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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 1,297 records · Page 72
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2016

Subsecond and Submillimeter Resolution Positional Verification for Stereotactic Irradiation of Spinal Lesions

Purpose: Spine stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) requires highly accurate positioning. We report our experience with markerless template matching and triangulation of kilovoltage images routinely acquired during spine SBRT, to determine spine position. Methods and Materials: Kilovoltage images, continuously acquired at 7, 11 or 15 frames/s during volumetric modulated spine SBRT of 18 patients, consisting of 93 fluoroscopy datasets (1 dataset/arc), were analyzed off-line. Four patients were immobilized in a head/neck mask, 14 had no immobilization. Two-dimensional (2D) templates were created for each gantry angle from planning computed tomography data and registered to prefiltered kilovoltage images to determine 2D shifts between actual and planned spine position. Registrations were considered valid if the normalized cross correlation score was ≥0.15. Multiple registrations were triangulated to determine 3D position. For each spine position dataset, average positional offset and standard deviation were calculated. To verify the accuracy and precision of the technique, mean positional offset and standard deviation for twenty stationary phantom datasets with different baseline shifts were measured. Results: For the phantom, average standard deviations were 0.18 mm for left-right (LR), 0.17 mm for superior-inferior (SI), and 0.23 mm for the anterior-posterior (AP) direction. Maximum difference in average detected and applied shift was 0.09 mm. For the 93 clinical datasets, the percentage of valid matched frames was, on average, 90.7% (range: 49.9-96.1%) per dataset. Average standard deviations for all datasets were 0.28, 0.19, and 0.28 mm for LR, SI, and AP, respectively. Spine position offsets were, on average, −0.05 (range: −1.58 to 2.18), −0.04 (range: −3.56 to 0.82), and −0.03 mm (range: −1.16 to 1.51), respectively. Average positional deviation was <1 mm in all directions in 92% of the arcs. Conclusions: Template matching and triangulation using kilovoltage images acquired during irradiation allows spine position detection with submillimeter accuracy at subsecond intervals. Although the majority of patients were not immobilized, most vertebrae were stable at the sub-mm level during spine SBRT delivery.

62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE↗
DOE OSTI2025

Structural basis of heme scavenging by the ChtA and HtaA hemophores in Corynebacterium diphtheriae

Corynebacterium diphtheriae causes diphtheria, a potentially fatal infectious disease that damages tissues in the upper respiratory tract. In order to proliferate, this pathogen acquires the essential nutrient iron from heme (iron-protoporphyrin IX) primarily found in human hemoglobin (Hb). C. diphtheriae secretes ChtA and HtaA hemophore proteins that bind ferric heme (hemin) via conserved region (CR) domains. Here, we demonstrate that their CR domains scavenge hemin after it is spontaneously released from Hb, and define the structural basis of hemin binding to ChtA and the N-terminal CR domain from HtaA by determining X-ray crystal structures of their protein-hemin complexes. Resonance Raman and electron paramagnetic resonance experiments demonstrate that the CR domains from ChtA and HtaA engage in pentacoordinate hemin binding through a conserved iron-tyrosyl linkage, though variations in their hemin pockets alter the way they stabilize the axial tyrosine and mask hemin’s metal. The importance of these interactions is probed using isothermal titration calorimetry experiments, which represent the first quantitative assessment of CR-hemin affinity and reveal that ChtA binds hemin via an enthalpically driven process. Hemin partitioning experiments using native mass spectrometry demonstrate that the cohort of CR domains within C. diphtheriae ’s hemin-uptake system have dissociation constants for hemin between 0.8 and 22 nM, raising the possibility that affinity differences contribute to the directional flow of hemin into the cell. Collectively, the results of this work provide insight into how C. diphtheriae and other pathogenic and commensal corynebacterium species utilize CR domains to scavenge iron rich hemin from their environment.

