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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 937 records · Page 52
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2026

Design and Commissioning of a Deuterium-Tritium Gas Delivery System for Muon Catalyzed Fusion in a Diamond Anvil Cell

We report the design, commissioning, and operation of deuterium-deuterium (DD) and deuterium-tritium (DT) gas delivery systems developed to load a diamond anvil cell (DAC) beam target for muon-catalyzed fusion (muCF). The DAC approach enables DT fuel to be compressed to GPa pressures at more than twice the liquid density and heated from cryogenic temperatures through 500 K, opening access to a substantially expanded parameter range for muCF kinetics and yield measurements. In this approach, DT is cryo-condensed to a liquid in a minichamber and then compressed in the DAC using a helium-driven pneumatic membrane, achieving high pressures in a millimeter-scale DT sample volume. A DD gas delivery system was designed and used to validate the experimental apparatus, measure the gas quantities needed for filling, develop operational experience, and collect kinetics and yield data with DD targets. The DT gas delivery system adds tritium-specific capabilities for inventory minimization, secondary containment, and activity monitoring. The DT system integrates depleted uranium storage beds and a liquid helium cryogenic condenser used for pressure building and cryopumping. High-purity delivery is provided by a rapid-response palladium permeator. The system is housed in a helium-atmosphere glovebox held at negative pressure with continuous cleanup. We present the process and instrumentation design, a failure modes and effects analysis (FMEA), and data from the experiment's in situ Raman spectrometer, which provides direct confirmation of target loading and composition through the optically clear diamond anvils. The 2024 and 2025 DT campaigns achieved repeatable target fills and operation with no measurable tritium releases to the stack, demonstrating safe, high-purity DT loading at novel density-temperature conditions for muCF studies.

Koukina, Elena [Acceleron Fusion]↗
DOE OSTI2024

Optical tuning of the diamond Fermi level measured by correlated scanning probe microscopy and quantum defect spectroscopy

Quantum technologies based on quantum point defects in crystals require control over the defect charge state. Here we tune the charge state of shallow nitrogen-vacancy and silicon-vacancy centers by locally oxidizing a hydrogenated surface with moderate optical excitation and simultaneous spectral monitoring. The loss of conductivity and change in work function due to oxidation are measured in atmosphere using conductive atomic force microscopy and Kelvin probe force microscopy (KPFM). We correlate these scanning probe measurements with optical spectroscopy of the nitrogen-vacancy and silicon-vacancy centers created via implantation 15–25 nm beneath the diamond surface and annealing. The observed charge state of the defects as a function of optical exposure demonstrates that laser oxidation provides a way to precisely tune the Fermi level over a range of at least 2.00 eV. We also observe a significantly larger oxidation rate for implanted surfaces compared to unimplanted surfaces under ambient conditions. Here, combined with knowledge of the electron affinity of a surface, these results suggest KPFM is a powerful, high-spatial-resolution technique to advance surface Fermi level engineering for charge stabilization of quantum defects.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2015

Does the Use of Diamond-Like Carbon Coating and Organophosphate Lubricant Additive Together Cause Excessive Tribochemical Material Removal?

We observe unexpected wear increase on a steel surface that rubbed against diamond-like carbon (DLC) coatings only when lubricated by phosphate-based antiwear additives. Contrary to the literature hypothesis of a competition between zinc dialkyldithiophosphate produced tribofilms and DLC-induced carbon transfer, here a new wear mechanism based on carbon-catalyzed tribochemical interactions supported by surface characterization is proposed

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2022

Pressure-Dependent Thermal Expansion Coefficient by a Diamond Anvil Cell

A thermal expansion coefficient (αp) is an essential thermophysical quantity for high-pressure research. The thermal expansion coefficient is the volume change over the temperature in an isobaric heating process. Although isobaric heating processes for diamond anvil cell (DAC) have been conducted by keeping the pressure constant during heating, pressure determination at high-temperature high pressure is debatable for decades long. In this paper, a revertible heating/cooling approach is presented, while its pressure determination at high-temperature high pressure is not required. We report a pressure-dependent thermal expansion coefficient of MgO at 9.5 GPa by reversible heating/cooling was determined by a DAC and its result matches the one collected by a large volume press, whose isobaric heating was conducted by manually adjusting its load/pressure.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2018

Effect of Core Electrons in Defining the Total Energy, Correlation Energy, and Binding Energy of Graphene, Graphite, and Diamond: a First-Principles Study

