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Mechanical engineering of 2D materials allows continuous and reversible modulation of their electronic and photonic properties. Although photoluminescence (PL) measurement is an effective way to monitor the effects of mechanical forces on 2D semiconductors, there is currently a lack of techniques to enhance PL signals during stress application. This study presents an innovative mechanical engineering approach that integrates a dielectric microsphere as an atomic force microscopy (AFM) probe into a Raman-AFM system. Force–distance curve tests and COMSOL simulations were performed to analyze and estimate the compressive stress exerted by the microsphere. Importantly, the PL signals of transition metal dichalcogenides subjected to microsphere probe's force were enhanced and reveal distinct mechanical responses depending on the substrate rigidity: compressive pressures for rigid substrates and tensile strains for flexible ones. Notably, this strategy not only amplifies spectral signals in real time but also achieves fine stress modulation in the precise targeted material region, demonstrating its superiority in sensitive mechanical engineering applications. Our work offers a new avenue for the deliberate design of mechanical strains in 2D materials, which is crucial for optimizing the performance of related devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current research aims to predict the residual stress accumulation and evolution in the powder bed fusion processed multi-layer thin wall structures through a conforming mesh modeling approach. It involves the discrete element method (DEM) interfaced with the volume of fluid (VOF) method using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) coupled with the finite element method (FEM). The conforming mesh approach developed in the research predicts multi-physics, its induced porosity, and the cumulative effect on the residual stress in the powder bed fusion processed Ti-6Al-4V thin wall structures. The results of the residual stress in the multi-layered component from this method were further quantitatively compared with the non-conforming finite element method. The results show the conforming mesh approach was not only effective in capturing the layer geometry, and defects induced during the printing, but also predicted the residual stress in the region of the defect more accurately than the non-conforming mesh methods.

Optimization of aquifer thermal energy storage (ATES) performance in a building system is an important topic for maximizing the seasonal offset between energy demand and supply and minimizing the building's primary energy consumption. To evaluate ATES performance with bidirectional operation, this study develops an analytical solution-based model to simulate the spatiotemporal thermal response in an aquifer. The model consists of three temperature response functions, similar to the G functions in borehole thermal energy storage (BTES), to estimate the transient temperature profile in the aquifer during seasonally varying injection and extraction of hot/cold water. Applying machine learning (ML) based data classification and regression techniques to the results of a series of finite element (FE) benchmark simulations of typical ATES configurations, model input parameters are linked to the subsurface thermal, hydrogeological, and ATES operational properties. Compared to the benchmark simulation results, the errors of the proposed model in estimating the annual energy storage and locating the thermally affected area are about 3 % and 1 %, respectively. The model was applied to a previous short-term case study, and the error in the transient production temperature estimation is about 1 %. The long-term heat recovery ratio estimated from the model also compares well to those calculated from the previous study and the validated numerical model. Because of its fast computation, the proposed model can be coupled with the individual building system simulation and used for preliminary ATES design, and this will allow for greater exploration of ATES operational space and, therefore, better choices of ATES operating conditions. The proposed model can also be coupled with the district heating and cooling network simulation for computationally efficient city-scale long-term ATES potential assessment.

A low-carbon micro-alloyed (LCMA) steel with a body-centered cubic (bcc) crystal structure suitable for extremely low temperatures was developed by overcoming the intrinsic ductile-to-brittle transition in bcc alloys at cryogenic temperatures. The excellent cryogenic-to-ambient impact toughness in the LCMA rolled plate results from its heterogeneous microstructure, which gradually changes from bamboo-like ultrafine grains (∼ 1.1 μm) on the surface to relatively equiaxed coarse grains in the core (∼ 3.4 μm), accompanied by a distinct texture gradient variation. The heterostructured LCMA steel displays a cryogenic impact toughness of ∼200 J/cm2 at 77 K, which is 24 times higher than the coarse-grained LCMA steel. Such high impact toughness of heterostructured LCMA arises from the coordinated deformation mechanisms over different length-scales coupled with delamination toughening. At 77 K, the heterostructured steel plate deforms by forming cellular sub-structures at the core to the surface, which refines the microstructure and promotes hetero-deformation induced (HDI) hardening to improve intrinsic toughening. Moreover, the subsequent delamination process induces extrinsic toughening by shielding and blunting the cracks, with the local plane-stress conditions induced by delamination promoting ductile fracture of the coarse grains in the core regions. This low alloy steel with its heterogeneous microstructure exhibits extraordinary impact toughness at cryogenic temperatures highlights the possibility of materials design strategies for sustainable development.

The properties and microstructure of Type 304L stainless steel produced by two additive manufacturing (AM) methods—directed energy deposition (DED) and powder bed fusion (PBF)—are evaluated and compared. Localized heating and steep temperature gradients of AM processes lead to significant residual stress and distinctive microstructures, which may be process-specific and influence mechanical behavior. Test data show that materials produced by DED and PDF have small differences in tensile strengths but clear differences in residual stress and microstructural features. Measured fatigue crack growth rates (FCGRs) for cracks propagating parallel to and perpendicular to the build directions differ between the two AM materials. To separate the influences of residual stress and microstructure, K-control test procedures with decreasing and constant stress intensity factor ranges are used to measure FCGRs in the near-threshold regime (crack growth rates ≤ 1 × 10−8 m/cycle). Residual stress is quantified by the residual stress intensity factor, Kres, measured by the online crack compliance method. Correcting the FCGR data for differences in Kres brings results for specimens of the two AM materials into agreement with each other and with results for wrought specimens, when the latter are corrected for crack closure. Differences in microstructure and tensile strength have an insignificant influence on FCGRs in these tests.

