Engineering Papers⌕ Search

SEARCH · Engineering Papers

Results for “crystallization”

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.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 1,351 records · Page 75
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2021

Simulation of dynamic crystal plasticity with a Lagrangian discontinuous Galerkin hydrodynamic method

Here we present a new Lagrangian modal discontinuous Galerkin (DG) hydrodynamic method that supports a dynamic dislocation based crystal plasticity model for simulating the mechanical behavior of crystallographic materials, both single crystal and polycrystalline, under dynamic conditions. A modal DG approach is used to evolve fields relevant to conservation laws. These fields are approximated by Taylor series polynomials of varying degree. These polynomials describe macro-scale hydrodynamic behavior while their evolution is determined by evaluating the dynamic crystal plasticity model at material points within the element. The dynamic crystal plasticity model is sensitive to the time increment size, with too large of time increments leading to instability in the model. To mitigate this, the temporal evolution of the dynamic crystal plasticity model is achieved with the combination of a sub-incrementing scheme with Heun’s third-order time integration scheme, which is also used to temporally evolve the governing equations. The implementation of the dynamic crystal plasticity model within the DG framework is tested using a 2D approximation of the Taylor impact test with a single crystal material, using quadratic elements that have faces that can bend. In addition to the standard continuous material modeling, we propose a new simulation method that would represent the heterogeneous behavior of polycrystalline microstructures within an element by varying the position and material properties of the material points within the element. This method is demonstrated using random orientation distributions on materials points that are arranged in both structured and random configurations.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2018

Predicting the volumes of crystals

New crystal structures are frequently derived by performing ionic substitutions on known crystal structures. These derived structures are then used in further experimental analysis, or as the initial guess for structural optimization in electronic structure calculations, both of which usually require a reasonable guess of the lattice parameters. In this work, we propose two lattice prediction schemes to improve the initial guess of a candidate crystal structure. The first scheme relies on a one-to-one mapping of species in the candidate crystal structure to a known crystal structure, while the second scheme relies on data-mined minimum atom pair distances to predict the crystal volume of the candidate crystal structure and does not require a reference structure. We demonstrate that the two schemes can effectively predict the volumes within mean absolute errors (MAE) as low as 3.8% and 8.2%. Here we also discuss the various factors that may impact the performance of the schemes. Implementations for both schemes are available in the open-source pymatgen software.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2022

Predicting extreme anisotropy and shape variations in impact testing of tantalum single crystals

We report recent Taylor cylinder impact tests carried out for Ta single crystals showed strong variations in dimensional changes for different crystallographic directions aligned with the cylindrical axis. In order to capture the effect of crystallography on the deformation characteristics and final shapes of the impacted cylinders, a single crystal material subroutine is adapted and embedded in the solid mechanics/dynamics Finite Element solver Abaqus to simulate the aforementioned single crystal Ta Taylor impact experiments. Details of the coupled model implementation, and insights on the role played by single crystal anisotropic flow on the deformation behavior across a broad range of strain rates and temperatures for different single crystal orientations are presented and discussed. We demonstrate the predictive capability of the adopted crystal plasticity model to capture the significant role played by crystal orientation-induced anisotropy, as well as strain hardening and adiabatic heating, on the dynamic deformation response of crystalline materials. This re-emphasizes the need of microstructure-aware models to improve the accuracy of simulations for high-consequence engineering design.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2022

Growth, optical, and luminescence characterization of LiCsMoO{sub 4} crystal.

A crack-free LiCsMoO4 crystal was grown with the conventional Czochralski technique. The optical properties of the crystal show it transparent well in the visible region. The luminescence properties of the crystal were studied from 300 to 14 K under the excitation with a 280 nm light-emitting diode (LED). At room temperature, the luminescence light yield is low; however, it increases significantly at low temperatures. The decay time of the crystal is measured under the excitation of the crystal with the 280 nm LED source. The decay times at all the temperatures are fitted with three exponential functions. The average decay time from 300 to 14 K varies from 6.7 to 8.6 mu s. A thermoluminescence (TL) study of the crystal was carried out from 9 to 300 K. Three TL peaks are found between 165 and 250 K. This study shows that the developed crystal has a potential application in search of neutrinoless double-beta decay of Mo-100 at cryogenic temperatures.

