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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 163 records · Page 9
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2014

Future nano- and micro-systems using nanobonding technologies

In this paper, some of the recent achievements in surface-activation-based nanobonding technology are described. This bonding technology allows for the combination of electronic, photonic, fluidic and mechanical functionalities into small form-factor systems for emerging applications in health diagnostics and screening, for example. These nanobonding technologies provide void-free, strong, and nanoscale bonding at room temperature or at low temperatures (<200 °C), and they do not require chemicals, adhesives, or high external pressure. The interfaces of the nanobonded materials in ultra-high vacuum and in air correspond to the covalent bonds, and hydrogen and hydroxyl bonds, respectively, which gives rise to excellent bonding properties. Further, these nanobonding technologies are well-suited for the development of low-cost, high-performance miniaturized systems such as biophotonic imaging systems.

77 NANOSCIENCE AND NANOTECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2014

Indus-2 X-ray lithography beamline for X-ray optics and material science applications

X-ray lithography is an ideal technique by which high aspect ratio and high spatial resolution micro/nano structures are fabricated using X-rays from synchrotron radiation source. The technique has been used for fabricating optics (X-ray, visible and infrared), sensors and actuators, fluidics and photonics. A beamline for X-ray lithography is operational on Indus-2. The beamline offers wide lithographic window from 1-40keV photon energy and wide beam for producing microstructures in polymers upto size ∼100mm × 100mm. X-ray exposures are possible in air, vacuum and He gas environment. The air based exposures enables the X-ray irradiation of resist for lithography and also irradiation of biological and liquid samples.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2014

Surface plasmon resonance assisted rapid laser joining of glass

Rapid and strong joining of clear glass to glass containing randomly distributed embedded spherical silver nanoparticles upon nanosecond pulsed laser irradiation (∼40 ns and repetition rate of 100 kHz) at 532 nm is demonstrated. The embedded silver nanoparticles were ∼30–40 nm in diameter, contained in a thin surface layer of ∼10 μm. A joint strength of 12.5 MPa was achieved for a laser fluence of only ∼0.13 J/cm{sup 2} and scanning speed of 10 mm/s. The bonding mechanism is discussed in terms of absorption of the laser energy by nanoparticles and the transfer of the accumulated localised heat to the surrounding glass leading to the local melting and formation of a strong bond. The presented technique is scalable and overcomes a number of serious challenges for a widespread adoption of laser-assisted rapid joining of glass substrates, enabling applications in the manufacture of microelectronic devices, sensors, micro-fluidic, and medical devices.

77 NANOSCIENCE AND NANOTECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2014

In silico studies of the properties of water hydrating a small protein

Atomistic molecular dynamics simulation of an aqueous solution of the small protein HP-36 has been carried out with explicit solvent at room temperature. Efforts have been made to explore the influence of the protein on the relative packing and ordering of water molecules around its secondary structures, namely, three α-helices. The calculations reveal that the inhomogeneous water ordering and density distributions around the helices are correlated with their relative hydrophobicity. Importantly, we have identified the existence of a narrow relatively dehydrated region containing randomly organized “quasi-free” water molecules beyond the first layer of “bound” waters at the protein surface. These water molecules with relatively weaker binding energies form the transition state separating the “bound” and “free” water molecules at the interface. Further, increased contribution of solid-like caging motions of water molecules around the protein is found to be responsible for reduced fluidity of the hydration layer. Interestingly, we notice that the hydration layer of helix-3 is more fluidic with relatively higher entropy as compared to the hydration layers of the other two helical segments. Such characteristics of helix-3 hydration layer correlate well with the activity of HP-36, as helix-3 contains the active site of the protein.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2015

