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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 865 records · Page 48
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2017

New understanding of rhizosphere processes enabled by advances in molecular and spatially resolved techniques

Understanding the role played by microorganisms within soil systems is challenged by the unique intersection of physics, chemistry, mineralogy and biology in fostering habitat for soil microbial communities. To address these challenges will require observations across multiple spatial and temporal scales to capture the dynamics and emergent behavior from complex and interdependent processes. The heterogeneity and complexity of the rhizosphere require advanced techniques that press the simultaneous frontiers of spatial resolution, analyte sensitivity and specificity, reproducibility, large dynamic range, and high throughput. Fortunately many exciting technical advancements are now available to inform and guide the development of new hypotheses. The aim of this Special issue is to provide a holistic view of the rhizosphere in the perspective of modern molecular biology methodologies that enabled a highly-focused, detailed view on the processes in the rhizosphere, including numerous, strong and complex interactions between plant roots, soil constituents and microorganisms. We discuss the current rhizosphere research challenges and knowledge gaps, as well as perspectives and approaches using newly available state-of-the-art toolboxes. These new approaches and methodologies allow the study of rhizosphere processes and properties, and rhizosphere as a central component of ecosystems and biogeochemical cycles.

Holistic view↗
DOE OSTI2018

ElectroCat: DOE's approach to PGM-free catalyst and electrode R&D

The successful development of high-performance, durable platinum group metal-free (PGM-free) electrocatalysts and electrodes for polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) will ultimately improve the cost-competiveness of fuel cells in a wide range of applications. This is considered to be a critical development especially for automotive fuel cell applications in order to bring the system cost of an automotive fuel cell system down to the $30/kW cost target set by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). The platinum group metal (PGM) electrocatalysts are a major contributor to the system cost. Addressing the technical challenges to PGM-free electrocatalyst and electrode development, therefore, represents one of DOE's most pressing research and development (R&D) priorities. ElectroCat was formed by the DOE as part of the Energy Materials Network (EMN) in early 2016, and shares with other EMN consortia the goal of decreasing the time to market for advanced materials related to clean energy technologies, in the context of increasing U.S. fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV) manufacturing competitiveness. To accomplish this, the consortium performs core research and development and provides universities and companies streamlined access to the unique, world-class set of tools and expertise relevant to early-stage applied PGM-free catalyst R&D of the member national laboratories. Moreover, ElectroCat fosters a systematic methodology by which prospective catalysts and electrodes are prepared and analyzed rapidly and comprehensively using high-throughput, combinatorial methods. Catalyst discovery is augmented by theory as well as foundational electrocatalysis and materials knowledge at the participating national laboratories. Furthermore, ElectroCat has developed a data sharing framework, requisite of all EMN consortia, for disseminating its findings to the public via a searchable database, to further expedite incorporation of PGM-free electrocatalysts into next-generation fuel cells by advancing the general understanding of the PGM-free electrocatalyst field.

Thompson, Simon T.↗
DOE OSTI2019

Development and Scale-up of Continuous Electrocatalytic Hydrogenation of Functionalized Nitro arenes, Nitriles and Unsaturated Aldehydes

Electrolysis reactors based on the filter-press architecture of redox flow batteries have proven to be effective and scalable towards the production of commercially relevant, pharmaceutical quantities of anilines (>500 kg/year) from halogen-, hydroxyl-, and carbonyl-substituted nitroarenes. Turbulent flow through the carbon felts on which the catalysts were supported facilitated scaling towards production levels because it conferred on the reactors scale-independent, plug flow-like residence time distributions and high mass transfer coefficients. Equipping the cells with micro-reference electrodes made it possible to transfer reaction conditions first developed in batch systems to the continuous flow reactors. The catalysts prepared by incipient wetness impregnation of metal salts into lightly oxidized carbon felt supports were readily generalizable.

