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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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Novel color center platforms enabling fundamental scientific discovery
Abstract Color centers are versatile systems that generate quantum light, sense magnetic fields and produce spin‐photon entanglement. We review how these properties have pushed the limits of fundamental knowledge in a variety of scientific disciplines, from rejecting local‐realistic theories to sensing superconducting phase transitions. In the light of recent progress in material processing and device fabrication, we identify new opportunities for interdisciplinary fundamental discoveries in physics and geochemistry. image
Comparison of ultrastructural and nanomechanical signature of platelets from acute myocardial infarction and platelet activation
Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) initiation and progression follow complex molecular and structural changes in the nanoarchitecture of platelets. However, it remains poorly understood how the transformation from health to AMI alters the ultrastructural and biomechanical properties of platelets within the platelet activation microenvironment. Here, we show using an atomic force microscope (AFM) that platelet samples, including living human platelets from the healthy and AMI patient, activated platelets from collagen-stimulated model, show distinct ultrastructural imaging and stiffness profiles. Correlative morphology obtained on AMI platelets and collagen-activated platelets display distinct pseudopodia structure and nanoclusters on membrane. In contrast to normal platelets, AMI platelets have a stiffer distribution resulting from complicated pathogenesis, with a prominent high-stiffness peak representative of platelet activation using AFM-based force spectroscopy. Similar findings are seen in specific stages of platelet activation in collagen-stimulated model. Further evidence obtained from different force measurement region with activated platelets shows that platelet migration is correlated to the more elasticity of pseudopodia while high stiffness at the center region. Overall, ultrastructural and nanomechanical profiling by AFM provides quantitative indicators in the clinical diagnostics of AMI with mechanobiological significance.
Effects of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) on California sea lion (Zalophus californianus) lymphocyte functions upon in vitro exposure
Highlights: • PCBs induce immunomodulation of California sea lion lymphocytes. • Non dioxin-like PCBs stimulate sea lion lymphocyte proliferation at low concentrations. • Sea lion NK activity can increase under high levels of some non-dioxin PCB congeners. • PCB-induced modulation of sea lion lymphocytes can influence tumor progression. • Frozen lymph node mononuclear cells are viable for ecotoxicological analyses. Polychorinated biphenyl (PCB) congeners are a cause for concern due to their persistence in the environment, their lipophilic properties that cause them to bio-accumulate in top predators, and their adverse effects on mammalian health. For example, the common urogenital carcinoma reported in California sea lions (Zalophus californianus) (CSL) is associated with high tissue levels of PCBs, but the mechanisms responsible for this association are unknown. This study investigated the effect of exposure to six PCB congeners and a congener mix at low and environmentally relevant concentrations on NK cell-like and T cell activity using in vitro assays on cryopreserved lymph node mononuclear cells isolated from dead CSL. Non dioxin-like congeners 153 and 180 increased lymphocyte proliferation at 5 and 10 ppm, while congener 138 decreased proliferation by up to 43% at 15 ppm. Dioxin-like PCBs 118 and 169 did not affect lymphocyte proliferation, while the effects of congener 105 depended on the mitogen concentration; these did not correlate with their predicted toxic equivalent factors. NK cell-like activity was affected only by the highest concentration of PCBs tested; it was increased by non-dioxin-like congeners 138 and 153, and decreased by dioxin-like congener 169. The PCB congener mix suggested that the effects of PCB congeners were not simply additive. Our results concur with effects of PCBs reported for other pinniped's lymphocytes and add further experimental support to the observation that dioxin-like PCBs are not the most toxic congeners for marine mammals, contrary to effects in other species. This is the first evidence of in vitro suppression of NK cell-like cytotoxicity by a dioxin-like congener in a pinniped. More importantly, the observed results suggest that PCBs can modulate the CSL immune system, increasing exposed individuals’ susceptibility to viral and oncogenic challenges.