The verification of whether small-scale turbulence is isotropic remains a grand challenge. The difficulty arises because the presence of small-scale anisotropy is tied to the dissipation tensor, whose components require the full three-dimensional information of the flow field in both high spatial and temporal resolution, a condition rarely satisfied in turbulence experiments, especially during field scale measurement of atmospheric turbulence. To circumvent this issue, an intermittency-anisotropy framework is proposed through which we successfully extract the features of small-scale anisotropy from single-point measurements of turbulent time series by exploiting the properties of small-scale intermittency. Specifically, this framework quantifies anisotropy by studying the contrasting effects of burstlike activities on the scalewise production of turbulence kinetic energy between the horizontal and vertical directions. The veracity of this approach is tested by applying it over a range of datasets covering an unprecedented range in the Reynolds numbers (Re≈103-106), sampling frequencies (10 kHz to 10 Hz), surface conditions (aerodynamically smooth surfaces to typical grasslands to forest canopies), and flow types (channel flows, boundary-layer flows, atmospheric flows, and flows over forest canopies). For these diverse datasets, the findings indicate that the effects of small-scale anisotropy persists up to the integral scales of the streamwise velocity fluctuations and there exists a universal relationship to predict this anisotropy from the two-component state of the Reynolds stress tensor. This relationship is important towards the development of next-generation closure models of wall turbulence by incorporating the effects of anisotropy at smaller scales of the flow.

Accurate dynamic object manipulation in a robotic hand remains a difficult task, especially when frictional slip is involved. Prior solutions involve extensive data collection to train complex models to control the hand that do not necessarily generalize to other slip circumstances. Our approach focuses on direct slip sensing using a tactile sensor with a capacitive array, coupled with a programmable system on a chip, capable of mode switching and sampling rate adjustment. We characterize the sensor's capacity to sense slip features at higher speeds and introduce a novel methodology for estimating motions. Low-level sensor reprogramming that couples multiple taxels improves slip avoidance and reaction time during rapid slip onset events. The technology also tracks dominant surface vibration frequencies resulting from stick-slip cycles, estimating speed and acceleration of smooth flat surfaces. Using a parallel-jaw robotic gripper, we demonstrate dynamic repositioning of objects lacking trackable surface features within the hand. The goal of this investigation is to support faster reasoning and reflexes for dynamic dexterous robots that experience directional in-hand slip.

In materials science, chiral perovskites stand out due to their exceptional optoelectronic properties and the versatility in their structure and composition, positioning them as crucial in the advances of technologies in spintronics and chiroptical systems. This review underlines the critical role of synthesizing and growing these materials, a process integral to leveraging their complex interplay between structural chirality and distinctive optoelectronic properties, including chiral-induced spin selectivity and chiroptical activity. The paper offers a comprehensive summary and discussion of the methods used in the synthesis and growth of chiral perovskites, delving into extensive growth techniques, fundamental mechanisms, and strategic approaches for the engineering of low-dimensional perovskites, alongside the creation of novel chiral ligands. The necessity of developing new synthetic approaches and maintaining precise control during the growth of chiral perovskites is emphasized, aiming to enhance their structural chirality and boost their efficiency in spin and chiroptical selectivity.

Adoption of residential behind-the-meter solar photovoltaic-plus-storage systems (PVESS) is driven, in part, by customer demand for backup power. However, there is limited understanding of how these systems perform over a range of building stock conditions that will evolve with future efficiency and electrification trends, posing challenges for identifying optimal electric resiliency investments. This study quantifies how residential energy consumption impacts the capability of PVESS to provide home backup power during long-duration power interruptions. We model statistically representative distributions of the residential building stock and estimate storage sizes required to provide backup power as a series of building envelope efficiency, load flexibility, and electrification measures are applied. For the baseline building stock, median storage size requirements range from 10 kWh in temperate weather conditions to 90 kWh in hot climates for a 3-day power interruption. Applying energy efficiency and temperature set-point adjustments reduce storage size requirements by 2–45 kWh (16%–53 %). In hot locations, heat pump retrofits reduce median storage sizing by an additional 10–30 kWh while in cold locations, they drive 10–50 kWh of storage capacity increase. Our results suggest that bi-directional EV charging may be essential to enabling PVESS backup of heating and cooling, given their typically large kWh sizes.

