Engineering Papers⌕ Search

SEARCH · Engineering Papers

Results for “surface science”

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.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 1,171 records · Page 65
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2022

Dual phase patterning during a congruent grain boundary phase transition in elemental copper

The phase behavior of grain boundaries can have a strong influence on interfacial properties. Little is known about the emergence of grain boundary phases in elemental metal systems and how they transform. Here, we observe the nanoscale patterning of a grain boundary by two alternating grain boundary phases with distinct atomic structures in elemental copper by atomic resolution imaging. The same grain boundary phases are found by computational grain boundary structure search indicating a first-order transformation. Finite temperature atomistic simulations reveal a congruent, diffusionless transition between these phases under ambient pressure. The patterning of the grain boundary at room temperature is dominated by the grain boundary phase junctions separating the phase segments. Our analysis suggests that the reduced mobility of the phase junctions at low temperatures kinetically limits the transformation, but repulsive elastic interactions between them and disconnections could additionally stabilize the pattern formation.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2023

Strain-tunable Berry curvature in quasi-two-dimensional chromium telluride

Magnetic transition metal chalcogenides form an emerging platform for exploring spin-orbit driven Berry phase phenomena owing to the nontrivial interplay between topology and magnetism. Here we show that the anomalous Hall effect in pristine Cr 2 Te 3 thin films manifests a unique temperature-dependent sign reversal at nonzero magnetization, resulting from the momentum-space Berry curvature as established by first-principles simulations. The sign change is strain tunable, enabled by the sharp and well-defined substrate/film interface in the quasi-two-dimensional Cr 2 Te 3 epitaxial films, revealed by scanning transmission electron microscopy and depth-sensitive polarized neutron reflectometry. This Berry phase effect further introduces hump-shaped Hall peaks in pristine Cr 2 Te 3 near the coercive field during the magnetization switching process, owing to the presence of strain-modulated magnetic layers/domains. The versatile interface tunability of Berry curvature in Cr 2 Te 3 thin films offers new opportunities for topological electronics.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2022

Evidence for a robust sign-changing s-wave order parameter in monolayer films of superconducting Fe (Se,Te)/Bi 2 Te 3

The Fe-based superconductor Fe (Se,Te) combines non-trivial topology with unconventional superconductivity and may be an ideal platform to realize exotic states such as high-order topological corner modes and Majorana modes. Thin films of Fe (Se,Te) are particularly important for device fabrication and phase sensitive transport measurements. While bulk Fe (Se,Te) has been extensively studied, the nature of the superconducting order parameter in the monolayer limit has not yet been explored. In this work, we study monolayer films of Fe (Se,Te) on Bi 2 Te 3 with scanning tunneling spectroscopy. Monolayer Fe (Se,Te)/Bi 2 Te 3 heterostructures host a multigap superconducting state that strongly resembles the bulk. Analysis of the phase-referenced quasiparticle interference signal reveals a sign-changing s-wave order parameter similar to the bulk as well as a unique pattern of sign changes which have not been observed in the bulk. Our work establishes monolayer Fe (Se,Te)/Bi 2 Te 3 as a robust multi-band unconventional superconductor and sets the stage for explorations of non-trivial topology in this highly-tunable system.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2024

Unraveling the electronic structure and magnetic transition evolution across monolayer, bilayer, and multilayer ferromagnetic Fe 3 GeTe 2

Two-dimensional (2D) van der Waals (vdW) magnets have sparked widespread attention due to their potential in spintronic applications as well as in fundamental physics. Ferromagnetic vdW compound Fe 3 GeTe 2 (FGT) and its Ga variants have garnered significant interest due to their itinerant magnetism, correlated states, and high magnetic transition temperature. Experimental studies have demonstrated the tunability of FGT’s Curie temperature, T C , through adjustments in quintuple layer numbers (QL) and carrier concentrations, n. However, the underlying mechanism remains elusive. In this study, we employ molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) to synthesize 2D FGT films down to 1 QL with precise layer control, facilitating an exploration of the band structure and the evolution of itinerant carrier density. Angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) reveals significant band structure changes at the ultra-thin limit, while first-principles calculations elucidate the band evolution from 1 QL to bulk, largely governed by interlayer coupling. Additionally, we find that n is intrinsically linked to the number of QL and temperature, with a critical value triggering the magnetic phase transition. Our findings underscore the pivotal role of band structure and itinerant electrons in governing magnetic phase transitions in such 2D vdW magnetic materials.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2023

