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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 811 records · Page 45
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2016

Interface electronic properties of co-evaporated MAPbI{sub 3} on ZnO(0001): In situ X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy study

In this work, the interface electronic properties of ZnO(0001)/CH{sub 3}NH{sub 3}PbI{sub 3} were investigated by both X-ray and ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy. The CH{sub 3}NH{sub 3}PbI{sub 3} thin films were grown on single crystalline ZnO(0001) substrate in situ by co-evaporation of PbI{sub 2} and CH{sub 3}NH{sub 3}I at room temperature with various thickness from 1.5 nm to 190 nm. It was found that the conduction band minimum of ZnO lies 0.3 eV below that of CH{sub 3}NH{sub 3}PbI{sub 3}, while the valence band maximum of ZnO lies 2.1 eV below that of CH{sub 3}NH{sub 3}PbI{sub 3}, implying that the electrons can be effectively transported from CH{sub 3}NH{sub 3}PbI{sub 3} to ZnO, and the holes can be blocked in the same time. A PbI{sub 2} rich layer was initially formed at the interface of ZnO(0001)/CH{sub 3}NH{sub 3}PbI{sub 3} during the growth. As a consequence, an interface barrier was built up which may prevent the electron transport at the interface.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2013

Long-wavelength emission in photo-pumped GaAs{sub 1−x}Bi{sub x} laser with low temperature dependence of lasing wavelength

This study demonstrates long-wavelength emission of up to 1204 nm in photo-pumped GaAs{sub 1−x}Bi{sub x} lasers grown by molecular beam epitaxy under low temperature conditions. The characteristic temperature (T{sub 0}) between 20 and 80 °C in the GaAs{sub 1−x}Bi{sub x} lasers with Al{sub 0.3}Ga{sub 0.7}As electron blocking layer is approximately 100 K, which is larger than that of the typical 1.3-μm InGaAsP Fabry-Perot laser diodes (FP-LDs; T{sub 0} = 66 K). The temperature coefficient of the lasing wavelength is approximately 40% of that of InGaAsP FP-LDs.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2022

Layered complex networks as fluctuation amplifiers

Abstract In complex networked systems theory, an important question is how to evaluate the system robustness to external perturbations. With this task in mind, I investigate the propagation of noise in multi-layer networked systems. I find that, for a two layer network, noise originally injected in one layer can be strongly amplified in the other layer, depending on how well-connected are the complex networks in each layer and on how much the eigenmodes of their Laplacian matrices overlap. These results allow to predict potentially harmful conditions for the system and its sub-networks, where the level of fluctuations is important, and how to avoid them. The analytical results are illustrated numerically on various synthetic networks.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2018

Orientational Instability and Hysteresis Phenomena in a Ferronematic Liquid Crystal in a Magnetic Field

A magnetic-field-induced orientational structure in a ferronematic (FN) liquid crystal (LC) layer is studied within the continuum theory. The rotation angles of the director and the magnetization and the concentration of magnetic impurity corresponding to a supertwisted orientational structure of the suspension are calculated. It is shown that the deviation angle of the director from the direction of the external field has the hysteresis region in which the orientational structure of the FN changes stepwise from a state with a positive twist of the director to a state with a negative twist. A value of the magnetic field strength is found above which orientational bistability regions arise. It is shown that orientational instability under the rotation of the field most clearly manifests itself in FNs with strong anchoring of particles to the LC matrix. It is established that the effect of magnetic segregation responsible for the redistribution of magnetic particles in the layer leads to the expansion of the hysteresis region and to a decrease in the field at which orientational instability arises. It is shown that, in FNs with soft anchoring between magnetic and LC subsystems, there exist several response modes to a quasistatic rotation of the magnetic field.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2021

Dynamic deuterium retention properties of tungsten measured using laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy

Dynamic deuterium (D) retention properties of tungsten (W) are investigated under steady-state D plasma exposure in the PISCES-A linear plasma device. In contrast to static retention, dynamic retention is quickly released from the material at the termination of the incident plasma flux, and thus in-operando laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) measurements have been conducted during steady-state D plasma exposure. A procedure is, first, established to extract the dynamic retention component from the in-operando LIBS D I 656.1 nm line intensity, which can contain contributions from dynamic and static retention as well as background D/D 2 gas, excited by both steady-state and laser-induced plasmas. Using the developed procedure, the dynamic D retention in W is systematically examined while scanning the following plasma exposure parameters: incident ion energy, E i , sample temperature, T s , incident ion flux, Γ i . No clear E i dependence is seen in the range of E i ~ 45–175 eV, as expected from a small variation in the average implantation depth (~3-6 nm) of D in W. The dynamic retention is found to monotonously decrease with increasing T s from 348 to 573 K, while the total static retention is reported to peak at T s ~ 500–600 K. It is revealed that the dynamic retention linearly increases with increasing Γ i , and then saturates at Γ i ≥ 0.75 × 10 21 m –2 s –1 . Possible physical mechanisms for the observed dependence of the dynamic retention on T s and Γ i are discussed. Furthermore, sequential pure He, followed by pure D, plasma exposures show that the dynamic D retention is not strongly affected by He bubbles in the near-surface region.

super-saturated surface layer↗
DOE OSTI2016

Mesoporous multi-shelled ZnO microspheres for the scattering layer of dye sensitized solar cell with a high efficiency

Both light scattering and dye adsorbing are important for the power conversion efficiency PCE performance of dye sensitized solar cell (DSSC). Nanostructured scattering layers with a large specific surface area are regarded as an efficient way to improve the PCE by increasing dye adsorbing, but excess adsorbed dye will hinder light scattering and light penetration. Thus, how to balance the dye adsorbing and light penetration is a key problem to improve the PCE performance. Here, multiple-shelled ZnO microspheres with a mesoporous surface are fabricated by a hydrothermal method and are used as scattering layers on the TiO{sub 2} photoanode of the DSSC in the presence of N719 dye and iodine–based electrolyte, and the results reveal that the DSSCs based on triple shelled ZnO microsphere with a mesoporous surface exhibit an enhanced PCE of 7.66%, which is 13.0% higher than those without the scattering layers (6.78%), indicating that multiple-shelled microspheres with a mesoporous surface can ensure enough light scattering between the shells, and a favorable concentration of the adsorbed dye can improve the light penetration. These results may provide a promising pathway to obtain the high efficient DSSCs.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2015

Fractional boundary layer flow and radiation heat transfer of MHD viscoelastic fluid over an unsteady stretching surface

This paper presents an investigation for magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) viscoelastic fluid boundary layer flow and radiation heat transfer over an unsteady stretching sheet in presence of heat source. Time dependent fractional derivative is first introduced in formulating the boundary layer equations. Numerical solutions are obtained by using the finite difference scheme and L1-algorithm approximation. Results indicate that the proposed model describes a basic delaying times framework for viscoelastic flow and radiation heat transfer. The effects of involved parameters on velocity and temperature fields are shown graphically and analyzed in detail.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
NASA NTRS1997