Corynebacterium diphtheriae↗
DOE OSTI2026

Arm and shoulder muscle segmentation in axial MRI with UNet deep learning model

Quantifying individual upper-limb muscle volumes from MRI provides key insight into muscle-specific strength, deficits, and adaptations. Manual delineation is the gold standard but time‑intensive, and the performance of current deep learning approaches, particularly for small or anatomically complex muscles, remains incompletely characterized. We evaluated a state‑of‑the‑art deep learning framework across the entire upper limb and analyzed factors governing segmentation performance, with attention to the forearm. Three previously published MRI datasets (1.5 T, 3D GRE T1‑weighted; total n = 39) spanning young, middle‑aged, and older adults were curated and quality‑checked, including expert manual segmentations for 31 muscles. Following multiclass mask reconstruction, we trained three 3D nnU‑Net multiclass models matched to the muscle subsets present across datasets, using five‑fold cross‑validation and a composite Dice Similarity Coefficient (DSC) + cross entropy loss. Segmentation accuracy was assessed with DSC. Performance varied across muscles (mean DSC = 0.806 ± 0.098), ranging from 0.920 (Deltoid) to 0.461 (Extensor pollicis brevis). In uncertainty‑weighted regressions, muscle volume was positively associated with DSC (R2 = 0.36, p < 0.001), whereas training segmentation count and muscle orientation showed negligible associations (R2 ≤ 0.06). A weighted mixed‑effects model identified volume as the strongest evaluated predictor, explaining 23.9% of variance in DSC; orientation and training count each contributed <1%, leaving 61.5% unexplained. These results indicate that deep learning–based segmentation can accurately quantify muscle volume for many upper‑limb muscles but remains constrained for small, low‑contrast forearm muscles.

Gillespie, Samuel↗
DOE OSTI2021

Surface Conversion of Single-Crystal Bi 2 Se 3 to β-In 2 Se 3

In this work, we demonstrate that the surface layers of single-crystal layered-2D Bi 2 Se 3 can be converted to layered-2D rhombohedral ß-In 2 Se 3 by annealing under a trimethylindium (TMIn) flux. Samples were prepared in a metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) chamber, then transferred under vacuum to a surface analysis chamber for analysis with low-energy electron diffraction (LEED) and Auger electron spectroscopy. Additional ex situ characterization included x-ray diffraction, transmission-electron microscopy (TEM), energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDS) elemental mapping, and Raman spectroscopy. The resulting single-crystal ß-In 2 Se 3 adopts the rhombohedral crystal structure (space group R-3m) and orientation of the underlying Bi 2 Se 3 , and the excess Bi atoms generated by this process create an underlying region of Bi-rich Bi x Se y . Due to the difference in bandgap between Bi 2 Se 3 and In 2 Se 3 , this conversion reaction presents a pathway to lateral heterojunctions if only selected regions are converted by masking the surface to spatially define the TMIn exposure. The conversion may also have implications for heteroepitaxy, because the in-plane lattice constants of Bi 2 Se 3 and In 2 Se 3 (0001) surfaces match those of InP and GaAs (111), respectively, and the natural cleavage planes of a layered-2D crystal facilitate substrate removal and reuse.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2020

Effects of natural zeolites on field-scale geologic noble gas transport

Improving predictive models for noble gas transport through natural materials at the field-scale is an essential component of improving US nuclear monitoring capabilities. Several field-scale experiments with a gas transport component have been conducted at the Nevada National Security Site (Non-Proliferation Experiment, Underground Nuclear Explosion Signatures Experiment). However, the models associated with these experiments have not treated zeolite minerals as gas adsorbing phases. This is significant as zeolites are a common alteration mineral with a high abundance at these field sites and are shown here to significantly fractionate noble gases during field-scale transport. This fractionation and associated retardation can complicate gas transport predictions by reducing the signal-to-noise ratio to the detector (e.g. mass spectrometers or radiation detectors) enough to mask the signal or make the data difficult to interpret. Omitting adsorption-related retardation data of noble gases in predictive gas transport models therefore results in systematic errors in model predictions where zeolites are present.Herein is presented noble gas adsorption data collected on zeolitized and non-zeolitized tuff. Experimental results were obtained using a unique piezometric adsorption system designed and built for this study. Data collected were then related to pure-phase mineral analyses conducted on clinoptilolite, mordenite, and quartz. These results quantify the adsorption capacity of materials present in field-scale systems, enabling the modeling of low-permeability rocks as significant sorption reservoirs vital to bulk transport predictions.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2021

