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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 757 records · Page 42

Feedstock/Pretreatment Screening for Bioconversion of Sugars and Lignin Residues

This project will conduct biomass deconstruction (pretreatment and enzymatic saccharification) on two representative biomass feedstocks and four different pretreatment processes, including three high temperature steam/chemical pretreatments and one low temperature chemical/mechanical pretreatment. A third biomass feedstock will undergo biomass deconstruction with three different pretreatment processes, including two high temperature chemical pretreatments and one low temperature chemical/mechanical pretreatment. Several pretreatment conditions will be performed in a screening study using NLR pilot-scale pretreatment equipment to generate a range of pretreated biomass substrates. A selected number of these substrates will be chosen for enzymatic saccharification evaluation, based on standard compositional analysis of the pretreated substrates as a primary indicator of pretreatment efficacy. Resulting enzymatic hydrolysis slurries will be analyzed to determine overall biomass sugar yields. Additional compositional analysis will be performed to determine oligomeric sugar composition and structure, to analyze structural characteristics of solids fractions on native, pretreated, and enzymatically saccharified biomass residues for one of the biomass feedstocks, corn stover. The enzymatically saccharified materials will undergo 2,3-butanediol fermentation in a shaker flask as bench scale. Using relevant process performance data collected in these various conversion steps, technoeconomic analysis activities will be performed to compare the economic potential of the various biomass feedstock and pretreatment processes and to identify key economic drivers and sustainability metrics.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗

The Surface Chemistry and Structure of Colloidal Lead Halide Perovskite Nanocrystals

Since the initial discovery of colloidal lead halide perovskite nanocrystals, there has been significant interest placed on these semiconductors because of their remarkable optoelectronic properties, including very high photoluminescence quantum yields, narrow size- and composition-tunable emission over a wide color gamut, defect tolerance, and suppressed blinking. These material attributes have made them attractive components for next-generation solar cells, light emitting diodes, low-threshold lasers, single photon emitters, and X-ray scintillators. While a great deal of research has gone into the various applications of colloidal lead halide perovskite nanocrystals, comparatively little work has focused on the fundamental surface chemistry of these materials. While the surface chemistry of colloidal semiconductor nanocrystals is generally affected by their particle morphology, surface stoichiometry, and organic ligands that contribute to the first coordination sphere of their surface atoms, these attributes are markedly different in lead halide perovskite nanocrystals because of their ionicity. Herein, emerging work on the surface chemistry of lead halide perovskite nanocrystals is highlighted, with a particular focus placed on the most-studied composition of CsPbBr 3 . We begin with an in-depth exploration of the native surface chemistry of as-prepared, 0-D cuboidal CsPbBr 3 nanocrystals, including an atomistic description of their surface termini, vacancies, and ionic bonding with ligands. We then proceed to discuss various post-synthetic surface treatments that have been developed to increase the photoluminescence quantum yields and stability of CsPbBr 3 nanocrystals, including the use of tetraalkylammonium bromides, metal bromides, zwitterions, and phosphonic acids, and how these various ligands are known to bind to the nanocrystal surface. To underscore the effect of post-synthetic surface treatments on the application of these materials, we focus on lead halide perovskite nanocrystal-based light emitting diodes, and the positive effect of various surface treatments on external quantum efficiencies. We also discuss the current state-of-the-art in the surface chemistry of 1-D nanowires and 2-D nanoplatelets of CsPbBr 3 , which are more quantum confined than the corresponding cuboidal nanocrystals but also generally possess a higher defect density because of their increased surface area-to-volume ratios.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Enhancing Coherence Limits in Superconducting Quantum Systems for Computing and Sensing