Migration and aggregation of Pt atoms on metal oxide-supported ceria nanodomes control reverse water gas shift reaction activity

Abstract Single-atom catalysts (SACs) are particularly sensitive to external conditions, complicating the identification of catalytically active species and active sites under in situ or operando conditions. We developed a methodology for tracing the structural evolution of SACs to nanoparticles, identifying the active species and their link to the catalytic activity for the reverse water gas shift (RWGS) reaction. The new method is illustrated by studying structure-activity relationships in two materials containing Pt SACs on ceria nanodomes, supported on either ceria or titania. These materials exhibited distinctly different activities for CO production. Multimodal operando characterization attributed the enhanced activity of the titania-supported catalysts at temperatures below 320 ˚C to the formation of unique Pt sites at the ceria-titania interface capable of forming Pt nanoparticles, the active species for the RWGS reaction. Migration of Pt nanoparticles to titania support was found to be responsible for the deactivation of titania-supported catalysts at elevated temperatures. Tracking the migration of Pt atoms provides a new opportunity to investigate the activation and deactivation of Pt SACs for the RWGS reaction.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2020

Bimolecular crystal instability and morphology of bulk heterojunction blends in organic and perovskite solar cells

The performance of polymer:fullerene bulk heterojunction (BHJ) solar cells is significantly influenced by the morphology of electron donor and acceptor blends under the premise that electronic structure is complimentary regarding donor and acceptor materials. There are many cases where intimate mixing of donor and acceptor perturbs the electronic structure, which fundamentally changes the transport and photovoltaic characteristics. In this work, we present the bimolecular crystal packing of polymers and fullerenes, and investigate the correlation between device performance and structural details. We find that bimolecular crystallization can reorganize polymer chain packing, leading to poor electron transport and device performance. The size compatibility and the passivation of entropy penalty led to cocrystallization instability, which was clearly seen by in situ GIWAXS data. PC 61 BM is found to intercalate into side chains of PQT by reorganizing both PQT and PC 61 BM, forming stable, highly ordered bimolecular crystals. The poor electron transport in bimolecular crystal domain could account for the poor device performance in both perovskite and organic solar cells. Bis-PC 61 BM, on the other hand, only forms loosely packed aggregates in solution, and then rapidly phase separated into large domains with an edge-on interfacial orientation and performed poorly in solar cells.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2023

Optimizing dicyandiamide pretreatment conditions for enhanced structure and electronic properties of polymeric graphitic carbon nitride

Graphitic carbon nitride, a polymeric semiconductor, possesses a distinctive electronic band structure and exceptional chemical stability, making it a highly promising material for various catalytic applications such as electrocatalysis, photocatalysis, and photo-electrocatalysis. However, its practical applications remain limited due to its low active site density and poor electrical conductivity. In this study, to overcome such limitations, we have conducted a thorough investigation to explore the impact of dicyandiamide (DCDA) precursor pretreatment prior to thermal polymerization to graphitic carbon nitride. The DCDA precursor was subjected to various pretreatment methods including grinding using mortar and pestle, recrystallization through stirring or probe sonication after dissolving in deionized water, and freeze drying, prior to thermal polymerization at 550 °C for 2 hours. The structural and morphological properties of the catalysts prepared were compared and characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), attenuated total reflectance–Fourier transform infrared (ATR-IR) spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis while the electronic band gap properties were determined based on density functional theory (DFT) calculations for a set of crystalline systems having C/N ratios similar to those identified experimentally. In comparison to direct thermal polymerization, pretreated samples rendered the same product yield, diverse morphologies with flat or wrinkle structures, and reduced electrochemical resistance, making them suitable for use in various catalytic processes.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2022

Foreword to special issue: Papers from the 63rd annual meeting of the APS Division of Plasma Physics, November 8–12, 2021

