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NASA NTRS1974

Low voltage 30-cm ion thruster development

The basic goal was to advance the development status of the 30-cm electron bombardment ion thruster from a laboratory model to a flight-type engineering model (EM) thruster. This advancement included the more conventional aspects of mechanical design and testing for launch loads, weight reduction, fabrication process development, reliability and quality assurance, and interface definition, as well as a relatively significant improvement in thruster total efficiency. The achievement of this goal was demonstrated by the successful completion of a series of performance and structural integrity (vibration) tests. In the course of the program, essentially every part and feature of the original 30-cm Thruster was critically evaluated. These evaluations, led to new or improved designs for the ion optical system, discharge chamber, cathode isolator vaporizer assembly, main isolator vaporizer assembly, neutralizer assembly, packaging for thermal control, electrical terminations and structure.

King, H. J.↗

NASA NTRS2018

Radiation Testing Electronics with Heavy Ions-The Best Way to Hit a Target Moving Ever Exponentially Faster

In 1972, when engineers at Hughes Aircraft Corporation discovered that errors in their satellite avionics were being caused by cosmic rays (so-called single-event effects, or SEE), Moore's Law was only 7 years old. Now, more than 45 years on, the scaling that drove Moore's Law for its first 35 years has reached its limits. However, electronics technology continues to evolve exponentially and SEE remain a formidable issue for use of electronics in space. SEE occur when a single ionizing particle passes through a sensitive volume in an active semiconductor device and generates sufficient charge to cause anomalous behavior or failure in the device. Because SEE can occur at any time during the mission, the emphasis of SEE risk management methodologies is ensuring that all SEE modes in a device under test are detected by the test. Because a particle's probability of causing an SEE generally increases as the particle becomes more ionizing, heavy-ion beams have been and remain the preferred tools for elucidating SEE vulnerabilities. In this talk we briefly discuss space radiation environments and SEE mechanisms, describe SEE test methodologies and discuss current and future challenges for use of heavy-ion beams for SEE testing in an era when the continued validity of Moore's law depends on innovation rather than CMOS scaling.

space radiation environments↗

DOE OSTI2017

Thermal Modeling of a Dual-Stage Sodium Thermal-Electrochemical Converter (Na-TEC)

The sodium thermal electrochemical converter (Na-TEC) is a heat engine that generates electricity through the isothermal expansion of sodium ions through a beta”-alumina solid-electrolyte. The Na-TEC is a closed system that can theoretically achieve conversion efficiencies above 45% when operating between thermal reservoirs at 1150 K and 550 K. However, thermal designs have confined previous single-stage devices to thermal efficiencies below 20%. To mitigate some of these limitations, we consider dividing the isothermal expansion into two stages; one at the evaporator temperature (1150 K) and another at an intermediate temperature (550 K – 950 K). This dual-stage Na-TEC takes advantage of regeneration and reheating, and could be amenable to better thermal management through a reduction of parasitic losses. These losses are comprised of (i) the heat input that does not participate in power production but simply bypasses the thermo-electrochemical process and is transferred to the condenser, and (ii) heat that is lost from the device directly to the surroundings due to poor insulation. Heat loss to the surroundings occurs from a lower average hot-side temperature given that a fraction of the power conversion occurs at an intermediate stage. Also, the condenser now directly interacts with the lower temperature of the intermediate stage, thereby reducing radiation loss. A simplified geometry is developed for this device to help guide its design from a heat transfer perspective. All thermal contact and boundary conditions are discussed, including the evaporation and condensation of sodium vapor, thermal leakage through the housing, and the thermal contact between the beta”-alumina and the housing. A ray tracing method assuming gray, diffuse surfaces is used to account for the internal radiation heat transfer within the device. Liquid sodium flows in a capillary wick between the condenser and the evaporator with Pe << 1, so only conduction heat transfer is considered within this liquid return path. For simplicity, natural convection between the sodium vapor and the device housing is neglected. A numerical linear resistance model (<5% error when compared to a finite element model) is used to determine the expected conversion temperatures of each stage for a range of candidate materials. Furthermore, a numerical model (<2% error) is developed to find the factor of increase in the thermal resistance for several designs of corrugated features for the device housing. By using an iterative scheme, efficiency vs. power curves are created for a number of material and size combinations. Finally, the fundamental tradeoff between the power and efficiency is explored in conjunction with the total system size.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗

DOE OSTI2017

Sodium Pumping via Condensation within a Non-Wetting Porous Structure

The sodium thermal electrochemical converter (Na-TEC) is a heat engine that generates electricity via the isothermal expansion of sodium ions through a beta”-alumina solid-electrolyte. The transfer of liquid sodium from a low-pressure condenser to a high-pressure evaporator is necessary to complete the thermodynamic cycle for this conversion process. A unique sodium capillary pump for the Na-TEC is proposed, whereby low-pressure sodium vapor is condensed within a non-wetting (i.e. contact angle > 90o) stainless steel porous structure. Due to the curvature of the non-wetting liquid-vapor interface, the liquid adjacent to the interface is at a higher pressure than the vapor. This is in contrast to traditional wicks, where the liquid adjacent to the interface has a lower pressure. Thus, the curvature created at this non-wetting condensation interface supplies a directed force upon the liquid sodium that effectively “pushes” it towards a high pressure region, whereas a traditional capillary wick “pulls” the liquid. Porous structures made of stainless steel 316 are commercially available, and this material is non-wetting to sodium at the relevant temperature range of the Na-TEC condenser (500K – 673K). An experimental set-up is used to measure several interfacial and transport properties of the condensed sodium within this porous structure. These properties include the temperature dependent Laplace pressure generated at the phase change interface and the permeability of the porous structure. Liquid sodium is in contact with the porous structure and is progressively pressurized with argon gas until the sodium “breaks through” and the liquid begins to flow. This break-through pressure is determined when electrical contact is established between the flowing liquid metal and a set of electrodes cemented along the flow path. The velocity of the flowing sodium can also be measured with these electrodes, and the permeability is then determined by fitting velocity data to the classical Darcy law. These interfacial properties are then applied to a conjugate heat transfer model, which treats the coupled momentum and thermal transport processes within the non-wetting porous structure as sodium vapor is condensed. Due to the low mass flowrates in the Na-TEC (< 0.1 mg/s), higher order friction terms are neglected and the classical Darcy’s law is used for non-isothermal, compressible sodium vapor flow. At lower temperatures, the sodium vapor density becomes sufficiently small and there is a transition from classic Poiseuille flow (Kn < 0.1) to Knudsen flow (Kn > 10). Furthermore, transport due to binary diffusion is considered for situations where there is a substantial presence of non-condensable argon inside the sodium vapor plenum. Initial modeling results showing expected mass flowrates, temperature profiles, and liquid-vapor interface locations are presented for various physical conditions. Finally, the main design features of an experimental set-up used to demonstrate this capillary pumping is described in detail, including the method used to measure the low sodium mass flowrates. Initial experimental results demonstrating sodium pumping for a range of temperatures (800K – 1100K) will be presented and compared against the model predictions. A pump curve used to gauge the performance of this pumping mechanism is also created.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗

NASA NTRS2001

Investigation of Keeper Erosion in the NSTAR Ion Thruster

The goal of the present investigation was to determine the cause for the difference in the observed discharge keeper erosion between the 8200 hr wear test of a NASA Solar Electric Propulsion Technology Applications Readiness (NSTAR) engineering model thruster and the ongoing extended life test (ELT) of the NSTAR flight spare thruster. During the ELT, the NSTAR flight spare ion thruster experienced unanticipated erosion of the discharge cathode keeper. Photographs of the discharge keeper show that the orifice has enlarged to slightly more than twice the original diameter. Several differences between the ELT and the 8200 hr wear test were initially identified to determine any effects which could lead to the erosion in the ELT. In order to identify the cause of the ELT erosion, emission spectra from an engineering model thruster were collected to assess the dependence of keeper erosion on operating conditions. Keeper ion current was measured to estimate wear. Additionally, post-test inspection of both a copper keeper-cap was conducted, and the results are presented. The analysis indicated that the bulk of the ion current was collected within 2-mm radially of the orifice. The estimated volumetric wear in the ELT was comparable to previous wear tests. Redistribution of the ion current on the discharge keeper was determined to be the most likely cause of the ELT erosion. The change in ion current distribution was hypothesized to caused by the modified magnetic field of the flight assemblies.

