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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 991 records · Page 55
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2024

Intrinsic and environmental drivers of pairwise cohesion in wild Canis social groups

Animals within social groups respond to costs and benefits of sociality by adjusting the proportion of time they spend in close proximity to other individuals in the group (cohesion). Variation in cohesion between individuals, in turn, shapes important group-level processes such as subgroup formation and fission–fusion dynamics. Although critical to animal sociality, a comprehensive understanding of the factors influencing cohesion remains a gap in our knowledge of cooperative behavior in animals. We tracked 574 individuals from six species within the genus Canis in 15 countries on four continents with GPS telemetry to estimate the time that pairs of individuals within social groups spent in close proximity and test hypotheses regarding drivers of cohesion. Pairs of social canids (Canis spp.) varied widely in the proportion of time they spent together (5%–100%) during seasonal monitoring periods relative to both intrinsic characteristics and environmental conditions. The majority of our data came from three species of wolves (gray wolves, eastern wolves, and red wolves) and coyotes. For these species, cohesion within social groups was greatest between breeding pairs and varied seasonally as the nature of cooperative activities changed relative to annual life history patterns. Across species, wolves were more cohesive than coyotes. For wolves, pairs were less cohesive in larger groups, and when suitable, small prey was present reflecting the constraints of food resources and intragroup competition on social associations. Pair cohesion in wolves declined with increased anthropogenic modification of the landscape and greater climatic variability, underscoring challenges for conserving social top predators in a changing world. We show that pairwise cohesion in social groups varies strongly both within and across Canis species, as individuals respond to changing ecological context defined by resources, competition, and anthropogenic disturbance. Our work highlights that cohesion is a highly plastic component of animal sociality that holds significant promise for elucidating ecological and evolutionary mechanisms underlying cooperative behavior.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2026

Continuous Counter‐Current Microfluidic Liquid–Liquid Extraction Achieved Using a Pair of Wettable Screen Meshes

Continuous counter‐current microfluidic liquid–liquid extraction performs separations by flowing immiscible liquids in opposing directions within a single flow channel. In principle, this flow arrangement enables a large number of theoretical separation units in a small footprint, without using interstage valving, pumping, and phase separation. Despite its potential for excellent separation performance, this microfluidic scheme rarely appears in literature due to the requirement for capillary forces to be greater than hydrodynamic forces for stable flow. We present a novel microfluidic device and flow approaches that overcome this force‐balance challenge, enabling stable, long‐duration continuous counter‐current flow. Additionally, we cover a suite of methodologies for quantifying the performance of the microfluidic device, revealing the number of theoretical equilibrium stages achieved. The enabling technologies include a woven mesh screen‐based microfluidic device architecture that is easily fabricated outside of a clean room, surface functionalization strategies to promote conjugate (organic/aqueous) wettability, flow approaches to eliminate bubbles and carryover, and computer‐aided flow automation with optical measurement of extraction performance. The reported experiments lasted for over 36 h, terminated only at experiment conclusion, where the device still exhibited good performance. Automated Raman spectroscopy was used for solute quantitation of the ternary system tert‐butanol in a toluene/water matrix, a ternary system that was specifically chosen to analyze the device's performance with a small solute partition ratio and to enable in‐line Raman measurements of solute concentrations in both phases. The microfluidic device possessed a 55 mm contact length and a 38.5 µL internal volume. During counter‐current flow, we observed approximately 37 equilibrium stages (37 ± 13) based on a best‐fit of the solute fraction remaining in the aqueous phase using a Kremser Group Method analysis.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2025

Impact of Grazing Duration and Environment on Soil Carbon in Reclaimed Uranium Mines Tailings: A Region Specific Study

