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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 1,099 records · Page 61
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2018

Understanding spin configuration in the geometrically frustrated magnet TbB 4 : A resonant soft X-ray scattering study

The frustrated magnet has been regarded as a system that could be a promising host material for the quantum spin liquid (QSL). However, it is difficult to determine the spin configuration and the corresponding mechanism in this system, because of its geometrical frustration ( i.e. , crystal structure and symmetry). Herein, we systematically investigate one of the geometrically frustrated magnets, the TbB 4 compound. Using resonant soft x-ray scattering (RSXS), we explored its spin configuration, as well as Tb's quadrupole. Comprehensive evaluations of the temperature and photon energy/polarization dependences of the RSXS signals reveal the mechanism of spin reorientation upon cooling down, which is the sophisticated interplay between the Tb spin and the crystal symmetry rather than its orbit (quadrupole). Here, our results and their implications would further shed a light on the search for possible realization of QSL.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2023

Ion soft landing: A unique tool for understanding electrochemical processes

Ion soft landing (SL) is a preparative mass spectrometry approach that enables deposition of mass- and charge-selected gaseous ions onto surfaces with controlled kinetic energy. The unique capabilities of SL provide an opportunity to populate electrode–electrolyte interfaces (EEIs) with well-defined intact electroactive ions of known composition, thereby facilitating the characterization of their intrinsic electrochemical properties. Here, in this perspective, we describe the SL technique and discuss how it may be used to study the effect of the charge state, stoichiometry, and composition of large redox active molecules and clusters on their electron transfer kinetics. SL has enabled the characterization of redox-active species that cannot be purified and examined using conventional bulk-phase separation and deposition approaches. Furthermore, precise control over the deposition process provides an opportunity to prepare and characterize well-defined EEIs relevant to energy storage and conversion, catalysis, and sensing.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2017

Using soft x-ray absorption spectroscopy to characterize electrode/electrolyte interfaces in-situ and operando

The interfaces between electrode and electrolyte play a vital role in various electrochemical systems. However, the understanding of such embedded interfaces and interfacial processes is still limited partly because of the short of proper characterizations tools, especially in-situ/operando techniques. Previously, substantial effort has been devoted in the development of in-situ/operando techniques to investigate the solid/liquid interfaces. One successful approach is the combination of in-situ liquid cells and soft x-ray absorption spectroscopy (sXAS). Here, we showcased several recent examples using such liquid-cell-based in-situ/operando sXAS method to study different aspects of the electrode/electrolyte interface under reaction conditions, including the adsorption and deposition of solute species on electrode surface, morphological and chemical changes of electrode surface, and potential-dependent orientations of interfacial solvent molecules. These examples demonstrated capability of such in-situ/operando sXAS techniques in providing element- and chemical-sensitive interfacial information. This in-situ/operando sXAS technique also opens the way to the investigation of various solid/liquid interfaces in other important heterogeneous reactions.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2017

Electron energy-loss and soft X-ray emission spectroscopy of electronic structure of MgB{sub 4}

The electronic structure of MgB{sub 4}, with the characteristic crystal structure comprising one-dimensional pentagonal B{sub 6} cluster chain, was investigated using electron energy-loss spectroscopy and soft X-ray emission spectroscopy based on transmission electron microscopy. The dielectric function and density of state of unoccupied and occupied states were clarified experimentally for the first time. Although theoretical calculations has predicted MgB{sub 4} to be a semiconductor, the electron energy-loss spectrum in this study show a plasmon peak at 0.4 eV, which might be due to carrier electrons. Theoretical calculations suggested that the electronic states near the Fermi energy are localized along the one dimensional B{sub 6} cluster chain. Therefore, one–dimensional electric conductivity is expected. - Graphical abstract: Crystal structure of MgB{sub 4} consists of one-dimensional B{sub 6} cluster chain. The electronic structure characteristic to one-dimensionality is explored by using experimental EELS and SXES measurements based on TEM and first principle calculation. Display Omitted - Highlights: • The electronic structure of MgB{sub 4} is investigated using EELS and SXES based on TEM. • The peak at 0.4 eV in low-loss spectrum implies carriers with low density. • DOSs in VB and CB were revealed from B K emission and B K-shell excitation spectra. • Wien2K shows electronic states near Fermi level located along B{sub 6} cluster chains. • One dimensional behavior of the carriers is expected in MgB{sub 4}.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2022