The 63rd annual meeting of the APS Division of Plasma Physics (DPP) was held on November 8–12, 2021 in Pittsburgh at the David Lawrence Convention Center with both a live (in person) component and a virtual component. Following guidance from an APS COVID task force, all in-person attendees were fully vaccinated and masked. More than 800 physicists attended, safely, in-person. With both virtual and on-site participants, discussions were lively, and the research presentations showed unmatched mastery in the modern observation, theory, simulation, and manipulation of plasma. The presentations included four invited review talks, 97 invited talks, four tutorials, and four presentations from this year's prize and award recipients. There were more than 1200 contributed poster presentations and 725 contributed oral presentations. Including both in-person and remote attendees, DPP 2021 had a record of 2232 participants. As a hybrid meeting, in-person presentations of all invited presentations were broadcast live and were accompanied by a Q&A discussion. Contributed oral and poster presentations were prerecorded along with options to schedule in-person discussions on demand. Five mini-conferences were held: “Gatekeeper Workshop: Creating a Diverse, Equitable, and Inclusive Pipeline,” “Collisionless Shocks in Laboratory and Space Plasmas,” “The High Repetition Rate Frontier in High-Energy-Density Physics,” “Measuring and Modeling Plasma Surface Interactions,” and “The Second Mini-Conference on Machine Learning, Data Science and Artificial Intelligence in Plasma Research.” Finally, on the day before the official start of the meeting, an afternoon “for students, by students” included lightning talks, plasma trivia, and an informal occasion to connect with other students, learn how to get the most from the DPP Annual Meeting, and share successful ways to connect with colleagues and advance their professional careers.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2020

Analysis of RF losses and material characterization of samples removed from a Nb 3 Sn-coated superconducting RF cavity

Nb 3 Sn (T c ≈18 K and H sh ≈400 mT) is a prospective material to replace Nb (T c ≈9 K and H sh ≈200 mT) in SRF accelerator cavities for significant cost reduction and performance enhancement. Because of its material properties, Nb3Sn is best employed as a thin film (coating) inside an already built RF cavity structure. A particular test cavity noted as C3C4 was a 1.5 GHz single-cell Nb cavity, coated with Nb3Sn using Sn vapor diffusion process at Jefferson Lab. Cold measurements of the coated cavity indicated the superconducting transition temperature of about 18 K. Subsequent RF measurements indicated field-dependent surface resistance both at 4.3 K and 2.0 K. After initial cold measurements, the cavity RF loss distribution was studied with a thermometry mapping system. Loss regions were identified with thermometry and were cut out for material analysis. The presence of significantly thin patchy regions and other carbon-rich defects is associated with strong local field-dependent surface resistance. This paper summarizes RF and thermometry results correlated with material science findings.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2020

Fast nonthermal processes in pulsed laser deposition

Pulsed laser deposition (PLD) is typically used to grow epitaxial thin films of quantum materials. In this research, we use in situ x-ray scattering to study homoepitaxy of SrTiO 3 by energetic deposition (e-PLD) versus PLD thermalized by a He background gas (th-PLD). Energetic PLD suppresses the lateral growth of two-dimensional islands, which suggests that particles with kinetic energies of ~ 100 eV break up smaller islands. Fast interlayer transport occurs for th-PLD as well as e-PLD, implying a process operating on submicrosecond time scales for incident particles with kinetic energies below 10 eV.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2020

First-principles theory of the Dirac semimetal Cd 3 As 2 under Zeeman magnetic field