This talk will highlight recent efforts at the SQMS Center to develop qudit-based quantum computing architectures using superconducting three-dimensional (3D) cavities, as well as the use of these ultra-coherent cavities for quantum sensing. I will present systematic studies of materials and devices aimed at identifying and mitigating the dominant sources of decoherence—including two-level systems (TLS), quasiparticles, and other noise mechanisms—in both transmons and 3D cavities. These investigations include microwave loss characterization of niobium, tantalum, aluminum, their native oxides, and substrate materials such as silicon and sapphire. By combining measurements on qubits and cavities, we disentangle subsystem-specific loss mechanisms and establish a hierarchy of mitigation strategies, leading to transmon coherence times exceeding one millisecond. I will also discuss studies of quasiparticle dynamics, including quasiparticle bursts observed in qubits operated both above ground and at the Gran Sasso underground laboratory, and the observation that applied magnetic fields can suppress temporal T₁ fluctuations. Building on these advances, we demonstrate a record-coherence two-cell cavity-qudit system with coherence times exceeding 20 milliseconds. Leveraging tunable sideband interactions together with error-resilient protocols, including measurement-based error correction and post-selection, we achieve high-fidelity quantum state control, including the preparation of Fock states up to N=20 with fidelities above 95% and the generation of high-fidelity two-mode entangled states. Finally, I will discuss how these ultra-coherent quantum systems are enabling emerging quantum sensing applications, including searches for dark matter and gravitational waves.

Roy, Tanay [Fermilab] (ORCID:000000019442862X)↗

LHCSR1 Functions as a Dimmer Switch for Light Harvesting

In oxygenic photosynthesis, high light leads to a set of photoprotective processes, known as nonphotochemical quenching, that are required for fitness. In moss and algae, the pigment−protein complex, light-harvesting stress-related (LHCSR), is crucial for photoprotection. Acidification of the thylakoid lumen under high light triggers the activation of LHCSR and the conversion of the xanthophyll violaxanthin into zeaxanthin, which is found within LHCSR. These interrelated molecular components combine to turn on a safety valve that dissipates excess energy as heat. Previous studies of detergent-solubilized LHCSR1 found that pH and zeaxanthin regulate distinct quenching sites via the protein conformation. However, protein function in the native membrane environment can be significantly different. In this work, we applied single-molecule fluorescence spectroscopy to LHCSR1 in membrane nanodiscs. The membrane environment enhanced total quenching, regardless of pH or zeaxanthin-binding. pH-dependent quenching was still observed whereas zeaxanthin-dependent quenching was suppressed. Conformational changes also increased in the membrane, establishing that the local environment can change the nature of the equilibrium between light harvesting and photoprotection.

Hoffmann, Madeline P. [Massachusetts Inst. of Tech↗

High Yield of B-Side Electron Transfer at 77 K in the Photosynthetic Reaction Center Protein from Rhodobacter sphaeroides

In this work, the primary electron transfer (ET) processes at 295 K and 77 K are compared for the Rhodobacter sphaeroides reaction center (RC) pigment-protein complex from thirteen mutants including a wild-type control. The engineered RCs bear mutations in the L and M polypeptides that largely inhibit ET from the excited state P* of the primary electron donor (P, a bacteriochlorophyll dimer) to the normally photoactive A-side cofactors and enhance ET to the C 2 -symmetry related, and normally photoinactive, B-side cofactors. P* decay is multi-exponential at both temperatures and modeled as arising from subpopulations that differ in contributions of two-step ET (e.g., P* → P + B B – → P + H B – ), one-step superexchange ET (e.g., P* → P + H B – ) and P* → ground state. [H B and B B are monomeric bacteriopheophytin and bacteriochlorophyll, respectively.] The relative abundances of the subpopulations and the inherent rate constants of the P* decay routes vary with temperature. Regardless, ET to produce P + H B – is generally faster at 77 K than at 295 K by about a factor of two. A key finding is that the yield of P + H B – , which ranges from ~5% to ~90% among the mutant RCs, is essentially the same at 77 K as at 295 K in each case. Overall, the results show that ET from P* to the B-side cofactors in these mutants does not require thermal activation and involves combinations of ET mechanisms analogous to those operative on the A side in the native RC.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Structural insights into the unexpected agonism of tetracyclic antidepressants at serotonin receptors 5-HT 1e R and 5-HT 1F R

