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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 73 records · Page 4
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2024

Cost Competitive Process of Battery Grade Oxides Preparation from Aged LIBS

The increasing demand for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs ) is driving development of advanced recycling and refining methods. In this project, new cathode active materials are prepared from recycled lithium battery materials and subsequently electrochemically evaluated in coin cells. In detail, scrap LIBs were mechanically processed into a metal rich black mass, then reductive acid leached into an aqueous metal solution, and finally high-purity metal hydroxide precursor materials were prepared by selective electrochemical flow precipitation. Closed-loop LIB recycling into active electrode materials will enable US manufacturers to break their reliance on foreign sources of critical materials. For example, electroextraction process used here has potential to significantly reduce chemical & water use as compared to traditional metallurgic techniques. To this end, electroextracted materials refined from used batteries were collected and processed to be tested as precursor cathode active material (pCam).During this project ,samples of high-purity recycled NMC hydroxide (~2kg each) were received from Nth Cycle. In the first received batch some impurities like cadmium, calcium, and sodium are present in quantities that would negatively impact battery performance. Nth Cycle indicated that the impurities such as cadmium are present due to poor battery separation and co-shredding of NiCd batteries with with LIB. Cadmium was not present in the two subsequent batches as Nth Cycle processed cadmium free black mass. Thus, effective recycled battery sorting is critical to closed-loop LIB recycling into active electrode materials.

99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Cost Competitive Process of Battery Grade Oxides Preparation from Aged LIBS

The increasing demand for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) is driving development of advanced recycling and refining methods. In this project, new cathode active materials are prepared from recycled lithium battery materials and subsequently electrochemically evaluated in coin cells. In detail, scrap LIBs were mechanically processed into a metal rich black mass, then reductive acid leached into an aqueous metal solution, and finally high-purity metal hydroxide precursor materials were prepared by selective electrochemical flow precipitation. Closed-loop LIB recycling into active electrode materials will enable US manufacturers to break their reliance on foreign sources of critical materials. For example, electroextraction process used here has potential to significantly reduce chemical & water use as compared to traditional metallurgic techniques. To this end, electroextracted materials refined from used batteries were collected and processed to be tested as precursor cathode active material (pCam). During this project , samples of high-purity recycled NMC hydroxide (~2 kg each) were received from Nth Cycle. In the first received batch some impurities like cadmium, calcium, and sodium are present in quantities that would negatively impact battery performance. Nth Cycle indicated that the impurities such as cadmium are present due to poor battery separation and co-shredding of NiCd batteries with with LIB. Cadmium was not present in the two subsequent batches as Nth Cycle processed cadmium free black mass. Thus, effective recycled battery sorting is critical to closed-loop LIB recycling into active electrode materials.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
NASA NTRS2014

AVCOAT Density Characterization for Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle

The Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle (MPCV) will transport four crew members to and from lunar-class orbital destinations. The first orbital Exploration Flight Test (EFT-1) is scheduled for December 2014 and will provide valuable data on several systems, including the heat shield. The heat shield material is AvcoatTM, a mid-density ablator. Specifically, the heat shield contains a fiberglass-phenolic honeycomb structure filled with an ablative epoxy novolac resin. Post-flight characterization of the EFT-1 thermal protection system will be conducted in order to study the material response and measure the char front of the material. Avcoat density profiling will be conducted to study three critical material zones: char, pyrolysis, and virgin states as a function of material depth. As part of a ground test campaign, Avcoat coupons are tested at the NASA Ames Research Center Arc Jet Complex. The test campaign is set forth to study material response based on environments, perform Avcoat material density characterization, and compare the char depths from the HEAT sensor and density profiling studies. These investigations will then be compared to flight data in order to improve upon TPS material response models.