Simultaneously characterization of tumoral angiogenesis and vasculogenesis in stem cell-derived teratomas
Highlights: • CAM supports the growth and differentiation of embryonic stem cells into teratomas. • In teratomas, parenchymal Embryonic stem cell-derived endothelial cells form chimeric vessels with stromal endothelial cells. • CAM allows the simultaneously characterization of vasculogenesis and angiogenesis processes. Tumor neovascularization may occur via both angiogenic and vasculogenic events. In order to investigate the vessel formation during tumor growth, we developed a novel experimental model that takes into account the differentiative and tumorigenic properties of Embryonic Stem cells (ESCs). Leukemia Inhibitory Factor-deprived murine ESCs were grafted on the top of the chick embryo chorionallantoic membrane (CAM) in ovo. Cell grafts progressively grew, forming a vascularized mass within 10 days. At this stage, the grafts are formed by cells with differentiative features representative of all three germ layers, thus originating teratomas, a germinal cell tumor. In addition, ESC supports neovascular events by recruiting host capillaries from surrounding tissue that infiltrates the tumor mass. Moreover, immunofluorescence studies demonstrate that perfused active blood vessels within the tumor are of both avian and murine origin because of the simultaneous occurrence of angiogenic and vasculogenic events. In conclusion, the chick embryo ESC/CAM-derived teratoma model may represent a useful approach to investigate both vasculogenic and angiogenic events during tumor growth and for the study of natural and synthetic modulators of the two processes.
Crystal Nucleation Kinetics and Mechanism: Influence of Interaction Potential
Modulating liquid-to-solid transitions and the resulting crystalline structure for tailored properties is much desired. Colloidal systems are exemplary to this end, but the fundamental knowledge gaps in relating the influence of intermolecular interactions to crystallization behavior continue to hinder progress. In this study, we address this knowledge gap by studying nucleation and growth in systems with modified Lennard-Jones potential. Specifically, we study the commonly used 12-6 potential and a softer 7-6 potential. The thermodynamic state point for the study is chosen such that both systems are investigated at the same level of supercooling and pressure. Under these conditions, we find that the nucleation rate for both systems is comparable. Interestingly, the nucleation pathways and resulting crystal structures are different. In the 12-6 system, nucleation and growth occur predominantly through the FCC structure. Softening the potential alters the critical nucleus composition and introduces two distinct nucleation pathways. One pathway predominantly leads to the nucleus with a body-centered cubic (BCC) structure, while the other favors the face-centered cubic (FCC) arrangement. Our study illustrates that polymorph selection can be achieved through modifications to intermolecular interactions without impacting nucleation kinetics. The results have significant implications in designing approaches for polymorph selection and modulating self-assembly mechanisms.
Frequency–Magnitude Statistics of Laboratory Foreshocks Vary With Shear Velocity, Fault Slip Rate, and Shear Stress
Understanding the nucleation phase of earthquakes is key for advancing earthquake hazard assessment and improving earthquake early warning systems. However, little progress has been made in this area due to a poor understanding of nucleation processes and incomplete seismic and fault zone measurements. The ability to integrate measured fault zone properties with seismic data could significantly improve our understanding of how earthquakes begin and whether there are systematic variations in seismic properties preceding failure. In this work, we use high-resolution laboratory measurements of fault zone properties along with acoustic emission data to document temporal variations of foreshock properties. Our data show that foreshock size increases with shear stress, loading rate, and fault slip rate. We propose that the preseismic fault slip rate and fault zone thickness (i.e., porosity) work in concert to modulate foreshock properties.
Imaging nanomagnetism and magnetic phase transitions in atomically thin CrSBr
Since their first observation in 2017, atomically thin van der Waals (vdW) magnets have attracted significant fundamental, and application-driven attention. However, their low ordering temperatures, T c , sensitivity to atmospheric conditions and difficulties in preparing clean large-area samples still present major limitations to further progress, especially amongst van der Waals magnetic semiconductors. The remarkably stable, high-T c vdW magnet CrSBr has the potential to overcome these key shortcomings, but its nanoscale properties and rich magnetic phase diagram remain poorly understood. Here we use single spin magnetometry to quantitatively characterise saturation magnetization, magnetic anisotropy constants, and magnetic phase transitions in few-layer CrSBr by direct magnetic imaging. We show pristine magnetic phases, devoid of defects on micron length-scales, and demonstrate remarkable air-stability down the monolayer limit. We furthermore address the spin-flip transition in bilayer CrSBr by imaging the phase-coexistence of regions of antiferromagnetically (AFM) ordered and fully aligned spins. Our work will enable the engineering of exotic electronic and magnetic phases in CrSBr and the realization of novel nanomagnetic devices based on this highly promising vdW magnet.