Two-dimensional (2D) turbulence features an inverse energy cascade that produces large-scale flow structures such as large-scale vortices (LSVs) and unidirectional jets. We investigate the dynamics of such large-scale structures using extensive direct numerical simulations (DNS) of stochastically forced, viscously damped 2D turbulence within a periodic rectangular (Cartesian) domain [0,Lx]×[0,Ly]. LSVs form and dominate the system when the domain aspect ratio δ=Lx/Ly≈1, while unidirectional jets predominate at δ≳1.1. At intermediate values of δ, both structures are metastable, and fluctuation-induced transitions between LSVs and jets are observed. Based on large-scale energy balance in the condensate, we derive and verify predictions for the dependence of the total kinetic energy and the flow polarity on the nondimensional control parameters. We further collect detailed statistics on the lifetimes of LSVs and jets from DNS runs of up to 10738 viscous diffusive time units in length. The distribution of the lifetimes is consistent with that of a memoryless Poisson process. The data are compatible with an exponential dependence of the mean lifetime on the aspect ratio δ. In addition, the mean lifetimes depend sensitively on the Reynolds number Re: As Re increases, the energy gap between LSV (lower energy) and jet states (higher energy) arising from anisotropic dissipation increases, leading to an increase in lifetimes that is approximately exponential in Re for both LSVs and jets. Similarly, as the ratio of the forcing scale to the domain size increases, the transition rates increase sharply, confirming earlier findings. We investigate the transition dynamics in terms of kinetic energy, flow polarity, modal amplitude, and 2D phase-space diagrams, revealing that the transitions occur in two stages: In the initial stage, an efficient redistribution of kinetic energy by nonlinear triadic interactions facilitates a rapid transition from LSVs to jets and vice versa. In the second stage, the kinetic energy of the newly formed structure slowly adjusts to its associated (higher or lower) equilibrium value on a longer, viscous timescale, leading to a time delay that results in hysteretic transition behavior. Fluctuation-induced transitions may also occur between different numbers of jets. Our findings shed new light on the dynamics of coherent large-scale structures in anisotropic turbulence.

The tensile creep behavior of a vacuum arc-melted Nb45Ta25Ti15Hf15 refractory high entropy alloy was investigated over a constant true stress range of 50–300 MPa at a temperature of 1173 K. Creep tests were carried out in both high vacuum (5 × 10−6 torr) and ultrahigh purity Ar gas to examine the environmental effect. The samples tested in vacuum exhibited power law behavior with a stress exponent of 4.1 and exceptional tensile creep ductility, whereas those tested in Ar suffered significant embrittlement due to HfO2 formation at grain boundaries, which was exacerbated at low applied stresses where extended exposure to residual O2 gas resulted in more extensive brittle intergranular fracture. Phase decomposition occurred after long-term thermal exposure, where a second Hf-rich body-centered cubic phase formed predominantly at grain boundaries but did not cause embrittlement. Compared to the equiatomic TaNbHfZrTi (Senkov alloy) and face-centered cubic multiple-principal element alloys, Nb45Ta25Ti15Hf15 has superior creep resistance, especially at high applied stresses, while maintaining excellent creep ductility. Transmission electron microscopy revealed that creep deformation in Nb45Ta25Ti15Hf15 at 1173 K is controlled by cross-kink collisions from screw dislocations that results in dipole drag at lower strain rates and jog drag at higher strain rates.

Abstract: This report investigates the kinetics of lubricant molecules in the HAMR air bearing to understand the initiation and growth of PFPE contamination on the head surface. The collisions with the air bearing induce three forces—drag, thermophoresis, and lift. Of these, we find that lift forces are negligible. Then, a sensitivity analysis of the remaining two forces reveals the conditions where they dominate. Further, a hybrid simulation strategy is utilized to track their movements. The results show that the contaminations (smear) highly depend on the interplay between the thermophoresis and drag forces. We then explain the mechanism of the formation of the various observed patterns. Finally, we offer some recommendations to exploit the air bearing to contain smear on the head.

Hydrogen (H2) combustion and solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) can potentially reduce aviation-produced greenhouse gas emissions compared to kerosene propulsion. This paper outlines a methodology for evaluating performance and emission tradeoffs when retrofitting conventional kerosene-powered aircraft with lower-emissionH2 combustion and SOFC hybrid alternatives. The proposed framework presents a constant-range approach for designing liquid hydrogen fuel tanks, considering insulation, sizing, center of gravity, and power constraints. A lifecycle assessment evaluates greenhouse gas emissions and contrail formation effects for carbon footprint mitigation, while a cost analysis examines retrofit implementation consequences. A Cessna Citation 560XLS+ case study shows a 5% mass decrease for H2 combustion and a 0.4% mass decrease for the SOFC hybrid, at the tradeoff of removing three passengers. The lifecycle analysis of green hydrogen in aviation reveals a significant reduction in CO2 emissions for H2 combustion and SOFC systems, except for natural-gas-produced H2 combustion, when compared to Jet-A fuel. However, this environmental benefit is contrasted by an increase in fuel cost per passenger-km for green H2 combustion and a rise for natural-gas-produced H2 SOFC compared to kerosene. The results suggest that retrofitting aircraft with alternative fuels could lower carbon emissions, noting the economic and passenger capacity tradeoffs.