Posterior Regularized Bayesian Neural Network incorporating soft and hard knowledge constraints

Neural Networks (NNs) have been widely used in supervised learning due to their ability to model complex nonlinear patterns, often presented in high-dimensional data such as images and text. However, traditional NNs often lack the ability for uncertainty quantification. Bayesian NNs (BNNS) could help measure the uncertainty by considering the distributions of the NN model parameters. Besides, domain knowledge is commonly available and could improve the performance of BNNs if it can be appropriately incorporated. In this work, we propose a novel Posterior-Regularized Bayesian Neural Network (PR-BNN) model by incorporating different types of knowledge constraints, such as the soft and hard constraints, as a posterior regularization term. Furthermore, we propose to combine the augmented Lagrangian method and the existing BNN solvers for efficient inference. Furthermore, the experiments in simulation and two case studies about aviation landing prediction and solar energy output prediction have shown the knowledge constraints and the performance improvement of the proposed model over traditional BNNs without the constraints.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2010

Ambient temperature modelling with soft computing techniques

This paper proposes a hybrid approach based on soft computing techniques in order to estimate monthly and daily ambient temperature. Indeed, we combine the back-propagation (BP) algorithm and the simple Genetic Algorithm (GA) in order to effectively train artificial neural networks (ANN) in such a way that the BP algorithm initialises a few individuals of the GA's population. Experiments concerned monthly temperature estimation of unknown places and daily temperature estimation for thermal load computation. Results have shown remarkable improvements in accuracy compared to traditional methods. (author)

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2022

Soft X-ray tomography to map and quantify organelle interactions at the mesoscale

Inter-organelle interactions are a vital part of normal cellular function; however, these have proven difficult to quantify due to the range of scales encountered in cell biology and the throughput limitations of traditional imaging approaches. Here, we demonstrate that soft X-ray tomography (SXT) can be used to rapidly map ultrastructural reorganization and inter-organelle interactions in intact cells. SXT takes advantage of the naturally occurring, differential X-ray absorption of the carbon-rich compounds in each organelle. Specifically, we use SXT to map the spatiotemporal evolution of insulin vesicles and their co-localization and interaction with mitochondria in pancreatic β cells during insulin secretion and in response to different stimuli. We quantify changes in the morphology, biochemical composition, and relative position of mitochondria and insulin vesicles. These findings highlight the importance of a comprehensive and unbiased mapping at the mesoscale to characterize cell reorganization that would be difficult to detect with other existing methodologies.

3D cell mapping↗
DOE OSTI2010

Viewing spin structures with soft x-ray microscopy

The spin of the electron and its associated magnetic moment marks the basic unit for magnetic properties of matter. Magnetism, in particular ferromagnetism and antiferromagnetism is described by a collective order of these spins, where the interaction between individual spins reflects a competition between exchange, anisotropy and dipolar energy terms. As a result the energetically favored ground state of a ferromagnetic system is a rather complex spin configuration, the magnetic domain structure. Magnetism is one of the eldest scientific phenomena, yet it is one of the most powerful and versatile utilized physical effects in modern technologies, such as in magnetic storage and sensor devices. To achieve highest storage density, the relevant length scales, such as the bit size in disk drives is now approaching the nanoscale and as such further developments have to deal with nanoscience phenomena. Advanced characterization tools are required to fully understand the underlying physical principles. Magnetic microscopes using polarized soft X-rays offer a close-up view into magnetism with unique features, these include elemental sensitivity due to X-ray magnetic dichroism effects as contrast mechanism, high spatial resolution provided by state-of-the-art X-ray optics and fast time resolution limited by the inherent time structure of current X-ray sources, which will be overcome with the introduction of ultrafast and high brilliant X-ray sources.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2024

