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At least 1,045 records · Page 58

Large-area nanostructured surfaces with tunable zeta potentials

Through a refined fabrication protocol based on block-copolymer self-assembly we synthesize nanostructured surfaces with conical nanopillars of different height (60, 120, and 200 nm) in hexagonal arrays with uniform spacing (~50 nm) over large areas (>cm 2 ). While the nanostructured surfaces fabricated on silicon substrates display superhydrophilic behavior, superhydrophobic properties are attained by coating with octadecyltrichlorosilane (OTS). Negative zeta potentials for all the studied surfaces are reported by electrokinetic flow measurements with aqueous KCl solutions at different concentrations (1 and 10 mM) and pH values between 4 and 8. While the surface nanostructure reduces the zeta potential magnitude, the hydrophobic OTS coating enhances it. Experimental results can be accounted for by a site-dissociation model for the surface charge density. The reported wetting properties and zeta potential tunability makes the studied surfaces particularly relevant for applications such as energy conversion and storage, membrane-based water treatment and molecular separation.

77 NANOSCIENCE AND NANOTECHNOLOGY↗

SECA Coal-Based Systems - FuelCell Energy, Inc.

The overall goal of this U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) sponsored project is the development of solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) cell and stack technology suitable for use in highly-efficient, economically-competitive central generation power plant facilities fueled by coal synthesis gas (syngas). This program incorporates the following supporting objectives: • Reduce SOFC-based electrical power generation system cost to $700 or less (2007 dollars) for a greater than 100 MW Integrated Gasification Fuel Cell (IGFC) power plant, exclusive of coal gasification and CO 2 separation subsystem costs. • Achieve an overall IGFC power plant efficiency of at least 50%, from coal (higher heating value or HHV) to AC power (exclusive of CO 2 compression power requirement). • Reduce the release of CO2 to the environment in an IGFC power plant to no more than 10% of the carbon in the syngas. • Increase SOFC stack reliability to achieve a design life of greater than 40,000 hours. At the inception of the project, the efforts were focused on research, design and testing of prototype planar SOFC power generators for stationary applications. FuelCell Energy, Inc. successfully completed the initial stage of the project by meeting the program metrics, culminating in delivery and testing of a 3 kW system at National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL). Subsequently, the project was re-aligned into a three phase effort with the main goal to develop SOFC technology for application in coal-fueled power plants with >90% carbon capture. Phase I of the Coal-based efforts focused on cell and stack size scale-up with concurrent enhancement of performance, life, cost, and manufacturing characteristics. Also in Phase I, design and analysis of the baseline (greater than 100 MW) power plant system—including concept identification, system definition, and cost analysis—was conducted. Phase II efforts focused on development of a ≥25 kW SOFC stack tower incorporating multiple stack building blocks of scaled-up cells, suitable for integration into a large-scale fuel cell power module. Activities in Phase II also included the development of the baseline system, factory cost estimate for the baseline plant’s power block, and conceptual design of a natural gas fueled sub-MW system to be used for testing and verification of the fuel cell stacks in a system environment. The specific objective for Phase III was the validation of the performance and robustness of stacks and scaled stack arrays suitable for use in large-scale power generation systems such as an IGFC with reliable, fail-safe operation being of paramount importance. The work culminated in the verification tests of a 60 kW SOFC stack module in a power plant facility. This final technical report summarizes the progress made during the project period. Significant progress was made in the areas of cell and stack technology development, stack module design, sub-scale module tests, Baseline Power Plant system development and Proof-of- Concept Module unit design. The development of this technology will significantly advance the nation’s energy security and independence interests while simultaneously addressing environmental concerns, including greenhouse gas emissions and water usage.