A brief note on the magnecule order parameter upgrade hypothesis

In this short remark, we report on recent hypothetical work that aims to equip Santilli’s magnecule model with topological deformation order parameters (OP) of fractional statistics to define a preliminary set of wavepacket wavefunctions for the electron toroidal polarizations. The primary objective is to increase the representational precision and predictive accuracy of the magnecule model by exemplifying the fluidic characteristics for direct industrial application. In particular, the OPs are deployed to encode the spontaneous superfluidic gauge symmetry breaking (which may be restored at the iso-topic level) and correlated with Leggett’s superfluid B phases to establish a long range constraint for the wavefunctions. These new, developing, theoretical results may be significant because the OP configuration arms us with an extra degree of freedom for encoding a magnecule’s states and transitions, which may reveal further insight into the underlying physical mechanisms and features associated with these state-of-the-art magnecular bonds.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2015

Spreading of a ferrofluid core in three-stream micromixer channels

Spreading of a water based ferrofluid core, cladded by a diamagnetic fluid, in three-stream micromixer channels was studied. This spreading, induced by an external magnetic field, is known as magnetofluidic spreading (MFS). MFS is useful for various novel applications where control of fluid-fluid interface is desired, such as micromixers or micro-chemical reactors. However, fundamental aspects of MFS are still unclear, and a model without correction factors is lacking. Hence, in this work, both experimental and numerical analyses were undertaken to study MFS. We show that MFS increased for higher applied magnetic fields, slower flow speed of both fluids, smaller flow rate of ferrofluid relative to cladding, and higher initial magnetic particle concentration. Spreading, mainly due to connective diffusion, was observed mostly near the channel walls. Our multi-physics model, which combines magnetic and fluidic analyses, showed, for the first time, excellent agreement between theory and experiment. These results can be useful for lab-on-a-chip devices.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2015

A numerically efficient damping model for acoustic resonances in microfluidic cavities

Bulk acoustic wave devices are typically operated in a resonant state to achieve enhanced acoustic amplitudes and high acoustofluidic forces for the manipulation of microparticles. Among other loss mechanisms related to the structural parts of acoustofluidic devices, damping in the fluidic cavity is a crucial factor that limits the attainable acoustic amplitudes. In the analytical part of this study, we quantify all relevant loss mechanisms related to the fluid inside acoustofluidic micro-devices. Subsequently, a numerical analysis of the time-harmonic visco-acoustic and thermo-visco-acoustic equations is carried out to verify the analytical results for 2D and 3D examples. The damping results are fitted into the framework of classical linear acoustics to set up a numerically efficient device model. For this purpose, all damping effects are combined into an acoustofluidic loss factor. Since some components of the acoustofluidic loss factor depend on the acoustic mode shape in the fluid cavity, we propose a two-step simulation procedure. In the first step, the loss factors are deduced from the simulated mode shape. Subsequently, a second simulation is invoked, taking all losses into account. Owing to its computational efficiency, the presented numerical device model is of great relevance for the simulation of acoustofluidic particle manipulation by means of acoustic radiation forces or acoustic streaming. For the first time, accurate 3D simulations of realistic micro-devices for the quantitative prediction of pressure amplitudes and the related acoustofluidic forces become feasible.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2015

On the stability and compressive nonlinearity of a physiologically based model of the cochlea

Hearing relies on a series of coupled electrical, acoustical (fluidic) and mechanical interactions inside the cochlea that enable sound processing. A positive feedback mechanism within the cochlea, called the cochlear amplifier, provides amplitude and frequency selectivity in the mammalian auditory system. The cochlear amplifier and stability are studied using a nonlinear, micromechanical model of the Organ of Corti (OoC) coupled to the electrical potentials in the cochlear ducts. It is observed that the mechano-electrical transduction (MET) sensitivity and somatic motility of the outer hair cell (OHC), control the cochlear stability. Increasing MET sensitivity beyond a critical value, while electromechanical coupling coefficient is within a specific range, causes instability. We show that instability in this model is generated through a supercritical Hopf bifurcation. A reduced order model of the system is approximated and it is shown that the tectorial membrane (TM) transverse mode effect on the dynamics is significant while the radial mode can be simplified from the equations. The cochlear amplifier in this model exhibits good agreement with the experimental data. A comprehensive 3-dimensional model based on the cross sectional model is simulated and the results are compared. It is indicated that the global model qualitatively inherits some characteristics of the local model, but the longitudinal coupling along the cochlea shifts the stability boundary (i.e., Hopf bifurcation point) and enhances stability.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2016