Effects of core electrons on total energy, correlation energy, and binding energy of graphene, graphite, and diamond have been investigated along with density functional theory (DFT) calculations at the PBE level of theory using all electron and frozen-core calculations. For these calculations, correlation-consistent basis sets cc-pVXZ and cc-pCVXZ have been used where X is the cardinal number that represents the maximum angular momentum number in the basis set. By taking the difference between all electron and frozen-core calculations, core-electron binding energy contribution for each basis set has been obtained. It has been shown that to reduce the effects of core electrons, large basis sets should be used.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2019

Color Centers in Diamond as Novel Probes of Superconductivity

Magnetic imaging using color centers in diamond through both scanning and wide-field methods offers a combination of unique capabilities for studying superconductivity, for example, enabling accurate vector magnetometry at high temperature or high pressure, with spatial resolution down to the nanometer scale. The paper briefly reviews various experimental modalities in this rapidly developing nascent field and provides an outlook towards possible future directions.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2020

Perfect quantum state transfer on diamond fractal graphs

In the quest for designing novel protocols for quantum information and quantum computation, an important goal is to achieve perfect quantum state transfer for systems beyond the well-known one- dimensional cases, such as 1D spin chains. Here, we use methods from fractal analysis and probability to find a new class of quantum spin chains on fractal-like graphs (known as diamond fractals) which support perfect quantum state transfer and which have a wide range of different Hausdorff and spectral dimensions. The resulting systems are spin networks combining Dyson hierarchical model structure with transverse permutation symmetries of varying order.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗
DOE OSTI2019

Structure and Anticorrosion, Friction, and Wear Characteristics of Pure Diamond-Like Carbon (DLC), Cr-DLC, and Cr-H-DLC Films on AZ91D Mg Alloy

This study evaluated the protection against corrosion and wear afforded to AZ91D Mg alloy by coatings of hydrogen-free and low-Cr-doped hydrogenated diamond-like carbon (DLC) films. The microstructure and corrosion resistance were evaluated using scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, polarization curves, and neutral salt spraying tests. Wear tests were performed to investigate the friction and wear behaviors of the samples against 9Cr18 in humid air, deionized water, and 3.5 wt.% NaCl solution using a reciprocating sliding test in the ball-on-disk mode. The results showed that the more compact Cr-H-DLC film improved the corrosion resistance of the Mg alloy, whereas the Cr-DLC film accelerated the corrosion in the 3.5 wt.% NaCl solution. All Mg alloy samples coated with DLC films exhibited low coefficient of friction (COF) values and smaller wear volumes compared with those of bare substrate in air, water, or NaCl solution. The Cr-DLC film presented the lowest COF and wear rate in air, but the worst corrosion protection in air and NaCl solution, whereas the converse was found for the Cr-H-DLC film. Unfortunately, all coated samples showed limited protection ability because of pore defects in the films, high galvanic potential between the substrate and the buffer layer or film, and high electrical conductivity, which caused severe tribocorrosion of the Mg alloy during the wear tests in NaCl solution. The corrosion protection ability of DLC films is key to the wear resistance protection of Mg alloys in water or NaCl solution.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2019

Correlation functions for a spin-(1/2) Ising-XYZ diamond chain: Further evidence for quasi-phases and pseudo-transitions

One-dimensional systems with short-range interactions cannot exhibit a long-range order at nonzero temperature. However, there are some particular one-dimensional models, such as the Ising–Heisenberg spin models with a variety of lattice geometries, which exhibit unexpected behavior similar to the discontinuous or continuous temperature-driven phase transition. Although these pseudo-transitions are not true temperature-driven transitions showing only abrupt changes or sharp peaks in thermodynamic quantities, they may be confused while interpreting experimental data. Here we consider the spin-(1/2) Ising-XYZ diamond chain in the regime when the model exhibits temperature-driven pseudo-transitions. We provide a detailed investigation of several correlation functions between distant spins that illustrates the properties of quasi-phases separated by pseudo-transitions. Inevitably, all correlation functions show the evidence of pseudo-transition, which are supported by the analytical solutions and, besides we provide a rigorous analytical investigation around the pseudo-critical temperature. It is worth to mention that the correlation functions between distant spins have an extremely large correlation length at pseudo-critical temperature.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2026

