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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 721 records · Page 40
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2023

A scalable membrane electrode assembly architecture for efficient electrochemical conversion of CO2 to formic acid

Abstract The electrochemical reduction of carbon dioxide to formic acid is a promising pathway to improve CO 2 utilization and has potential applications as a hydrogen storage medium. In this work, a zero-gap membrane electrode assembly architecture is developed for the direct electrochemical synthesis of formic acid from carbon dioxide. The key technological advancement is a perforated cation exchange membrane, which, when utilized in a forward bias bipolar membrane configuration, allows formic acid generated at the membrane interface to exit through the anode flow field at concentrations up to 0.25 M. Having no additional interlayer components between the anode and cathode this concept is positioned to leverage currently available materials and stack designs ubiquitous in fuel cell and H 2 electrolysis, enabling a more rapid transition to scale and commercialization. The perforated cation exchange membrane configuration can achieve >75% Faradaic efficiency to formic acid at <2 V and 300 mA/cm 2 in a 25 cm 2 cell. More critically, a 55-hour stability test at 200 mA/cm 2 shows stable Faradaic efficiency and cell voltage. Technoeconomic analysis is utilized to illustrate a path towards achieving cost parity with current formic acid production methods.

08 HYDROGEN↗
DOE OSTI2024

Isostatic pressing of multilayer pouch cells and its implications for battery manufacturing

Here, we report a comprehensive investigation into the impact of isostatic pressure (ISP) processing on multilayer pouch cells. The study compares baseline electrodes fabricated using conventional manufacturing processes with isostatically pressed counterparts under varying conditions. Extensive characterization is carried out to assess the differences between baseline cells and those that underwent the isostatic pressing process. The electrochemical performance of the isostatically pressed cathodes was evaluated through impedance spectroscopy and galvanostatic charge-discharge tests. The results indicated that ISP led to notable improvements in porosity, adhesion, and rate performance compared to the baseline cathodes. This work elucidates the microstructural changes induced by ISP in lithium-ion battery cathodes and highlights the technology’s promise for advancing battery manufacturing. The findings contribute to a better understanding of how ISP can be effectively integrated into cell assembly, fostering the development of more efficient and scalable battery manufacturing techniques for current Li-ion and solid-state batteries.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2025

AstroPix: A pixelated HVCMOS sensor for space-based gamma-ray measurement

A next-generation medium-energy gamma-ray telescope targeting the MeV range would address open questions in astrophysics regarding how extreme conditions accelerate cosmic-ray particles, produce relativistic jet outflows, and more. One concept, AMEGO-X, relies upon the mission-enabling CMOS Monolithic Active Pixel Sensor silicon chip AstroPix. AstroPix is designed for space-based use, featuring low noise, low power consumption, and high scalability. Desired performance of the device include an energy resolution of 5 keV (or 10% FWHM) at 122 keV and a dynamic range per-pixel of 25–700 keV, enabled by the addition of a high-voltage bias to each pixel which supports a depletion depth of 500 μ m. This work reports on the status of the AstroPix development process with emphasis on the current version under test, version three (v3), and highlights of version two (v2). Version 3 achieves energy resolution of 10.4 ± 3.2% at 59.5 keV and 94 ± 6 μ m depletion in a low-resistivity test silicon substrate.

Astrophysics instrumentation↗
DOE OSTI2025

Modular Autonomous Experimentation for Biological Applications (Full Report)

The Modular Autonomous Research System (MARS) was developed to address the pressing need for faster, more reliable, and more adaptable scientific discovery. Traditional experimentation is limited by manual labor, long cycle times, and fragmented data streams, which constrain the ability to explore complex chemical and materials design spaces. To overcome these limitations, we created an integrated, modular platform that combines laboratory robotics, diverse measurement instruments, and a central data infrastructure with artificial intelligence–driven decision-making. The system links liquid handling robots, robotic arms, and optical plate readers into a closed loop where experiments are executed automatically, data is analyzed in real time, and subsequent experimental conditions are adaptively chosen to maximize information gain. Over the course of the project, MARS was validated on two primary test cases—spectroscopic metal–ligand binding assays and peptide-directed mineralization—which highlighted the system’s ability to handle uncertainty and variability in experimental measurements. To further demonstrate modularity and extensibility, we also established additional testbeds in electrochemistry for catalyst discovery and electrolyte formulation for advanced batteries. The results show that MARS can reliably conduct autonomous campaigns with minimal human intervention, adapt to distinct scientific domains, and provide a scalable model for future self-driving laboratories. This work establishes new capabilities for modular, uncertainty-aware automation and directly supports the need for advanced, data-driven research platforms capable of accelerating discovery across a wide range of scientific and national security missions.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
NASA NTRS1997