Enhancement of Mixing and Reaction in High-speed Combustor Flowfields

Research has been underway for a number of years, both in the United States and abroad, to develop advanced aerospace propulsion systems for use late in this century and beyond. One program is now underway at the NASA Langley Research Research has been underway for a number of years, both in the United States and abroad, to develop advanced aerospace propulsion systems for use late in this century and beyond. One program is now underway at the NASA Langley Research Center to develop a hydrogen-fueled supersonic combustion ramjet (scramjet) that is capable of propelling a vehicle at hypersonic speeds in the atmosphere. A part of that research has been directed toward the optimization of the scramjet combustor and, in particular, the efficiency of fuel-air mixing and reaction taking place in the engine. In the high-speed vehicle configurations currently being considered, achieving a high combustor efficiency becomes particularly difficult. With increasing combustor Mach number, the degree of fuel-air mixing that can be achieved through natural convective and diffusive processes is reduced leading to an overall decrease in combustion efficiency and thrust. Compressible shear layers and jets provide a good model for studying the physical processes occurring in high speed mixing and combustion in a scramjet. Mixing layers are characterized by large scale eddies that form due to the high shear that is present between the fuel and the air streams. These eddies entrain the fuel and air into the mixing region between the fluids leading to increased surface area and locally steep concentration gradients. Molecular diffusion then occurs across the strained interfaces. In an early study of high-speed mixing, Brown and Roshko show that the spreading rate of a supersonic mixing layer decreases with increasing Mach number, exhibiting a factor of three decrease in spread rate as compared with an incompressible mixing layer with the same density ratio. They conclude that the reduced spread rate is primarily due to compressibility. Papamoschou and Roshko also observe that the spreading rate of compressible mixing layers is significantly reduced over that of incompressible layers. To characterize the structure of the flow quantitatively, they define a convective Mach number. The reduction in mixing layer spreading rate is shown in these experiments to correlate well with increasing convective Mach number.

Drummond, J. Philip↗
DOE OSTI2014

Interfacial magnetic coupling in ultrathin all-manganite La{sub 0.7}Sr{sub 0.3}MnO{sub 3}-TbMnO{sub 3} superlattices

We report the growth and magnetic properties of all-manganite superlattices composed of ultrathin double-exchange ferromagnetic La{sub 0.7}Sr{sub 0.3}MnO{sub 3} and noncollinear multiferroic TbMnO{sub 3} layers. Spontaneous magnetization and hysteresis loops are observed in such superlattices with individual La{sub 0.7}Sr{sub 0.3}MnO{sub 3} layers as thin as two unit cells, which are accompanied by pronounced exchange bias and enhanced coercivity. Our results indicate substantial interfacial magnetic coupling between spin sublattices in such superlattices, providing a powerful approach towards tailoring the properties of artificial magnetic heterostructures.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
NASA NTRS2021

Coupling of the FUN3D Unstructured Flow Solver and the LASTRAC Stability Code to Model Transition

We develop an iterative automated method to predict transition locations in boundary-layer flows by using the FUN3D solver to perform flow simulations and the LASTRAC code for linear stability computations. The coupling of FUN3D and LASTRAC allows for a robust physics-based approach to model boundary-layer transition by analyzing the growth of different instability waves and then using that information to iteratively update the resulting transition location. There is no user involvement during the iterative computations. We apply this automated method to subsonic flow over a flat plate with a sharp leading edge. The final solution has regions of laminar and turbulent flow with a transition onset location that agrees with experiments and stability-based correlations. This iterative automated method is also applied to an NLF(1)-0416 airfoil for conditions with and without a separation bubble. Along with predicting transition locations, we compare the streamwise distributions of surface-pressure and skin-friction coefficients to a transport-equation-based model. We consider a 6:1 prolate spheroid at three angles of attack, namely, five, ten, and fifteen degrees, where mixed-mode transition occurs due to both Tollmien-Schlichting and crossflow instabilities. The skin-friction contours and transition fronts at every angle of attack from our iterative automated method show good agreement with past experimental and computational results in the literature for the 6:1 prolate spheroid.

Transition↗
DOE OSTI2016

Cementitious Grouts for ILW Encapsulation - Hydration and Continuity of Supply within the UK - 16184