Egbert, Jonathan D.↗
DOE OSTI2023

Polyethylene Blends for Improved Oxygen Barrier: Processing-Dependent Microstructure and Gas Permeability

Here this work demonstrates a greater than expected enhancement of oxygen barrier properties in linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE)-based materials by blending LLDPE with high-density polyethylene (HDPE). The films made by melt pressing the LLDPE/HDPE blends had a greater reduction in oxygen permeability coefficients (PO 2 ) than predicted using common permeability reduction models, i.e., the harmonic average model and zero-permeability nanofiller model. The reduction of PO 2 was attributed to the presence of spherulite crystal structures, as revealed by atomic force microscopy combined with infrared spectroscopy (AFM-IR). The LLDPE matrix exhibited significant spherulite formation even at a relatively low addition of HDPEs, which likely formed tortuous pathways for diffusing oxygen molecules. Transport results from melt-pressed films contrast with the results from films with similar compositions prepared by film blowing, which did not show barrier enhancement beyond expectation. AFM-IR revealed that the blown films lacked spherulite crystals likely due to stretching in the machine direction followed by rapid cooling. These findings demonstrate the role of processing in controlling microstructures and thus the oxygen barrier performance. This work offers the possibility of achieving easily recyclable LLDPE-based packaging materials by simple blending of polyethylenes with different crystalline content.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2026

Comparison of the Effects of Bipolar Membrane Preparation Conditions on the Mechanical Durability and Electrochemical Performance for Electrodialysis Applications

Bipolar membranes (BPMs) are enabling materials for electrochemical conversion technologies such as water electrolysis, fuel cells, CO 2 electrolysis, and electrodialysis (ED) for direct air/ocean capture of CO 2 . However, current BPM durability can suffer from chemical, mechanical, and performance degradation when operated at high current density (ion flux) and physical scale. Therefore, this limits its adoption in a wider applications space. BPMs have several known degradation mechanisms, including chemical breakdown of ion-exchange polymers, loss of junction adhesion, or physical breakdown due to shearing force and pressure swings in an electrodialysis cell. To assess the electrochemical stability and mechanical durability of BPMs under operational conditions, we investigated how fabrication conditions (including preconditioning, hot-pressing temperature and pressure, and catalyst loading) impact the adhesion of custom-made BPMs. T-peel studies were performed ex situ to quantify adhesive forces of BPMs, and bipolar membrane electrodialysis (BPMED) experiments were performed to assess the electrochemical performance of the corresponding BPMs. The results of this systematic comparison indicate that hydration and heated pressing create improved adhesion during the fabrication of BPMs, and BPMED testing shows that these fabrication techniques are not detrimental to the electrochemical performance of the BPMs.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2024

Scalable Surface Micro-Texturing of LLZO Solid Electrolytes for Battery Applications

A challenge for lithium lanthanum zirconate (LLZO)-based solid-state batteries is to increase the critical current density (CCD) to enable high current cycling. A promising strategy is to modify the LLZO surface morphology to provide a larger contact area with the Li metal. Here, a surface-textured thin LLZO electrolyte was prepared through an easily scalable process. The texturing process is a simple pressing of green LLZO tapes between micro-textured substrates. A variety of textures can be produced, depending on the type of substrate, and texturing can be on either one side or both sides. For this work, after pressing and sintering, several micro-patterns are formed on thin LLZO (~118 μm thick). The properties of the various samples were characterized to investigate the impact of surface texturing, and the most promising ones were selected for electrochemical testing in symmetrical lithium cells and full cells. Li symmetric cells using a coarse ridge-textured LLZO exhibit ~2.5 times increased CCD compared to planar non-textured LLZO, and a solid-state full cell shows stable cycling and improved rate performance. Finally, we believe this process offers a favorable trade-off of processing complexity vs structural optimization to maximize CCD.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2014

High-Temperature Thermoelectric Properties of the Solid-Solution Zintl Phase Eu 11 Cd 6 Sb 12-x As x (x < 3)