On Efficient Parallel Implementation of Moving Body Overset Grid Methods

An investigation into the parallel performance of moving-body overset grid methods will be presented. Parallel versions of the OVERFLOW flow solver, DCF3D domain connectivity software, and SIXDO six-degree-of-freedom routine are coupled with an automatic load balance routine and tested for 3D Navier-Stokes calculations on the IBM SP2. The primary source of parallel inefficiency in moving and problems are the domain connectivity costs with DCF 3D. Although this algorithm constitutes a relatively low fraction of the total solution cost (e.g. 10-20%) in calculations on serial machines, the consequently cause a significant degradation in the overall parallel performance. The paper will highlight some approaches for improving the scalability of DCF3D. The paper will present results of a proposed new load balancing scheme that seeks more equal distribution of the inter-grid boundary points in order to more evenly load balance the donor search costs associated with DCF3D. Some preliminary results will also be given from a new solution-adaption algorithm coupled with OVERFLOW which incorporates overset cartesian grids with various levels of refinement. The measured parallel performance from a descending delta-wing configuration and a generic store-separation from a wing/pylon case will be presented.

Wissink, Andrew M.↗
NASA NTRS2003

A Plasmoid Thruster for Space Propulsion

There are a number of possible advantages to using accelerated plasmoids for in-space propulsion. A plasmoid is a compact plasma structure with an integral magnetic field. They have been studied extensively in controlled fusion research and are classified according to the relative strength of the poloidal and toroidal magnetic field (BP and Bt, respectively). An Object with B P t >> 1 is classified as a Field Reverse Configuration (FRC); if B, = Bt, it is called a Spheromak. The plasmoid thruster operates by producing FRC-like plasmoids, and subsequently ejecting them from the device at high velocity. The plasmoid is formed inside of a single turn conical theta-pinch coil. As this process is inductive, there are no electrodes. Similar experiments have yielded plasmoid velocities of at least 50 km/s (l), and calculations indicate that velocities in excess of 100 km/s should be possible. This concept should be capable of producing Isp s in the range of 5,000 - 10,000 s with thrust densities of order 10(exp 5) N/sq m. The current experiment is designed to produce jet powers in the range of 5-10 kW, although the concept should be scalable to several MW s. The plasmoids mass and velocity will be measured with a variety of diagnostics, including internal and external B-dot probes, flux loops, Langmuir probes, high-speed cameras, and a laser interferometer. Also of key importance will be measurements of the efficiency and mass utilization. Simulations of the plasmoid thruster using MOQUI, a time dependent MHD code, will be carried out concurrently with experimental testing.

Koelfgen, Syri J.↗
NASA NTRS2018

Characterizing Material Scalability for Ultralight Lattice Design

Stiff yet ultra-light lattice structures constructed using digital materials have many practical applications as the building block for aircraft and other structures. By furthering our understanding of how material configuration affects the structural properties of an ultralight lattice, we can intelligently design these structures based on their intended function. Here we compare the behavior of ultralight lattice structures when fabricated by different materials. The individual unit cells of the lattice structures are referred to as voxels. The stiffness, elastic modulus, and yield strength of the specimens in compression and tension are determined through mechanical testing. Specimens are tested both as single voxel as well as 4x4x4 voxel constructions on an Instron 5982 Universal Testing System until failure. Each voxel is manufactured in bulk through injection molding, with a unit cell pitch of 76.2 mm. Individual voxels are fastened with machine screws and nuts to create assemblies. Four separate materials are used as voxel compositions in this experiment. These include a homogeneous polymer referred to as Ultem 1000, a glass-fiber reinforced polymer referred to as Ultem 2200, a polymer with chopped carbon fibers as 30% of its fill, and homogenous polypropylene. This work compares mechanical behavior, as well as the convergence behavior of the lattice as the size of the lattice assembly increases for various materials. The goal of this study is to characterize the behavior of homogenous lattices such that heterogenous lattices can be designed with different material voxels to achieve target material properties for ultralight space applications.