Machine-learning predictions of the shale wells’ performance

The ultra-low permeability nature of shale reservoirs leads to an extended linear flow and necessitates horizontal wells with multi-stage engineered fractures to efficiently extract hydrocarbons resources. These artificially-generated and naturally-occurring fractures form complex networks that create complex flow regimes which control oil production. These fractures are neither identical nor equally-spaced, which leads to a production profile with a masked onset of the boundary-dominated flow. The combination of the extended linear flow with the indeterminate onset of the boundary-dominated flow challenges the current deterministic analytic approaches to forecast the estimated ultimate recovery (EUR). In this work, we propose a novel machine-learning approach which overcomes these challenges and provides reliable EUR estimates based on field-wide analyses. We implement a novel unsupervised machine learning (ML) methodology, which allows for automatic identification of the optimal number of features (signals) present in the data based on non-negative matrix/tensor factorization coupled with k-means clustering incorporating regularization and physics constraints. In the presented analyses, the input data to the ML algorithm is the available (public) production history from the field collected at existing unconventional reservoirs. We validate our approach through hindcasting of the production data, where we achieved an excellent agreement. In addition, our approach is able to identify the poorly-performing wells, which could benefit from early refracing. Our approach provides fast and accurate estimations of the well performance without presumptions about the state of the well or the flow regime.

03 NATURAL GAS↗
DOE OSTI2021

High-throughput ion irradiation of additively manufactured compositionally complex alloys

Several advanced nuclear reactor designs promise efficiency and safety improvements over the current reactor fleet but are limited by the current set of ASME code-qualified materials. Novel alloys including high-entropy alloys (HEAs), and more broadly compositionally complex alloys (CCAs), have shown promising irradiation-tolerance. However, the vast range of alloy compositions adds to an already time-consuming alloy development process. In this study, to accelerate the development of novel alloys for nuclear applications, a high-throughput (HTP) methodology has been employed. Additive manufacturing has been used to produce a compositional array of unary, binary, ternary, and quaternary alloys, including several CCAs, which span the Cr-Fe-Mn-Ni composition space. Additionally, the compositional array was homogenized at 1000°C for 24 hours and each sample was irradiated using 4-MeV Ni2+ ions at room temperature to a peak damage of 50 dpa, as estimated using SRIM, at the University of Wisconsin Ion Beam Laboratory. A custom XY stage was built to accommodate the large compositional array and half of each sample was masked during irradiation enabling both the irradiated and unirradiated properties of each alloy to be characterized side-by-side. Each alloy was characterized using X-ray fluorescence (XRF), X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), and nanoindentation. CALPHAD simulations spanning the entire Cr-Fe-Mn-Ni composition space at 1000°C were performed to compare predicted equilibrium phases with phases identified experimentally from the unirradiated regions of each alloy. Nanoindentation measurements indicate radiation-induced hardening ranging from ~1-1.5 GPa in each of Cr-Fe-Mn-Ni CCAs, which is relatively insensitive to modest changes in alloy composition and comparable to hardening observed in neutron irradiated Cr-Fe-Mn-Ni CCAs in the literature. Overall, a substantial time savings was realized by employing HTP synthesis, irradiation, and characterization in this study compared to conventional techniques, the implications of which are discussed.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2021

Impact of galactic cosmic ray simulation on nutritional content of foods

Foods packaged for future deep-space exploration missions may be prepositioned ahead of astronaut arrival, and will be exposed to galactic cosmic rays (GCRs) and solar radiation in deep space at higher levels and different spectrums than those found in low-Earth orbit (LEO). In this study, we have evaluated the impact of a GCR simulation (approximately 0.5 and 5 Gy doses) at the NASA Space Radiation Laboratory (NSRL) on two retort thermostabilized food products that are good sources of radiation labile nutrients (thiamin, vitamin E, or unsaturated fats). No trends or nutritional differences were found between the radiation-treated samples and the control immediately after treatment or one-year after treatment. Small changes in a few nutrients were measured following one-year of storage. Further studies are needed to confirm these results, as the foods in this study were heterogeneous, and this may have masked meaningful changes due to pouch-to-pouch variations.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2013