ABSTRACT Grassland ecosystems, which cover over one‐third of the Earth's land area, store 10%–30% of global soil carbon (C). However, these ecosystems face substantial impacts from human activities, including mining. This study investigates the spatial distribution of soil C and related environmental factors in reclaimed grasslands on former uranium mine sites in Wyoming. We hypothesized that grazing duration and environmental factors would influence soil C levels. Interactions between topography, vegetation diversity, soil properties, and soil C in the context of grazing management in both natural and reclaimed grasslands from a wide range of periods from 1 year to 100 years were analyzed using geographically weighted regression models. Data collected from 2022 to 2023 showed that total carbon was consistently higher in natural grasslands (1.2%–4.9%) than in reclaimed grasslands (0.8%–1.3%). Additionally, soil C was significantly higher in natural grasslands grazed for 1 year compared to those grazed for 100 years. In contrast, reclaimed grasslands had lower soil C in areas grazed for 1 year compared to those grazed for 7 or 14 years. The absolute values of coefficients from environmental covariates indicated that areas grazed for a shorter duration (~1 year) were more influenced by biotic and abiotic factors than areas grazed for longer periods (> 7 years). Our findings show moderate grazing increases the resiliency of grassland ecosystems when grazed 7 years or longer and acknowledge the roles of topographic, soil, and vegetative factors in enhancing soil C concentration and developing sustainable land management practices in rangeland conditions.

Shilpakar, Chandan [Department of Plant Sciences U↗
DOE OSTI2025

AWSD Reactive Burn Model for High Explosive LX‐14

ABSTRACT The results of an Arrhenius–Wescott–Stewart–Davis (AWSD) reactive flow calibration for the HMX‐based high explosive LX‐14 are presented. The parameters in the AWSD model are calibrated to experimental thermodynamic and gas gun data and to computational results from thermochemical calculations. There is no experimental rate stick data available for LX‐14; therefore, scaled experimental results from other PBX‐based high explosives are used in the calibration to fill this gap in data. Strong agreement is observed between the calibrated AWSD model and experimental data for LX‐14, including validation data that were not used in the calibration procedure. The developed model more accurately describes experimental shock‐to‐detonation results compared to several other reactive flow models for LX‐14 from the literature. The presented results illustrate that the AWSD model is capable of quantitatively describing the reactive burn of LX‐14.

45 MILITARY TECHNOLOGY, WEAPONRY, AND NATIONAL DEF↗
DOE OSTI2025

Detecting isolated resonance curves using fixed frequency voltage control tests

Isolated resonance curves, or isolas, are resonance branches of the harmonically forced system that exist separately from the main nonlinear forced response curve, leading to excessive vibrations. Traditional stepped or swept sine simulations and tests rely on continuation along the frequency parameter, typically resulting in a jump phenomenon along the primary resonance branch, prior to the disconnected isola. The main objective of this research is to propose an approach to identify isolated resonance curves by performing continuation along the input amplitude that initializes the response from a low-amplitude solution in the linear regime. Furthermore, this is achieved with the open-loop fixed frequency voltage control method that continues along the shaker voltage parameter and measures the so-called S-curves, which are theoretically a continuous solution branch that connect to the isola. The methodology is demonstrated on a fixture-wing-pylon assembly with a vibro-impact nonlinearity localized in a pylon subcomponent attachment. Multi-harmonic balance simulations are deployed to compute both the nonlinear forced response curves and S-curves to demonstrate the isola detection strategy on a reduced-order finite element model of the nonlinear system. Swept sine and fixed frequency voltage control tests are then conducted on the physical structure to demonstrate the isola detection experimentally, revealing the existence of the large amplitude vibrations that are undetected in the forces levels and frequencies measured with traditional frequency sweeping.