Sajjadi, Afsheen↗
DOE OSTI2025

Overcoming Barriers in Electrochemical Toluene Hydrogenation for Efficient Hydrogen Storage by Pt 3 Au Alloy Catalysts

Hydrogen storage and transportation are essential for the hydrogen economy, and liquid organic hydrogen carriers (LOHCs), such as a toluene/methylcyclohexane (TOL/MCH) system, offer significant advantages in terms of safety and efficiency. However, the electrochemical reduction of TOL to MCH (TER) faces challenges from competing with the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and catalyst instability. Here, in this study, Pt 3 Au is introduced as a highly effective catalyst for TER. Through density functional theory screening, we identified distinctive properties of Pt 3 Au, including enhanced binding to the TER intermediates and effective HER suppression. Experimental validation confirmed these computational predictions, with Pt 3 Au achieving the highest reported Faradaic efficiency (98%) in proton exchange membrane systems. Moreover, long-term testing demonstrated that Pt 3 Au maintained Faradaic efficiencies of >90% over 9 h, highlighting its robustness and operational stability. By integrating computational modeling and experimental evaluation, this work addresses key limitations in LOHC catalysis. Pt 3 Au establishes a benchmark for selective and stable TER performance, paving the way for advanced hydrogen storage technologies. These findings emphasize the critical role of rational catalyst design in overcoming the challenges associated with scalable and efficient hydrogen storage solutions.

LOHC↗
DOE OSTI2023

Green mechanochemical synthesis of imine-linked covalent organic frameworks for high iodine capture

Covalent organic frameworks (COFs) have emerged as promising adsorbents for radioiodine capture. However, the conventional solvothermal synthesis contradicts the principles of green chemistry due to the use of hazardous solvents, long reaction times (typically 3 days), and high reaction temperatures. Here, to address these issues, we demonstrate for the first time the green, efficient, liquid-assisted mechanochemical synthesis of COF adsorbents for high iodine capture. The ball milling synthesis was performed with various liquid additives at ambient temperature, yielding six imine-linked COFs of diverse pore sizes and functionalities in merely 1 hour. Notably, one representative COF exhibited high crystallinity and a remarkable surface area of 1387 m 2 g –1 in just 1 minute of ball milling. When tested as adsorbents for static iodine vapor capture at 75 °C, four mechanochemically synthesized COFs exhibited outstanding iodine adsorption capacities of 6.4–7.1 g g –1 , comparable to or exceeding those of solvothermally synthesized COF and most reported COF adsorbents. Furthermore, Fourier transform infrared and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy corroborated the charge transfer between iodine and COF adsorbents. This mechanochemical methodology will pave the path for green, rapid, facile, and scalable synthesis of COFs, revealing great prospects for applications in environmental remediation and beyond.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2022

Interpretable AI forecasting for numerical relativity waveforms of quasicircular, spinning, nonprecessing binary black hole mergers

We present a deep-learning artificial intelligence model (AI) that is capable of learning and forecasting the late-inspiral, merger and ringdown of numerical relativity waveforms that describe quasicircular, spinning, nonprecessing binary black hole mergers. We used the NRHybSur3dq8 surrogate model to produce train, validation and test sets of ℓ = |m| = 2 waveforms that cover the parameter space of binary black hole mergers with mass ratios q ≤ 8 and individual spins |s$^{z}_ {(1,2)}$| ≤ 0.8. These waveforms cover the time range t ∊ [-5000 M, 130 M], where t = 0M marks the merger event, defined as the maximum value of the waveform amplitude. We harnessed the ThetaGPU supercomputer at the Argonne Leadership Computing Facility to train our AI model using a training set of 1.5 million waveforms. We used 16 NVIDIA DGX A100 nodes, each consisting of 8 NVIDIA A100 Tensor Core GPUs and 2 AMD Rome CPUs, to fully train our model within 3.5 h. Our findings show that artificial intelligence can accurately forecast the dynamical evolution of numerical relativity waveforms in the time range t ∊ [-100 M, 130 M]. Sampling a test set of 190,000 waveforms, we find that the average overlap between target and predicted waveforms is ≳99% over the entire parameter space under consideration. We also combined scientific visualization and accelerated computing to identify what components of our model take in knowledge from the early and late-time waveform evolution to accurately forecast the latter part of numerical relativity waveforms. This work aims to accelerate the creation of scalable, computationally efficient and interpretable artificial intelligence models for gravitational wave astrophysics