The cell wall integrity (CWI) signaling pathway regulates yeast cell wall biosynthesis, cell division, and responses to external stress. The cell wall, comprised of a dense network of chitin, β-1,3- and β-1,6- glucans, and mannoproteins, is very thin,

To enable health monitoring and fault diagnosis of PV modules using current-voltage characteristics (I–V curves), it is generally necessary to correct the I–V curves measured under different environmental conditions to the standard condition. The most common correction methods are those from IEC 60891: 2021 standard. However, these methods can introduce significant errors when dealing with degraded PV modules due to the inability to account for changes in resistance. To address this, we propose an improved I–V curve procedure, denoted Pdynamic, which considers different types of degradation by dynamically deriving the correction coefficients from the measured I–V curves. To evaluate the performance, we simulate I–V curves across a wide range of irradiance and temperature for the healthy and degraded module, where the degradation involves increased series resistance, decreased shunt resistance, or both. The results reveal that Pdynamic can produce corrected I–V curves closer to the reference ones than Procedures 1, 2, and 4 of the IEC 60891:2021 standard. Moreover, Pdynamic exhibits resilience to both seasonal fluctuations and varying levels of degradation. These results highlight Pdynamic as a promising and robust I–V curve correction method, particularly for degraded PV modules. A Python-based open-source tool for this procedure is also available at https://github.com/DuraMAT/IVcorrection.

There is an increasing desire to utilize complex functional electronic materials such as ferroelectrics in next-generation microelectronics. As new materials are considered or introduced in this capacity, an understanding of how we can process these materials into those devices must be developed. Here, the effect of different fabrication processes on the ferroelectric and related properties of prototypical metal oxide (SrRuO3)/ferroelectric (BaTiO3)/metal oxide (SrRuO3) heterostructures is explored. Two different types of etching processes are studied, namely, wet etching of the top SrRuO3 using a NaIO4 solution and dry etching using an Ar+-ion beam (i.e., ion milling). Polarization-electric-field hysteresis loops for capacitors produced using both methods are compared. For the ion-milling process, it is found that the Ar+ beam can introduce defects into the SrRuO3/BaTiO3/SrRuO3 devices and that the milling depth strongly influences the defect level and can induce a voltage imprint on the function. Realizing that such processing approaches may be necessary, work is performed to ameliorate the imprint of the hysteresis loops via ex situ “healing” of the process-induced defects by annealing the ferroelectric material in a barium-and-oxygen-rich environment via a chemical-vapor-deposition-style process. This work provides a pathway for the nanoscale fabrication of these candidate materials for next-generation memory and logic applications.

Pressurized water reactors are designed to operate in a single-phase flow. However, during a flow loss or other off-design conditions liquid temperature may exceed saturation temperature and, if a continuous film of gas forms, a boiling casualty may result. If superhydrophobic surfaces are introduced among the fuel cell assembly, vapor bubbles show an affinity to these surfaces and gas may coalesce to escape faster, resulting in a larger margin to reach critical heat flux. In the present study, we consider air and liquid water mixture examining the overall flow dynamics in a case with no bulk liquid flow, reminiscent of a case with coolant pump failure. The parameter ranges examined span Reynolds number based on gas superficial velocity up to 5300 and produced bubble with bond numbers from 1 to 270, and Weber numbers based on estimated terminal velocity from 0.6 to 150. The Morton number was fixed at 2.63×10-11. As the flow with high gas volume fraction becomes optically opaque and is sensitive to intrusive instrumentation, a custom-built photon-counting dual energy threshold X-ray computed tomography system is employed for measurement of the time average void fraction within the bundle non-intrusively. Two dual plane wire mesh sensors upstream and downstream of the rod bundle are employed to obtain comparison void fraction, velocity profiles and bubble size distributions. Additionally, traditional pressure-based gas holdup measurements are employed to calculate time- and volume-averaged void fraction. The data show that the presence of superhydrophobic surface being present in the rod bundle results in a significantly lower gas volume fraction and higher localized void fraction at the superhydrophobic coating, as compared to those in a similar rod bundle without superhydrophobic internals. Graphical abstract: (Figure presented.)

We present a study directly measuring the electron‐beam‐induced plasticity of amorphous Al2O3 coatings. Core–shell nanostructures are employed as small‐scale model systems for two‐dimensional coatings made by atomic layer deposition (ALD). Copper nanowires (NWs) are used as substrates for ALD deposition, representing a model system for interconnects commonly found in integrated circuits. Experiments are performed in situ in a transmission electron microscope (TEM) and further analyzed with electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS). Our in situ TEM tensile experiments reveal the highly plastic behavior of the ALD shell, which withstands a maximum strain of 188%. Comparable samples under beam‐off conditions show a brittle fracture, which underlines the effect of electron irradiation. The electron‐beam‐activated bond switching within the amorphous network enables compensation of the applied tensile strain, leading to viscous flow. By incorporating an intermediate nanocrystalline layer within the Al2O3 shell, the plasticity is suppressed and brittle fracture occurs. This work directly demonstrates the tuning of mechanical properties in amorphous ALD structures through electron irradiation.

Chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) develops due to the accumulation of blood clots in the lung vasculature that obstructs flow and increases pressure. The mechanobiological factors that drive progression of CTEPH are not understood, in part because mechanical and hemodynamic changes in the small pulmonary arteries due to CTEPH are not easily measurable. Using previously published hemodynamic measurements and imaging from a large animal model of CTEPH, we applied a subject-specific one-dimensional (1D) computational fluid dynamic (CFD) approach to investigate the impact of CTEPH on pulmonary artery stiffening, time-averaged wall shear stress (TAWSS), and oscillatory shear index (OSI) in extralobar (main, right, and left) pulmonary arteries and intralobar (distal to the extralobar) arteries. Our results demonstrate that CTEPH increases pulmonary artery wall stiffness and decreases TAWSS in extralobar and intralobar arteries. Moreover, CTEPH increases the percentage of the intralobar arterial network with both low TAWSS and high OSI, quantified by the novel parameter φ , which is related to thrombogenicity. Our analysis reveals a strong positive correlation between increases in mean pulmonary artery pressure (mPAP) and φ from baseline to CTEPH in individual subjects, which supports the suggestion that increased φ drives disease severity. This subject-specific experimental-computational framework shows potential as a predictor of the impact of CTEPH on pulmonary arterial hemodynamics and pulmonary vascular mechanics. By leveraging advanced modeling techniques and calibrated model parameters, we predict spatial distributions of flow and pressure, from which we can compute potential physiomarkers of disease progression. Ultimately, this approach can lead to more spatially targeted interventions that address the needs of individual CTEPH patients.

The human body represents a collection of interacting systems that range in scale from nanometers to meters. Investigations from a systems perspective focus on how the parts work together to enact changes across spatial scales, and further our understanding of how systems function and fail. Here, we highlight systems approaches presented at the 2022 Summer Biomechanics, Bio-engineering, and Biotransport Conference in the areas of solid mechanics; fluid mechanics; tissue and cellular engineering; biotransport; and design, dynamics, and rehabilitation; and biomechanics education. Systems approaches are yielding new insights into human biology by leveraging state-of-the-art tools, which could ultimately lead to more informed design of therapies and medical devices for preventing and treating disease as well as rehabilitating patients using strategies that are uniquely optimized for each patient. Educational approaches can also be designed to foster a foundation of systems-level thinking.

Predictive high-fidelity modeling of wind turbines with computational fluid dynamics, wherein turbine geometry is resolved in an atmospheric boundary layer, is important to understanding complex flow accounting for design strategies and operational phenomena such as blade erosion, pitch-control, stall/vortex-induced vibrations, and aftermarket add-ons. The biggest challenge with high-fidelity modeling is the realization of numerical algorithms that can capture the relevant physics in detail through effective use of high-performance computing. For modern supercomputers, that means relying on GPUs for acceleration. In this paper, we present ExaWind, a GPU-enabled open-source incompressible-flow hybrid-computational fluid dynamics framework, comprising the near-body unstructured grid solver Nalu-Wind, and the off-body block-structured-grid solver AMR-Wind, which are coupled using the Topology Independent Overset Grid Assembler. Turbine simulations employ either a pure Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes turbulence model or hybrid turbulence modeling wherein Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes is used for near-body flow and large eddy simulation is used for off-body flow. Being two-way coupled through overset grids, the two solvers enable simulation of flows across a huge range of length scales, for example, 10 orders of magnitude going from O(μm) boundary layers along the blades to O(10 km) across a wind farm. In this paper, we describe the numerical algorithms for geometry-resolved turbine simulations in atmospheric boundary layers using ExaWind. We present verification studies using canonical flow problems. Validation studies are presented using megawatt-scale turbines established in literature. Additionally presented are demonstration simulations of a small wind farm under atmospheric inflow with different stability states.

Lower back pain continues to be a global epidemic, limiting quality of life and ability to work, due in large part to symptomatic disc degeneration. Development of more effective and less invasive biological strategies are needed to treat disc degeneration. In vitro models such as macro- or micro-bioreactors or mechanically active organ-chips hold great promise in reducing the need for animal studies that may have limited clinical translatability, due to harsher and more complex mechanical loading environments in human discs than in most animal models. This review highlights the complex loading conditions of the disc in situ, evaluates state-of-the-art designs for applying such complex loads across multiple length scales, from macro-bioreactors that load whole discs to organ-chips that aim to replicate cellular or engineered tissue loading. Emphasis was placed on the rapidly evolving more customizable organ-chips, given their greater potential for studying the progression and treatment of symptomatic disc degeneration. Lastly, this review identifies new trends and challenges for using organ-chips to assess therapeutic strategies.

Coupling of power-to-gas processes with underground gas storage could effectively allow surplus electricity to be stored for later use. Depleted hydrocarbon reservoirs could be used as stores, but practical experience of hydrogen storage in such sites is limited. Here we present data from a field trial that stored 119,353 m3 of hydrogen admixed to natural gas in a depleted hydrocarbon reservoir. After 285 days, hydrogen recovery was 84.3%, indicating the process’s technical feasibility. Additionally, we report that microbes mediated hydrogen conversion to methane. In laboratory experiments studying mesocosms that mimic real reservoirs, hydrogen and carbon dioxide were converted to methane (0.26 mmol l−1 h−1 evolution rate) reproducibly over 14 cycles in 357 days. This rate theoretically allows 114,648 m3 of methane per year to be produced in the test reservoir (equivalent to ~1.08 GWh). Our research demonstrates the efficiency of hydrogen storage and the importance of geo-methanation in depleted hydrocarbon reservoirs.