Characterization and Analytical Technique↗
DOE OSTI2025

A Robust Data-Driven Approach for Mechanical Serial Sectioning

Mechanical serial sectioning (MSS) provides detailed microstructural information across large length scales. By repeatedly removing thin layers of material and imaging the exposed surface, a 3D representation of a specimen’s internal structure can be constructed, enabling failure analysis and feature identification that are otherwise inaccessible via conventional 2D or nondestructive evaluation techniques. Achieving consistent and accurate material removal can be challenging due to system variability, requiring an experienced operator to manually adjust parameters, prolonging data collection times and necessitating post-processing routines to standardize the data. Here, to address these challenges, this paper presents the employment of a one-step model predictive control (MPC) framework tailored to a run-to-run (R2R) controller. The R2R-MPC controller automates the parameter selection process, improving the consistency of material removal through iterative feedback for disturbance rejection and accurate tracking of the target removal rate. Using a data-driven approach, the controller robustly adapts to changing material characteristics. The effectiveness of the R2R-MPC controller is demonstrated through simulation and experimental results and compared to previous data collection procedures.

3D Materials Science↗
DOE OSTI2025

Results of an interlaboratory study on the working curve in vat photopolymerization II: Towards a standardized method

The working curve measurement in photopolymer additive manufacturing is a ubiquitous measure of the cure depth of a printing resin as a function of radiant exposure of light. The fit parameters from this measurement (the depth of light penetration D p and the critical exposure E c ) are used to evaluate and report a resin’s printability, optimize processing parameters, and inform print and resin quality control. Despite its widespread use, the working curve lacks a standard measurement method. Here, following up on our paper “Results of an Interlaboratory Study on the Working Curve in Vat Photopolymerization” from last year, an interlaboratory study on the working curve was performed using calibrated, reproducible, bandpass filtered light sources. With these light sources, the variability between labs in measured working curves was dramatically reduced from the initial interlaboratory study. Aggregate data from this experiment produced reliable D p and E c measurements at 385 nm of 39.2 ± 3.7 µm and 12.3 ± 3.0 mJ cm −2 , respectively. At 405 nm the values of D p and E c are 69.3 ± 3.8 µm and 17.9 ± 2.3 mJ cm −2 , respectively. The results are agnostic to the thickness measurement tool utilized by participants, ensuring broad applicability across laboratories. We also tested the generalizability of the proposed method of using a filtered light source by filtering a commercial 405 nm light source and obtaining a working curve in agreement with the aggregate data from the interlaboratory study. This interlaboratory study provides a basis for a documentary standard for the working curve, so that the entire photopolymer additive manufacturing industry can share reproducible and interoperable working curve data.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2026

Innovations in underground hydrogen storage with multiphysics simulations, optimization, and monitoring: A review

Underground Hydrogen Storage (UHS) is a promising solution for large-scale energy storage and a critical component in advancing low-carbon energy system. Ensuring the safety and efficiency of UHS necessitates a comprehensive understanding of multiphysical interactions driven by cyclic pore fluid pressure fluctuations and coupled physicochemical processes. Here, this review examines the key geomechanical responses in UHS, including rock property variations under cyclic loading, fracture evolution and propagation, reservoir stress sensitivity, and fault stability. It also explores the impact of geochemical and microbial reactions on geomechanical characteristics. We provide an in-depth analysis of Thermal-Hydraulic-Mechanical-Chemical (THMC) coupled numerical simulations, highlighting their potential for future multi-scale modeling. Limitations of current machine learning (ML) approaches in addressing UHS challenges are highlighted, emphasizing the need for innovative ML-based methodologies. Operational strategies for hydrogen injection and production are reviewed, focusing on safety, efficiency, and economic viability. The necessity for multi-objective optimization (MOO) to balance storage efficiency, risk mitigation, and cost-effectiveness is also discussed. Current monitoring technologies are evaluated to ensure safe and efficient UHS operations. Finally, this review identifies critical knowledge gaps and underscores the importance of advancing geomechanical understanding under multiphysics-coupling. We highlight the need for ML-driven multiphysics theories, enhanced modeling techniques, and robust optimization strategies to improve UHS performance. This study serves as a comprehensive reference for future research and the large-scale implementation of UHS systems.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2025