La{sub 0.7}Sr{sub 0.3}MnO{sub 3} nanopowders: Synthesis of different powders structures and real magnetic properties of nanomanganites

The difference in the magnetic properties between two lanthanum manganite nanopowders with identical phase and chemical composition is discussed in terms of the influence of nanopowder synthesis conditions on their properties. The aim of this investigation was to show the influence of precursor type and structure on the structure and properties of final La{sub 0.7}Sr{sub 0.3}MnO{sub 3} nanopowders obtained by precipitation technique. The forming of a complex structure of precursor materials during drying and inheritance at firing stage led to the formation of bimodal particle size distribution and magnetic properties typical of coarse powders. The correct choice of precursor material and the technological conditions of the drying and firing stage were allowed for the creation of a uniform powder structure with special magnetic properties. We showed that the magnetic properties of nanopowders were not always determined by chemical or phase composition and mean particle size of synthesized powders. The difference in precipitation process can lead to unpredictable and catastrophic results, and masked the effect of nanoparticles on the magnetic properties of the material. - Highlights: • Precursor’s structure has a strong influence on LSM nanoparticles structure. • Amorphous precursor structure led to uniform LSM nanoparticles formation. • Crystal precursors led to the formation of bimodal LSM particles distribution. • Decrease the single-domain LSM NP size led to decrease the powder’s magnetization.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2015

Comparative study of structure formation and mechanical behavior of age-hardened Ti–Nb–Zr and Ti–Nb–Ta shape memory alloys

This work sets out to study the peculiar effects of aging treatment on the structure and mechanical behavior of cold-rolled and annealed biomedical Ti–21.8Nb–6.0Zr (TNZ) and Ti–19.7Nb–5.8Ta (TNT) (at.%) shape memory alloys by means of transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffractometry, functional fatigue and thermomechanical testing techniques. Dissimilar effects of aging treatment on the mechanical behavior of Zr- and Ta-doped alloys are explained by the differences in the ω-phase formation rate, precipitate size, fraction and distribution, and by their effect on the alloys' critical stresses and transformation temperatures. Even short-time aging of the TNZ alloy leads to its drastic embrittlement caused by “overaging”. On the contrary, during aging of the TNT alloy, formation of finely dispersed ω-phase precipitates is gradual and controllable, which makes it possible to finely adjust the TNT alloy functional properties using precipitation hardening mechanisms. To create in this alloy nanosubgrained dislocation substructure containing highly-dispersed coherent nanosized ω-phase precipitates, the following optimum thermomechanical treatment is recommended: cold rolling (true strain 0.37), followed by post-deformation annealing (600 °C, 15–30 min) and age-hardening (300 °C, 30 min) thermal treatments. It is shown that in TNT alloy, pre-transition diffraction effects (diffuse reflections) can “mask” the β-phase substructure and morphology of secondary phases. - Highlights: • TNZ alloy is characterized by much higher ω-phase precipitation rate than TNT alloy. • Difference in precipitation rates is linked to the difference in Zr and Ta diffusion mobility. • Aging of nanosubgrained TNZ alloy worsens its properties irrespective of the aging time. • Aging time of nanosubgrained TNT alloy can be optimized to improve its properties.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2018

Comparative SEM and TEM analyses of apatite phases prepared by a multi-sample loading device

Highlights: • A multi-sample loading device which ultrasonically disperses samples was developed. • Comparative EM analyses on various apatite phases were efficiently carried out. • SEM-EDS data revealed distinctive values of O/P and Ca/P intensity ratios. • TEM-SAED data presented characteristic structural features of apatite phases. • Lattice parameters of bone and fossil apatite were affected by CO{sub 3} content. - Abstract: Comparative chemical and structural characterization of various apatite phases from both synthetic and natural sources were carried out by utilizing a multi-sample loading device developed for scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analyses. The device is capable of spraying nanoparticles via ultrasonication, and four separate samples were loaded on a single TEM grid by a masking tool to characterize different apatite phases in consistent instrumental and analytical conditions. SEM energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) analysis of the apatite samples revealed distinctive values of O/P and Ca/P intensity ratios except for the fossil apatite due to its high proportion of externally originating phases. Selected area electron diffraction (SAED) pattern analysis presented the characteristic lattice parameters of the apatite phases, especially the bone and fossil apatite which had CO{sub 3}in their chemistry. Analyzing distinctive chemical and structural features among varied apatite phases can be efficiently carried out through electron microscopy with multiple samples on a single TEM grid, and such methods can be employed for characterizing a wider range of materials.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2018

