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At least 1,225 records · Page 68
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2022

A physics-based model of cladding wastage layer formation rate

In this report, lower length scale simulations to inform an engineering-scale model of fuel-cladding chemical interaction (FCCI) conducted under the auspices of the Nuclear Energy Advanced Modeling and Simulation (NEAMS) program in FY22 are described. An overall strategy for the implementation of the BISON model is described, and the past and current lower length scale work on FCCI formation is put into the context of this overall strategy. Density functional theory and kinetic Monte Carlo simulations are used to determine the diffusion coefficient of neodymium in iron. Density functional theory calculations are also used to parameterize a parabolic approximation for the dependence of free energy on composition for the intermetallic compound Fe 17 Nd 2 . A phase-field model of the Fe-Nd system was developed that includes the random solid solution body-centered cubic phase and the intermetallic Fe 17 Nd 2 . The model was used to simulate growth of the intermetallic layer in a diffusion couple and the results were compared to experiment. The model’s prediction of the parabolic growth constant is within 40 % of the experimental value. The model is also used to simulate the formation of a grain boundary attack layer that is observed in experiment. The simulations show enhanced Nd concentration along the grain boundaries, but do not clearly show formation of a Fe 17 Nd 2 layer

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Sensing at the Nanoscale Using Nitrogen-Vacancy Centers in Diamond: A Model for a Quantum Pressure Sensor

The sensing of stress under harsh environmental conditions with high resolution has critical importance for a range of applications including earth’s subsurface scanning, geological CO2 storage monitoring, and mineral and resource recovery. Using a first-principles density functional theory (DFT) approach combined with the theoretical modelling of the low-energy Hamiltonian, here, we investigate a novel approach to detect unprecedented levels of pressure by taking advantage of the solid-state electronic spin of nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers in diamond. We computationally explore the effect of strain on the defect band edges and band gaps by varying the lattice parameters of a diamond supercell hosting a single NV center. A low-energy Hamiltonian is developed that includes the effect of stress on the energy level of a ±1 spin manifold at the ground state. By quantifying the energy level shift and split, we predict pressure sensing of up to 0.3 MPa/Hz using the experimentally measured spin dephasing time. We show the superiority of the quantum sensing approach over traditional optical sensing techniques by discussing our results from DFT and theoretical modelling for the frequency shift per unit pressure. Importantly, we propose a quantum manometer that could be useful to measure earth’s subsurface vibrations as well as for pressure detection and monitoring in high-temperature superconductivity studies and in material sciences. Our results open avenues for the development of a sensing technology with high sensitivity and resolution under extreme pressure limits that potentially has a wider applicability than the existing pressure sensing technologies.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2020

Superconducting and antiferromagnetic properties of dual-phase V 3 Ga

The binary compound V 3 Ga can exhibit two near-equilibrium phases, the A15 structure that is superconducting and the Heusler D0 3 structure that is semiconducting and antiferromagnetic. Density functional theory calculations show that these two phases are nearly degenerate, being separated in energy by only ±10 meV/atom. Our magnetization measurements on bulk-grown samples show antiferromagnetism and superconducting behavior below 14 K. Overall, these results indicate the possibility of using V 3 Ga for quantum technology devices exploiting the co-existence of superconductivity and antiferromagnetism in a dual-phase material.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2024

Delocalization error poisons the density-functional many-body expansion

The many-body expansion is a fragment-based approach to large-scale quantum chemistry that partitions a single monolithic calculation into manageable subsystems. This technique is increasingly being used as a basis for fitting classical force fields to electronic structure data, especially for water and aqueous ions, and for machine learning. Here, we show that the many-body expansion based on semilocal density functional theory affords wild oscillations and runaway error accumulation for ion–water interactions, typified by F − (H 2 O) N with N ≳ 15. We attribute these oscillations to self-interaction error in the density-functional approximation. The effect is minor or negligible in small water clusters, explaining why it has not been noticed previously, but grows to catastrophic proportion in clusters that are only moderately larger. This behavior can be counteracted with hybrid functionals but only if the fraction of exact exchange is ≳50%, whereas modern meta-generalized gradient approximations including ωB97X-V, SCAN, and SCAN0 are insufficient to eliminate divergent behavior. Other mitigation strategies including counterpoise correction, density correction (i.e., exchange–correlation functionals evaluated atop Hartree–Fock densities), and dielectric continuum boundary conditions do little to curtail the problematic oscillations. In contrast, energy-based screening to cull unimportant subsystems can successfully forestall divergent behavior. These results suggest that extreme caution is warranted when the many-body expansion is combined with density functional theory.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2026