Rectified motion in an asymmetrically structured channel due to induced-charge electrokinetic and thermo-kinetic phenomena

It would be advantageous to move fluid by the gradient of random thermal noises that are omnipresent in the natural world. To achieve this motion, we propose a rectifier that uses a thermal noise along with induced-charge electroosmosis and electrophoresis (ICEO and ICEP) around a metal post cylinder in an asymmetrically structured channel and numerically examine its rectification performance. By the boundary element method combined with the thin double layer approximation, we find that rectified motion occurs in the asymmetrically structured channel due to ICEO and ICEP. Further, by thermodynamical and equivalent circuit methods, we discuss a thermal voltage that drives a rectifier consisting of a fluidic channel of an electrolyte and an impedance as a noise source. Our calculations show that fluid can be moved in the asymmetrically structured channel by the fluctuation of electric fields due to a thermal noise only when there is a temperature difference. In addition, our simple noise argument provides a different perspective for the thermo-kinetic phenomena (around a metal post) which was predicted based on the electrolyte Seebeck effect in our previous paper [H. Sugioka, “Nonlinear thermokinetic phenomena due to the Seebeck effect,” Langmuir 30, 8621 (2014)].

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2016

Note: Experimental observation of nano-channel pattern in light sheet laser interference nanolithography system

We experimentally observed nano-channel-like pattern in a light-sheet based interference nanolithography system. The optical system created nano-channel-like patterned illumination. Coherent counter-propagating light sheets are made to interfere at and near geometrical focus along the propagation z-axis. This results in the formation of nano-channel-like pattern (of size ≈ 300 nm and inter-channel periodicity of ≈337.5 nm) inside the sample due to constructive and destructive interference. In addition, the technique has the ability to generate large area patterning using larger light-sheets. Exciting applications are in the broad field of nanotechnology (nano-electronics and nano-fluidics).

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2016

Vibration energy harvesting in a small channel fluid flow using piezoelectric transducer

This work is aimed at developing a way to harvest energy from a fluid stream with the application of piezoelectric transducers in a small channel. In this COMSOL Multiphysics based simulation study, it is attempted to harvest energy from the abundant renewable source of energy available in the form of kinetic energy of naturally occurring flow of fluids. The strategy involves harnessing energy from a fluid-actuator through generation of couples, eddies and vortices, resulting from the stagnation and separation of flow around a semi-circular bluff-body attached to a cantilever beam containing a piezoceramic layer. Fluctuation of fluidic pressure impulse on the beam due to vortex shedding and varying lift forces causes the flexible cantilever beam to oscillate in the direction normal to the fluid flow in a periodic manner. The periodic application and release of a mechanical strain upon the beam effected a generation of electric potential within the piezoelectric layer, thus enabling extraction of electrical energy from the kinetic energy of the fluid. The piezoelectric material properties and transducer design are kept unchanged throughout the study, whereas the configuration is tested with different fluids and varying flow characteristics. The size and geometry of the obstructing entity are systematically varied to closely inspect the output from different iterations and for finding the optimum design parameters. The intermittent changes in the generated forces and subsequent variation in the strain on the beam are also monitored to find definitive relationship with the electrical energy output.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2017

A 3D-printed microbial cell culture platform with in situ PEGDA hydrogel barriers for differential substrate delivery

