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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 OSTI2025

Halide segregation to boost all-solid-state lithium-chalcogen batteries

Mixing electroactive materials, solid-state electrolytes, and conductive carbon to fabricate composite electrodes is the most practiced but least understood process in all-solid-state batteries, which strongly dictates interfacial stability and charge transport. Here, we report on universal halide segregation at interfaces across various halogen-containing solid-state electrolytes and a family of high-energy chalcogen cathodes enabled by mechanochemical reaction during ultrahigh-speed mixing. Bulk and interface characterizations by multimodal synchrotron x-ray probes and cryo–transmission electron microscopy show that the in situ segregated lithium halide interfacial layers substantially boost effective ion transport and suppress the volume change of bulk chalcogen cathodes. Various all-solid-state lithium-chalcogen cells demonstrate utilization close to 100% and extraordinary cycling stability at commercial-level areal capacities.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
NASA NTRS1979

Material science and solid state physics studies with positive muon spin precession

The hyperfine field on the muon, B sub hf, at interstitial sites in dilute Fe(Al) alloys was measured for four different concentrations of Al and as a function of temperature by the muon spin rotation method. The magnitude of B sub hf, which is negative, decreases at rates ranging from 0.09 + or - 0.03% per at.% Al at 200 K to an asymptotic limit of 0.35 + or - far above 440 K. This behavior shows that sites near the Al impurity are weakly repulsive to the muon, with an interaction potential of 13 + or - 3 meV. In order to fit the temperature dependence of the hyperfine field, it is necessary to hypothesize the existence of a small concentration of unidentified defects, possibly dislocations, which are attractive to the muon. Although the Al impurity acts as a non-magnetic hole in the Fe lattice, the observed decrease in B sub hf is only 35% of the decrease in the bulk magnetization. It is concluded that B sub hf is determined mainly by the enhanced screening of conduction electrons in Fe and Fe(Al). Since the influence of the Al impurity on the neighboring Fe monents is very small, most of the change in B sub hf is therefore attributed to the increase in conduction electron polarization of the Al impurity.

Stronach, C. E.↗
NASA NTRS1994

Copper-containing ceramic precursor synthesis: Solid-state transformations and materials technology

Three copper systems with relevance to materials technology are discussed. In the first, a CuS precursor, Cu4S1O (4-methylpyridine)(sub 4)- (4-MePy), was prepared by three routes: reaction of Cu2S, reaction of CuBr-SMe2, and oxidation of copper powder with excess sulfur in 4-methylpyridine by sulfur. In the second, copper powder was found to react with excess thiourea (H2NC(S)NH2) in 4-methylpyridine to produce thiocyanate (NCS(-)) complexes. Three isolated and characterized compounds are: Cu(NCS)(4-MePy)(sub 2), a polymer, (4-MePy-H)(Cu(NCS)(sub 3)(4-MePy)(sub 2)), a salt, and t-Cu(NCS)(sub 2)(4-MePy)(sub 4). Finally, an attempt to produce a mixed-metal sulfide precursor of Cu and Ga in N-methylimidazole (N-MeIm) resulted in the synthesis of a Cu-containing polymer, Cu(SO4)(N-MeIm). The structures are presented; the chemistry will be briefly discussed in the context of preparation and processing of copper-containing materials for aerospace applications.

Hepp, Aloysius F.↗
DOE OSTI2025

Accelerating Discovery of Solid‐State Thin‐Film Metal Dealloying for 3D Nanoarchitecture Materials Design through Laser Thermal Gradient Treatment

Thin‐film solid‐state metal dealloying (thin‐film SSMD) is a promising method for fabricating nanostructures with controlled morphology and efficiency, offering advantages over conventional bulk materials processing methods for integration into practical applications. Although machine learning (ML) has facilitated the design of dealloying systems, the selection of key thermal treatment parameters for nanostructure formation remains largely unknown and dependent on experimental trial and error. To overcome this challenge, a workflow enabling high‐throughput characterization of thermal treatment parameters is demonstrated using a laser‐based thermal treatment to create temperature gradients on single thin‐film samples of Nb‐Al/Sc and Nb‐Al/Cu. This continuous thermal space enables observation of dealloying transitions and the resulting nanostructures of interest. Through synchrotron X‐ray multimodal and high‐throughput characterization, critical transitions and nanostructures can be rapidly captured and subsequently verified using electron microscopy. The key temperatures driving chemical reactions and morphological evolutions are clearly identified. While the oxidation may influence nanostructure formation during thin‐film treatment, the dealloying process at the dealloying front involves interactions solely between the dealloying elements, highlighting the availability and viability of the selected systems. Further, this approach enables efficient exploration of the dealloying process and validation of ML predictions, thereby accelerating the discovery of thin‐film SSMD systems with targeted nanostructures.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
NASA NTRS2004