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT↗

Evaluation of Matrix9 silicon photomultiplier array for small-animal PET

Purpose: The MatrixSL-9-30035-OEM (Matrix9) from SensL is a large-area silicon photomultiplier (SiPM) photodetector module consisting of a 3 × 3 array of 4 × 4 element SiPM arrays (total of 144 SiPM pixels) and incorporates SensL’s front-end electronics board and coincidence board. Each SiPM pixel measures 3.16 × 3.16 mm{sup 2} and the total size of the detector head is 47.8 × 46.3 mm{sup 2}. Using 8 × 8 polished LSO/LYSO arrays (pitch 1.5 mm) the performance of this detector system (SiPM array and readout electronics) was evaluated with a view for its eventual use in small-animal positron emission tomography (PET). Methods: Measurements of noise, signal, signal-to-noise ratio, energy resolution, flood histogram quality, timing resolution, and array trigger error were obtained at different bias voltages (28.0–32.5 V in 0.5 V intervals) and at different temperatures (5 °C–25 °C in 5 °C degree steps) to find the optimal operating conditions. Results: The best measured signal-to-noise ratio and flood histogram quality for 511 keV gamma photons were obtained at a bias voltage of 30.0 V and a temperature of 5 °C. The energy resolution and timing resolution under these conditions were 14.2% ± 0.1% and 4.2 ± 0.1 ns, respectively. The flood histograms show that all the crystals in the 1.5 mm pitch LSO array can be clearly identified and that smaller crystal pitches can also be resolved. Flood histogram quality was also calculated using different center of gravity based positioning algorithms. Improved and more robust results were achieved using the local 9 pixels for positioning along with an energy offset calibration. To evaluate the front-end detector readout, and multiplexing efficiency, an array trigger error metric is introduced and measured at different lower energy thresholds. Using a lower energy threshold greater than 150 keV effectively eliminates any mispositioning between SiPM arrays. Conclusions: In summary, the Matrix9 detector system can resolve high-resolution scintillator arrays common in small-animal PET with adequate energy resolution and timing resolution over a large detector area. The modular design of the Matrix9 detector allows it to be used as a building block for simple, low channel-count, yet high performance, small animal PET or PET/MRI systems.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

Improvement in PV Plant LCOE from Convection Heat Transfer Changes from Altered Plant Layout

Heat transfer modeling that accounts for how convective cooling changes with PV array layout has been found to improve system LCOE in certain climates conditions. Analysis of fixed tilt systems performed using the System Advisor Model reveals that reducing system ground coverage ratio from 0.46 to 0.35 can lead to as much as a 1.7% increase in module annual energy output in Phoenix. Depending on climate conditions, these energy increases due to changing convective cooling flow can lead to LCOE improvements for systems with increased row spacing despite the increased wiring and land costs associated with increased module row spacing. While the energy gain from decreasing system ground coverage ratio can be largely attributed to increased plane of array irradiance, the convection cooling considerations presented here can have a non-negligible impact on PV power plant energy output and economic viability depending on climate conditions and array spacing parameters.

heat transfer↗

Northern Sky Galactic Cosmic Ray Anisotropy between 10 and 1000 TeV with the Tibet Air Shower Array

We report on the analysis of the 10–1000 TeV large-scale sidereal anisotropy of Galactic cosmic rays (GCRs) with the data collected by the Tibet Air Shower Array from 1995 October to 2010 February. In this analysis, we improve the energy estimate and extend the decl. range down to −30°. We find that the anisotropy maps above 100 TeV are distinct from that at a multi-TeV band. The so-called tail-in and loss-cone features identified at low energies get less significant, and a new component appears at ∼100 TeV. The spatial distribution of the GCR intensity with an excess (7.2 σ pre-trial, 5.2 σ post-trial) and a deficit (−5.8 σ pre-trial) are observed in the 300 TeV anisotropy map, in close agreement with IceCube’s results at 400 TeV. Combining the Tibet results in the northern sky with IceCube’s results in the southern sky, we establish a full-sky picture of the anisotropy in hundreds of TeV band. We further find that the amplitude of the first order anisotropy increases sharply above ∼100 TeV, indicating a new component of the anisotropy. All these results may shed new light on understanding the origin and propagation of GCRs.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Highly Uniform Resistive Switching in HfO 2 Films Embedded with Ordered Metal Nanoisland Arrays