Zintl phases are compounds that have shown promise for thermoelectric applications. The title solid–solution Zintl compounds were prepared from the elements as single crystals using a tin flux for compositions x = 0, 1, 2, and 3. Eu 11 Cd 6 Sb 12–x As x (x < 3) crystallize isostructurally in the centrosymmetric monoclinic space group C2/m (no. 12, Z = 2) as the Sr 11 Cd 6 Sb 12 structure type (Pearson symbol mC58). Efforts to make the As compositions for x exceeding ~3 resulted in structures other than the Sr 11 Cd 6 Sb 12 structure type. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction indicates that As does not randomly substitute for Sb in the structure but is site specific for each composition. The amount of As determined by structural refinement was verified by electron microprobe analysis. Electronic structures and energies calculated for various model structures of Eu 11 Cd 6 Sb 10 As 2 (x = 2) indicated that the preferred As substitution pattern involves a mixture of three of the six pnicogen sites in the asymmetric unit. In addition, As substitution at the Pn4 site opens an energy gap at the Fermi level, whereas substitution at the other five pnicogen sites remains semimetallic with a pseudo gap. Thermoelectric properties of these compounds were measured on hot-pressed, fully densified pellets. Samples show exceptionally low lattice thermal conductivities from room temperature to 775 K: 0.78–0.49 W/mK for x = 0; 0.72–0.53 W/mK for x = 1; and 0.70–0.56 W/mK for x = 2. Eu 11 Cd 6 Sb 12 shows a high p-type Seebeck coefficient (from +118 to 153 μ V/K) but also high electrical resistivity (6.8 to 12.8 mΩ·cm). The value of zT reaches 0.23 at 774 K. The properties of Eu 11 Cd 6 Sb 12–x As x are interpreted in discussion with the As site substitution.

Kazem, Nasrin↗
DOE OSTI2024

Electrical Conductivity and Sound Velocities of Talc Under High Pressure and High Temperature Conditions and Application to the Subducting Cocos Plate

Talc is expected to be an important water carrier in Earth's upper mantle, and understanding its electrical and seismic properties under high pressure and temperature conditions is required to detect possible talc-rich regions in subduction zones imaged using geophysical observations. Here, we conducted acoustic and electrical experiments on natural talc aggregates at relevant pressure-temperature conditions. Compressional wave velocity (V p ) was measured using ultrasonic interferometry in a Paris-Edinburgh press at pressures up to 3.4 GPa and temperatures up to 873 K. Similar Vp values are obtained regardless of the initial crystallographic preferred orientation of the samples, which can be explained by talc grain reorientation during the experiment, with the (001) plane becoming perpendicular to the uniaxial compression axis. Electrical conductivity of the same starting material was determined using impedance spectroscopy in a multi-anvil press up to 6 GPa and 1263 K. Two conductivity jumps are observed, at ∼860–1025 K and ∼940–1080 K, depending on pressure, and interpreted as talc dehydroxylation and decomposition, respectively. Electrical anisotropy is observed at low temperature and decreases with increasing pressure (∼10 at 1.5 GPa and ∼2 at 3.5 GPa). Comparison of acoustic and electrical results with geophysical observations in central Mexico supports the presence of a talc-bearing layer atop the subducted Cocos plate.

Cocos plate↗
DOE OSTI2017

Long-term nitrogen addition affects the phylogenetic turnover of soil microbial community responding to moisture pulse

How press disturbance (long-term) influences the phylogenetic turnover of soil microbial communities responding to pulse disturbances (short-term) is not fully known. Understanding the complex connections between the history of environmental conditions, assembly processes and microbial community dynamics is necessary to predict microbial response to perturbation. Here, we started by investigating phylogenetic spatial turnover (based on DNA) of soil prokaryotic communities after long-term nitrogen (N) deposition and temporal turnover (based on RNA) of communities responding to pulse by conducting short-term rewetting experiments. The results showed that moderate N addition increased ecological stochasticity and phylogenetic diversity. In contrast, high N addition slightly increased homogeneous selection and decreased phylogenetic diversity. Examining the system with higher phylogenetic resolution revealed a moderate contribution of variable selection across the whole N gradient. The moisture pulse experiment showed that high N soils had higher rates of phylogenetic turnover across short phylogenetic distances and significant changes in community compositions through time. Long-term N input history influenced spatial turnover of microbial communities, but the dominant community assembly mechanisms differed across different N deposition gradients. We further revealed an interaction between press and pulse disturbances whereby deterministic processes were particularly important following pulse disturbances in high N soils.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2016