A comparison of He and Ne FIB imaging of cracks in microindented silicon nitride

Highlights: • Silicon nitride was successfully imaged with helium and neon ion microscopy. • Indent-induced cracking was resolved on conductively-coated and uncoated samples. • Cracking was found to be primarily intergranular in nature. • The grain microstructure was most visible on the carbon-coated sample. • For the carbon-coated sample, localized charging was observed along crack pathways. - Abstract: Helium ion microscopy (HIM) offers potential as a high spatial resolution technique for imaging insulating samples that are susceptible to charging artifacts. In this study helium and neon ion microscopy are used to image cracking in microindented samples of the non-conductive ceramic silicon nitride. The crack morphology of radial cracks emanating from the microindentations has been characterized for two different compositions of silicon nitride, with and without conductive coatings. Gold coating enhances crack edge contrast, but masks grain contrast for both He and Ne ion-induced secondary electron (ISE) imaging. Carbon coating enables the crystalline and glassy phases to be distinguished, more clearly with Ne-ISE, and the cracking pathway is found to be primarily intergranular. Zones of <100 nm diameter depleted ion-induced secondary electron emission along the crack paths are identified, consistent with charging ‘hotspots’.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2013

Study of epitaxial lateral overgrowth of semipolar (1 1 − 2 2) GaN by using different SiO{sub 2} pattern sizes

Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • We examine comparative studies of semipolar ELO-GaN film. • Semipolar ELO-GaN film was grown by three step growth method. • The achievement of smooth surface morphology of semipolar ELO-GaN. • The crystal and optical properties was significantly improved by ELO process. - Abstract: We investigated the growth mode and the crystal properties of lateral epitaxial overgrowth (LEO) semipolar (1 1 − 2 2) GaN by using the various SiO{sub 2} pattern sizes of 6, 8, 10 and 12 μm with the window width of 4.0 μm. By using three-step growth technique, we successfully obtained the fully-coalescenced semipolar (1 1 − 2 2) LEO-GaN films regardless of the SiO{sub 2} pattern sizes. However, the coalescence thickness of LEO-GaN film was decreased with decreasing SiO{sub 2} pattern size, indicating that the coalescence of semipolar (1 1 − 2 2) GaN was easily formed by decreasing the pattern size of SiO{sub 2} mask. The full width at half maximums (FWHMs) of X-ray rocking curves (XRCs) of LEO-GaN films decreased with increasing SiO{sub 2} pattern size. In the pattern size of 4 × 10 μm, we achieved the minimum XRCs FWHM of 537 and 368 arc s with two different X-ray incident beam directions of [1 1 − 2 − 3] and [1 − 1 0 0], respectively. Moreover, the photoluminescence bandedge emission of semipolar (1 1 − 2 2) GaN was 45 times increased by LEO process. Based on these results, we concluded that the LEO pattern size of 4 × 10 μm would effectively decrease crystal defects of semipolar (1 1 − 2 2) GaN epilayer, resulting in an improvement of the optical properties.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2014

Enhancement on photocatalytic activity of an amorphous titanium oxide film with nano-textured surface by selective-fluorination etching process