Artificial spin-ice systems are patterned arrays of magnetic nanoislands arranged into frustrated geometries and provide insight into the physics of ordering and emergence. The majority of these systems have been realized in two-dimensions, mainly due to the ease of fabrication, but with recent developments in advanced nanolithography, three-dimensional artificial spin ice (ASI) structures have become possible, providing a new paradigm in their study. Such artificially engineered 3D systems provide new opportunities in realizing tunable ground states, new domain wall topologies, monopole propagation, and advanced device concepts, such as magnetic racetrack memory. Direct imaging of 3DASI structures with magnetic force microscopy has thus far been key to probing the physics of these systems but is limited in both the depth of measurement and resolution, ultimately restricting measurement to the uppermost layers of the system. In this work, a method is developed to fabricate 3DASI lattices over an aperture using two-photon lithography, thermal evaporation, and oxygen plasma exposure, allowing the probe of element-specific structural and magnetic information using soft x-ray microscopy with x-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD) as magnetic contrast. The suspended polymer-permalloy lattices are found to be stable under repeated soft x-ray exposure. Analysis of the x-ray absorption signal allows the complex cross section of the magnetic nanowires to be reconstructed and demonstrates a crescent-shaped geometry. Measurement of the XMCD images after the application of an in-plane field suggests a decrease in magnetic moment on the lattice surface due to oxidation, while a measurable signal is retained on sub-lattices below the surface.

Soft biological tissues often have complex mechanical properties due to variation in structural components. In this paper, we develop a novel UNet-based neural network model for inversion in elasticity (El-UNet) to infer the spatial distributions of mechanical parameters from strain maps as input images, normal stress boundary conditions, and domain physics information. We show superior performance - both in terms of accuracy and computational cost - by El-UNet compared to fully-connected physics-informed neural networks in estimating unknown parameters and stress distributions for isotropic linear elasticity. We characterize different variations of El-UNet and propose a self-adaptive spatial loss weighting approach. To validate our inversion models, we performed various finite-element simulations of isotropic domains with heterogenous distributions of material parameters to generate synthetic data. El-UNet is faster and more accurate than the fully-connected physics-informed implementation in resolving the distribution of unknown fields. Among the tested models, the self-adaptive spatially weighted models had the most accurate reconstructions in equal computation times. The learned spatial weighting distribution visibly corresponded to regions that the unweighted models were resolving inaccurately. Our work demonstrates a computationally efficient inversion algorithm for elasticity imaging using convolutional neural networks and presents a potential fast framework for three-dimensional inverse elasticity problems that have proven unachievable through previously proposed methods.

Abstract: A computational approach is presented for optimizing new riblet surface designs in turbulent channel flow for drag reduction, utilizing Design-by-Morphing (DbM), Large Eddy Simulation (LES), and Bayesian Optimization (BO). The design space is generated using DbM to include a variety of novel riblet surface designs, which are then evaluated using LES to determine their drag-reducing capabilities. The riblet surface geometry and configuration are optimized for maximum drag reduction using the mixed-variable Bayesian optimization (MixMOBO) algorithm. A total of 125 optimization epochs are carried out, resulting in the identification of 3 optimal riblet surface designs that are comparable to or better than the reference drag reduction rate of 8 %. The Bayesian-optimized designs commonly suggest riblet sizes of around 15 wall units, relatively large spacing compared to conventional designs, and spiky tips with notches for the riblets. Our overall optimization process is conducted within a reasonable physical time frame with up to 12-core parallel computing and can be practical for fluid engineering optimization problems that require high-fidelity of computational design before materialization.

Local lattice distortions (LLD) and structural stability of body-centered cubic (bcc) Nb–Ta–Ti–Hf high-entropy alloys (HEAs) are studied as functions of composition employing ab initio density-functional theory calculations, with specific focus on the role of the relative concentrations of group IV (Ti and Hf) versus group V (Nb and Ta) elements. Calculated results are presented as a function of composition x in NbxTa0.25Ti(0.75−x)/2Hf(0.75−x)/2 alloys, for elastic moduli, phonon spectral functions, LLD and structural energy differences for the bcc and competing hexagonal close-packed (hcp) and ω phases. The results highlight the important role of group V elements and LLD in stabilizing the bcc structure. They further reveal how composition x can be tuned to alter both the magnitude of the LLD and structural energy differences. Specifically, the magnitude of the structural energy differences, and elastic and dynamic stability of the bcc phase, are enhanced with increasing x, while the LLD increase in magnitude as this concentration is decreased. The results also show evidence of correlated LLD at lower values of x, reflecting local structural distortions towards the ω phase, but not hcp. The degree of ω-collapse is nevertheless partial i.e., transformation towards this phase is not observed to be complete due to the presence of Ta and Nb. At lower values of x we further find an energy landscape characterized by multiple, nearly degenerate local energy minima for different values of the LLD.