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
NASA NTRS1998

The P-Mesh: A Commodity-based Scalable Network Architecture for Clusters

We designed a new network architecture, the P-Mesh which combines the scalability and fault resilience of a torus with the performance of a switch. We compare the scalability, performance, and cost of the hub, switch, torus, tree, and P-Mesh architectures. The latter three are capable of scaling to thousands of nodes, however, the torus has severe performance limitations with that many processors. The tree and P-Mesh have similar latency, bandwidth, and bisection bandwidth, but the P-Mesh outperforms the switch architecture (a lower bound for tree performance) on 16-node NAB Parallel Benchmark tests by up to 23%, and costs 40% less. Further, the P-Mesh has better fault resilience characteristics. The P-Mesh architecture trades increased management overhead for lower cost, and is a good bridging technology while the price of tree uplinks is expensive.

Nitzberg, Bill↗
NASA NTRS2003

A Plasmoid Thruster for Space Propulsion

There are a number of possible advantages to using accelerated plasmoids for in-space propulsion. A plasmoid is a compact plasma structure with an integral magnetic field. They have been studied extensively in controlled fusion research and are classified according to the relative strength of the poloidal and toroidal magnetic field (B(sub p), and B(sub t), respectively). An object with B(sub p), / B(sub t) much greater than 1 is classified as a Field Reversed Configuration (FRC); if B(sub p) approximately equal to B(sub t), it is called a Spheromak. The plasmoid thruster operates by producing FRC-like plasmoids and subsequently ejecting them from the device at a high velocity. The plasmoid is formed inside of a single-turn conical theta-pinch coil. As this process is inductive, there are no electrodes. Similar experiments have yielded plasmoid velocities of at least 50 km/s, and calculations indicate that velocities in excess of 100 km/s should be possible. This concept should be capable of producing Isp's in the range of 5,000 - 15,000 s with thrust densities on the order of 10(exp 5) N per square meters. The current experiment is designed to produce jet powers in the range of 5 - 10 kW, although the concept should be scalable to several MW's. The plasmoid mass and velocity will be measured with a variety of diagnostics, including internal and external B-dot probes, flux loops, Langmuir probes, high-speed cameras and a laser interferometer. Also of key importance will be measurements of the efficiency and mass utilization. Simulations of the plasmoid thruster using MOQUI, a time-dependent MHD code, will be carried out concurrently with experimental testing.

Koelfgen, Syri J.↗
NASA NTRS2009

A Summary of Closed Brayton Cycle Development Activities at NASA

NASA has been involved in the development of Closed Brayton Cycle (CBC) power conversion technology since the 1960's. CBC systems can be coupled to reactor, isotope, or solar heat sources and offer the potential for high efficiency, long life, and scalability to high power. In the 1960's and 1970's, NASA and industry developed the 10 kW Brayton Rotating Unit (BRU) and the 2 kW mini-BRU demonstrating technical feasibility and performance, In the 1980's, a 25 kW CBC Solar Dynamic (SD) power system option was developed for Space Station Freedom and the technology was demonstrated in the 1990's as part of the 2 kW SO Ground Test Demonstration (GTD). Since the early 2000's, NASA has been pursuing CBC technology for space reactor applications. Before it was cancelled, the Jupiter Icy Moons Orbiter (HMO) mission was considering a 100 kWclass CBC system coupled to a gas-cooled fission reactor. Currently, CBC technology is being explored for Fission Surface Power (FSP) systems to provide base power on the moon and Mars. These recent activities have resulted in several CBC-related technology development projects including a 50 kW Alternator Test Unit, a 20 kW Dual Brayton Test Loop, a 2 kW Direct Drive Gas Brayton Test Loop, and a 12 kW FSP Power Conversion Unit design.