Mobility Selective Ion Soft-Landing and Characterization Enabled Using Structures for Lossless Ion Manipulation

In this study, while conventional ion-soft landing uses the mass-to-charge (m/z) ratio to achieve molecular selection for deposition, here we demonstrate the use of Structures for Lossless Ion Manipulation (SLIM) for mobility-based ion selection and deposition. The dynamic rerouting capabilities of SLIM were leveraged to enable the rerouting of a selected range of mobilities to a different SLIM path (rather than MS) that terminated at a deposition surface. A selected mobility range from a phosphazene ion mixture was rerouted and deposited with a current pulse (~150 pA) resembling its mobility peak. In addition, from a mixture of tetra-alkyl ammonium (TAA) ions containing chain lengths of C5–C8, selected chains (C6, C7) were collected on a surface, reconstituted into solution-phase, and subsequently analyzed with a SLIM-qToF to obtain an IMS/MS spectrum, confirming the identity of the selected species. Further, this method was used to characterize triply charged tungsten-polyoxometalate anions, PW 12 O 40 3– (WPOM). The arrival time distribution of the IMS/MS showed multiple peaks associated with the triply charged anion (PW 12 O 40 3– ), of which a selected ATD was deposited and imaged using TEM. Additionally, the identity of the deposited WPOM was ascertained using energy-dispersive (EDS) spectroscopy. Further, we present theory and computations that reveal ion landing energies, the ability to modulate the energies, and deposition spot sizes.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2023

Navigating the Expansive Landscapes of Soft Materials: A User Guide for High-Throughput Workflows

Synthetic polymers are highly customizable with tailored structures and functionality, yet this versatility generates challenges in the design of advanced materials due to the size and complexity of the design space. Thus, exploration and optimization of polymer properties using combinatorial libraries has become increasingly common, which requires careful selection of synthetic strategies, characterization techniques, and rapid processing workflows to obtain fundamental principles from these large data sets. Herein, we provide guidelines for strategic design of macromolecule libraries and workflows to efficiently navigate these high-dimensional design spaces. We describe synthetic methods for multiple library sizes and structures as well as characterization methods to rapidly generate data sets, including tools that can be adapted from biological workflows. We further highlight relevant insights from statistics and machine learning to aid in data featurization, representation, and analysis. This Perspective acts as a “user guide” for researchers interested in leveraging high-throughput screening toward the design of multifunctional polymers and predictive modeling of structure–property relationships in soft materials.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2010

Soft X-ray Spectroscopy Study of the Electronic Structure of Oxidized and Partially Oxidized Magnetite Nanoparticles

The crystal structure of magnetite nanoparticles may be transformed to maghemite by complete oxidation, but under many relevant conditions the oxidation is partial, creating a mixed-valence material with structural and electronic properties that are poorly characterized. We used X-ray diffraction, Fe K-edge extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) spectroscopy, and soft X-ray absorption and emission spectroscopy to characterize the products of oxidizing uncoated and oleic acid-coated magnetite nanoparticles in air. The oxidization of uncoated magnetite nanoparticles creates a material that is structurally and electronically indistinguishable from maghemite. By contrast, while oxidized oleic acid-coated nanoparticles are also structurally indistinguishable from maghemite, Fe L-edge spectroscopy revealed the presence of interior reduced iron sites even after a 2-year period. We used X-ray emission spectroscopy at the O K-edge to study the valence bands (VB) of the iron oxide nanoparticles, using resonant excitation to remove the contributions from oxygen atoms in the ligands and from low-energy excitations that obscured the VB edge. The bonding in all nanoparticles was typical of maghemite, with no detectable VB states introduced by the long-lived, reduced-iron sites in the oleic acid-coated sample. However, O K-edge absorption spectroscopy observed a 0.2 eV shift in the position of the lowest unoccupied states in the coated sample, indicating an increase in the semiconductor band gap relative to bulk stoichiometric maghemite that was also observed by optical absorption spectroscopy. The results show that the ferrous iron sites within ferric iron oxide nanoparticles coated by an organic ligand can persist under ambient conditions with no evidence of a distinct interior phase and can exert an effect on the global electronic and optical properties of the material. This phenomenon resembles the band gap enlargement caused by electron accumulation in the conduction band of TiO2.