Memristors enter a critical developmental stage where emerging large-scale integration methods face major challenges with severe switching instabilities in the oxide layer. In this work, the superior uniformity is achieved within HfO 2 films by embedding highly ordered metal nanoisland (NI) arrays. Embedded films exhibit a significant reduction in both SET and RESET while displaying enhanced uniformity in operating voltages and resistance states. This behavior is attributed to the concentration of electric fields along Pt and Ti NIs and their interactions with the surrounding oxide film matrix environment, which induce separate and distinct filamentary formation mechanisms that affect the stability. A method is reported to further optimize the uniformity of the SET voltage by translating the NI array position down the film-thickness dimension towards the bottom electrode. A comparison of the density and distribution of the oxygen vacancies responsible for the formation/dissolution of conducting filaments is made via combined electrostatic force microscopy and conductive atomic force microscopy (c-AFM) studies. Finally, complete observation of the morphological evolution of conducting filaments produced by Pt and Ti is enabled by 3D c-AFM nanotomography and cross-sectional scanning transmission electron microscopy–energy dispersive spectroscopy to provide direct correlations between NI-oxide interactions and overall switching performance.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Structural, optical and gas sensing properties of vertically well-aligned ZnO nanowires grown on graphene/Si substrate by thermal evaporation method

Highlights: • Vertically well-aligned ZnO NW arrays with high aspect ratio and extremely large-surface-volume ratio were synthesized on graphene/Si substrate without the aid of metal catalyst by a simple thermal evaporation. • The gas sensor based on the vertical ZnO NW arrays-graphene structure exhibited high sensitivity and rapid response/recovery characteristics to NO{sub 2} gas at 200oC, and could be used to detect NO{sub 2} gas at very low levels (2, 6, 10 ppm). • The excellent sensing performance is mainly because of the large specific surface area and the presence of oxygen-vacancies at the surface of ZnO NWs, together with the creation of p-n heterojunctions between n-type ZnO NW and p-type graphene. • The common defects and optical properties of the ZnO NW arrays-graphene structure were studied in detail. • The possible growth mechanism of vertically well-aligned ZnO NWs on graphene and the gas-sensing mechanism of sensors were proposed. - Abstract: We report catalyst-free vertical growth of high-density ZnO nanowire (NW) arrays on Si substrate with a graphene buffer layer by thermal evaporation method. Structural, surface morphology, chemical composition and optical properties of ZnO NWs were studied by Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), High-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), photoluminescence (PL) and Raman spectroscopy. The results indicate that the grown ZnO NWs are single-crystalline and exhibit the hexagonal wurtzite crystal structure with a preferred orientation along the [0001] direction; all of the ZnO NWs vertically grow on the graphene/Si substrate. The majority of the as-grown NWs have diameters in the range of 250–300 nm and length up to several tens of micrometers, whereas a small portion of NWs have a diameter of approximately of 9–12 nm. Room temperature PL spectrum of the ZnO NWs exhibits a sharp and strong ultraviolet emission at 380 nm and a weak visible emission at around 516 nm. The role of graphene buffer layer in the vertical-aligned ZnO NW arrays growth and its improved optical properties is demonstrated. Importantly, the gas sensor based on these ZnO NWs exhibits high sensitivity and rapid response/recovery characteristics to NO{sub 2} gas at 200 °C, and can detect NO{sub 2} concentration as low as 2, 6 and 10 ppm. The excellent sensing performance is mainly due to the combination of the large specific surface area and the presence of oxygen-vacancies at the surface of ZnO NWs, together with the creation of p-n heterojunctions between n-type ZnO NW and p-type graphene. Such a ZnO NW/graphene structure is very promising for various applications, such as photonic, optoelectronic and sensor devices. In addition, the possible growth mechanism and the NO{sub 2} sensing gas mechanism of the ZnO NWs-graphene structure have been discussed.