Recent advances of two-dimensional material additives in hybrid perovskite solar cells
Perovskite solar cells (PSCs) have become one of the state-of-the-art photovoltaic technologies due to their facile solution-based fabrication processes combined with extremely high photovoltaic performance originating from excellent optoelectronic properties such as strong light absorption, high charge mobility, long free charge carrier diffusion length, and tunable direct bandgap. However, the poor intrinsic stability of hybrid perovskites under environmental stresses including light, heat, and moisture, which is often associated with high defect density in the perovskite, has limited the large-scale commercialization and deployment of PSCs. The use of process additives, which can be included in various subcomponent layers in the PSC, has been identified as one of the effective approaches that can address these issues and improve the photovoltaic performance. Among various additives that have been explored, two-dimensional (2D) materials have emerged recently due to their unique structures and properties that can enhance the photovoltaic performance and device stability by improving perovskite crystallization, defect passivation, and charge transport. In this work, we provide a review of the recent progresses in 2D material additives for improving the PSC performance based on key representative 2D material systems, including graphene and its derivatives, transitional metal dichalcogenides, and black phosphorous, providing a useful guideline for further exploiting unique nanomaterial additives for more efficient and stable PSCs in the near future.
Development of Creep-Resistant, Alumina-Forming Ferrous Alloys for High-Temperature Structural Use
This paper overviews recent advances in developing novel alloy design concepts of creep-resistant, alumina-forming Fe-base alloys, including both ferritic and austenitic steels, for high-temperature structural applications in fossil-fired power generation systems. Protective, external alumina-scales offer improved oxidation resistance compared to chromia-scales in steam-containing environments at elevated temperatures. Alloy design utilizes computational thermodynamic tools with compositional guidelines based on experimental results accumulated in the last decade, along with design and control of the second-phase precipitates to maximize high-temperature strengths. The alloys developed to date, including ferritic (Fe-Cr-Al-Nb-W base) and austenitic (Fe-Cr-Ni-Al-Nb base) alloys, successfully incorporated the balanced properties of steam/water vapor-oxidation and/or ash-corrosion resistance and improved creep strength. Development of cast alumina-forming austenitic (AFA) stainless steel alloys is also in progress with successful improvement of higher temperature capability targeting up to ~1100°C. Current alloy design approach and developmental efforts with guidance of computational tools were found to be beneficial for further development of the new heat resistant steel alloys for various extreme environments.
“QGP Signatures” revisited
Abstract We revisit the graphic table of QCD signatures in our 1996 Annual Reviews article “The Search for the Quark–Gluon Plasma” and assess the progress that has been made since its publication towards providing quantitative evidence for the formation of a quark–gluon plasma in relativistic heavy-ion collisions and its characteristic properties.
rlmolecule: A library for general-purpose material and molecular optimization using AlphaZero-style reinforcement learning
This library includes in-progress code for the optimization of materials and molecules using reinforcement learning. This project seeks to develop a generalized machine learning approach for optimizing targeted, and often complex, functional properties over the space of possible material structures, allowing faster identification of promising candidates. Electronic and transport properties of materials are determined by their molecular structure (for molecules) or their crystal structure (for in-organic crystalline materials). The atomic composition, bonding, and 3-D-spatial arrangement in these systems therefore represent a vast, discontinuous search space for optimal candidates. This library implements AlphaZero style reinforcement learning applied to two worked examples: the optimization of stable organic radicals for redox flow batteries, and the determination of stable electrolyte species for solid state batteries. The current code contains proof-of-concept results run on the Eagle HPC system, while the completed package will be a flexible tool for material optimization across of number of energy-relevant fields, which leverages cloud compute resources for the majority of the computational heavy lifting.