Ab Initio Bulk Free Energy Surface of Proper Ferroelectrics

We report a systematic and accurate approach for deriving the bulk free energy surface (FES), a function of temperature, polarization, and strain, from the first-principles density functional theory (DFT) of proper ferroelectrics. The core of our approach is the metadynamics algorithm that extracts the polarization dependence of the FES from all-atom molecular dynamics simulations without an a priori ansatz. The rest of the FES is derived from the metadynamics trajectories that span the relevant phase space. We demonstrate our approach in the case of lead titanate. The errors across the phase transition, due to DFT numerics, all-atom molecular dynamics, and free energy evaluation by enhanced sampling, can be systematically controlled and are of the order of 1 meV/atom. The accuracy of the resulting ab initio FES is only limited by the adopted functional approximation of DFT.

Xie, Pinchen [Lawrence Berkeley National Laborator↗
DOE OSTI2022

On the Nature of Valence Charge and Spin Excitations via Multi-Orbital Hubbard Models for Infinite-Layer Nickelates

Building upon the recent progress on the intriguing underlying physics for the newly discovered infinite-layer nickelates, in this article we review an examination of valence charge and spin excitations via multi-orbital Hubbard models as way to determine the fundamental building blocks for Hamiltonians that can describe the low energy properties of infinite-layer nickelates. We summarize key results from density-functional approaches, and apply them to the study of x-ray absorption to determine the valence ground states of infinite-layer nickelates in their parent form, and show that a fundamental d 9 configuration as in the cuprates is incompatible with a self-doped ground state having holes in both d x 2 - y 2 and a rare-earth-derived axial orbital. When doped, we determine that the rare-earth-derived orbitals empty and additional holes form low spin (S = 0) d 8 Ni states, which can be well-described as a doped single-band Hubbard model. Using exact diagonalization for a 2-orbital model involving Ni and rare-earth orbitals, we find clear magnons at 1/2 filling that persist when doped, albeit with larger damping, and with a dependence on the precise orbital energy separation between the Ni- and rare-earth-derived orbitals. Taken together, a full two-band model for infinite-layer nickelates can well describe the valence charge and spin excitations observed experimentally.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
NASA NTRS1977

Materials and techniques for spacecraft static charge control

An overview of the design, development, fabrication, and testing of transparent conductive coatings and conductive lattices deposited or formed on high resistivity spacecraft dielectric materials to obtain control static charge buildup on spacecraft external surfaces is presented. Fabrication techniques for the deposition of indium/tin oxide coatings and copper grid networks on Kapton and FEP Teflon films and special frit coatings for OSR and solar cell cover glasses are discussed. The techniques include sputtering, photoetching, silkscreening, and mechanical processes. A facility designed and built to simulate the electron plasma at geosynchronous altitudes is described along with test procedures. The results of material characterizations as well as electron irradiation aging effects in this facility for spacecraft polymers treated to control static charge are presented. The data presents results for electron beam energies up to 30 kV and electron current densities of 30 nA/cm squared. Parameters measured include secondary emission, surface leakage, and through the sample currents as a function of primary beam energy and voltage.

Amore, L. J.↗
DOE OSTI2024

Anisotropic hybridization in CeRhSn

The optical conductivity σ⁡(ω, T) of CeRhSn was studied by broadband infrared spectroscopy. Temperature-dependent spectral weight transfer occurs over high energy (0.8 eV) and temperature (~500 K) scales, classifying CeRhSn as a mixed-valent compound. The optical conductivity reveals a substantial anisotropy in the electronic structure. Renormalization of σ⁡(ω, T) occurs as a function of temperature to a coherent Kondo state with concomitant effective mass generation. Associated spectroscopic signatures were reproduced remarkably well by the combination of density functional theory and dynamical mean-field theory using a momentum-independent self-energy. The theory shows that the anisotropy for energies > 10 meV is mainly driven by the bare three-dimensional electronic structure that is renormalized by local electronic correlations. The possible influence of magnetic frustration and quantum criticality is restricted to lower energies.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2025

Temperature-Dependent Mechanical Properties of Ni-Based Concentrated Alloys: Insights from First-Principles Calculations