Non-fused ring electron acceptors (NFREAs) potentially have lower synthetic costs than their fused counterparts. However, the low backbone planarity and the presence of bulky substituents adversely affect the crystallinity of NFREAs, impeding charge transport and the formation of bicontinuous morphology in organic solar cells. Here we show that a binary solvent system can individually control the crystallization and phase separation of the donor polymer (for example, D18) and the NFREA (for example, 2BTh-2F-C2). We select solvents such as chloroform and o-xylene that evaporate at different temperatures and rates and have different solubility for D18. Upon evaporation of chloroform, D18 starts to assemble into fibrils. Then, the evaporation of o-xylene induces the rapid formation of a fibril network that phase segregates 2BTh-2F-C2 into pure domains and leads to a bicontinuous morphology. The well-defined interpenetrating network morphology affords an efficiency of 19.02% on small-area cells and 17.28% on 1 cm2 devices.

Community solar, a business model where multiple customers buy output from shared solar systems, has expanded solar access among multifamily housing occupants, renters, and low-income households. Policies to enable community solar could be expanded and benefits of access augmented through targeted measures to support community solar adoption in underserved communities.

Abstract: The aim of this study is to enable the hydrogen economy and decarbonize various sectors in our environment that requires less expensive and more durable water electrolyzers, which can meet the Hydrogen-Shot target. The key is to improve the ionomer interfaces in low-temperature water electrolyzers as rapidly as possible, but to do so, it requires a systematic and holistic campaign combining both experiments and theory. In this perspective, we discuss the issues of electrolyzers and needs for translational science. We then present the approach that the Energy EarthShot Research Center: Center for Ionomer-based Water Electrolysis is taking in hopes of inspiring the community with this approach that can be leveraged to multiple problems and technologies. Graphical abstract: (Figure presented.) Highlights: One way to achieve the Hydrogen-Shot goal of low-cost, clean hydrogen, is advancing research and development on the interfaces of water electrolyzers for both performance and lifetime. The Center for Ionomer-based Water Electrolysis is exploring new techniques and strategies to not only interrogate interfacial phenomena in water electrolyzers to increase efficiency and durability, but also a new paradigm related to synergistic, cojoined experimental and theoretical research. Discussion: Catalyst\ionomer interfaces are complex and not fully understood, but through investigating different interfaces and utilizing digital and physical twins, we can elucidate key mechanisms and understanding. Understanding the dynamic double layer in electrochemical systems that use solid electrolytes is crucial to identifying and mitigating the controlling phenomena to enable increased performance and durability at the technology level. Studying the time and length scales of interfacial changes can be a powerful tool to understand reaction mechanisms and changes in the electrolyzer performance and durability.

Correction to: Nature Energyhttps://doi.org/10.1038/s41560-024-01546-2, published online 3 June 2024 In the version of the article initially published, data in Fig. 5b–d were displayed incorrectly and have now been amended in the HTML and PDF versions of the article. The original and corrected figures can be seen below in Fig. 1. (Figure presented.)

Abstract: In concurrent work, we introduced a novel robotic package delivery system latching intelligent modular mobility system (LIMMS). Each LIMMS end effector requires a small, lightweight latching mechanism for pre-manufactured containers, such as cardboard boxes. In order to effectively process a high volume of packages, aligning the latching mechanism quickly and reliably is critical. Instead of depending on highly accurate controllers for alignment, we propose a novel self-aligning rotational mechanism to increase the system’s tolerance to misalignment. The radial latching design consists of evenly spaced blades that rotate into slots cut into the box. When misaligned, the blades contact the edges of the engagement slots, generating a self-correcting force that passively centers the blades with the slot pattern. This paper introduces a mathematical framework with closed form expressions to quantify error tolerance for these mechanisms. Through our mathematical and optimization analyses, it is shown that a two-blade design can tolerate a maximum misalignment of three times the radius to the blade tips, much larger than commonly used designs with three or more blade-like contacts. Our approach can be generalized for a class of rotational latching mechanisms with any number of blades. Utilizing this theory, a design process is laid out for developing an optimal self-aligning rotational latching mechanism given desired parameters and task constraints. With this methodology, we designed, manufactured, and verified the effectiveness of both two-blade and three-blade self-aligning in practical experiments.

Rooftop and community solar are alternative product classes for residential solar in the United States. Community solar, where multiple households buy solar from shared systems, could make solar more accessible by reducing initial costs and removing adoption barriers for renters and multifamily building occupants. Here we test whether community solar has expanded solar access in the United States. On the basis of a sample of 11 states, we find that community solar adopters are about 6.1 times more likely to live in multifamily buildings than rooftop solar adopters, 4.4 times more likely to rent and earn 23% less annual income. We do not find that community solar expands access in terms of race. These differences are driven, roughly evenly, by inherent differences between the two solar products and by policies to promote low-income community solar adoption. The results suggest that alternative solar products can expand solar access and that policy could augment such benefits.