77 NANOSCIENCE AND NANOTECHNOLOGY↗

The Tianlai Cylinder Pathfinder Array: System Functions and Basic Performance Analysis

The Tianlai Cylinder Pathfinder is a radio interferometer array designed to test techniques for 21 cm intensity mapping in the post-reionization Universe, with the ultimate aim of mapping the large scale structure of the Universe and measuring cosmological parameters such as the dark energy equation of state. Each of its three parallel cylinder reflectors are oriented in the north-south direction, and the array has a large field of view. As the Earth rotates, the northern sky is observed by drift scanning. The array is located in Hongliuxia, a radio quiet site in Xinjiang, and saw its first light in September 2016. In this first paper on the data analysis of the Tianlai cylinder array, we describe the system functions of the array, the commissioning observations during 2016- 2018, and present its basic performance characteristics. We show examples of the interferometric visibility data, then using the observational data, we derive the actual beam profile in the east-west direction, the bandpass response, and calibrate the complex gains for the array elements either with a strong astronomical point source, or with an artificial calibrator source. Based on the preliminary analysis of the data, we derive the system temperature and sensitivity of the array.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Shell structure in neutron rich nuclei by means of binary reactions

Nuclear structure studies far from stability rely mainly on the availability of radioactive nuclear beams but can complementary be addressed by means of high intensity beams of stable ions. In such contest, deep-inelastic and multinucleon transfer reactions are a powerful tool to populate yrast and non yrast states in neutron-rich nuclei. Particularly successful is here the combination of large acceptance spectrometers with highly segmented gamma-detector arrays. Such devices can provide the necessary channel selectivity to identify very rare signals. The AGATA gamma-ray detector array coupled to the PRISMA spectrometer at the Legnaro National Laboratories (LNL) in Italy is one example. Large data sets have been collected at LNL for nuclei close to the N=20, 28, 40, 50 and 82 shell closures.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

Collective effects and pattern formation for directional locking of disks moving through obstacle arrays

We examine directional locking effects in an assembly of disks driven through a square array of obstacles as the angle of drive rotates from 0° to 90°. For increasing disk densities, the system exhibits a series of different dynamic patterns along certain locking directions, including one-dimensional or multiple-row chain phases and density-modulated phases. For nonlocking driving directions, the disks form disordered patterns or clusters. Here, when the obstacles are small or far apart, a large number of locking phases appear; however, as the number of disks increases, the number of possible locking phases drops due to the increasing frequency of collisions between the disks and obstacles. For dense arrays or large obstacles, we find an increased clogging effect in which immobile and moving disks coexist.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

Metallic and porous Ti nanorod arrays for visible-IR light absorption and dendrite-free stable lithium-metal batteries

It is still a challenging task to prepare highly porous nanorod arrays of metals formed on substrates for optical and energy storage applications. Herein, we demonstrate the design and synthesis of black color, metallic and highly porous Ti nanorod arrays as novel current collectors for dendrite-free and highly stable Li-metal anodes. The high porosity of metallic nanorod arrays provides numerous heterogeneous nucleation sites and huge contact area and large space for the accommodation of Li metal. The conductive metallic Ti nanorod arrays enhance electrode integration. Effectively, it eliminates formation Li dendrites and demonstrates superior cycling stability over 300 cycles. Additionally, the unique porous structures of the nanorod arrays can decrease the amplitude of forced vibration in narrow space leading to light absorption. Interestingly, the metal is black instead of metallic color. The black metallic nanorod arrays can absorb more than 96% of both visible and infra-red lights. Furthermore, this black color metallic porous nanorod arrays may find additional applications in aerospace, energy, biomedical, defence, and chemical industries.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗

Modeling phonon-mediated quasiparticle poisoning in superconducting qubit arrays

Correlated errors caused by ionizing radiation impacting superconducting qubit chips are problematic for quantum error correction. Such impacts generate quasiparticle (QP) excitations in the qubit electrodes, which temporarily reduce qubit coherence significantly. The many energetic phonons produced by a particle impact travel efficiently throughout the device substrate and generate quasiparticles with high probability, thus causing errors on a large fraction of the qubits in an array simultaneously. Here, we describe a comprehensive strategy for the numerical simulation of the phonon and quasiparticle dynamics in the aftermath of an impact. We compare the simulations with experimental measurements of phonon-mediated QP poisoning and demonstrate that our modeling captures the spatial and temporal footprint of the QP poisoning for various configurations of phonon downconversion structures. We thus present a path forward for the operation of superconducting quantum processors in the presence of ionizing radiation.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Hyperspectral X-ray Imaging with TES Detectors for Nanoscale Chemical Speciation Mapping

We are developing an imaging capability (“Hyperspectral X-ray Imaging”) for mapping chemical information (molecular formula, phase, oxidation state, hydration) that is based on ultra-high-resolution X-ray emission spectroscopy with large transition-edge sensor microcalorimeter arrays in the scanning electron microscope. By combining microcalorimeter arrays with hundreds of pixels, high-bandwidth microwave frequency-division multiplexing, and fast digital electronics for near real-time data processing, our goal is to enable measurements using laboratory-scale instrumentation rather than synchrotron beamlines. Our application focus here is on mapping the chemical form of uranium compounds on the nanoscale. Furthermore, we will present our approach to developing the Hyperspectral X-ray Imaging capability, progress toward a 128-pixel microwave multiplexed X-ray fluorescence instrument at LANL, and the path to high-throughput nanoscale chemical mapping.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗

Thermal dewetting with a chemically heterogeneous nano-template for self-assembled L1 0 FePt nanoparticle arrays

In this paper, a design for the fabrication of metallic nanoparticles is presented by thermal dewetting with a chemically heterogeneous nano-template. For the template, we fabricate a nanostructured polystyrene-b-polydimethylsiloxane (PS-b-PDMS) film on a Si|SiO 2 substrate, followed by a thermal annealing and reactive ion etching (RIE) process. This gives a template composed of an ordered hexagonal array of SiOC hemispheres emerging in the polystyrene matrix. After the deposition of a FePt film on this template, we utilize the rapid thermal annealing (RTA) process, which provides in-plane stress, to achieve thermal dewetting and structural ordering of FePt simultaneously. Since the template is composed of different composition surfaces with periodically varied morphologies, it offers more tuning knobs to manipulate the nanostructures. We show that both the decrease in the area of the PS matrix and the increase in the strain energy relaxation transfer the dewetted pattern from the randomly distributed nanoparticles into a hexagonal periodic array of L1 0 FePt nanoparticles. Transmission electron microscopy with the in situ heating stage reveals the evolution of the dewetting process, and confirms that the positions of nanoparticles are aligned with those of the SiOC hemispheres. The nanoparticles formed by this template-dewetting show an average diameter and center-to-center distance of 19.30 ± 2.09 nm and 39.85 ± 4.80 nm, respectively. The hexagonal array of FePt nanoparticles reveals a large coercivity of 1.5 T, much larger than the nanoparticles fabricated by top-down approaches. Lastly, this approach offers an efficient pathway toward self-assembled nanostructures in a wide range of material systems.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Photon strength and the low-energy enhancement

Several measurements in medium mass nuclei have reported a low-energy enhancement in the photon strength function. Although, much effort has been invested in unraveling the mysteries of this effect, its physical origin is still not conclusively understood. Here, a completely model-independent experimental approach to investigate the existence of this enhancement is presented. The experiment was designed to study statistical feeding from the quasi-continuum (below the neutron separation energy) to individual low-lying discrete levels in {sup 95}Mo produced in the (d, p) reaction. A key aspect to successfully study gamma decay from the region of high-level density is the detection and extraction of correlated particle-gamma-gamma events which was accomplished using an array of Clover HPGe detectors and large area annular silicon detectors. The entrance channel excitation energy into the residual nucleus produced in the reaction was inferred from the detected proton energies in the silicon detectors. Gating on gamma-transitions originating from low-lying discrete levels specifies the state fed by statistical gamma-rays. Any particle-gamma-gamma event in combination with specific energy sum requirements ensures a clean and unambiguous determination of the initial and final state of the observed gamma rays. With these requirements the statistical feeding to individual discrete levels is extracted on an event-by-event basis. The results are presented and compared to {sup 95}Mo photon strength function data measured at the University of Oslo.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Atomic layer deposition of absorbing thin films on nanostructured electrodes for short-wavelength infrared photosensing

