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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 1,315 records · Page 73

Electron Microscopy Laboratory MST-6: Instruments and Capabilities [Slides]

The Electron Microscopy Laboratory (EML) is a lab-wide facility, overseen by MST-6, that is available for use by qualified users. In FY12 the EML service contract costs were covered by funds from LDRD, BES, NE and other programs. Users can be trained to use the equipment independently or work collaboratively with other trained users or EML staff. Users are charged for the labor portion of their training. Most electron microscopy is done by staff or post-docs but some students are performing microscopy, particularly SEM. In the Materials Science Complex (MSC), there are two optical microscopes, two scanning electron microscopes (SEM’s), a SEM/ FIB (a SEM with a focused ion beam (FIB) column added), three transmission electron microscopes (TEM’s) and sample preparation equipment.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Final Report, DOE grant DE-FG02-99ER45780, "Indirect Excitons in Coupled Quantum Wells"

The is the final technical report for this project, which was funded by the DOE from 1999 to 2012. The project focused on experimental studies of spatially indirect excitons in coupled quantum wells, with the aim of understanding the quantum physics of these particles, including such effects as pattern formation due to electron-hole charge separation, the Mott plasma-insulator transition, luminescence up-conversion through field-assisted tunneling, luminescence line shifts due to many-body renormalization and magnetic field effects on tunneling, and proposed effects such as Bose-Einstein condensation of indirect excitons and phase separation of bright and dark indirect excitons. Significant results are summarized here and the relation to other work is discussed.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Neutron Scattering Studies of Classical and Quantum Fluids in Porous Media

This is an annual and the final report on DE-FG02-03ER46038 (ER46680) following a no cost extension of DE-FG02-03ER46038 from February 16, 2016 to November 15, 2016. The report period is February 16, 2016 to November 15, 2016. The contract DE-FG02-03ER46038 (ER46680) was closed on November 15, 2016. The contract institution is the University of Delaware, address: Room 210, Hullihen %%@ Hall, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716. The Principal Investigator is Henry R. Glyde, Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716 (email: glyde@udel.edu). The Administrative Point of Contact is Dale S. Weiss Tel: 302 831 3634 dsweiss@udel.edu. The DOE Program is the Office of Basic Energy %%@ Sciences, U.S. Department of Energy, Germantown Building, 1000 Independence Ave., SW Washington, DC 20585. The program manager is Dr. P. Thiyagarajan, Neutron Scattering SC-22.2/ Germantown Bldg., Tel: 301-903-9706, email: P. Thiyagarajan@Science.DOE.GOV.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Collective Energy Transport of Excitons in Two-dimensional Materials

Electronic thermal transport and thermoelectric measurements are pursued in this project to obtain unique insights into the unusual collective energy transport behaviors in two-dimensional (2D) heterostructures. Electronic thermal transport and thermoelectric measurements are essential techniques for characterizing bulk superconductors by probing the heat-carrying quasi-particles. Thermoelectric and electronic thermal transport measurements are expanded in this work beyond bulk systems to probe interactions among electrons, holes, and phonons in 2D heterostructures. In one experiment, a microbridge platform is advanced to demonstrate field-effect resistive-thermometry measurements of the electronic thermal conductivity of graphene heterostructures. Together with first principles theoretical calculations and analytical models, the experimental results suggest that tunable electron coupling with flexural phonons provides a knob to control quantum matters in graphene heterostructures with broken reflection symmetry. In another experiment, the Seebeck coefficient (S) is measured to probe interlayer interactions in electron-hole bilayers that are predicted to give rise to the emergence of a variety of correlated states. As a measure of the entropy, the measured S reveals the signature of electric injection of interlayer excitons in transition metal dichalcogenide (TMD) structures.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Four-dimensional electrical conductivity monitoring of stage-driven river water intrusion: Accounting for water table effects using a transient mesh boundary and conditional inversion constraints