Flash (Ultra-Rapid) Spark-Plasma Sintering of Silicon Carbide

A new ultra-rapid process of flash spark plasma sintering is developed. The idea of flash spark plasma sintering (or flash hot pressing - FHP) stems from the conducted theoretical analysis of the role of thermal runaway phenomena for material processing by flash sintering. The major purpose of the present study is to theoretically analyze the thermal runaway nature of flash sintering and to experimentally address the challenge of uncontrollable thermal conditions by the stabilization of the flash sintering process through the application of the external pressure. The effectiveness of the developed FHP technique is demonstrated by the few seconds–long consolidation of SiC powder in an industrial spark plasma sintering device. Specially designed sacrificial dies heat the pre-compacted SiC powder specimens to a critical temperature before applying any voltage to the powder volume and allowing the electrode-punches of the SPS device setup to contact the specimens and pass electric current through them under elevated temperatures. The experimental results demonstrate that flash sintering phenomena can be realized using conventional SPS devices. The usage of hybrid heating SPS devices is pointed out as the mainstream direction for the future studies and utilization of the new flash hot pressing (ultra-rapid spark plasma sintering) technique.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2013

Understanding of the contact of nanostructured thermoelectric n-type Bi 2 Te 2.7 Se 0.3 legs for power generation applications

Traditional processes of making contacts (metallization layer) onto bulk crystalline Bi 2 Te 3 -based materials do not work for nanostructured thermoelectric materials either because of weak bonding strength or an unstable contact interface at temperatures higher than 200 °C. Hot pressing of nickel contact onto nanostructured thermoelectric legs in a one-step process leads to strong bonding. However, such a process results in large contact resistance in n-type Ni/Bi 2 Te 2.7 Se 0.3 /Ni legs, although not in p-type Ni/Bi 0.4 Sb 1.6 Te 3 /Ni legs. A systematic study was carried out here to investigate the detailed reaction and diffusion at the interface of the nickel layer and n-type Bi 2 Te 3 -based thermoelectric material layer. We found that a p-type region formed within the n-type Bi 2 Te 2.7 Se 0.3 during hot pressing due to Te deficiency and Ni doping, leading to a large contact resistance.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2014

Low lattice thermal conductivity in Pb 5 Bi 6 Se 14 , Pb 3 Bi 2 S 6 , and PbBi 2 S 4 : promising thermoelectric materials in the cannizzarite, lillianite, and galenobismuthite homologous series

The thermoelectric properties of Pb5Bi6Se14, a member of the cannizzarite homologous series; Pb3Bi2S6, a member of the lillianite homologous series; and PbBi2S4, a member of the galenobismuthite homologous series were investigated over the temperature range of 300 K to 723 K. The samples were synthesized by a solid state reaction of the binary precursors PbQ and Bi(2)Q(3) (Q = S and Se) in evacuated and sealed quartz tubes, followed by pulsed electric current sintering. The crystal structure of Pb5Bi6Se14 consists of alternating two-dimensional infinite layers of PbSe and Bi2Se3. In the Pb5Bi6Se14 sintered compacts, the ab-plane was preferentially oriented perpendicular to the pressing direction, resulting in highly anisotropic electrical and thermal transport properties. The crystal structure of Pb3Bi2S6 is formed by stacking NaCl-type (Pb/Bi) S layers with a mirror as twinning operation, while that of PbBi2S4 consists of the NaCl-type and Bi2S3-type strips (broken layers) of finite widths. The crystal grains of Pb3Bi2S6 and PbBi2S4 were grown randomly, leading to nearly isotropic electrical and thermal transport properties in the sintered compacts. For all the samples, an n-type degenerate semiconductor-like behavior was found, providing a notable thermoelectric power factor of similar to 3.0 mu W K-2 cm(-1) at 705 K for Pb5Bi6Se14, similar to 2.4 mu W K-2 cm(-1) at 715 K for Pb3Bi2S6, and similar to 2.6 mu W K-2 cm(-1) at 515 K for PbBi2S4 in a direction perpendicular to the pressing direction. Moreover, these materials exhibited effective phonon scattering, presumably at the interfaces between the layers, leading to extremely low lattice thermal conductivity in the range of 0.29 W K-1 m(-1) to 0.80 W K-1 m(-1) over the temperature range of 300 K to 723 K. The highest ZT of similar to 0.46 at 705 K was observed in Pb5Bi6Se14 for the ab-plane direction.

