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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
DOE OSTI2024

Assessing Customer Experience and Business Models around Price-to-Device Communication and Smart Control Pathways in CalFlexHub

California is facing three major challenges in electrical grid operation: renewable overgeneration, steep evening ramping, and growing peak demand. The state has identified dynamic retail price response as a key strategy evidenced by CPUC’s Dynamic Rates proceeding and CEC’s Load Management Standards. Furthermore, the CEC launched a $16M “California Load Flexibility Research and Deployment Hub (CalFlexHub)” administered by Berkeley Lab to accelerate price-response flexible load technologies in buildings and EV charging. There are more than 16 laboratory and field demonstration projects in CalFlexHub, each demonstrating innovative automated price-response technologies. CalFlexHub tests various pathways through which hourly price signals and triggered control commands are communicated to load-flexible devices such as smart thermostats, heat pumps, water heaters, and EVs. We identified seven unique communication and control pathways, which involve combinations of third-party cloud, device OEM’s cloud, building central gateway, and local controller in between the price server and the load-flexible devices. It is important for utilities and policy makers to understand the long-term implications of each pathway in designing future programs and creating related policies and mandates for market transformation. We propose an evaluation framework including the following aspects: ● Functionality: connectivity and uptime, resilience, and optimization; ● Customer experience: simplicity in setup, troubleshooting support, continuity, customer choice, first cost, and ongoing cost; ● Business model and scalability: advance interoperability, holistic solution, bridge unique gap, customer base, and value streams and pricing structures. In this paper, we identify emerging business models associated with each communication pathway and discuss their positive features and challenges from the above aspects.

Liu, Jingjing↗
DOE OSTI2024

Conceptual Design of Neutron Sensor Qualification Device

The Advanced Sensors and Instrumentation Program at Idaho National Laboratory has been formulating strategies to qualify sensors for use in nuclear environments, particularly in irradiation experiments and advanced reactors. When qualifying neutron sensors for use in high-temperature environments, the wide range of neutron flux levels and representative energy spectra presents significant challenges. This paper discusses the development of the Neutron Sensor Qualification Device (NQD), which is designed to test neutron sensors in high temperature controlled environments with known neutron spectra, addressing the spatial and spectral complexities of neutron fluxes in reactor cores. The proposed NQD will be situated in the exposure room at the Armed Forces Radiobiology Research Institute, thus affording a unique capability to expose sensors to high neutron and gamma fluxes. To achieve thermal control, the device will utilize a radiation-hardened tube furnace, accommodating multiple sensors and neutron activation dosimetry wires. Titanium, iron, and cobalt dosimeter wires are chosen from the American Society for Testing and Materials and International Reactor Dosimetry and Fusion File libraries as references for providing energy-dependent fluence measurements. The design ensures precise sensor positioning to minimize mutual shielding and flux perturbation, which are evaluated via Monte Carlo N particle Transport Code (MCNP) simulations. These simulations have informed the development of guidelines on sensor placement within the NQD. The NQD is essential to the qualification of neutron sensors for advanced reactor technologies. It enables controlled testing of a statistically significant number of sensors, thereby supporting assessments of sensor performance across various neutron flux levels and temperatures. This paper highlights the detailed planning for the NQD prototype, along with its inaugural irradiation (scheduled for fiscal year [FY] 2025). The results from this initial testing will be fundamental in evaluating the device’s performance and establishing measurement uncertainty for in-pile neutron sensor measurements.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2024

Spectrum Interference from Commercial devices in 6 & 7/8 GHz

FCC repurposed spectrum in the 6 GHz band allocated to DOE for commercial use of Wi-Fi 6E/7 in 2020.The 2024 National Spectrum Strategy (NSS) implementation plan is now considering 7/8 GHz band as well for co-existence of commercial devices with federal incumbents such as DOE. This poster summarizes INL’s work on a scientific study on the potential harmful interference caused by the commercial devices in real-world scenarios. It includes research in INL for the following projects funded by DOE: 1) DOE-CIO: Spectrum security for advanced wireless technologies; 2) DOE-OE: 7 GHz Spectrum interference study; 3) DOE-CESER: Harmful interference in 6 GHz from commercial Wi-Fi 6E/7 devices on utility links in the energy sector; 4) DOE/NTIA for NSS Implementation plan: Interference study in 7/8 GHz bands identified in the NSS. 5) NSF: Spectrum Innovation Initiative- National Radio Dynamic Zones (SII-NRDZ).