Serotonin [5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT)] acts via 13 different receptors in humans. Of these receptor subtypes, all but 5-HT 1e R have confirmed roles in native tissue and are validated drug targets. Despite 5-HT 1e R’s therapeutic potential and plausible druggability, the mechanisms of its activation remain elusive. To illuminate 5-HT 1e R’s pharmacology in relation to the highly homologous 5-HT 1F R, we screened a library of aminergic receptor ligands at both receptors and observe 5-HT 1e R/5-HT 1F R agonism by multicyclic drugs described as pan-antagonists at 5-HT receptors. Potent agonism by tetracyclic antidepressants mianserin, setiptiline, and mirtazapine suggests a mechanism for their clinically observed antimigraine properties. Using cryo-EM and mutagenesis studies, we uncover and characterize unique agonist-like binding poses of mianserin and setiptiline at 5-HT 1e R distinct from similar drug scaffolds in inactive-state 5-HTR structures. Together with computational studies, our data suggest that these binding poses alongside receptor-specific allosteric coupling in 5-HT 1e R and 5-HT 1F R contribute to the agonist activity of these antidepressants.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

Bloom Modeling and Prediction of the Harmful Algae Alexandrium in Bellingham Bay, WA

Bellingham, Washington is located near the American-Canadian border in the northwestern part of Washington state, and is bordered on its west side by the Lummi reservation. Between Lummi and Bellingham lies Bellingham bay, which has a history of harmful algae related closures dating back to 1978. The subject of this work is a genus of dinoflagellates: Alexandrium, within which many species have the capacity to produce a suite of toxins known as saxitoxin. These toxins bioaccumulate in bivalves, which in turn cause paralytic shellfish poisoning in marine consumers (mammals, birds, and fish), including humans. Symptoms in humans can range from tingling and numbness to difficulty or inability to breathe, resulting in death. Because of the longstanding history of shellfish gathering among Salish tribes and the fact that Washington is the leading U.S. producer of farmed bivalves, harmful algae blooms impact both native and non-native peoples living in the Salish Sea area negatively. The objective of this work is to identify factors which influence Alexandrium blooms in Bellingham Bay, as well as predict Alexandrium blooms in the future. The method of doing so involves two processes: an initial statistical modeling phase to find in situ and remote sensing observations correlated to bloom density (including, but not limited to: water temperature, chlorophyll-a, salinity, color dissolved organic matter, and discharge rate of local rivers), followed by use of that data as a training set for a recursive neural network. This predictive capacity may inform future closures, help ensure the safety of shellfish consumers, and act as a baseline for future modeling efforts in the region.

Harmful↗

Vibrational probe of the origin of singlet exciton fission in TIPS-pentacene solutions

We use native vibrational modes of the model singlet fission chromophore 6,13-bis(triisopropylsilylethynyl)pentacene (TIPS-Pn) to examine the origins of singlet fission in solution between molecules that are not tethered by a covalent linkage. We use the C—H stretch modes of TIPS side groups of TIPS-Pn to demonstrate that singlet fission does not occur by diffusive encounter of independent molecules in solution. Instead, TIPS-Pn molecules aggregate in solution through their TIPS side groups. This aggregation breaks the symmetry of the TIPS-Pn molecules and enables the formation of triplets to be probed through the formally symmetry forbidden symmetric alkyne stretch mode of the TIPS side groups. The alkyne stretch modes of TIPS-Pn are sensitive to the electronic excited states present during the singlet fission reaction and provide unique signatures of the formation of triplets following the initial separation of triplet pair intermediates. These findings highlight the opportunity to leverage structural information from vibrational modes to better understand intermolecular interactions that lead to singlet fission.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Sequence-based generative AI design of versatile tryptophan synthases

Enzymes are powerful and sustainable catalysts, but their widespread application is limited by the difficulty of identifying functional starting points for optimization, creating a major bottleneck in early- stage biocatalyst discovery. Designing libraries of such starting enzymes remains particularly challenging. Here, we use the GenSLM protein language model to generate novel β-subunit of tryptophan synthase (TrpB) enzymes that express in Escherichia coli and are both stable and catalytically active. Many generated TrpBs also display significant substrate promiscuity, outperforming their natural counterparts on non-native substrates. Some even surpass laboratory-evolved TrpBs. Comparison of the most-active and most-promiscuous generated TrpB to its closest natural homolog confirms that the enhanced versatility is absent from the natural enzyme, highlighting the creative potential of generative models. These results demonstrate that the generated TrpBs not only preserve natural structure and function but also acquire non-natural properties, establishing generative models as powerful tools for biocatalyst discovery and engineering.

