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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 1,063 records · Page 59
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2020

Effect of the chlorine substitution position of the end-group on intermolecular interactions and photovoltaic performance of small molecule acceptors

The structure–property relationships of small molecular acceptors (SMAs) are a key issue in the molecular design of new-generation acceptor materials for further improving the device efficiencies of polymer solar cells (PSCs). Herein, three couples of SMA isomers were synthesized, based on three central fused ring units and two 1,1-dicyanomethylene-3-indanone (IC) isomer electron-withdrawing terminal units with chlorine substitutions in different positions of its benzene ring: Cl-1 with chlorine on the same side as a C=O group of IC and Cl-2 with chlorine on the same side as the CN groups of IC. Through systematical investigation, we found that the chlorine substitution position of the terminal groups has a regular and significant influence on the molecular packing and photovoltaic performance of the SMAs. The molecular packing behavior of the SMAs is closely related to and determined by the configuration of their terminal groups, no matter which central fused ring of the SMAs is used. In particular, the Cl-1-based SMAs possess a stronger crystallinity with long range ordering packing in their molecular plane direction, while the more abundant and stereoscopic π–π intermolecular interaction in the Cl-2-based SMAs promotes the molecules to form three-dimensional charge transporting channels and leads to their red-shifted absorption and higher electron mobilities. Therefore, the Cl-2-based PSCs exhibit a higher power conversion efficiency (PCE) compared to that of the Cl-1-based devices, and the best PCE of a Cl-2 SMA-based PSC reached 16.42%. These results highlight the importance of the investigation of intermolecular interactions, packing and the arrangement of the SMAs in the solid-state, which may provide direct insights for exploring the relationship between the molecular structure and property of the photovoltaic materials. Moreover, we envision that if fragments such as end groups or side chains with more diverse molecular interactions are added into the design and the subsequent synthesis of the SMAs, this may be beneficial to promoting molecular π–π accumulation and further improving the molecular order, forming suitable molecular packing and morphology in the resulting blend films, and finally affecting the efficiency of the PSCs.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2021

Sensitivity of back‐projection algorithm (BPA) synthetic aperture radar (SAR) image formation to initial position, velocity, and attitude navigation errors

Abstract The Back‐Projection Algorithm (BPA) is a time‐domain‐matched filtering technique to form synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images. To produce high‐quality BPA images, precise navigation data for the radar platform must be known. Errors in position, velocity, or attitude result in improperly formed images that are corrupted by shifting and blurring. The contribution of this paper is the development of analytical expressions that characterise the relationship between navigation errors and image formation errors from an inertial navigation point of view, where trajectory estimation errors in position, velocity, and attitude propagate through time and cause compounding errors in the vehicle state vector. These analytical expressions are verified via simulated image formation and real‐data image formation.

Lindstrom, Colton↗
DOE OSTI2011

Controlled positions and kinetic analysis of spontaneous tin whisker growth

This study achieved controlling the positions of spontaneous growth of tin whiskers. We surmounted the unpredictable growing nature of such whiskers and performed accurately quantitative analyses of the growth kinetics and yielded precise measurement of the growth rate. Furthermore, using synchrotron radiation x-ray, this study determined the stress variations in conjunction with whisker growth that fitted appropriately to the model. Accordingly, the results could address the debate held for decades and prove that forming a surface oxide layer is one of the required and necessary conditions for controlling the positions of spontaneous growth of tin whiskers.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2011

Characterization of plasma ion source utilizing anode spot with positively biased electrode for stable and high-current ion beam extraction

The operating conditions of a rf plasma ion source utilizing a positively biased electrode have been investigated to develop a stably operating, high-current ion source. Ion beam characteristics such as currents and energies are measured and compared with bias currents by varying the bias voltages on the electrode immersed in the ambient rf plasma. Current-voltage curves of the bias electrode and photographs confirm that a small and dense plasma, so-called anode spot, is formed near an extraction aperture and plays a key role to enhance the performance of the plasma ion source. The ion beam currents from the anode spot are observed to be maximized at the optimum bias voltage near the knee of the characteristic current-voltage curve of the anode spot. Increased potential barrier to obstruct beam extraction is the reason for the reduction of the ion beam current in spite of the increased bias current indicating the density of the anode spot. The optimum bias voltage is measured to be lower at higher operating pressure, which is favorable for stable operation without severe sputtering damage on the electrode. The ion beam current can be further enhanced by increasing the power for the ambient plasma without increasing the bias voltage. In the same manner, noble gases with higher atomic number as a feedstock gas are preferable for extracting higher beam current more stably. Therefore, performance of the plasma ion source with a positively biased electrode can be enhanced by controlling the operating conditions of the anode spot in various manners.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2011

Onset conditions for positive direct current corona discharges in air under the action of photoionization