Ohta, Michihiro↗
DOE OSTI2013

An apparatus for studying scintillator properties at high isostatic pressures

We describe the design and operation of a unique hydraulic press for the study of scintillator materials under isostatic pressure. This press, capable of developing a pressure of a gigapascal, consists of a large sample chamber pressurized by a two-stage hydraulic amplifier. The optical detection of the scintillation light emitted by the sample is performed, through a large aperture optical port, by a photodetector located outside the pressure vessel. In addition to providing essential pressure-dependent studies on the emission characteristics of radioluminescent materials, this apparatus is being developed to elucidate the mechanisms behind the recently observed dependency of light-yield nonproportionality on electronic band structure. The variation of the light output of a Tl:CsI crystal under 511-keV gamma excitation and hydrostatic pressure is given as an example.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2015

Stress-directed compositional patterning of SiGe substrates for lateral quantum barrier manipulation

While vertical stacking of quantum well and dot structures is well established in heteroepitaxial semiconductor materials, manipulation of quantum barriers in the lateral directions poses a significant engineering challenge. Here, we demonstrate lateral quantum barrier manipulation in a crystalline SiGe alloy using structured mechanical fields to drive compositional redistribution. To apply stress, we make use of a nano-indenter array that is pressed against a Si{sub 0.8}Ge{sub 0.2} wafer in a custom-made mechanical press. The entire assembly is then annealed at high temperatures, during which the larger Ge atoms are selectively driven away from areas of compressive stress. Compositional analysis of the SiGe substrates reveals that this approach leads to a transfer of the indenter array pattern to the near-surface elemental composition, resulting in near 100% Si regions underneath each indenter that are separated from each other by the surrounding Si{sub 0.8}Ge{sub 0.2} bulk. The “stress transfer” process is studied in detail using multiscale computer simulations that demonstrate its robustness across a wide range of applied stresses and annealing temperatures. While the “Si nanodot” structures formed here are not intrinsically useful as quantum structures, it is anticipated that the stress transfer process may be modified by judicious control of the SiGe film thickness and indenter array pattern to form more technologically useful structures.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2016

Interfacial reactions and wetting in Al-Mg sintered by powder metallurgy process

Was conducted to analyze the effect of temperature variation on the bonding interface sintered composite Al-Mg and analyze the effect of variations of the density and hardness sinter. Research carried out by the base material powders of Al, Mg powder and solvent n-butanol. The method used in this study is a powder metallurgy, with a composition of 60% volume fraction of Al - 40% Mg. Al-Mg mixing with n-butanol for 1 hour at 500 rpm. Then the emphasis (cold comression) with a size of 1.4 cm in diameter dies and height of 2.8 cm, is pressed with a force of 20 MPa and held for 15 minutes. After the sample into pellets, then sintered at various temperatures 300 °C, 350 °C, 400 °C and 450 °C. Characterization is done by using the testing green density, sintered density, X-ray diffraction (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), vickers microhardness, and press test. XRD data analysis done by using X’Pert High Score Plus (HSP) to determine whether there is a new phase is formed. Test results show that the sintered density increasing sintering temperature, the resulting density is also increasing (shrinkage). However, at a temperature of 450 °C decreased (swelling). With the increased sinter density, interfacial bonding getting Kuta and more compact so that its hardness is also increased. From the test results of SEM / EDX, there Mg into Al in the border area. At temperatures of 300 °C, 350 °C, 400 °C, the phase formed is Al, Mg and MgO. While phase is formed at a temperature of 450 °C is aluminum magnesium (Al{sub 3}Mg{sub 2}), Aluminum Magnesium Zinc (AlMg{sub 2}Zn).