6 GHz↗
DOE OSTI2024

Visually undistorted thin film electronic devices

Visually undistorted thin film electronic devices are provided. In one embodiment, a method for producing a thin-film electronic device comprises: opening a scribe in a stack of thin film material layers deposited on a substrate to define an active region and an inactive region of the thin-film electronic device, the stack comprising at least one active semiconductor layer. The active region comprises a non-scribed area of the stack and the inactive region comprises a region of the stack where thin film material was removed by the scribe. The method further comprises depositing at least one scribe fill material into a gap opened by the scribe. The scribe fill material has embedded therein one or more coloring elements that alter an optical characteristics spectrum of the inactive region to obtain an optical characteristics spectrum of the active region within a minimum perceptible difference for an industry defined standard observer.

Hammond, Scott R.↗
DOE OSTI2025

Material Selection and Heat Transfer Model for PTUHS Device

The Path to Ultimate Heat Sink Device (PTUHS) is a passive safety system that utilizes a radiative heat transfer valve to control the rate at which heat is removed from a nuclear reactor pressure vessel (RPV) and dispersed into surrounding soil. The material selection for the PTUHS device is investigated, where the thermophysical properties are either maximized or minimized bases on what section of the PTUHS that material is being used for. Final recommendations of material choice are then presented. The heat transfer model of the PTUHS device is solved in ABAQUS, where a normal operating conditions and SCRAM conditions are solved. These temperature maps and heat flux of the system show the system's ability, where minimal heat is lost during normal operating conditions and system failure in a SCRAM scenario due to temperatures that were reached.

42 - ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2026

Assessing Energy Infrastructure Devices for Vulnerabilities

Industrial control systems prove to be vital to the health and security of the nation in our critical infrastructure. Critical infrastructure includes the most foundational systems to support modern civilization which includes water and wastewater systems, communications, and the electricity we use to name a few sectors. However, these devices' overall composition remains largely unknown and are untested from a cyber security perspective. As part of the Cyber Testing for Resilient Industrial Control Systems (CyTRICS) program, I analyzed one such energy infrastructure device to better understand how it functions, what hardware and software components are present within it, and assess it for security vulnerabilities. To achieve this, I reverse engineered binary files using Ghidra to understand system functionality and learned more about how to collaborate with other researchers on a shared Ghidra project. I learned more about how web sockets function and how to interact with them through Python to test if they are secure or not. This work led me to assess possible vulnerabilities in this device and provide a better understanding of its composition and function, which are essential to INL's mission of securing our nation's energy infrastructure.

99 - GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Substitutional doping of 2D transition metal dichalcogenides for device applications: Current status, challenges and prospects

Two-dimensional (2D) transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) have emerged as a class of materials with exceptional electronic, optical, and mechanical properties, making them highly tunable for diverse applications in nanoelectronics, optoelectronics, and catalysis. Here, this review focuses on substitutional doping of TMDs, a key strategy to tailor their properties and enhance device performance, with a focus on its applications over the past five years (2019–2024). We delve into both theoretical and experimental doping approaches, including established methods like chemical vapor transport (CVT) and chemical vapor deposition (CVD) alongside liquid phase exfoliation (LPE) and post-synthesis treatments. Advanced growth techniques are also explored. Challenges like dopant uniformity, concentration control, and stability are addressed. The influence of various dopants on the electronic band structure, carrier concentration, and defect engineering is analyzed in detail. We further explore recent advancements in utilizing doped TMDs for field-effect transistors (FETs), photodetectors, sensors, photovoltaics, optoelectronic devices, energy storage and conversion, and even quantum computers. By examining both the potential and limitations of substitutional doping, this review aims to propel future research and technological advancements in this exciting field.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2026

