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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 127 records · Page 7
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1994

Investigation of the Stability and 1.0 MeV Proton Radiation Resistance of Commercially Produced Hydrogenated Amorphous Silicon Alloy Solar Cells

The radiation resistance of commercial solar cells fabricated from hydrogenated amorphous silicon alloys is reported. A number of different device structures were irradiated with 1.0 MeV protons. The cells were insensitive to proton fluences below 1E12 sq cm. The parameters of the irradiated cells were restored with annealing at 200 C. The annealing time was dependent on proton fluence. Annealing devices for one hour restores cell parameters for fluences below 1E14 sq cm fluences above 1E14 sq cm require longer annealing times. A parametric fitting model was used to characterize current mechanisms observed In dark I-V measurements. The current mechanism were explored with irradiation fluence, and voltage and light soaking times. The thermal generation current density and quality factor increased with proton fluence. Device simulation shows the degradation in cell characteristics may be explained by the reduction of the electric field in the intrinsic layer.

Lord, Kenneth R., II↗
DOE OSTI2023

Technoeconomic Model and Pathway to <$2/kg Green Hydrogen Using Integrated Halide Perovskite Photoelectrochemical Cells

The cost of gray hydrogen produced via fossil fuel-based steam-methane reforming has led the U.S. Department of Energy to specify <$\$$2/kg H 2 as a target for commercially competitive green hydrogen generation methods. Integrated photoelectrochemical cells have been proposed as a solar-to-hydrogen conversion technology. In this paper we describe a technoeconomically feasible pathway to reaching <$\$$2/kg green H 2 using integrated photoelectrochemical cells with halide perovskite photoabsorbers, low-cost conductive barriers, and low precious metal-content catalysts in an aqueous, membrane-separated cell. A base-case solar-to-hydrogen conversion efficiency of 20%, stable lifetime of 10 years, and a combined electrocatalyst-plus-panel cost of $\$$50/m 2 enabled a levelized cost of hydrogen of $\$$2.43/kg, which dropped below $\$$2/kg with improved performance metrics including material cost, improvements in process design, or subsidies. We relate these metrics to lab-scale reports to recommend best research practices for scientists and funding agencies working at this intersection of photovoltaics, electrocatalysis, and surface science.

$1/kg↗
NASA NTRS1990

Hydrogen, helium, and other solar-wind components in lunar soil - Abundances and predictions

The lack of a shielding atmosphere on the moon permits solar-wind particles to impinge upon the lunar soil and become implanted into the various phases which comprise the soil. Relatively large quantities of solar-wind implanted hydrogen (50-100 ppm) and helium (10-50 ppm) are present. The measured parameter of I(s)FeO, a direct indicator of maturity and exposure age, can be used as a first approximation to predict the abundances of many solar-wind components in the soils. However, because ilmenite acts as a 'sponge' for the retention of certain elements, the TiO2 content of the soil is a better indicator for hydrogen and helium contents.

Taylor, Lawrence A.↗
NASA NTRS1978

Hydrogen from the solar photolysis of water

Developments related to the study of photosynthesis are examined and aspects of photosensitization by solids are considered. It is pointed out that solids photosensitization for solar photochemical fuel formation is now an extremely active research area as a consequence of the promising results obtained with semiconductor photoelectrodes. The investigation of water decomposition schemes involving heterogeneous reactions is likely to be a productive area. As is the case for photosynthesis, the known examples of water decomposition by solids photosensitization involve charge separation processes immediately following light absorption. Homogeneous photoredox reactions are also discussed, taking into account thermochemical and photochemical cycles leading to the formation of a photooxidized ion, hydrogen quantum yields in the photo-oxidation aqueous ions, and thermochemical and photochemical cycles leading to the formation of a photoreduced ion.

Ryason, P. R.↗
DOE OSTI2022

Synthesis and structure of high-purity BaCe 0.25 Mn 0.75 O 3 : an improved material for thermochemical water splitting

Solar thermochemical hydrogen production (STCH) via redox-active metal oxides is an approach for direct solar-driven hydrogen generation typically using a high-temperature redox cycle involving refractory oxides and steam. Typical cycles involve high-temperature reduction of oxides to form oxygen vacancies, followed by lower temperature reaction between oxygen vacancies and steam where the oxide is re-oxidized and the steam is reduced to hydrogen. Only a few materials have demonstrated reversible cycling under the typically harsh STCH conditions (e.g. 1500°C reduction, 900°C re-oxidation) and critical questions remain on the true reversibility of non-stoichiometric multi-cation oxide systems, significantly hampered by the lack of single-phase samples for these material systems. To date, most STCH processes have relied on CeO 2 as a benchmark active material, but more recently, the 12R phase of BaCe 0.25 Mn 0.75 O 3 (BCM) has demonstrated greater hydrogen-generation potential at lower peak temperatures. However, previous reports of 12R-BCM have included large fractions, > 10 wt%, of secondary phases, which complicate analysis of the stability and performance. A comprehensive understanding of the redox mechanism and reversibility of the process in BCM can only be achieved with nearly single-phase samples which, to date, have been difficult to produce. Here two approaches to BCM synthesis are reported: solid state and sol–gel-based routes. It is demonstrated that both routes can be tuned to produce the 12R structure with > 97 wt% yield when annealed ≥1450°C. Herein synchrotron-based diffraction measurements of rhombohedral 12R-BCM enabled characterization of the anisotropy between thermal expansion along the c-axis and within the ab plane. The impact of high-temperature redox cycling on the stability and phase fraction of the 12R-BCM polytype was also investigated. Our results offer two viable routes for synthesis of high-purity 12R-BCM critically needed for evaluating the efficacy of BCM as a STCH material and validate its ability to split water at lower temperatures over extended numbers of redox cycles.

