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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 1,675 records · Page 93
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2015

Application of bi-Helmholtz nonlocal elasticity and molecular simulations to the dynamical response of carbon nanotubes

The nonlocal theory of elasticity is employed for the study of the free vibrations of carbon nanotubes (CNT). For the first time, a bi-Helmholtz operator has been used instead of the standard Helmholtz operator in a nonlocal beam model. Alongside the continuum formulation and its numerical solution, atomistic Molecular Dynamics (MD) simulations have been conducted in order to directly evaluate the eigenfrequencies of vibrating CNTs with a minimum of adjustable parameters. Our results show that the bi-Helmholtz operator is the most appropriate one to fit MD simulation results. However, the estimation of vibration eigenfrequencies from molecular simulations still remains an open (albeit well-posed) problem.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2016

Exact two-component relativistic energy band theory and application

An exact two-component (X2C) relativistic density functional theory in terms of atom-centered basis functions is proposed for relativistic calculations of band structures and structural properties of periodic systems containing heavy elements. Due to finite radial extensions of the local basis functions, the periodic calculation is very much the same as a molecular calculation, except only for an Ewald summation for the Coulomb potential of fluctuating periodic monopoles. For comparison, the nonrelativistic and spin-free X2C counterparts are also implemented in parallel. As a first and pilot application, the band gaps, lattice constants, cohesive energies, and bulk moduli of AgX (X = Cl, Br, I) are calculated to compare with other theoretical results.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2016

Effects of cross-section on mechanical properties of Au nanowire

The aim of this paper is study of the effects of multiple cross-section of Au nanowire on mechanical properties. Different cross-section models of Au nanowires including circular, hexagonal, pentagonal and rectangular were simulated by finite element modeling using ABAQUS. In this study, the bending technique was applied so that both ends of the model were clamped with mid-span under loading condition. The cross-sections had the length of 400 nm and the diameter of 40 nm, except the circular cross-section while the rest of the cross-sections had an equivalent diameter. Von Misses stresses distribution were used to define the stress distribution in the cross-section under loading condition, and elastic deformation was analyzed by the beam theory. The results disclosed that the circular and the rectangular models had highest and lowest strengths against plastic deformation, respectively.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2016

Microcontroller-based system for analyzing and characterizing solar panels

A solar cell is one of many alternative energy which is still being developed and it works by converting sunlight into electricity. In order to use a solar cell, a deep knowledge about the solar cell’s characteristics is needed. The current and voltage (I-V) produced when the light hits the solar cell surface with a certain value of intensity and at a certain value of temperature becomes the basic study to determine solar cell characteristics. In the past decade, there were so many developments of devices to characterize solar cells and solar panels. One of them used a MOSFET device for varying electronic load to observe solar cell current and voltage responses. However, many devices which have been developed even device on the market using many expensive tools and quite complex. Therefore in this research, a simple low cost electronic controlled device for solar cell characterization is built based on MOSFET method and a microcontroller but still has high reliability and accuracy.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2016

A phononic crystal strip based on silicon for support tether applications in silicon-based MEMS resonators and effects of temperature and dopant on its band gap characteristics

Phononic crystals (PnCs) and n-type doped silicon technique have been widely employed in silicon-based MEMS resonators to obtain high quality factor (Q) as well as temperature-induced frequency stability. For the PnCs, their band gaps play an important role in the acoustic wave propagation. Also, the temperature and dopant doped into silicon can cause the change in its material properties such as elastic constants, Young’s modulus. Therefore, in order to design the simultaneous high Q and frequency stability silicon-based MEMS resonators by two these techniques, a careful design should study effects of temperature and dopant on the band gap characteristics to examine the acoustic wave propagation in the PnC. Based on these, this paper presents (1) a proposed silicon-based PnC strip structure for support tether applications in low frequency silicon-based MEMS resonators, (2) influences of temperature and dopant on band gap characteristics of the PnC strips. The simulation results show that the largest band gap can achieve up to 33.56 at 57.59 MHz and increase 1280.13 % (also increase 131.89 % for ratio of the widest gaps) compared with the counterpart without hole. The band gap properties of the PnC strips is insignificantly effected by temperature and electron doping concentration. Also, the quality factor of two designed length extensional mode MEMS resonators with proposed PnC strip based support tethers is up to 1084.59% and 43846.36% over the same resonators with PnC strip without hole and circled corners, respectively. This theoretical study uses the finite element analysis in COMSOL Multiphysics and MATLAB softwares as simulation tools. This findings provides a background in combination of PnC and dopant techniques for high performance silicon-based MEMS resonators as well as PnC-based MEMS devices.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2016

Thermodynamic studies of spin-1/2 Falicov-Kimball model (FKM) on a triangular lattice