Our paper describes and demonstrates two methods of providing a priori information to the surface-based time-lapse three-dimensional electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) problem for monitoring stage-driven or tide-driven surface water intrusion into aquifers. First, a mesh boundary is implemented that conforms to the known location of the water table through time, thereby enabling the inversion to place a sharp bulk conductivity contrast at that boundary without penalty. Moreover, a nonlinear inequality constraint is used to allow only positive or negative transient changes in EC to occur within the saturated zone, dependent on the relative contrast in fluid electrical conductivity between surface water and groundwater. A 3-D field experiment demonstrates that time-lapse imaging results using traditional smoothness constraints are unable to delineate river water intrusion. The water table and inequality constraints provide the inversion with the additional information necessary to resolve the spatial extent of river water intrusion through time.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Electrical properties of methane hydrate + sediment mixtures: The σ of CH 4 Hydrate + Sediment

Knowledge of the electrical properties of multicomponent systems with gas hydrate, sediments, and pore water is needed to help relate electromagnetic (EM) measurements to specific gas hydrate concentration and distribution patterns in nature. We built a pressure cell capable of measuring in situ electrical properties of multicomponent systems such that the effects of individual components and mixing relations can be assessed. We first established the temperature-dependent electrical conductivity (σ) of pure, single-phase methane hydrate to be ~5 orders of magnitude lower than seawater, a substantial contrast that can help differentiate hydrate deposits from significantly more conductive water-saturated sediments in EM field surveys. We report σ measurements of two-component systems in which methane hydrate is mixed with variable amounts of quartz sand or glass beads. Sand by itself has low σ but is found to increase the overall σ of mixtures with well-connected methane hydrate. Alternatively, the overall σ decreases when sand concentrations are high enough to cause gas hydrate to be poorly connected, indicating that hydrate grains provide the primary conduction path. Our measurements suggest that impurities from sand induce chemical interactions and/or doping effects that result in higher electrical conductivity with lower temperature dependence. Finally, these results can be used in the modeling of massive or two-phase gas-hydrate-bearing systems devoid of conductive pore water. Further experiments that include a free water phase are the necessary next steps toward developing complex models relevant to most natural systems.

03 NATURAL GAS↗

Interactions among hydraulic conductivity distributions, subsurface topography, and transport thresholds revealed by a multitracer hillslope irrigation experiment

Interactions among hydraulic conductivity distributions, subsurface topography, and lateral flow are poorly understood. We applied 407 mm of water and a suite of tracers over 51 h to a 12 by 16.5 m forested hillslope segment to determine interflow thresholds, preferential pathway pore velocities, large-scale conductivities, the time series of event water fractions, and the fate of dissolved nutrients. The 12% hillslope featured loamy sand A and E horizons overlying a sandy clay loam Bt at 1.25 m average depth. Interflow measured from two drains within an interception trench commenced after 131 and 208 mm of irrigation. Cumulative interflow equaled 49% of applied water. Conservative tracer differences between the collection drains indicated differences in flow paths and storages within the plot. Event water fractions rose steadily throughout irrigation, peaking at 50% sixteen h after irrigation ceased. Data implied that tightly held water exchanged with event water throughout the experiment and a substantial portion of preevent water was released from the argillic layer. Surface-applied dye tracers bypassed the matrix, with peak concentrations measured shortly after flow commencement, indicating preferential network conductivities of 864–2240 mm/h, yet no macropore flow was observed. Near steady-state flow conditions indicated average conductivities of 460 mm/h and 2.5 mm/h for topsoils and the Bt horizon, respectively. Low ammonium and phosphorus concentrations in the interflow suggested rapid uptake or sorption, while higher nitrate concentrations suggested more conservative transport. Lastly, these results reveal how hydraulic conductivity variation and subsurface topographic complexity explain otherwise paradoxical solute and flow behaviors.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Direct evidence for EMIC wave scattering of relativistic electrons in space: EMIC-Driven Electron Losses in Space

Electromagnetic ion cyclotron (EMIC) waves have been proposed to cause efficient losses of highly relativistic (>1 MeV) electrons via gyroresonant interactions. Simultaneous observations of EMIC waves and equatorial electron pitch angle distributions, which can be used to directly quantify the EMIC wave scattering effect, are still very limited, however. In the present study, we evaluate the effect of EMIC waves on pitch angle scattering of ultrarelativistic (>1 MeV) electrons during the main phase of a geomagnetic storm, when intense EMIC wave activity was observed in situ (in the plasma plume region with high plasma density) on both Van Allen Probes. EMIC waves captured by Time History of Events and Macroscale Interactions during Substorms (THEMIS) probes and on the ground across the Canadian Array for Real-time Investigations of Magnetic Activity (CARISMA) are also used to infer their magnetic local time (MLT) coverage. From the observed EMIC wave spectra and local plasma parameters, we compute wave diffusion rates and model the evolution of electron pitch angle distributions. In conclusion, by comparing model results with local observations of pitch angle distributions, we show direct, quantitative evidence of EMIC wave-driven relativistic electron losses in the Earth’s outer radiation belt.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗

Record-Breaking Magnetoresistance at the Edge of a Microflake of Natural Graphite

Placing several electrodes at the edge of a micrometer-size Sri Lankan natural graphite sample at distances comparable to the size of the internal crystalline regions, we found record values for the change of the resistance with magnetic field. At low temperatures and at B ~ 21 T the magnetoresistance (MR) reaches ≈ 10 7 %. The MR values exceed by far all earlier reported ones for graphite and they are comparable or even larger (at T > 50 K) than the largest reported in solids including the Weyl semimetals. The origin of this large MR lies in the existence of highly conducting 2D interfaces aligned parallel to the graphene planes.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Strain tuning and strong enhancement of ionic conductivity in SrZrO 3 -RE 2 O 3 (RE = Sm, Eu, Gd, Dy, and Er) nanocomposite films

Fast ion transport channels at interfaces in thin films have attracted great attention due to a range of potential applications for energy materials and devices, for, solid oxide fuel cells, sensors, and memories. Here, it is shown that in vertical nanocomposite heteroepitaxial films of SrZrO 3 –RE 2 O 3 (RE = Sm, Eu, Gd, Dy, and Er) the ionic conductivity of the composite can be tuned and strongly enhanced using embedded, stiff, and vertical nanopillars of RE 2 O 3 . With increasing lattice constant of RE 2 O 3 from Er 2 O 3 to Sm 2 O 3 , it is found that the tensile strain in the SrZrO 3 increases proportionately, and the ionic conductivity of the composite increases accordingly, by an order of magnitude. Lastly, the results here conclusively show, for the first time, that strain in films can be effectively used to tune the ionic conductivity of the materials.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Penta-Twinned Copper Nanorods: Facile Synthesis via Seed-Mediated Growth and Their Tunable Plasmonic Properties

When seed-mediated growth is used as a versatile approach to the synthesis of penta-twinned Cu nanorods with uniform diameters and controllable aspect ratios is reported. The success of this approach relies on our recent synthesis of uniform Pd decahedra, with sizes in the range of 6–20 nm. The Pd decahedral seeds can direct the heterogeneous nucleation and growth of Cu along the fivefold axis to produce nanorods with uniform diameters defined by the lateral dimension of the original seeds. Due to a large mismatch in the lattice constants between Cu and Pd (7.1%), the deposited Cu is forced to grow along one side of the Pd decahedral seed, generating a nanorod with an asymmetric distribution of Cu, with the Pd seed situated at one of the two ends. According to extinction spectra, the as-obtained Cu nanorods can be stored in water under the ambient conditions for at least six months without noticeable degradation. The resulting stability allows us to systematically investigate the size-dependent surface plasmon resonance properties of the penta-twinned Cu nanorods. With the nanorod transverse modes positioned at 560 nm, the longitudinal modes can be readily tuned from the visible to the near-infrared region by controlling the aspect ratio.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Ionic Liquid Activation of Amorphous Metal-Oxide Semiconductors for Flexible Transparent Electronic Devices

To begin this abstract, amorphous metal-oxide semiconductors offer the high carrier mobilities and excellent large-area uniformity required for high performance, transparent, flexible electronic devices; however, a critical bottleneck to their widespread implementation is the need to activate these materials at high temperatures which are not compatible with flexible polymer substrates. The highly controllable activation of amorphous indium gallium zinc oxide semiconductor channels using ionic liquid gating at room temperature is reported. Activation is controlled by electric field-induced oxygen migration across the ionic liquid-semiconductor interface. In addition to activation of unannealed devices, it is shown that threshold voltages of a transistor can be linearly tuned between the enhancement and depletion modes. Finally, the first ever example of transparent flexible thin film metal oxide transistor on a polyamide substrate created using this simple technique is demonstrated. Finally, this study demonstrates the potential of field-induced activation as a promising alternative to traditional postdeposition thermal annealing which opens the door to wide scale implementation into flexible electronic applications.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