The present work focuses on predicting temperature-dependent mechanical properties of Ni-based concentrated alloys Ni 18 Cr 10 Co 10 Fe 6 M 4 (abbreviated by X 44 M 4 , with M = Al, V, Mn, Fe, Nb, Mo, and W) using density functional theory (DFT). These predictions are based on shear (plastic) and elastic deformations, utilizing the special quasirandom structure (SQS), the phonon-based quasiharmonic approach (QHA), and the quasistatic approach. The resulting properties include coefficient of thermal expansion via QHA, ideal shear strength (τ IS ), and stable and unstable stacking fault energies (γ SF and γ US ) through pure alias shear deformation, and elastic constants (c ij ), bulk modulus (B 0 ), and shear modules (G 0 ) via elastic deformation. Notably, predicting accurate γ SF is challenging due to uncertainties that can exceed the γ SF values. τ IS and γ US exhibit a strong linear relationship, enabling the accurate prediction of γ US based on the precisely determined τ IS . All mechanical properties of X 44 M 4 decrease with increasing temperature, except for some γ SF cases such as X 44 M 4 with M = V, Mn, Fe, Mo, and W. Among the X 44 M 4 alloys, X 44 Nb 4 exhibits the lowest τ IS , γ US , and G 0 values, and the highest B 0 /G 0 ratio, while X 44 Mn 4 has the lowest B 0 and B 0 /G 0 ratio. We found that volume is a crucial descriptor for understanding and modeling mechanical properties (except B0 and maybe also γ SF ) affected by alloying elements and temperature. Ni-based dilute alloys (e.g., Ni 11 M 1 and Ni 31 M 1 ) and concentrated alloys (e.g., X 44 M 4 ) show similar trends in mechanical properties influenced by alloying elements and temperature, simplifying the analysis and design of Ni-based alloys.

Elastic properties↗
DOE OSTI2023

3D–Integrated, Multi–Functional Carbon Fibers for Stable, High–Areal–Capacity Batteries

Increasing lithium-ion batteries' (LIBs) electrode areal capacity can boost energy density and lower manufacturing costs, but faces challenges in manufacturing, rate performance, and cycling stability. A conductive framework made of commercial micro-sized carbon fibers (Cfs) is presented that serves as a host for both the LiNi 0.5 Mn 0.3 Co 0.2 O 2 (NMC 532) cathode and Cfs anode. The Cf framework has multiple functions that offer high electronic conductivity (270 mS cm –1 ), low tortuosity (1.7), low Li + diffusion resistance (22 Ω), and high thermal conductivity (200 W mK –1 ). Additionally, the Cf-integrated electrodes can have an extremely high mass loading of NMC 532 (70 mg cm –2 ) with a theoretical capacity of 14 mAh cm –2 . Thus, the practical full cells assembled with the Cfs-enabled electrodes exhibit an initial areal capacity of 4.1 mAh cm –2 and capacity retention of 90.4% at 500 cycles at a cycling rate of C/3, 1.5 mA cm –2 . Data collected from the operando isothermal microcalorimetry suggest that full cells utilizing the Cf anode experience less heat release from side reactions compared to cells utilizing a conventional graphite anode. Finally, this present approach is scalable and cost-effective and can fabricate practical LIBs that boast high areal capacity, rate performance, and a lengthy cycling lifetime.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2025

Nanometer Resolution Structure‐Emission Correlation of Individual Quantum Emitters via Enhanced Cathodoluminescence in Twisted Hexagonal Boron Nitride

Understanding the atomic structure of quantum emitters, often originating from point defects or impuritie, is essential for designing and optimizing materials for quantum technologies such as quantum computing, communication, and sensing. Despite the availability of atomic-resolution scanning transmission electron microscopy and nanoscale cathodoluminescence microscopy, experimentally determining the atomic structure of individual emitters is challenging due to the conflicting needs for thick samples to generate strong cathodoluminescence signals and thin samples for structural analysis. To overcome this challenge, significantly enhanced cathodoluminescence at twisted interfaces is leveraged to achieve sub-nanometer localization precision for the first time in mapping individual quantum emitters in carbon-implanted hexagonal boron nitride. This unprecedent spatial sensitivity, together with correlative electron energy loss spectroscopy quantitative scanning transmission electron microscopy imaging, and first principles density functional theory calculations, enables the identification of the atomic structure of the 440 nm blue emitter in hexagonal boron nitride as a substituted vertical carbon dimer. Building on the atomic structure insights, nanoscale spatially precise creation of blue emitters is demonstrated by electron beam irradiation of carbon-coated hexagonal boron nitride. This advancement in correlating atomic structures with optical properties lays the foundation for a deeper understanding and precise engineering of quantum emitters, significantly advancing the development of cutting-edge quantum information technologies.