AVCOAT↗
DOE OSTI2024

Life-cycle analysis of lithium chemical production in the United States

To achieve its ambitious national decarbonization goals, the United States has incentivized the domestic production of materials critical to decarbonization technologies, including lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). These materials include battery-grade lithium chemicals (Li-chemicals), for which the U.S. is encouraging domestic production from resources (sedimentary clays and low Li-content brines (LLCBs)) that differ substantially from conventional sources (Salar brines and spodumene ores). Here, we conduct the first-ever comparative life-cycle analysis of Li-chemical production from all alternative resources (in the U.S.) and conventional sources based on data from company literature for U.S.-related production efforts. Two energy sources (electricity and natural gas), four material inputs (HCl, NaOH, Na 2 CO 3 , and CaO), and process carbon emissions dominate the life-cycle impacts (≥90% share) of U.S.-based Li-chemical production. Comparatively, the life-cycle impacts of alternative sources-based Li-chemicals lie between those for Li-chemical production from Salar brines and from spodumene ores. At the battery level, the shift in Li-chemical sourcing causes a notable change in LIB's life-cycle impacts (by ~5–15%), independent of the cathode chemistry employed. Our study highlights the relevance of a decarbonized electric grid and the capture and sequestration of process carbon emissions generated during Li-chemical and upstream material production in decarbonizing Li-chemical production from alternative sources. Further decarbonization would necessitate using decarbonized material inputs and a shift away from natural gas towards renewable energy for alternative resource-based Li-chemical production processes.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2024

Materials (FR 2023 Annual Progress Report)

This document summarizes the progress of VTO Materials R&D projects supported during the fiscal year 2023. The Propulsion Materials portfolio is closely aligned with other VTO subprograms to identify critical materials needs for next-generation high-efficiency powertrains for both heavy- and light-duty vehicles. The Lightweight Materials portfolio works closely with industry through the U.S. DRIVE Partnership to understand light-duty vehicle structural weight-reduction goals and identify technical challenges that prevent the deployment of lightweight materials.

33 ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS↗
DOE OSTI2026

Impact of Nd ions on the chemical kinetic behavior of radiolytic transients in molten LiCl-KCl-NdCl3 salt mixtures

Pyrochemical reprocessing technologies can be used to recover valuable materials from used nuclear fuel (UNF), such as uranium. However, other critical materials, such as fission product neodymium, are challenging to recover from molten chloride eutectic mixtures (LiCl-KCl) due to the presence of multivalent states (Nd2+/Nd3+), disproportionation reactions, and re-dissolution in the molten chloride salt. Understanding, predicting, and controlling these processes is further complicated by the presence of ionizing radiation fields, for which little is known on the interaction of neodymium ions with the radiolytic transients (es– and Cl2.–) in molten LiCl-KCl salt mixtures. Here, chemical kinetics, from integrated electron pulse irradiation and transient absorption spectroscopy, are presented for the reaction of Nd3+ ions with es– and Cl2.– as a function of temperature (400–600 ?).

36 - MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2025

Addressing Inherent Challenges to Chemical Relithiation of Cycled End‐of‐Life Cathode Materials

Recycling end‐of‐life (EOL) lithium‐ion batteries (LIBs) is important to retain valuable resources from critical materials present in EOL battery waste. Direct recycling methods offer an opportunity to recover intact valuable cathode materials with minimal re‐processing. An important step of the direct recycling process is relithiation which is used to restore lithium content to EOL cathode materials. However, little has been done to study how preprocessing steps such as washing or binder removal may affect relithiation methods in the direct recycling process. Here, the evolution of fluorine byproducts left over from preprocessing steps during a low‐temperature chemical redox mediator relithiation process is tracked. A facile washing step is presented as a solution for mediating adverse effects of surface contamination on the chemical relithiation performance. The structure, lithium content, and electrochemical performance of relithiated EOL NMC 622 material that underwent a pre‐relithiation washing step to remove fluorine byproducts is shown to match that of pristine NMC 622. In this work, it is showed that redox mediator relithiation as a part of a direct recycling process is a promising low energy method that can be applied to EOL material with inherent surface impurities if the proper pre‐relithiation processing steps are implemented.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2025