Conventional Czochralski technique↗
DOE OSTI2013

Crystal structures of two novel borate compounds MgInBO{sub 4} and MgIn{sub 7/8}B{sub 7/8}O{sub 29/8}

Two novel borate compounds MgInBO{sub 4} and MgIn{sub 7/8}B{sub 7/8}O{sub 29/8}, have been synthesized via solid-state reactions, and their crystal structures have been solved and refined from powder X-ray diffraction data. The compound MgInBO{sub 4}, which was obtained at 1190 °C, belongs to the warwickite family. It crystallizes in the Pnma space group (no. 62) with a=9.5443(1) Å, b=3.2771(1) Å, c=9.5228(1) Å, and Z=4. The fundamental building units are liner –Mg(In)O{sub 6}–[In(Mg)]{sub 2}O{sub 10}–Mg(In)O{sub 6}– chains and isolated BO{sub 3} triangles. The low-temperature phase, MgIn{sub 7/8}B{sub 7/8}O{sub 29/8}, whose crystal structure is solved ab initio by the charge-flipping method with standard chemical formula MgInBO{sub 4}, was prepared at 1080 °C. It crystallizes in the P12{sub 1}/n1 space group (no. 14) with a=17.0976(1) Å, b=3.2504(1) Å, c=5.3387(1) Å, β=96.0829(3)°, and Z=4. The structure of MgIn{sub 7/8}B{sub 7/8}O{sub 29/8} contains [In(2)/Mg(2)]{sub 2}O{sub 10} groups, –MgO{sub 6}–InO{sub 6}– infinite ribbons and isolated BO{sub 3} triangles. The experiments and the differential thermal analysis (DTA) show the decompositions of MgInBO{sub 4} and MgIn{sub 7/8}B{sub 7/8}O{sub 29/8} happen at about 1220 °C and 1180 °C, respectively. The comparative crystal chemistry from MgIn{sub 7/8}B{sub 7/8}O{sub 29/8} to MgInBO{sub 4} has been discussed. Infrared spectra and UV–vis diffuse reflectance spectra of MgInBO{sub 4} and MgIn{sub 7/8}B{sub 7/8}O{sub 29/8} were measured. - Graphical abstract: The structural transformation from the monoclinic MgIn{sub 7/8}B{sub 7/8}O{sub 29/8} (P12{sub 1}/n1) to the orthorhombic MgInBO{sub 4} (Pnma). - Highlights: • Two novel borate compounds MgInBO{sub 4} and MgIn{sub 7/8}B{sub 7/8}O{sub 29/8} have been synthesized via solid-state reactions for the first time. • The crystal structures of MgInBO{sub 4} and MgIn{sub 7/8}B{sub 7/8}O{sub 29/8} have been solved and refined from powder X-ray diffraction data. • The possible crystal chemical analysis from MgIn{sub 7/8}B{sub 7/8}O{sub 29/8} to MgInBO{sub 4} is discussed. • Infrared spectra and UV–vis diffuse reflectance spectra of MgInBO{sub 4} and MgIn{sub 7/8}B{sub 7/8}O{sub 29/8} have been measured.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2016

Hydrothermal synthesis of single crystals of transition metal vanadates in the glaserite phase