Atomic layer deposition (ALD), prized for its high-quality thin-film formation in the absence of high temperature or high vacuum, has become an industry standard for the large-area deposition of a wide array of oxide materials. Recently, it has shown promise in the formation of nanocrystalline sulfide films. Here, we demonstrate the viability of ALD lead sulfide for photodetection. Leveraging the conformal capabilities of ALD, we enhance the absorption without compromising the extraction efficiency in the absorbing layer by utilizing a ZnO nanowire electrode. The nanowires are first coated with a thin shunt-preventing TiO{sub 2} layer, followed by an infrared-active ALD PbS layer for photosensing. The ALD PbS photodetector exhibits a peak responsivity of 10{sup −2} A W{sup −1} and a shot-derived specific detectivity of 3 × 10{sup 9} Jones at 1530 nm wavelength.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

In-situ data collection at the photon factory macromolecular crystallography beamlines

Crystallization trial is one of the most important but time-consuming steps in macromolecular crystallography, and in-situ diffraction experiment has a capability to make researchers to proceed this step more efficiently. At the Photon Factory, a new tabletop diffractometer for in-situ diffraction experiments has been developed. It consists of XYZ translation stages with a plate handler, an on-axis viewing system and a plate rack with a capacity for ten crystallization plates. These components sit on a common plate and are able to be placed on the existing diffractometer table. The CCD detector with a large active area and a pixel array detector with a small active area are used for acquiring diffraction images from crystals. Dedicated control software and a user interface have also been developed. The new diffractometer has been operational for users and used for evaluation of crystallization screening since 2014.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

SURVEY SIMULATIONS OF A NEW NEAR-EARTH ASTEROID DETECTION SYSTEM

We have carried out simulations to predict the performance of a new space-based telescopic survey operating at thermal infrared wavelengths that seeks to discover and characterize a large fraction of the potentially hazardous near-Earth asteroid (NEA) population. Two potential architectures for the survey were considered: one located at the Earth–Sun L1 Lagrange point, and one in a Venus-trailing orbit. A sample cadence was formulated and tested, allowing for the self-follow-up necessary for objects discovered in the daytime sky on Earth. Synthetic populations of NEAs with sizes as small as 140 m in effective spherical diameter were simulated using recent determinations of their physical and orbital properties. Estimates of the instrumental sensitivity, integration times, and slew speeds were included for both architectures assuming the properties of newly developed large-format 10 μm HgCdTe detector arrays capable of operating at ∼35 K. Our simulation included the creation of a preliminary version of a moving object processing pipeline suitable for operating on the trial cadence. We tested this pipeline on a simulated sky populated with astrophysical sources such as stars and galaxies extrapolated from Spitzer Space Telescope and Wide-field Infrared Explorer data, the catalog of known minor planets (including Main Belt asteroids, comets, Jovian Trojans, planets, etc.), and the synthetic NEA model. Trial orbits were computed for simulated position-time pairs extracted from the synthetic surveys to verify that the tested cadence would result in orbits suitable for recovering objects at a later time. Our results indicate that the Earth–Sun L1 and Venus-trailing surveys achieve similar levels of integral completeness for potentially hazardous asteroids larger than 140 m; placing the telescope in an interior orbit does not yield an improvement in discovery rates. This work serves as a necessary first step for the detailed planning of a next-generation NEA survey.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