Domonkos, Matthew T.↗

DOE OSTI2021

Multiscale operando X-ray investigations provide insights into electro-chemo-mechanical behavior of lithium intercalation cathodes

The electrochemical performance and cycle life of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) depend on the electrochemical, chemical, and mechanical behavior of electrodes and electrolytes. Despite extensive studies conducted previously, challenges exist to decouple these behaviors, capture the evolution of electro-chemo-mechanical behavior in realistic conditions, and correlate atomic-scale stress evolution to micro-scale bulk mechanical degradation. Here, we report multiscale operando techniques to investigate polydisperse battery electrodes by integrating volume-averaged quantitative synchrotron X-ray scattering with high-resolution transmission X-ray microscopy (TXM). The former provides us information spanning a wide spatial range, from Angstrom-level atomic structures to micrometer-level particle scales, while the latter provides time-resolved 2D images of the particles during cycling. The complementarity of the two operando techniques is demonstrated by an over-lithiation test of LiCoO 2 electrodes, where particles crack and eventually pulverize. Additionally, the techniques are applied to study LiCoO 2 cycling stability from 3.0 V to 4.5 V. Operando X-ray scattering result shows nanometer-scale features keep forming in LiCoO 2 electrodes during cycling, resulting in an increased projected area observed by the TXM experiment. The formation of such features is inhibited by a polymer coating on the electrode, leading to vastly improved cycling stability. The polymer coating alleviates LiCoO 2 surface deterioration, reduces side product generation, and inhibits LiCoO 2 particles volume expansion during the cycling test. These operando multimodal X-ray techniques presented herein thus offer a novel, multiscale diagnostic modality for studying existing and emerging battery materials, aiding the development of next-generation LIBs.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗

DOE OSTI2018

Mesoscale Battery Science: The Behavior of Electrode Particles Caught on a Multispectral X-ray Camera

Here, functional materials and devices are usually morphologically complex and chemically heterogeneous. Their structures are often designed to be hierarchical because of the desired functionalities, which usually require many different components to work together in a coherent manner. The lithium ion battery, as an energy storage device, is a very typical example of this kind of structure. In a lithium ion battery, the cathode, anode, and separator are soaked in a liquid electrolyte, facilitating the back and forward shuttling of the lithium ions for energy storage and release. The desired performance of a lithium ion battery has many different aspects that need to be engineered and balanced depending on the targeted applications. In most cases, the cathode material has become the limiting factor for further improvements and, thus, has attracted intense attention from the research community.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗

DOE OSTI2025

Atom-at-a-Time Radioactive Molecule Identification: Looking toward Studies of Superheavy Elements

The chemical behavior of superheavy elements (SHEs, Z > 103) remains poorly understood. Their chemical properties are expected to deviate from established trends, challenging the predictive power of the periodic table. To investigate these elements experimentally, they must first be synthesized through nuclear reactions and then quickly subjected to chemical studies before they decay. Given the low production rates of these reactions and the need for measurements on an atom-at-a-time basis, innovative techniques are needed. Here, to address these challenges, a novel gas-phase chemistry method has been developed at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, utilizing the Berkeley Gas-filled Separator and FIONA. This technique enables the production, identification, and study of molecular species formed by SHEs. As a proof of concept, we present measurements on the formation and identification of 151,152 HoO + molecules, demonstrating the capability to study the production of radioactive molecules under controlled conditions and directly identify them via their mass-to-charge ratio. These measurements validate the effectiveness of this technique for low-statistics SHE studies, highlighting the potential of this approach to ignite the next generation of experimental SHE chemistry research, offering a path to re-evaluate SHE placement on the periodic table.

Chemistry↗

DOE OSTI2020

A Reversible Structural Phase Transition by Electrochemically-Driven Ion Injection into a Conjugated Polymer

We nd that conjugated polymers can undergo reversible structural phase transitions during electrochemical oxidation and ion injection. We study poly[2,5-bis(thiophenyl)-1,4-bis(2-(2-(2- methoxyethoxy)ethoxy)ethoxy)benzene] (PB2T-TEG), a conjugated polymer with glycolated side chains. Using grazing incidence wide angle X-ray scattering (GIWAXS), we show that, in contrast to previously known polymers, this polymer switches between two structurally distinct crystalline phases associated with electrochemical oxidation/reduction in an aqueous electrolyte. Importantly, we show that this unique phase change behavior has important physical consequences for ion transport. Notably, using moving front experi- ments visualized by both optical microscopy and super-resolution photoinduced force microscopy (PiFM), we show that a propagating ion front in PB2T-TEG exhibits non-Fickian transport, retaining a sharp step-edge prole, in stark contrast to the Fickian diusion more commonly observed. This structural phase transition is reminiscent of those accompanying ion uptake in inorganic materials like LiFePO4. We propose that engineering similar properties in future conjugated polymers may enable the realization of new materials with superior performance in electrochemical energy storage or neuromorphic memory applications.