This paper presents a numerical model for the inception of positive dc corona discharges in air near cylindrical anodes, which plays a bridge role between the classic positive corona onset criterion and the photoionization model considering the effective radiation wavelength. The predicted onset voltages agree well with Peek's experimental data in a wide range of conductor radii and relative air densities. The influence of the collisional quenching of emitting excited states on the surface onset field is significant with low air density or small conductor radius. Within the effective radiation wavelength, numerical expressions for the photon absorption coefficient in air and Townsend's second coefficient due to photoionization are deduced on the basis of the new model. A different perspective on the classic coefficients is given.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2012

Physics of self-sustained oscillations in the positive glow corona

The physics of self-sustained oscillations in the phenomenon of positive glow corona is presented. The dynamics of charged-particle oscillation under static electric field has been briefly outlined; and, the resulting self-sustained current oscillations in the electrodes have been compared with the measurements from the positive glow corona experiments. The profile of self-sustained electrode current oscillations predicted by the presented theory qualitatively agrees with the experimental measurements. For instance, the experimentally observed saw-tooth shaped electrode current pulses are reproduced by the presented theory. Further, the theory correctly predicts the pulses of radiation accompanying the abrupt rises in the saw-tooth shaped current oscillations, as verified from the various glow corona experiments.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2012

Roles of polarization force and nonthermal electron on dust-acoustic waves in an inhomogeneous dusty plasma with positively charged dust

The influence of polarization force (PF) (arises due to dust density inhomogeneity), nonthermal electrons, and dust density inhomogeneity associated with positively charged dust on linear dust-acoustic (DA) waves in an inhomogeneous unmagnetized dusty plasma are investigated. By taking the normal mode analysis, the dispersion relation in such a non-Maxwellian inhomogeneous plasma is obtained, and that the dispersion properties of the DA waves are significantly modified by the presence of PF and nonthermal electrons. The PF is increased with the increase of nonthermal electrons. It is found that the phase speed of the DA waves is significantly decreased with the presence of PF and nonthermal electrons. The potential associated with the DA waves is de-enhanced with the increase of equilibrium dust number density. The role of positive dust number density on dispersion properties is also shown. The present findings relevant to different scenarios in laboratory and space dusty plasma, such as Martian ionosphere, solar flares, TEXTOR-94 tokamak plasmas, rf excited argon magnetoplasma, etc., can be useful to understand the properties of localized electrostatic disturbances in those dusty plasma system, are also briefly addressed.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2013

Effect of collision parameters in electronegative plasma sheath with two species of positive ions

The effect of ion neutral collision is shown for two species of positive ions in electronegative plasma. The ion neutral collision is modeled using power law of collision cross section. It is a usual case for processing plasma to have two species of positive ions and hence we attempt to study the dynamics of the two species of ions inside the collisional sheath of electronegative plasma.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2013

Dynamics of positive probes in underdense, strongly magnetized, E×B drifting plasma: Particle-in-cell simulations

Electron trapping, electron heating, space-charge wings, wake eddies, and current collection by a positive probe in E×B drifting plasma were studied in three-dimensional electromagnetic particle-in-cell simulations. In these simulations, electrons and ions were magnetized with respect to the probe and the plasma was underdense (ω{sub pe}<ω{sub ce}). A large drift velocity (Mach 4.5 with respect to the ion acoustic speed) between the plasma and probe was created with background electric and magnetic fields. Four distinct regions developed in the presences of the positive probe: a quasi-trapped electron region, an electron-depletion wing, an ion-rich wing, and a wake region. We report on the observations of strong electron heating mechanisms, space-charge wings, ion cyclotron charge-density eddies in the wake, electron acceleration due to a magnetic presheath, and the current-voltage relationship.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2013

Simulation analysis of the effects of an initial cone position and opening angle on a cone-guided implosion

In inertial confinement fusion, the implosion process is important in forming a high-density plasma core. In the case of a fast ignition scheme using a cone-guided target, the fuel target is imploded with a cone inserted. This scheme is advantageous for efficiently heating the imploded fuel core; however, asymmetric implosion is essentially inevitable. Moreover, the effect of cone position and opening angle on implosion also becomes critical. Focusing on these problems, the effect of the asymmetric implosion, the initial position, and the opening angle on the compression rate of the fuel is investigated using a three-dimensional pure hydrodynamic code.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2013

Cascaded emission of linearly polarized single photons from positioned InP/GaInP quantum dots

We report on the optical characterization of site-controlled InP/GaInP quantum dots (QDs). Spatially resolved low temperature cathodoluminescence proves the long-range ordering of the buried emitters, revealing a yield of ∼90% of optically active, positioned QDs and a strong suppression of emitters on interstitial positions. The emission of single QDs shows a pronounced degree of linear polarization along the [0,−1,1] crystal axis with an average degree of polarization of 94%. Photon correlation measurements of the emission from a single QD indicate the single-photon character of the exciton and biexciton emission lines as well as the cascaded nature of the photon pair.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2013

Relationship between open-circuit voltage in Cu(In,Ga)Se{sub 2} solar cell and peak position of (220/204) preferred orientation near its absorber surface