Cobalt–Nickel Exchange in Exfoliated Battery Layered Cathode Sheets with Application to Recycling

With the emerging dominance of electric vehicles (EV) in the transportation sector, recycling or upcycling spent battery materials will be required to reduce EV costs, lessen waste, and ease critical material supply chain issues for EV batteries. Here, motivated by work in the literature describing the exfoliation of layered oxides, first‐principles calculations are performed to show that Li x CoO 2 , if exfoliated into nanosheets, can readily undergo transition metal cation exchange in aqueous media. The substitution of Co 3+ or Co 4+ cations inside the sheet by Ni 2+ is associated with modest reaction barriers (Δ G* ≈ 0.3–0.7 eV) and is at most mildly endothermic (Δ G ≈ 0.2–0.3 eV). In contrast, previous battery degradation studies have shown that Co 3+ diffusion is strongly inhibited inside bulk layered oxides. This suggests that processing spent layered oxides as nanosheets can provide a potentially low‐energy‐cost pathway to altering the transition metal and/or dopant stoichiometry, which can be used toward developing new room‐temperature upcycling routes for cathodes from end‐of‐life batteries.

battery recycling↗
DOE OSTI2025

Nano- and Earth-Science-inspired Electric Vehicle Battery Recycling to Secure Battery Supply Chain

With the expected growth of electric vehicles (EV) in the transportation sector, recycling or upcycling spent battery materials will be required to reduce EV costs, lessen waste, and ease critical material supply chain pressure for EV battery applications. “Direct” recycling or upcycling is an alternative to current industrial approaches. Many challenges remain for viable direct battery upcycling, including upgrading the transition metal ratio in the costliest component (cathode oxide); separation of transition metal ions in the exit stream; battery disassembly; improving cathode exfoliation which can lead to a new way of direct recycling; and lithium metal anode recycling -- including safety concerns. We devise and deploy a suite of methods to deal with these challenges. The results pave the way to future work on battery recycling, in areas of technological/commercial readiness level ranging from basic research to large-scale commercialization.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2026

Cost Competitive Process of Battery Grade Oxides Preparation from Aged LIBs

The increasing demand for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) is driving development of advanced recycling and refining methods. In this project, new cathode active materials are prepared from recycled lithium battery materials and subsequently electrochemically evaluated in coin cells. In detail, scrap LIBs were mechanically processed into a metal rich black mass, then reductive acid leached into an aqueous metal solution, and finally high-purity metal hydroxide precursor materials were prepared by selective electrochemical flow precipitation. Closed-loop LIB recycling into active electrode materials will enable US manufacturers to break their reliance on foreign sources of critical materials. For example, electroextraction process used here has potential to significantly reduce chemical & water use as well as waste production as compared to traditional metallurgic techniques. To this end, electroextracted materials refined from used batteries were collected and processed to be tested as precursor cathode active material (pCAM). For this project, two samples of high purity recycled NMC hydroxide (~1 kg each) were received from N th Cycle’s Ohio demonstration facility. The NMC compositions of the two materials are similar, and the levels of impurities have been confirmed. Indeed, impurities like copper, boron and sodium are present in quantities that could negatively impact battery performance. However, some studies have demonstrated that the control of the quantity of elements like copper or boron may improve the electrochemistry properties of Lithium-NMC batteries. The principal objective is to determine the electrochemical performance of these 2 NMC hydroxide batches and clearly determine the effect of the impurities on the performance.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2025