A series of transition metal vanadate crystals were prepared using a high temperature (580 °C) hydrothermal method. The compounds all had the general formula A{sub 2}AEM(VO{sub 4}){sub 2} (A=K, Na, Li; AE=Ba, Sr; M=Co, Fe, Mn). They are all variations of the glaserite structural type and range in symmetry from P-3m1 to P-3 to P2{sub 1}/c. Most of the derivatives contain a planar three-fold rotation operation, making them possible spin frustration candidates. Single crystal structural analyses were performed on many of the derivatives to obtain a detailed understanding of the distortions of the tetrahedral building blocks that accommodate the symmetry distortions. A hydrothermal growth method was developed to grow high quality single crystals of sizes up to 2–3 mm/edge. This method can be generalized for large crystal growth to enable magnetic and neutron diffraction studies that require relatively large single crystals. - Highlights: • The hydrothermal synthesis of glaserite-type vanadates is demonstrated. • Synthesis from stoichiometric component reactions yields 0.2–0.5 mm size crystals. • Hydrothermal recrystallization of glaserite powder yields 2–3 mm size crystals. • The structure varies according to the alkali and alkaline earth metals selected. • Ideal (P-3m1) and distorted (P-3 and P2{sub 1}/c) glaserite structures are observed.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2016

Pseudosymmetric features of non-centrosymmetric AB type crystals

This work is supplement to our previous investigation (Gazhulina and Marychev, 2015) [1]. We have considered pseudosymmetric features with respect to the operation of inversion (pseudoinversion) for 340 non-centrosymmetric AB type crystals. Analysis of the features of particular structure types allowed us to determine the positions of pseudoinversion centers, subdivide them into separate types, and classify the entire set of crystals studied with respect to the types of pseudoinversion centers and peculiarities of the behavior of the degree of pseudoinversion depending on the ratio of atomic numbers of A and B components. For each group of crystals, average values and lower boundaries of the maximum pseudoinversion are determined and distribution with respect to the degree of pseudoinversion is constructed. - Graphical abstract: A group of 340 non-centrosymmetric AB type crystals have been considered for their pseudosymmetry features with respect to the operation of inversion. Positions of pseudoinversion centers, subdivision of them into separate types, classification of the entire set of crystals studied with respect to the types of pseudoinversion centers and peculiarities of the behavior of the degree of pseudoinversion are established and discussed. Display Omitted - Highlights: • We consider pseudoinversion of 340 non-centrosymmetric AB type crystals. • AB type crystals are divided into three groups with respect to pseudoinversion. • Positions and types of pseudoinversion centers are determined. • Lower boundaries of the maximum pseudoinversion are determined.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2013

Blocking effect of crystal–glass interface in lanthanum doped barium strontium titanate glass–ceramics

Graphical abstract: The blocking effect of the crystal–glass interface on the carrier transport behavior in the lanthanum doped barium strontium titanate glass–ceramics: preparation and characterization. - Highlights: • La{sub 2}O{sub 3} addition promotes the crystallization of the major crystalline phase. • The Z″ and M″ peaks exist a significant mismatch for 0.5 mol% La{sub 2}O{sub 3} addition. • The Z″ and M″ peaks separate obviously for 1.0 mol% La{sub 2}O{sub 3} addition. • Crystallite impedance decreases while crystal–glass interface impedance increases. • La{sub 2}O{sub 3} addition increases blocking factor of the crystal–glass interface. - Abstract: The microstructures and dielectric properties in La{sub 2}O{sub 3}-doped barium strontium titanate glass–ceramics have been investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and impedance spectroscopy. SEM analysis indicated that La{sub 2}O{sub 3} additive decreases the average crystallite size. Impedance spectroscopy revealed that the positions of Z″ and M″ peaks are close for undoped samples. When La{sub 2}O{sub 3} concentration is 0.5 mol%, the Z″ and M″ peaks show a significant mismatch. Furthermore, these peaks separate obviously for 1.0 mol% La{sub 2}O{sub 3} addition. With increasing La{sub 2}O{sub 3} concentration, the contribution of the crystallite impedance becomes smaller, while the contribution of the crystal–glass interface impedance becomes larger. More interestingly, it was found that La{sub 2}O{sub 3} additive increases blocking factor of the crystal–glass interface in the temperature range of 250–450 °C. This may be attributed to a decrease of activation energy of the crystallite and an increase of the crystal–glass interface area.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2014

Investigations of Ba{sub 3}BP{sub 3}O{sub 12}:Eu{sup 2+} single crystal as a scintillator