biocatalysis↗

Scientific Core Library Stack (SCLS) v2026

SCLS (Scientific Core Library Stack) is an opinionated build and packaging system for scientific computing libraries developed at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. It produces a coherent, reproducible stack of numerical libraries — including BLAS/LAPACK, MPI, sparse direct and iterative solvers, graph partitioners, and parallel I/O libraries (e.g., PETSc, SLEPc, HDF5, NetCDF, MUMPS, OpenBLAS) — that work together without manual repair by downstream scientific software. From a single recipe-and-flavor model, SCLS produces native RPM packages for RHEL-family Linux, DEB packages for Debian/Ubuntu, direct Unix-style prefix installs for HPC and locked-down environments, and native macOS builds. Multiple build "flavors" (e.g., GCC+OpenBLAS, GCC+MKL, Intel+MKL, debug) coexist in distinct prefixes on the same host. Compared to general-purpose meta-build frameworks, SCLS is deliberately curated rather than infinitely configurable. It enforces deterministic, audit-friendly behavior: explicit build dependencies, no silent feature autodetection, a clear open-source license policy, and rpath-based runtime linkage so installs integrate cleanly with standard package-manager workflows.

Messe, Christian [Lawrence Berkeley National Labor↗

Incorporating Ameriflux Data into LVT

This paper describes a new generic data reader that was developed in Fortran to handle the Ameriflux data for the LIS Verification Toolkit (LVT). Researchers at the Hydrological Sciences Branch of NASA Goddard Space Flight Center have created a high resolution land surface modeling and data assimilation system known as the Land Information System (LIS), which provides an infrastructure to integrate state-of-the-art land surface models, data assimilation algorithms, observations of land surface from satellite and remotely sensed platforms to provide estimates of land surface conditions such as soil moisture, evaporation, snowpack and runoff. These model predictions are typically evaluated by comparing them with data from observational networks. The observational data; however, are usually available in disparate data formats and require significant effort to process them into a structure amenable for use with the model data. The motivation to develop a uniform approach for land surface verification as a way to alleviate these processing efforts has led to the development of LVT which is designed to enable the rapid evaluation of land surface modeling and analysis products from LIS. LVT focuses on the use of observational datasets in their native format. As the formats of these datasets vary widely, a major part of LVT is creating programs to read and process the native datasets. The primary goal of this project is to enhance LVT capabilities by incorporating observational datasets from Ameriflux

Georgiev, Teodor↗

Ion-selective conformational stabilization of a disordered repeats-in-toxin protein domain

Ion-binding intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) recruit and bind to specific metal ions to perform critical biological functions. In proteins where ion binding and structural transitions are coupled, interactions with off-target toxic metals can dramatically disrupt protein structure and function, exemplified by lead and mercury poisoning. Understanding the complex mechanisms underlying how IDPs exclude or allow binding to different ionic species is crucial for addressing the origins of metal toxicity in biological systems. Here, we elucidate mechanisms of ion selectivity in an IDP that adopts a structure upon Ca 2+ binding. We probed ion-induced conformational changes of a repeats-in-toxin (RTX) protein domain in the presence of different ion ligands—Mg 2+ , Ca 2+ , Sr 2+ , and Ba 2+ —with chemical similarities but drastically different ionic radii. RTX adopts ion-selective conformations measured by x-ray crystallography, small-angle x-ray scattering, and circular dichroism. High-resolution x-ray structures reveal that Sr 2+ induces a nearly identical RTX structure as natively binding Ca 2+ , enabled by the intrinsic flexibility and disorder of the protein. Small-angle x-ray scattering and circular dichroism indicate that smaller Mg 2+ does not induce a significant conformational change in RTX, whereas larger Ba 2+ induces a partially folded structure. These results highlight the importance of geometric constraints imposed by protein structure in determining metal ion selectivity, yielding insights into how off-target ion binding may result in protein misfolding and malfunction.