Time-reversal broken Weyl semimetals have attracted much attention recently, but certain aspects of their behavior, including the evolution of their Fermi surface topology and anomalous Hall conductivity with Fermi-level position, have remained underexplored. A promising route to obtain such materials may be to start with a nonmagnetic Dirac semimetal and break time-reversal symmetry via magnetic doping or magnetic proximity. Here we explore this scenario in the case of the Dirac semimetal Cd 3 As 2 , based on first-principles density-functional calculations and subsequent low-energy modeling of Cd 3 As 2 in the presence of a Zeeman field applied along the symmetry axis. We clarify how each four-fold degenerate Dirac node splits into four Weyl nodes, two with chirality ±1 and two higher-order nodes with chirality ±2. Using a minimal k · p model Hamiltonian whose parameters are fit to the first-principles calculations, we detail the evolution of the Fermi surfaces and their Chern numbers as the Fermi energy is scanned across the region of the Weyl nodes at fixed Zeeman field. We also compute the intrinsic anomalous Hall conductivity as a function of Fermi-level position, finding a characteristic inverted-dome structure. Cd 3 As 2 is especially well suited to such a study because of its high mobility, but the qualitative behavior revealed here should be applicable to other Dirac semimetals as well.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2022

Evolution of the cyclotron mass with doping in La 2–x Sr x CuO 4

The recent observation of cyclotron resonance in optimally doped La 2–x Sr x CuO 4 using time-domain THz spectroscopy in high magnetic field has given new possibilities for the study of cuprate superconductors. One can measure the cyclotron mass in the more disordered cuprates possessing short scattering times, therefore expanding the study to materials and dopings in which quantum oscillations have not been observed. In this paper we present the measurement of the carrier mass of the hole-doped cuprate La 2–x Sr x CuO 4 across a range of dopings spanning from the slightly underdoped (p=0.13) to highly overdoped (p=0.26), near the termination of the superconducting dome. These results reveal a systematic increase of m c with doping, up to values greater than 13 times the bare electron mass. This is in contrast with the masses extracted from the heat capacity, which show a peak near the pseudogap critical point p* and/or Lifshitz transition. The cyclotron frequency is linear in field up to 31 T for all dopings, giving no evidence for field-induced Fermi surface reconstructions. The cyclotron mass is found to be positive for all dopings, but with a magnitude systematically below the heat-capacity mass for under and optimally doped samples, while exceeding it for overdoped samples. Among other aspects, these results are surprising as photoemission reveals a Lifshitz transition in the middle of our doping range and the sign of the cyclotron mass determined from a finite-frequency resonance is, in conventional theories, a topological quantity only sensitive to whether or not the Fermi surface is closed around holes or electrons. We see no sign of a divergence of the mass near p* nor near the Lifshitz transition, showing that any singularity, if it exists, is not strong enough to affect the cyclotron mass.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2021

Perspectives on Machine Learning-assisted Plasma Medicine: Towards Automated Plasma Treatment

Cold atmospheric plasmas (CAPs) have shown great promise for medical applications through their synergistic chemical, electrical, and thermal effects, which can induce therapeutic outcomes. However, safe and reproducible plasma treatment of complex biological surfaces poses a major hurdle to the widespread adoption of CAPs for medical applications. Predictive modeling of the mutual interactions between the plasma and biological surfaces and, thus, systematic approaches to quantify and predict plasma treatment outcomes remain largely elusive due to the lack of mechanistic understanding of plasma-surface interactions that can span across vastly different length-and time-scales. In addition, real-time sensing capabilities in biomedical CAP devices are often limited, which can be detrimental to plasma treatment due to the intrinsic plasma and surface variability during the treatment, as well as sensitivity to external perturbations. All of these challenges can make reproducible and effective plasma treatment of biological surfaces difficult to realize, which is further compounded by errors due to human operation of hand-held CAP devices. Machine learning and data-driven approaches can be particularly useful in addressing these challenges in three major ways: (i) data-driven modeling of hard-to-model plasma-surface interactions and plasma treatment outcomes; (ii) learning data analytics for plasma and surface diagnostics in real-time; and (iii) developing predictive controllers that enable reliable and effective CAP treatments. Furthermore, this paper discusses the promise of machine learning to accelerate plasma medicine research in these areas, toward machine learning-assisted and automated CAP treatment of complex biological surfaces.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2025

Aggregated carbon dioxide flux and hydrometeorology data from an Amazonian palm swamp peatland in Peru: 2018, 2019, and 2022