Bischak, Connor G.↗

DOE OSTI2025

Elucidating molecular scale interactions underlying the freezing behavior of salt solutions in silica nanopores

Elucidating the influence of nanoscale confinement on the freezing behavior of salt solutions is of fundamental interest to environmental security and materials science and engineering. Specific structural information such as the coordination environment of ions in confined aqueous medium, effects on the extended hexagonal network of water molecules and their mutual non-bonding interactions in confinement are sparse in the literature along with the change in the dynamical characteristics of water in the presence of ions. To address these knowledge gaps, the current study is focused on investigating the influence of reduced dimensionality arising from nanoscale confinement on the structural evolution of salt solutions on freezing and the associated fluid–surface interactions. In this regard, operando wide-angle X-ray scattering (WAXS) measurements and classical molecular dynamics (MD) simulations are conducted with water and 0.5 M CaCl 2 , MgCl 2 and KCl solutions confined in 4 nm sized SBA-15 silica pores upon cooling from 300 K to 200 K. The freezing point of the salt solutions is depressed to 235 K which is about 10 K lower than that of confined water. The translational dynamics of confined salt solutions indicates shifts in the fragile-to-strong dynamical crossover to a lower temperature compared to pure water. The strong electrostatic attraction between the cations and the surrounding water molecules contributes to the freezing point depression in confined salt solutions. These insights unlock the molecular-scale basis and mechanisms underlying the freezing behavior of confined salt solutions.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

DOE OSTI2014

Thermo-structural development of the ITER ICRF strap housing module

Since March 2010 the preliminary design of the ITER ICRF Antennas have been developed by CYCLE, a consortium consisting of IPP (Garching), CCFE (Culham), CEA (Cadarache), Politecnico di Torino (Torino) and LPPERM/KMS (Brussels). This paper describes the steps taken to develop the present geometry of the triplet pair Strap Housing Module from a thermal and structural perspective, and shows the critical areas of the structure. Key issues are the manufacturability, (achieved by HIPing - Hot Isostatic Pressing), the ability to handle the radiating plasma thermal flux of 0.35 MW/m{sup 2}, the RF losses and the neutronic radiation. HIPing is necessary to achieve the complicated system of cooling channels inside the structure, which divides the coolant equally in order to supply each strap in the triplet with 1 l/s of water. The components have also to withstand the strong mechanical forces generated by plasma disruptions affecting all internal structures and the elevated design cooling water pressure of 5MPa. In order to maximise reliability, joints between different materials in the cooling water system have been kept to a minimum. Therefore, in the interests of fabricability and availability, the whole structure is manufactured out of stainless steel (316L(N)IG). The low conductivity of 316L(N)IG demands small wall thicknesses to avoid hot spots; however this reduces the mechanical strength. Consequently an in depth FEM analysis is presented, which was used to find and to improve the critical aspects of this important component and was the best means of finding the optimum between thermal and mechanical performance.

42 ENGINEERING↗

DOE OSTI2018

Lithium ion intercalation in thin crystals of hexagonal TaSe 2 gated by a polymer electrolyte

Ionic liquid gating has been used to modify the properties of layered transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs), including two-dimensional (2D) crystals of TMDCs used extensively recently in the device work, which has led to observations of properties not seen in the bulk. The main effect comes from the electrostatic gating due to the strong electric field at the interface. In addition, ionic liquid gating also leads to ion intercalation when the ion size of the gate electrolyte is small compared to the interlayer spacing of TMDCs. However, the microscopic processes of ion intercalation have rarely been explored in layered TMDCs. Here, we employed a technique combining photolithography device fabrication and electrical transport measurements on the thin crystals of hexagonal TaSe2 using multiple channel devices gated by a polymer electrolyte LiClO 4 /Polyethylene oxide (PEO). The gate voltage and time dependent source-drain resistances of these thin crystals were used to obtain information on the intercalation process, the effect of ion intercalation, and the correlation between the ion occupation of allowed interstitial sites and the device characteristics. We found a gate voltage controlled modulation of the charge density waves and a scattering rate of charge carriers. Furthermore our work suggests that ion intercalation can be a useful tool for layered materials engineering and 2D crystal device design.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