Scale up production of carbon fibers from petroleum mesophase pitch

This work investigates the scale-up of pitch precursors for the carbon fiber market using mesophase pitch formulated and produced by Advanced Carbon Products Technologies’ (ACPT’s) patented mesophase pitch processing technology. Through use of its patented process, ACPT developed strategic materials by converting petroleum-based pitch into a high-value, low-cost, carbon-rich feedstock for carbon fiber and other materials critical to our national security. The team successfully developed processing criteria for the tailored mesophase pitch material that can be processed further into precursor and carbon fiber. Processability of the mesophase pitch into precursor and carbon fiber was demonstrated at scale. The resulting materials sequester the carbon that would otherwise be burned and released into the atmosphere, making this an environmentally friendly way to produce these materials in the United States.Pitch-based carbon fibers offer a promising pathway toward cost-effective, high-performance materials for structural and high-modulus composite applications; however, adoption has been limited by challenges in precursor processability and scale-up. In this work, tailored isotropic and mesophase petroleum-derived pitch materials were developed and evaluated for precursor and carbon fiber production through a collaborative effort between Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and ACPT. Processing conditions were established at ORNL’s Carbon Fiber Technology Facility to enable stable melt-blowing of pitch-based precursors under continuous operation. Mesophase pitch precursor fibers were produced following oxidation and carbonization, corresponding to a diameter shrinkage of approximately 12%–13% and an estimated mass yield of about 75%–80%. Continuous melt-blowing steady-state operation was demonstrated over time, indicating robust process stability. Melt-blowing was achieved at throughput rates of approximately 20 lb/h⁻¹, validating the commercial viability of petroleum-derived pitch feedstocks for fiber production. Further studies are required to tailor carbon fiber microstructure and properties for specific composite applications.

99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS↗
NASA NTRS1994

Self contamination effects in the TAUVEX UV Telescope: Ground testing and computer simulation

The contamination effects due to outgassing from construction materials of the TAUVEX (Tel Aviv University UV Telescope) were evaluated using a combination of ground testing and computer simulations. Tests were performed from the material level of the system level including: (1) High sensitivity CVCM(10(exp -3 percent) measurements of critical materials. (2) Optical degradation measurements of samples specially contaminated by outgassing products at different contamination levels. (3) FTIR studies of chemical composition of outgassed products on above samples. (4) High resolution AFM studies of surface morphology of contaminated surfaces. The expected degradation of TAUVEX performance in mission was evaluated applying a computer simulation code using input parameters determined experimentally in the above tests. The results have served as guidelines for the proper selection of materials, cleanliness requirements, determination of the thermal conditions of the system and bakeout processes.

Lifshitz, Y.↗
DOE OSTI2024

Proliferation Detection via Acoustic Monitoring of Pyroprocessing Equipment and Related Systems

In support of nuclear safeguards and nonproliferation, this effort is leveraging acoustic and seismic sensors to advance detection of pyroprocessing activities. Pyroprocessing, or electrochemical processing, is a method of separating irradiated nuclear fuel into its actinide and fission product components, enabling the reuse of fuel materials and reducing the radiotoxicity of the remaining waste. Verification and accountability in the process poses several challenges because of the high radiation environment and the presence of material holdup through the facility. Irregular or unaccounted-for equipment operation can signify diversion or misuse of critical materials. Acoustic and seismic sensors offer the capability to identify periods of equipment operation and help verify adherence to accountancy records.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Tomography Analysis of Orion Artemis 1 Heatshield Sample