Solar Pumped High Power Solid State Laser for Space Applications

Highly coherent laser light provides a nearly optimal means of transmitting power in space. The simplest most direct means of converting sunlight to coherent laser light is a solar pumped laser oscillator. A key need for broadly useful space solar power is a robust solid state laser oscillator capable of operating efficiently in near Earth space at output powers in the multi hundred kilowatt range. The principal challenges in realizing such solar pumped laser oscillators are: (1) the need to remove heat from the solid state laser material without introducing unacceptable thermal shock, thermal lensing, or thermal stress induced birefringence to a degree that improves on current removal rates by several orders of magnitude and (2) to introduce sunlight at an effective concentration (kW/sq cm of laser cross sectional area) that is several orders of magnitude higher than currently available while tolerating a pointing error of the spacecraft of several degrees. We discuss strategies for addressing these challenges. The need to remove the high densities of heat, e.g., 30 kW/cu cm, while keeping the thermal shock, thermal lensing and thermal stress induced birefringence loss sufficiently low is addressed in terms of a novel use of diamond integrated with the laser material, such as Ti:sapphire in a manner such that the waste heat is removed from the laser medium in an axial direction and in the diamond in a radial direction. We discuss means for concentrating sunlight to an effective areal density of the order of 30 kW/sq cm. The method integrates conventional imaging optics, non-imaging optics and nonlinear optics. In effect we use a method that combines some of the methods of optical pumping solid state materials and optical fiber, but also address laser media having areas sufficiently large, e.g., 1 cm diameter to handle the multi-hundred kilowatt level powers needed for space solar power.

Fork, Richard L.↗
DOE OSTI2026

Self-Cooling Multiferroic Magnetic Devices

Increasing switching frequency reduces magnetic volume, but conventional ferrites, used from tens to hundreds of kilohertz, cannot sustain the temperature and frequency ranges demanded by current and emerging wide bandgap and ultrawide bandgap devices. Here, this work presents a novel magnetic material architecture combining nanocrystalline magnetic material and multiferroic layers for megahertz power conversion. The high saturation flux density of nanocrystalline alloys supports miniaturization but is traditionally constrained by excessive losses above 10 kHz. A revolutionary multiferroic material with solid-state cooling via caloric materials is defined that will enable the next generation of magnetic devices for wide-bandgap-integrated designs. This letter highlights the fundamental physics behind this capability alongside early development of a finite element analysis for the multiferroic-based magnetic device using ANSYS, showing that the core achieves more uniform thermal distribution and reduces peak temperature by 9 ° C compared to conventional ferrites.

Soft magnetic materials↗
NASA NTRS1988

The determination of energy transfer rates in the Ho:Tm:Cr:YAG laser material

Energy transfer processes occurring between atomic, ionic, or molecular systems are very widespread in nature. The applications of such processes range form radiation physics and chemistry to biology. In the field of laser physics, energy transfer processes have been used to extend the lasing range, increase the output efficiency, and influence the spectral and temporal characteristics of the output pulses of energy transfer dye lasers or solid-state laser materials. Thus in the development of solid state lasers, it is important to investigate the basic energy transfer (ET) mechanisms and processes in order to gain detailed knowledge so that successful technical utilization can be achieved. The aim of the present research is to measure the ET rate from a given manifold associated with the chromium sensitizer atom to a given manifold in the holmium activator atom via the thulium transfer atom, in the Ho:Cr:YAG laser material.

Koker, Edmond B.↗
NASA NTRS2017

A Novel Solid State Ultracapacitor

Novel dielectric materials were researched to develop an internal barrier layer capacitor that is fully solid state. These materials included reduced nanoparticles of barium titanate that were coated with various atomic layer deposited oxides. The nanoparticle powders were then densified into pellets and characterized using a dielectric test fixture over a frequency range of 20 Hz to 2 MHz. Densification and sintering were evaluated using scanning electron microscopic techniques. Ultimately, the samples showing the most promising electrical characteristics of permittivity, dissipation factor and equivalent series resistance were chosen to manufacture devices for subsequent testing.

Cortes-Pena, A. Y.↗
NASA NTRS1988

Mid-infrared solid-state lasers and laser materials

An account is given of NASA-Langley's objectives for the development of advanced lasers and laser materials systems applicable to remote sensing in the mid-IR range. Prominent among current concerns are fiber-optic spectroscopy, eye-safe solid-state lasers for both Doppler sensing and mid-IR wavelength-generation laser pumping, and nonlinear optics generating tunable mid-IR radiation. Ho:YAG lasers are noted to exhibit intrinsic advantages for the desired applications, and are pumpable by GaAlAs laser diodes with a quantum efficiency approaching 2.

Barnes, Norman P.↗
DOE OSTI2025

A cost-effective all-in-one halide material for all-solid-state batteries

All-solid-state batteries require advanced cathode designs to realize their potential for high energy density and economic viability. Integrated all-in-one cathodes, which eliminate inactive conductive additives and heterogeneous interfaces, hold promise for substantial energy and stability gains but are hindered by materials lacking sufficient Li + /e − conductivity, mechanical robustness and structural stability. Here, in this work, we present Li 1.3 Fe 1.2 Cl 4 , a cost-effective halide material that overcomes these challenges. Leveraging reversible Fe 2+ /Fe 3+ redox and rapid Li + /e − transport within its framework, Li 1.3 Fe 1.2 Cl 4 achieves an electrode energy density of 529.3 Wh kg −1 versus Li + /Li. Critically, Li 1.3 Fe 1.2 Cl 4 shows unique dynamic properties during cycling, including reversible local Fe migration and a brittle-to-ductile transition that confers self-healing behaviour. This enables exceptional cycling stability, maintaining 90% capacity retention for 3,000 cycles at a rate of 5 C. Integration of Li 1.3 Fe 1.2 Cl 4 with a nickel-rich layered oxide further increases the energy density to 725.6 Wh kg −1 . By harnessing the advantageous dynamic mechanical and diffusion properties of all-in-one halides, this work establishes all-in-one halides as an avenue for energy-dense, durable cathodes in next-generation all-solid-state batteries.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2026