DOE OSTI2024

Lattice engineering of high-entropy olivine-type lithium metal phosphate as high-voltage cathodes

Engineering of high-entropy cathode materials for lithium-ion batteries has been actively pursued owing to the outstanding conductivity of high-entropy materials benefited from the maximum entropy and unique antisite disordering structure. Olivine lithium metal phosphates such as LiMnPO 4 and LiNiPO 4 feature high working voltages but low capacities due to their insulation nature. Here in this work, the synthesis of the high-entropy lithium metal phosphate materials (HELMPs) is realized by combining mechanochemistry with a calcination method. By regulating lattice of HELMPs, the high-entropy Li(Mn 0.35 Fe 0.35 Co0.1Mg 0.1 Ca 0.1 )PO 4 reveals three typical high-voltage plateaus in charge–discharge curves corresponding to the redox of Fe, Mn, and Co in the voltage range of 2.0–4.9 V vs Li + /Li, and a much higher initial capacity than LiMnPO 4 (104 vs 15 mAh g -1 ).

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗

DOE OSTI2022

Controlling magnetic exchange and anisotropy by nonmagnetic ligand substitution in layered 𝑀⁢P⁢𝑋 3 (𝑀 = Ni, Mn; 𝑋 = S, Se)

Recent discoveries in two-dimensional magnetism have intensified the investigation of van der Waals magnetic materials and further improved our ability to tune their magnetic properties. Tunable magnetism has been widely studied in antiferromagnetic metal thiophosphates 𝑀⁢P⁢𝑋 3 . Substitution of metal ions 𝑀 has been adopted as an important technique to engineer the magnetism in 𝑀⁢P⁢𝑋 3 . In this work, we have studied the previously unexplored chalcogen 𝑋 substitutions in 𝑀⁢P⁢𝑋 3 (𝑀 = Mn/Ni; 𝑋 = S/Se). We synthesized the single crystals of MnP⁢S 3−𝑥 ⁢Se 𝑥 (0 ≤ 𝑥 ≤ 3) and NiP⁢S 3−𝑥 ⁢Se 𝑥 (0 ≤ 𝑥 ≤ 1.3) and investigated the systematic evolution of the magnetism with varying 𝑥. Our study reveals the effective tuning of magnetic interactions and anisotropies in both MnPS 3 and NiPS 3 upon Se substitution. Such efficient engineering of the magnetism provides a suitable platform to understand the low-dimensional magnetism and develop future magnetic devices.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

DOE OSTI2021

Numerical Investigation of Enhanced Dehumidification Processes By Using Dielectrophoresis Principles in Moist Airflows

Dispersed particle-laden flows are encountered in many building and industrial applications, such as flow in a fluidized bed, hydrocarbon transportation in pipelines, and the fouling of air-cooled heat exchangers (Kuruneru et al., 2016; Ray et al., 2019; Wang et al., 2019). Computational fluid dynamic (CFD) models have been developed in recent years to depict particle-fluid and particle-particle interactions in laminar or turbulent flows with increasing accuracy and stability. One particular particle-laden system of interest for moisture control is electrically-enhanced condensation in air and water droplet flows. Electrically-enhanced condensation consists of the use of highly charged water droplets injected in the moist air. The droplets become electric seeds that attract polar water vapor molecules to their surfaces and promote condensation. The nucleation and growth of the charged droplets deplete the vapor phase near a droplet, which is compensated for by the dielectrophoresis flow and diffusion. Dielectrophoresis flow involves surrounding vapor at a distance of about 10 to 100 nm for droplets charged by an electrospray compared to ~2 nm for a single electron charge in a droplet. As the vapor molecules collapse on the surface of the droplets, their initial electrical charge decreases with time due to the neutralization of the ions. While the physics of this phenomena is well known, engineering models for predicting the condensation rates are not available. This work computationally investigates dehumidification of moist airflow in a converging rectangular duct. The objective is to develop an engineering model that predicts water vapor condensation by employing dielectrophoresis principles. We construct a Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) model of the duct with electrically-enhanced condensation. The model is implemented in the open-source software OpenFOAM. We utilize the Multi-Phase Particle-In-Cell (MP-PIC) method coupled with a Population Balance Equation (PBE) approach to simulate the particle-laden system. This methodology is an Eulerian-Lagrangian approach used to simulate the droplets' behavior in the humid air. The MP-PIC approach (Andrews and O'Rourke, 1996) mitigates the computational cost by parceling several fundamental particles with similar properties (such as types, sizes, and temperature) into one computational particle. Thus, the billions of particles can be substituted by millions of computational particles without significant loss of information. The PBE was considered with the Lagrangian frame to combine the particle distribution function used in MP-PIC (Kim et al., 2020). This approach preserves mass and energy conservation between the phases in the Eulerian and Lagrangian structures. The PBE in this procedure was directly linked to the discrete parcels, making the simulation of the particle distribution computationally efficient and robust. The MP-PIC-PBE approach used in the present work was applied to the dehumidification of air. Water droplets were injected in the air stream and forced to grow according to experimentally derived correlation. The experiments were conducted on a converging duct with the same geometry and boundary conditions used to build the CFD model. This approach enabled us to approximate the effect of dielectrophoresis phenomena on the droplet and air interface. This presentation will discuss the details of the new CFD model built for the duct, the implementation of the model in OpenFOAM CFD programming language, and the experimental validation of the newly developed model. The results revealed a moderate yet measurable increase in droplet diameter due to water vapor condensation at the vapor-liquid interface of the electrically charged droplets' surface. The seed water droplet particles grew in size by capturing the water vapor in the surrounding air. The OpenFOAM model predicted reductions of humidity in the air from 5 to 10 percent.