This dataset contains eddy covariance carbon dioxide flux and hydrometeorological measurements made in an Amazonian palm swamp peatland near Iquitos, Peru. These data have been aggregated from half-hourly observations that are available from AmeriFlux (https://ameriflux.lbl.gov/; site PE-QFR). These data files are CSV (comma separated values) format and can be imported using Matlab, R, or Excel. Three full years of data are reported (2018, 2019 and 2022) during which time there were large differences in annual net ecosystem carbon dioxide exchange. The gap was caused by instrument malfunction and extended delays in repairs because of the Covid-19 pandemic. This research was conducted to better understand the carbon cycle of tropical peatlands, and was supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, Office of Biological and Environmental Research, Terrestrial Ecosystem Science Program, under Award Number DE-SC0020167.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2021

Tower Water-Vapor Mixing Ratio Value-Added Product Report

The purpose of the Tower Water-Vapor Mixing Ratio (TWRMR) value-added product (VAP) is to calculate water-vapor mixing ratio at the 25-meter and 60-meter levels of the meteorological tower at the Southern Great Plains (SGP) Central Facility.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2023

Chromium Tolerant, Highly Active and Stable Electrocatalytic Internal Surface Coating for Cathode of Commercial SOFCs (Final Report)

This project is aimed to develop a chromium (Cr) tolerant, highly active, and stable coating layer on the internal surfaces of the porous composite cathode from commercially available SOFCs. Such coating layer was developed using the additive manufacturing process of Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD) and has been applied on the cathode consisting of either an electronic conductor of LaxSr 1-x MnyO 3-δ (LSM) or mixed ionic and electronic conducting La x Sr 1-x Co y Fe 1-y O 3-δ (LSCF). PI's work has demonstrated that the internal surface of cathode from the commercial cells, can be further tailored using ALD coating to dramatically enhance the cell performance. For instance, ALD layer consisting heterostructured nano composite of nano-Pt and nano-(Mn 0.8 Co 0.2 ) 3 O 4 oxide on the internal surface of porous LSM/YSZ cathode from SOFCs, has resulted in the large reduction of the cell polarizations resistance by up to 53%, and enormous increase of power density over 370%. For the cells with LSCF/Sm 2 O 3 doped CeO 2 (SDC) cathode, the conformal layer of nano-composite consisting of superjacent CoOx and subjacent minimum amount of Pt nano-grains has resulted in the power density enhancement by 126% for the large scale industry tubular cells at 750°C, and both the performance enhancement and nanostructure of the ALD layer are stable over ~ 2000 h continuous operation performed at industry test station. In the meanwhile, those ALD coating layer developed by PI's work is also inherently Cr-tolerant, and could act as physical barrier for preventing Cr diffusion into the cathode backbone, so as to mitigate the Cr poisoning effect on the cathode. In this project, the impact of Cr on the performance of those ALD coated commercial cells has been evaluated. Based on evolution of the cell performance, the ALD coating layer chemistry and ALD coating layer thickness has been optimized to maximize the overall Cr tolerance, cell power density and cell longevity. Different ALD coating has been applied onto the internal surface of LSM/YSZ and LSCF/SDC backbone respectively. The architecture/scaffold structures on the internal surface of different cathode, designed by this project, was catalogued and analyzed using High Resolution Transmission Electron Microscopy (HRTEM), and cell power/durability performance are assured via comprehensive electrochemical performance testing in the industry operation relevant conditions. The impact of the electrochemical operation current density, the water humidity, the cell operation temperature, and cell operation duration on the Cr tolerance of ALD coated cells has been systematically investigated. There is completely different nanostructure degradation mechanisms between LSM and LSCF cells induced by Cr contamination. For the LSCF/SDC baseline cell, With the Cr source, there is no apparent Sr surface segregation phase even for the baseline cell operated for 3000 h at 750 °C. With the Cr source, there is significant amorphous (SrCr)Ox phase accumulated in the original pore region. For the commercial baseline cells, Cr contaminants on the LSM electrode severely impacted the entire cell's electrochemical performance and nanostructure degradation. Those degradations include (1). Peak power density loss of 64 % after 109 h of operation. The dramatic increase in Rp (2). They are cracking at LSM/SSZ interface, LSM grains. SSZ remains intact but with (CrMn)Ox. By contrast, ALD coating (MnCo)Ox/Pt dramatically improves the Cr resistance, as follows (1). ALD-coated cell with a power density is 280-380 % of the baseline cell, depending on the ALD layer thickness. (2). For a cell with a 20 nm thick ALD layer, there is a large performance enhancement (> 200 % power density) induced by ALD coating of Cr-tolerant Mn 0.8 Co 0.2 Ox. (3). For a cell with a 20 nm thick ALD layer, after 168 h at 750 °C power density of the ALD-coated cell is ~ 600% of that baseline cell upon operation with Cr contamination for 109 h. The ALD coating on the internal surface of cathode developed by this project integrated multi-functions. Those multi-functions include (1). Dramatically improving the cell power density for the commercial cells; (2). Dramatically improving contamination resistance of the cathode, for being an excellent protection coating layer sealing off Cr contamination. (3). Dramatically increasing the cell longevity by potentially preventing the microstructure evolution and grain coarsening of the cathode. Overall, this project will provide a simple solution to simultaneously enhance power density and increase the reliability, robustness, and endurance of commercial SOFCs, over the entire operating temperature range of 650-800 °C. For the inherently functional SOFC, the ALD coating of LSM based cathode mitigate the Cr-contamination. Power density of ALD-coated cell is ~ 600% of that baseline cell upon operation with Cr contamination. In addition to SOFCs, the novel on-demand design approach and creation of multifunctional heterogeneous architecture on the electrode surface presented in this work opens further research for their application in other types of fuel cells, batteries, and sensors for which electrochemical reactions on the surface are similarly critical.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2021