Cu(In,Ga)Se{sub 2} (CIGS) absorbers with various Ga/III, Ga/(In+Ga), profiles are prepared by the so-called “multi-layer precursor method” using multi-layer co-evaporation of material sources. It is revealed that open-circuit voltage (V{sub OC}) of CIGS solar cell is primarily dependent on averaged Ga/III near the surface of its absorber. This averaged Ga/III is well predicted by peak position of (220/204) preferred orientation of CIGS film near its surface investigated by glancing-incidence X-ray diffraction with 0.1° incident angle. Finally, the peak position of (220/204) preferred orientation is proposed as a measure of V{sub OC} before solar cell fabrication.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2013

On the stability analysis of a pair of van der Pol oscillators with delayed self-connection, position and velocity couplings

In this paper, we perform a stability analysis of a pair of van der Pol oscillators with delayed self-connection, position and velocity couplings. Bifurcation diagram of the damping, position and velocity coupling strengths is constructed, which gives insight into how stability boundary curves come into existence and how these curves evolve from small closed loops into open-ended curves. The van der Pol oscillator has been considered by many researchers as the nodes for various networks. It is inherently unstable at the zero equilibrium. Stability control of a network is always an important problem. Currently, the stabilization of the zero equilibrium of a pair of van der Pol oscillators can be achieved only for small damping strength by using delayed velocity coupling. An interesting question arises naturally: can the zero equilibrium be stabilized for an arbitrarily large value of the damping strength? We prove that it can be. In addition, a simple condition is given on how to choose the feedback parameters to achieve such goal. We further investigate how the in-phase mode or the out-of-phase mode of a periodic solution is related to the stability boundary curve that it emerges from a Hopf bifurcation. Analytical expression of a periodic solution is derived using an integration method. Some illustrative examples show that the theoretical prediction and numerical simulation are in good agreement.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2013

Role of positive ions on the surface production of negative ions in a fusion plasma reactor type negative ion source—Insights from a three dimensional particle-in-cell Monte Carlo collisions model

Results from a 3D self-consistent Particle-In-Cell Monte Carlo Collisions (PIC MCC) model of a high power fusion-type negative ion source are presented for the first time. The model is used to calculate the plasma characteristics of the ITER prototype BATMAN ion source developed in Garching. Special emphasis is put on the production of negative ions on the plasma grid surface. The question of the relative roles of the impact of neutral hydrogen atoms and positive ions on the cesiated grid surface has attracted much attention recently and the 3D PIC MCC model is used to address this question. The results show that the production of negative ions by positive ion impact on the plasma grid is small with respect to the production by atomic hydrogen or deuterium bombardment (less than 10%)

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2014

Operating conditions for the generation of stable anode spot plasma in front of a positively biased electrode

Stability of an anode spot plasma, which is an additional high density plasma generated in front of a positively biased electrode immersed in ambient plasma, is a critical issue for its utilization to various types of ion sources. In this study, operating conditions for the generation of stable anode spot plasmas are experimentally investigated. Diagnostics of the bias current flowing into the positively biased electrode and the properties of ambient plasma reveal that unstable nature of the anode spot is deeply associated with the reduction of double layer potential between the anode spot plasma and the ambient plasma. It is found that stability of the anode spot plasma can be improved with increasing the ionization rate in ambient plasma so as to compensate the loss of electrons across the double layer or with enlarging the area of the biased electrode to prevent electron accumulation inside the anode spot. The results obtained from the present study give the guideline for operating conditions of anode spot plasmas as an ion source with high brightness.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2014

Trace inequalities for products of positive definite matrices

It is shown that for positive definite matrices A and B the inequality ‖A{sup p}B{sup q} + B{sup p}A{sup q}‖{sub 2} ⩽ ‖A{sup p}B{sup q} + A{sup q}B{sup p}‖{sub 2} holds for all positive real number p and q for which p/(p + q) is in [1/4, 3/4]. This is a significant improvement on a recent result of Hayajneh and Kittaneh [“Lieb-Thirring trace inequalities and a question of Bourin,” J. Math. Phys. 54, 033504 (2013)].

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2014

Positive temperature variation of the bandgap energy in the single-crystalline chalcopyrite semiconductor AgInS{sub 2}

Optical absorption spectra have been measured on the single-crystalline chalcopyrite semiconductor AgInS{sub 2} using polarized light at T = 10–300 K. The bandgap energy E{sub g} of AgInS{sub 2} shows unusual temperature dependence at low temperatures. The resultant temperature coefficient ∂E{sub g}/∂T is found to be positive at T < 130 K and negative above 130 K. This result has been successfully explained by considering the effects of thermal expansion and electron–phonon interaction. The free-exciton emission of photoluminescence spectra also indicates positive temperature dependence of the peak energies at low temperatures. The exciton binding energy of AgInS{sub 2} is determined to be 26.4 meV.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