Yel Mahi, Maliha↗

DOE OSTI2016

A Toolkit for Orthogonal and in vivo Optical Manipulation of Ionotropic Glutamate Receptors

The ability to optically manipulate specific neuronal signaling proteins with genetic precision paves the way for the dissection of their roles in brain function, behavior, and disease. Chemical optogenetic control with photoswitchable tethered ligands (PTLs) enables rapid, reversible and reproducible activation or block of specific neurotransmitter-gated receptors and ion channels in specific cells. In this study, we further engineered and characterized the light-activated GluK2 kainate receptor, LiGluR, to develop a toolbox of LiGluR variants. Low-affinity LiGluRs allow for efficient optical control of GluK2 while removing activation by native glutamate, whereas variant RNA edited versions enable the synaptic role of receptors with high and low Ca2+ permeability to be assessed and spectral variant photoswitches provide flexibility in illumination. Importantly, we establish that LiGluR works efficiently in the cortex of awake, adult mice using standard optogenetic techniques, thus opening the door to probing the role of specific synaptic receptors and cellular signals in the neural circuit operations of the mammalian brain in normal conditions and in disease. The principals developed in this study are widely relevant to the engineering and in vivo use of optically controllable proteins, including other neurotransmitter receptors.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2022

Implications of Microstructure in Helium-Implanted Nanocrystalline Metals

Helium bubbles are known to form in nuclear reactor structural components when displacement damage occurs in conjunction with helium exposure and/or transmutation. If left unchecked, bubble production can cause swelling, blistering, and embrittlement, all of which substantially degrade materials and—moreover—diminish mechanical properties. On the mission to produce more robust materials, nanocrystalline (NC) metals show great potential and are postulated to exhibit superior radiation resistance due to their high defect and particle sink densities; however, much is still unknown about the mechanisms of defect evolution in these systems under extreme conditions. Here, the performances of NC nickel (Ni) and iron (Fe) are investigated under helium bombardment via transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Bubble density statistics are measured as a function of grain size in specimens implanted under similar conditions. While the overall trends revealed an increase in bubble density up to saturation in both samples, bubble density in Fe was over 300% greater than in Ni. To interrogate the kinetics of helium diffusion and trapping, a rate theory model is developed that substantiates that helium is more readily captured within grains in helium-vacancy complexes in NC Fe, whereas helium is more prone to traversing the grain matrices and migrating to GBs in NC Ni. Our results suggest that (1) grain boundaries can affect bubble swelling in grain matrices significantly and can have a dominant effect over crystal structure, and (2) an NC-Ni-based material can yield superior resistance to irradiation-induced bubble growth compared to an NC-Fe-based material and exhibits high potential for use in extreme environments where swelling due to He bubble formation is of significant concern.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

NASA NTRS1975

Fretting in aircraft turbine engines

The problems created by fretting in turbine engines are discussed. The areas of greatest wear identified with the fan, compressor, and turbine blade mountings being the most critical items. Various methods for reducing or eliminating fretting in a turbine engine are described. Vacuum deposition of coatings by sputtering and ion plating are recommended as an economic method of applying thin films to inhibit fretting.

Johnson, R. L.↗