2D material↗
DOE OSTI2021

The Reaction of o-Benzyne with Vinylacetylene: An Unexplored Way to Produce Naphthalene

Herein, the mechanisms and kinetics of the reaction of ortho-benzyne with vinylactylene have been studied by ab initio and density functional CCSD(T)-F12/cc-pVTZ-f12//B3LYP/6-311G(d,p) calculations of the pertinent potential energy surface combined with Rice-Ramsperger-Kassel-Marcus - Master Equation calculations of reaction rate constants at various temperatures and pressures. Under prevailing combustion conditions, the reaction has been shown to predominantly proceed by the biradical acetylenic mechanism initiated by the addition of C4H4 to one of the C atoms of the triple bond in ortho-benzyne by the acetylenic end, with a significant contribution of the concerted addition mechanism. Following the initial reaction steps, an extra six-membered ring is produced and the rearrangement of H atoms in this new ring leads to the formation of naphthalene, which can further dissociate to 1- or 2-naphthyl radicals. The o-C 6 H 4 + C 4 H 4 reaction is highly exothermic, by ~143 kcal/mol to form naphthalene and by 31-32 kcal/mol to produce naphthyl radicals + H, but features relatively high entrance barriers of 9-11 kcal/mol. Although the reaction is rather slow, much slower than the reaction of phenyl radical with vinylacetylene, it forms naphthalene and 1- and 2-naphthyl radicals directly, with their relative yields controlled by the temperature and pressure, and thus represents a viable source of the naphthalene core under conditions where ortho-benzyne and vinylacetylene are available.

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

BiCuI 4 (Pyridine) 5 a neutral ligand-supported compound of BiI 3 and CuI

Reaction of equimolar pyridine (Py) solutions BiI 3 and CuI produces the Py-supported 1:1 bimetallic complex BiCuI 4 (Py) 5 in quantitative yield. The title complex is only the second neutral complex to feature Cu–I–Bi bridging and shows an octahedral trans-[BiI 4 (Py) 2 ] unit joined to a distorted tetrahedral CuI(Py) 3 unit by an iodide bridge. The complex shows low thermal stability, decomposing under modest heating or vacuum to produce a mixture of BiI 3 and CuI. Thus, it is a potential entry/precursor to BiI 3 /CuI chemistry. Natural Localized Molecular Orbital (NLMO) calculations were performed to analyze the nature of the Cu–I–Bi bonds, revealing that the title compound lies on the cusp of being [Cu(Py) 3 ] + [BiI 4 (Py) 2 ] – . Diffuse reflectance spectroscopy measurements show a strong absorption band with an optical bandgap energy of 1.94 eV. Theoretical density of states (DOS) and time-dependent density functional theory (TD-DFT) experiments to map the electronic structure assign the primary electronic transition as a mixed halide/metal-to-ligand charge transfer between Cu–I–Bi donor orbitals and Py π* acceptor orbitals.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2021

Dual-atom active sites embedded in two-dimensional C 2 N for efficient CO 2 electroreduction: A computational study

Double-atom catalysts (DACs) have emerged as an enhanced platform of single-atom catalyst for promoting electrocatalytic CO 2 reduction reaction (CO 2 RR). Herein, we present a density-functional theory study on CO 2 RR performance of seven C 2 N-supported homo- and heteronuclear DACs, denoted as M 2 @C 2 N. Our results demonstrate that there exists substantial synergistic effect of dual-metal-atom N 2 M 2 N 2 active site and C 2 N matrix on O&#x2550 C &#x2550O bond activation. The dual-atom M 2 sites are able to drive CO 2 RR beyond C 1 products with low limiting potential (U L ). Specifically, C 2 H 4 formation is preferred on FeM@C 2 N (M = Fe, Co, Ni, Cu) versus CH 4 formation on CuM@C 2 N (M = Co, Ni, Cu). Furthermore, *CO+*CO co-binding strength can serve as a descriptor for CO 2 RR activity for making C 2 products such that the moderate binding results in the lowest U L . Remarkably, C-affinity matters most to C—C bond coupling and C 2 H 4 formation while both C- and O-affinity control CH 4 formation. Furthermore, our results provide theoretical insight into rational design of DACs for efficient CO 2 RR.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2020

Quantitative nanoscale tracking of oxygen vacancy diffusion inside single ceria grains by in situ transmission electron microscopy