The Orion spacecraft, under NASA's Artemis program, is an integral step in humanity's ambitions of deep space exploration, including our return to the Moon and subsequent mission to Mars. The performance of Orion's heatshield is central to ensuring the safety and success of such missions. This presentation offers a comprehensive overview of the process used in and findings derived from tomography scans of an Artemis 1 heatshield sample executed at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory's Advanced Light Source. These tomography scans captured high-resolution X-Ray images of the heatshield's microstructure, allowing advanced imaging to be employed for 3D image segmentation and visualization of the sample. The Porous Media Analysis (PuMA) software stands central to our analysis, offering robust computational algorithms and methodologies to digitally compute properties of the heatshield material. The presentation discusses the following derived metrics: - Volume fractions, representing the spatial distribution and amounts of various components throughout the heatshield’s depth. - Porosity and crack distributions, offering insights into the void space within the material, critical for understanding the heatshield's structural integrity. - Fiber orientation, detailing the alignment and arrangement of fibers, significant for material orthotropy. - Permeability estimates, quantifying the passage of gas through the material, relevant for re-entry conditions and pyrolysis gasses. One distinctive feature of this study is the comparative evaluation against data obtained from tomography scans of the Exploration Flight Test-1 (EFT-1) heatshield. Such a comparison offers multiple insights, including evaluation of the consistency and repeatability of manufacturing processes as well as understanding of any evolutionary changes in heatshield design or material properties.

Micro-tomography↗
NASA NTRS2016

NASA Collaborative Approach Mitigates Environmentally-Driven Obsolescence

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) missions, like Department of Defense (DoD) organizations, require the rigorous testing and qualification of critical materials. Obsolescence supply risks created by environmental requirements can affect the cost, schedule and performance of NASA missions and the resilience of critical infrastructure. The NASA Technology Evaluation for Environmental Risk Mitigation (TEERM) Principal Center helps to identify obsolescence supply risks driven by environmental requirements and works proactively with NASA Centers and Programs, the DoD, the European Space Agency (ESA) and other agencies and partners to identify and evaluate environmentally friendly alternatives. TEERM tracks environmental regulations, identifies the potential loss of material availability and works with NASA programs and Centers to evaluate potential impacts through a risk assessment approach. TEERM collaborative projects identify, demonstrate and evaluate commercially viable alternative technologies and materials. A major focus during the Space Shuttle Program was the need to replace ozone depleting substances that were used in spray foam and cleaning applications. The potential obsolescence of coatings containing hexavalent chromium and the risks associated with lead free solder were also of concern for the Space Shuttle and present ongoing risks to new programs such as the Space Launch System. One current project teams NASA and ESA in the evaluation and testing of individual coatings and coating systems as replacements for hexavalent chromium coatings in aerospace applications. The proactive, collaborative approach used by TEERM helps reduce the cost burden on any one team partner, reduces duplication of effort, and enhances the technical quality and overall applicability of the testing and analysis.

environmentall-driven obsolescence↗
NASA NTRS2022

Modeling of Electro-Magneto-Thermo-Mechanical Interactions in High Voltage Materials and Structures for Electric Propulsion

The growing interest in developing high-voltage-, high-power-capable electrical components for electric aircraft propulsion requires a more in-depth understanding of their electrical characteristics, critical material responses, and their synergistic influence on the overall performance of the system. A model that can accurately replicate the electrical, magnetic, thermal, and mechanical operating stresses and successfully predict the performance of the components will help engineers optimize the system design for a given airframe and powertrain.

electric propulsion↗
DOE OSTI2025

Van der Waals Sandwich Structures for Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering

Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) intensity of two-dimensional (2D) materials critically depends on the resonant conditions and factors such as the substrate interferences and molecule adsorption fluctuations, making comprehensive investigation, understanding, and optimization of 2D materials-assisted SERS challenging. Here, in this work, the wavelength-dependent SERS of van der Waals structures of 2D materials is systematically investigated, focusing on the intrinsic frequency-dependent Raman tensors by first-principles method while ruling out other extrinsic factors in experiments. Distinct enhancement profiles are found for different 2D materials, among which MoS2 and graphene exhibit remarkably strong and broadband enhancement effects. For stacked multilayers and heterostructures of 2D materials, the calculated SERS addresses the significance of the first contact monolayer effect. Based on the above theory, the van der Waals sandwich structures are proposed and investigated as the SERS substrates, verifying a further significantly enhanced SERS performance. This resonant first-principles study demonstrates a comprehensive and analytical way to explore and promote the SERS of van der Waals structures.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