Highlights: • Eu{sup 2+}-activated Ba{sub 3}BP{sub 3}O{sub 12} single crystals have been grown by the top-seeded solution growth method (TSSG) for the first time. • Ba{sub 3}BP{sub 3}O{sub 12}:Eu{sup 2+} single crystal exhibits wide transparency in the wavelength range from 250 to 700 nm. • Ba{sub 3}BP{sub 3}O{sub 12}:Eu{sup 2+} single crystal shows high overall scintillation efficiency (1.8 times of BGO) and moderate decay time (860 ns). - Abstract: Single crystals of Ba{sub 3}BP{sub 3}O{sub 12}:Eu{sup 2+} with high optical quality have been grown by the top-seeded solution growth (TSSG) method using BPO{sub 4}–NaF mixture as the flux. Ba{sub 3}BP{sub 3}O{sub 12}:Eu{sup 2+} single crystal exhibits wide transparency in the wavelength range from 250 to 700 nm, and shows a broad emission band in the wavelength range of 350–650 nm when excited by X-ray radiation. The overall scintillation efficiency is about 1.8 times of that of BGO crystal under the same conditions. Its room temperature fluorescence decay curve exhibits a single-exponent shape with decay time of about 860 ns. It is worth noting that Ba{sub 3}BP{sub 3}O{sub 12}:Eu{sup 2+} single crystal may be of great interest for applications in the field of scintillation materials considering its scintillation properties, as well as the good chemical stability.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2016

Diffraction and single-crystal elastic constants of Inconel 625 at room and elevated temperatures determined by neutron diffraction

In this work, diffraction and single-crystal elastic constants of Inconel 625 have been determined by means of in situ loading at room and elevated temperatures using time-of-flight neutron diffraction. Theoretical models proposed by Voigt, Reuss, and Kroner were used to determine single-crystal elastic constants from measured diffraction elastic constants, with the Kroner model having the best ability to capture experimental data. The magnitude of single-crystal elastic moduli, computed from single-crystal elastic constants, decreases and the single crystal anisotropy increases as temperature increases, indicating the importance of texture in affecting macroscopic stress at elevated temperatures. Finally, the experimental data reported here are of great importance in understanding additive manufacturing of metallic components as: diffraction elastic constants are required for computing residual stresses from residual lattice strains measured using neutron diffraction, which can be used to validate thermomechanical models of additive manufacturing, while single-crystal elastic constants can be used in crystal plasticity modeling, for example, to understand mechanical deformation behavior of additively manufactured components.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2025

Direct observation of key aluminum hydroxide prenucleation oligomers for gibbsite nucleation and crystallization in sodium aluminate solution by liquid ToF-SIMS

The mechanism of gibbsite (aluminum hydroxide) crystallization from highly alkaline solutions such as Bayer liquors remains poorly understood, where aluminum (Al) transforms from largely tetrahedrally coordinated aluminate monomers in sodium aluminate solutions into a network of octahedra in gibbsite crystals. A variety of traditional analytical approaches applied to this system do not readily reveal the presence of higher-order oligomeric intermediates. To overcome this limitation, we employed in-situ liquid Time-of-Flight Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (ToF-SIMS) to examine the Al species present in concentrated sodium aluminate solutions favoring crystallization of gibbsite or sodium aluminate. A complex mixture of Al oligomers was found. By comparing the change in the relative concentration of Al oligomers with +1 and -1 charge, we were able to identify three major Al oligomer candidates, iso-tetramers, iso-pentamers, and cyclic-hexamers, for the nucleation and crystallization of gibbsite. The concentrations of iso-tetramers and iso-pentamers significantly surpass those of cyclic-hexamers. Time-dependent in-situ Raman spectroscopy analysis indicated that the appearance of gibbsite coincided with the peak concentration of these oligomers. The Density-functional theory (DFT) calculation suggests that the formation of iso-oligomers is more favorable than that of cyclic-hexamers. The combined results suggest that iso-tetramers and iso-pentamers play the most substantial role in the nucleation and growth of gibbsite in the sodium aluminate solutions. Our findings also suggest that the oligomers that promote gibbsite crystallization are more stable in dilute sodium aluminate solutions, making these solutions particularly suitable for efficient gibbsite crystallization. In conclusion, our study fills a major knowledge gap in understanding Al speciation that leads to the nucleation and crystallization of gibbsite in concentrated sodium aluminate solutions.