Nano zero valent iron electrodeposition at boron doped diamond electrodes

Here, in this study, we present an ecofriendly and simple electrochemical method for synthesizing nano zero-valent iron particles (nZVIs) directly on boron-doped diamond (BDD) electrode surfaces. A BDD electrode served as the substrate for electrodeposition using a 5 mM FeCl 3 /0.1 M KCl solution and chronoamperometry at an applied potential of −1.3 V versus Ag/AgCl (1 M KCl), as determined by cyclic voltammetry (CV) and supported by Pourbaix diagram analysis. The electrochemical behavior and surface modification were characterized using CV, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), and surface analysis and microscopy techniques. The results confirm that BDD electrodes can serve as effective platforms for a controlled deposition of 56 nm nZVIs, offering a promising strategy for the development of advanced materials for environmental remediation, catalysis, and sensing applications.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2023

Analysis of the High-Pressure High-Temperature (HPHT) growth of single crystal diamond

A multi-scale, computational model is developed to describe the growth characteristics of single-crystal diamond in the High-Pressure, High-Temperature (HPHT) process. This model is the first to connect phase-change kinetics governing crystal growth to the continuum transport of carbon through the growth cell. Results show the importance of convective transport driven by buoyant flow in the metallic solvent, which increases the growth rate by nearly an order of magnitude over that obtained under diffusion alone. Parametric studies show how crystal growth may be kinetically-limited or transport-limited, depending on the value of the macroscopic kinetic coefficient. Estimating this kinetic coefficient from growth experiments yields a phase-change Damköhler number of unity, indicating a mixed regime where phase-change kinetics and transport are comparable and strongly coupled in this system. Mechanisms responsible for slowing growth as the crystal size increases are explained. Finally, supersaturation inhomogeneities along the facets of larger crystals are predicted, which may be relevant to solvent inclusion formation during growth.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2018

3-Fold and 6-Fold interpenetrating diamond nets based on the designed N,N'-dioxide 3,3'-benzo(c)cinnoline dicarboxylic acid with highly sensitive luminscence sensing for NACs and Fe{sup 3+} ion

Highlights: • The conjugated N,N'-dioxide 3,3'-benzo(c)cinnoline dicarboxylic acid was designed firstly here. • Two 3D diamond nets with 3-fold and 6-fold interpenetrating structures were constructed. • Compounds 1 and 2 exhibit highly luminescence quenching to Fe{sup III} ions and nitrobenzene derivatives. ABSTRACTBased on the designed conjugated ligand of N,N'-dioxide 3,3'-benzo(c)cinnoline dicarboxylic acid (H{sub 2}DBCD) with the aid of d{sup 10}-metal cations and two ancillary bis(imidazole) bridges, two 3D coordination polymers, namely, {[Cd(DBCD)(1,3-bib)]·(H_2O)_2}{sub n} (1), {[Zn(DBCD)(1,4-bib)]·(H_2O)_2}{sub n} (2), were constructed here. Structural analyses show compounds 1 and 2 are 3-fold and 6-fold interpenetrating dia nets, respectively. Further luminscence studies suggested that the two CPs can selectively and sensitively detect Fe{sup 3+} cation in aqueous solution and nitrobenzene derivatives nitrobenzene (NB), p-nitrotoluene (PNT), p-nitroaniline (PNA) and p-nitrophenol (PNP) in DMF.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2018

A progressive electrochemical sensor for food quality control: Reliable determination of theobromine in chocolate products using a miniaturized boron-doped diamond electrode

In the present paper, a miniaturized boron-doped diamond electrode (BDDE) is proposed as a progressive electrochemical sensor for simple, fast and reliable quantification of dimethylxanthine alkaloid, theobromine (TB). Using cyclic voltammetry, the studied xanthine provided one well-shaped, irreversible and diffusion-controlled oxidation peak at relatively high potentials (+1.2 V vs. Ag/AgCl/3 M KCl reference electrode) in the presence of 0.1 M H2SO4. After selection of suitable experimental conditions, the linear calibration curves for TB were obtained in the concentration range from 0.99 up to 54.5 μM with the sensitivity of 0.07 μA/μM providing both differential pulse (DPV) and square-wave voltammetric (SWV) techniques, respectively. The elaborated voltammetric protocol yielded low detection limits of 0.42 and 0.51 μM accompanied by adequate intra-day repeatability (relative standard deviation of 2.5 and 1.7%) using DPV and SWV procedure, respectively. The interference study revealed the reasonable selectivity when taking the target food samples into account. The practical applicability of the voltammetric protocol using a miniaturized BDDE was verified in the analysis of six commercially available brands of chocolate products with the determined mass percentages of TB ranging from 0.75 to 2.24% and from 0.69 to 2.15% using DPV and SWV procedure, respectively. The obtained results were also in a good agreement with those achieved by reference titration method with potentiometric indication. The progressive electrochemical sensor based on a miniaturized BDDE has appeared to be an attractive candidate for practical applications in food quality control. Besides, the proposed voltammetric protocol presents advantages when compared to others techniques (e.g. chromatography), concerning simplicity, cost, speed of analysis, waste generation (environmentally friendly) and samples pretreatment (only dilution in electrolyte solution prior to analysis). © 2018 Elsevier B.V.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2018