SPRUCE Outflow Chemistry Data for Experimental Plots Beginning in 2016

This data set includes the chemistry of outflow waters in the SPRUCE experiment plots located in the S1 bog of the USDA Forest Service Marcell Experimental Forest (MEF) in northern Minnesota, 40 km north of Grand Rapids. These data are post-treatment data from the warming and elevated carbon dioxide (CO2) treatments associated with the SPRUCE experiment. There are ten experimental plots in SPRUCE: five temperature treatments (+0, +2.25, +4.5, +6.75, +9°C) at ambient CO2, and the same five temperature treatments at elevated CO2 (+500 ppm). Sample collection and analyses started in March of 2016 and will continue for the duration of the experiment. Samples were analyzed for pH, specific conductivity, anion concentrations (chloride, sulfate), cation concentrations (calcium, potassium, magnesium, sodium, aluminum, iron, manganese, silicon, strontium), nutrient concentrations (ammonium, nitrate, soluble reactive phosphorus, total nitrogen, total phosphorus), and total organic carbon (TOC) concentrations. Subsets of the samples have been analyzed for natural-abundance stable isotopes of water (δ18O-H2O and δD-H2O), dissolved carbon dioxide (δ13C-CO2), and dissolved methane (δ13C-CH4), and concentrations of total mercury (Thg), methylmercury (MeHg), ferrous iron (Fe2+), ferric iron (Fe3+), dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC), and dissolved methane (CH4).

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2024

Pistia stratiotes L. Biochar for Sorptive Removal of Aqueous Inorganic Nitrogen

Biochar has proven effective in the remediation of excess nitrogen from soil and water. Excess nitrogen from agricultural fields ends up in aquatic systems and leads to reduced water quality and the proliferation of invasive species. This study aimed to assess the efficiency of chemically surface-modified biochar produced from invasive Pistia stratiotes L. for the adsorption of inorganic nitrogen (NH4+ and NO3−). Biochar structure was investigated using scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray analysis, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. The results from adsorption experiments indicate that NH4+ removal was optimal (0.8–1.3 mg N g−1) at near-neutral pH levels (6.0–7.5), while NO3− removal was optimal (0.4–0.8 mg N g−1) under acidic pH conditions (4.8–6.5) using the modified biochar. These findings highlight the significance of solution pH, biochar morphology, and surface chemistry in influencing the adsorption of NH4+ and NO3−. However, further studies are necessary to assess the potential oxidative transformation of NH4+ to NO3− by biochar, which might have contributed to the reduction in NH4+ in the aqueous phase.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