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2022

Shock initiation of low density polymer bonded explosive LX-14: A study of two morphologies

A series of six shock initiation experiments have been carried out on low density LX-14 powder in order to simulate a shock insult on the heavily damage polymer bonded explosive, LX-14. Two distinct morphologies were studied (tap density molding powder and machined swarf), both at the same density of 0.942 g/cm 3 , or 50.1% theoretical maximum density. The purpose of these experiments was to provide data to help make an assessment of the effects that damage has on the material sensitivity to a planar shock. This was achieved primarily by providing shock sensitivity data in the form of a Pop plot, and also reactants equation of state data, which aids in the determination of input conditions for both the experiments performed in this work and also future experiments of this material type. The experiments were of a cut-back format, consisting of four sample heights on each shot and diagnosed with optical velocimetry. The experiments were carried out at the Technical Area 40 Chamber 9 gas gun facility at the Los Alamos National Laboratory, where the LX-14 targets were subjected to Al 6061 and Oxygen Free High Conductivity copper impactors launched to velocities up to 2.14 km/s. Time corrected reactive growth wave profiles are presented in this paper along with the derivation of the following Hugoniot parameters for this explosive, where the molding powder and machine swarf are represented by the following linear equations, respectively, U s = 1.64 (±0.64)u p + 2.25 (±0.49) and U s = 0.87 (±.0.60)u p + 4.08 (±0.49). The results show that the steady increase in shock sensitivity with increasing void fraction reaches an inflection point beyond which the shock sensitivity begins to decease. This inflection point lies between 65% and 50% of the theoretical maximum density of the LX-14. In both cases, the damaged LX-14 was not as sensitive as expected, with a relative shock sensitivity of the molding powder being less than the pressed LX-14, and the machined swarf having a shock sensitivity that is comparable to pressed LX-14.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2018

Processes of interaction of laser radiation with porous transparent materials during their ablation

The effect of ytterbium fibre laser radiation with λ = 1.07 μm on the pressed micropowders of transparent oxides and fluorides (CaF{sub 2}, Y{sub 2}O{sub 3}, Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}, YSZ, etc.) having low absorption coefficients is theoretically studied. Using the numerical modelling, it is established that the radiation scattering in the medium of particles 0.5 – 4.6 μm in diameter leads to the concentration of radiation in the local regions of the medium, with the intensity level exceeding the intensity of the incident radiation (0.46 MW cm{sup −2}) by many times. It is shown that with the growth of the refractive index n of the material from 1.38 (MgF{sub 2}) to 2.12 (YSZ) the intensity of radiation in the region of the strongest local maximum increases from 3.8 to 31 MW cm{sup −2}. In our opinion, this factor can be dominant in determining the possibility of achieving the ablation of such a medium by means of the radiation having an intensity of no greater than 1 MW cm{sup −2}. This hypothesis is experimentally checked by the example of preparing a nanopowder of CaF{sub 2} (n = 1.43) and 1 % Nd : Y{sub 2}O{sub 3} (n = 1.91) by evaporating the pressed target with the porosity 50 % by the continuous-wave radiation of the ytterbium fibre laser with the power 600 W and the intensity 0.4 MW cm{sup −2}. Inside the CaF{sub 2} target, the scattered radiation intensity is smaller than the optical breakdown threshold, and the target is not evaporated. Under the same conditions, the target made of higher-melting 1 % Nd : Y{sub 2}O{sub 3} evaporates well, and the efficiency of the nanopowder production amounts to 23 g h{sup −1}. (interaction of laser radiation with matter)

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