Thermodynamic properties of the spin-dependent Falicov-Kimball model are studied on a triangular lattice for one-fourth filled case. Numerical diagonalization and Monte-Carlo simulation are used to study the thermodynamic properties. Continuous phase transitions are observed at finite temperature. We have observed that critical temperature (Tc) increases with the increase in on-site Coulomb correlation U. The second order nature of the transition is also revealed from the temperature dependence of specific heat.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2016

3d-transition metal induced enhancement of molecular hydrogen adsorption on Mg(0001) surface: An Ab-initio study

In our effort to do first principles design of suitable materials for hydrogen storage, we have explored the interaction characteristics of a hydrogen molecule with pure as well as a 3d-transition metal (TM) atom doped Mg(0001) surface using density functional theory (DFT) based approach. Doping of a 3d-TM atom by creating a vacancy on the top most layer of Mg(0001) surface, enhances the molecular hydrogen adsorption efficiency of this surface by ~ 6 times. The TM atom gains some charge from the defected site of the Mg(0001) surface, becomes anionic and adsorbs the hydrogen molecule via Anti Kubas-type interaction. The interaction energy of this H{sub 2} molecule, including van der Waals dispersion correction, turns out to be ~ 0.4 eV, which falls in the right energy window between physisorption and chemisorption. On full coverage of this 3d-TM atom doped Mg(0001) surface with hydrogen molecules, the gravimetric density of hydrogen has been estimated to be ~ 5.6 wt %, thereby satisfying the criteria set by the department of energy (DOE) for efficient hydrogen storage.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2016

Optical and electronic properties of double perovskite Ba{sub 2}ScSbO{sub 6}

The ordered double perovskite Ba{sub 2}ScSbO{sub 6} (BSS) has been synthesized in polycrystalline form by solid state reaction at 1400 C for 72 Hrs. Structural characterization of the compound was done through X-ray diffraction (XRD) followed by Rietveld analysis. The crystal structure is cubic, with space group Fm-3m (No. 225) and lattice parameter, a = 8.20 Å. Optical band-gap has been calculated using UV-Vis Spectroscopy and Kubelka-Munk (KM) function, yielding 4.23 eV. A detailed Ab-initio Density Functional Theory (DFT) study of the electronic properties has been carried out using the Full-Potential Linear Augmented Plane Wave (FP-LAPW) as implemented in WIEN2k. BSS is found to be a large band-gap insulator with potential technological applications.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2016

Dual role of monolayer MoS{sub 2} in enhanced photocatalytic performance of hybrid MoS{sub 2}/SnO{sub 2} nanocomposite

The enhanced photocatalytic performance of various MoS{sub 2}-based nanomaterials has recently been observed, but the role of monolayer MoS{sub 2} is still not well elucidated at the electronic level. Herein, focusing on a model system, hybrid MoS{sub 2}/SnO{sub 2} nanocomposite, we first present a theoretical elucidation of the dual role of monolayer MoS{sub 2} as a sensitizer and a co-catalyst by performing density functional theory calculations. It is demonstrated that a type-II, staggered, band alignment of ∼0.49 eV exists between monolayer MoS{sub 2} and SnO{sub 2} with the latter possessing the higher electron affinity, or work function, leading to the robust separation of photoexcited charge carriers between the two constituents. Under irradiation, the electrons are excited from Mo 4d orbitals to SnO{sub 2}, thus enhancing the reduction activity of latter, indicating that the monolayer MoS{sub 2} is an effective sensitizer. Moreover, the Mo atoms, which are catalytically inert in isolated monolayer MoS{sub 2}, turn into catalytic active sites, making the monolayer MoS{sub 2} to be a highly active co-catalyst in the composite. The dual role of monolayer MoS{sub 2} is expected to arise in other MoS{sub 2}-semiconductor nanocomposites. The calculated absorption spectra can be rationalized by available experimental results. These findings provide theoretical evidence supporting the experimental reports and pave the way for developing highly efficient MoS{sub 2}-based photocatalysts.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2016

Ab initio modeling of zincblende AlN layer in Al-AlN-TiN multilayers

An unusual growth mechanism of metastable zincblende AlN thin film by diffusion of nitrogen atoms into Al lattice is established. Using first-principles density functional theory, we studied the possibility of thermodynamic stability of AlN as a zincblende phase due to epitaxial strains and interface effect, which fails to explain the formation of zincblende AlN. We then compared the formation energetics of rocksalt and zincblende AlN in fcc Al through direct diffusion of nitrogen atoms to Al octahedral and tetrahedral interstitials. The formation of a zincblende AlN thin film is determined to be a kinetically driven process, not a thermodynamically driven process.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2016

Evolution of shear banding flows in metallic glasses characterized by molecular dynamics