Bayer liquor↗
DOE OSTI2021

Meniscus Guided Coating and Evaporative Crystallization of UiO-66 Metal Organic Framework Thin Films

Thin-film fabrication of metal organic frameworks (MOFs) has been explored for a range of applications, including separations, catalysis, sensing, and charge transport. However, many fabrication techniques have obstacles, including slow crystallization, control over film thickness, and control over crystallinity. Recently, a meniscus-guided coating technique, called solution shearing, has been shown to create MOF thin films within minutes and with control over the film thickness. However, there have been no previous reports of solution shearing based evaporative crystallization of zirconium-based MOFs, which have been widely studied for the aforementioned applications. In this work, for the first time, we show that (i) the zirconium 1,4-dicarboxybenzene MOF, UiO-66, can be formed using evaporative crystallization during solution shearing, and (ii) a wide range of parameters can be tuned to control the film thickness, coverage, and crystallinity. Finally, we bring the solution shearing technique closer to separation applications by growing a full film of UiO-66 crystals up to the resolution of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) on anodic alumina oxide (AAO). This is the first instance of UiO-66 crystals being formed using an evaporative crystallization-based flow coating method, and solution shearing shows the promise to be applicable to form large area zirconium-based MOF crystals in a rapid manner (within seconds to minutes).

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2021

Buffered Coordination Modulation as a Means of Controlling Crystal Morphology and Molecular Diffusion in an Anisotropic Metal-Organic Framework

We know significant advances have been made in the synthesis of chemically selective environments within metal-organic frameworks, yet materials development and industrial implementation have been hindered by the inability to predictively control crystallite size and shape. One common strategy to control crystal growth is the inclusion of coordination modulators, which are molecular species designed to compete with the linker for metal coordination during synthesis. However, these modulators can simultaneously alter the pH of the reaction solution, an effect that can also significantly influence crystal morphology. Herein, noncoordinating buffers are used to independently control reaction pH during metal-organic framework synthesis, enabling direct interrogation of the role of the coordinating species on crystal growth. We demonstrate the efficacy of this strategy in the synthesis of low-dispersity single-crystals of the framework Co 2 (dobdc) (dobdc 4- = 2,5-dioxido-1,4-benzenedicarboxylate) in a pH 7-buffered solution using cobalt(II) acetate as the metal source. Density functional theory calculations reveal that acetate competitively binds to Co during crystallization, and by using a series of cobalt(II) salts with carboxylate anions of varying coordination strength, it is possible to control crystal growth along the c -direction. Finally, we use zero length column chromatography to show that crystal morphology has a direct impact on guest diffusional path length for the industrially important hydrocarbon m -xylene. Together, these results provide molecular-level insight into the use of modulators in governing crystallite morphology and a powerful strategy for the control of molecular diffusion rates within metal-organic frameworks.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2016

Mechanism for rapid growth of organic–inorganic halide perovskite crystals

Optoelectronic devices based on hybrid halide perovskites have shown remarkable progress to high performance. However, despite their apparent success, there remain many open questions about their intrinsic properties. Single crystals are often seen as the ideal platform for understanding the limits of crystalline materials, and recent reports of rapid, high-temperature crystallization of single crystals should enable a variety of studies. Here we explore the mechanism of this crystallization and find that it is due to reversible changes in the solution where breaking up of colloids, and a change in the solvent strength, leads to supersaturation and subsequent crystallization. Here, we use this knowledge to demonstrate a broader range of processing parameters and show that these can lead to improved crystal quality. Lastly, our findings are therefore of central importance to enable the continued advancement of perovskite optoelectronics and to the improved reproducibility through a better understanding of factors influencing and controlling crystallization.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2025