Oxygen vacancy formation and migration in ceria is critical to its electrochemical and catalytic properties in systems for chemical and energy transformation, but its quantification is rather challenging especially at atomic-scale because of disordered distribution. Here we report a rational approach to track oxygen vacancy diffusion in single grains of pure and Sm-doped ceria at -20 °C to 160 °C using in situ (scanning) transmission electron microscopy ((S)TEM). To create a gradient in oxygen vacancy concentration, a small region (~30 nm in diameter) inside a ceria grain is reduced to the C-type CeO 1.68 phase by the ionization or radiolysis effect of a high-energy electron beam. The evolution in oxygen vacancy concentration is then mapped through lattice expansion measurement using scanning nano-beam diffraction or 4D STEM at a spatial resolution better than 2 nm; this allows direct determination of local oxygen vacancy diffusion coefficients in a very small domain inside pure and Sm-doped ceria at different temperatures. Further, the activation energies for oxygen transport are determined to be 0.59, 0.66, 1.12, and 1.27 eV for pure CeO 2 , Ce 0.94 Sm 0.06 O 1.97 , Ce 0.89 Sm 0.11 O 1.945 , and Ce 0.8 Sm 0.2 O 1.9 , respectively, implying that activation energy increases due to impurity scattering. The results are qualitatively supported by density functional theory (DFT) calculations. In addition, our in situ TEM investigation reveals that dislocations impede oxygen vacancy diffusion by absorbing oxygen vacancies from the surrounding areas and pinning them locally. With more oxygen vacancies absorbed, dislocations show extended strain fields with local tensile zone sandwiched between the compressed ones. Therefore, dislocation density should be reduced in order to minimize the resistance to oxygen vacancy diffusion at low temperatures.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2021

The detrimental effect of elemental contaminants when using B additions to improve the creep properties of a Ni-based superalloy

The effect of Si contamination when using B to improve the creep properties of a Ni-based superalloy was investigated using advanced characterization techniques and first-principles simulations on alloys with high and low B levels with varying Si contents. The positive effect of B segregation along grain boundaries on the creep properties was mitigated by the presence of Si which showed a similar segregation preference. Density functional theory calculations were used for validation by calculating grain boundary cleavage energies. Silicon was shown to decrease grain boundary cohesion which offsets the positive effect of B.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2022

Role of Metal Selection in the Radiation Stability of Isostructural M-UiO-66 Metal–Organic Frameworks

Robust and versatile metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) have emerged as sophisticated scaffolds to meet the critical needs of the nuclear community, but their performance depends on their underexplored structural integrities in high- radiation fields. The contributions of selected metal nodes in the radiation stability of MOFs within the isostructural M-UiO-66 series (where M = Zr, Ce, Hf, Th, and Pu; Zr-UiO-66 experiments were executed in a previous work) have been determined. Ce-, Hf-, and Th-UiO-66 MOF samples were irradiated via gamma and He-ion methodologies to obtain doses up to 3 MGy and 85 MGy, respectively, the latter strikingly higher than that obtained in most other studies. Appreciable self-irradiation constituted the total absorbed doses, up to 31 MGy of the gamma-irradiated Pu-UiO-66 samples. Structural degradation was ascertained by powder X-ray diffraction, X-ray total scattering, vibrational spectroscopy, and, where possible, N 2 physisorption isotherms. Diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy provided atomic-level mechanistic insights to reveal that the node-linker connection was most susceptible to radiation damage. Density functional theory calculations were performed on cluster models to evaluate the binding energy of the linkers to each metal node. Here, while the isostructures disclosed the same breakdown signatures, distinct radiation sensitivity as a function of metal selection was evident and followed the trend Hf-UiO-66 ~ Zr-UiO-66 > Th-UiO-66 > Pu-UiO-66 > Ce-UiO-66. We anticipate that these endeavors will contribute to the rational design of radiation-resistant materials for targeted applications.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2026

Multireference Methods for Chemistry and Materials Science: Automated Active Spaces, Efficient Dynamic Correlation, and Extended Systems

While multiconfigurational approaches have long been relegated to expert practitioners working on a case-by-case basis, recent developments have increasingly made these methods more routine and applicable to broader sets of systems. This article outlines the state-of-the-art in multiconfigurational approaches, with an emphasis on moving from delicate hand-selected pathways through configuration space toward more robust and efficient approaches to treating a host of challenging chemical systems accurately. First, we overview recent work in automated active-space selection, which has enabled increasingly large-scale applications of multireference methods to modeling vertical excitations and reactivity. Second, we highlight the increasingly efficient methods for recovering correlation energy beyond the active space, as headlined by extensions of pair-density functional theory and its role in accurate and efficient treatment of excited-state dynamics and its utilization to train machine-learned potentials. Finally, we highlight recent efforts to treat extended systems that until recently have lied beyond the traditional limits of active-space methods, giving center stage to product-form wave functions of the localized active space family of methods that allow for the computation of multiconfigurational band structures. These recent advancements point to a broader use of multireference approaches for high-impact chemical and materials science applications.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