A multiscale micromechanics-based progressive damage model is developed to investigate the overall mechanical behavior and the interfacial microcrack evolutions of the cementitious composites featuring superabsorbent polymer (SAP) under uniaxial tension. Elastic properties, progressive damage process, and homogenization procedure of cementitious composites are systematically integrated in this model. The effective elastic moduli of the composites are determined based on a multiscale micromechanical framework. According to the small strain assumption, the total strain tensor and the elastic-damage compliance tensor are additively decomposed into elastic and damage-induced components. The damage-induced strains and compliances are then deduced from micromechanics. To characterize the progressive elastic-damage induced by microcracks, stages of microcrack propagation are identified from the interface contact stress and the matrix cleavage stress. The complex potentials and stress intensity factors for kinked interface cracks are derived from the distributed dislocations method. By implementing the homogenization process, the macroscopic mechanical behavior is obtained from the micro/mesoscale. The results indicate that the material parameters have clear mechanical significance. Different parameters, such as the SAP addition ratio, aggregate content, initial interfacial crack size, and initial interfacial crack location, are revealed to be influential in the overall mechanical behavior of the composites. The proposed model can be generalized to other particle-reinforced composites with different constituent properties, which can potentially contribute to the design and optimization of durable composites.

Burners and cooking activities are both major sources of air pollutants in many residences. Mechanical kitchen ventilation can effectively reduce cooking-related indoor air pollution but the knowledge about kitchen ventilation device performance and usage in real homes remains limited. We reviewed recent lab, field and survey studies that investigated the performance and occupant use patterns for mechanical kitchen ventilation devices. We have found the following three major issues. Firstly, in-home performance is lower than what was certificated in laboratory testing. In several recent field studies, researchers investigated 125 US single family homes and 23 apartments and found 82 homes had range hoods or over-the-range microwaves (OTR) certificated by Home Ventilating Institute (HVI) that had working airflows greater than 100 cfm. However, the field measurements showed only 44 of them had installed airflow that matched the rated, with the average ratio of installed versus rated flow of 0.76. The lower installed airflows were due to high air flow resistance of duct venting systems, incorrect installation and dirty hood inlets. Second, the knowledge of range hood performance for pollutant removal before mixing into the room (i.e. capture efficiency) is very limited. We found the capture efficiency was only measured for 57 hoods in 9 studies in the US, either in the lab or in the field. The measured capture efficiency ranged from 10% to 100%, generally increasing with the airflows. The capture efficiency can be influenced by the burner location, hood airflow, range hood geometry and test conditions. The main reason for limited capture efficiency data was the difficulty in conducting field measurements. Third was that the actual usage of the kitchen ventilation during cooking is low. Occupants often do not use their range hood due to the lack of awareness of the benefits of kitchen ventilation. A large survey study in Canadian homes showed that 30% of households reported regularly using their range hood. After being informed of the benefits of kitchen ventilation, the overall willingness to use the range hood was significantly higher. Field data from California showed range hoods were only used for 36% of cooking events in houses and 28% in apartments, though the occupants claimed they used them more frequently.

Layered double hydroxide (LDH) phases that form during cement hydration can incorporate a variety of interlayer anions in their interlayer positions. Here, a range of phases of general formula [MII(1−x)MIII(x)(OH)2][An−]x/n·zH2O were synthesized, where MII = Mg2+ (hydrotalcite) or Ca2+ (AFm), MIII = Al3+ such that [MII/Al] = 2 (Ca and Mg, atomic units) or 3 (Mg only), and A = Cl−, Br−, or I−. All the synthesized phases were characterized to assess their composition, density, and crystal structure. By approach from undersaturation, the solubility data of these compounds was measured at 5, 25, and 60°C. This thermochemical data was used to successfully model their formation using thermodynamic modeling and to infer the fields of stability of these compounds for conditions of relevance to cementitious systems. It is seen that halide-containing hydrotalcite phases strongly compete with hydroxide-containing hydrotalcite, with the latter prevailing at high pH. In contrast, halide-containing AFm compounds are more stable compared with hydroxide-containing AFm compositions.

In turbulent flows, energy production is associated with highly organized structures, known as coherent structures. Since these structures are three dimensional, their detection remains challenging in the most common situation in experiments, when single-point temporal measurements are considered. While previous research on coherent structure detection from time series employs a thresholding approach, either in spectral or temporal domain, the thresholds are ad hoc and vary significantly from one study to another. To circumvent this issue, we introduce the level-crossing method and show how specific features of a turbulent time series associated with coherent structures can be objectively identified, without assigning a priori any arbitrary threshold. By using two wall-bounded turbulence time-series datasets (at a Reynolds number of 104), we successfully extract through level-crossing analysis the impacts of coherent structures on turbulent dynamics and therefore open an alternative avenue in experimental turbulence research. By utilizing this framework further, we discover a metric, characterized by a statistical asymmetry between the peaks and troughs of a turbulent signal, to quantify inner-outer interaction in wall turbulence. Most importantly, through phase-randomized surrogate data modeling, we demonstrate that the level-crossing statistics are quite sensitive to the nonlinear dependencies in a turbulent signal. Physically, this finding implies that the large-scale coherent structures modulate the near-wall turbulent dynamics through a nonlinear interaction associated with low-speed streaks, a mechanism not identifiable from spectral analysis alone. Moreover, a connection is established between extreme value statistics and level-crossing analysis, thereby allowing additional possibilities to study extreme events in other dynamical systems.