Protonic nickelate device networks for spatiotemporal neuromorphic computing

Computation in biological neural circuits arises from the interplay of nonlinear temporal responses and spatially distributed dynamic network interactions. Replicating this richness in hardware has remained challenging, as most neuromorphic devices emulate only isolated neuron- or synapse-like functions. Here we introduce an integrated neuromorphic computing platform in which both nonlinear spatiotemporal processing and programmable memory are realized within a single perovskite nickelate material system. By engineering symmetric and asymmetric hydrogenated NdNiO 3 junction devices on the same wafer, we combine ultrafast, proton-mediated transient dynamics with stable multilevel resistance states. Networks of symmetric NdNiO 3 junctions exhibit emergent spatial interactions mediated by proton redistribution, while each node simultaneously provides short-term temporal memory, enabling nanosecond-scale operation with an energy cost of ~0.2 nJ per input. When interfaced with asymmetric output units serving as reconfigurable long-term weights, these networks allow both feature transformation and linear classification in the same material system. Leveraging these emergent interactions, the platform enables real-time pattern recognition and achieves high accuracy in spoken digit classification and early seizure detection, outperforming temporal-only or uncoupled architectures. These results position protonic nickelates as a compact, energy-efficient, CMOS-compatible platform that integrates processing and memory for scalable intelligent hardware.

Electrical and electronic engineering↗
DOE OSTI2025

Monolithic AlScN/SiC phononic waveguides for scalable acoustoelectric and quantum devices

Unlike conventional surface acoustic wave devices, phononic waveguide systems enable higher circuit density and stronger strain and piezoelectric fields, making them promising for advanced acoustoelectric and quantum applications. One such material system for generating and guiding phonons at gigahertz frequencies is AlScN on SiC, which can be synthesized by sputter depositing AlScN directly onto SiC wafers. The AlScN on the SiC platform allows for tightly vertically-confined acoustic modes with high electromechanical coupling, high speed of sound, and simple fabrication of strip and rib waveguides. Until now, this system has only been studied as a slab waveguide platform, i.e., without any lateral waveguiding. Here, we demonstrate a two-dimensionally confined phononic architecture in AlScN on SiC that supports guided modes at 2.95 and 4.05 GHz. These modes exhibit strong electromechanical coupling coefficients (k 2 = 4.27%) and propagation losses on the order of 10 dB/mm. Furthermore, this architecture is well-suited for phononic routing and power-efficient active or nonlinear devices such as amplifiers, mixers, and oscillators, and is compatible with the integration of quantum systems, including vacancy centers, charge carriers, photons, and spins, either embedded in SiC or heterogeneously integrated on the surface.

Electrical components↗
DOE OSTI2025

A scanning resonator for probing quantum coherent devices

Superconducting resonators with high quality factors are extremely sensitive detectors of the complex impedance of materials and devices coupled to them. This capability has been used to measure losses in multiple different materials and, in the case of circuit quantum electrodynamics (circuit QED), has been used to measure the coherent evolution of multiple different types of qubits. Here, we report on the implementation of a scanning resonator for probing quantum coherent devices. Our scanning setup enables tunable coherent coupling to systems of interest without the need for fabricating on-chip superconducting resonators. We measure the internal quality factor of our resonator sensor in the single-photon regime to be >104 and demonstrate capacitive imaging using our sensor with zeptoFarad sensitivity and micron spatial resolution at milliKelvin temperatures. We then use our setup to characterize the energy spectrum and coherence times of multiple transmon qubits with no on-chip readout circuitry. Our experiments introduce a new tool for using circuit QED to measure existing and proposed qubit platforms.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗
DOE OSTI2026

Advanced flip-coil system for magnetic field integral measurements of insertion devices