77 NANOSCIENCE AND NANOTECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2017

Theory-driven design of high-valence metal sites for water oxidation confirmed using in situ soft X-ray absorption

The efficiency with which renewable fuels and feedstocks are synthesized from electrical sources is limited at present by the sluggish oxygen evolution reaction (OER) in pH-neutral media. Here, we took the view that generating transition metal sites with high valence at low applied bias should improve the activity of neutral OER catalysts. Using density functional theory, we find that the formation energy of desired Ni 4+ sites is systematically modulated by incorporating judicious combinations of Co, Fe and non-metal phosphorus. Here we synthesized NiCoFeP oxyhydroxides and probed their oxidation kinetics by employing in situ soft X-ray absorption (sXAS). In situ sXAS studies of neutral-pH OER catalysts indicate ready promotion of Ni 4+ under low overpotential conditions. NiCoFeP catalyst outperforms IrO 2 and retains its performance following 100 hours of operation. We showcase NiCoFeP in a membrane-free CO 2 electroreduction system that achieves a 1.99 V cell voltage at 10 mA cm -2 , reducing CO 2 into CO and oxidizing H 2 O to O 2 with a 64% electricity-to-chemical-fuel efficiency.

30 DIRECT ENERGY CONVERSION↗
DOE OSTI2020

High-resolution neutron spectroscopy using backscattering and neutron spin-echo spectrometers in soft and hard condensed matter

The instruments best suited to performing high-energy-resolution neutron spectroscopy are spin-echo spectrometers and backscattering spectrometers. The development of these experimental techniques dates back almost half a century, and most major neutron scattering facilities operate mature spectrometers of one or both classes. Recent advances in instrumentation and neutron sources are enhancing their performance and expanding their capabilities, with the objective of enabling researchers to tackle new and more complex problems. Finally, in this Technical Review, we assess the current state of the art in high-energy-resolution neutron spectrometers, showcasing their role in the study of nanoscale dynamics in soft and biological materials, as well as disordered magnets.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗
DOE OSTI2011

Redox Chemistry in Thin Layers of Organometallic Complexes Prepared Using Ion Soft Landing

Soft landing (SL) of mass-selected ions is used to introduce catalytically-active metal complexes complete with organic ligands into the gas phase and then to transfer them as ions onto an inert surface. This is part of an effort to prepare materials with defined active sites and thus achieve molecular design of surfaces in a highly controlled way. Solution-phase electrochemical studies have shown that VIVO(salen) reacts in the presence of acid to form VVO(salen)+ and the deoxygenated VIII(salen)+ complex -- a key intermediate in the four electron reduction of O2 by vanadium-salen. In this work, the VVO(salen)+ and [NiII(salen)+H]+ complexes were generated by electrospray ionization and mass-selected before being deposited into an inert fluorinated self-assembled monolayer (FSAM) surface on gold. A time dependence study after ion deposition showed loss of O from VVO(salen)+ forming VIII(salen)+ over a four-day period, indicating a slow interfacial reduction process. Similar results were obtained when other protonated molecules were co-deposited with VVO(salen)+ on the FSAM surface. In all these experiments oxidation of the VIII(salen)+ product occurred upon exposure to oxygen or to air. The cyclic regeneration of VVO(salen)+ upon exposure to molecular oxygen and its subsequent reduction to VIII(salen)+ in vacuum completes the catalytic cycle of O2 reduction by the immobilized vanadium-salen species. Moreover, our results represent the first evidence of formation of reactive organometallic complexes on substrates in the absence of solvent. Remarkably, deoxygenation of the oxo-vanadium complex, previously observed only in highly acidic non-aqueous solvents, occurs on the surface in the UHV environment using an acid which is deposited into the inert monolayer. This acid can be a protonated metal complex, e.g. [NiII(salen)+H]+ or an organic acid such as protonated diaminododecane.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2022