In the UK the preferred route to disposal for the majority of intermediate level nuclear waste (ILW) streams is encapsulation within a cementitious matrix, accounting for 83% of waste conditioned to date (NDA, 2013). The method is well-defined and produces a waste package that is both chemically and physically stable, providing a multi-layered barrier to the release of the waste species contained within. Due to the process of treatment, facilitated via remote operation, it is necessary for the grouting matrices to meet strict performance limits in terms of their flow, setting time and avoidance of the formation of bleed water or segregation. To this end, the limits on composition of the anhydrous materials (a mixture of ordinary Portland cement [OPC] and blast furnace slag [BFS]) are tight to ensure conformity. Whilst these limits on composition are well understood, their impact upon grout hydration, and hence performance, is poorly defined. This study investigates the effects of modifying the physical and chemical composition of both the OPC and the BFS components of the matrix in order to identify the sensitivity or otherwise of the system to ensure that a continuity of supply is maintained. A number of techniques, scanning electron microscopy - image analysis (SEM-IA), chemical shrinkage (measured via dilatometry), isothermal conduction calorimetry (ICC), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and X-ray diffraction (XRD), have been applied to assess the rate and degree of hydration (DoH) of a range of grouts prepared with OPC and BFS with a range of chemical and physical compositions. This has been coupled with subsequent engineering performance testing, with additional analysis to understand the impact of a fire scenario within a storage or disposal facility, to provide an indication towards the resilience of the waste packages to a potential catastrophic event. (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2018

Dependences of the Tunnel Magnetoresistance and Spin Transfer Torque on the Sizes and Concentration of Nanoparticles in Magnetic Tunnel Junctions

Dependences of the tunnel magnetoresistance and in-plane component of the spin transfer torque on the applied voltage in a magnetic tunnel junction have been calculated in the approximation of ballistic transport of conduction electrons through an insulating layer with embedded magnetic or nonmagnetic nanoparticles. A single-barrier magnetic tunnel junction with a nanoparticle embedded in an insulator forms a double-barrier magnetic tunnel junction. It has been shown that the in-plane component of the spin transfer torque in the double-barrier magnetic tunnel junction can be higher than that in the single-barrier one at the same thickness of the insulating layer. The calculations show that nanoparticles embedded in the tunnel junction increase the probability of tunneling of electrons, create resonance conditions, and ensure the quantization of the conductance in contrast to the tunnel junction without nanoparticles. The calculated dependences of the tunnel magnetoresistance correspond to experimental data demonstrating peak anomalies and suppression of the maximum magnetoresistances at low voltages.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2019

Computational experiments to characterize bubble formation and movement in waste glass foam layer

Computer simulation experiments are a valuable complement to physical experimentation for systems where there is limited access to quantities of interest. The motivation for this work is to characterize the fluid dynamic and heat transfer processes that affect melt rate of waste slurry during vitrification, which can limit the throughput rate of the melter. Heat transfer to the cold cap from the molten glass below this layer is an important factor determining melt rate. In this study, computational fluid dynamics is used to elucidate the behavior of gas-filled cavities that form underneath the cold cap in a laboratory-scale waste glass melter. The cold cap consists of a reacting feed layer above a foam layer. The cavities are a result of coalesced gases from collapsing primary foam and air from forced convection bubblers. Bubbles in the foam layer move horizontally with the circulation pattern of the melt and escape around the edges of the cold cap to the plenum above. The effects of varying thermophysical properties and foam parameters based on the bounds of high-level waste glass formulations were explored. Using the DAKOTA toolkit, a Latin hypercube space-filling design was used to randomly distribute samples in bins to achieve good coverage over the parameter space with minimal points. Using the results from the set of simulations, a Gaussian process model with a linear trend was used to create response surfaces for several key quantities of interest, including temperatures, temperature gradients, velocities, and foam extent beneath the cold cap.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2024

Structural and physical properties of two distinct 2D lead halides with intercalated Cu( II )