08 HYDROGEN↗
DOE OSTI2026

High-Efficiency Solar-To-Fuel Photoelectrochemistry in Disordered Photonic Glass Electrodes (Final Technical Report)

This project investigated how photonic glass (PG) photoelectrodes—disordered arrangements of dielectric scatterers—can serve as scalable, tunable platforms for light trapping in photoelectrochemical (PEC) solar-to-fuel systems. By leveraging disorder-driven optical phenomena such as multiple scattering resonances and light localization, PG structures offer an alternative to conventional photonic crystals and inverse opals that require high structural precision. The scientific goals were to twofold: (1) develop approaches to predictive models for high performance PG electrodes based on light absorption simulations, and (2) fabricate, characterize, and optimize PG-based photoelectrodes for solar-to-hydrogen and solar-to-fuel photoelectrochemical applications. To overcome the complexity of ensemble optical simulations for disordered materials, the researchers developed a machine-learning-accelerated emulation of all configurations in the design space. With this approach, PG photoelectrodes based on a TiO2 semiconductor were designed to enhance PEC currents of up to one hundred times higher than the equivalent ultra-thin film photoanodes and several times higher than the equivalent photonic crystal. The research also explored integrated systems for electrochemical hydrogen production based on replacing water oxidation with the specific glycerol oxidation electrocatalysis. Overall, the project outlined an approach to a simple-to-fabricate photoelectrode system to drive photoelectrochemical reactions relevant to solar photochemical energy conversion.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2023

Narrowing the band gap and suppressing electron–hole recombination in β-Fe 2 O 3 by chlorine doping

Here, the effects of halogen (F, Cl, Br, I, and At) doping in the direct-band-gap β-Fe 2 O 3 semiconductor on its band structures and electron–hole recombination have been investigated by density functional theory. Doping Br, I, and At in β-Fe 2 O 3 leads to transformation from a direct-band-gap semiconductor to an indirect-band-gap semiconductor because their atomic radii are too large; however, F- and Cl-doped β-Fe 2 O 3 remain as direct-band-gap semiconductors. Due to the deep impurity states of the F dopant, this study focuses on the effects of the Cl dopant on the band structures of β-Fe 2 O 3 . Two impurity levels are introduced when Cl is doped into β-Fe 2 O 3 , which narrows the band gap by approximately 0.3 eV. After doping Cl, the light-absorption edge of β-Fe 2 O 3 redshifts from 650 to 776 nm, indicating that its theoretical solar to hydrogen efficiency for solar water splitting increases from 20.6% to 31.4%. In addition, the effective mass of the holes in halogen-doped β-Fe 2 O 3 becomes significantly larger than that in undoped β-Fe 2 O 3 , which may suppress electron–hole recombination.

30 DIRECT ENERGY CONVERSION↗
NASA NTRS1976

Near-uv photon efficiency in a TiO2 electrode - Application to hydrogen production from solar energy

An n-type (001) TiO2 electrode irradiated at 365 nm was tested under anodic polarization. A saturation current independent of pH and proportional to light intensity has been observed. Accurate measurements of the incident power lead to a 60 per cent photon efficiency. A photoelectrochemical cell built with such an electrode, operated under solar irradiation without concentration, produced an electrolysis current of 0.7 mA/sq cm without applied voltage.

Desplat, J.-L.↗
NASA NTRS1985

The cosmic-ray spectra of H-1, H-2, and He-4 as a test of the origin of the hydrogen superfluxes at solar minimum modulation

Low-energy 1-AU cosmic-ray spectra obtained using the IMP-8 satellite cosmic-ray telescope (Garcia-Munoz et al., 1975) at quiet times during the solar minimum of 1972-1977 are reported and combined with published data on that minimum and the previous one (1965), with a focus on the anomalous He-4 and heavy-nucleus spectra and proton and helium superfluxes observed in 1972-1977. The 56-MeV/nucleon H-2/H-1 and H-2/He-4 abundance ratios and the differential energy spectra are plotted versus time and solar modulation level over an entire cycle, and the proton and He superfluxes, which do not contribute to the anomalies, are attributed to the reduced levels of residual modulation present during 1972-1977.

Beatty, J. J.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Annealing characteristics of irradiated hydrogenated amorphous silicon solar cells

It was shown that 1 MeV proton irradiation with fluences of 1.25E14 and 1.25E15/sq cm reduces the normalized I(sub SC) of a-Si:H solar cell. Solar cells recently fabricated showed superior radiation tolerance compared with cells fabricated four years ago; the improvement is probably due to the fact that the new cells are thinner and fabricated from improved materials. Room temperature annealing was observed for the first time in both new and old cells. New cells anneal at a faster rate than old cells for the same fluence. From the annealing work it is apparent that there are at least two types of defects and/or annealing mechanisms. One cell had improved I-V characteristics following irradiation as compared to the virgin cell. The work shows that the photothermal deflection spectroscopy (PDS) and annealing measurements may be used to predict the qualitative behavior of a-Si:H solar cells. It was anticipated that the modeling work will quantitatively link thin film measurements with solar cell properties. Quantitative predictions of the operation of a-Si:H solar cells in a space environment will require a knowledge of the defect creation mechanisms, defect structures, role of defects on degradation, and defect passivation and annealing mechanisms. The engineering data and knowledge base for justifying space flight testing of a-Si:H alloy based solar cells is being developed.

Payson, J. S.↗