber manufacturing and processing leading to the generation of a high-quality skin layer while avoiding the introduction of structural defects at the core–skin interface may yield a significant enhancement of the mechanical properties of carbon fibers.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Structure-property relationship between lignin structures and properties of 3D-printed lignin composites

Lignin is a low-cost and renewable bioresource with a huge annual production promising to prepare sustainable materials. However, the poor interfacial adhesion between many lignin-polymer pairs deteriorates the mechanical performance of the composites, which seriously limits the application of lignin in 3D printing via fused depositional modeling. This work examined lignin-polyamide 12 (PA 12) intermolecular interactions (e.g., hydrogen bonding) to address the interface challenge. To realize this goal, the phenolic hydroxyl content was increased for a kraft softwood lignin using a LiBr/HBr demethylation procedure, increasing phenoxy content by 61.7%. Increased hydrogen bonding interactions between modified lignin (Pine-Lig-OH) and PA 12 demonstrated a significantly improved molten dynamic modulus by rheological analysis. Regarding mechanical properties, by adding 20 wt% of Pine-Lig-OH, the tensile strength and Young's modulus reached 46.6 MPa and 1.62 GPa, 30.2% and 33.9% higher than PA 12, respectively. Further morphological analysis proved the interfacial interactions are enhanced by showing the difference in the phase gaps. The dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) supported the conclusion that Pine-Lig-OH could interact with polymer chains, alternating segmental movements due to the strong interaction. Here, this study presents a method to enhance lignin composite properties by promoting interactions with the polymer matrix through modified functional groups, guiding future lignin composite research.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Magnetic and structural properties of the solid solution CuAl 2(1–x) Ga 2x O 4

CuAl 2 O 4 is a ternary oxide spinel with Cu 2+ ions (s = 1/2) primarily populating the A-site diamond sublattice. The compound is reported to display evidence of spin glass behavior but possess a non-frozen magnetic ground state below the transition temperature. On the other hand, the spinel CuGa 2 O 4 displays spin glass behavior at ~ 2.5 K with Cu 2+ ions more readily tending to the B-site pyrochlore sublattice. Therefore, we investigate the magnetic and structural properties of the solid solution CuAl 2(1-x) Ga 2x O 4 examining the evolution of the magnetic behavior as Al 3+ is replaced with a much larger Ga 3+ ion. Our results show that the Cu 2+ ions tend to migrate from tetrahedral to octahedral sites as the Ga 3+ ion concentration increases, resulting in a concomitant change in the glassy magnetic properties of the solution. Results indicate glassy behavior for much of the solution with a general trend towards decreasing magnetic frustration as the Cu 2+ ion shifts to the B-site. However, the x = 0.1 and 0.2 members of the system do not show glassy behavior down to our measurement limit (1.9 K) suggesting a delayed spin glass transition. We suggest that these two members are additional candidates for investigation to access highly frustrated exotic quantum states.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Evolution of structure and transport properties of the Ba 8 Cu 16 P 30 clathrate-I framework with the introduction of Ga

Two type-I clathrates were synthesized by introducing Ga into the framework of the Ba 8 Cu 16 P 30 type-I clathrate. The introduction of minute amounts of Ga, 1.9% Ga/M total (where M total = Cu + Ga), resulted in the disturbance of the completely ordered Pbcn superstructure of Ba 8 Cu 16 P 30 . Ba 8 Cu 15.43(2) Ga 0.3 P 30.26(3) crystallizes in a partially ordered orthorhombic Pmna clathrate-I superstructure with five out of 15 framework sites being jointly occupied by metal+phosphorus. Increasing the Ga content resulted in all framework sites being occupied by metal + phosphorus in the archetype cubic Pm n clathrate-I crystal structure of Ba 8 Cu 14.5(3) Ga 1.3 P 30.2(4) with 8.2% Ga/M total . A combination of energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy, inductively coupled plasma mass spectroscopy, and single crystal x-ray diffraction was used to determine the structures alongside the compositions. The positional disorder was verified by 31 P solid state NMR spectroscopy. Characterization of the transport properties indicated that the Ga-substituted samples exhibit higher Seebeck coefficients and electrical resistivities compared to its pristine counterpart, in line with the expected reduction of the hole concentration due to Ga/Cu substitution. Moderate improvements in the thermoelectric power factor and overall figure-of-merit were observed for samples with 6.9% and 3.8% Ga/M total as compared to those for the pristine Ba 8 Cu 16 P 30 clathrate. Finally, band structure calculations shed light on how Ga substitution affects the electronic structure and thermoelectric properties of studied clathrates.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