Highlights: • The amorphous TiO{sub x} film surface was modified via selective fluorination etching process. • The resulting nano-textured surface markedly enriched the specific surface area and surface acidity. • The photocatalytic activity was comparable to an annealed TiO{sub x} film with anatase structure. - Abstract: A selective-fluorination etching process achieved by an UV light pre-irradiation and the subsequently fluorination etching was developed to enhance the photocatalytic activity of a low-temperature deposited amorphous titanium oxide (a-TiO{sub x}) film. Textured surface on the a-TiO{sub x} films formed by this process were investigated using atomic force microscope and field emission scanning electron microscope. Evidence of the fluorine ions introduced into the a-TiO{sub x} films was examined using Fourier transform infrared spectrometry and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The etching thickness of the a-TiO{sub x} film was found to be deeply relevant to the film pre-irradiated by the UV light. An a-TiO{sub x} film with nano-textured surface, which was favorable to enlarge the specific surface area, thus was obtainable from the notable etching selectivity of the film pre-irradiated by UV light through a nano-sized mask. In addition, the surface acidity of the a-TiO{sub x} film was enhanced by the formation of the Ti-F chemical bonds originating from the fluorination etching process, which also was functional to facilitate the production of surface OH free radicals. Accordingly, the resulting fluorinated a-TiO{sub x} film with nano-textured surface performed a quality photocatalytic activity comparable to that of the high-temperature achieved TiO{sub x} film with anatase structures.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2014

Growth and characterization of undoped and Mn doped lead-free piezoelectric NBT–KBT single crystals

Highlights: • Single crystals of undoped and Mn doped NKBT crystals are grown by spontaneous nucleation. • Temperature and frequency dependent dielectric constant and loss are measured. • Dielectric constant has increased and the loss has reduced on Mn doped NKBT. • Concentration of oxygen vacancies has been reduced in Mn doped NKBT. • The activation energy for undoped and Mn doped NKBT are calculated. - Abstract: Lead-free piezoelectric single crystals of undoped and 1 wt% Mn doped 0.80 Na{sub 0.5}Bi{sub 0.5}TiO{sub 3}–0.20 K{sub 0.5}Bi{sub 0.5}TiO{sub 3} (NKBT) was grown using self-flux. Powder X-ray diffraction analysis revealed that the grown crystals belong to tetragonal system at room temperature. The lattice strain was calculated from Williamson Hall relation for undoped and Mn doped NKBT crystals. A significant change is observed in dielectric behavior of Mn doped NKBT when compared to undoped sample. The diffuseness increased substantially on Mn doped NKBT which masked the ferroelectric to antiferroelectric transition in the dielectric constant plot. The AC impedance study revealed that the conduction is governed by the singly ionized oxygen vacancy. Further, the decrease in the conductivity on Mn doping suggests that Mn replaces the Bi vacancy, which reduces the oxygen vacancy.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2015

Resistive switching: An investigation of the bipolar–unipolar transition in Co-doped ZnO thin films

Highlights: • A purely bipolar behavior on a Co-doped ZnO thin film has been demonstrated. • We have shown what can happen if a unipolar test is performed in a purely bipolar device. • An explanation for how a sample can show a purely bipolar switching behavior was suggested. • An important open issue about resistive switching effect was put in debate. - Abstract: In order to investigate the resistive switching effect we built devices in a planar structure in which two Al contacts were deposited on the top of the film and separated by a small gap using a shadow mask. Therefore, two samples of 10% Co-doped ZnO thin films were sputtered on glass substrate. High resolution X-ray diffraction (HRXRD) revealed a highly c-axis oriented crystalline structure, without secondary phase. The high resolution scanning electron microscopy (HRSEM) showed a flat surface with good coverage and thickness about 300 nm. A Keithley 2425 semiconductor characterization system was used to perform the resistive switching tests in the bipolar and unipolar modes. Considering only the effect of compliance current (CC), the devices showed a purely bipolar behavior since an increase in CC did not induce a transition to unipolar behavior.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2014

Submicron diameter single crystal sapphire optical fiber

In this work, a submicron-diameter single crystal sapphire optical fiber was demonstrated via wet acid etching at elevated temperatures. Etch rates on the order 2.3 µm/hr were achievable with a 3:1 molar ratio sulfuric-phosphoric acid solution maintained at a temperature of 343°C. A sapphire fiber with an approximate diameter of 800 nm was successfully fabricated from a commercially available fiber with an original diameter of 50 µm. The simple and controllable etching technique provides a feasible approach to the fabrication of unique waveguide structures via traditional silica masking techniques. The ability to tailor the geometry of sapphire optical fibers is the first step in achieving optical and sensing performance on par with its fused silica counterpart.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