In situ deformation of antigorite-olivine two-phase mixtures: Implications for dynamics and seismic anisotropy in the mantle wedge

Water released from hydrous minerals in subducting slabs reacts with the overlying plate, resulting in widespread serpentinization in the mantle wedge. Deformation of serpentinized peridotites has been invoked to explain forearc seismic anisotropy, yet studies of the mechanical properties and deformation behaviors of serpentine-bearing multiphase aggregates remain limited. Here we deformed olivine-antigorite mixtures containing 70, 50, and 20 vol.% of antigorite at 2.5 – 7.6 GPa, 673 K and strain rates of ∼10 –5 –10 –4 s –1 . Elasto-viscoplastic self-consistent simulations, constrained by synchrotron X-ray diffraction (XRD) data, were used to estimate lattice strain, stress–strain partitioning, crystallographic preferred orientations (CPO) development, and aggregate strength. Selected run products were also analyzed by electron backscatter diffraction for comparison with the CPO results obtained from XRD experiments. We found olivine transitions from A- or B-type to C-type when antigorite fraction drops to 20 vol.%, coinciding with a microstructural change from interconnected weak layers to a load-bearing framework (LBF). An additional run on a sample Atg50/Ol50 with preexisting microstructures suggested the formation of LBF was promoted by these microstructures, although the preexisting antigorite CPO has been overprinted at 20.8 % strain and could be erased completely by subsequent deformation in nature. Estimated viscosity of the two-phase mixtures suggests that low-degree serpentinization (≤20 %) in the mantle wedge may increase the strength of olivine-rich peridotite and hinder slab-mantle decoupling, whereas high-degree serpentinization (≥50–70 %) weakens the peridotite and favors decoupling if sufficient viscosity contrast (>10) develops. Seismic anisotropy shows a nonlinear dependence on antigorite fraction: antigorite CPO governs the anisotropy of the mixtures with ≥50 vol.% antigorite, whereas olivine CPO dominates at low fractions (∼20 vol.%). The presence of pre-existing microstructures reduces seismic anisotropy of the deformed mixtures, however the persistence of pre-existing CPO in actively subducting slabs remains uncertain, making their significance over geological timescales questionable.

Crystallographic preferred orientation↗
DOE OSTI2024

The solubility of La hydroxide and stability of La 3+ and La hydroxyl complexes at acidic to mildly acidic pH from 25 to 250 °C

The mobility of rare earth elements (REE) in natural hydrothermal systems can be assessed using geochemical modeling, which requires reliable thermodynamic data of relevant aqueous species. In this study, we evaluate the controls of pH and temperature on La speciation and the role of hydroxyl complexes in REE transport at hydrothermal conditions. Batch-type hydrothermal solubility experiments were conducted using synthetic La hydroxide powders equilibrated in perchloric acid-based aqueous solutions at temperatures between 150 and 250 °C and starting pH of 2 to 5. The La hydroxide solubility is retrograde with temperature and displays a strong pH dependence with a decrease in La concentrations from acidic to mildly acidic pH spanning between 3 and 5 orders of magnitude (e.g. log La molality of –2.5 to –7.2 at 250 °C). Thermodynamic optimizations using GEMSFITS allow to retrieve the standard partial molal Gibbs energies for the La 3+ aqua ion and the formation constants for the La hydroxyl species (i.e., LaOH 2+ , La(OH) 2 + , La(OH) 3 0 ) between 25 and 250 °C. A comparison between the experimentally derived thermodynamic properties with the calculated values from the Helgeson-Kirkham-Flowers equation of state parameters indicates an increased divergence with temperature. Discrepancies in standard partial molal Gibbs energies range between ~ 1 – 12 kJ/mol and result in a predicted La hydroxide solubility differing by up to 3 orders of magnitude at 250 °C. Speciation calculations indicate a higher stability of La 3+ and LaOH 2+ over the other La hydroxyl species in the studied pH range of 3.4 to 6. Here, the optimized thermodynamic properties for La aqueous species have important implications for modeling the solubility of REE minerals such as monazite and the mobility of REE in hydrothermal systems.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2026