Space-time crystals from particle-like topological solitons

Time crystals are unexpected states of matter that spontaneously break time-translation symmetry either in a discrete or continuous manner. However, spatially mesoscale space-time crystals that break both space and time symmetries have not been reported. Here we report a continuous space-time crystal in a nematic liquid crystal driven by ambient-power, constant-intensity unstructured light. Our numerically constructed four-dimensional configurations exhibit good agreement with these experimental findings. Although meeting the established criteria to identify time-crystalline order, both experiments and computer simulations reveal a space-time crystallization phase formed by particle-like topological solitons. The robustness against temporal perturbations and spatiotemporal dislocations shows the stability and rigidity of the studied space-time crystals, which relates to their locally topological nature and many-body interactions between emergent spontaneously twisted, particle-like solitonic building blocks. Their potential technological utility includes optical devices, photonic space-time crystal generators, telecommunications and anti-counterfeiting designs, among others.

Liquid crystals↗
DOE OSTI2014

In situ Crystallization of RF sputtered ITO thin films: A comparison with annealed samples

Tin doped Indium Oxide (ITO) is a wide band gap semiconductor with high conductivity and transparency in the visible region of the solar spectrum. One of the most popular and exploited applications of ITO is the realization of the transparent conductive layers needed for the electrodes of light sensitive devices, such as photovoltaic cells. The thermal energy for the crystallization of ITO films is very low (150°C). The crystallization can be achieved by the continuous energetic bombardment of the ions in the sputtering chamber without annealing or substrate heating. The accumulated energy will ensure the thermal energy necessary for the crystallization. With the help of sufficiently high sputtering power and sufficient duration, crystallized ITO films can be produced without annealing. In this report, a comparison of the conductivity and transparency of ITO films under two crystallization conditions ((1) crystallization of the sputtered films by annealing; (2) in situ crystallization of the films by providing high sputtering power and long sputtering duration) will be presented.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2014

Rotational defects in cyclotrimethylene trinitramine (RDX) crystals

Cyclotrimethylene trinitramine (RDX) crystalizes in the orthorhombic α-phase at the ambient pressure and temperature. In principle, the point defects commonly found in monatomic crystals, such as vacancies and interstitials, may exist in RDX as well. However, in molecular crystals one encounters additional point defects associated with the distortion of the molecules. A set of rotational defects are described in this article. These are molecules which are located in the proper positions in the crystal but are rotated relative to the molecules in the perfect crystal, and their ring is slightly puckered. The energetic barriers for defect formation and for their annealing back to the perfect crystal configuration are computed using an atomistic model. It is shown that the formation energy of rotational defects is smaller than the vacancy formation energy. Such defects are identified in the cores of dislocations in RDX and hence their concentration in the crystal is expected to increase during plastic deformation. The importance of such point defects is related to their role in phonon scattering and in dislocation-mediated plastic deformation.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2015

Spatial filtering with photonic crystals

Photonic crystals are well known for their celebrated photonic band-gaps—the forbidden frequency ranges, for which the light waves cannot propagate through the structure. The frequency (or chromatic) band-gaps of photonic crystals can be utilized for frequency filtering. In analogy to the chromatic band-gaps and the frequency filtering, the angular band-gaps and the angular (spatial) filtering are also possible in photonic crystals. In this article, we review the recent advances of the spatial filtering using the photonic crystals in different propagation regimes and for different geometries. We review the most evident configuration of filtering in Bragg regime (with the back-reflection—i.e., in the configuration with band-gaps) as well as in Laue regime (with forward deflection—i.e., in the configuration without band-gaps). We explore the spatial filtering in crystals with different symmetries, including axisymmetric crystals; we discuss the role of chirping, i.e., the dependence of the longitudinal period along the structure. We also review the experimental techniques to fabricate the photonic crystals and numerical techniques to explore the spatial filtering. Finally, we discuss several implementations of such filters for intracavity spatial filtering.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