To reveal the evolution of shear banding flows, one-dimensional nanostructure metallic glass composites have been studied with molecular dynamics. The inherent size determines the initial thickness of shear bands, and the subsequent broadening can be restricted to some extent. The vortex-like flows evoke the atomic motion perpendicular to the shear plane, which accelerates the interatomic diffusion. The reduction of local strain rate causes the flow softening for monolithic Cu-Zr glass, but the participation of Cu-atoms in the shear banding flow gradually leads to the shear hardening for the composites.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2016

Theoretical and experimental study of the dynamic response of absorber-based, micro-scale, oscillatory probes for contact sensing applications

This paper presents two models for predicting the frequency response of micro-scale oscillatory probes. These probes are manufactured by attaching a thin fiber to the free end of one tine of a quartz tuning fork oscillator. In these studies, the attached fibers were either 75 μm diameter tungsten or 7 μm diameter carbon with lengths ranging from around 1 to 15 mm. The oscillators used in these studies were commercial 32.7 kHz quartz tuning forks. The first theoretical model considers lateral vibration of two beams serially connected and provides a characteristic equation from which the roots (eigenvalues) are extracted to determine the natural frequencies of the probe. A second, lumped model approximation is used to derive an approximate frequency response function for prediction of tine displacements as a function of a modal force excitation corresponding to the first mode of the tine in the absence of a fiber. These models are used to evaluate the effect of changes in both length and diameter of the attached fibers. Theoretical values of the natural frequencies of different modes show an asymptotic relationship with the length and a linear relationship with the diameter of the attached fiber. Similar results are observed from experiment, one with a tungsten probe having an initial fiber length of 14.11 mm incrementally etched down to 0.83 mm, and another tungsten probe of length 8.16 mm incrementally etched in diameter, in both cases using chronocoulometry to determine incremental volumetric material removal. The lumped model is used to provide a frequency response again reveals poles and zeros that are consistent with experimental measurements. Finite element analysis shows mode shapes similar to experimental microscope observations of the resonating carbon probes. This model provides a means of interpreting measured responses in terms of the relative motion of the tine and attached fibers. Of particular relevance is that, when a “zero” is observed in the response of the tine, one mode of the fiber is matched to the tine frequency and is acting as an absorber. This represents an optimal condition for contact sensing and for transferring energy to the fiber for fluid mixing, touch sensing, and surface modification applications.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2016

Collective strong coupling with homogeneous Rabi frequencies using a 3D lumped element microwave resonator

We design and implement 3D-lumped element microwave cavities that spatially focus magnetic fields to a small mode volume. They allow coherent and uniform coupling to electron spins hosted by nitrogen vacancy centers in diamond. We achieve large homogeneous single spin coupling rates, with an enhancement of more than one order of magnitude compared to standard 3D cavities with a fundamental resonance at 3 GHz. Finite element simulations confirm that the magnetic field distribution is homogeneous throughout the entire sample volume, with a root mean square deviation of 1.54%. With a sample containing 10{sup 17} nitrogen vacancy electron spins, we achieve a collective coupling strength of Ω = 12 MHz, a cooperativity factor C = 27, and clearly enter the strong coupling regime. This allows to interface a macroscopic spin ensemble with microwave circuits, and the homogeneous Rabi frequency paves the way to manipulate the full ensemble population in a coherent way.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2016

Signal pulse emulation for scintillation detectors using Geant4 Monte Carlo with light tracking simulation

The anode pulse of a photomultiplier tube (PMT) coupled with a scintillator is used for pulse shape discrimination (PSD) analysis. We have developed a novel emulation technique for the PMT anode pulse based on optical photon transport and a PMT response function. The photon transport was calculated using Geant4 Monte Carlo code and the response function with a BC408 organic scintillator. The obtained percentage RMS value of the difference between the measured and simulated pulse with suitable scintillation properties using GSO:Ce (0.4, 1.0, 1.5 mol%), LaBr{sub 3}:Ce and BGO scintillators were 2.41%, 2.58%, 2.16%, 2.01%, and 3.32%, respectively. The proposed technique demonstrates high reproducibility of the measured pulse and can be applied to simulation studies of various radiation measurements.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2016

The first-principles study of Al{sub 12}X (X = Sc-Zn) clusters and their adsorption of H, O and N