A novel flip-coil measurement system has been developed for the National Synchrotron Light Source II (NSLS-II) at Brookhaven National Laboratory. This paper describes the design, implementation, and commissioning of the new measurement bench, highlighting its key features, including improved mechanical stability, advanced data acquisition, and enhanced reproducibility. The system enables precise characterization of field integrals and multipole components, ensuring the optimal performance of Insertion Devices (IDs) before installation in the NSLS-II storage ring. The flip-coil system incorporates an innovative approach to minimize mechanical and electrical errors, which significantly improves the reproducibility of measurements. In addition, the system features a state-of-the-art data acquisition system that enables real-time monitoring and analysis, further enhancing the efficiency and accuracy of the measurement process. Furthermore, preliminary tests have demonstrated that the new system meets the stringent requirements for magnetic field characterization of advanced insertion devices, making it an essential tool for future ID commissioning and quality assurance at NSLS-II.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2024

Overview of Large Helical Device experiments of basic plasma physics for solving crucial issues in reaching burning plasma conditions

Recently, experiments on basic plasma physics issues for solving future problems in fusion energy have been performed on a Large Helical Device. There are several problems to be solved in future devices for fusion energy. Emerging issues in burning plasma are: alpha-channeling (ion heating by alpha particles), turbulence and transport in electron dominant heating helium ash exhaust, reduction of the divertor heat load. To solve these problems, understanding the basic plasma physics of (1) wave–particle interaction through (inverse) Landau damping, (2) characteristics of electron-scale (high-k) turbulence, (3) ion mixing and the isotope effect, and (4) turbulence spreading and detachment, is necessary. This overview discusses the experimental studies on these issues and turbulent transport in multi-ion plasma and other issues in the appendix.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2024

Research and Development to Reduce Impurity Production and Transport of the Impurities to the Target in Linear Plasma Devices Using Helicon Plasma Sources

Linear plasma devices used to test plasma facing materials (PFMs) and components for fusion reactors are often suffering under the production of intrinsic impurities from the plasma source system. Most linear plasma devices use internal electrodes (hollow cathodes, reflex arc, or cascading arc), which typically are the source of the main impurities. The next-generation plasma generators use radio frequency (RF) plasma sources like helicons to avoid internal electrodes. However, high power operation of helicons has proven to result in impurity production due to the high rectified sheath voltages created. Depending on the plasma parameters and magnetic configuration, these impurities can be transported to the target and deposited there to unacceptable high levels. Here, in this contribution, the experimental results from Proto-MPEX are summarized, and the conclusions of the impurity source physics are given. Methods to reduce the impurity production, the impurity transport, and the net deposition on the target are presented. These methods to reduce the impurity production include Faraday screens to reduce the sheath voltage drop, high-Z refractory coatings to reduce the erosion yield, and wall conditioning methods. Methods to reduce the impurity transport include changes in the magnetic configuration as well as electron heating to change axial and radial temperature profiles. Preliminary results on the effectiveness of some of these methods are presented.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2024

Self-Assembled TiN-Metal Nanocomposites Integrated on Flexible Mica Substrates towards Flexible Devices

The integration of nanocomposite thin films with combined multifunctionalities on flexible substrates is desired for flexible device design and applications. For example, combined plasmonic and magnetic properties could lead to unique optical switchable magnetic devices and sensors. In this work, a multiphase TiN-Au-Ni nanocomposite system with core–shell-like Au-Ni nanopillars embedded in a TiN matrix has been demonstrated on flexible mica substrates. The three-phase nanocomposite film has been compared with its single metal nanocomposite counterparts, i.e., TiN-Au and TiN-Ni. Magnetic measurement results suggest that both TiN-Au-Ni/mica and TiN-Ni/mica present room-temperature ferromagnetic property. Tunable plasmonic property has been achieved by varying the metallic component of the nanocomposite films. The cyclic bending test was performed to verify the property reliability of the flexible nanocomposite thin films upon bending. This work opens a new path for integrating complex nitride-based nanocomposite designs on mica towards multifunctional flexible nanodevice applications.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2024