The road to atomically thin metasurface optics
Abstract The development of flat optics has taken the world by storm. The initial mission was to try and replace conventional optical elements by thinner, lightweight equivalents. However, while developing this technology and learning about its strengths and limitations, researchers have identified a myriad of exciting new opportunities. It is therefore a great moment to explore where flat optics can really make a difference and what materials and building blocks are needed to make further progress. Building on its strengths, flat optics is bound to impact computational imaging, active wavefront manipulation, ultrafast spatiotemporal control of light, quantum communications, thermal emission management, novel display technologies, and sensing. In parallel with the development of flat optics, we have witnessed an incredible progress in the large-area synthesis and physical understanding of atomically thin, two-dimensional (2D) quantum materials. Given that these materials bring a wealth of unique physical properties and feature the same dimensionality as planar optical elements, they appear to have exactly what it takes to develop the next generation of high-performance flat optics.
Identification and Shipment Progress of the INL and LANL Samples to Be Received at ORNL
Ferritic-martensitic steel Grade 92, with T91 as a reference, together with austenitic stainless steel (or Incoloy Alloy) 800H and its grain-boundary-engineered version 800H-TMP (ThermoMechanical Processing), is investigated in this project. A total of fifteen Grade 92 samples from two or three heats, four T91 samples from two heats, and six 800H and six 800H-TMP samples from one heat were selected, which were primarily irradiated in the Advanced Test Reactor of Idaho National Laboratory (INL), with the rest in the High Flux Isotope Reactor of Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), BOR-60 of Russia, and Phénix reactor of France. The samples were irradiated in the temperature range of 241 to 720°C and a dose range of 1.28 to ~70 displacements per atom. All the INL samples, most of the ORNL samples, and part of the LANL (Los Alamos National Laboratory) samples from the ATR, BOR-60 and Phénix reactors have been received at the Irradiated Materials Examination and Testing (IMET) hot cell facility and Low Activation Materials Design and Analysis (LAMDA) laboratory of ORNL. Post-irradiation examination of the received samples is in progress at ORNL. The effects of irradiation temperature, dose, reactor (e.g., dose rate, neutron-spectrum-induced difference in transmutation), TMP, and heats variation on the microstructures and mechanical properties of the samples will be evaluated.
Spectral Induced Polarization-Biogeochemical Relationships for Remediation Amendment Monitoring
Geophysical tools such as electrical resistivity (ER) can indirectly monitor subsurface changes in response to remedial injections. These methods exhibit relatively low spatial resolution compared to sediment core characterization but are advantageous due to the ability to collect measurements non-intrusively over time across large volumes of the subsurface. Moreover, along with confirmatory groundwater or core sampling, geophysical methods can be used during active biogeochemical remedies to monitor short-term contaminant transformations and mobility, as well as part of an overall strategy for long-term monitoring of subsurface contaminated sites. The use of alternating current spectral induced polarization (SIP) provides significantly more information than conventional geophysical methods like direct current ER. SIP allows for monitoring changes in both solution and surface conductivity by separation of real and imaginary conductivity, respectively, as well as surface capacitance. In principle, SIP can measure indicators of remedy progression such as precipitation reactions that sequester contaminants, potentially providing a better indication of amendment delivery and reactivity as compared to conventional ER methods. However, multiple processes and material properties have overlapping (interacting) electrical responses across a range of frequencies. Hence, the purpose of this scoping study was to evaluate if SIP can be used to monitor (a) amendment delivery and (b) precipitation and reactivity of amendments under consideration at Hanford. SIP measurements were collected in fully saturated columns packed with sand and Hanford formation sediments containing (a) amendments that were highly conductive with significant capacitance (zero valent iron – ZVI, sulfur modified iron – SMI) and (b) amendments that exhibited low electrical conductivity with a small capacitance (calcite, apatite, bismuth). The sand was a quartz material with homogenous particle size that exhibited a relatively low surface conductivity. It was used as a control for comparison with the sediments from