Started from the four types 13-atom high-symmetric (I{sub h}, O{sub h}, D{sub 5h}, D{sub 3h}) close-packed structures and by replacing a 3d transition metal atom in the nonequivalent position, the geometrical and electronic properties of the doped Al{sub 12}X (X = Sc-Zn) clusters are systematically studied by using the density-functional theory. Close-packed (icosahedral-like) structures are found to be favorable for the ground state geometries and the degenerate isomers of Al{sub 12}X (X = Sc, Ti, V, Ni, Cu) clusters. The magnetic moments of the doped Al{sub 12}X (X = Cr, Mn and Fe) are substantially increased as compared with that of the pure Al{sub 13}, which are mainly derived from the strong spin splitting of the d electrons of the doped atoms. For the absorption of H, O and N on the close-packed Al{sub 12}X clusters, it is found that H atom tend to occupy the top or bridge site instead of the hollow site, but the adsorption sites of O and N atom are more complex. O and N are always adsorbed around the doped atom of the doped cluster with the doped atom on the surface and the adsorption energies of O and N on the doped clusters are all enhanced as compared with that on pure Al{sub 13}, but it is quite different for the adsorption of H, which implies that the influences of the d electrons of the doped atoms on O and N are stronger than that on H. All doped clusters exhibit the same selective sequence of adsorption: O > N > H.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2016

Verification of antiferromagnetic exchange coupling at room temperature using polar magneto-optic Kerr effect in thin EuS/Co multilayers with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy

We report on magneto-optic Kerr measurements in polar geometry carried out on a series of thin Co/EuS multilayers on suitable Co/Pd-multilayer substrates. Thin Co/EuS multilayers of a few nanometers individual layer thickness usually have their magnetization in plane. Co/Pd multilayers introduce a perpendicular magnetic anisotropy in the Co/EuS layers deposited on top, thus making it possible to measure magneto-optic signals in the polar geometry in remanence in order to study exchange coupling. Magneto-optic Kerr-effect spectra and hysteresis loops were recorded in the visible and ultraviolet photon-energy range at room temperature. The EuS contribution to the magneto-optic signal is extracted at 4.1 eV by combining hysteresis loops measured at different photon energies with polar magneto-optic Kerr-effect spectra recorded in remanence and in an applied magnetic field of 2.2 T. The extracted EuS signal shows clear signs of antiferromagnetic coupling of the Eu magnetic moments to the Co layers. This implies that the ordering temperature of at least a fraction of the EuS layers is above room temperature proving that magneto-optic Kerr-effect spectroscopy can be used here as a quasi-element-specific method.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2016

High pressure and time resolved studies of optical properties of n-type doped GaN/AlN multi-quantum wells: Experimental and theoretical analysis

High-pressure and time-resolved studies of the optical emission from n-type doped GaN/AlN multi-quantum-wells (MQWs) with various well thicknesses are analysed in comparison with ab initio calculations of the electronic (band structure, density of states) and optical (emission energies and their pressure derivatives, oscillator strength) properties. The optical properties of GaN/AlN MQWs are strongly affected by quantum confinement and polarization-induced electric fields. Thus, the photoluminescence (PL) peak energy decreases by over 1 eV with quantum well (QW) thicknesses increasing from 1 to 6 nm. Furthermore, the respective PL decay times increased from about 1 ns up to 10 μs, due to the strong built-in electric field. It was also shown that the band gap pressure coefficients are significantly reduced in MQWs as compared to bulk AlN and GaN crystals. Such coefficients are strongly dependent on the geometric factors such as the thickness of the wells and barriers. The transition energies, their oscillator strength, and pressure dependence are modeled for tetragonally strained structures of the same geometry using a full tensorial representation of the strain in the MQWs under external pressure. These MQWs were simulated directly using density functional theory calculations, taking into account two different systems: the semi-insulating QWs and the n-doped QWs with the same charge density as in the experimental samples. Such an approach allowed an assessment of the impact of n-type doping on optical properties of GaN/AlN MQWs. We find a good agreement between these two approaches and between theory and experimental results. We can therefore confirm that the nonlinear effects induced by the tetragonal strain related to the lattice mismatch between the substrates and the polar MQWs are responsible for the drastic decrease of the pressure coefficients observed experimentally.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2020

Sensitive neutron transverse polarization analysis using a 3 He spin filter

Here we report an experimental implementation for neutron transverse polarization analysis that is capable of detecting a small angular change ($\ll$10 –3 rad) in neutron spin orientation. This approach is demonstrated for monochromatic beams, and we show that it could be extended to polychromatic neutron beams. Our approach employs a 3 He spin filter inside a solenoid with an analyzing direction perpendicular to the incident neutron polarization direction. The method was tested with polarized neutron beams and a spin rotator placed inside a μ -metal shield just upstream of the analyzer. No cryogenic superconducting shields or additional neutron spin manipulations are needed. With a counting detector, we experimentally show that the angular resolution δ θ = 1 / ( P n A N ) rad is only determined by the counting statistics for the total counts N and the product of the neutron polarization P n and the analyzing power A . With a high-flux neutron beam, 10 –6 rad angular sensitivity is feasible within a day. This simple, classical-quantum-limited transverse polarization analysis scheme may reduce the overall complexity of experimental implementation for applications requiring sensitive neutron polarimetry and improve the precision in fundamental science studies and polarized neutron imaging.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