Self-supervised and multi-fidelity learning for extended predictive soil spectroscopy

Infrared spectroscopy is a cost-effective, non-destructive, and environmentally benign technology that is increasingly recognized as an important solution for meeting the global demand for soil data. While both near-infrared (NIR) and mid-infrared (MIR) diffuse reflectance spectroscopy enable rapid estimation of soil properties, they present a significant trade-off: NIR offers superior scalability and lower operational costs, whereas MIR provides higher analytical fidelity by capturing fundamental molecular vibrations. In this study, we propose a self-supervised, multi-fidelity learning framework designed to bridge this gap. Our approach leverages large-scale MIR spectral libraries to learn a compact, transferable latent representation, into which NIR spectra are subsequently aligned for downstream prediction. The workflow consists of pretraining a latent model on a large MIR library, adapting the representation using a smaller paired NIR–MIR dataset, and evaluating generalization on an independent external test set. Across a range of chemical and physical soil properties, we found that MIR-derived embeddings improved prediction accuracy relative to baseline models that used raw MIR inputs. Predictions derived from the spectrum conversion (NIR to MIR) task did not match the performance of the original MIR spectra but were similar or superior to predictive performance of NIR-only models, suggesting the unified spectral latent space can effectively leverage the larger and more diverse MIR dataset for prediction of soil properties not well represented in current NIR libraries.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2025

A “Sweet” Biorefinery: Sugar-derived ionic liquids for the pretreatment of lignocellulosic biomass

Sugar-based ionic liquids (ILs) derived from biomass-based cations (choline, betaine) and sugar-derived anions were developed as sustainable pretreatment solvents to advance the concept of self-reliant biorefinery. Cholinium gluconate ([Ch][GlcA]) enabled streamlined one-pot sorghum pretreatment without the need for pH adjustment or washing, while betainium gluconate ([Bet][GlcA]) achieved higher sugar yields, improving overall process efficiency and economics. Both ILs produced hydrolysates fully compatible with microbial fermentation, demonstrating their potential for efficient, simplified biomass conversion. This work positions sugar-based ILs as powerful platforms that unite sustainable chemistry with integrated bioprocessing, marking a pivotal step toward realizing the self-reliant biorefinery.

Biomass-based ions↗
DOE OSTI2026

A comprehensive first-principles study of the effects of the exchange-correlation functional and magnetism on defect and diffusion properties of the CoCrNi medium-entropy alloy

The present work is a novel, systematic study of the effect of density functional theory input parameters on the vacancy formation energy (VFE), migration barrier for diffusion, and electronic structure for each element in the CoCrNi medium-entropy alloy (MEA). In particular, the novelties include: (1) calculating the aforementioned properties of Co, Cr, or Ni, in the CoCrNi MEA using magnetic and non-magnetic states, and two versions of the generalized gradient approximation: Perdew, Burke, and Ernzerhof (PBE) and the PBE version for solids (PBEsol), and (2) a detailed comparison of 0 K activation energy to experimental creep activation energies. First-principles calculations at 0 K are performed using the Vienna ab-initio simulation package. Special quasirandom structures (SQS) and Widom-type substitution are employed. For each element, Co, Cr, or Ni, non-magnetic calculations result in a higher VFE and larger range of calculated values for the configurations studied. The averaged migration barrier is the highest for Co in the CoCrNi for three of four sets of calculation parameters in the configurations studied. Finally, the results indicate that the average 0 K activation energy for diffusion makes up 70–80% of the experimental creep activation energy, depending on the exchange-correlation functional employed.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2026

Reliable statistics-based detection and investigation of anomalies in a SMART valve system

