Abstract: A nuclear fuel cladding with improved thermomechanical properties is provided. The nuclear fuel cladding includes a double-walled construction having inner and outer hexagonal sidewalls. The inner sidewall and the outer sidewall are spaced apart from each other to form a cooling channel therebetween, and the inner sidewall surrounds a nuclear fuel and is spaced apart from the nuclear fuel by a small gap. Helical fins extend into the cooling channel to interconnect the inner sidewall and the outer sidewall. Resilient fingers extend toward the nuclear fuel through the small gap to comply with variations in the size of the nuclear fuel due to fabrication tolerances as well as thermal expansion and swelling of the nuclear fuel, for example UO2, when undergoing fission. The nuclear fuel cladding is formed according to an additive manufacturing process, for example laser powder bed fusion printing.

Abstract: A method for relithiating cathode material from spent lithium-based batteries, the method comprising: (i) mixing delithiated cathode material and a lithium salt with an ionic liquid in which the lithium salt is at least partially soluble to form an initial mixture; (ii) heating the initial mixture to a temperature of 100° C. to 300° C. to result in relithiation of the delithiated cathode material; and (iii) separating the ionic liquid from the relithiated cathode material; wherein, in embodiments, the cathode material is a lithium metal oxide, wherein the metal is selected from the group consisting of Ni, Co, Fe, Mn, Al, Zr, Ti, Nb, and combinations thereof, or wherein the cathode material has the formula LiNixMnyCozO2, wherein x>0, y>0, z>0, and x+y+z=1; wherein, in some embodiments, the ionic liquid has a nitrogen-containing cationic portion, such as an imidazolium ionic liquid.

Abstract: A bonded soft magnet object comprising bonded soft magnetic particles of an iron-containing alloy having a soft magnet characteristic, wherein the bonded soft magnetic particles have a particle size of at least 200 nm and up to 100 microns. Also described herein is a method for producing the bonded soft magnet by indirect additive manufacturing (IAM), such as by: (i) producing a soft magnet preform by bonding soft magnetic particles with an organic binder, wherein the magnetic particles have an iron-containing alloy composition with a soft magnet characteristic, and wherein the particles of the soft magnet material have a particle size of at least 200 nm and up to 100 microns; (ii) subjecting the preform to an elevated temperature sufficient to remove the organic binder to produce a binder-free preform; and (iii) sintering the binder-free preform at a further elevated temperature to produce the bonded soft magnet.

Abstract: Disclosed herein are embodiments of an Al—Ce—Ni alloy for use in additive manufacturing. The disclosed alloy embodiments provide fabricated objects, such as bulk components, comprising a heterogeneous microstructure and having good mechanical properties even when exposed to conditions used during the additive manufacturing process. Methods for making and using alloy embodiments also are disclosed herein.

Abstract: A fish model to replace the use of live fish in hydroelectric studies is provided. The fish model is cast from ballistic gel to include the density, dimensions, and weight distribution of a selected species of living fish. The fish model is formed by additively manufacturing a mold based on a three-dimensional scan of an actual fish. The mold is then used to mass produce fish models for force measurement testing at various blade speeds, thickness, and impact angles. Each fish model includes a surrogate skin and an internal sensor for strike force measurements. Optional additional sensors include strain gauges, temperature probes, pressure probes, and load sensors, for example.

Abstract: An electromagnet alignment system for in-situ alignment of a magnetic particulate material is provided. The magnetic particulate material is dispensed through an orifice of a dispensing nozzle used for 3D printing. The system has an electromagnet assembly having a coil. The coil is configured to generate a pulsed magnetic field having a target magnetic flux intensity upon energization of the coil when the magnetic particulate material is being heated and moved through the dispensing nozzle. As a result, the magnetic particulate material is at least partially aligned with respect to a direction by the pulsed magnetic field. The system further includes a power source for implementing the energization of the coil.

Abstract: Systems, methods and programs are provided for automated science experiments which use a model with learnt model parameters to define points for physical-characteristic measurements once the model is trained. The systems, methods and programs use active learning which enables describing a relationship between local features of sample-surface structure shown in image patches and determined representations of physical-characteristic measurements.

Abstract: A method of making an electrode includes the step of mixing active material particles, radiation curable resin precursors, and electrically conductive particles to create an electrode precursor mixture. The electrode precursor mixture is electrostatically sprayed onto a current collector to provide an electrode preform. The electrode preform is heated and calendered to melt the resin precursor such that the resin precursor surrounds the active particles and electrically conductive particles. Radiation is applied to the electrode preform sufficient to cure the radiation curable resin precursors into resin.

Abstract: Permanent magnet materials are provided. The permanent magnet materials are cerium based materials including zirconium and iron in combination with cobalt. The permanent magnet materials may have the formula Ce2ZrFe15?xCox wherein 6?x?15. In some embodiments, the permanent magnet materials have the formula Ce2+yZr1?yFe(15?x)(2?z)/2)CoxCu((15?x)z/2) wherein 6?x?15, 0?y?0.4, and z=0 or 1. In other embodiments, the permanent magnet materials have the formula Ce2Zrx(Fe1?yCoy)17?2x, where 0<x?1 and 0.4?y?1. Permanent magnets including the permanent magnet materials are also provided.

Abstract: A system and method for sensorless coil detection that exploits a dead-time effect in a WPT inverter as an indicator of presence of a receiver. In one embodiment, a system described herein may be configured to detect arrival of a moving receiver prior to alignment of the moving receiver with the transmitter for power transmission.