Coupled strain-induced alpha to omega phase transformation and plastic flow in zirconium under high pressure torsion in a rotational diamond anvil cell

Strain-induced α → ω phase transformation (PT) in the zirconium (Zr) sample under compression and plastic shear in a rotational diamond anvil cell (RDAC) is investigated using the finite element method (FEM). The fields of the volume fraction of the ω phase, all components of the stress tensor, and plastic strain are presented. Before torsion, PT barely occurs. During torsion under a fixed applied force, PT initiates at the center of the sample, where the pressure first reaches the minimum pressure for strain-induced α → ω PT, p d ε , and propagates from the center to the periphery and from the symmetry plane to the contact surface. Salient increase of the shear friction stress and pressure at the center of a sample, so-called pressure self-multiplication effect observed experimentally for some other materials, is predicted here for Zr. It is caused by much higher yield strength of the phase in comparison with the phase. Except at the very center of a sample, the total contact friction stress is equal to the yield strength in shear of the mixture of phases and the plastic sliding occurs there. Due to the reduction in sample thickness and radial material flow during torsion, the ω phase can be observed in the region where pressure is lower than p d ε , which may lead to misinterpretation of the experimental data for p d ε . For the same applied force, torsion drastically promotes PT in comparison with the compression without torsion. However, the PT process in RDAC is far from optimal: (a) due to the pressure self-multiplication effect, the pressure in the transformed region is much higher than that required for PT; (b) the region in which PT occurs is limited by the pressure p d ε and cannot be expanded by increasing a shear under a fixed force; and (c) the significant reduction in thickness during torsion reduces the total mass of the high-pressure phase. These drawbacks can be overcome by placing a sample within a strong gasket with an optimized geometry. It is shown that, due to strong pressure heterogeneity, characterization of α → ω and α → β PTs based on the averaged pressure contains large errors. Furthermore, the obtained results, in addition to providing an improved understanding of the strain-induced PTs, may be beneficial for the optimum design of experiments and the extraction of material parameters, as well as optimization and control of PTs by varying the geometry and loading conditions.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2016

Rate dependence, polarization, and light sensitivity of neutron-irradiated scCVD diamond sensors

We study the dependence of the charge-collection-efficiency, or CCE, on the rate of charged particles impinging on neutron-irradiated single-crystal Chemical-Vapor-Deposition (scCVD) diamond sensors. These effects are not observed in un-irradiated high quality scCVD sensors. The rate dependence appears to be associated with the build-up of an electric field opposing the applied charge-collection field in the sensor. We find that exposure of the detector to red or near-IR light reverses this effect on the CCE during operation.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2021

Experimental and simulated heating in nanocrystalline diamond charge exchange injection films using an electron beam to mimic SNS conditions

Nanocrystalline diamond (NCD) foils have been in use at the Spallation Neutron Source as primary stripper foils for charge exchange injection since the machine’s inception. NCD’s low atomic number leads to reduced beam scattering while still being easy to handle, as opposed to even lighter elements. NCD foils also have the benefit of being free-standing, and rigid when grown under the right conditions to minimize residual stresses. This study overviews a method to mimic the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) beam and characterize thermally driven failure of NCD foils. To do this, a foil test stand was developed with in situ diagnostics that tracks signs of foil sublimation and thinning. The foil test stand’s electron beam is equated to the SNS beamline by comparing peak deposited energy densities for both beams. Post-mortem testing is also conducted to help elucidate changes the NCD foils undergo during exposure to the beam. Further, a COMSOL simulation was also developed as a method to assess potential future changes to the NCD film and predict how changes to beam conditions will effect foil temperatures. This method allows for examination of the NCD foil’s thermal limits and can be used to assess future changes to SNS stripper foils.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