the Hanford Site, which have a greater surface conductivity because of their complex mineralogy and heterogeneous particle size distribution and may have complex interactions with amendments. The amendment mass fraction was varied to represent the different stages and subsurface locations associated with the delivery of a remedy. The primary objective was to identify the solution and solid surface changes associated with the delivery amendments and their secondary reactions within the subsurface. The figure below summarizes results for the amendments tested through this project. The SIP phase shift or imaginary conductivity change for the high conductivity amendments was more than 10 times that of the low conductivity amendments, highlighting the relative ease of detection of ZVI and SMI independent of the background signal from sand or Hanford sediments. The ZVI phase shift and imaginary conductivity changes occur primarily at high frequency (> 100 Hz) whereas SMI changes were at low frequency (0.01 to 10 Hz). SIP signals of SMI also increased over time and the maximum shifted to lower frequencies. The low conductivity amendments (calcite, abiotic and biotic apatite, bismuth subnitrate) exhibited relatively small phase and imaginary conductivity changes when added to sediments. The changes were above minimum detection limits (0.5 mrad for phase shift, 0.03 µS/cm for imaginary conductivity) for the highest concentration except for the commercial bismuth material. The lowest amendment concentration that can be detected is likely sediment specific, as minerals in sediments (clays, magnetite, Fe-oxides) have some capacitance and, therefore, exhibit a variable phase shift.
Cold Spray Cobalt Magnetostrictive Electromagnetic Acoustic Transducers for High Temperature Structure Monitoring
The Department of Energy’s Advanced Sensors and Instrumentation program seeks to develop and qualify advanced sensors for the nuclear industry. Reliable high temperature and high radiation sensors for detection and characterization of structural flaws in pipes, vessels, and structurally critical components is a weakness for both conventional light water reactors with coolant T-hot approaching 350oC, and for advanced reactors with T-hot temperatures in excess of 500 to 800oC. Magnetostrictive Electromagnetic Acoustic Transducers using a cold spray cobalt coating have been proposed as a sensor design that can withstand these kinds of temperatures and radiation levels to serve as online sensors to detect flaws before cracks, pits, or erosion/corrosion flaws progress to through-wall failures. This report tests cold spray cobalt as part of a magnetostrictive EMAT for high temperature service. Cobalt is known to have strong magnetostrictive properties however the effect of cold spray application is not well studied. This program was surprised to discover that cold sprayed cobalt exhibited little or no magnetostrictive behavior until it was thermally annealed. Following annealing to 650oC however, cold spray cobalt did exhibit a magnetostrictive response. Work to date prior to this milestone report publication showed that magnetostrictive EMAT was successfully tested to 400oC with an alnico permanent magnet. The program plans to extend testing with an electromagnet to higher temperatures. This follow-on work will be reported under subsequent publications or as a revision to this report.
Remote sensing of the asteroids
Knowledge of the compositions of the asteroids is obtained by the remote sensing of reflected and emitted radiation from what are essentially star-like points of light. Since asteroids are a remnant population of planetesimals that were never accreted into the larger planets, their compositions and properties can provide insight into the nature of planetary matter in early epochs, before most of it was physically and chemically modified by geological processes within the planets. The progress made during the past decade in learning about asteroids through remote sensing is reviewed.
Thermo-oxidative stability of graphite fiber/PMR-15 polyimide composites at 350 deg C
A series of graphite fiber/PMR-15 polyimide composites were subjected to isothermal aging at 350 C in flowing air (100 cc/min and 1000 cc/min) over a 520 hr time period. The graphite fibers were analyzed by ISS/SIMS techniques before composite fabrication. Fibers exposed at the surface of the composite due to the isothermal aging process were also analyzed by the ISS/SIMS method. Component and composite weight less studies were also conducted for similarly exposed materials. Optical micrograph investigations of composites to follow the progress of the thermo-oxidative process were also conducted. Flexural and interlaminar shear strengths of the imaged and aged composites were measured. The relationship of component and composite properties as they relate to the thermo-oxidative behavior of the materials was discussed.