Abstract: A system for predicting one or more analytes based on outputs from thin film gas sensors is provided. The system may comprise an electronic nose (e-nose). The e-nose may comprise the gas sensors and a first processor. The system may further comprise a second processor. The second processor may be configured to receive the output from each of the gas sensors, evaluate a prediction accuracy using an evaluation parameter of each of a plurality of models which are trained and tested and select a model from among the plurality of models to deploy based on a comparison of the evaluation parameter for each of the plurality of models and use the same. The second processor may also receive, an output of each of the gas sensors caused by unknown one or more analytes; and predict, using the deployed model, the one or more analytes that causes the output.

Abstract: A method for producing a structure containing an array of MWCNTs on a metal substrate, comprising: (i) subjecting a metal substrate to a surface oxidation process at a first elevated temperature in an oxygen-containing atmosphere and under a first reduced pressure; (ii) subjecting the metal substrate to a surface reduction process at a second elevated temperature in a reducing atmosphere and under a second reduced pressure of at least 0.01 atm and less than 1 atm to result in reduction of the surface of said metal substrate, wherein the reducing atmosphere contains hydrogen gas; (iii) subjecting the metal substrate to a third reduced pressure of no more than 0.1 atm; and (iv) contacting the metal substrate, while at the third reduced pressure and under an inert or reducing atmosphere, with an organic substance at a third elevated temperature for suitable time to produce the MWCNTs on the metal substrate.

Abstract: An improved method for embedding one or more sensors in SiC is provided. The method includes depositing a binder onto successive layers of a SiC powder feedstock to produce a dimensionally stable green body have a true-sized cavity. A sensor component is then press-fit into the true-sized cavity. Alternatively, the green body is printed around the sensor component. The assembly (the green body and the sensor component) is heated within a chemical vapor infiltration (CVI) chamber for debinding, and a precursor gas is introduced for densifying the SiC matrix material. During infiltration, the sensor component becomes bonded to the densified SiC matrix, the sensor component being selected to be thermodynamically compatible with CVI byproducts at elevated temperatures, including temperatures in excess of 1000° C.

Abstract: An additive manufacturing system comprising at least one electronic nose (e-nose) is provided. The e-nose may comprise a housing and gas sensors. The housing may have an air channel. The active sensor portion of the sensors are positioned in the air channel. The housing may be mounted to an extruder head of an additive manufacturing device. The system may also comprise a processor. The processor may determine whether there is an abnormality in an additive manufacturing process based on one or more combinations of outputs from the gas sensors received during the additive manufacturing process input into a deployed machine learning model; and generate a report for the additive manufacturing process containing the determination.

Abstract: A system comprising a nonlinear medium (NLM), an optical transduction module, a dual homodyne detector and a processor is provided. The NLM receives at least a pump beam and issues the pump, probe and conjugate beams, where the beams are linearly polarized. Optics route the probe, the conjugate or both beams to the sample. The sample imparts polarization rotation to light that interacts therewith. The optical transduction module imparts to the interacted light an optical phase shift that is a 1:1 transduction of the polarization rotation, where at least one of the probe light or the conjugate light carries the imparted optical phase shift. The processor obtains the optical-phase shift based on respective detection signals from the dual homodyne detector and determines, based on the obtained optical-phase shift, at least one of a Faraday polarization rotation, a Kerr polarization rotation or a spin noise spectrum.

Abstract: A crosslinked polymeric composition comprising A, B, C, D, and E units having the following structures, respectively: and wherein dashed bonds represent optional bonds; the asterisks (*) in C units represent covalent bond connection points with asterisks in A units and E units; the asterisks (*) in D units represent covalent bond connection points with asterisks in B units and E units; wherein a portion of E units are bound to C units, a portion of E units are bound to D units, and a portion of E units are bound to both C and D units; and the composition contains a multiplicity of A, B, C, D, and E units. Also described is a method for producing the crosslinked polymeric composition by reacting epoxy-containing molecules (A molecules), isocyanate-containing molecules (B molecules), and disulfide-containing molecules (C molecules).

Abstract: A method for producing a diglycolamide molecule having the formula: wherein R1 and R2 are independently selected from alkyl groups (R) and acyl groups (C(O)R) in which the alkyl groups (R) contain 1-30 carbon atoms and optionally contain an ether or thioether linkage between carbon atoms, and R5 and R6 are independently selected from hydrogen atom and alkyl groups containing 1-3 carbon atoms; and one or both pairs of R1 and R2 are optionally interconnected to form a ring; the method comprising: combining a diglycolic acid molecule (A) and a secondary amine (B) to form a salt intermediate (C), and heating the salt intermediate (C) to a temperature of 100° C. to 300° C.

Abstract: Polyphase wireless power transfer systems are provided. The transfer system may be used for charging hybrid and electric vehicles. The systems are capable of transferring over 50 KW over an air gap of 15 cm. The systems use a rotating magnetic field to transfer power. The system may comprise transmitter coil assembly. The coil assembly may be one or more layers. The system may employ either unipolar or bipolar coils. The transmitter also comprises compensating capacitance connected in series with at least one coil for each phase. A value of the compensating capacitance for each phase is determined such that the transmitter has at least two independently excitable resonant modes at a resonant frequency. The transmitter is compatible with a plurality of different receivers including three-phase, single phase with a circular coil and single phase with DD coils.

Abstract: A method for additively manufacturing a microstructure from a caloric material includes providing a geometry of the microstructure to a processor of an additive manufacturing device, the geometry defining a plurality of microfeatures of the microstructure. The method also includes generating, via the processor, a three-dimensional (3D) model representative of the geometry of the microstructure, wherein one or more of the plurality of microfeatures are represented in the 3D model by a non-arcuate profile. Further, the method includes printing, via the additive manufacturing device, the microstructure from the caloric material according to the 3D model. As such, the non-arcuate profile reduces a file size of the 3D model as compared to an arcuate profile.