Gudinas, Alana P. [Stanford Univ., CA (United Stat↗

EXCHANGE Campaign 2 - Microbial Biomass Collapse (EC2-MBC): Carbon Availability Under Prolonged Flooding in Mid-Atlantic and Great Lakes Coastal Ecosystems

Our collective research focus is on investigating the interaction between carbon availability and microbial demands during prolonged flooding. Through laboratory experiments utilizing freshly collected soil samples from diverse transition zone environments, we aim to simulate flooding and understand the mechanisms governing carbon cycling under anoxic conditions. Our primary objective is to elucidate how carbon becomes available to microbes and how they utilize it, discerning between maintenance and investment processes. By examining soils from regions with differing native redox conditions, our aim is to gain comprehensive insights into carbon dynamics across various soil types. Future data types will be added to the ESS-DIVE data package as they are completed and will be version-controlled in the Change History section of EC2_MBC_README.pdf. This data package includes: EC2_MBC_README.pdf flmd.csv dd.csv EC2_SampleIdentificationKey.csv EC2_SoilMoistureKey.csv Processed_GHGFlux_Entisols.csv Processed_GHGFlux_Inceptisols.csv Processed_GHGFlux_Ultisols.csv Processed_Porewater_Iron_II.csv Processed_Porewater_Nutrients.csv Processed_Porewater_Sulfate.csv Processed_Probe_Measurements.csv Processed_Soil_HydrolyticEnzymes.csv Processed_Soil_MicrobialCN.csv Processed_Soil_NPOC_TN_SaltExtracted.csv Processed_Soil_NPOC_TN_WaterExtracted.csv Processed_Soil_Nutrients_OlsenPExtracted.csv Processed_Soil_Nutrients_SaltExtracted.csv Processed_Soil_Nutrients_WaterExtracted.csv Processed_DO_Probe.zip Processed_Temperature_Probe.zip

Carbon Cycling↗

How does Mercury Methylation Respond to Intensive Forest Management and the Creation of Anoxia in Floodplain Soils

This research endeavor, entitled “How does Mercury Methylation Respond to Intensive Forest Management and the Creation of Anoxia in Floodplain Soils?” represents a collaborative effort undertaken by the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, led by Principal Investigator Dr. James S. Coleman, the United States Forest Service Santee Experimental Forest (SEF) Station Director Dr. Carl C. Trettin as Co-Principal Investigator, and The Chinese University of Hong Kong Dr. Martin Tsz-Ki Tsui and Dr. Alex T. Chow serving as Co-Principal Investigators. The overarching objective of this proposed project was to capture and elucidate the immediate and short-term effects of forest disturbances, namely clear-cutting and thinning, on the biogeochemical cycling of mercury (Hg) within the SEF in Huger, South Carolina. To accomplish this objective, a two-year exploratory study was proposed to conduct soil sampling and measurements of Hg and toxic methylmercury (MeHg), and soil physiochemical data within the experimental watershed (WS77) at SEF, following the clear-cutting process initiated for the preparation of the native longleaf pine restoration project by the USFS. Based on our mercury and hydrological data assessment, we concluded that the implementation of forest management practices, particularly mechanical thinning and clear-cutting, appears to enhance the potential for Hg methylation. Furthermore, these forest management practices may disrupt and alter the storage, mobility, and transformations of atmospherically deposited Hg in these lowland forests. We advocate for further research to comprehensively evaluate the impact of forest management on Hg cycling within forest ecosystems.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

The Role of Defect Geometry in Localized Emission from Monolayer Tungsten Dichalcogenides