Reliable anomaly detection and diagnosis are critical for the safe operation of complex engineered systems. This study presents a unified framework that integrates statistical, model-based, and data-driven techniques for anomaly detection and investigation, demonstrated on SMART valve systems in hybrid energy applications. Four detection methods—mean deviation, seasonal extreme studentized deviate, ARIMA forecasting, and matrix profiling—were implemented and compared. Matrix profiling was particularly effective in revealing subtle deviations and hidden relationships among variables. Anomaly investigation was performed by analyzing variable-level and grouped signal profiles, with system topology incorporated to distinguish primary faults from propagated effects. Grouping signals by type enhanced interpretability, enabling accurate localization of anomalies across multi-dimensional datasets. Experimental results confirmed the framework's capability to consistently detect and isolate anomalies while providing actionable insights into system interdependencies. The proposed methodology offers a robust, interpretable, and scalable solution for condition monitoring, with potential applications in safety-critical domains such as nuclear energy, aerospace, and process industries.

ARIMA models↗
DOE OSTI2026

Unsupervised anomaly detection in MeV ultrafast electron diffraction

MeV ultrafast electron diffraction (MUED) is a pump-probe technique used to study the dynamic structural evolution of materials. An ultrashort laser pulse triggers structural changes, which are then probed by an ultrashort relativistic electron beam. To overcome low signal-to-noise ratios, diffraction patterns are averaged over thousands of shots. However, shot-to-shot instabilities in the electron beam can distort individual patterns, introducing uncertainty. Improving MUED accuracy requires detecting and removing these anomalous patterns from large datasets. In this work, we developed a fully unsupervised methodology for the detection of anomalous diffraction patterns. Using a convolutional autoencoder, we calculate the reconstruction mean squared error of the diffraction patterns. Based on the statistical analysis of this error, we provide the user an estimation of the probability that the pattern is normal, which also allows a posterior visual inspection of the images that are difficult to classify. This method has been trained with only 100 diffraction patterns and tested on 1521 patterns, resulting in a false positive rate between 0.2% and 0.4%, with a training time of 10 s per image and a test time of about 1 s per image. Here, the proposed methodology can also be applied to other diffraction techniques in which large datasets are collected that include faulty images due to instrumental instabilities.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗
DOE OSTI2026

The MUSE Target Chamber Post Veto

The Muon Scattering Experiment (MUSE) was developed to address the proton radius puzzle through simultaneous electron–proton and muon-proton scattering using the Paul Scherrer Institute’s πM1 secondary beamline. MUSE uses a large-solid-angle, non-magnetic spectrometer to detect beam particles scattering from a liquid hydrogen cell contained within a vacuum chamber. Due to the large scattering windows, the structural integrity of the chamber is supported by posts located at small scattering angles. While out of the acceptance, particles in the tails of the beam distribution can strike these posts, causing a significant trigger background. We describe the design and performance of the Target Chamber Post Veto (TCPV) detector installed inside the vacuum chamber to remove these background events at the trigger level.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2025

Thermal oxidation of nuclear graphite and pyrolytic carbon coatings

The oxidation of pyrolytic carbon (PyC) deposited via fluidized bed chemical vapor deposition was characterized and compared with that of standard nuclear-grade graphite. The materials were heated at 700 to 1000 °C in a thermogravimetric analysis system under 20% v/v O 2 flow, allowing for direct comparison of dynamic oxidative mass change in each material. Further, three different PyC samples fabricated under different conditions exhibited variation in total mass loss and mass loss rate, varying by as much as 709 mg/cm 2 in total mass loss and 14.2 (mg/cm 2 )/min in mass loss rate at a single temperature. These variations highlight the correlation between PyC microstructure/defect density and oxidation susceptibility. Additionally, changes in the microstructure and composition between PyC and graphite were characterized via scanning electron microscopy and correlated to the mass loss results. The results of this work have implications toward the safety of tristructural isotropic (TRISO) and other coated particle fuels, especially under off-normal conditions, given the limited information that exists about the oxidation behavior of PyC.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