Mason, Lee S.↗
NASA NTRS2019

Networked Array Recorder (NeAR) Microphones for Field-Deployed Phased Arrays

An innovative edge-computing concept known as NeAR (Networked Array Recorder) has been developed to provide enhancements to existing field-deployable microphone phased arrays utilized for aeroacoustic flyover measurements of airframe and propulsive noise sources. The proposed system allows for the elimination of multiple miles of sensor wiring in an array installation, thereby improving the scalability of the overall system, increasing the fault-tolerance of the hardware, and reducing the effort needed to build-up and tear-down an array in the field. A demonstration of the NeAR concept was performed at Edwards Air Force Base in California in March – April, 2018, where twelve individual NeAR microphones were deployed as a piggyback on a conventional phased array system deployed for airframe noise flyover testing. The microphones operated successfully during the demonstration with good time history and spectral correlations shown between the NeAR units and conventional microphones located nearby in the array. The NeAR concept has spinoffs beyond its use for phased arrays, including applications in remote environmental sensing and noise monitoring.

Cull.iton, William G.↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Urban Air Mobility National Campaign Test Series

The Urban Air Mobility (UAM) National Campaign test series is designed to promote public confidence in UAM safety, facilitate community-wide learning while capturing the public’s imagination, and give prospective vehicle manufacturers and operators, and prospective airspace service providers, insights into the evolving regulatory and operational environment. The National Campaign is also intended to support requirements and system development for Urban Air Mobility through integrated demonstrations of candidate vehicles and airspace in operational scenarios critical to scalable commercialization. The NASA National Campaign series will facilitate bringing together vehicle and airspace service providers to demonstrate industry’s concept and technology maturity levels with respect to vehicle performance, safety assurance, and airspace interoperability solutions for civil use.

Urban Air Mobility↗
DOE OSTI2023

High-fidelity trapped-ion qubit operations with scalable photonic modulators

Abstract Experiments with trapped ions and neutral atoms typically employ optical modulators in order to control the phase, frequency, and amplitude of light directed to individual atoms. These elements are expensive, bulky, consume substantial power, and often rely on free-space I/O channels, all of which pose scaling challenges. To support many-ion systems like trapped-ion quantum computers or miniaturized deployable devices like clocks and sensors, these elements must ultimately be microfabricated, ideally monolithically with the trap to avoid losses associated with optical coupling between physically separate components. In this work we design, fabricate, and test an optical modulator capable of monolithic integration with a surface-electrode ion trap. These devices consist of piezo-optomechanical photonic integrated circuits configured as multi-stage Mach-Zehnder modulators that are used to control the intensity of light delivered to a single trapped ion on a separate chip. We use quantum tomography employing hundreds of multi-gate sequences to enhance the sensitivity of the fidelity to the types and magnitudes of gate errors relevant to quantum computing and better characterize the performance of the modulators, ultimately measuring single qubit gate fidelities that exceed 99.7%.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Scalable learning of potentials to predict time-dependent Hartree–Fock dynamics

We propose a framework to learn the time-dependent Hartree–Fock (TDHF) inter-electronic potential of a molecule from its electron density dynamics. Although the entire TDHF Hamiltonian, including the inter-electronic potential, can be computed from first principles, we use this problem as a testbed to develop strategies that can be applied to learn a priori unknown terms that arise in other methods/approaches to quantum dynamics, e.g., emerging problems such as learning exchange–correlation potentials for time-dependent density functional theory. We develop, train, and test three models of the TDHF inter-electronic potential, each parameterized by a four-index tensor of size up to 60 × 60 × 60 × 60. Two of the models preserve Hermitian symmetry, while one model preserves an eight-fold permutation symmetry that implies Hermitian symmetry. Across seven different molecular systems, we find that accounting for the deeper eight-fold symmetry leads to the best-performing model across three metrics: training efficiency, test set predictive power, and direct comparison of true and learned inter-electronic potentials. All three models, when trained on ensembles of field-free trajectories, generate accurate electron dynamics predictions even in a field-on regime that lies outside the training set. To enable our models to scale to large molecular systems, we derive expressions for Jacobian-vector products that enable iterative, matrix-free training.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