Hard-to-soft transition-enhanced piezoelectricity in poly(vinylidene fluoride) via relaxor-like secondary crystals activated by high-power ultrasonication

We report although high piezoelectric coefficients have recently been observed in poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-trifluoroethylene) [P(VDF-TrFE)] random copolymers, they have low Curie temperatures, which makes their piezoelectricity thermally unstable. It has been challenging to achieve high piezoelectric performance from the more thermally stable PVDF homopolymer. In this report, we describe how high-power ultrasonic processing was used to induce a hard-to-soft piezoelectric transition and improve the piezoelectric coefficient d 31 in neat PVDF. After high-power ultrasonication for 20 min, a uniaxially stretched and poled PVDF film exhibited a high d 31 of 50.2 ± 1.7 pm V -1 at room temperature. Upon heating to 65 °C, the d 31 increased to a maximum value of 76.2 ± 1.2 pm V -1 , and the high piezoelectric performance persisted up to 110 °C. The enhanced piezoelectricity was attributed to the relaxor-like secondary crystals in the oriented amorphous fraction, broken off from the primary crystals by ultrasonication, as suggested by differential scanning calorimetry and broadband dielectric spectroscopy studies.

relaxor-like secondary crystals↗
DOE OSTI2010

A compact, sample-in-atmospheric-pressure soft x-ray microscope developed at Pohang Light Source

A full-field transmission soft x-ray microscope (TXM) was developed at the Pohang Light Source. With a 2 mm diameter condenser zone plate and a 40 nm outermost-zone-width objective zone plate, the TXM's achieved spatial resolution is better than 50 nm at the photon energy of 500 eV (wavelength: 2.49 nm). The TXM is portable and mounted in tandem with a 7B1 spectroscopy end station. The sample position is outside the vacuum, allowing for quick sample changes and enhanced in situ experimental capability. In addition, the TXM is pinhole-free and easy to align, having commercial mounts located outside the vacuum components.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗
DOE OSTI2010

Tangential soft-x ray imaging for three-dimensional structural studies in a reversed field pinch

Tangential soft-x ray (SXR) imaging diagnostic has been developed and three-dimensional (3D) structure of the internal magnetic surface has been deduced by comparing the experimental and calculated two-dimensional SXR images in a reversed field pinch. The SXR imaging system, consisting of a MCP, a fluorescent plate, and an intensified charge coupled device camera, has been installed in REversed field pinch of Low-Aspect-ratio eXperiment (RELAX) machine. Major characteristics of an experimental SXR image could be reproduced by numerical calculations of the image using a single island model, suggesting a helical hot core in RELAX. The SXR imaging system could be useful for 3D structural studies when tangential and vertical simultaneous imaging systems would be installed, with appropriate numerical modeling of 3D structure of the magnetic surfaces.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2010

Prototype high resolution multienergy soft x-ray array for NSTX

A novel diagnostic design seeks to enhance the capability of multienergy soft x-ray (SXR) detection by using an image intensifier to amplify the signals from a larger set of filtered x-ray profiles. The increased number of profiles and simplified detection system provides a compact diagnostic device for measuring T{sub e} in addition to contributions from density and impurities. A single-energy prototype system has been implemented on NSTX, comprised of a filtered x-ray pinhole camera, which converts the x-rays to visible light using a CsI:Tl phosphor. SXR profiles have been measured in high performance plasmas at frame rates of up to 10 kHz, and comparisons to the toroidally displaced tangential multi-energy SXR have been made.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