Additive manufacturing, or 3D-printing techniques have recently begun to enable simpler, faster, and cheaper production of millifluidic devices at resolutions approaching 100–200 μ m. At this resolution, cell culture devices can be constructed that more accurately replicate natural environments compared with conventional culturing techniques. A number of microfluidics researchers have begun incorporating additive manufacturing into their work, using 3D-printed devices in a wide array of chemical, fluidic, and even some biological applications. In this work, we describe a 3D-printed cell culture platform and demonstrate its use in culturing Pseudomonas putida KT2440 bacteria for 44 h under a differential substrate gradient. Polyethylene glycol diacrylate (PEGDA) hydrogel barriers are patterned in situ within a 3D-printed channel. Transport of the toluidine blue tracer dye through the hydrogel barriers is characterized. Nutrients and oxygen were delivered to cells in the culture region by diffusion through the PEGDA hydrogel barriers from adjacent media or saline perfusion channels. Expression of green fluorescent protein by P. putida KT2440 enabled real time visualization of cell density within the 3D-printed channel, and demonstrated cells were actively expressing protein over the course of the experiment. Cells were observed clustering near hydrogel barrier boundaries where fresh substrate and oxygen were being delivered via diffusive transport, but cells were unable to penetrate the barrier. The device described here provides a versatile and easy to implement platform for cell culture in readily controlled gradient microenvironments. By adjusting device geometry and hydrogel properties, this platform could be further customized for a wide variety of biological applications.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2024

Engineering advancements in microfluidic systems for enhanced mixing at low Reynolds numbers

Mixing within micro- and millichannels is a pivotal element across various applications, ranging from chemical synthesis to biomedical diagnostics and environmental monitoring. The inherent low Reynolds number flow in these channels often results in a parabolic velocity profile, leading to a broad residence time distribution. Achieving efficient mixing at such small scales presents unique challenges and opportunities. This review encompasses various techniques and strategies to evaluate and enhance mixing efficiency in these confined environments. It explores the significance of mixing in micro- and millichannels, highlighting its relevance for enhanced reaction kinetics, homogeneity in mixed fluids, and analytical accuracy. We discuss various mixing methodologies that have been employed to get a narrower residence time distribution. The role of channel geometry, flow conditions, and mixing mechanisms in influencing the mixing performance are also discussed. Various emerging technologies and advancements in microfluidic devices and tools specifically designed to enhance mixing efficiency are highlighted. We emphasize the potential applications of micro- and millichannels in fields of nanoparticle synthesis, which can be utilized for biological applications. Additionally, the prospects of machine learning and artificial intelligence are offered toward incorporating better mixing to achieve precise control over nanoparticle synthesis, ultimately enhancing the potential for applications in these miniature fluidic systems.

Biochemistry & Molecular Biology↗
DOE OSTI2017

Electrostatic confinement and manipulation of DNA molecules for genome analysis

Very large DNA molecules enable comprehensive analysis of complex genomes, such as human, cancer, and plants because they span across sequence repeats and complex somatic events. When physically manipulated, or analyzed as single molecules, long polyelectrolytes are problematic because of mechanical considerations that include shear-mediated breakage, dealing with the massive size of these coils, or the length of stretched DNAs using common experimental techniques and fluidic devices. Accordingly, we harness analyte “issues” as exploitable advantages by our invention and characterization of the “molecular gate,” which controls and synchronizes formation of stretched DNA molecules as DNA dumbbells within nanoslit geometries. Molecular gate geometries comprise micro- and nanoscale features designed to synergize very low ionic strength conditions in ways we show effectively create an “electrostatic bottle.” This effect greatly enhances molecular confinement within large slit geometries and supports facile, synchronized electrokinetic loading of nanoslits, even without dumbbell formation. Device geometries were considered at the molecular and continuum scales through computer simulations, which also guided our efforts to optimize design and functionalities. In addition, we show that the molecular gate may govern DNA separations because DNA molecules can be electrokinetically triggered, by varying applied voltage, to enter slits in a size-dependent manner. Lastly, mapping the Mesoplasma florum genome, via synchronized dumbbell formation, validates our nascent approach as a viable starting point for advanced development that will build an integrated system capable of large-scale genome analysis.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2022