Scalable Nanoimprint Manufacturing of Functional Multilayer Metasurface Devices

Optical metasurfaces, consisting of subwavelength-scale meta-atom arrays, hold great promise of overcoming the fundamental limitations of conventional optics. Due to their structural complexity, metasurfaces usually require high-resolution yet slow and expensive fabrication processes. Here, using a metasurface polarimetric imaging device as an example, the photonic structures and the Nanoimprint lithography (NIL) processes are designed, creating two separate NIL molds over a patterning area of > 20 mm2 with designed Moiré alignment markers by electron-beam writing, and further subsequently integrate silicon and aluminum metasurface structures on a chip. Uniquely, the silicon and aluminum metasurfaces are fabricated by using the nanolithography and 3D pattern-transfer capabilities of NIL, respectively, achieving nanometer-scale linewidth uniformity, sub-200 nm translational overlay accuracy, and <0.017 rotational alignment error while significantly reducing fabrication complexity and surface roughness. Here, the micro-sized multilayer metasurfaces have high circular polarization extinction ratios as large as ≈20 and ≈80 in blue and red wavelengths. Further, the metasurface chip-integrated CMOS imager demonstrates high accuracy in broad-band, full Stokes parameter analysis in the visible wavelength ranges and single-shot polarimetric imaging. This novel, NIL-based, multilayered nanomanufacturing approach is applicable to the scalable production of large-area functional structures for ultra-compact optic, electronic, and quantum devices.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2024

3D‐Mapping and Manipulation of Photocurrent in an Optoelectronic Diamond Device

Abstract Establishing connections between material impurities and charge transport properties in emerging electronic and quantum materials, such as wide‐bandgap semiconductors, demands new diagnostic methods tailored to these unique systems. Many such materials host optically‐active defect centers which offer a powerful in situ characterization system, but one that typically relies on the weak spin‐electric field coupling to measure electronic phenomena. In this work, charge‐state sensitive optical microscopy is combined with photoelectric detection of an array of nitrogen‐vacancy (NV) centers to directly image the flow of charge carriers inside a diamond optoelectronic device, in 3D and with temporal resolution. Optical control is used to change the charge state of background impurities inside the diamond on‐demand, resulting in drastically different current flow such as filamentary channels nucleating from specific, defective regions of the device. Conducting channels that control carrier flow, key steps toward optically reconfigurable, wide‐bandgap optoelectronics are then engineered using light. This work might be extended to probe other wide‐bandgap semiconductors (SiC, GaN) relevant to present and emerging electronic and quantum technologies.

Wood, Alexander A.↗
DOE OSTI2025

Impurity Powder Injection Experiments in the Large Helical Device

The Impurity Powder Dropper (IPD) is a device capable of injecting controlled amounts of sub-millimetre powder into the plasma under the action of gravity. In 2019 the IPD was first installed on the Large Helical Device (LHD) in Japan, with the aim of improving the plasma performances through real time boronization and assessing the compatibility of this technique with steady state operation. Extensive series of experiments have been performed using the IPD, focused on the improvement of the plasma performance via low-Z powder injection and the understanding of the underlying physical phenomena. In this article, we review the experiments that took place in the period 2019-2024. The main results include the demonstration of the improvement of the wall conditions (reduction of intrinsic impurity content, wall recycling) both on a shot-to-shot basis and in real time. Furthermore, a reduced-turbulence improved confinement regime has been observed coincident with powder injection, resulting in an increase of the plasma temperature of the order of 25%, with enhancements that can reach up to 50% for ion temperature.

Nespoli, F. [Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (↗
DOE OSTI2025

Machine learning for arbitrary single-qubit rotations on an embedded device

Here, in this study, we present a technique for using machine learning (ML) for single-qubit gate synthesis on field-programmable logic for a superconducting transmon-based quantum computer based on simulated studies. Our approach is multi-stage. We first “bootstrap” a model based on simulation with access to the full state vector for measuring gate fidelity. We next present an algorithm, named adapted randomized benchmarking (ARB), for fine-tuning the gate on hardware based on measurements of the devices. We also present techniques for deploying the model on programmable devices with care to reduce the required resources. While the techniques here are applied to a transmon-based computer, many of them are portable to other architectures.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