Response of AC-coupled low gain avalanche detectors to ionizing and non-ionizing radiation damage

Low gain avalanche diodes with DC- and AC-coupled readout were exposed to ionizing and non-ionizing radiation at levels relevant to future experiments in particle, nuclear, and medical physics and to astrophysics. Damage-related change in their acceptor removal constants and in the resistivity of the region between the guard ring and the active area are reported, as is change in the leakage current and depletion voltages of the active volumes.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2026

Deciphering the Conflict Between Ion and Electron Percolating Networks in Solid-State Battery Cathodes

High-energy- and power-density solid state batteries require an optimal cathode composition and microstructural arrangement of cathode active material, solid-state electrolyte, conductive carbon, and binder to simultaneously support lithium-ion transport, electron conduction, and storage capacity. The ion and electron conducting phases in solid-state cathodes counteract each other's percolating networks as their mass ratios increase or decrease relative to each other. Here, we investigate targeted mass ratio variations of argyrodite solid electrolyte and two different types of conductive carbon (particles and fibers) in composite LiNi0.8Mn0.1Co0.1O2 (NMC811) solid-state cathodes to ascertain the ionic-electronic tradeoffs in cathode performance. Through ionic and electronic conductivity measurements on composite cathodes, as well as rate-testing and cycling performance in full cells, it is shown that the conductive carbon fibers form a percolative electronic network within the composite at a lower mass ratio (3-5 wt%) than particulate carbon (>5 wt%). The threshold to achieve electronic percolation coincides with higher accessible capacity in the cathode as the active material particles become electronically connected. However, carbon loadings beyond this percolation threshold lead to increased ion transport resistance, arising from disruptions to ionic conduction pathways and degraded contact at the interface between the electrolyte and active materials. Imaging, spectroscopy, and physics-based models quantitatively describe the relationship between carbon and electrolyte compositions and the cell's capacity and rate performance through percolation theory. This work demonstrates the importance of quantitatively understanding percolating networks in solid-state cells and that strategic engineering of conductive carbon morphologies can further increase the energy- and power-density of solid-state cells.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2025

Characterizing Electrode Materials and Interfaces in Solid-State Batteries

Solid-state batteries (SSBs) could offer improved energy density and safety, but the evolution and degradation of electrode materials and interfaces within SSBs are distinct from conventional batteries with liquid electrolytes and represent a barrier to performance improvement. Over the past decade, a variety of imaging, scattering, and spectroscopic characterization methods has been developed or used for characterizing the unique aspects of materials in SSBs. These characterization efforts have yielded new understanding of the behavior of lithium metal anodes, alloy anodes, composite cathodes, and the interfaces of these various electrode materials with solid-state electrolytes (SSEs). This review provides a comprehensive overview of the characterization methods and strategies applied to SSBs, and it presents the mechanistic understanding of SSB materials and interfaces that has been derived from these methods. This knowledge has been critical for advancing SSB technology and will continue to guide the engineering of materials and interfaces toward practical performance.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
NASA NTRS1980

The role of the micro environment on the tribological behavior of materials

The properties of the environment which exert an influence upon adhesion, friction, wear, and lubrication of materials in solid state contact are discussed. The effect of the environment upon lubricants and lubricant properties is considered in relation to the interaction of the lubricant with the material surfaces in solid state contact and the ability of lubricants to provide protective surface films.

Buckley, D. H.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Solid-State Detector for Trace Materials

Detector for trace chemicals senses as few as 10 to the 12th power molecules of given material on surface. Contains no moving parts, amenable to large-scale integration, and operates at room temperature. Potential applications in industrial process control and in environmental analysis. Characteristic signals indicate presence of certain chemicals.

Lambe, J. J.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Room temperature synthesis of copper indium diselenide in non-aqueous solution using an organoindium reagent

A novel two-phase synthesis of CuInSe2 at 25 C from Cu2Se and Cp3In in 4-methylpyridine has been discovered. Characterization of the material produced shows it to be platelet-shaped crystallites with an average particle size of 10 microns, less than 2 percent C and H, with a small amount of unidentified crystalline impurity. The results demonstrate that it is possible to produce from solution a material that is ordinarily synthesized in bulk or films at much higher temperatures or using extraneous reagents and/or electrons. The use of a solid-state reagent as a starting material which is converted to another solid-state compound by an organometallic reagent has tremendous potential to produce precursors for a wide range of solid-state materials of interest to the electronics, defense, and aerospace communities.

Hepp, Aloysius F.↗