Transition metal cation intercalation between the layers of two-dimensional (2D) metal halides is an underexplored research area. In this work we focus on the synthesis and physical property characterizations of two layered hybrid lead halides: a new compound [Cu(O 2 C–CH 2 –NH 2 ) 2 ]Pb 2 Br 4 and the previously reported [Cu(O 2 C–(CH 2 ) 3 –NH 3 ) 2 ]PbBr 4 . These compounds exhibit 2D layered crystal structures with incorporated Cu 2+ between the metal halide layers, which is achieved by combining Cu(II) and lead bromide with suitable amino acid precursors. The resultant [Cu(O 2 C–(CH 2 ) 3 –NH 3 ) 2 ]PbBr 4 adopts a 2D layered perovskite structure, whereas the new compound [Cu(O 2 C–CH 2 –NH 2 ) 2 ]Pb 2 Br 4 crystallizes with a new structure type based on edge-sharing dodecahedral PbBr5O3 building blocks. [Cu(O 2 C–CH 2 –NH 2 ) 2 ]Pb 2 Br 4 is a semiconductor with a bandgap of 3.25 eV. It shows anisotropic charge transport properties with a semiconductor resistivity of 1.44 × 10 10 Ω cm (measured along the a-axis) and 2.17 × 10 10 Ω cm (along the bc-plane), respectively. The fabricated prototype detector based on this material showed response to soft low-energy X-rays at 8 keV with a detector sensitivity of 1462.7 μCGy –1 cm –2 , indicating its potential application for ionizing radiation detection. Finally, these encouraging results are discussed together with the results from density functional theory calculations, optical, magnetic, and thermal property characterization experiments.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2016

Optically readout write once read many memory with single active organic layer

An optically readable write once read many memory (WORM) in Ag/Poly[2-methoxy-5-(2-ethylhexyloxy)-1,4-phenylenevinylene] (MEH PPV)/ITO is demonstrated in this work. Utilising characteristics of the organic light emitting diode structure of Ag/MEH PPV/ITO and electrochemical metallization of Ag, a WORM with light emitting capability can be realised. The simple fabrication process and multifunction capability of the device can be useful for future wearable optoelectronics and photomemory applications, where fast and parallel readout can be achieved by photons.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2020

Air quality impact of the Northern California Camp Fire of November 2018

The Northern California Camp Fire that took place in November 2018 was one of the most damaging environmental events in California history. Here, we analyze ground-based station observations of airborne particulate matter that has a diameter <2.5 µm (PM 2.5 ) across Northern California and conduct numerical simulations of the Camp Fire using the Weather Research and Forecasting model online coupled with chemistry (WRF-Chem). Simulations are evaluated against ground-based observations of PM 2.5 , black carbon, and meteorology, as well as satellite measurements, such as Tropospheric Monitoring Instrument (TROPOMI) aerosol layer height and aerosol index. The Camp Fire led to an increase in Bay Area PM 2.5 to over 50 µg m –3 for nearly 2 weeks, with localized peaks exceeding 300 µg m –3 . Using the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) high-resolution fire detection products, the simulations reproduce the magnitude and evolution of surface PM 2.5 concentrations, especially downwind of the wildfire. The overall spatial patterns of simulated aerosol plumes and their heights are comparable with the latest satellite products from TROPOMI. WRF-Chem sensitivity simulations are carried out to analyze uncertainties that arise from fire emissions, meteorological conditions, feedback of aerosol radiative effects on meteorology, and various physical parameterizations, including the planetary boundary layer model and the plume rise model. Downwind PM 2.5 concentrations are sensitive to both flaming and smoldering emissions over the fire, so the uncertainty in the satellite-derived fire emission products can directly affect the air pollution simulations downwind. Our analysis also shows the importance of land surface and boundary layer parameterization in the fire simulation, which can result in large variations in magnitude and trend of surface PM 2.5 . Inclusion of aerosol radiative feedback moderately improves PM 2.5 simulations, especially over the most polluted days. Results of this study can assist in the development of data assimilation systems as well as air quality forecasting of health exposures and economic impact studies.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2015

1300 nm optically pumped quantum dot spin vertical external-cavity surface-emitting laser

We report a room temperature optically pumped Quantum Dot-based Spin-Vertical-External-Cavity Surface-Emitting laser (QD Spin-VECSEL) operating at the telecom wavelength of 1.3 μm. The active medium was composed of 5 × 3 QD layers; each threefold group was positioned at an antinode of the standing wave of the optical field. Circularly polarized lasing in the QD-VECSEL under Continuous-Wave optical pumping has been realized with a threshold pump power of 11 mW. We further demonstrate at room temperature control of the QD-VECSEL output polarization ellipticity via the pump polarization.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