Conceptual Design of the Transformational Challenge Reactor

The Transformational Challenge Reactor is a 3-MW(thermal) helium-cooled experimental nuclear reactor designed using an additive manufacturing–informed agile design process. This design process leverages rapid prototyping and advanced materials from emerging additive manufacturing technologies, key characteristics that enable rapid design maturation. The resulting core design incorporates a blend of advanced reactor technologies into an intermediate-spectrum microreactor, including conventionally manufactured tristructural isotropic (TRISO) fuel particles in an advanced manufactured SiC fuel element and a solid yttrium hydride moderator encapsulated in steel. Matured during the design effort, these technologies are incorporated with additively manufactured steel support and fluidic structures to form a 75-cm-outer-diameter cylindrical active core region. Below and above the active core region are axial SiC reflectors, which are housed inside the reactor pressure vessel. The reactor is controlled with an annular shroud actuated external to the pressure vessel in the gap between the pressure vessel and a steel radial reflector. A safety rod is at the center of the core to shut down the reactor when necessary. Helium pressurized at 5 MPa is forced into the pressure vessel below the core and around the core to the top plenum before it is forced down through the axial reflectors and the active core region. The primary pressurized helium loop is operated up to 500°C and includes the pressure vessel, the circulator, and the hot side of a helium-to-air heat exchanger. The secondary loop rejects all heat from the primary loop to ambient air through a heat exchanger. A vented temporary confinement building contains the entire primary loop, with penetrations for a stack, cooling, and the secondary ambient air loop. Finally, this is the first advanced nuclear microreactor designed using additive manufacturing technologies, demonstrating their applicability in an accelerated advanced design process.

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Direct Probing of Radiolysis Chemistry in the Gas Cell Electron Microscopy

Here, the radiolytic decomposition of materials is inevitable in electron microscopy, alongside knock-on effects, electrical charging, and heating damage. Especially with the radiation-susceptible chemistry in the fluidic phase (liquid and gas), consideration of mitigating or leveraging these phenomena is particularly important.

38 RADIATION CHEMISTRY, RADIOCHEMISTRY, AND NUCLEA↗
DOE OSTI2022

Demonstration of Decentralized Physics-Driven Learning

In typical artificial neural networks, neurons adjust according to global calculations of a central processor, but in the brain, neurons and synapses self-adjust based on local information. Contrastive learning algorithms have recently been proposed to train physical systems, such as fluidic, mechanical, or electrical networks, to perform machine-learning tasks from local evolution rules. However, to date, such systems have only been implemented in silico due to the engineering challenge of creating elements that autonomously evolve based on their own response to two sets of global boundary conditions. Here, we introduce and implement a physics-driven contrastive learning scheme for a network of variable resistors, using circuitry to locally compare the response of two identical networks subjected to the two different sets of boundary conditions. Using this method, our system effectively trains itself, optimizing its resistance values without the use of a central processor or external information storage. Once the system is trained for a specified allostery, regression, or classification task, the task is subsequently performed rapidly and automatically by the physical imperative to minimize power dissipation in response to the given voltage inputs. Here, we demonstrate that, unlike typical computers, such learning systems are robust to extreme damage (and thus manufacturing defects) due to their decentralized learning. Our twin-network approach is therefore readily scalable to extremely large or nonlinear networks, where its distributed nature will be an enormous advantage; a laboratory network of only 500 edges will already outpace its in silico counterpart.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2025

Two-dimensional hydrodynamic viscous electron flow in annular Corbino rings

The concept of fluidic viscosity is ubiquitous in condensed-matter systems hosting a continuum where macroscopic properties can emerge. While an important property of liquids and some solids, only recently was the viscosity of an electron shown to play a role in electronic transport experiments. In this Letter, we present nonlocal electronic transport measurements in concentric annular rings formed in high-mobility two-dimensional electron gases, and the resulting data show that viscous hydrodynamic flow can occur far away from the source-drain current region. Our conclusion of viscous electronic transport is further corroborated by simulations of the Navier-Stokes equations that are found to be in agreement with our measurements below T = 1 K . Finally, this work emphasizes the key role played by viscosity via electron-electron ( e − e ) interaction even when the electronic transport is restricted radially, and for which it should have played no major role. Published by the American Physical Society 2025

Vijayakrishnan, Sujatha (ORCID:0009000080933182)↗