In two-dimensional transition metal dichalcogenides such as tungsten diselenide (WSe 2 ), single photon emission has been broadly attributed to exciton localization from atomic point defects, yet the precise microscopic origins are unclear. This work introduces an empirically grounded computational framework that explains the origins of facile single photon emission in WSe 2 . High-resolution microscopy identifies native defect geometries in monolayer WSe 2 lattices from which the model is built. Here, the qualitative effects of chalcogen type, defect geometry, and mechanical strain on the electronic structure are individually assessed using density functional theory, and a specific divacancy configuration emerges as the candidate for localized single-electron transitions that match observed spectral energies. Spectroscopy and photon correlation measurements further validate this model, establishing a self-consistent link between defect geometry, electronic structure, and quantum emission.

defect emission↗

Design-to-Deployment Continuum Platform for Microscopes and Computing Ecosystems

Science ecosystems with networked computing systems and physical instruments are increasingly being deployed with a goal to achieve the productivity promised by AI-supported remote automation. In support of these efforts, the virtual infrastructure twins (VITs) have been successfully utilized to develop the orchestration codes for these ecosystems without requiring physical access to expensive instruments, such as electron microscopes. Currently, the utility of such a VIT is severely limited by the computing capacity and capability of the computing system used as its host. Furthermore, codes developed on the VIT typically need to be transferred and refactored for production use, particularly, on high-performance systems with accelerators. In response, we develop a design-to-deployment continuum platform wherein a VIT runs natively on the ecosystem's own computing system, and thereby facilitates the continual in-situ testing and transition of codes for production use. Here, we describe the development and testing of software for remote microscope steering and GPU-based image reconstruction using this platform on a multi-GPU computing system networked to Nion microscopes. We demonstrate a continual transition of steering and reconstruction codes developed under VIT platform to production ecosystem deployment.

Al-Najjar, Anees [Oak Ridge National Laboratory (O↗

Chemical and Optical Control of Spin Crossover: Ultrafast XUV Spectroscopy of Molecular Magnets in Native Solvation Environments

With support from the US Department of Energy Office of Science, we have developed and utilized extreme ultraviolet (XUV) spectroscopy and sum frequency generation vibrational spectroscopy as probes of charge, spin, and solvation structure and dynamics in molecules and at interfaces. This work is crucial to advancing fundamental understanding of the processes that control the efficiency and speed of energy conversion and information processing in molecules and at interfaces. Accordingly, it has important applications for developing next generation technologies for information storage and processing with increasing data storage density and processing rates as well as developing new methods for efficient energy conversion and storage.

74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS↗

Integrated Green Biorefinery for the Production of Anthocyanins, Fermentable Sugars, and High Pure Lignin from Miscanthus × giganteus

Miscanthus x giganteus (Mxg) is a promising perennial crop for producing natural colorants, renewable fuels, and bioproducts. However, natural recalcitrance and high pretreatment cost are major barriers to their complete conversion. In this study, a green processing method has been investigated for efficient recovery of natural pigments (anthocyanins), fermentable sugars, and pure lignin from Mxg genotypes using choline chloride-based natural deep eutectic solvents (NADES) systems. Interestingly, choline chloride: lactic acid (ChCl: LA) NADES-processed biomass resulted in 67.8 ± 2.1 μg g –1 of anthocyanins from dry biomass. A maximum of 87.4%–94.1% glucose yield was achieved after enzymatic saccharification. The effective extraction of lignin with high purity with higher β-aryl ether (β—O—4) bonds from advanced crops is crucial for lignin valorization. Notably, highly pure lignin (≈93.4% ± 1.4%) is achieved after low-temperature NADES pretreatment while retaining lignin's native structure. 31 P nuclear magnetic resonance demonstrated that total phenolics for ChCl: LA-lignin resulted in 1.20 mmol g –1 hydroxyls. The relative monolignol composition of syringyl (S), guaiacyl (G), and p-hydroxyphenyl (H) is 19.0, 65.7, and 14.3%, respectively, as evidenced by heteronuclear single quantum coherence analysis. This study provides a novel approach for obtaining high-purity lignin for catalytic depolymerization for oligomers and bifunctional monoaromatics production and leverages current cellulosic biorefinery technologies.

Raj, Tirath [University of Illinois at Urbana-Cham↗